Dear Friends and Family,

So much has happened this year that we thought it would be nice to send a letter to share with you all what God has been doing in our family.

In April of this year I completed my first full year as a middle school social studies teacher at Henrietta G. Lewis Campus School, on the grounds of Wyndham Lawn Home in Lockport. What a great feeling it is to have found my place in terms of a career and income that is sufficient to support my family. Though I am still a novice at the skill of budgeting, I think we are making some progress.

Also in April, I took the girls to visit Washington DC. for Easter break. We had planned for the whole family to go to the Ark and Creation museum, but Andrea was not feeling well enough to travel, so we switched gears. It was a nice pseudo-birthday trip for Anna, and my first opportunity to visit DC.

We also stopped at Gettysburg on our way home. What a sobering experience it was for me to stand on the spot where Lincoln stood when he gave the Gettysburg Address!

In May we started a major journey that brought 2 families into the world of home ownership. We had spent a year renting a trailer in the Woodlands in Lockport, due to a serious mold problem in Lyndonville that had devastated Andrea’s health. Also, Lizzy and Jeremy had moved in with us in late March because they too had fled a mold infestation that was affecting their health.

When the Woodlands raised our already-high rent, we started looking for another rental, which led me to a realtor that encouraged me to check into a mortgage. I was skeptical of my chances for being approved, as I had a couple of credit issues that I was not expecting to be resolved for at least another year. To our surprise, I was approved for a mortgage, which inspired Jeremy to take the same leap, which he also did successfully.

By fall of this year both of our families had found homes that fit our needs and budgets. It was a long, stressful mission, looking for two homes that were mold free. What we learned along the way was that there is no such thing as a mold-free home. Both families settled for the best we could find that fit our budget with as little needed work as possible.

Please pray for Andrea’s and Lizzy’s health, especially. Both of our families love our new homes, and feel blessed to have them, but both homes need some mold remediation as soon as we can afford it, as both ladies are experiencing a downward turn in their health once again.

During the two-week break I had between the end of the school year and the beginning of summer school, Andrea, Evan and I took what I hope will become an annual trip to North Dakota to visit her family. Evan had a great time biking the streets of Langdon N.D. with his Gramma Gail. One highlight of the trip was an afternoon when Evan was out by himself, riding near the apartment complex and a deputy sheriff stopped to compliment him on wearing his helmet.

The officer rewarded him with a coupon for a free Dairy Queen ice cream cone!

Apparently, Gramma Gail got inspired, as after we returned home we received a picture of “G.G.” in a helmet of her own, and the news that she too had received a free ice cream from a local deputy.

Finally, the biggest news of the year is that God has done a miraculous spiritual work in my life. As most of you know, I have struggled all my life with anxiety and frustration, which has so often led me down an angry, destructive path. I believe that God revealed to me this year that, in spite of 31 years of devotion to a Christian faith, I had not been truly born again. God corrected that for me on September 17th, the same day we closed on or house.

You can read the details of my salvation experience, see pictures of our year and keep up with our family by visiting our new blog, lawtonfamily.org. In the meantime, have a blessed and amazing 2019!

Love,

The Lawtons