December 2018
Partners and Friends,
Please pray for our upcoming trips to a closed nation and throughout the year.
Greetings!
It’s hard to believe I am writing a Christmas letter already. This year seems to have gone by faster than any of the previous years. Will gave me the honor of writing this letter to catch you up on our family highlights of 2018 so here goes…..
Danial turned 15 this past June and is in the 9th grade. He seems to grow every single night while he sleeps. He is very involved in the youth group at church, JV basketball at his high school and is very excited for spring to play high school baseball. He is super outgoing and the typical 15 year old boy, he loves sports, video games, and well…….girls. (He would die if he knew I wrote that so let’s not mention it to him, lol). Will and I try to keep up with his love life, but he is usually one girl ahead of our information networking which often leaves us trying to make small talk with the wrong girls at school events.
Moriah turned 20 in June and is in her second year at Grove City College where she has completed enough courses to be a junior instead of a sophomore. Moriah continues to push herself to be the very best she can be. She enjoys academics and has a real tenderness for babies, kids and those with special needs. She plans to go to law school after Grove City and was honored to be a part of Law Fellowship in Washington, D.C. where she had experiences that will last her a lifetime. If you have met Moriah even once you would realize she doesn’t like to argue so she plans to pursue a law degree that focuses more on immigration or adoption. We are praying God continues to direct her path – she really just wants to use her gifts to help people.
Will and I just enjoyed our third year in the same house. I did a mental count the other day and we have lived in 11 places in 24 years. It has been a blessing that we were able to flip so many houses to be able to build our own home for our children but we are not sentimentally attached to any house. All that we have is from the Lord and if we felt impressed we could be packed and leave with all that matters to us in an hour. Earth is not our home. We are just passing through but our eyes are on Heaven, our eternal home. We fall more in love with our family every day. Our children don’t seem to understand the magnitude of our love for them, but we are focusing on savoring the last moments of their young lives (and Will is constantly trying to bribe them to never leave this house, I even overheard him telling them that he and I could live in the shed and let them keep the big house, hahaha!) Nonetheless we are relying on God’s grace to help us to show our kids the love and mercy of Christ. It’s His kindness that draws us unto Him and we are blessed that despite our imperfections as humans and parents, both kids have tender hearts toward God and a desire to serve others.
During the month of December people are often so overwhelmed with the activities of the season that they take their focus off of what is really the most important thing, Jesus. When we get our eyes off of Heaven it is easy to become anxious, unfocused, and even depressed. God wants us to live the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.
We are praying for you and so is the entire staff of BFL here and abroad. We truly care about you and your family and ask God to continue to fill your home with the knowledge that you have been made righteous because of Jesus, and the peace and joy that come from the Holy Ghost. God wants you to live a victorious, overcoming life and we count it a privilege to be in this partnership with you as we bring the life changing gospel to the world and the power of the matchless Name of Jesus Christ to the nations. Your life counts. Your gifts count. We need each other.
May you have a blessed Christmas that is centered on sharing the best gift ever, Jesus.
Together with you, making HIM known,
Will & Cristen Bridges