Family Christmas Letter 2013

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.

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.

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.

  

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.  

Our new friend Richard Larcombe who came to minister during our Here's Hope Weekend.  

This year we purchased a new portable baptistery and have been able to have several baptisms included as part of our Sunday morning service.  Recently as some young men were being baptized and sharing why they wanted to be baptized I looked around our sanctuary and saw several of the older men in our church with tears in their eyes.   It’s really inspiring to be around men and women who care so deeply about the upcoming generations and who give so generously toward them.  In addition I have had the opportunity to sit down with a good number of people and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them.  It has been the highest honor to pray with them as they choose to trust Jesus with their whole heart for the forgiveness of their sins.  Without a doubt those have been the most meaningful times.

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.  

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.  

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. 

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. 

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.