A Winter Day in the Park

Meet Malachi Luther Schuette

For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother's womb.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there was not one of them.

Psalm 139:13-16

Malachi, An angel; God's messenger. Of Hebrew origin.

Luther, Aaron's maternal grandfather, Celebrated warrior

12/18/2008 6:09 p.m.

8 lbs. 1 oz. 19 1/2 in.

The day began with Elizabeth experiencing contractions early this morning. We arrived at the hospital and began to be monitored around 10 a.m. From that time till 5, Elizabeth had contractions every 4-7 minutes but the labor wasn't progressing. Our doctor thought it best to go ahead and proceed with the c-section. The c-section went smoothly and we were both excited to see our little boy for the first time. After the surgery, we all spent a couple of hours in the recovery room before we were able to be moved to our room. Due to the fact that a lot of women are having their babies today, we are sharing a room with another family. The Lord has been gracious in so many ways and Elizabeth did great through it all.

Very First Pictures - Malachi Luther Schuette

Christmas Chapel

A Few Favorite Holiday Cookie Recipes

Cake Mix Butter/Sugar Cookies

1 white cake mix
1 cup of butter (softened)
1 egg
1 cup of flour

Mix ingredients thoroughly. Dough will be soft. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters. You may need to use flour to prevent sticking. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 350º F for about 8-12 minutes, when cookies are lightly browned. Cool completely before decorating.

Dip these cookies in chocolate or almond bark for easy decorating and a tasty treat!

Gingerbread People

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 package Jell-o butterscotch pudding (4-serving)
1 egg
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Beat butter, sugar, dry pudding mix, and egg together. Gradually add remaining ingredients. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Cut out into desired shapes and bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes or until brown. Cool completely before decorating with icing, if desired.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

1 box of Ritz Crackers
Peanut Butter
1 package of Chocolate Flavored Almond Bark or melting chocolate

Spread peanut butter on one cracker. Top with another cracker. Repeat until all crackers are used. Melt chocolate according to directions on package. Individually dip cracker sandwiches in chocolate until covered. Place on wax paper until chocolate solidifies. Decorate with sprinkles (before chocolate hardens) or drizzled chocolate.

May also try covering Chocolate Crème Sandwiches or other sandwich cookies.

Future Ministy Outlook

As most of you know, Aaron has been attending the Master's Seminary since the fall of 2004. In May of 2008, he received his Master of Divinity. We decided last spring that the further degree of Master of Theology would be helpful in whatever future ministry we would find ourselves in. If everything goes as planned, Aaron should graduate from this program in May of 2010.

So then the question still remains, what is the plan after that? We wish we could give you a definitive answer. We are praying that God will make clear to us the type of ministry that He wants us to be involved in after seminary. We are giving strong consideration to the possibility of serving internationally. The church we attend, Grace Community Church, has a strong empahsis to oversees missions. Many of the missionaries from our church are a part of The Master's Acadmey International. This organization is a group of schools committed to training nationals throughout the world to be able to minister the Word of God in their respective countries.

Due to the experience that Aaron has had in Mexico, the most likely desitnation for us would be the seminary located in Mexico City. We are discussing this possibilty as a family. Aaron has met with the lead missionary in Mexico and is discussing the possibility of becoming a missionary with the elders of our church. Please pray for our decision in regards to our future ministry.