Christmas Newsletter 2025

 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,

and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father,

 full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

Tahquamenon Falls with Jade

Dear Friends and Family, 

Christmas greetings to you all! We pray you have had a wonderful year full of special memories.  Tom and I spent last winter and spring getting our Tennessee home ready to sell.  It sold at the end of May and we are officially Michiganders again.  We left Traverse City, MI, in 1983 and have now returned to our roots, settling in Alpena, MI.  It gets a little cold up here in the winter, but hey, what do you expect from a state that is shaped like a mitten?!  Tom is still working as a healthcare architect but traveling a little less than before.  He hates leaving our lake house and is happiest when working outside on little projects.  I still enjoy weaving and am glad to finally have all three of my floor looms set up here.  Sadly, my dear father left this earth in April.  I praise God that I happened to have visited him just a few hours before he passed.  I left him as he fell asleep in his chair and that is where he died.  He was 95.  We all miss him.  The children are all well, as you can read in their letters below.  The family photo is from last year when all but three of us were in Florida for Christmas.  It is becoming increasingly difficult to get us all together!  Note the new address on the back of the envelope.  Have a blessed and peaceful Christmas.  Tom and Lynn

From Katie for the Diaz family

Diaz top five memories of 2025!

5. We attended our nephew’s wedding in Mexico! The event was beautiful, and it was so special to me to introduce my kids to the culture and food I loved as a child. We were also able to see a couple ancient pyramids outside of Mexico City that are almost 2000 years old. 

4. Summer at Grandpa and Grandmother’s lakehouse is always the best. This year there was lots of tubing, family time, and sunsets. I always come home refreshed and happy.

3. Other than our Michigan trip, we stayed home all summer! It was glorious. We love traveling, but the kids unanimously asked for a restful summer this year. We did it and it was the best. Our school year started smoothly, which I credit to the kids and me not being worn out from trips.

2b. Roberto and Robbie went on a medical mission trip together. It was Robbie’s first exposure to medicine; he had a great time and learned a lot! A highlight was watching the dentist pull a tooth. 

2a. Roberto and Abigail took a trip to Europe! Abigail’s homeschool class traveled to an air force base in Germany to compete in a mock trial. After spending an amazing week in Germany with her class and a group of military homeschoolers, Roberto met her there and they continued to Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark. The highlight for Abigail was visiting the home of Corrie Ten Boom and seeing the Hiding Place in person. 

1. I have three high schoolers, including a senior this year! Celeste is graduating in May, so we have begun the year of “lasts.” It is bittersweet. I love seeing my children grow into adulthood, but I’m also very much aware of the changes that will be happening over the next 10 years. 

 

From Tony and Rachel

Hello from the western Wallens! Now that we’ve lived here an entire year, we’re starting to feel like real Utahns: even 0.05 inches of rain seems like a lot, we know more names of spiny plants, and we’ve gotten to experience God’s creation all around our new home base. Some highlights of this year include visiting several state parks, canyoneering, mountain biking, exploring lava tubes, and backpacking up Kings Peak (the highest point in UT), then going farther afield to backpack up Mt. Whitney (the highest point in the continental U.S.). Quite breathtaking, ha! We’ve also experienced property damage from windstorms, a flashflood that thankfully stopped just inches from our front door, and (despite the flashflood) a significant drought season. Throughout it all, Tony continues to employ his engineering skills while working from home, and Rachel is also enjoying part-time remote work combined with selling some of the peonies and dahlias that grow on our property. We also found a local Bible-based, service-oriented church and are especially thankful for the relationships that have developed through that connection. All this leaves us deeply grateful for the many incredible experiences we’ve had this year and eager to take on 2026!

From Rose for the Gray family

Happy Christmas from the Hills of Tennessee! Welcome to the Advent season. As we reflect on the blessings God has given us this year, we are so thankful. Michael has embarked on a new career journey. After an entire life in construction-related fields, he is trying his hand at sales in a Design Consultant role with Renewal by Anderson. He has learned so much with the new challenges this brings. Probably one thing he is most thankful for this season is not working in the frigid temperatures and muddy work sites. I have also taken a new role with Classical Conversations as a Local Representative, supporting home school families and communities in my area. 

Hello, my name is Rosalind, I’m in 9th grade. This semester I learned that I enjoy debating. I have been working on macramé and drawing which are nice things to do to take a break from school. I also still take piano lessons. I enjoy hanging out with friends and loved attending a couple church youth retreats.  

Hi! I’m Asher. I am 13 and in the 8th grade. I love watching football and going fishing with Grandpa. In school, debate and history are my favorite subjects. There is a creation science museum in our town called the Wonders Center; it’s my favorite place to go. I have been helping Dad build our house this year. He has taught me a lot like how to lay hardwood floor. He says I may be able to be an apprentice to our electrician next year. 

Hi! I’m Calem, I’m 11 and in the 5th grade. I have fun building Lego sets and playing with Hot Wheels. I still enjoy my piano lessons and my favorite subject in school is History. Mom says I’m good at figuring out how things work and fixing things. I think I get that from my Papa, who sadly passed away in March. 

Hello, Angus here. I like to play with my cousins and I can’t wait to see them at Christmas. I also love sports like pickle ball, basketball, pogo-sticking, and fishing. My brothers and I are on a bowling league. Since food makes me happy, I have started making pancakes and waffles for breakfast. Making people laugh is one of my main goals. 

Hey! My name is Verity! I am 6 and I like to draw and play dress up. My favorite school subjects are Latin and Math. I enjoy Facetiming with my friends, cousins, and most of all, Grandmother. My favorite part of the week is playing with friends and going to church. I love to make new friends everywhere I go. Guess what, I just lost my first tooth!

From David and Amanda

Merry Christmas! We hope this letter finds you well! We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our two greatest gifts this year, our twins! A boy and a girl, due in December!  This year has had no shortage of new adventures, even though we spent most of our year closer to home in Edenton, NC. The kids are very excited about the twins. Judah especially cannot wait to play with his new brother. The girls enjoyed playing soccer this year again. All of the kids are doing well with their schooling. Amanda’s business, Grand Terra Solutions, continues to grow and keep her busy when she’s not homeschooling the children. I am still working for the NC Marine Patrol. I was honored to be promoted this year to sergeant, so my responsibilities have changed and have resulted in a great and productive year. We managed to visit a few new National Parks in Florida early in the year and had a fun trip to Michigan this summer to visit family in Alpena. On our way back to NC, we stopped by Indianapolis for Amanda’s work and got to tour the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Judah loves race cars so he especially was excited. We pray you and your families are blessed this Christmas season! 

From Christian and Rebecca

Greetings from the North Carolina High Country! I am still working as a chemistry professor at App State and have applied for tenure and promotion, which I hope will be approved in the new year. This fall we enrolled Kaitlyn (6) in a local hybrid Classical Christian School in first grade. She attends class three days a week and works on school at home during the other days. She is loving the school, her classmates, and all of her subjects, but her favorite is definitely art class. Melanie (4) misses Kaitlyn while she is at school but is always excited to “help” Kaitlyn with her schoolwork at home. Rebecca is still serving our church as a part time admin and is able to do much of her work at home with Melanie. Other highlights from this year include Kaitlyn and Melanie being daring and adventurous tubing behind Grandpa’s speedboat on Grandmother’s lake as well as being flower girls in a wedding this summer.  After many years of not playing my bagpipes, I started playing again early this year. I joined a local pipe band, and we performed at the annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. God must have had a hand in the timing, because I started piping again just a few weeks before Papa Dame passed away in April, which meant I was able to fulfill a promise I made to him many years ago that I would play Amazing Grace at his funeral. It was hard to say goodbye to him. However, as believers in Christ we know that death has lost its sting. We wish you joy and peace as we all celebrate that greatest of all gifts this Christmas season.

From Bekah and Kevin

Hello friends! Early this year, Stephanie (19) graduated from a blacksmith trade program at MSU. She has been using her skills and knowledge to help our local friends keep their livestock’s feet healthy. She and Patrick (16) bought and raised many animals this year for our county 4-H fair. They worked daily with these animals, exercising them to build just the right muscle and feeding them a specific formula to sustain that muscle. They both won ribbons and trophies for their calves, goats, and turkeys. Michael (6) was able to show this year as a Cloverbud and received many participation ribbons for his Still Projects, and handling a calf, lamb, and of course, a goat. Francesca (4) spent the year watching and learning. She has overcome her fear of horses and begs Stephanie daily to go riding with her. They also spend time every week baking yummy treats. Michael and Francesca are enjoying school with Classical Conversations, a classical homeschool curriculum that we love! Desirae (21 months) loves being outside tagging along with everything we do. She carries empty buckets, gathers eggs and is getting really good at holding and closing gates for me. “Desirae is also going to be a big sister by the end of this year! We are expecting a new baby girl on or around Thanksgiving Day! Considering I’ve been late with every single one of my babies, I’m guessing this little lady will arrive with a December birthday.” I have continued working on raising goats to hopefully start a family dairy business. Although I had many other homestead and family projects on my list, my cup overflowed with raising and homeschooling the kids. We will get to the projects eventually! Kevin has continued to work on his homestead projects: maple syrup, beekeeping, blueberries, cherries, peaches, and much more. He also takes Michael and Francesca hockey skating every week. In the summer, we were able to travel up north to visit Grandmother and Grandpa. We enjoyed wonderful boat rides, fishing trips, and kayak adventures. The family memories, campfire stories, and dinner time discussions just get better and better! Overall, the Busheys have had a full and wonderful year. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

From Micah and Christy

2025 has been another full and meaningful year for me and Christy. The long hours and late nights have continued, but they have also continued to bear fruit. Earlier this year, I moved from mid-level associate to senior associate at my firm. The transition has been both challenging and encouraging, more client contact, more complex matters, and the added challenge of mentoring a larger team of junior attorneys. I am grateful for the doors God has opened and for the work He has placed in front of me.  Christy also stepped into new responsibilities at work, which has made her schedule busier than ever. Even so, we are thankful that both of us still have the flexibility to work remotely for parts of the week and carve out meaningful time together amid everything going on.  We remain settled in Northern Virginia and continue to enjoy our life in and around DC. Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year!

From Jade

Greetings!  I have had another successful year and am currently a junior in college. Work-load wise, this semester has been much easier than previous semesters and I have enjoyed participating in the Investment Club and Martial Arts Club at my school. Also, I began playing pickle ball. (If you think it is knock off tennis, do not let me know. Haha!) I am not very good at it but it is a lot of fun to play with friends. This summer, I had the opportunity to research AI and LLMs (learning language models) for Lockheed Martin through an internship through Cedarville University. I feel very blessed and excited because this opened the door for me to intern with Lockheed Martin in Arlington, VA, next summer. God has allowed me to succeed in so many ways and He continually reminds me that He has a plan for my life. As the new year approaches, I encourage you that God has a plan for you this coming year and for the rest of your life. Merry Christmas!