RONALD and SANDRA SCHULTZ
Friends,
May Christ be present in your Christmas 1996.
As we think about Christmas presents and Jesus, the first Christmas present, and what we might give Him, let's not overlook giving Him what He came for: Let's give Him our sin. That's what we do in the ChristMass: We receive Christ's blood of [God's] new covenant [with mankind] ... for the remission of sins. [Matthew 26:28]
That's the heart of the Christmas Good News -- giving what we don't want for that we don't deserve: "for by grace are you saved thru faith [in Jesus] and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8,9
"Lest any man should boast", a concept in our consideration as we think on what God has brought about in our lives in 1996: 1996 will be remembered here as
- The year we bought a teal blue '92 Grand Caravan (Ron wants his boys all to be leaders -- so van has 4 captains chairs as Sandy wanted!)
- The year Ron was promoted to Maintenance Engineer. The year Ron was assigned the "beep - beep" (Neon car) to drive.
- The year Ron insulated the sunporch and it again became principle place for doing homework. Ron sees he was wrong: When we bought this house 9 years ago he said "It may take 3; it may take me 8; but there is 5 years of work in this house!" Maybe "20 years" would have been more accurate!
- The year Ron repainted the house outside ... well, the year he was going to... (We got most of 1st floor outside done.)
- The year Sandy started dropping kids at 2 schools and then 3. She's so busy outside the house that Ron needs her weekly itinerary on paper!
- When Paul professed a bold witness at Guardian Lutheran Church in his confirming his faith in Jesus; he is continuing to do so Catholic Central High School where he started in August on an academic scholarship, He's doing excellent at CC academically and is into freshman football and quizbowl. He graduated from GLS salutatorian.
- When Paul's braces came off and contacts went in; he went with Uncle Bill to Promise Keepers at the Silverdome; It seems he's growing up so fast now! Taller than Ron at 13, he outweighed his dad before he was 14.
- When Paul won the School (GLS) Geography Bee, & also qualified for part in the state Bee at Mt. Pleasant, but went out there before the last rounds.
- The year (95-96) GLS was Bible quiz league champ and Paul retired undefeated as captain of their Quiz team. Guardian team has been undefeated while Sandy has coached the GLS quiz team (but she did get concession that her son at Dearborn Christian won't compete against GLS.)
- the year (96-97) both Mark and John's teams were Bible Quiz winners (Sandy still only coaches at Guardian -- tho Ron wanted to volunteer her for Dearborn Christian too!
- When 13 yr old 7th grader Mark & 9 yr old 4th grader Joy did without lunchroom and gym, etc as GLC & S is in a building program.
- When 11 yr old John was in 5th, 6th, and 7th grades. He finished homeschool 5th in January, Dearborn Christian 6th in June, where he's now in 7th grade.
- When John put in more school service hours than his mother (he does misc jobs in school office before school day began.)
- the year Joy built Polly Pocketsville and started collecting old and new $100 bills and organ consoles. (over)
- the 1st year our number of Halloween visitors went down, down to 507 from 652; it appears to be the result of no other giver on the block!
Sandy & Ron taught summer Sunday School again. Ron even taught 3 sessions of adult Bible class.
Sandy's bro John left Santa Fe Railroad in Austin. TX (where the people have an ATTITUDE) in his '97 Ford F150 pickup for Johnson Wax in Racine, WI. Has anyone seen his queensize mattress -- lost enroute?!
We hear Sandy's sis Judy bought the family estate in Lawrenceville from her folks and it now has a new water system and furnace. Sandy's sis Donna and daughter Carole moved but are still near Kankakee.
They are drilling again on the farm next to Swafford fun farm; maybe Karen's family will be rich someday! With unsightly buildings removed (which some of us considered worthwhile links with our past) from the Swafford fun farm, they are getting a garage built; so far the slab is poured; they're gradually transforming it into a rustic Cedar Point. Nephew Michael bought a quad & a snowmobile for it w/money from his job at My Granny's. Nephew Jimmy is finishing Macomb Christian School with honors. Great Nephew Joey got Ron's hand-me-down XT computer.
We travelled APART in 96 as often as we traveled TOGETHER: We did travel TOGETHER to and enjoyed posh wedding of Sandy's cousin Jeff Hall at Kirk of the Hills and reception at Addison Oaks, Kauer and Schultz family reunions in July, Liponoga reunion in August, and to Mackinaw Bridge for Labor Day (Ron's last bridgewalk) and TO Wisconsin for Garriet and Viola Dreger's 40th anniversary; on the way back our kids took turns riding in Bro Bill's new Cadillac with the Northstar engine. (While we can't confirm that this engine is quieter than that of his previous Cadillac, it was much quieter in our car with only 3 of them!)
Traveling APART -- * Ron's job took him to Ohio, Indiana, Ilinois, Wisconsin, Kansas City, Memphis, Mississippi, Atlanta, and Toronto; saw Stone Mountain, Graceland, Elvis's birthplace, CN tower -- and also near Port Huron to assess the $70,000 damage a raccoon did to transformer at DWSD's water plant there.
John went to Florida with Uncle Bill to learn Romans 8 and see Disneyworld. Mark went to Mackinaw Island with Uncle Bill to learn Romans 6 and he spent some weeks in Southern Illinois with Aunt Judy and his grandparents and went to St. Louis with Aunt Jude; Joy memorized most of it while he was away. Sandy went to Mill Lake with Joy and others from GLS; She also went on the GLS trip to Camp Rotary with Mark and taught at Dearborn Christian School Science camp at Proud Lake while John attended.
Paul went to Camp Pioneer on Lake Erie in New York and football camp at CC. He also went to Chicago with his 8th grade GLS class; Sandy and sis Donna and their daughters and Mom went to Marquette at leaf peep time. Ron and Sandy went together to a January couples retreat and each to Pinckney Pines Retreats.
Dad V is scheduled for hip replacement surgery in January.
Niece Christine is planning a July 12th wedding to Mike Rohe.
Perhaps 1996 will also be remembered as the last full year before Christ comes again(!) Perhaps the Year of Our Lord 1997 might never be... But if or no, may you and yours be blessed in it.
As the staff of Elvis Presley Park -- located in Tupelo, MS, where Ron worked on this letter -- says, "Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Y'all!"
Love,
Ron, Sandy, Paul, Mark, John, & Joy
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