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| We have a lot of fun together. |
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the
things that have been fulfilled among
us…” – Luke 1:1
As I read the above passage of scripture this month I was struck
by how significant Luke’s effort to write the events down has been in
history. In addition Shelly’s mother was
sharing with us this morning a study published in the New York Time’s noting
the link between emotional health and story-telling among families. It seems there is a great benefit to family
members hearing the stories of their history in helping them to develop
perseverance and hope for their own lives.
With that in mind I’d like to share some of the highlights of 2013 for
our version of the Zacek family.
To begin with Shelly has continued to excel in her work with
pre-school special needs children and has been promoted to a new leadership
position helping to coordinate the services for children and the communication
between all of the agencies involved.
Her thoughtfulness, excellent communication skills, clear thinking and
genuine compassion serve her well in this role and she finds great delight in
her ability to serve her kiddos and families in providing care through some of
the most challenging times of their lives.
In addition she’s now been given a greater place of influence amongst
the other clinicians and her encouragement and mentorship provide very positive
contributions to the community. She is
still traveling to Madison County primarily, although some new avenues in
Oneida County have opened up for her agency to provide services and we’re
hopeful that those will continue to increase and provide shorter commutes for
her to be able to see her kiddos.
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| Shelly and I at one of our favorite places to visit in CNY |
In addition Shelly serves with me at Redeeming Love in a
variety of capacities. She is loved by
many there who appreciate the trust, warmth, and wisdom that her life
carries. This year she has served on
some of our worship teams in playing the keyboard and leading songs vocally at
times. I enjoy the time that we have
together in those capacities and appreciate her wisdom and perspective as we do
our best to navigate the church where the Lord is leading. Shelly is a treasure of wisdom and I often
find that she is able to put language to circumstances that help people walk in
love and honor. It is a joy to serve the
Lord with her.
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| Shelly loving on a young woman in our church as I pray for one of our friends Ray William. He is one of the most significant leaders I have ever had the opportunity to meet. |
I continue to serve in the role of pastor at Redeeming Love
Fellowship and am delighted to be a part of such a wonderful gathering of
believers in Jesus. Over and over I find
myself reflecting with thanksgiving at the abundance of love that is expressed
by the members of our community there.
We serve with such a phenomenal group of leaders and families who desire
to glorify God with their lives. This
past year we were able to serve our community in some unique ways. One weekend we traveled around offering to remove
unwanted items from people’s houses and spending time in prayer with our
neighbors. In addition we continued our
back 2 school bash and gave out over 150 backpacks full of supplies. Our monthly compassion outreaches continue to
bless many families and the generous heart of God is demonstrated in many other
ways. One story that blessed me came
through our Thanksgiving basket outreach.
Some of the families who received baskets came and picked them up at the
church. One family on their way home saw
an Amish woman walking alone (there are many Amish families in our area.) As they were driving by they felt prompted to
stop and give the woman their Turkey.
The woman was so overwhelmed and thankful that she broke down in tears at
the expression of kindness.
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| Jim Livi - "The Mega Bubble Man" Who came and spoke at our Back 2 School Bash. Jim was a man who greatly encouraged me in my faith as a child. It was such a joy to have him come and minister God's love at this event. The bottom picture is the backpacks that we gave out this year. |
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| Our new friend Richard Larcombe who came to minister during our Here's Hope Weekend. |
In July we were released to take the month off from ministry
and Shelly and I were very grateful for that time together. We enjoyed spending the first part of that
month in Washington D.C. with our good friends Bob and Kathy Campbell and their
beautiful family. It has been a true
delight to get to know them more throughout the course of this year.
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| Here's a picture of one of our favorite spots in D.C. We were able to celebrate our anniversary and the 4th of July there this year. |
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| We're forever grateful for this great couple and their investment in our lives. Here is a pic of when they came to minister one Sunday in our absence in July. |
July also afforded me a good deal of time to
learn a new offensive system for the football team at HP. Our team finished the season 5-4 and I was
very proud of the effort of our coaches and players. We installed a new offense and continued to
build a solid foundation for the success of these young men in their lives,
helping to instill a system of core values for them to live by. Coaching varsity football is really a year
round commitment and I could not do it without the tremendous support of my
assistant coaches. They are some of the
most encouraging and committed men that I’ve ever had the privilege to
know. Over and over they give of
themselves for the benefit of our players.
It is incredible to witness their commitment for the development of
young men.
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| This year's senior class and their families. |
I continue to teach math at Holland Patent and enjoy the opportunity
each day to interact with my students. Holland
Patent is a beautiful school full of an exceptional group of teachers who give
themselves each day for the success of their students. I am entirely grateful for the math
department and the seamless collaboration that we have in teaching our
students. At times I hear stories of
places where such harmony does not exist and it causes me to appreciate my colleagues
more and more. There are many things
that I lack as a teacher but I appreciate my student’s desire to not give up
and continue to strive to understand and succeed in their academics. I plan to spend some of my vacation time this
year exploring the concept of putting some of my math songs in a format that I can distribute to others. Perhaps they can
serve as a tool for other students to learn a little bit easier.
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| Some of the great teacher's I work with at HP |
Finally, Shelly and I are very grateful for the opportunities
that we have to connect with our families although they are not as frequent as
either one of us would desire we are blessed with the thought that so many
others get to share the joy of knowing ones that we love so dear. At the time of this writing there are 13
grandchildren of George and Mary Zacek (my parents) and 12 of Bernard and
Sharon Evans (Shelly’s parents). If all
continues well we will add one more to that number around the beginning of July
2014!
We love you all and pray that you know the kindness and
goodness of our Heavenly Father!
Woodly & Shelly Zacek
P.S. - Grandma & Grandpa Zacek both passed away this year. We take great comfort in knowing that they chose to trust Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and that they are now in heaven. My parents were amazing in their care for them during the past several years. To see their daily sacrifice to provide care and support for my grandparents was incredible. We are thankfully for the legacy of love that they demonstrated to one another in the latter years of their life and will treasure those memories.
