The Haas Family Christmas Letter
December 1999 |
The Missing Link, Inc.
P. O. Box 40031 | Cleveland OH 44140 | U.S.A.
440-282-1683 | 440-960-1871 Fax |
| Merry Christmas!
From Our House
=====> to Yours
I don't know how they all fit in this little hallway, but somehow they did. I guess it's
somehow the same way they all fit in our hearts. What a lively bunch! Ha! Do you think we ever get bored? If we ever did have a moment to get bored, I'm sure Peter would put a quick end to that!
How blessed we are to have five beautiful children! And what an age span - from six to
23! And, yes! These are our children - not our grandchildren. May our Lord cause them
to become mighty in spirit.
We each wish you a blessed Christmas and a glorious New Year as we enter the New
Millennium, facing mind-boggling possibilities for Cyberspace ministry. Fasten your spiritual seatbelts because the trip is about to begin!
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Our Children Are Growing Up!
Heidi (23) - Heidi completed her paramedic training, graduating with
special honors for demonstrating outstanding spirit and exceeding the expectations of the
paramedic program in the clinical/field internship setting, and displaying the qualities and professionalism valued within the EMS community. She's now working for
LifeCare Ambulance. It seems she relishes telling
gruesome on-the-job stories to any family member who happens to be around and has the stomach
to listen.
We can tell she totally enjoys her line of work and think she has a bit of her
Grandpa Wilmerton's New York City cop blood in her. She may appear hard
and tough to some people but we know she's an awful softie, especially when it comes to taking
in stray dogs. (You'll have to ask her about
that one.)
She's also still working as a heart monitor technician and patient care assistant at a
local hospital. Although both are part-time jobs, it seems we hardly ever see her anymore.
She plans to study voice in Switzerland next year, living near close family relatives.
Heidi deeply loves the Lord and, in spite of her busy schedule, is always ready to stop
and give a word of counsel to friends and co-workers. It's amazing how she still finds time
to date her younger brothers and sisters.
Pray for her as she faces many new challenges in life. |
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Monika (21) - Now does she look like a socialite, or what? Can you beat that
smile?
Monika's been accepted at David Wilkerson's
Mt. Zion School of Ministry in
Grantville, Pennsylvania for the Fall of 2000. In the meantime, she's been busy with Impact Youth Ministry at
church, serving on drama teams (believe me - she's a real ham!),
traveling with the youth, and singing in the adult sanctuary choir. We know she loves to sing
because it's not uncommon to hear her singing away, practicing up in her bedroom, when she's
not singing in the shower.
Monika has worked in a Christian daycare, served as a volunteer at a local hospital and is now working at a local buffet, always willing to pitch in when there's no one else to help. The
boss always knows he can count on Monika. She often witnesses to co-workers and invites them
to church, giving them Christian books to read in advance.
Now that she drives, she serves as
taxi for bus children who could not otherwise get out on Wednesday nights to attend
children's choir and Christian scouting programs at church. Her poor little car has really
seen its days, being towed on several occasions.
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Rosemarie (11) - Our talented, sixth grade, academic whiz kid. You ought to
hear the million-dollar questions she comes up with! Now here's a kid that really keeps
us on our toes. Like the other day, when she asked, "How can I prove there is a God to someone
who doesn't believe in the Bible?"
You have to understand, Rosemarie loves the debate team at school. Outside school, she's
always getting herself into e-mail discussions about God - sometimes up over her head. But it
all does her good and sends her scrambling for real answers to some pretty tough questions.
Rosemarie's been really busy with her studies and preparing for the school's Christmas
musical, all the time heavily involved in fundraisers. Church keeps her hopping, too, with
children's choir and the Christian scouting program. There just never seems to be a dull
moment in her life.
Being the family bookworm, it's common to find her curled up in a corner, totally lost
within the covers of a book. I mean to the point where she can't even hear you. Now don't
you wish you could concentrate like that?
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Paul (8) - "Ha! They caught me talking again - my favorite pasttime!"
It seems Paul's trying to make up for lost time, not wasting a minute on his words. For so
long he seemed so quiet but now he even makes great competition for Rosemarie. Now that's
competition, believe me!
He's been especially enjoying the Christian scouting program at church, and, right now,
you can hear him all the time practicing for the school's Christmas musical. He really loves
to sing so it's good he can also be a part of the children's choir at church.
This year has been a real challenge for Paul. We discovered he has severe ocular motor
dysfunction and have been spending a great deal of time in vision therapy.
Paul's getting to be a real ham on computers. Sometimes it's nearly impossible to pull him
away. I wouldn't be suprised to find God has a very special computer ministry reserved for Paul.
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Peter (6) - We literally scared the devil out of Peter this past year. The
church drama team put on a play called "The Judgment," which vividly showed people standing
at heaven's door, just after some tragedy took their lives. Some were sent up the stairs to
heaven, while others were dragged away by demons into hell, amidst smoke and screams of agony.
By the time he got done seeing that drama, he was eager to give his heart to the Lord!
Afterwards, he had a huge smile on his face and went around telling everyone what had happened.
It was truly amazing to see the change in his countenance!
Peter's young but he keeps busy, too. He's having fun practicing for the school Christmas
program and enjoys being up front in the children's choir at church. Like a true Haas, he
loves computer, too.
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Barbara (Mom) -
(You notice I'm not telling my age...and I do take time to smell the roses!) I've never been
busier and more fulfilled. Our prison and Internet ministries have exploded beyond our wildest dreams. Now if only God would send us dedicated, capable office help. What a marvelous
opportunity we could give to someone who really wants to seriously commit themselves to the Lord's work.
We have well over a thousand online subscribers to our weekly
Bible stories. Over 37,000 people have visited our home
page, searching for practical help for troubled youth and adults
and seeking online Christian resources. We've served as the
missing link in so many ways, but, best of all, we've been able to point people to The
Missing Link, the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's been such a joy to work with over 150 Internet
volunteers - translators, foreign
typists, and web designers - publishing David Wilkerson's sermons in over
30 languages now. What a marvelous tool,
especially for untrained pastors in third world countries!
The English sermons are making a tremendous impact behind the walls, as we regularly give them out to inmates. Each sermon is packed solid with scripture. Best of all is God's
promise: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me
void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto
I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).
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Chaplain Mario (Dad) - Until this year, I always questioned the purpose of
the colorful background and foreign language skills God has given me. Now as our ministry
has diversified, I'm beginning to see God's plan at work in my life more clearly.
The year's highlight was our visit with David Wilkerson. What a remarkable privilege
we had giving him a firsthand glimpse his multilingual
Pulpit Series ministry on the web.
Over 145,000 visitors have been drawn to his web site since March of 1997.
I've spent more time this year calling and visiting churches and individuals that support us, trying to build a more solid support base and doing our best to impact others with the
powerful window of opportunity God has given Christians in Cyberspace.
Today, I picked up a large shipment of Bibles, just in time for distribution to inmates
during the holiday season. I know of no better gift we could give to lonely prisoners.
As our ministry has expanded, our needs have multiplied - the biggest, most urgent need being for capable office help, so we can spend more time with the family and more time in
direct ministry to inmates and to those who live in prisons of their own making.
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