2019 Christmas Letter


Merry Christmas to you and yours,

We hope you have had a wonderful year. Ours was full and very exciting. On March 11th we welcomed Alexander (Zander) Jeremiah into the world. He has been a wonderful addition to our family. He is a very happy and peaceful baby (as long as Mommy is around). He is 8 months now, has 4 teeth, is crawling everywhere and can pull himself up to standing.

April 4th was a very special day for our family; not only was it Kenol’s birthday, but Kenol and the older boys all became permanent residents of Canada that morning.  A day to celebrate indeed. We are so thankful to live in this beautiful, peaceful country. May we never take the privilege for granted. The boys also were granted US visas and are now international soccer players! Joshua and Olivier both play in leagues in the US as of this Fall. Joseph is now on the Regional team and will be playing as far as Toronto. Much of our life revolves around soccer; the boys train and play year round, and are all doing very well and playing at high levels.

At the beginning of July the older boys all went to Camp Kahquah. Joshua served as a CREW member for two weeks, which is a junior leadership position. Olivier and Joseph both spent a week as campers. They had an amazing time. Later in July Kenol’s mom, Lizane, came to visit us for the first time. We were so excited to have her here with us. We thoroughly enjoyed her cooking, company and child care! After a three month stay with us she and Kenol took a trip to New York to visit Kenol’s sister and our nephews. Kenol’s older brother was also visiting from Haiti. They had a wonderful time together.

In August we took our annual camping trip with the extended family. It was a blast, as usual. We enjoyed walking the 4km trail, bonfires and shared meals. We always have a fun time with the extended family. We spend as much time together as we can. The cousins especially love being together, it’s really something special.

Jubilee is in Senior Kindergarten now. She has developed into quite the artist and spends time every day drawing and colouring. She also started dance and swimming lessons this September and loves playing with friends, and cousins. Joshua will be 16 in January, the magical age where kids start driving! We are equally terrified and excited for him to be able to drive himself (and maybe his brothers) to soccer practice later next year.

Kenol continues to do an incredible job leading the congregation at Falls View Church. This year Kenol had the opportunity to lead 6 people to Christ,  and baptized 9 people, with more baptisms planned in the new year. It’s been a year of growth!  I’ve been on maternity leave since March from the library and the church. It’s been a joy to have this season at home with Zander and the rest of the kids. 2019 was a year of many blessings for us, and we are thankful. We look toward the new year with hope and anticipation. I pray for health, happiness and many joy filled moments for each of you this coming year. All the very best to you and yours this Christmas season and the year ahead.

Kenol, Rachel, Joshua, Olivier, Joseph, Jubilee, Zander and Lou
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