The New Year

"...Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations...."

Dear SFM families,
There has been much to mourn since we last saw each other in December.
As January makes its descent into another month, we do not grieve as those who have no hope.
May the words of the prophet Isaiah (above) hover over your home, as true and rich as they are hovering over the desolation in Haiti and Kabul and...

We will begin our semester offerings (of service, friendship, formation) in February, and will make sure you know about them before-hand.

But meanwhile, let us work and sleep and LIVE with the prayers for the oppressed on our lips.

Looking for a dog? Please Read!

A note from one of our current ATS spouses. If you can help this family...let them know!....

Hello everyone! As you can see, we really do need your help!! As you all know, Cooper is our little Westie, and unfortunately, he has to go to a new home without children. We would love to be able to give him to someone we know and feel really comfortable with (it would be great, if we could still see him every once in awhile, too!, but not necessary)....I'm saying this all matter of fact like, but believe me I have shed many a tear since Wednesday. I feel like we are giving a part of our family away!! It breaks my heart terribly!! We already had a guy come over Friday night who is interested in taking Cooper, he's a nice guy and we can go with him, but just wanted to put feelers out to more people to see if there is an even better fit -- this guy is a friend of a friend of a friend, so it's quite a distant connection. Would love to give him to someone we know a little more, just for our peace of mind.

Do you know someone who would be interested in Cooper? Just to give you some info, Cooper is a West Highland Terrier, will be 6 on March 8. He's loveable, loves to be cuddled and his belly to be rubbed! He does love to bark, but what terrier doesn't! He is house trained, and we have trained him to stay in the house for hours at a time (so he will go good with those who work all day). He will be better being the center of a attention, ideally no other dogs and especially no cats. He is not a mean dog, just gets protective when he doesn't know others are playing, so this is the reason why he is better not to be in a home with children, because sadly little Stanley got bit by Cooper on Wednesday. He was a trooper, and mommy and daddy were more traumatized than him!! But, we just can't live in the tension and wondering if he will do it again, unfortunately he has nipped before. But, like I said, he really is not a mean dog, protective tho. I hate even typing these words, we thought Cooper would be with us through all our children, so this is so sad for us, but we have to do what is best for our family.

Do you know someone who would want a great dog for a Christmas present? We would be willing to make a road trip for the right home, so please if you know someone who is interested, please have them call 859-887-3095, 614-306-4112, and 419-674-6506 right away. Since we do have this guy who is interested, any recommendations brought to us by Monday morning, would be great! We can send a pic message by phone to someone who may want it!

Thanks everyone, sounds silly to ask for prayer for us, but we need it, it's just very sad! Please help Cooper find a good home!!

Love,
Kendra, Eric, Stanley, and Cooper