Looking Forward To Looking Back

 The start of a new year has extra significance for our family. We greet 2011 with anticipation and expectation of what God will do in and through us. With gratitude, we are looking forward to looking back on how quickly the Lord provided us with the approximately $100,000 we must raise in order to return to Swaziland and serve for two years. With hope, we are looking forward to looking back on the ease in which we adjusted to fully engaging and immersing ourselves into a new culture, building new friendships and community, setting up a home where we feel comfortable and secure. With joy, we are looking forward to looking back on falling more and more  in love with the precious people of Nsoko and learning how best to show them the depth of love Jesus Christ has for them. With faith, we are looking forward to looking back on how much our hearts and lives expanded to make room for the ability to serve continuously, give completely and love unconditionally. With abandon, we are looking forward to looking back on how the Lord never ceased to amaze us with His power to fill in the empty spaces remaining by things and comforts and people we left behind. With humility, we are looking forward to looking back on accepting forgiveness for the times we got it wrong and for grace to wash over the wounds left over from having to do things our own way. With peace, we are looking forward to looking back on the way in which God our Father protected and preserved us: in body, soul and mind.  With boldness, we are looking forward to looking back on the victories celebrated with a God who is for us, never against us! Victories for the Kingdom of God…those who are hungry being fed, the sick being healed, sight regained for the blind, hope given to the hopeless, justice replacing injustice, light shining in the darkness, and dead places returning to LIFE!

On this, the eve of a brand new year, we encourage each of you to look forward to how you might look back on 2011. It may be different from resolution-making you have done in the past. It certainly is a different kind of “new year” ahead for the four of us. Looking at it  in a new, backwards-sort-of- way just seems to make sense this year. Anyone else up for the challenge? Care to join us looking forward to looking back? However you look at it, from the Peterson family to yours:  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!