Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

*Daniel*
I cant believe Daniel
is already in ninth grade. Last spring
he continued as part of the baseball team and this fall
ran varsity for the Cross Country team. Unfortunately, a couple of injuries
kept him from running some of the races but consequently earned him the broken crutch award
from the team. This summer he began working at McDonalds in addition to his weekend paper route. This fall,
shortly after turning 15, Daniel got his drivers permit!
*Ashton* Ashton is a Senior in high school and shes keeping
herself very busy. Last spring, she joined Mike and others from our church
on a very impactful mission trip to Peru. She participated in the Miss Mountain Lake pageant
and was crowned 1st runner up! In addition to being a CNA at the nursing home, she is also working at
McDonalds. Ashton completed her final season on the Cross Country team. She is currently taking online college
classes and is narrowing her choices of where shell go to college
in the fall. *Petra* Petra finished her first year at college and moved
back home for the summer. After a summer working as a CNA at the nursing home,
she headed back to Mankato this fall. She is living in an apartment this year with 3 friends.
In addition to classes with a major in Elementary Education, she is a nanny for 2 families, is on the leadership
team for CRU (Campus Crusade), and uses her piano skills as their worship leader. *Bethany & Jordan* Two lives
became one on July 30. Mr. & Mrs. Carver are living
in Mankato after their absolutely perfect wedding. They were
married at Alliance Church in ML, followed by a reception and dance, then off
to a honeymoon trip to CA. Jordan is working toward his Business Finance degree at
Bethany College in Mankato and is employed with Blossom Hill Corporation in St. Peter. Bethany completed
her 4 year degree in just 3 years, graduated top of her class at Minnesota State University-Mankato, and is now
teaching fourth grade in Mankato. *Mike & Kelly*
Mike has a great passion for serving through mission trips and
taking Ashton with him to Peru made this years trip even more special.
He has continued the gratifying job as head coach for the Cross Country team.
It was a tender moment to see a tearful dad walk his daughter down the aisle but entrusting her to
a godly man made it perfect. The planning for that big day is what consumed my time for the first half of the year.
The first thing
Bethany and
I crossed off
the suggested
to-do list was
to hire a wedding planner; this was a task we both loved to do.
Mike and I have stayed comfortably busy with our Melaleuca business
and feel fortunate to be a part of this company for over 18 years.

We pray that the greatest gifts you receive this Christmas will not be wrapped beneath your tree
but rather the gifts of love, of hope, and of salvation through our Lord Jesus! Merry Christmas!
Love, Mike, Kelly, Jordan, Bethany, Petra, Ashton, and Daniel

Christmas 2011