Many of you have heard the news that God gave us a little baby boy on July 17th this year. Timothy Moses Hentschel weighed in at only 7 pounds 3 ounces even though Marlene said she felt like he must be a huge baby. Timmy’s birth has been the greatest miracle of the year for us. You never really understand just how miraculous babies are until you actually have one. We really wanted Timmy to arrive ON his due date of the 17th and offered up a heartfelt (perhaps arguably frivolous) prayer on the 16th that our little baby (gender unknown) would arrive on the 17th. Well, God delivered, pun intended. We were to find out later that there were others in the family praying for the exact same thing. Although Marlene found pregnancy very easy, she was afraid of the delivery process. It turned out that God gave Marlene a much-needed peace about the delivery a couple of weeks before Timmy was due, and after it was complete she thought the delivery process wasn’t all that bad after all.

Timmy will be 6 months old on January 17th, and we are enjoying his rapid growth physically and intellectually. (Not yet spiritually, but that will come!) He has recently started to sit on his own with only the occasional toppling over! Timmy also is giving us hugs and able to hold out his arms to show that he wants his mom or dad to hold him. Timmy recognizes the words bath, poo-poo, the sign "I love you," and probably more. He likes music, and his favorite color seems to be green. He enjoys plants and the outdoors - whenever he cries, looking at and touching our plants invariably calms him. Never did we dream that the growth process of a baby is so rapid! God knew what he was doing when he designed babies. We joke that God is brilliant for instilling in little children the need for more sleep than adults. We really enjoy our time together when Timmy is asleep.

God has continued to bless us in our retirement home ministry. This year we have continued our weekly Bible studies at two different retirement homes in the Rochester area. God has given us a heart for this, and the people seem to be especially blessed by Timmy’s visits. We often hear that they "don’t ever get to see babies" and I believe that sometimes people come to the Bible study just to see Timmy. So, Timmy is involved in ministry and doesn’t even know it!

Another significant event this year has been a campaign our church participated in, called "40 Days of Purpose." Basically, our entire church read Rick Warren’s book A Purpose-Driven Life simultaneously, and we met weekly in small, home-based discussion groups. Both Dan and Marlene benefited greatly from the reading and discussions. Our group has continued beyond the 6 weeks required by the initial study because the fellowship has been a blessing to all involved. Dan and Marlene strongly recommend the book for non-Christians, baby Christians, and mature Christians alike. There’s something for everyone, and it is quick reading. If you decide to read it, be sure to take it one day at a time, though, for maximum benefit!

Family and friends, hopefully you have received our Christmas card. Please get in touch with us if we don’t have your current address. Click here for some of our favorite pictures of Timmy, and you just might see us in some of them too! We pray that 2004 will be an enjoyable, productive, and Christ-centered year for you.