Happy New Year!!

I am sitting here thinking over this past year and the past few days. This has been a good year! Tom is healthy and I am as well. We still have all of our parents and our children are healthy.....well that is relatively speaking right now! Layne and Zeke were scheduled to leave today to fly back to Vegas and Zeke has come down with the flu. Tom and I have had the shot but I have been told we can still get it. From the way I am feeling, I believe it! But back to 2012 as a whole.

Earlier this year, God called Layne and Zeke to plant a church. That is not so surprising given where they met! The part that surprises people is where they are going. They will be starting a church in Zeke's hometown of Hilo, Hawaii. They resigned from their church in Carthage, TN and became a part of the North American Mission Board "Launch" program. This allowed them the opportunity to move back to the church in Las Vegas that we were a part of and intern there until they are ready to plant the church in Hilo.

The most common question we hear is, "how do you feel about that?" Or " I guess you can't really say anything can you?" To answer both of those we feel blessed beyond measure that God would use our children in this capacity and no and we would not want to! Only they know what God has truly called them to do and we raised Layne to learn to recognize that and trust Zeke will as well. We knew they would not stay here permanently but were happy to have them so close as long as we did.

Let me tell you a little about Ohana Church and how you can be involved if you wish. God has birthed Ohana (family) Church in Zeke and Layne's heart. Hawaii is very family oriented so what better way to reach them than as a family. 95% of Hawaii is lost. 95% of Hilo is lost. Ancestor worship is very prominent there. Mormonism is very prominent there. There are churches but very few evangelical Christian churches. God is planting Ohana Church in Hilo to reach Hawaii, the Pacific, and the world. The website is www.ohanachurch.com and I ask you to visit the site and pray for our children.

Please keep Tom and I and our parents in your prayers as well. Not only is this hard for all of us emotionally our parents are having some health issues which is to be expected at ages 89 and 85 ( three are 89 and one is 85).

We love you all and wish you a blessed New Year! Please let us hear from you as we'll.

In Him,
Tom and Jan