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1070 W. Jefferson St., Franklin, IN 46131 Email: kehmlh@gmail.com — Cell: 317-809-8869 Christmas, 2011 arly beloved, Keith’s favorite words are: "God is Love with a capital ‘L’. We love because He first loved us, and perfect love casts out fear." We met 65 years ago on Oct. 1, 1946. Hallowe’en we became engaged. Dec. 19 we were married. The rest is our history, a story of God’s grace as it entered, enveloped, guided two very unworthy young people from then until today. So we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus the Christ, who was born in Bethlehem and lives in our hearts. This amazing, indescribable gift is still in the process of transforming our lives, teaching us to walk in His ways. This has been a year of ups and downs, of hospitalization and a Health Center home for courageous Keith, but because of Father’s love and care, Nov. 17-21 we celebrated 65 years of married life with family. Laura (dtr.) and Tom, their son Aaron, daughter Angela, great grand-daughters Willa Clare (11) and Iona (5) arrived from Oregon. Tim (son) and Grace drove up from St. Louis. David (son), Christine, and family came from Hawaii, England, and Michigan. After a recent and devastating house fire, with the help of Jonathan (David’s son) and his wife Sarah, Beth (dtr.) was able to come from Grand Rapids. "Awesome" is totally insufficient to describe our days together. David and Tim had wanted to take their Dad to England to visit historic Wesleyan sites, but since Keith’s health did not permit that, they decided to bring John Wesley here. Saturday morning (19th) began with worship and gift giving, a profound time of sharing. In the afternoon BJ Johnston gave a most authentic and inspiring presentation of John Wesley for our family (also offered to guests on Sunday afternoon). Other memories flood our minds – precious gifts from EACH family member – Tim’s wonderful picture taking, Willa Clare’s sweet appreciative acknowledgment of behalf of us all to David for his leadership of this time, with all her 11 years. And the simplicity, purity and grace of the ballet dance she created. Iona’s creative art work distributed to everyone. The beautiful song Angela taught all of us, "Break us, won’t you break us by the power of your grace." Laura reflected on the two great grand-daughter’s delight in pushing one another around in great grand-mother’s walker "whirling around us. A sign of the freedom to come in the new Jerusalem". The giving of the gold-embossed roses to the women of the three generations, by Beth, who, broken by the sorrow of the fire that took three of her beloved cats, stood to sing "How firm a foundation", and the family stood and sang with her, "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace all sufficient shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume, thy gold to refine." Aaron promised to write a poem commemorating our celebration. Timothy made music with his Irish pipe. Sarah Ruth brought joy from England. Jonathan and Matthew, always serving others with grace. And of course, there was Tim and David’s good humored brotherly teasing – their witty, loving, and fun-filled family tradition we all enjoy! Last but not least, the supportive role of the beloved spouses of our children: Tom, Grace, and Christine. @ How can we ever express our gratitude to our Lord for His love and grace! A grace manifested 65 years ago when Keith fell in love with the "brown-eyed girl in the blue dress". Memories of that first Christmas in 1946, when we spent 50 cents on one another for gifts! Poor, but committed together to be a "team for Christ" who had so much to teach us! We are still learning, and we pray the same for you, as each of us, in our own journey, seeks to follow the Son of God, whose birth we celebrate – the incomparable Gift and Lord of our lives! In the name of His Majesty, King Jesus, born in Bethlehem, we send our love and fondest greetings. Keith and Marilynn@ P.S. – This year we made a formal Agreement with the International Family Ministries of Youth With A Mission, giving them authority to carry the REAPP/APEMAL workshops to still other nations and to translate the books into new languages. The latest translation is into Mandarin, and our friends of YWAM are very excited about open doors in China. We are super thankful for these young and committed leaders and pray the Lord’s strong hand upon them. For the time being, we shall maintain our web site in order to offer the books in English and Spanish as a gift to those who wish to download them: www.ywamconnect.com/sites/KandMHamilton CHRISTMAS 2010! Once again we come together to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus revealed the strength of the Father. When the Israelites had safely crossed the Red Sea, Moses sang: "The Lord is my strength and song." King David repeated those words in Psalm 118:14. When the expectant Mary entered Elizabeth’s house, she sang: "My soul magnifies the Lord....He has shown strength with His arm, exalted those of low degree." Paul exhorted the Ephesians: "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. For all of us who are experiencing weakness or illness, all of us seniors who are in the aging process, for you "young ones" who are doing battle, the Lord has sent a Savior to renew our strength day by day. That has been the story of our lives this year. " Praise God! In this wonderful retirement community in which we are privileged to live, there is always mutual support and encouragement. We have said a temporary farewell to a number of dear friends, as well as to family members – daughter-in-law Grace’s father Rev. Summer Walters, cherished fellow missionaries Ruth Ann Robinson Caufield, Bill Frank, and Jim Long. – always with a sense of celebration and anticipation of the new life that is theirs. Life goes on with its many opportunities for service. This year we initiated a new activity. Saturday afternoons we go to Special Care for a hymn sing and jokes with our friends there. Occasionally a family member visits, and always the residents there give us a warm welcome. We are the ones who are blessed. Much of the year we have been busy preparing a 2010 and final (for us) edition of our 8 Enrichment books: 4 in English and 4 in Spanish for both couples and singles. The new challenge this year has been to prepare a Family Enrichment Workshop (in English and Spanish) in which family groups may sit down together and learn the preventive principles of communication skills and the creative use of conflict. The project was begun with Ricardo and Gladys Molina as partners, until a near death experience of leaked carbon monoxide in their Texas home limited their participation. Still, they bravely gave all they could, and the project is now complete. As of this writing, if you care to go to our web site (see above), you may download any or all of these books as a gift All by God’s grace and strength!!! So now Keith and I are beginning a new chapter in our lives – no more writing, but lots of fun things to do to continue to celebrate life. We are both 87. This month we hope to celebrate our 64th wedding anniversary. As for our family: Laura continues as the loving priest of St. James Episcopal Church in Lincoln City, OR, where they have recently initiated a new worship service for Hispanics. Husband Tom joyfully pastors 2 United Methodist churches. Son Aaron enjoys working for a social service organization. Angela goes forward with her midwifery ministry and Seth with his community projects. They and their 2 girls Willa Clare and Iona are all involved again in the preparation of Revels (the traditional Christmas program) in Portland........ Tim and wife Grace are super active in the Episcopal Cathedral in St. Louis. Grace will be the senior warden at the cathedral in 2011. Tim is enjoying selling some of his photos for decorating St. Louis downtown buildings. Natalie continues to work for NASA in Houston on the international space station project, and Amy is working on a Master’s in opera at Michigan State U....... David and Christine continue to travel and teach world-wide. This week they are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Youth With A Mission in Kona, Hawaii, with some 4-5000 ywamers and guests.. David has completed 13 years of work on the Source-View Bible, to be available in April. It is exciting reading. You will want to have a copy! Another gift of the Lord!!! Jonathan and Mrs. Sarah have moved to Midland, MI, where they both have work. Timothy is in Atlanta. Sarah Ruth is studying in Switzerland and Matthew at Taylor U........ Beth (with her family of 29 gorgeous Siamese cats) continues as rehab and neuro-psychologist at Mary Free Bed Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI., beloved by her patients. She is especially enjoying her participation in the Justice and Peace Task Force of the Plymouth Congreg. United Church of Christ.. We look forward to hearing from you.
Have a blessed 2011! With His Christmas love,
Keith and Marilynn
NAVIDAD! Una vez más nos reunimos para celebrar el nacimiento de nuestro Señor y Salvador. Cuando los israelitas habían cruzado el Mar Roja, Moisés cantó: "Jehová es mi fortaleza y mi cántico, y ha sido mi salvación....Tu diestra, oh Jehová ha sido magnificada en poder." El Rey David resonó esas palabras en el Salmo 118:14. Cuando la María embarazada entró en la casa de Elizabeth, ella llamó a Dios "el Poderoso". San Pablo exhortó a los efesios: "Fortalecéos en el Señor, y en el poder de su fuerza." Jesús definitivamente reveló el poder de su Padre con su vida y resurrección. Las buenas nuevas son que para todos nosotros que sintamos débiles y faltemos fuerzas, el Padre nos ha provisto un poderoso Salvador. Ésta ha sido la historia de nuestras vidas en 2010. ¿Ha sido tu experiencia, también? ¡A Él sea la gloria! En esta hermosa comunidad de jubilados siempre hay muchas oportunidades para servir. Entre otras actividades en este año iniciamos una visita los sábados a nuestros amigos en el primer nivel de "Cuidado Especial" (el comienzo de la enfermedad alzheimer). Con unas diez personas cantamos himnos y hacemos chistes (adivina quien hace esto), nos abrazamos y oramos. Son preciosos, y salimos bendecidos. Todos nuestros hijos y sus familias se encuentran con buena salud, sirviendo al SeƒÊor, y por eso agradecemos al Padre. Laura y su esposo Tom pastorean iglesias en Oregon, y sus hijos y nietos traen gloria a Dios. Tim y su esposa Grace están super activos en su iglesia en St. Louis, y sus hijas aman al Señor. David y su esposa Christine continúan su trabajo internacional con JUCUM, y en estos días celebran el 50 aniversario de esa organización misionera. Sus hijos siguen sus pasos. Beth trabaja siempre como psicóloga de rehabilitación en un hospital en Michigan, y es muy activa en su iglesia...... Ya tenemos 87 años y este mes cumplimos 64 años de matrimonio. De todo corazón alabamos al Señor por Su misericordia, cuidado y orientación. Hace casi cinco años, con los esposos Ricardo Molina y Gladys Ayala de Molina, una pareja de instructores avanzados de Colombia, comenzamos a soñar con un Taller de Enriquecimiento Familiar. Al medio de este trabajo, los esposos Molina tuvieron una experiencia terrible cuando en diciembre de 2009 la estufa en su departamento en Texas comenzó a echar monóxido carbónico mientras dormían. Arrullados por el gas y en peligro de muerte, Gladys fue despertada por fuertes e insistentes golpes en la puerta. Con todas sus fuerzas, ella se arrastró a la puerta, la abrió, y no había nadie allí. ¡Dios había enviado a un ángel para salvarles! Su recuperación ha sido largo y lento. A pesar de todo, hay un nuevo tomo que es el resultado de los esfuerzos combinados de los esposos Molina y nosotros. Ellos merecen la gratitud de todos por su abnegada e inspirada contribución a la creación de este taller. Con ellos, en 2010, el Taller de Enriquecimiento Familiar fue creado y Creciendo en Nuestras Relaciones Familiares en español y Growing in Our Family Relations en inglés fueron añadidos a la colección. Les invitamos a visitar nuestro web site:. Las últimas ediciones de estos diez libros (5 en espanol y 5 en inglés) pueden ser bajadas del web como regalo. Queremos escuchar sus evaluaciones del nuevo taller. ¡Ojalá que ésta les encuentre con buena salud, regocijando en la presencia del Hijo de Dios, nacido en Belén! ¡Feliz 2011! Abrazos en el amor de nuestro Señor, Keith y Marilynn
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