The Christensen Chronicle

2002 Year in Review
Volume 3 Issue 1

Dear Friends and Family,

New. This is a commonly used word in a family with a toddler and a baby, and so new describes much of our experiences over the past year. New means change and often involves excitement and adventure, and our lives in 2002 had their fair share of that. Sometimes new can be scary as we face personally uncharted waters in life. We have found that our trust in God’s promises gives us the confidence we need in life, as God alone offers both the security of His unchanging character and the freshness of His abiding presence. The prophet Jeremiah experienced God in this same way after his life and his nation were turned upside down—he wrote, "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). For us our newness this year has all been pleasant, but that may not have been for you; if so, we pray that the security and freshness God offers will encourage your heart.

We experienced God’s faithfulness early in 2002. In our Christmas 2001 letter we wrote how we had been scouring Janesville in search of a house and that we’d found four houses we liked, each better than the previous, but were disappointed each time. We wrote that "if God closes a door on what we think is best, then he has something even better in store for us." That statement at that time was not based on feelings or personal experience, quite the contrary, but purely on faith, faith in the character and promises of God. By February 23 we found ourselves in a house that was exactly what we had been praying for, cost us much less than its value, and was a mere four blocks from church! This turned out to be none too soon as the two successive weekends were beset first with heavy snow, then heavy rain, and on the third week in our house and three weeks early, our most delightful new arrival of the year, Erik Sean Christensen, decided it was high time to make his appearance!

I was born on March 13, 2002 at 10:00 am. I weighed 7 lbs, 8 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. I surprised mommy and daddy by coming 3 weeks early, but they were ready. I’ve grown a lot since then and I’m learning all kinds of new things. I can walk around furniture and move from one piece to the next. Mommy and Daddy have a wager to see when I’ll start walking. Whoever loses gets to change my diapers for a whole week. I love my family. I’m so glad to have a big brother. I like to watch everything he does. He can make me laugh more than anybody else. He calls me "little buddy," and watches out to make sure I don’t get into too much mischief. When I start walking I’ll be able to keep up with him even more. Mommy and Daddy say I have the greatest belly laugh in the whole world!

I‘m 2 ½! Erik’s just a little guy, but I’m big. I’ve learned lots of things this year. I can really talk, and talk, and talk. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy wonder where all my words come from. I can count to 12 in five languages, say and recognize the ABCs, and say 8 Bible verses. I like classical music, especially Mozart and Vivaldi, but I also like to talk about many other composers. What I like best of all is books! I love going to the library and when I come home I surround myself with books for hours, then line them up like a sidewalk. Mommy and Daddy say that the most important thing is to love Jesus and be kind to others. Please pray for me that I will learn to obey and make wise choices and most importantly to love Jesus.

"Erik’s a goon. Sometimes daddy calls him that. Sometimes daddy calls mommy a goon. Sometimes mommy calls daddy a goon. Sometimes daddy calls me a goon. We’re all goons!" Ian’s Inspirations

Heather’s Happenings

Our family received some good press coverage this year. I was one of the pastors who led in prayer at our city’s National Day of Prayer gathering last May and was quoted in the Janesville Gazette, "How can we as a nation govern ourselves if our hearts are not governed by God?" A couple of months later our church organized a community festival called Faith Fest and one of the participating churches brought a person in a chicken suit. Ian wouldn’t leave the "big chicken" alone and so ended up getting his picture on the front page of the Gazette, waving at a man-sized chicken.

Last year I added three new bird species to my life list without even leaving Rock County! I saw a Whooping Crane, a Cerulean Warbler and a Hooded Warbler—that puts me at 338 species. As part of my role on this summer’s Guatemala trip, I get to teach one day at the missionary training school there. This is the kind of ministry I hope to do on the mission field full-time in the years ahead. Getting a chance to add a bunch of birds to my list isn’t bad either!

Although this letter comes in the second month of 2003, we wish you and yours a happy, blessed, and God-honoring year. Thank you for your special part in our lives.

With love,

Sean, Heather, Ian & Erik