Merry Christmas 2016!

November 2016 Quarterly Newsletter  View this email in your browser Merry Christmas from the Boersema's!  We pray your Thanksgiving was thankful and that your Christmas season is deep and meaningful. We praise God for the amazing gift of His Son and pray that we can live lives that truly reflect our deep gratitude for that gift!                                 Here are a few updates from last quarter: We have less than 2 months here at Beautiful Gate. We will be arriving in West Michigan on February 1, 2017. We are waiting on the Lord to open doors for a pastoral position for Ron and once that happens we will be looking for a place to live. Until then, we will be looking for temporary housing. Ron has been in communication with a few churches. We are waiting for them to evaluate their needs before any further steps can be taken.  Both of us have been feeling fulfilled in our roles and now we look ahead to the closure of these positions and our replacements. Grace has been settling into her life in Michigan quite well. She has a job at the Holland City Mission where her heart for the 'least of these' can be used well. She also has the joy of working at our home church, Haven CRC, as their worship coordinator. Both of these jobs fit her giftings quite well. She lives in a house with some friends in Grand Rapids. We sure miss her here with us! We were able to enjoy an American traditional Thanksgiving meal with the long term volunteers. We were actually able to find turkey!  It was a good time to be with others and reflect on our blessings from God. We have been busy with several teams and volunteers this quarter. We have enjoyed serving with them and getting to know people from all over the world! We have had 5 adoptions this past quarter! What a joy to witness such beautifully God-ordained unions! Summer is in full swing with temps in the 90's already! The picture above creates these thoughts: ~Instead of bringing the children to their BG home, our desire is to bring these       children to their permanent home. ~There is such sweetness of the older child helping the younger one. ~The eagerness of the one to get Ron's attention as he approaches says how       they long for attention. ~How much they need a father. ~The trust they so willingly give us is touching. ~The reality that this privilege for us is coming to an end. ~Getting to know these 68 children and connecting with them is more beautiful     than words can describe. ~It also creates a longing for our home, where we can be the grandparents we       long to be for Owen and Samuel.                                                                                         In this photo we are receiving a new child. Admitting children is often a time of mixed emotions. On one hand we are happy to meet them and to be able to provide a safe place for them. On the other hand, knowing some of the reasons why they are arriving can be difficult. Whatever the situation, we always thank God for a place of safety for them.       A sight to behold! The children are sittingquietly before our chapel begins. Ron must be doing something that has captured their attention! They always bring a smile to our faces! We can't get enough of these beautiful children! Here they are lining up along the wall, preparing for snack time! We know without a doubt that God called us here and we are so grateful for His equipping us and providing for us for that call. He has done much of that providing through you; through your prayers and through your financial support. We want to thank you! And we humbly ask for continued prayers as we seek Him for what He now has in store for us. Blessings to you all! ~ Ron and Karen    Copyright © *2015* *Beautiful Gate Lesotho* All rights reserved. Our emails: kkboersema5@gmail.com (Karen) pastorboersema@gmail.com (Ron) Our mailing address: Beautiful Gate c/o Ron or Karen Boersema PO Box 339 Lady Brand 9745 South Africa Donations: Please visit our blog page for donation details. Our blog page: http://boersemablog.blogspot.com/ Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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