Dear Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas 2009! This year we have been blessed so much by the Lord that we want to share what He has done with you.
In May, Scott graduated from SUNY Oswego with a BS in Computer Science. In July, we moved from Fulton, NY to Pittsburgh, PA so that Scott could attend the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a student in the Masters of Divinity program. We received donations from churches and individuals around the St. Lawrence Presbytery toward a seminary fund for Scott, making it possible for us to afford to live in Pittsburgh while Scott attends school. In September, Scott started classes at the seminary. He finished the fall quarter with a 4.0 GPA and is into his third week of the winter quarter. He has been working part time at Home Depot, as well as balancing his studies and family life. Please pray for him, as this balancing act can be difficult.
In August, we discovered after a year and half of praying for another child, that Andrea was pregnant. So far everything looks good and healthy. Andrea had a sonogram in November and it's a boy. This time we're pretty sure there's no mistake, we saw it pretty clearly for ourselves(We were told Abbey was going to be a boy). We are naming him Jonathan Charles, Jonathan meaning gift of God or God is gracious, and Charles meaning manly. Andrea is now 23 weeks pregnant. Jonathan is scheduled to make his debut on April 8, 2010. Please pray for the health of Jonathan and Andrea, and a safe delivery when the time comes. Andrea has been babysitting a 4 year old boy named Joshua, four days a week. Abbey and Joshua have become good friends. It's nice for her to have a playmate around. Andrea is auditing a class with Scott this quarter. In the Historical Writings class they will read and outline Joshua through 2 Chronicles.
In October, Abbey celebrated her third birthday with family and three of her new Pittsburgh friends. She is growing up so fast, both in height and knowledge. She is in the early stages of reading. She is good at sounding out each individual sound in the word, and is getting better at blending the sounds together. Just in this past week she read about 10 words. Abbey is continuing to learn the questions and answers from the First Catechism, and it's so great to hear her pick out the words she's learned during the sermon on Sunday morning. “Mommy, he said covenant like we learned in bible time!” Andrea's convinced that Abbey knows as much theology as she knew at 16. Abbey is so excited to be a big sister, and is constantly trying to touch Andrea's belly and talk to the baby. She's at an age where she can be a big help to Mommy by going to get things for her. She also loves to help mommy with cooking and cleaning.
There's so much more going on in our lives here that we could spend forever telling you about. We have found a wonderful church to attend at Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, and we are getting to know more and more people there and in the seminary community. It's such a blessing to be surrounded by so many Christians. We miss everyone in Fulton, and we had a great time visiting with family and friends over Thanksgiving break. We will be driving out to Wyoming to visit Scott's family for Christmas. It's a 25 hour drive, so please pray for good weather and safety, and a pleasant trip there and home. May the Lord bless you this Christmas as we meditate on the miracle of the Word who became flesh, and may you have a Happy New Year filled with the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalm 34:8)
Love,
The Doherty's
Scott, Andrea, and
Abbey
