Christmas Letter 2003

Dear Family and Friends,

We come to the end of another year, and we marvel at God's faithfulness throughout. We've been carried through quite a few ups and downs, especially in regards to health, and we look forward to what lies ahead.

The year started with a bit of heartache and confusion, although it was lined with hope. Michelle was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and her declining health forced her to quit her part-time teaching job at Chattanooga Christian School. At the same time, we learned of a little-known treatment for fibromyalgia that is inexpensive and safe, if not a little complex. At times it was difficult to understand why God would allow this terrible disease to take away Michelle's health, but His faithfulness and grace overwhelmed our wandering hearts. We were especially comforted by the prayers and help from our family and friends during this difficult time.

We were also encouraged by the willingness of our loved ones to come visit us this year. We were not able to travel as much as we like, so the visits from Michelle's parents and her sisters and niece early in the year were fun and encouraging.

Our first spring at our new house was full of color. It seems like each day there was a new surprise, as the cherry, tulip, iris, rose and many other blossoms ushered in the warmth. It was such an unexpected blessing to have so many flowers to admire around our little yard. We were inspired to start our first backyard garden, and had a lot of fun working the earth together. It was quite a learning experience too: we won a few battles and enjoyed some good crops, but overall the bugs won the war this year. Hopefully next year we'll be able to be more diligent in fending off those pesky pests.

By the time the sunflowers nearly reached the roof, it was the middle of the summer and a time of change at work. One good friend and coworker moved out to Colorado and another went off to law school. We also moved our office, but only just down the block. Perhaps most notably for us, I received a generous raise, which was such a blessing in God's good timing. We've been struggling under the weight of school debt among other things, and we are now seeking ways to honor God better by being better stewards with what He's given us. Please pray for us as we continue to learn much in this area.

Our fourth anniversary came at the end of the summer and our families generously sent us to a cabin getaway in the Georgia mountains. We hadn't traveled in a long time, so it was such a good time to leave our worries behind with some downtime in the hills. As the summer came to a close Michelle joined a weekly study with Bible Study Fellowship. We've both been blessed by how much of the Word she has been learning each week.

In November Michelle's health took a turn for the best. We are so thankful that the treatment for her fibromyalgia is showing some clear improvements. The treatment program is a somewhat long and drawn-out process, so it's very encouraging to be able to look back and see such improvement. We're hopeful that next year she'll have regained most of her strength. If you know of anyone with fibromyalgia who may be interested in learning more about this, please don't hesitate to contact us.

We’re excited for Michelle’s parents as they embark on a new adventure this coming year. Her Dad graduated from seminary this spring and they have been waiting on the Lord’s timing to plant a new church. Now they have been called to start a ministry in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and you can find out all about it at www.Champaign-UrbanaPCA.org. I was happy to be able to do this little website for them, and speaking of: Michelle and I are planning on pursuing more small website side-jobs this year (proceeds go toward our debt relief fund), so if you know of anyone needing such work, let us know.

We're headed to Pennsylvania for the holidays and taking the dog too! Speaking of Katie, she's still the cutest little dog ever and she always has us laughing. She had some odd health issues of her own this year, but it turned out to be nothing especially serious. There is no lack of pictures of her on our website (wiegersfamily.com), and there you will also find lots of pictures and updates on our various adventures.

As Christmas approaches, we're looking forward to spending some good time with Michelle's family as we celebrate the coming of Jesus. We truly hope you know and love Jesus this Christmas and beyond. Thanks to many of you for your continued prayers, and as always, we'd love to hear from you or see you soon.


Much love,
Bob and Michelle
Posted by bobw at December 11, 2003 09:32 PM | TrackBack