December 2017 Update

Dear Friends & Family,

We hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and even more than that, a chance to rest and reflect on Christ and His birth!  We have had the honor of having Jason's sister visit us for the winter break, as well as a memorable time celebrating with Andréa's Québec family over Christmas Eve and the eve of New Year's Eve!  FaceTime/Skype also brought family closer and diminished the gap in distance with those not in Québec.  We definitely had a white Christmas, here, and consistently under/around zero degrees F for several weeks.  So far, we are enjoying the "difficult" winter, here, and praying that our exuberance for the cold and snow will hold us through the remaining months of winter.


In a whirlwind, everyone finished language classes for the year.  We said our goodbyes to lovely missionary families that we are so excited to see how God works in their next season of being on the mission field!  Here is a picture from one of our weekly "fromage jeudi" times: each Thursday, we would gather around an assortment of cheeses and discuss a topic/question in French (this particular Thursday was our one time changing it up with fondue):

Amongst all of the Christmas parties and holiday gatherings, we celebrated 9 years of marriage on December 20th!!  Our day was packed and with the little one, we didn't do anything special but hope to make up for it one day when Mamie/Papi visit and can babysit!

Here is a sneak peak into Jason's newest hobby and workout regime: shoveling.  This was taken mid-December and so the snow accumulation has gone up, a bit, since then:

The following are a couple of photos from our excursions with Jason's sister, as we took the opportunity to show her some of this beautiful [cold] province and help her get a feel for what the culture/community is like here.  Lydia has been a champ in the frigid weather.



 
As 2017 came to a close, we looked back on this past year, all of the changes, and the different ways that God provided and met us.  In our society, today, we are quick to tag the word "blessed/blessing" on to many situations.  One article that made us rethink the highs and lows of this last year was from Desiring God, "What does it really mean to be #blessed?".  Here are two excerpts from the article:

"What is blessing, then? Scripture shows that blessing is anything God gives that makes us fully satisfied in him. Anything that draws us closer to Jesus. Anything that helps us relinquish the temporal and hold on more tightly to the eternal. And often it is the struggles and trials, the aching disappointments and the unfulfilled longings that best enable us to do that.
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In pain and loss, we long for Presence. We long to know that God is for us and with us and in us. Great families, financial wealth, and good health are all wonderful gifts we can thank God for, but they are not his greatest blessings. They may make us delight, not in God, but in his gifts."

So, to start us off in how we have been blessed this past year, here are two ways that come to the forefront:

• That with ulcerative colitis, Andréa has been left with nothing else but to draw closer to Jesus.  She has had to hold more tightly to the eternal and not settle for temporal joy in foods, exercise, and normal daily liberties.  As a couple, we have had to search Him out and wrestle with the tough questions of trusting His perfect plan.
• That with language learning, for Jason, there have been many delays, halts, and not ideal situations that have hindered his learning.  With the struggles and trials of not being where he would like to be, he is faced with knowing that God is not only with us but He is for us in these disappointments.

Here are a few of the MANY other ways that we THANK God for guiding us this year:

• Giving us just enough money, each month, for our needs (oh, the stories we could share!)!
• A beautiful and safe home to live in that has a really great centralized location and the ability to host friends and family (found all via the internet/facetime)!
• Teaching job for Andréa where she gets to do what she loves, with missionaries, and in her own home! 
• A child at the same time that our church, here in Québec, had a baby-boom, thus helping us to relate to others in ways that we had not foreseen when we first started raising support.
• Our supporters who have continued to give financially, prayed sacrificially on our behalf, and sent notes of encouragement at just the right time.  We think of each one of you as we face challenges and as we face abundance.

As January is here, we look with great expectation for how God will help us in being fully satisfied in Him!  We pray that this may be true for you, as well.  A quick update on how our lives are changing with the new year:  Andréa has been asked to do two-hours of Jason's cohorts language classes, as well as, developing the curriculum for the program/teachers of Fleur de Lys!  This will provide 4 hours of work/day for the winter/spring session, from our own home!  Jason is working hard to bring his French to the next level, with the goal of being able to finish his seminary courses at SEMBEQ, starting with the Fall 2018 intake (in French!).  We greatly appreciate your prayers for perseverance, patience, and diligence. May the Lord draw us near to Him in all of this.

Lydia was eleven-months old this last month and she is SO close to walking on her own!  She has discovered the joys of going up stairs on her own and pushing chairs/objects around the room.  In a week, she will be a ONE year old!!

We pray that this year of 2018 will be filled with many surprises, joys, new adventures, and most importantly lives changed towards God!

We are ever so grateful for your prayer and support in our lives!

For His Glory,
Jason, Andréa & Lydia Maul