Christmas at the Farm

This year, we were blessed to be able to travel up to the Waller family farm for Christmas. Having spent Thanksgiving in Florida with the Keller side of the family, we made it a priority to head up for the special season to celebrate Christ’s coming to earth in the form of a baby. If you have not seen our Christmas greeting with Luke 2, check it out.

Just before we left for the farm, Priscilla was able to make a bunch of cookies that we made up into special packages.

Inside the packages were some Gospel tracts as well as our Christmas card along with an assortment of cookies.

Also, not too long before we left for Christmas, a friend from Mongolia stopped by for a few days. She took some time to give some Mongolian Food demonstrations.

One of the dishes that she helped make required home-made noodles.

After rolling out the very simple noodles, the noodles are cut and dropped into the steaming hot vegetables and meat. 

The winning combination comes out as a hearty dish that the Mongolians call Tsuivin.

David’s family usually enjoys this dish with ketchup or soy sauce.

Another thing we did just before leaving home for the farm was to get orthodontics. Neither of us had them growing up, though both of us had siblings who had gotten them. The dentist we have known for several years has encouraged us for quite a while to get them. The Lord provided exactly what we needed which confirmed our direction to move ahead with the braces.

Paul and Grandpa had a lot of fun together.

As with most farms, there is always work that can be done. Some seasons, there are many more challenges with getting the work done. David spent a good bit of time on a few of the days spreading the composted manure.

The unseasonably warm weather made for some very soft spots in the field. That is why it was so nice to have another tractor around to pull out the one used for the spreading. We probably should have snapped a picture of this tractor axle deep in mud so you could get the picture.

Here is the “man-sized” tractor that was so helpful in pulling out the smaller one.

Paul and Davia watched intently from the window as we all joined in a cold game of Ultimate Frisbee in the snow and mud.

Paul loves to play with anything with wheels. This tricycle saw lots of use when David was growing up and Paul seemed to like the prospect of playing with it as well.

Paul also really enjoyed seeing the animals. David’s brother Derrick has quite a few cows and Paul really enjoyed watching them eat.

Every so often Paul will come and sit next to one of us on the couch and say, “Baby!?” very expressively. He loves to hold his little sister.

One of the highlights of the Christmas season that David remembers from his childhood is going to his great-aunt’s home for Christmas Eve dinner with her fantastic selection of delicious desserts.

This year was no exception. Paul enjoyed getting to be with his great-grandma

On one of the last days we had together, we went to a wonderful sledding hill.

Playing music is another fun thing we look forward to doing when the Wallers get together. It is fun to see how family members improve so much between the times they are together.

For the final week of 2014, we were blessed to find a ministry near to the farm that has little cabins set aside for the purpose of spending time with the Lord on a Sabbatical.

What a special way for us to usher in the New Year and set the tone for the rest of the year.