The Haas Family Christmas Letter
December 2003

The Missing Link, Inc.
P. O. Box 40031 | Cleveland OH 44140 | U.S.A.
440-282-1683 | 440-960-1871 Fax

Click here to enlarge A blessed Christmas!

From Our House
=====> to Yours

Our poor photographer had fun, trying to get all six of us to look the same direction at the same time. (Click the picture for a closer view.)
    This picture was taken before Monika left the nest. With Heidi and Monika now gone, we've had to shorten the kitchen table. As recent as this morning, another one left the nest - this time, Peanuts, our beloved cocker spaniel who's graced our home the past 15 1/2 years. This was a deep loss for the whole family.

E-mail me! Heidi (28) - A big thank you to everyone who prayed for my eye. It's now in stable condition and has been infection-free for some time now. Thankfully I can see much more than the doctor expected. I'm looking forward to a corneal transplant sometime in the spring.
    Life is back to normal and no one is happier to be working than me. Seeing is great! I spend most of my time at LifeCare, my home away from home. My highlight as a paramedic this year was delivering a healthy baby girl in someone's apartment.
     I'm also looking forward to starting back to school in January, down a long road to continuing my education, most likely in the medical field. Merry Christmas!

Click to enlarge Monika (25) - This year has been an exciting & thrilling year. On April 8, my boyfriend (Jason Brand) proposed to me, asking me to marry him. Our engagement lasted for a period of six months. Then on October third, we were married. It's been two months now since the wedding, and we are both very happy.
    I still have a daily battle with the pain and exhaustion that's involved with my fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, but I try not to let it get me down. The last few months of this year have been a bit more intense and difficult for me, but I know it's just a matter of taking one day at a time. Thank you to everyone who's kept me in prayer. Your prayers are appreciated very much. (Click on picture to enlarge.)

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Rosemarie Rosemarie (16) - This year was a big test of schedule balancing first semester. I played tennis at the end of summer and at the beginning of the school year had to juggle sports with homework and other extracurricular activites.
     I performed in the Diary of Anne Frank, which was a very touching and emotional production our cast was quite proud of. I also play a lead role in the upcoming spring musical of Hello Dolly as well.
    The upcoming year will be packed with art things mostly, as I am entering in the Scholastic nationals three pieces I completed this year. Wish me luck.

Paul (12) - Whenever I have time, I go on the computer. I mostly love the fun of it and I often do homework assignments on the computer. Mom says God's training me to be her computer repairman.
    I'm going to youth service at our church on Saturdays. I've started reading through the Bible as part of a project with our Christian scouting program. For the first time, I got to attend an overnight youth retreat.
    On December 19, I'll be rolling on the floor, screaming for joy, because Christmas break starts. The snow is here and my crazy dog enjoys eating it.

Peter (10) - That's me! Mommy says I'm six kids packed into one body - whatever that means. Maybe it's because I've been spending too much time in the refrigerator
    This summer, I went to Camp Blessing for my second time. On the last day, we had a water balloon fight, and I got soaked!
    I've been singing in children's choir and going to our Christian scouting program at church.
    You ought to see our bedroom. We ran an old string of blinking Christmas lights, back and forth across the room. Mom and Dad have to duck when they come in.

Barbara (Mom) - In February, we fought a round-the-clock battle to save Heidi's eye from being consumed by a virulent, pseudomonas ulcer. That ended with the prospects of a corneal transplant this coming June.
    In May, I enjoyed a rare visit to my brother Bill's in Montana. We happily spent ten days together, studying a web design software suite.
    On August 31, I took a leap and opened my own online Christian bookstore at swissvalleydiscount.com, an opportunity which has provided us with some much needed extra income.
    Monika's wedding plans began rolling full steam ahead, early in the year, with the culmination of her marriage to Jason Brand on October 3.
    For several months, in the midst of wedding plans, I was deeply involved in organizing a women's conference at our local church. The day the women's conference began, our high-tech security man arrived from the West Coast, and we delved into five weeks straight of computer maintenance, training and upgrades.
    Thank you profoundly for all your prayers and encouragement. Our Internet and prison ministries continue to mushroom and include over 300 volunteers.

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Chaplain Mario (Dad) - One of the highlights of this past year was when I had the opportunity to minister to a young man who, as a teenager, committed a crime of passion which he is now thoroughly sorry for. Unfortunately, this past crime, which causes him no end in regrets for what he has done in his youth, cannot be undone.
    He told me I was the very first visitor, besides his family, after 17 years of confinement. Sitting in his cell, this young man poured out his heart to me. I was able to share the Gospel message of forgiveness with him. My prayer is that the message that was so foreign to him will bring life.
     Because of your love for the lost, we were able to personally minister to over 4,000 inmates, either in a group Bible study or a chapel service. It warms my heart to reach out in your behalf and see hardened men weeping and telling me thank you for not forgetting about them, by pointing them to the Cross.
     By his grace and mercy, I was honored to lead more than 300 men in a sinner's prayer. The message is carried on long after we leave, through the written literature and Bibles we leave with the inmates.

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The Missing Link, Inc.®
Linking Troubled Youth and Adults with Life-Changing Programs
Web site - misslink.org
Chapel Site: misslink.org/chapel2.html
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