2018 Alden Christmas Letter
2018 was a remarkable year for the Alden family. We experienced a fair amount of trauma, and yet, we were able to see God move in ways that filled us with awe. Here’s an overview:
January Birga turned 40!
February Hannah, Sydney and two friends were involved in a rollover collision. The car went over the edge of the road as they were driving down from Sandia Crest. That their lives were spared was a gift in itself. That they escaped with only minor cuts and bruises was a miracle!
Bob’s parents celebrated 50 years of marriage!
March Sydney turned 15! This same month we filled in our swimming pool and said goodbye to pool parties (and the huge yearly expense of fixing whatever happened to break).
April We enjoyed springtime and an assortment of activities.
May Birga traveled to Estes Park, CO to participate in a God’s Radio Girls retreat. It was a time of praying over and reflecting upon a passion that may or may not re-enter her professional journey.
June Bob and Birga celebrated 18 years of marriage! Hannah had been scheduled to go to Haiti on a mission’s trip. With civil unrest in the country, the State Department issued a “do not travel” warning, and the trip was canceled. This was a huge disappointment for the kids who had worked so hard to raise money for the trip.
July Love INC of Albuquerque closed its doors. After many months of financial struggles and prayers of desperation, the decision was ultimately made to close the ministry. Birga served as the Director for two years, and invested much into this nonprofit. While it was horribly sad to see the end come, there was no question that God led the decision.
The Alden, Ryder and Weinstein families traveled to California for a final group vacation to Disneyland and Universal Studios. With kids growing up fast, this was likely the last opportunity to do something with everyone before the younger generation begins to fly the coop.
August Birga’s mom became a US citizen!
September Hannah turned 17! Birga started a new job with the Tijeras Foundation as the Community Engagement Specialist.
October Bob turned 48! We took a short trip to Pagosa Springs, CO to see the color change. Birga had a Moh’s procedure to remove a basil cell skin cancer from her nose.
November Hannah started a job at Chick fil a.
December We finished the year with a tremendous amount of activity. Work and school events, holiday parties and studying for finals dominated much of our last few weeks.
We are thankful for the outpouring of love and support we have felt from our friends and family over the past 12 months. Your prayers and gentle words have been a comfort, and we don’t take for granted the blessing of relationships.
Though this isn’t a very Christmas sounding passage, it’s one that has been very important to us this year. So, we close with a blessing over your life, and our best wishes for a marvelous Christmas and new year to come!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3,4