Merry Christmas From the Brittons!

Our first annual Christmas letter:

Dear Family and Friends,

The Christmas tree shimmers in the foreground, the delightful scent of a cinnamon candle wafts through the air, and soft carols play in the background as I sit down to write you this letter.  Growing up, one of my favorite aspects of the holiday season was receiving so much mail from friends and loved ones around the country, especially when their card included a letter full of the year’s news from their family!  When Nathan entered my life, one of the ways his mom helped me get to know their family better was to send me a packet containing a collection of all their Christmas newsletters from the past twenty years.  It was so much fun to see their family’s history unfold in year after year of letters!  And so it is that this letter comes to you; the first of many, we hope, as we would love to tell you what God has been doing in our lives this last year as well as begin documenting the history of our new little family.

What a whirlwind of a year it has been!  Here’s just a quick overview:

January - we met, February - we were engaged, May - we were married, June - we learned that we were expecting our first child, August - we moved to a new state and ministry, August through October - we fixed up our first home, and currently, we are making preparations toward the arrival of our baby in February.  How’s that for a year of change and adventure?!?!  I can’t help but chuckle as I reflect back to where I was last Christmas working in an orphanage in Bolivia, South America and wondering what the new year would hold.  Never in my wildest imaginations could I have dreamed up a story like the one God has written for us in 2012!  Through it all, He has been so faithful to lead us, provide for us, and strengthen us for each new experience.

We love our new home here in the quaint town of Taos, New Mexico, where Nathan is the pastor of First Baptist Church.  Living in a small town surrounded by beautiful mountains is quite the refreshing change after big city life!  At the same time, we have found Taos to be very much the mission field right here in America.  Out of 5,000 plus residents who make their permanent home here, only about 5% of the population would identify themselves as evangelical Christian.  That leaves a lot of people in need of the truth of the Gospel!  When we first arrived, the church had been without a pastor for over seven months and was nearly to the point of having to close their doors.  Attendance had dropped to about 15-20 people on most Sundays.  Since that time, growth has been slow but steady, with anywhere from 30 to 50 people in church on Sunday mornings, depending on the time of year and how many tourists are visiting.  Nathan is doing a wonderful job preaching and teaching the Word of God, and we have been working diligently to build relationships within the community as we are able.  It is a slow process here, but we are making progress!  Our main prayer for the ministry right now is that the Lord will draw to our church family those whom He knows need to be here, and that He will allow us to cross paths with people who are genuinely hungry for Truth.

In addition to pastoring, Nathan has also been serving as the volunteer coach for boys’ basketball at Taos Christian Academy, a small school in town.  He only has seven players, but what they lack in number, they make up for in desire to win!  So far, the Crusaders are 4-1 here at the beginning of their competitive season!  Nathan has done a great job helping them get in shape and learn the game of basketball.  He is enjoying not only the outlet for active exercise that coaching has provided him, but also the opportunity to invest in the lives of these young men and their families.

On the home front, my days are full of keeping house, cooking for a husband who likes to eat, extending hospitality, teaching a piano student, participating in the church’s music ministry, making house calls with Nathan, and growing a baby.  Being a wife and soon-to-be mother has proven to be so fulfilling, and I am loving this new season of life in which God has allowed me to be!  We are very grateful to report that everything is going well with the baby’s development.  If his activity in the womb is any indication, he is going to be one active little boy!  (And yes, it IS a boy, for those who haven’t yet heard!)  His arrival at the end of February draws closer and closer, and we are so excited to meet this special gift God has given us!

As we close this letter, it is our hope that the Christmas season will be a blessed time for you and your family of remembering the ultimate Gift God provided for all mankind: His Son, Jesus Christ!  He truly is “Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)  And He is coming again!  Not as the baby of Bethlehem, but as the King and Judge of all the earth.  What a wonderful truth and great cause for celebration for all those who have been saved by His grace through faith!

Merry Christmas with Love!

Nathan, Katrina, and Baby Britton