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Merry Christmas!!!

When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. - Luke 1:15 
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) - Luke 2:1-2 


As Christmas approaches, I have been pondering the time and context of Jesus’ entry into the world of humanity. God chose to enter human space at a specific time and in a specific place to begin the process of restoring all His creation back to the place it had been designed in the beginning. He didn’t choose the place of power in that part of the world at that time (Rome). He chose a humble location in a little-known village, except for a few lines in the sacred texts of the local inhabitants (Bethlehem). It was symbolic of the type of mission Jesus would begin in the world. 

Luke makes a point of clearly defining when that time and place was. Then, a couple of chapters later, Jesus defines His purpose in coming by connecting His own mission with the reading of Isaiah 61 in His local synagogue. 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
    that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
    and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”  - Luke 4:18-19 


For followers of Jesus, this mission continues in whatever time and place we find ourselves. For the Longards, 2022 was a time when our place changed. Still, we carry on this mission in a new setting. 

2022 began with the announcement that we were sensing that our 14+ years in Central Indiana were coming to an end. There was much to do as we transitioned the projects we had been working on there and sought out God’s direction for the next phase. This was followed by Leon accepting a new role as the North American Director for Communitas International. This new role gave us freedom in choosing the exact place of our new home as we looked for a place closer to our families. After a summer that included a few bumps along the way, we landed in a new home just outside of St. Cloud, MN. As we begin to settle in, we truly feel that God has led us to this place at this time and we look forward to what lies ahead. 

Leon continues to adjust to his new role with Communitas as he seeks to guide, encourage, and expand a network of missional and microchurch leaders starting and shaping faith communities in North America. He is also readjusting to life in central Minnesota and remembering all the ways that winter in the Northland can be invigorating. One particular joy he is experiencing is having a house with an extra tuck-under garage that will make a great workshop for projects he can take on during his downtime. The list of anticipated woodworking projects is already getting long. He also enjoys living in a more bicycle-friendly area and was able to get several regular rides in along the Mississippi River before the snow began to fly.

Tina was blessed to be able to stay on as a remote worker with HealthNet in Indianapolis. She enjoys having her office setup in a corner of our front room that affords her great views of the trees and snow outside the windows. We were also blessed by the family who sold us this house including their mother’s piano in the sale. Tina is honoring the memory of the previous owners by taking time on many evenings to play hymns, Christmas carols, and other tunes. We are also enjoying discovering all that our new community has to offer in terms of natural beauty and creative outlets. She has enjoyed being able to see quite a few family members that she has not seen for years. 

Katiana continues to live with her uncle and aunt in St. Paul. This fall she joined AmeriCorps as a reading tutor at the elementary school just down the block from their house. So, she is enjoying having a very short walk to get to work. It’s also great to be closer again, so we can easily get her when she wants to spend time with her sisters. Depending on the day, we also have a commuter rail that will take her from Minneapolis to a town near us, which shortens the drive for picking her up. 

Elaina also joined AmeriCorps as a reading tutor at the elementary school less than a half-mile from our house. She is doing this work as a gap year before she will start studying at the University of Minnesota. We are excited that she is able to take this year to get some work experience and feel settled into Minnesota life while still being able to hold onto her scholarships from last year. Her current plan is to study psychology and eventually become a therapist, with a particular interest in art therapy. The empathy she has for others will serve her well in a field like that, although her current experience with AmeriCorps is also opening her up to the possibility that there are other ways she can help young children. 

Natalia is in her junior year of high school. She has elected to do a hybrid homeschool in our new home. She is studying her core courses at home with our guidance and taking two electives each trimester at the local high school. She has particularly enjoyed her drawing and painting class last trimester and wood technologies and theater this trimester. She continues to impress us with her creative and artistic abilities while also showing a knack for hands-on work. We are curious to see where all of her interests will lead her in life. We know that whatever she chooses, she will do well at it.

May God bless you and all your loved ones during this holiday season and into the next year. May you also find ways to be a blessing to others around you in 2023.

The Longards
 
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