Dear Friends and Family,                                   December 2005

Looking back over 2005 we have much to be thankful for.  If we were to list every single item there would not be enough room on this page, and you would be bored with a long, rambling letter.  So, in an effort to give you a snapshot of the year, here is what we are thankful for in 2005:

Family - Melanie continues to grow like a weed and is talking more and more everyday.  We visited Oma and Opa Ervin (Tia was there too) in Texas in April, with the highlight of the trip being our journey to Big Bend National Park.  We celebrated Grandma and Grandpa Begeman’s 40th wedding anniversary in the Black Hills of South Dakota in June.  This trip included seeing old family friends and a family hike to Harney Peak.  We also saw the extended Ervin family for Thanksgiving in South Carolina and plan to celebrate Christmas with the Begemans in South Dakota.  The biggest news is that we (all three of us!) will be traveling to China sometime between April and July  of 2006 to adopt another baby girl from China.  We would greatly appreciate your prayers for us as we make the transition from three to four in our family.

Friends - We had a great time with AF friends in Williamsburg, VA over Memorial Day weekend and a fantastic trip to Italy with Shannon’s parents and youngest brother to visit Giorgio DePlano and his family on the island of Sardinia in September.  (Shannon’s parents hosted Giorgio for a year as a foreign exchange student).  We have also had a number of old friends drop in to say “hi” as they were passing through the Washington DC area.  We have really enjoyed getting to know more people through a Families with Children from China (FCC) group as well as our church this year, and Maria has made numerous new friends through Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS).

Faith - Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Often we see things in the news or deal with issues in our own personal lives that do not make any sense as we reason through them.  We are truly blessed to know that the Lord has both small personal as well as big international events in the palm of His Hand.  We trust that you will be able to quiet your hearts during the busyness of this time of year and thank the Lord for His provision in your lives as well.

Love,

Shannon, Maria & SuSu

Please keep in touch!

               Coming into the harbor in Cagliari, Sardinia (we
                            took an overnight trip on a ship from Rome)

Friends of Giorgio’s family invited us for a delicious meal – it was
great to be in a home in the countryside