Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004
From our home to yours:
I bet you’ve been sitting on the edge of your seat, wondering where in the world the Donyes’ annual newsletter has got to…well, to prevent any further disappointment, Mel has asked me (Lynette) to do the honors this year. I’m not quite the wordsmith he is, but I will attempt to give my best shot.
In so many ways, as we look at the surface of our lives, things look pretty much the same as always. Mel and I continue to work at the church, filling in any gaps: The occasional sermon or Bible study series; Praise and worship leadership together; Youth group leadership together; Bookkeeping for Lyn; Home schooling for Lyn; and computer work for Mel. If we take a little deeper look, however, we’ve added a few things to our “to do” lists. Mel is now involved in SMART Love, a program that reaches into middle and elementary schools to encourage abstinence, as well as Young Life, a weekly Christian club for high schoolers. We’re also in charge of planning the youth and junior youth camps for Bethel Fellowship International, the fellowship we’re part of. Needless to say, it all adds to the chaos of our lives, but we try to keep our eyes and hearts fixed on the eternal results of doing a little extra to reach the young people of this generation. While we are momentarily stretching ourselves, we are encouraged at the knowledge that we are touching the lives of our future leaders.
Kyndra Lynne is going to be turning 17 in February, so we are trying to prepare our hearts to someday say “goodbye” to our precious princess. It sometimes feels like our hearts with burst with joy and, yes, pride, as we look at the beautiful woman of God she has become. At the beginning of the school year, Mel and I were faced with the dilemma of how we would transition her from home schooling to college preparation. We found a high school in Lakewood (near Tacoma, WA), that not only covers her academic classes, but also offers Media and Graphic Design, which meets her creative needs. She feels a call to mission work, young people in particular, and realizes that her involvement with media will help her greatly in doing that. She has just finished the first trimester of her junior year with straight A’s and high recommendations in each class. Another great accomplishment is that she’s passed her Driver’s Ed class, and is “supposed” to get her driver’s license soon. We had to do quite a bit of coercion, as she’s not the boldest of creatures. After creating many extra gray hairs for her parents, I believe she just may be convinced that, yes, driving can be a good thing.
David Robert, named after both of his grandpas, is 12 ½, and currently in the 7th grade. I’ve just started him on the “Switched On Schoolhouse” home schooling program, and that seems to be working well for him. He suddenly decided to have a major growing spurt this year, and is now taller than his big sister….that means he’s over 5’7” now and still growing. He takes great pleasure in that knowledge and laughs maniacally whenever we measure them against each other. It’s hard to believe that we’re soon going to have two teenagers in the house. We surely can’t be THAT old, can we? He’s attempting to learn to play the guitar, with our Pastor, Glenn McMurray’s help, but needs a LOT of encouragement to keep up the practicing. Pastor Glenn has resorted to some bribery, I believe J. David had a great time in junior camp this year, and we believe that God did something special in his heart. It’s going to be such a joy to see God continue to come alive in his life and heart.
Christopher Michael, our “baby”, is 8 years old and in the 2nd grade. He’s an excellent reader, and enjoys reading each and every sign as we drive along. He has such an incredibly tender heart toward things of the Lord and, though he still performs a minor infraction once in awhile, always seems so disappointed in himself afterwards. Our house is never lacking in music, even though it may be Christopher’s latest song about the green in the trees or the latest cartoon he happened to see. He was able to join the Pioneer Club this year, a weekly club for the 8 to 12-year-olds in our congregation, as well as join the older Sunday School class. Both of those were major milestones in his life, and things he was looking forward to greatly.
As I said earlier, our lives tend to be a little crazy at times and, just to make sure we’re never found napping, Mel has decided to become a part-time school bus driver in the same school district that Kyndra is enrolled in. It gives him another reason to have to drive in to Lakewood every day, as well as pay for our driving expenses. As far as I can tell, he is surviving the experience. I have promised myself that I am NOT going to add anything more to my schedule, at least not until I get done with home schooling at least one more of my children. Unlike Mel, who seems to be energized by activity, *I* really enjoy staying at home and taking care of every day, monotonous chores. A quiet moment once in awhile is truly a pleasure!
One thing Mel and I both hold as our goal for the near future is to be able to go on another mission trip to South Africa. The SAEM, the mission organization we were involved with while in South Africa, celebrated its 50th Jubilee this year, and it was heart-breaking to not be able to afford to go over and rejoice with them. God willing, however, it is our plan to make it over there this next year. South Africa will always hold a part of our hearts.
I believe it’s time for me to say goodbye for now. It is a joy to have you as part of our lives, and we thank God each day for surrounding us with people like you. May God bless you richly through this most precious of seasons, and throughout the New Year. May He saturate each of you with his abundance and strength.
God bless you richly,
Mel and Lynette Donyes