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Castleberry’s Annual Letter-- February 2004

(Please note: Names have been removed to protect privacy)

Hello! and greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our loving Heavenly Father has been very gracious to us this year, as He is every year. We have grown in Him, and count our blessings each day. Steve and Susie have now celebrated 24 happy years of marriage, and we are so enjoying all of our children still home with us, knowing those days are numbered! How wonderful to know that He holds us all in the palm of His Hand, and will work His will in our lives. We pray that each of you will continually seek to know and serve Him who is our all in all. Thank you to all of you who keep up with us each year. We love hearing about your families and seeing pictures of many of you. It brings back many happy and blessed memories for us all.

We’re a bit late this year with our letter, and I think you can all just expect that every year you will hear from us about the last of January or first part of February. We spend several weeks in the south visiting relatives in late December and early January every year - that’s the time Steve is off from school. When we get back, it takes a while to catch up on all we’ve missed for three weeks, and this year we included a broken hand and two girls with their wisdom teeth cut out, all in the first ten days home!

Hi, I’m A. I’m three years old now, and I adore my big brothers and sisters, almost as much as they all adore me. Being child number 8 definitely has its advantages. Mom and Dad enjoy everything I do, remembering this might be the last time. I even still have a little red toddler bed in their room, because as much as I love my brothers D and E, I sometimes get scared in their room at night, all alone in that big bed. (Everyone needs a back-up plan.) And I am healthy, strong, cute as a bug’s ear, and much like my dad in personality.

Hi, I’m D and I turned 8 years old on January 29. I’m missing my two top front teeth. Math is my favorite thing in school. I normally do two pages of math a day. I like to go sledding. I got a new sled for my birthday. Last year I broke my leg skiing, so this year I’m going to start again on the bunny hill until I REALLY know how to ski.

Hi, I’m E and I turned 10 on September 26. We’ll probably go skiing tomorrow! It’s snowing right now, but the snowplow hasn’t come yet. For my birthday I got a BB gun, and target practiced with my older brothers, B and S. I have a spyglass and I like to look at stuff. My favorite subject in school is writing fiction stories. The last story I wrote was about a Mountie.

Hi, I’m B and I’m 13. I’ve been enjoying this weather. It’s sort of cold – the coldest we’ve got this week was minus 20º. I’ve been enjoying skiing and snowshoeing. We’ve got about a foot and a half of snow, and it’s coming down more right now. I’m going to get braces on my top teeth tomorrow. (I already have them on my bottom teeth.) Last summer I hunted crows, coyotes, and foxes with S. The neighbor is going to let us ride down the steep hill on his old boat. In the spring, he might ride it down the flooded river. I hope we can watch. All until next year, B

Dear Family and Friends, I hope this letter finds you all well. We had a wonderful past year. We got to go to a cabin on Pigeon Lake in southern Wisconsin. A very nice couple let us use their cabin. We had a fun time canoeing, kayaking, sailing, and paddle-boating. I tried to learn to sail in our kayak, but it was too windy, and I almost tipped. I went to shore very quickly, and I haven’t tried since! I am still playing the piano, and thoroughly enjoy it. This winter is really great. Lots of snow, and some days when the thermometer shows -20F! I am enjoying cross-country skiing around our hay field, as well as snow-shoeing. I love winter! God has richly blessed us, and I pray He’ll do the same for you all. “O give thanks unto the LORD: for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever.” I Chronicles 16:34 In Him, E (age 15)

Hello everyone! This year it was my turn to break a bone! Guess which one I chose? My right hand. All of you are probably wondering how. Well, it was on Saturday afternoon, and I was sledding with S, B, E, D, and B. We built one jump, then it was two, then three. Finally we had just one BIG jump. After awhile of sledding with the hill getting more and more slippery, I went down again. I flew over the jump anticipating a good landing. Instead, I landed wrong on the back of my hand. My first thought was, “I hope it’s not broken!” S came down the hill to see if I was all right. After a while my hand began to swell. Then on Sunday Mom took me into urgent care. They x-rayed it and found it was broken. The doctor said that with a break like mine I would probably have to have surgery and a pin put in. On Monday I went to see an orthopedic surgeon that we have seen numerous times. He said no surgery and no cast – just a splint! I am so grateful and thankful. It comes off in four weeks. I had fun visiting relatives when we went down South. Take care and may God bless. K (age 17)

So much has taken place this year, I hardly know where to begin. This fall I finally finished working for Mr. Martin, the bricklayer. I have been busy this year on the Douglas County Sheriff Rescue Squad. We do everything from woods rescue, to water rescue, to vehicle extrication. We also go to major fires to assist with traffic control. It has been a great experience for me. I purchased a .40-mm. handgun this year. B and I also purchased paintball equipment, and have had a lot of fun doing this together. Last year I purchased downhill skis, I’m looking forward to using them. S (20)

Hello! 2003 was an exciting year for me, filled with new projects, experiences, and lessons, as well as lots of fun with my wonderful family. This year we went camping for the first time, and absolutely loved it! We stayed at a state park close enough to come home and do chores twice a day (a definite plus since we could get all the things we forgot!) I upholstered a couch with a friend, finished all the interior painting on the house (and we even got the outside stained), and enjoyed volleyball in our front yard, swimming in Lake Superior, hiking, biking, playing guitar, and sewing. The big event of my life this year was in late September, a month before my 22nd birthday, when I finally got my driver’s license! I love driving solo, and now do most of the shopping. On our trip south this year, we went to Washington, D.C. You wouldn’t believe how tight the security is at Code Orange! We were able to see the Capitol and Supreme Court, ride the subway, and visit many museums and memorials. It was an unforgettable experience, especially as one or another of the boys set off an alarm at every screening place!
But all of that is relatively unimportant compared with the lessons God has taught me this year. He has truly become my all, everything I need. I love and trust Him more each day, and I know His plan for my life is perfect. He has given me some new ministry opportunities, and I know He is using me where I am. Most of all, He has blessed me with contentment. I praise Him for His goodness! May God bless you this year! Because of His grace, J (22)