Spring is full of fresh hope. The
crocus, tulips, daffodils poke their green and red points through the earth,
through last fall’s forgotten leaves, and delight us with their colors and
soft, hopeful faces. We are reminded that although the winter can be long, hope
and spring will rise up again. It is a physical representation of the hope we have
in Jesus, who rose from the dead so that we might have eternal life. He will
come again, and will bring justice and then peace. We long for that day, as we
have longed for spring through the dark and cold winter! We hope you are
celebrating His resurrection, too!
Our family has had a year of rejoicing
in hope! God has been good and gracious to us!
Aaron is 12, and has recently (February)
had some opportunities to grow in his faith through a medical crisis. He was
diagnosed with MRAA septic arthritis of the hip which caused significant pain
and required surgery and a 10 day hospital stay in Grand Rapids. We are so
thankful to have been guided along each step of the way and are thankful God
allowed us to find the proper care in appropriate time. He has been completely
cleared to carry on normal activity and is back at volleyball! He is in 6th
grade at Zion Lutheran School and has enjoyed soccer and basketball along with
volleyball. This year he has also taken up the trombone to add another
instrument to his brass skills. We are so amazed to watch him growing and
maturing physically and spiritually.
Evan is 10, and Jenny is enjoying having
him at home for school this year for 4th grade. He’s doing a mix of
video classes and parent-guided classes and enjoys writing stories, reading
books, learning about science and history, and creating pretty much anything he
can dream up. He’s completed his state quarters collection, and is now working
on the National Parks series. He keeps us laughing a LOT and is just a great
guy to have around. We are often surprised with the depth of spiritual
understanding he has been given.
Cadey, age 7, is a first grader at home
and is really taking off in her reading skills. She enjoys informal art classes
with a friend who lives nearby, nature class at the nature center, and she just
finished her Sparks book in AWANA. She is an excellent organizer and wonderful
sister, often leading the adventures for both of her fellow brother-pupils. We
are delighted that she seems to be a good mix of sweetness and spunk, and pray
that God will continue to grow her into His image.
Amos is already three, with a birthday
around the corner this July. Time flies with all of our kids, but it really
does not seem possible that this little person has been in our family this
long. He keeps us in stitches with his antics and funny faces, and has
completed all the necessary training to be considered a “big boy” which is a very
happy ending to an era. He loves his older siblings and is quite content to be
around them in any way he can. He’s also learning a lot at home, even though we
haven’t formally started school. We pray for Amos that his heart will be
captured by God at an early age.
We are thankful that we get to keep
working with the junior high teens at our church, leading the youth group on
Sunday nights and the 7th & 8th grade small group
Bible studies on Wednesdays. We have a great group of youth staff serving with us
and are excited to be a part of the teens’ lives. God is doing amazing things!
Michael is a deacon this year as well, and while we need to do more of it, have
enjoyed having our group over for some fellowship times. It’s really hard to
express how deeply grateful we feel when we stop to consider all that God has
done and all He allows us to do.
Michael marked fifteen years with Bright
Construction this past October, and we had another successful year with Trivet
+ Board. We are planning to scale back on Trivet + Board shows a bit this year
so that we can forge ahead on some home improvement projects. We’d love to see our fixer upper make some
substantial forward movement this summer! Jenny works very part time delivering
groceries with Shipt, and the two of us continually celebrate the joy God has
given us with a happy marriage – this December will be our sixteenth
anniversary! What a gracious gift.
We are constantly amazed by God’s great
love for us, His blessing us beyond what we deserve, walking with us through
the hard times and guiding us when we don’t know exactly what is next. Please
pray for us as we navigate uncertain waters of parenting, school choices,
health, vocation, daily living…but most of all, pray that we will trust in the goodness of God and in His good plans
for our family. This is how we are praying, trusting that He will continue
to lead us! He is our HOPE, and we REJOICE!
Our love and God’s blessings to all of you!
Michael & Jenny, Aaron, Evan, Cadence & Amos Muth
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