MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  May God’s blessings be upon you all this Christmas season, and next year!  Thank you for all the lovely Christmas cards we have been receiving.  One day I will get back into sending an official Christmas card through the mail.  For now, though, please accept this e-mail version!

As far as an update, life continues to be super-busy on the home-front!  The first praise is that Alberto recently finished his job in Springfield!  Having him gone so much was really taking a toll on our family. Now he is working in Bridgewater, so the commute is much easier!  The fact that he is still working at this time of year is a huge blessing in and of itself!  Since our medical costs for Phoebe are so high, we really are grateful to God for his continued employment!

Ana (10th grade) and Isaac (8th) are really enjoying their year at Boston Trinity Academy, and burning the night oil with all the homework!  They both played soccer for the school this fall, while Isaac and Margaret played for the town.  Yes, Isaac participated in both leagues!  Margaret (3rd grade) continues to be homeschooled.

Phoebe (5 years old) continues to brighten my life!  She is such a joy!  She now has glasses, which we are encouraging her to wear!  I’ve had a challenging fall figuring out some of her medical issues.  As some of you know, we have been making regular trips to NYC to a homeopathic autism center; where Phoebe was making nice, albeit small gains.  We had committed to the 2-year protocol, which would have brought us up until this coming summer.  Last month, the doctor told us she couldn’t work with us anymore, as Phoebe’s gut disbiosis was too much for her, and recommended we work a different specialist.  Although I was initially disappointed, I really have high hopes for this new doctor.  We just started with him last month, so I will let you know how it goes!

Meanwhile, Phoebe continues to have her homeschool program made possible through a variety of therapists and volunteers who come to the house.  (For autism, it is recommended that the kids have 20-25 hours a week of intense 1:1, so that is what we are doing.)  I train the volunteers according to the Son-Rise model of play-based therapy.  God has always provided us with wonderful loving volunteers.  As soon as one leaves, another appears.  The timing has been nothing short of miraculous.  At this point, we have 9 different people working with Phoebe.  I also just got a scholarship to do hippotherapy with her, which is horse-back riding therapy!  She loves being on a horse, (but does not love wearing her helmet!)  She is also participating in an early literacy program for kids with Down syndrome.  As a result of all this intervention, Phoebe’s speech and cognition are really improving.

Our original plan was to leave for South Africa this coming summer, when Phoebe’s protocol finished.  Unfortunately, I have been so busy researching, training, driving, cooking, etc that we have not had the time to pursue options in South Africa.  The idea is for Alberto to attend a one-year Bible course, since he wants to learn more about the Bible to be better prepared for future missions.  This will also satisfy requirements for our church, Park Street Church.  Although he could do the courses on-line, he prefers to be physically present for the classes, so as to immerse himself in the learning.  We are still praying about timing and other such major issues.  Continually postponing this has been really hard for me, as I love being overseas working with the mission of spreading the light of Christ to those around us.  I like to think that we are doing that here, but there is incredible need and a special attraction for us to do that overseas.  Meanwhile, I have been praying for orphaned special needs kids overseas, and hope to be able to work with that community when the time is right.

I hope you are all well.  Thank you for sharing in our lives.  You are in our thoughts and prayers.  Please continue to keep our family in your prayers!  I’ll leave you with one of my favorite verses:

Love Alberto, Joanna, Ana, Isaac, Margaret and Phoebe Parada