Life on the Vine

With Christmas upon us that means the New Year is just around the corner.  In the next week I do plan to do some reflecting on how blessed I've been this year.  This time last year I was living in Germany, separated from my husband with no idea whether I'd be able to find a job in Arizona nor when Tom and I would be reunited.  And here it is a year later and Tom and I have bought a house, albeit a 'temp' house; we have completed plans for the house we're going to build; we've selected our contractor and are moving forward; I miraculously got a job - the only civilian PA job in an office entirely of military (those of you who are federal employees in the States know how long some civilians can, and do, stay in jobs); we're getting to spend lots of great quality time with Tom's dad and family, and I got to be there for my Dad's 60th birthday. I was talking to a girlfriend a couple weeks ago and she told me that she'd decided what her New Year'

This is the third year Tom and I have supported  Gospel for Asia's Christmas Gift Catalog .  GFA's catalog isn't unique.  There are numerous ministries and nongovernmental organizations that do Christmas catalogs, allowing their supporters an opportunity to buy any range of items that will help and minister to those who are in great need and certainly less fortunate than those of us living in the United States. There is something for everyone in GFA's Christmas catalog.  The catalog is organized into several sections - Gifts from the Stable , Gifts for the Poor, Gifts of Outreach , Gifts for Missionaries .  They also include the opportunity to get involved in their sponsorship programs for children and missionaries.  They've also designed some fun bundles , such as the Barnyard Bundle, which includes six chickens, two goats, two pigs, one lamb and one cow.  Whether you've got a couple hundred dollars you could donate or just eleven dollars, you'll find s