Our Christmas Card to You!

Reflections of our Year

Friends and Family it's that wonderful time of the year when we all seem to take a glance at the past and give each other a glimpse of what has been happening in our lives. As I sit here pondering this past year and all that has taken place, I feel compelled to give you a window into my heart as the Wife and Mother of this great big family of ours. When I look back over the days and months that have passed by, I can't just go back to January 2010 to fully give you a picture of the Grace that God has shed on our family this year.

As many of you know, we had to come off the road back in 2008 because of financial difficulties. We settled in WA. State where my husband was able to get a job, and we began to pray about what God would have us to do next. This was a very difficult time as our hearts were torn from not being in full time ministry any more, We Praise The Lord that we were able to plant ourselves in The Calvary Baptist Church of Roy, WA. We were there for about 5 months when The Lord began to work on our hearts about surrendering to plant a church in Indio, CA. During this time we were able to move to a temporary home of some very dear friends in the Church. This meant another move for our family and it just happened to be that I was pregnant with our ninth child during this move, but we did it and it was a huge blessing to our family! In May of 2010 we found out two things, first, we found out that our son Haden was having seizures and would need a repeat MRI to find out if the spot that they found on his brain was a tumor or just a birth defect. And Secondly we found out that we would need to move yet again (this would be the third move since coming off the road)

It's amazing the Grace that God gives exactly when we need it because at this time I wanted to be stressed and scared but God gave such peace! We were offered another place to live in another beautiful home, in Poulsbo, WA. The Bible Baptist Church had a parsonage that they allowed us to live in while we helped in the church. We lived there for about 4 months, during this time Haden was able to get his MRI. We found out that the spot on Haden's brain had not grown but they do want to repeat the MRI in a year. We Praise The Lord for His watch care over him. Mackenzie also graduated from High School during that time, Congratulations to her and to me since I home schooled her!! ☺ In September of this year we packed up again and moved to California, not knowing where we were going to live, we thought it best for me to come down with some of the kids to find us a place to live. The very weekend that we were moving we found out that my parents would be coming down as well to start a church in Redlands, CA. and to make a long story short we are now living in a home with them in Desert Hot Springs, CA. This is a temporary place for us until we can get a place in Indio. Trying to rent a house with 9 children is a little harder that you may imagine. ☹ We are praying that we would be able to buy something, We will see how God works that out. Our prayer is that by March we can start having services.✞

So here we are in December at the threshold of a new year and at the threshold of a "new life" for our family. Yes, there have been tears, anxieties, moments of despair but when it all boils down I can say with Joy in my heart that God has been sooooo good to us! We pray that you had a blessed year. We want to wish you a Very Merry Christmas. We pray that Christ is the center of your life and that your New Year is surrounded by His blessings!

With Love, ♥ The Knouf's

Knouf News

Time just seems to go by so fast that this blog has taken a back burner to my life and though I'm not sure any one even checks it any more, I thought I would give an update anyway.
The top of my list right now is the health of our youngest son, Haden Luke, he is 7 mos. old and is such a joy to our family. Last week he was diagnosed with Epilepsy, at this time we are not sure what is causing it so they are doing a routine MRI to try to find out the cause. Please pray that it, is not a tumor causing this. He has had 2 seizures that we know of and we are praying that he has no more. We covet your prayers!



On a happier note:

Justina turned Sweet 16 and was spoiled to the hilt!!! She got to go to a concert and out to dinner with her Aunt Sileena and Uncle Matt and then she had a huge "Masquerade Party" and was showered with lots and lots of gifts!!!




























Jon finished his B.A. and graduated last month from Salt Lake City Baptist Bible College. We are praying that God will allow us to start a church in Indio, CA. Currently we need something to get the family around in (like an RV) so that we can go on deputation to try to raise funds. As you know my father started a church in Cathedral City and we had a hand in helping with that church, as a result God has given us a burden for that valley. Please pray that a door will be opened for us to act on the burden that is in our hearts.









Mackenzie is wrapping up her Senior year of High School and we are so proud of her! Here is an announcement for you to come celebrate with us!


Announcing
A
Graduation Reception
June 7, 2010 @ 7:00p.m.
Calvary Baptist Church, Roy WA.
In Honor of
Mackenzie Lea Knouf
2010 High School Graduate
Please Come!!!

Our Mailing Address is:

PO Box 195

Yelm,WA 98597

Christmas Letter 2009

To All of You!

Knouf News 2009
If I had to describe this year in a nutshell it would be “emotional Rollercoaster”!!! We moved twice, we went from being “in the ministry” to being “out of the ministry” We had a Baby, and our oldest child entered into her Senior Year of High School!! And now after much prayer we are looking to start a church in Indio, CA. the Fall of 2010, as soon as The Lord opens the doors for it to happen. Now do you have some understanding of why I say “Emotional Rollercoaster”?

Speaking of having a Baby, Haden Luke Knouf was born September 22, he weighed 11#’s 12oz.!!!!! He is a wonderful addition to our ever growing family!! The adjustment to nine children has been the hardest on the 2yr old, Mia. She was not quite ready to give up her “baby” status. She is finally giving into it, since she sees that we plan on keeping him. :0)

Mackenzie is in her Senior year and her Mom and Dad can’t seem to figure out how the time went by so fast! She is looking at going to Heartland Baptist or West Coast Baptist next year but still praying. Justina is in her Sophomore year of H.S. and is a “second mom” to Mia. Nolan is thirteen and has grown out of all his clothes twice this year, He is as tall as his Dad. Hailey is growing up so fast, she is now out of the “little kids” status and wants to be a “teen” a little too much. :0) Noah is in the “how much can I annoy my siblings stage” and is officially the middle child now. Levi and Logan are twins (at least that is what Logan thinks) and they love to “rough house” and pretty much do everything together including driving their mother just a little crazy at times. Mia is your all around typical 2yr old, you know, what’s hers is hers and what’s mine is hers and if she had it and put it down well it’s still hers so the “twins” have learned that to keep peace in the family………….I’ll just leave that for you to finish. LOL

The Mom and Dad of these great kids are busy as you might imagine, Pam is busy trying to home school and deal with a newborn along with the drama that can take place in a family that is, lets just say “together a lot” But she loves what she does and wouldn’t trade it for anything!! Jon is working for Medo Sweet Farms Delivering Milk and Dairy products to Downtown Seattle. He is praying that the Lord will open the door for us to get that church started and Asks that you will pray for us also.
Together all Eleven of us want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! We Love You!!! Love,
Jon, Pam, Mackenzie, Justina, Nolan, Hailey, Noah, Levi, Logan, Mia and Haden

Haden Luke Knouf

We were blessed with a sweet little baby boy, born on 9-22-09 at 6:59pm

He weighed in at 11# 12oz and 21 1/2 in. long! We are so happy to have him home with us, what a joy it is to be blessed with 9 beautiful healthy children! We Praise The Lord!!!!!!

It's a....................

BOY!!!!!!!! :0)

Logan's Funny Quotes

Lately Logan has been coming up with some funny things and I thought I would share them with you.

Recently He wanted to go with me to the Doctor and so we were sitting in the waiting room and He saw a Magazine with a women in a bikini and he said to me "Mom, close your eyes"

He came in from outside and told his Grandpa, "Grandpa, I just broke a bee and I sawed his heart"

The kids were going to sing at church and so I was explaining to them that there would not be enough Mic's for everyone to have their own so I didn't want anyone getting upset if they didn't get to hold a mic so Logan says "OK Mom" Then he says to his brothers and Sisters "Nobody take MY mic"

LOL

It is fun being a mom, I wouldn't trade my job for any job in the world! It is nice to have a break every now and then. My wonderful Mother so graciously volunteered to take ALL the kids Monday night and Tuesday night while Jon was off work so we spent two days at home with no kids! I have to admit that it was a little eerie being here without them but we made the best of it! :-)

Nolan and Mackenzie and Justina are all going to a" Formal " tonight. The girls are so excited about getting to wear their formal dresses that they wore in NYC when we went to the "Mary Poppins Broadway show" The Lord has been working it out for them to go to all the Church activities, which has been such a blessing for them!

Time to Post something

Blogging has taken a back burner in my mind and I have to admit as far as keeping up with news from friends I have found that Facebook is an easy way to find out what every one is up too, and to give a short and to the point fact of what is going on in my life also. Those of you who know me, know that I like short and to the point. So you could see how FB works great for me. Nonetheless I do feel somewhat compelled to give a more in depth explanation of our life and circumstances. I am not even sure any one reads this anymore since I don't post very often but here it goes anyway.
I am reluctant to share my heart with you simply because I don't want to sound like a complainer, but I wanted to give an idea of the inner struggle that it has been going on these past 7 mos. First of all I want to say that it has been a very hard, heart wrenching time not being in full time ministry. The Ministry is where our hearts are, but at this time God has placed us in this situation and it has been very hard to adjust to the fact that we have no idea where God is going to use us or at times I have to admit I have had doubts that He would even use us at all again in a full time manner. That is a hard pill to swallow when your heart is in serving the Lord. Now don't get me wrong, we are serving at Calvary Baptist in Roy but it is far different than having your own ministry. I kind of feel a little bit like the children of Israel must have felt in the desert waiting for the Lord to reveal where He was taking them. As humans we want an answer now, we don't like to wait but The Lord does not work that way. As a matter of fact He seems to like to wait to the very last minute, kind of like the song 4 days late.
Not only has this been a spiritual battle field for us but it has also been a real rough battle financially. Let me say that I would pick financial troubles over the troubles that many friends are going through, Loosing family members to death, praying that God would spare the life of your child, life threatening illnesses, having a spouse leave you after years of marriage, yes I know that there are far worse things than financial hardship.
Nonetheless these past 7 mos. have been the worse we have ever experienced financially. I am talking about times when we were not sure if we would have food to feed us, times when we didn't know if we were going to be homeless. Not to mention the times when you can't even buy new socks let alone new clothes. Times when you don't know if your kids can go to a youth activity because it cost $10, $5 or even the $3 dollars. Times when you don't want to be asked to go to anything cuz you don't want to admit that you can't afford it. Then you have the society that we live in and the judges that seem to think that if you had your head screwed on straight you wouldn't have had so many children and then you could take care of the ones you should've had. Times when you can't rent something in your budget because there is nothing to rent that is "in your budget" because you have more people in your family than they will allow to live in their home. Knowing that if you talk to friends and family about your problems then it puts pressure on them to try to help, so you try not to say anything to anyone. That is hard. We all like to have some one to talk too!
Then there has been the new life that is growing in me, and yes our hearts are thrilled to welcome a new member into our family! However, this has been one of my worse pregnancies as far as feeling sick all the time, Thankfully it seems to be over now that I have moved into my 2nd trimester. I have to admit the thoughts of what others may be thinking seems to haunt my mind these days, I am usually one that does not care what others think if I know I am doing the right thing but given the wringer that I feel like I have been through emotionally and the raging hormones everything seems to come to my mind these days.
I want to say that in ALL those times God has stepped in and He has proven that He will always provide Our needs according to His riches, was it easy to go through, no. As fleshly beings we get our eyes off the Lord and onto our problems and as the children of Israel we forget all too easy the Mighty things that The Lord has done. Oh how wonderful Heaven will be!
With all that said, I PTL that things seem to be moving to a better more positive outlook! So if you think about us, keep us in your Prayers and we will do the same for you!
God Bless as He always does!

So here's the News.......

We are expecting a new arrival to the Knouf home some time around September 14, 2009!

Please Pray For Easter Joy! And Her Family The Travis Family, Missionaries to India

TRAVIS FAMILY UPDATE
We are truly sorry that we have to report that Esther's Cancer has returned and is progressing very rapidly. We had a series of tests run in December, just before Christmas that showed the cancer was beginning to grow again. At that time it looked like we might be able to operate, remove the cancer and treat her with radiation therapy, here in India. The surgery was scheduled for the 2nd week in January. Esther and I went back to Delhi for the surgery this last week, but the follow up scan prior to surgery showed that the cancer had started growing in some of her bones as well, which means that most likely her cancer is also in her bone marrow. This makes surgery an inadequate solution, since the cancer is not confined to one location. It looks like chemotherapy is the only option we have at this point. While India does have cancer treatment centers, they cannot give the same standard of care that is available in the states. In addition, since Esther had life threatening complications due to the chemo used in her stem cell transplant, her doctor here recommended we take her back to the states.
I think it would be good for me to explain that Esther's cancer has a very low cure rate. The majority of the children that we know, who have had this particular type of cancer do not live very long after they relapse, since the cancer develops a resistance to chemotherapy drugs. We should know fairly quickly after she begins treatment again, if the cancer has become resistant to the chemo or not. Because of the way the cancer appears to be spreading we are coming home immediately. We have every intention of returning to India and resuming the work which God has called us to just as soon as we can. We are still going to maintain our residence here in India for the time being. We have had some good seeds planted here and some exciting things were beginning to take place. We are looking to the Lord for His guidance and wisdom.