Happy New Year 2009! We enjoyed the slower pace here during the holidays. We took some time off to spend time with our son, Andrew.

On January 19, we had our "winter." The snow began early morning, and lasted until around 2PM. Right is snow on our building site. Most of the snow melted in about 24 hours.

Things are starting to pick up for the SPARK website team. During the snowy season in Michigan, northern California, and other states, people come here to volunteer because the climate here is warmer. It is fun to meet them, and have them help us focus on improving the content on the SPARK website.

Wayne's current focus is to determine how SPARK can better serve the needs of VMS Specialists worldwide. One step is to ask for feedback through the Vernacular Media Newsletter (VMN), our monthly e-letter. Please pray that the SPARK team will better understand the needs of our coworkers around the world, know how to meet them.

Progress on building our house slowed down over the holidays. Early February, we will pick out paint colors, flooring, fixtures, appliances and other things. Our move in date will be mid-March to April 1. Click here for more pictures.

Please pray for the following requests:

• Praise God that we were able to spend three days, including Christmas Day, with our son, Andrew.
• Praise God for answering prayer regarding Wayne's six month CT Scan checkup on January 13. There was no change in the size of the aortic valve opening. The surgeon said that Wayne's heart is healthy, and he recommended a followup CT Scan in six months. He will address surgery if and when the need arises.
• Pray for wisdom for the SPARK website team as we seek to add relevant content to the site.
• Jim Akovenko, the former CEO of JAARS, referred to the SPARK website as "JAAR's best kept secret." We are asking God to change that, and to show us how to publicize the site.

We would be happy to pray for you if you have specific requests. We think about and pray for you.

In Christ's love,
Wayne & Linda Steele