Greetings and blessings from the Gardiners. Christmas celebrations remind us of the glorious grace of the Gospel: the hopes and fears of all the years were met in Bethlehem's dark streets on that Christmas night. How silently... how silently the wondrous gift was giv'n; so God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heav'n!

        It is now our fourth year in Wisconsin and the Lord Jesus continues to bless us abundantly here. Lesley is in the middle of a Master's Degree Program at the University of Wisconsin. Rick is teaching eighth grade integrated studies and computer this year.

        Rick spent most of the Spring working on his book, Never Before in History,which has just been published and will be available for sale very soon. It is an American History Textbook, co-authored by Gary Amos, which traces the roots of the United States to its authentic ideological origins.
 

        Lesley begain working on her pilot's license this year. This is something her father did and she has always wanted to follow in his footsteps. The process will be slow coming as her number one priority will be to complete the Master's Degree. She has very high grades at this point and hopes to finish close to a 4.0.
 

        We added a new member to our family this year: "Stinky" the ferret. He has really been a fun pet. During the Summer Mary came to visit. She brought her friend, Jessica, and they really enjoyed themselves swimming every day and playing with the ferret.

        Rick opted to teach only eighth grade this year. His students are very inspiring and enjoyable. He has been helping them learn webpage design and has initiated an eighth grade webmagazine, the ULSer, which is maintained by a dedicated student named Jack O'horo.
         One of Rick and Lesley's favorite outings this year was the Neil Diamond Concert on Lesley's birthday. Neil's energy, stamina, and golden voice are amazing for a man at his place in life. The Green Bay Packers have struggled a little more than in the past two years, but this year our Wisconsin Badgers have been on a roll, and they've earned a spot at this year's Rose Bowl! Another outing which provides us with a good deal of entertainment is ComedySportz in Milwaukee. Rick and Lesley hosted an outing there with the eighth graders in early December.

        Rick and Lesley will be spending Christmas in Maryland with Rick's mom. When we return to Wisconsin, Lesley will be starting her internship diagnosing and prescribing medications; when she completes this process she will be licensed as a nurse practitioner.

        Please stay in touch with us in 1999. We enjoy exchanging email with our distant friends. Contact us at [email protected]. Visit our website at http://mysite.verizon.net/richard.gardiner.

        Otherwise just give us a call at (920) 474-3200, or stop by and see us.

        May you be blessed again this year with the firm and certain assurance of God's benevolence toward you. His grace is always bigger than our narrow conception of it.