Christmas 2023

My social media posts highlight the happy moments of 2023 and we certainly have much to be thankful for. But 2023 has also been one of the hardest years for our family. We are walking through a really difficult season and honestly, some days we have had only an ounce of hope. 

But God gives us good gifts even in the most difficult times.

Katerin has been with Heartlight Ministries for almost a year and it gives us great pride and joy to see how God uses her to minister to the girls in her care. She has learned so much and we love every minute we get to catch up with her, whether it’s a couple of days or just a phone call.

Emily and her boyfriend, Zach, are celebrating a year together and have just transitioned into a long-distance relationship as Zach took a job in Arlington. We have enjoyed getting to know Zach this past year. Emily moved to a new apartment this past summer and has roommates again. They have been so kind to take care of Daisy on the weekends Emily goes to Arlington.

Marian is in her 3^rd year of caring for an elderly client. She has enjoyed some travel this year—Las Vegas for her birthday, Alabama for a wedding, Thanksgiving in Oklahoma, and she is headed to Mexico for NYE! We love having Marian close and enjoy our time together when she is not working or off having fun.

You can see from our family photo below that we are excited to announce Wesley’s engagement to Sarah! The wedding planning is in full swing as we look ahead to April 27^th. We could not be more thrilled to welcome Sarah into our family! Wesley is finishing college this month and walking the stage in May! He is studying hard for the CPA exams and he and Sarah plan to move to Dallas where he will start a job with Mazars next summer.

Omar is in his Senior year at Tomball High School. He is in class half days and then works at Houston Oaks the other half as a ranch hand. He loves to work, which comes in handy since he bought a truck last Spring! He is planning to study Agriculture at SFA next Fall—go Lumberjacks!

Saimon and Savannah are both Juniors and both are going to high school out of state. Saimon’s school has 8-man football and his team was undefeated and took the State Championship! Savannah is just getting settled at her new school and we look forward to seeing her soon!

Going to high school out of state was not what we planned for or wanted. But for different reasons, and with heavy hearts, we made the decision in effort to help meet our kids’ crucial needs during this time. Together is where we want to be. Even though we cannot be together every night right now, we are trusting the Lord to hold us all close, even closer to Him.  And we try to make the most of the times we do get to see each other.

We hope you have a beautiful Christmas with loved ones and pray that in whatever path you are on, you may know the Lord more deeply and feel His amazing love and goodness every single day!

With love, The Evermons

Counting Gifts

It's been a hard season. I keep thinking I will write when I get out of this season, but it's still hard and I don't see any break soon.

So how do I cope in the unrelenting waves of hard? 

One way I keep walking forward through hard seasons is finding things to be grateful for in each day. I started a journal in 2015 after reading 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Now I have multiple journals and nearly 8000 reminders of good. Reminders that God is present. He is kind. He sees me. And He holds all things in His hands.

Here are a few things that have made the list lately...

7812. Jeremy and I getting our 2 mile walk in with the dogs.

7828. Emily starting a new job.

7892. Seeing the magnolias in bloom next to the church with the red doors.

7895. Savannah and I getting dressed up and going to dinner and shopping on a Friday night.

7898. Birthday dinner for Wes and Marian (the twins) at Sho-Gun.

7905. Saimon getting a bouquet of flowers for me Saturday morning.

7908. Escape Room with most of our kids on Mother's Day--we enjoyed it and made it out with 7 minutes to spare! (truly miraculous)

7918. Omar teaching Katerin how to rope.

I came across Jeremiah 15:19 about a year ago and one part of it stood out to me as I practice gratitude. Right in the middle of the verse, it says,

 "if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman." 

Practicing gratitude causes me to extract the precious from the worthless. It halts the rehearsal of toxic thoughts and turns my attention to the kind gifts God gives in the midst of trials.

What kind gifts did you notice today?

2021 in Review

2 - The number of times our family of 9 has been together this year. It's harder to get everyone in one place at the same time with Katerin working in Waco, Emily in BCS, and Wesley at CofO & Pine Cove.

0 - The number of things we have to complain about. God's provision and presence has been abundantly clear.

2 - Our 2 pups are quite the source of enjoyment for our whole family. Cocoa & Hiccup are well loved!

1 - True Story: Circumstances usher us into unwanted territory sometimes and it's hard to navigate in a new place. This year is full of stories that are not mine to tell, but what I can talk about is the assurance of who God is and His work in our lives that is unmistakable.

For this reason, we can enter this season with JOY and GRATEFULNESS.

Merry Christmas from all of us!

Lessons from my East African Sister

I found this draft that I had started in April 2018 on my blog. I don't know why I never posted it--probably just got interrupted by the daily busyness and never got back to it. This was written when we shared our home with a family of 7 for 11 months...

Another launch

A lot has changed since I wrote this post. And even more has changed since we took this picture...

Dear Wesley,
You have become a person I really like. You know I have always loved you with my whole heart, but now you are a person that I like...a whole lot.  You are a person I really enjoy being with. I love how you make people laugh. I love how you can dance with friends, old ladies, pre-schoolers, or just by yourself and you have fun with it no matter who is around.

When these pictures were taken, you were able to climb out of your little bed and make your way to a cozy place between mom and dad every night. We would wake up to take you back to your room some nights and eventually we would just wake up to the alarm and find you in between us. We thought you would never grow out of it....but you did.

I love how you love adventure. I love how you love experiences. I love how you love your quiet spaces too. Many times I have found drawings or letters written during those quiet times showing what you care about, what you think about, what you wish for. 

I love your patriotic spirit. I love that you care about our Country and the people who serve to keep us free. I love that your passion and interests will grow and take more shape as you go to a school that shares the same values.

9 months

Age 10

Age 14

Age 16

Age 17

almost 18

At this point in your life, at age 18, you are the most delightful person. I was kinda joking kinda not when I told you the first 17 years were just okay, but this year has been so fun. So fun to see you grow and mature. So fun to see you making choices that honor God. So fun to have you home a little longer and have you come and talk to us about your disappointments and hopes.

As you leave, things change. You will hardly be home in 2020 and you will be missed by all of us here. But I am so excited for you. I am so looking forward to the new adventure, new friends, new lessons you will learn. 

You will learn things that you could not have learned under our roof. And I am confident you will continue to be a person I like. A truly delightful person. A person who cares about others and who is cared about. And no matter what, I will love you with my whole heart. 

Christmas 2019

In 2019 we have 3 kids in Junior High and 4 kids out of High School!

Do you like rollercoasters? Sometimes life feels like a rollercoaster. Some rollercoasters are fun, I’m sure, but some have hard, quick, painful turns and creak as you take the slow rise up. It’s hard to enjoy the view as you creak upward because you are dreading the next fall. I confess I’m often guilty of worry and dread when I should be grateful for the current view. My Christmas letter each year is a chance for me to breathe and just take in the view.

As 2019 passed, one truth is sure, God has been very close. Close in the waiting. Close in the apprehension. Close in the hopes realized and in the disappointments. And in ALL of it, we can see His bountiful goodness.

Goodness is shown through His people oftentimes. Marian, Katerin and Mom visited Colombia for the first time since our adoption. We planned on a short trip to see birthfamily and enjoy Colombian food. Upon entering the country we were told the girls must have new passports before they would be permitted to leave. We only had 3 days! But a missionary we had barely met ushered us in securing documents miraculously fast that would allow us to come home just two days delayed. (talk about a ROLLERCOASTER)! She also graciously facilitated our first reunions with birthfamily.

Jeanene with Children's Vision International

Emily graduated from the PATHS Program at Texas A&M in May and is living in Bryan with her kitty, Daisy. Like many 20 year olds, she is trying to find a job and figure out what she is supposed to do with her life. She loves her church. Emily is being mentored and enjoys her Life Group and church activities—it’s her biggest motivation to finding a job there.

Wesley learned about College of the Ozarks on New Year’s Day this year, the day after priority applications were accepted. He applied late, and then we discovered he was one of probably 4,000 applicants and C of O only accepts 400 freshmen. Our visit to campus last February only increased our hope and apprehension of Wes not being accepted. In the waiting, God kept introducing us to people connected to the school and with each introduction, more letters of recommendation were sent on his behalf. Wes got a call at the end of July with his Acceptance for January 2020! We are beyond grateful and excited, but pray for us (mom especially) as we head out in a few days to take him to Branson, MO.

Last Spring, another “impossible” event took place in our family….Dad agreed to letting Savannah have 2 indoor cats! Savannah is the best cat mommy to Snowball and Clarabelle and thankfully they are sweet enough for the rest of us to endure the cat hair and cat litter in the back room. I keep hoping the cat hair will motivate the boys to get their clean clothes off the couch and put away. That might be one hope not realized until they move out.

Last March some of you supported Jeremy, Katerin, Marian, and Wesley as they went on a mission trip to Honduras—thank you! They not only used their gifts in speaking Spanish, but they got to share the True Gift, Jesus. Jeremy had the privilege of seeing Marian, Wes, Katerin and all the students partner with the ministry there and serve courageously. What a view! Some of you also generously supported Katerin as she served in Central Asia for 8 weeks this past summer. She shared some reflections from her time there here.  

Omar, Saimon and Savannah are in Junior High together. Do you remember what you loved about Junior High? Me neither! It’s a rollercoaster for sure, but overall I am proud of them for who they are becoming. They face things I never have had to face, and I see them grow stronger and more confident as they handle challenges. I admire them for that.

Recently our family said goodbye to our sweet dog, Maddie--she was the best dog for our family. We wanted to believe she would always be with us. She is missed every day. We are so thankful she chose us and was ours from January 11, 2011 to November 30, 2019.

On this rollercoaster, I am challenged to keep my head up and eyes on our good God, instead of on my white knuckles clinging to the safety bar.  God is so good, it’s not even fair. Do you know Him? He made a way through Jesus. If you haven’t heard, He’s a pretty big deal. He changed everything when He was born in a manger long ago. He changes us. And that’s so good of Him.                                                                                           Merry Christmas from all the Evermons!

One Summer Update

Dear Family and Friends,

First, I want to start with an apology for taking so long to update you about my summer and what God did during my time overseas. Second, I want to thank you so much for your spiritual and financial support throughout this journey. And finally, I am blessed to have you in my life and the encouragement that you have provided in my faith. This past summer has been one of the most difficult yet most rewarding summers that I have gone through. It was difficult leaving my family and friends here in the States, and even more difficult to leave Colombia and my birthfamily after a few days visit. Yet in the midst of it all, God provided comfort and peace through His word. I went overseas with many different emotions, and I did not know what to expect. During the beginning of my trip, I struggled with the idea that my birthfamily did not know the Lord, and I also missed them as well. Even though I needed to figure out all these emotions, it was important for me to put them aside so I could fully take my summer trip in.

Every international trip that I have taken in the past I have been the leader. I would be the one that knew the spoken language and culture. I was always the one that people leaned on, and I have always loved it. However, when I got to Central Asia, all that changed. I had to become teachable and dependent on others. I had to learn, adapt, and understand a new language, culture, and way of living. It was hard to depend on others, but I was able to learn a lot.

Here are some interesting things that I learned:

Where I visited, two languages were spoken. Neither of them I know. Therefore, the only way that I could communicate at the beginning of the trip was through a smile. Well, that was not effective either. When I smiled at women, they would not smile back, but when I smiled at men, they would take it as flirting. After a week there, I finally realized that I had been flirting with every man in the city. Yay me. I was very shocked when my mentor told me about this because the only way that I had been able to communicate was through a smile, and now that was taken away. Another thing that I learned was that you will always be out of your comfort zone in the mission field. When I was there, I told myself to get out of my comfort zone, but the thing was that I already was. I did not have the control to be in my comfort zone in a place where I did not know the culture or language. Here in the States, we have control of whether or not to get out of our comfort, yet we choose to be in our little bubble. It is something we never think about.

We always talk about the missionaries that are jailed or killed because of their faith, but we never talk about the missionaries that struggle every single day. Here in the States, we think that missionaries are telling every single person about Christ and that many are coming to Christ. That would be nice, but in reality, it takes so much more than sharing Christ. I was able to watch the missionaries during my time overseas and it opened my eyes to missions. They had to adjust to a new culture, language, and beliefs. They built relationships for years, made a living, and did daily things that take more work compared to doing them in the States. Some missionaries are in a place for years and see no one come to Christ. Not only do these missionaries go to a new country, but they leave the people and places that they love behind. During all these things, they carefully share Christ through their actions, words, deeds, and more.

After seeing what I saw overseas, I still want to follow where God is calling me. I know for sure God is calling me to international missions. After seeing how hard it will be, I still want to go. Yes, sometimes I think God is crazy, but He is by my side. All that I am doing is not about me, it is about the One who died for me and I get the opportunity to share His testimony.

God is doing amazing things through my life, and I cannot wait to see what is next. Thank you for your support and for taking the time to read this. If you want more specific stories, please let me know 😊

Please pray for the missionaries, the people, and the governments in Central Asia.

Blessings,

K

Life is Sweet

Life is sweet!

Even though we are a KING SIZE family, I would say we are still FUN SIZE. MOUNDS of events, mostly SWEET with a few SOUR PATCHES, took place as the earth took its ORBIT around the sun this past year. 

If I were to pick a candy to help describe our year for each in our family, it would go like this…

Katerin would get SNICKERS. Milk chocolate, peanuts, caramel, nougat---it satifies. Katerin is more than satisfied with her Sophomore year—she loves UMHB, she loves her friends (we do too!), she is doing so well managing her courses and work, and we are immensely proud of the young woman she has become (more than satisfied!)

For Emily, I would choose SWEETTARTS. Emily graduated High school—sweet! She was accepted into the PATHS Program at Texas A&M—sweet! But with these blessings, came overwhelming and anxiety-inducing changes (tart), for which Emily was uncertain if she was ready. This year has proven Emily to have been beyond prepared as she has navigated life in a new city, new expectations and new friends—sweet!

For Marian, I think of STARBURST. She has a rigorous schedule her Senior year with the EMT program and her other courses, working as a gymnastics coach, and looking for a second job to pay for a Europe Trip with the EMT students.  She is just a rock star at managing all of it. Marian also got to shine this year as she was nominated on the Homecoming Court!

Wesley would be EXTRA. Anything Wesley does, he goes all out. His hair, his humor, and when he displays his patriotic spirit—he not only dresses head to toe in stars and stripes, but he carries his flag pole proudly displaying the American flag. Wes is the only one in the family that wants to dress in a suit for family pictures (we compromised and let him wear a sports coat). Wesley is not just extra with his appearance, it shows in his heart too. He spent Thanksgiving break with his “brothers” in Rwanda—encouraging and serving others.

I would choose MR. GOODBAR for Omar. Omar is well-liked by teachers, coaches, peers and the girls. He is good at anything he tries--percussion, football, swim, and self-taught flips. He always has a smile on his face and often offers a helping hand.

Saimon is a FIREBALL. This kid is full of endless energy and just like a fireball candy, sometimes he is too much. But we love his intense passion, his giant, tender heart, and his excitement. The way Saimon tackles projects with dad is unmatched by anyone else. And his ability to sing along to every song with his sweet, raspy voice amazes me.

If M&M’s stood for “making memories” this would be the perfect candy for Savannah. Savannah loves to plan family game night and family movie night with whoever will attend. She counts down to the day when the siblings choose their Secret Santa names and she helps keep the Elf on the Shelf moving day to day. Savannah loves old traditions and enjoys creating new ones.

For Jeremy and I, there is no other person in the entire MILKY WAY we would rather be with than each other. This year we celebrate 23 years of marriage and we do not take for granted that we enjoy working, serving, and parenting together (most days).

This time of year, we are especially thankful for Jesus, our LIFE SAVER. Without His birth, we would not enjoy these sweet gifts. We certainly do not deserve them. Much of daily life is spent “bracing for impact” so recalling these sweet things is just as much for us as it is to share with you.

We wish you a SWEET Christmas filled with the best kinds of gifts, The Evermons