Merry Christmas

Dear Family and Friends,

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas this year. It is amazing how fast this season approaches us. As the song goes, “this is the most wonderful time of the year”.

Christmas will be different this year for the Keating family in the Philippines. The weather is noticeably different for us. The temperature is ranging in the 80’s and 90’s, which is little different than the present Chicago weather. Something just doesn’t seem right wearing shorts and t-shirts during December. Another difference is that we won’t be with the Keating family for Christmas, as well as our church family at Warrenville Bible Chapel. We will miss all of you during Christmas time. We very much enjoy being with family at Christmas and participating in the Christmas programs at church.

We are very thankful that we are able to go up to the mountains in Baguio to be with Kim’s parents, Great Aunt, and a new “adoptive” family member, a teacher at Faith, Holly Lucas. This is truly a blessing. We are also looking forward to the cooler weather in Baguio, as it will be 60’s and 70’s.

At this time of the year we often hear or say remember the reason for the season. When I think about this I am reminded that cooler weather is not what is important, nor is it celebrating with family. The important thing is that we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is why we celebrate Christmas.

I am so thankful that He is our Immanuel, God with us. We have truly felt that God has been with our family this past year. With our move to the Philippines in July, you could say that our world has been turned upside down. Being in a new country and having our family grow from four to seventeen in a very short time can be overwhelming. We are able to say that we are doing well. It has taken several months to “settle” in. There have been many challenges but also many blessings. I don’t think this would have been without God being with us as well as the support we receive from your prayers.

Tyler and Abby are doing great. They are growing like crazy. Tyler just turned 4 in November and Abby turned 2 in October. They are “normal” toddlers. They get all of the attention when we go up to school or out in public. Tyler and Abby are also been a big impact with our ministry with our 13 dorm boys. It is so fun to watch the big boys play with our small children. We enjoy being apart of the lives of these 13 young men. Please continue to pray that we strengthen our relationships with our boys. Pray for wisdom, strength, and grace as we work with them in daily situations. We consider it a privilege to serve God through our work with these boys at Faith Academy in the
Philippines.

We trust that you are also thankful that God is with all of us in our daily lives. I hope that you will have joy as you celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

With Love.

Larry, Kim, Tyler, and Abby Keating