Christmas 2007

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We wish you Christmas blessings of love and joy and hope for the New Year.

This has been a year of passages for us. Twice we crossed the world to visit our beloved Ethiopia. We are so blessed to be able to watch what God is doing there and to have a hand in it. Our non-profit Heart for Ethiopia is growing steadily. It is providing funds for development, well drilling, and village children sponsorships. All of the development is done through the rural churches and they are growing and people are coming into the kingdom.

Our online Ebay and Amazon bookstore fills our house and our time. Lauralee organizes, lists and prints shipping labels and Ray manages storage and packs for shipment. It is still fun and we get lots of donations. It is always exciting to come across a treasure. Best book so far was a history of Ellis County signed by 4 authors for $140.

In August my step-dad died at age 91 in Hemet, CA. I have made 4 trips out since July to move him to a full care facility and then to settle his affairs. I need to return once more after the court approves the trust.
In September we celebrated 50 years of marriage. We had a wonderful celebration with family from far-flung places like Yemen and Hawaii. We went to Fossil Rim game park and spent a night in their elegant lodge.

In November my dad died at age 91. He was upbeat right to the end and we miss him in our home. He was here for 2 years. We know he is now singing in the heavenly choir.

We plan to return to Ethiopia for another visit in January. You can keep up with us at www.heart-for-ethiopia.blogspot.com. If you would like to get our emails and pictures from Ethiopia, email us at rayandlauralee@gmail.com.

In His Hands, Ray and Lauralee