Merry Christmas!

Hello friends,

We’re sitting in our living room with Christmas music playing in the background, Ezra’s sleeping form on the baby monitor and a beautiful blue sky filling the window. And we just can’t help but hope that the weather man got it wrong and Christmas Day will be a hot one, rather than the 19c day that’s currently predicted. As we’re hoping for a hot one down here in Australia, we see our friends in the North are hoping for snow! Christmas is such a time for diversity. Whether it be climate, traditions, favourite holiday food, or the personal reactions and memories that Christmas brings. For some this time is full of happiness and family, for others it is a time that bring memories of those who have been lost. Thank you for all the beauty, love and support you have brought into our lives this year. We pray that within the reality of your moments this Christmas that Peace, Hope and Love will abide, and will abound in ways that can only exist when they come from our Redeemer, Jesus.

We appreciate and love you all. Merry Christmas! 

Eric & Monique

Travel Diaries - Crater Lake, USA

Have you ever visited a place that was beyond your expectations? For me this was Crater Lake in Oregon USA. Beyond beautiful. Breathtaking. Stunning. Immense. This is Crater Lake.

We were in Oregon, USA, while the state, mostly in the forested areas, was being extensively burned by forest fires. The smoke was at times intense and a couple of times it caused us to have to stay inside as the toxicity was too high for babies to inhale. It was to the point that we thought we might miss out on Crater Lake while we were in the south. But on a Friday morning, the last day we had available in the area, the smoke cleared and we made our way up to one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen! 

When we are on a music ministry tour, we often don't have much time outside of concerts. But when we do, we try to see a few beautiful areas close to our tour route. Even though we were only at Crater Lake for a short time it was completely worth it. We drove up from Klamath Falls, which is about 1 hour 30 minutes drive through quaint towns, vast fields and epic forests. The drive up alone is worth it and as we rounded the last corner, Crater Lake came into view in all it's glory. It surprised me that the spectacular views of the lake were only a couple minutes walk from the car park at the Rim Visitor Centre. We got out of the car and in just a short stroll were right on the rim of the crater. We spent the little time we had walking along the rim, finding view after stunning view with blues that need to be seen to be believed. Ezra clearly loved it as much as we did. Our walk took us to the Sinnott Memorial Overlook and the exhibit that goes into the park's geology and history. Retracing our steps we took one last look at the lake beyond all lakes before driving back to Klamath Falls and a weekend full of concerts. 

If you are ever in Oregon I wholeheartedly recommend Crater Lake, even if it's just for the morning. You won't regret it. 

Baby Brain Moments #2

Our little ray of sunshine whose happy moments yesterday were rare in between injections and cutting a tooth. Let’s just say sleep and I are long lost friends at the moment since his tooth came into the picture four nights ago... 💤

But honestly, I have no clue what happened last night. 🧐 I went to sleep at 10:30pm with Ezra in his crib and my next memory was at 5:40am with Ezra asleep next to me. 🤦🏻‍♀️ But on the up side it was the first good sleep I’ve had for 4 nights since his tooth started breaking through!