Dear family and friends,

Today marks 14 months since Judson opened his eyes and could see the loving face of his Savior.  It also places us at the start of a new year.

As was to be expected, the Christmas season was very difficult, though there were certainly moments of genuine joy.  We found ourselves unable to do some of the things we might have otherwise wanted to do and we shed buckets of tears, but we also celebrated the birth of our boy and our Savior, imagining their relationship together now.  We are grateful for the times we had with family and friends who made every effort to understand the complexities of our grief during the holidays.

There is much that could be said, but when it comes right down to it, we just miss our boy.  We continue to miss him terribly!!  The pain remains, impacting our daily lives, but we also recognize that parts of our wound are beginning to heal.  And we are grateful for a God who continues to reveal His love to us in surprising and unexpected ways.

Moving into 2009, we are thankful to have opportunities arising for us to share Judson’s story.  Both Drake and I are looking forward to some speaking engagements that are lining up—as individuals and also as a couple.  We will be speaking together in Vanguard University’s chapel on the 27th of this month, and then also sharing at different churches in the area in February.  If you are interested in having us speak at a church, ministry, or other event, (together or just one of us) please don’t hesitate to contact us.  We would be honored!

Furthermore, our alma mater, Biola University recently published an article I wrote; it came out this week in the Biola Magazine and can be viewed on line with the following link:

God’s Presence Revealed Through a Blind and Suffering Boy

We are so grateful for the many opportunities that are being made available to us and find them to be a touch-point of excitement in the midst of our grief.

Before I close, I wanted to mention that I will be going in for surgery tomorrow, the 8th.  Without getting into specifics, I need to have some repair work done for damage that occurred during my pregnancy with Jud.  It is an out-patient procedure and not too invasive, but my activity will be limited for a couple weeks.  We would really value your prayers—that there would be no complications during the surgery, that it would be successful, and that I will heal quickly.  I have never been put under anesthesia before so I am a little nervous about that too.

As always, thank you for loving and supporting us by engaging our journey.  We are so grateful!

Much love and gratitude,
Christina (on behalf of Drake too)