Dearest Friends and Family,
Well this will be our final Christmas greeting from Singapore as we now know that we are in the final months of our life in Asia . We expect to be stateside again by the end of summer 2010. We plan to make the most of our remaining time here not only in travels but also in time spent with the wonderful friends who have touched us and made our experiences here all the richer. While coming “home” will be wonderful, leaving this “home” will certainly pierce our hearts. So here is what everyone has been up to since last December.
Steve continues to work hard at work but hasn’t traveled as much this year. We chose to spend his birthday this year in Capetown South Africa and where the Jackass Penguins were a highlight for him. He was also thrilled with two more trips to Australia. He went to Canberra for work but we went as a family to Darwin, a wonderful rural area in the northwest. We even enjoyed wild kangaroos and wallabies from horseback. He continues to enjoy growing his peppers and plants but is more than ready for a “real” yard.
Hannah, 11, has taken her love of fashion and started sewing lessons from a dear friend of ours. She has completed two outfits already, including the blue skirt she is wearing in one of the photos. She has been thriving as a homeschooler and I have to say it is a true blessing for me. She competed in her first archery completion and is coming along in her guitar.
Wyatt, 9, has also been growing as a homeschooler. He often has Hannah and I laughing with his quick comments. He is currently sporting braces but hopes to have them off soon. He too is taking archery and guitar but he finds most of his enjoyment playing outside with his buddies, cooking up new adventures. He is probably more starved for a yard than his father.
Lena, 7, continues to love school and is in first grade at SAS. She is an avid reader but is most happy looking at any book that has pictures of horses. She got to ride a horse for the first time this year in South Africa and then again while in Darwin. Now she is begging for more. She can’t wait to get a dog (if a horse is truly out of the question).
EvaLynn, 5, was our last one to head off to kindergarten and joined Lena this year at SAS. She absolutely loves school and never wants to miss a day. She is already reading some but would prefer to hone her social skills. No surprise there. She is always in dress up of some sort and loves having an older sister who will give her “make-overs” once in a while.
In addition to what I have mentioned above some of our other highlights were landing on the continent of Africa, kicking dried cow-patties in Australia, sitting on the edge of an active volcanoe in Indonesia and meeting President Obama. We have also continued to work with the Children’s Home in Batam Indonesia (Projek AnaKawan) and we will all agree that some of our most memorable moments have been made there.
So it is a bitter sweet thought to know that this will be my last Christmas greeting to you from Singapore but we hope and pray that the relationships we have made will follow us on in our next life adventure.
We thank you for your love for our family and we hold you dear to our hearts. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a year of blessings and joys.
Always looking to Christ,
Tanya, Steve + kids

Wow am I a bad blogger or what?! That last post was almost a full year ago. To briefly catch you up to date on the Will Family in Singapore enjoy the photo updates. They show our Christmas, Grandma Walter's visit around Chinese New Year in February, and our trip to Cape Town South Africa in May.

The missing months were not all that exciting as we didn't travel much. I continue to visit the Children's Home (AnaKawan) each month and am launching a brand new ESL (English as a Second Language) program there. If you are interested in sponsoring a child please let me know (tanyalwill2@gmail.com).

I started a ministry for preteen girls -- writing the "curriculum" and leading an 8 week class. The group wants to continue so we will start up again soon. The highlight for me was seeing God's faithfulness in leading me down this path. I have said it was like God told me to complete a puzzle but gave me only one piece at a time AND I had no idea what the final picture looked like. As I said, He was faithful and being able to experience this was awesome. We ended with a Mother/Daughter Tea and I hope to post some photos from this. Hannah and a dear friend did all of the food and decorations.

Speaking of Hannah, I forgot to say that I started homeschooling! When asked how this past semester went I simply reply, "I am looking forward to seeing how much better God will lead me this semester". Hehe. Truthfully, the challenge is not in the homeschooling but in protecting my time and keeping firm boundaries. Wyatt and Hannah will both be homeschooling this next year while Lena and EvaLynn head off to SAS.

We also spent a very quick weekend in Darwin Australia and enjoyed a horse ride with roos hopping all around and long walks through the bush. In July we spent a few days with Steve in Bandung (south of Indonesia) where we got up close and personal with a steaming active volcanoe. Pretty stinky I must say. I will try to post photos from both trips.

My blog is beginning to resemble my mom journal and the kids' baby books -- not very complete. Well at least it should give you a glimpse into our life here, which was my goal to begin with. Well back to the photo uploads! T