Tuesday, December 20, 2016

2016 Christmas Letter

To all our dear Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas! We’re SO blessed to be home to spend the holidays with family again this year!  Every year, God leads us to a different situation to be used. Last year at this time, we had just returned from 2 months in the Philippines serving in what was initially to be a short assignment on the campus of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary! 
In January, we returned to Manila and to the jobs we had been filling on an interim basis – Dan led the regions IT team, while Janet handled the role of Philippine Micronesia Field Treasurer.  Three months turned into 4 as we agreed to serve in these transitional roles through the year. We returned home to the States in early May, travelling to Marcy’s home a couple of weeks later to visit and to attend Megan’s graduation from the University of Rhode Island. On our drive home, we were thrilled to get to meet our granddaughter Tessie in Pennsylvania and her 2-year-old daughter Tatum! The rest of the summer went by too quickly as we returned again to Manila in August for 4 more months.  For our 20th anniversary, we took a special side trip to Okinawa for a week in September. (Dan had served there as a Marine 47 years ago.)
These were truly the most challenging assignments we’ve ever tackled! God sustained and guided us through as always. We left behind many great Filipino friendships that will continue on Facebook, as well as friendships with a special group of Chinese students and the U.S. and Canadian missionaries we served with there!     
Home now, we’ve started going back to group classes at our local YMCA (sore muscles!) and are really feeling the cold weather after being accustomed to temperatures in the 80s and 90s! One Sunday morning, we cheered Erica on as she ran her first 15K and, that afternoon, we enjoyed Caitlyn’s high school choir’s madrigal dinner! We are certainly looking forward to Christmas at home with Monica, Caitlyn, Dylan, and Erica.
Family news…
Marcy is a local police officer in Fairhaven, MA. Husband John is still with Samsonite (we benefit from his samples!). Megan is in grad school at Simmons College in Boston, working on a masters program in social work. Morgan is a junior at Curry College near Boston, majoring in Nursing. Tucker is an 8th grader enjoying life with both sisters away at school.
Monica is still enjoying her CPA job in Belleville at a local hospital, although she may relocate to a different office in the City in January. Dylan is a freshman and Caitlyn is a junior at Belleville East High School. Monica has spent lots of time training and ran a marathon this fall. Dylan is on the high school cross-country team. We love attending Caitlyn’s choir concerts and Monica’s church choir Christmas concert.
Derick and Nola live in New Jersey so Derick can work on the outsides of the skyscrapers in New York City, living his dream of “Life on a Rope” as a top-level-certified rope access technician. Nola continues to enjoy her work as a nanny for a local family. They are taking every opportunity to visit and grow in their relationship with Derick’s daughter Tessie, who lives in Pennsylvania, and her daughter Tatum, as they learn to be grandparents.
Darin still lives in Raleigh, NC, where he works to fund his passion for building custom motorcycles in his off-hours.
Adam does computer work. He and fiancée Dana Anderson (she works for Caterpillar) live in Peoria, IL.
Erica is enjoying her management position as purchaser at the Lutheran Senior Services facility where she still sometimes cooks. She moved to a cute apartment in St. Louis with her cats last year. When she’s not working, she’s been running in the large park across the street or going to St. Louis Blues hockey matches. Thankfully, she still enjoys spending time with her mom shopping or cooking.
God continues to provide rich experiences and wonderful people to work with in our retirement from paid careers. Along this pathway, there are a couple of important things we continue to learn (or relearn):
-  The special, never-ending value of family and friends like you. We are so blessed with your ongoing friendship, prayers, and support as we follow His leading. We so appreciate being able to keep in touch electronically when we can’t be with you in person!
-  “God’s Retirement Plan” is WAY better than any we might have ever dreamed of! He is keeping us active, useful, challenged, excited, and growing (see Romans 8:14-15 in The Message).
Our only plans for 2017 so far are to help with the global conventions before Nazarene General Assembly in June! We’re hoping to plant our own vegetable garden in the spring and settle into the community for a while!
May your Christmas season be blessed and your New Year filled with joy!

Dan & Janet Reinhart         
835 Autumn Rise Lane, Columbia, IL 62236       home: 618-722-5114
Reinhart47@aol.com - cell: 314-484-1898       JanetM52@aol.com - cell: 314-484-1906