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Christmas 2005
 It
was the best of times; it was the worst of times. No, those words did not
originate with me, but I can find no better way of describing the past year.
Last Christmas we had our daughter Jacquie with us. She always loves
getting back to Haiti and taking in the sights, foods, and friends that she
grew up with. It’s so nice to have her visit. We missionary parents often
question whether we should have raised our children in a foreign country,
especially since it is our calling we’re following and not theirs. Jacquie
always assures us that we did the correct thing in her case.
Early May brought our annual Church of God missionary retreat at Zanglais, a
beach town in southern Haiti. This is attended by our local missionaries and
their families, plus a few adopted outsiders whom we consider to be Church of
God, although they might not realize it. We try to bring in a resource person
who can give us some insights on life and missions that we hadn’t thought of
before. This year we were so blessed to have Dr. Robert Reardon with us. Bob
(I think I’m allowed to call him that) was the president of Anderson College
when Jodie and I graduated. He is a humble, kind, intellectual man who has more
personal knowledge of the history of the founders of the Church of God movement
than any other living person today. I learned a lot that week about church
history, but even more I learned how honored we were to be with Dr. Reardon in
such an intimate setting.
Later in May we were given the opportunity to have a video group from
Anderson University Covenant Productions come down and put together a DVD that
we would us to help raise monies for our work. The end product is a DVD which
is titled “Two Worlds…One Heart” which contrasts Jodie’s and my ministries. We
are very happy with the DVD and hope that all of you will be able to see it. If
you would like a FREE copy of this DVD, please click
here and fill in your name and address. There
is of course, no charge.
Late in June was the annual Church of God international convention in
Anderson. Part of that convention is always the commissioning of new
missionaries. This year Jodie, Jacquie, Jessica, and I were commissioned as
real live career missionaries of the Church of God. After 19 years of service
here in Haiti, what we had hoped for finally happened. We are now recognized by
the church we love as persons who represent the church on the field. If you’re
interested I believe a web cast of that service is still available at
www.chog.org.
October and November brought some unexpected travel into our lives. Jacque
had a minor surgery in October and Jodie left Haiti for six quick days in order
to be with her during that time. The surgery was a great success and both
mother and daughter recovered splendidly. Jodie was also able to attend some of
Jacquie’s classes at AU during that time.
My sister Thelma Ackerman died on the first day of November. Although
Thelma had not been in good health for a long time, her death was somewhat of a
surprise to us. I traveled back to Newton Falls, Ohio in order to be with my
family for the funeral. My brother Dale and his family live in that area, and
my sister Caroline, a missionary in Tanzania, also came for the funeral. The
memorial service was a high point for us. There was a time of personal sharing
by those who knew Thelma during her life on earth. It was a great time of
reflection and cleansing. I was blessed to have Thelma, a soft and loving
person, as a sister. She was my greatest cheerleader and support.
And so we find ourselves back to December and planning for another
Christmas. Our annual traditions have begun in the home. The Advent wreath is
out and already finds three of its candles burning. The Jesse Tree is again on
the wall and we are working our way through the study of the family of God. And
Jodie and I have already taken part in the Haiti International Chorale
presentation of “The Messiah” last weekend. The teachers at Quisqueya Christian
School and their families had their Christmas party last Friday. Jacquie will
again be coming for Christmas in a few days. We’ll have our annual Christmas
Eve service and open house at our home, then celebrate the coming of 2006 at a
friend’s home with lots of food and real live fireworks.
There’s a lot of activity, and most of you are probably even busier. The
past few years I have tried to overcome this busyness by keeping my mind fixed
on the reality that this odd story really happened. A virgin had a child who
came from the one God in order to save his people. I have heard the story so
many times that I need to remind myself that this wasn’t just a story but is
reality, today.
May the reality of a loving savior that was born to us some 2000 years or so
ago be real in your life, today.
May you have a very blessed Christmas,
John, Jodie, and Jessica Ackerman
  
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