CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

Update on December 28
We now have four grandchildren who are 14 as of Dec. 26th when Carter Nicholas Johnson had his fourteenth birthday.  Here's a picture of him on his special day.

Happy 14th Carter!

Christmas Day, 2015
(Thanks Glenn D.)

Greetings from our house to yours this Christmas season. Here is my version of the “12 Days of Christmas” with a list of God's blessings in 2015.

#1 My new husband, Alan James Lutz. We were high school sweethearts at Frontier School in the fifties. Both alone, we got together through Facebook and met for the first time after fifty-four years on November 15th of last year. Our Valentine's Day wedding was a surprise to our family and friends! He sold his mobile home in Bon Accord, AB and moved to the Johnson farm in March.

#2 Our blended family of four sons, two daughters (and spouses), six grandsons and six granddaughters. Alan's daughter Nancy, son Derek and families live in Calgary.

#3 Our “home sweet home” in our cosy Cedar Log house on the prairie. We have had lots of action in this area with many oil wells drilled along the Canada/US border and a pipeline put in as well.

#4 Our church family at Trinity Lutheran in Torquay with Pastor Danny Krauss. On June 28 we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Trinity with several former pastors and many former members joining us for the afternoon service and catered supper.

#5 Music! I enjoy being part of an accordion group known as “Homespun Harmonies”. I also take turns with Vickie and Vi playing for worship services at Trinity. Alan and I enjoyed a dinner theatre in Edmonton which featured the life and music of Roy Orbison. We still enjoy our teenage music from the 50's! Our Christmas gift from the Johnson “kids” was tickets to Rory Allen, an Elvis impersonator on Dec. 17, along with a night at the Delta. We enjoyed both very much.

#6 Volunteering at Torquay Library every Thursday during playschool. I read a story to the class and sign out books for them to take home. Alan often comes along as he is an avid reader too.

#7 Good eyesight and being nearsighted so that I can see to read and do hardanger and cross stitch without wearing my glasses.

#8 A bountiful and safe harvest with all the bins full. This area was blessed with rain just when we needed it. Clare is blessed with great hired help – Gerry Gutheil who dirives out from Estevan. Alan also drove the grain truck in harvest. Alan and Gerry are also doing a great job of cleaning up the Johnson farm yard!

#9 For healing for Sandra and Merle's grandson Rhett who was seriously injured in an ATV accident that took the life of his six year old brother Blaine on their parent's farm on April 24. For the love, prayers and support shown to the Sanford family during this heartbreaking loss and three months spent in Saskatoon hospital with Rhett. He will have more surgery on January 11.

#10 Safe travels on several trips – to Frontier after the passing of Blaine and also Alan's cousin Edna Thoring, a bus trip to Minneapolis in May to take in three Blue Jays ballgames, to Calgary in May and again in Oct. to visit Alan's family, to Edmonton to visit Ardis and her family, visits with Alan's sisters in Gull Lake, SK and Sparwood BC, visits with several cousins, visits from Nancy and Holly, with Derek and family in Regina, from Myrna and Ernie Damm, Sandra and Merle.

#11 Feeling well in spite of Alan's type II diabetes and my recent diagnosis of chronic kidney disease.

#12 Most of all we are thankful that “God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.”(John 3:16) Put your name instead of “whosoever” as the gift is for all, not because we can earn it or deserve it, but because of God's love and grace for each of us.

May this Christmas season be a time of love, joy and peace for you and yours as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus and look forward to His coming again.

We spent Christmas Eve here at home and watched "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens on Vision TV.  Various Canadians did the narrations interspersed with carols. The last narrator was Eric Peterson who played Oscar on Corner Gas.

Laurel's Norsk display
from our visit last week

Our Christmas service was at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity.  Kirk's joined us in the afternoon, Laurel's were here last Sunday, Clare's are in Edmonton, Todd's in Førde, Norway have her parents, Dan and Helga Ledene, visiting from Brooks, AB. Alan's son Derek and family are visiting family in Ontario, Nancy's are in Calgary.  Although we are scattered this Christmas, you are close in our hearts and we "visited" many of our family by phone or Facetime.

Fun and games

Setting the table for our turkey supper

A noisy game of PIT

Thanks Sandra for our new ornament

With love and best wishes for these twelve days of Christmas and God's best in the new year from Elaine and Alan (aka Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Farmor, Bestefar)