Jesus came,
remains, and will come again!
We're praying your
Christmas and New Year
are filled with the
love and joy
of
Jesus!!!
Blessings and Love!
P.S. Leslie's annual
Christmas letter follows!
Dear Family and
Friends,
What a great year!
Our family has changed and we are all making
adjustments for the better.
We now have three boys
living in our house. Everett Fitts came to live
with us in the middle of November. He is an 18
year old whose parents are no longer living. He
was living with relatives and when that didn't
work out, we asked him to live with us. Bob and I
were in agreement, Dan thought it was the right
thing to do, and Matt was thrilled that Dan would
have someone to play with. We have set up a
"room" in the basement. When I mentioned to Matt
that it was a good thing that I saved everything
(bed, dresser, etc.), Matt said that God had me
save stuff and now God has provided someone to use
it. Out of the mouths of babes...
Everett played
football this fall and is now an early sub on the
varsity basketball team. He is very involved in
music and made the All-State choir. He is the
only one from our high school who will be singing
in that choir at the end of January with students
from all over Illinois. He's a National Honor
Society student and has applied to several
colleges and universities. He plans to run track
in the spring and finish high school as a great
student-athlete. His Christmas gift will be
getting his driver's license.
Dan is learning that
being a student-athlete is tough. He is a three-sporter
(football, basketball, and track). He is taking
very tough classes (honors and AP). We were proud
of him for being a varsity starter on the football
team as a junior. He has just started hearing
from colleges and even one football coach. He is
now a driver and that has helped the taxi
service. The van has over 152,000 miles! He is
witty and handsome and strong in many ways. He
loves cooking biscuits and gravy. His birthday
was on Thanksgiving Day. What more can I say!
Matt is coming into
his own. He was selected as the offensive lineman
of the year as his team's center this fall. He is
now playing basketball and will again play
baseball. He loves middle school and has done
well academically. He is still my good helper and
still knows where everything is in the house. He
is generous and has wonderful faith. I do think
he enables his older brothers to boss him around
too much. He is 11 going on 17. At least he
thinks! I no longer have little boys!
Bob is now the
motorcycle papa/pastor. He has written another
book on faith and the motorcycle culture. He has
heard from several publishers and we are waiting
for the "big one"! He is enjoying preaching and
hospital visits and is available for anyone,
anytime. He is still president of the area junior
tackle football league and loves being important
during the playoffs! His Kopp Disclosure website
(www.koppdisclosure.com)
is popular all over the country and he continues
to influence people from all walks of life in all
stages of life through the good, bad, and...
I finished my stint as
high school librarian last spring and am now a
general sub. I do love the high school age. I've
stained new windows for Dan's room and painted our
kitchen. We needed color!!! I am enjoying
singing in the Christmas Cantata as well as
playing the bells. I'm teaching an adult Sunday
School class based n the wonderful book The
Shack. I don't think I've adjusted to
cooking for another teenage boy. I squeeze in the
laundry and grocery shopping.
Kopper, our dog, still
loves to eat paper. He still hides under the
kitchen table with his treasures. He is spoiled
just like everyone else in our house. We think he
likes Bob the best!!!
We had a wonderful
vacation at Litchfield Beach this past summer with
a visit to Uncle Larry's in Winston-Salem along
the way. I had a wonderful re-connect with my
dear friend Patti. Dan and I spent time in
Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh
football camp and visited mom and dad (grandma and
grandpa). The French grandparents got to come to
Belvidere and watch both Dan and Matt play
football this fall. We were busy watching our
sons enjoy their activities. We want them to grow
up to be men of God and know the importance of
family. I hope that they always do "the right
thing." So far, so good, so great. It has been a
great year.
Blessings and love to
you and the ones you love,
Leslie, Everett, Dan,
Matt, and Bob
