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Another year has flown by! The Christmas season is upon us and we are sending our farewell’s to 2010 and welcoming 2011. As a family, this year has been replete with countless blessings and spiritual growth. Our year commenced in the states, and concluded in Seoul. We spent Christmas and New Year’s with family in St. Louis (and the friends in Bloomington and West Lafayette) and headed to Boston for Robert’s 6 month sabbatical at MIT. The boys learned American history first hand as we explored the origin of the revolution. Robby and Christopher have patriot attire and can’t learn enough about the American Revolution. Most importantly, our time in Boston was very exciting and literally “The Time of Our Life”. We grew spiritually in all venues of our lives! Departing Boston was heart wrenching, saying goodbye to our new friends and family members of the body of Christ. In July we headed back to Illinois to say goodbye to family. We enjoyed many happy family moments the three weeks at home. Robert and I shared our 10 year anniversary in June. The two of us spent six wonderful and peaceful days in San Francisco. August 3rd we headed back to our home in Seoul, S. Korea, where Ms. Choi, our dear friend and nanny was waiting for us. She has been a wonderful encouragement to us during our time here in Korea.
Robert enjoyed six months of learning, researching, and traveling New England with his “amazing” family. He is a loving husband and father. God couldn’t have blessed us with a better provider! He continues to work hard providing for his family, and succeeding in his career! His faith grew tremendously, while attending FBC Weymouth. He has become an even stronger leader in the church, family, and work. He is currently teaching Sunday School at our church in Seoul. His spiritual growth is evident as God uses him to speak His truths. One of Robert’s fun accomplishments was learning to sail on the Charles River in Boston. Sailing became a source of enjoyment for him and for our entire family! Nonetheless, 2010 was an exciting year for Robert.
Robby will be nine years old in March. I am proud of the responsible boy he has become. He is always eager to learn. He loves reading his Bible and attending AWANA’s. Robby became a Christian on Valentine’s Day 2010 at FBCW! He was ready to make a decision for Christ and prayed with his Sunday School teachers Mrs. Patty and Mr. Chuck. There is no better joy than witnessing your son ask Jesus into his heart! Amen, Robby! Robby attended Cambridge Public Schools. His class was difficult for him, but he was a trooper and pulled through. One of his big accomplishments in 2010 was winning a Cambridge wide poetry contest. He placed 1st in the second grade division. I may be biased but his poem was “awesome”! Robert and I were so proud. He also started his first year in baseball at Cambridge and learned some hard, but valuable lessons about doing your best and teamwork. In Seoul he continues Taekwondo and is now a purple belt. He loves Taekwondo! Robby continues to excel and we couldn’t be prouder.
Christopher will turn six in January. He is growing up! As he ages Robert and I are recognizing his funny sense of humor and personality. He cracks us up several times a day! Christopher enjoyed his AWANA’s Cubby class at FBCW, and learned many Bible stories and verses. He is functioning wonderfully in his Senior Kindergarten class at Seoul Foreign School. We are surprised at how much he is growing up and how much he understands since he has learned to read. He loves school! His teacher, Mr. Paul, has had many nice things to say about him this year. Robert and I are proud of Christopher Lucas. He is also attending Taekwondo and has earned an orange belt. He loves Taekwondo! We are most proud of his sensitive nature. He is always the first to reach out to an outsider! Christopher is an all around sweet boy!
Daniel will be three in March. He has maintained his beautiful blue eyes (which I love), and is the size of a 4 year old. He is a big boy with a sensitive spirit. Daniel makes being a parent easy. He cries if you look at him wrong, and loves cuddling. He is a mommy’s dream come true! He’s experienced several health issue’s in his short lifetime. He often struggles with asthma and pneumonia. A year ago the doctor’s in Seoul found a heart murmur. He was also diagnosed with Pallid White Breath Holding spells (i.e., he faints in response to pain). The doctors say he will outgrow the heart murmur and breath holding spells, thank you Lord. We continue to pray he outgrows the asthma. Daniel is an all around fun, smart, and easy to please toddler. He loves to read, play with his brothers, enjoys play dates, and mommy / daddy dates. He also has no problem telling his brothers what to do, and even challenging them for, say, a red car. This makes Christopher particularly frustrated. I enjoy hanging out with Daniel when the boys attend school. We take city bus rides, go to parks, read LOTS of books, and attend many play dates. He is all boy!
Looking back over 2010, all I can do is praise God. Praise God for his faithfulness! He’s proven himself faithful. He far exceeded my expectations of life in Boston. I originally thought we would be miserable, lonely, and alone in liberal country. Robert made sure we attended church the first Sunday we were in Massachusetts. God lead us to First Baptist Church of Weymouth. God spoke to us and we began growing, serving, and enjoying the congregation of FBCW. The words of Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for you to prosper, and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and future.”, became concrete in our hearts. I experienced God working miracles in my life, and the lives of my family members. Restoring relationships, lovingly convicting of sin, strengthening our faith, developing our strength to stand up for God’s word, and teaching us His love. I met many amazing, real, and Godly friends and mentors! Our time in Boston was in a nutshell a “blast”! Sailing on the Charles River with my best friend, observing the skyline, discovering Boston, Cambridge, and New England as a family, park hopping with the boys, weekly family getaways to Cape Cod, FBCW Ladies Cape Cod retreat, ladies’ nights out, play dates with friends, and learning to play guitar, these are the moments I will carry with me the rest of my life.
Dearest friends though miles separate us, we continue to pray, think, and miss each and every one of you! We pray God will lead us back to you in the future, and never take for granted the relationships we’ve made around the world. As a family we realize that every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord. He is the focus of our lives’. We pray this year God will strengthen your faith, and if you don’t know Him as Savior, you will receive him into your heart.
In Christ’s Abiding Love,
The Ridlon Family
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