Christmas Letter 2008

I know, I know ... a little late.

Dear Friends and Family,

There are many things to talk about concerning 2008, but there is one thing we JUST HAVE TO share. On July 24, the Goyer family headed to the Czech Republic for a missions trip. In the beginning of ‘08 God connected our desire to serve the people of the Czech Republic with the need of a small Czech church. Our task for the trip was two-fold, 1) to teach at an English camp and share the goodnews of Jesus with campers, and 2) to continue outreach in the town of Vysoke Myto, assisting the church in connecting with people from their town.

It all started when Tricia was attending a BibleStudy with her Czech friend Sona. After being encouraged to “see what God was doing and join Him” both Tricia and Sona felt led to pray for an outreach to the Czech Republic. When we started looking for opportunities, we were connected with IMB missionaries who knew of a Czech church in need of twenty people to teach English at a camp. Their needs met with our felt call, and we had a mission!

Next, we spread the word about needing volunteers. Soon we had an amazing team of twenty people— ten teens, nine adults, one child, and one baby. Not your typical group, but one brought together by God.

Our biggest obstacle was raising the money. We needed to raise tens of thousands of dollars in justa few months’ time. The generosity of people sponsoring us was overwhelming. And with our numerous fundraisers, we managed to scrape together every penny needed by the time we left. Thank you, God!

As a team, we spent months learning about the Czech people and praying for them. We also studied a book: I ONCE WAS LOST, which taught us how to bring someone into a relationship with Christ. Since most of the Czech people have no Christian influence our goal was to help them to 1) trust Christians and 2) become curious about Jesus. It was a worthy goal!

Our trip over went smoothly and we were met atthe airport by IMB missionaries Larry and Melissa Lewis. (http://lewisfamilycz.blogspot.com). The Lewis family became our immediate friends. (Love you guys!) We were also blessed on the trip to work with missionaries Mike and Wendy Young and Harold and Ginger Johnson. We also worked with amazing brothers and sisters in Christ from the Vysoke Myto Baptist Church.

At the camp, our duties were to teach English …sounds simple right? After all, we were prepared. It quickly became apparent that many of the things we had prepared to teach weren’t going to work. This, of course, led us to trust God even more. He knew what the people needed!

John, Tricia, Nathan and three others workedwith the little kids. Czech children love crafts and they get very excited about receiving stickers for words said correctly! (Bless their little hearts...from one sticker lover to another!)

Cory and Leslie and two other teens worked with the pre-teens. With twenty kids and only four leaders, the were very busy! Our other team members worked with adults—from beginners to advanced English speakers. We formed quick friendships with all the campers.

Mornings were spent teaching, afternoons for games, and evenings for Bible teaching, praise, and more games. Highlights include:
• Meeting our exchange student Andrea andher mother and brother who attended thecamp.
• Worshipping with Czech believers everymorning in the “upper room.”
• Seeing the joy on a young man’s face whentwo of our team members led him to Christ.
• Conversations with many others about a relationship with God and seeing them being drawn to Him.
• The great response from the campers andCzech staff. We were asked to come back, and we are currently planning our ‘09 trip! (Let me know if you’d like to be involved)

In addition to our time at the camp we also spent time with campers in town, fostering our friendships, continuing to share about our faith, and sight seeing. Also, mid-week, we traveled to Hradec Kralove where we passed out Bibles on the street. This was especially meaningful because our friend Robin Gunn smuggled Bibles inthe same town when she was in college! As we passed out Bibles we found the people very interested in the Word of God! It was exciting.

Overall, the most amazing part was connecting with the people. Less than 1% of Czechs are Christians — hard to imagine, isn’t it. We’re excited about returning to continue our work. We will be teaching at the same English camp in August ! This is just one of the ways we want to follow Christ in the coming year.

In addition to our annual Christmas letter we’ve also include a prayer card. Would you be willing to pray for us as we strive to serve God? We do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

In Him,John, Tricia, Cory, Leslie, Nathan, Andrea,Grandma Dolores

Need Hope For Christmas?

Check out my friend Cindy's promotion for her new book.

From Cindy's website...

Christmas is coming fast, do you need more hope?

Hope for Christmas shares traditions, humor, gift ideas, planning helps, recipes, heartaches insights, culture and personal stories from bestselling novelist Cindy Martinusen Coloma (Orchid House) and freelance writer Julie Marsh.

During these especially hard times, Hope for Christmas will help you create wonderful Christmas memories whatever your current economic state.



Why $5.50? The price is our gift to you. We KNOW how hard it is, and we want to help each other. Because that’s what America and Christmas are all about.

By ordering Hope for Christmas, you’ll be automatically entered to win a set of Cindy Martinusen books ($100 value) and a session with Cindy for her writer’s coach service or freelance writing consultation ($100 value).

The Shapeliness of Motherhood!

Thank you to all of you who entered the contest...what a treat to read your responses to the contest question...

What is one way motherhood has shaped YOU?


In January, I'll be running a series called "The Shaping of Mother" where I'll be sharing about how motherhood has shaped all of you. Priceless.

So without further ado...here is the winner of The Biggest Book Giveaway Ever contest, as chosen by randominteger.com, is:

#45 -- Gina Badalaty from The Mom-Blog

She is an amazing mom of two special needs girls and a gifted writer. The subtitle on her blog reads: "Parenting my perfectly made girls". Gina, send my assistant your mailing address and we'll get your books and goodies out to you ASAP!



Included in the basket will be these books:

~Generation NeXt Parenting

~Generation NeXt Marriage

~The entire set of the Shaunti Feldhahn books

• For Women Only
  
• For Men Only
  
• For Parent's Only
  
• For Young Women Only
  
• For Young Men Only

~Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World (gift edition) and With This Ring by Joanna Weaver

~My Mother's Wish by Jerry Camery-Hoggart

~Bon Appetit by Sandra Byrd

~Me, Myself, & I Am
(Props to Waterbrook/Multnomah for their generosity!)

~Also included in the basket will be some AWESOME body products by J.R. Watkins and a little something for your sweet tooth!

And for a sneak peak at "The Shape of Mother" series in January ... I just had to share these submission with you.

Loring says: Motherhood has shaped me into a muffin-top, pear shaped, stretch marked, wrinkled mom of three.

4H Story!

I'm working on my next novel Sunflower Serenade which is set at the county fair. In getting information from "fair folk" I was sent this story. It was too great not to share!

Snowball
by Cameron Lowe

I was five years old, she was 1. She was twice my size, fuzzy, stubborn and wouldn’t let me anywhere near her. She was only a lamb, but to me she might as well have been an elephant. She was beyond my control and I was sure she was completely capable of killing me if she had the chance. Even still, Dad was determined that I would break her and be able to show her in our annual livestock show and sale.

I watched as he haltered her for the first time – she turned into a wild beast jumping and bucking with no regard for what was around her. I was horrified. Before too long though, I was leading her around with Dad at my side. I was pretty proud of myself and really beginning to bond with Snowball. But those images of that first haltering haunted me. I was so scared she would trample me that anytime she flinched, I let go.

Snowball stayed at our barn where we kept our horses. I worked with her in a paddock area that normally stayed locked. That day, however, the fence was apparently left open. I’m sure you can imagine what happens next – snowball flinched, I freaked, let go and she fled. I mean she took off! Of course, at 5, I did nothing except watch and begin weeping uncontrollably as she ran past my grandmother’s house and shot off like a rocket toward the highway. My dad and my older cousin ran after her on foot. I don’t remember the rest of the details of the whole event, but I know they involved the town drunk, a horse and my mom’s car. That stupid sheep ran about three miles and only stopped because she got to the bank of the intercoastal waterway where the crew finally caught up with her and hauled her home. (I think that’s the part where the town drunk and my mom’s car come into play). My dad hated that sheep.

Fast forward to the day of the show and sale….we did great! I think I won second place showman overall and had a blast. The whole point, however, of these “shows” is to fit an animal to be suitable for the dinner table and then show her off the best you can to get the best price you can. At five years old, I’m not sure I was fully prepared for this reality. At the auction, you are supposed to display your animal in front of an audience of hundreds that includes prospective buyers. Mind you, my father was one of the county agents in charge of this entire event. Instead of displaying my animal and looking cute so that I could bring in a good chunk of change toward my college education, I threw a major tantrum. I screamed and cried and slung snot so bad that my Grandfather, “Pap” had to buy that lamb back and retire her to the horse farm. We kept the gates locked tight though…



Notes

I have tons of other stories…getting bucked off my horse at horse camp; the steers getting away and staying gone for a week; traveling the southern U.S. with my horse judging team; winning state and national championships for public speaking; sneaking out of my room at conferences to do nothing in particular; the night my dad busted us for hiding a boy in our closet (completely innocent – I promise); forcing myself to go to sleep on the bus on the way up the mountain to go skiing so I wouldn’t feel it if we crashed and the list could go on all day. In my career as a 4-H agent, I have equally as many stories, if not more (although a slightly different perspective): getting peed on by the pigs at the livestock show; busting up hog fights; the time the kid had diarrhea all over the charter bus on the way home from camp and I had to clean it up; the little tricks and techniques you use for making sure kids don’t sneak out at conferences; all our crazy catch phrases that we used to insure integrity at the 4-H dances (like “leave room for the Holy Spirit” or “I came here with 10 kids, I’m not leaving with 11”) and that list could go on forever too!


Thanks for sharing Cameron. These are so great. What about you...any one out there have a "fun" 4H story?

Biggest Book give-away EVER ends tomorrow

To enter the contest, go to my contact page and leave me a note telling me one way motherhood has shaped YOU!

You'll be entered to win...
~Generation NeXt Parenting
~Generation NeXt Marriage
~The entire set of the Shaunti Feldhahn books
For Women Only
For Men OnlyFor Parent's Only
For Young Women Only
For Young Men Only
~Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World (gift edition) and
With This Ring by Joanna Weaver
~My Mother's Wish by Jerry Camery-Hoggart
~Bon Appetit by Sandra Byrd
~Me, Myself, & I Am
~Also included in the basket will be some AWESOME body products by J.R. Watkins and a little something for your sweet tooth!

Hurry...don't miss out!

Me, Myself, I Am the winner!

RANDOM.ORG - Integer Generator:
"Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5 Michelle from http://abelovedchild.blogspot.com/

3 Daina from http://whatisthismomthing.blogspot.com/

6 Ginny from http://scrappyd.blogspot.com/

Timestamp: 2008-12-12 19:26:26 UTC"

Send my assistant Amy (amy@triciagoyer.com) your address and she'll get your copy of the book out ASAP!

Last Chance to enter!

Last day to enter this contest from the GenX Parents Blog! The winners will be announced tomorrow!

Check out this interesting book (THIS WOULD MAKE A FAB GIFT!) Multnomah sent me...


Me Myself & I AM: A Unique Question and Answer Book: The Story of You and God Created by Matthew Peters in partnership with Elisa Stanford and Multnomah Books


A new experience of God comes one question at a time in this fun and provocative journal. Made up entirely of insightful, profound, and occasionally ridiculous questions, Me, Myself, and I AM invites you to open to any page, open yourself to God, and be the author of your own story.

Questions range from spiritually intriguing—
You overhear God talking about you. What do hear him saying?

to thought-provoking—
You are on a long car trip with a close friend who is not a Christian and the conversation turns to faith. What is your biggest fear about what your friend will ask or say?

to challenging—
Do you believe that all of Jesus’ followers have a responsibility to tell others about him?

to just plain fun—
If your life before you became a Christian were a movie, its title would be:
Animal House
As Good as It Gets
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
It’s a Wonderful Life

Me, Myself, and I AM will entertain, inspire, and get you thinking about your spiritual life from brand new angles. Whether you use Me, Myself, and I AM as a reflective tool, a way to start conversations with friends and family, or as a spiritual time capsule to look back on years later, their own words will create a powerful journey of self-discovery.

The reviews are in:

Margaret: I was slightly surprised when I recieved Me, Myself, and I AM. I was expecting a book, but when I opened it up, I found a journal of sorts. And it turned out to be an interesting experience. I'm not one for navel-gazing as a rule, but serious introspection once in a while is a good thing. The guiding questions were thought-provoking, ranging from my life right now, through spiritual life, momentous events in my life, and thinking about the future.

Ben: Me, Myself & I am is an interesting take on journaling. It’s short in page number but long in the amount of content and journaling you will work through. Me, Myself and I am is a well thought through journal as it gives you a chance to look back on your life with God and reminisce on where He’s taken you, what He’s brought you through, and where He’s leading you.

I have three copies to give-away...Answer this question from the book in the comment section below (I chose a question near and dear to our Xer hearts) and I'll randomly select three winners on Dec. 11th.

I have the opportunity to live in my current world but with no exposure to television, movies, the Internet, or magazines. I would/wouldn't agree to this arangement because...?

Coming to you live from the Seattle airport!

As I write this I'm sitting in the Seattle airport on my way to be interviewed by Focus on the Family radio! I've written a few articles for FOTF, but this is my first on-air segment. It will be for their daily broadcast and it will air sometime in January.

While I'm there I'm also going to meet with the amazing people at Multnomah books! I've been wanting to visit them for a while.

I just love it when a dream finally comes true. What about you?

What's one dream you'd like to see come through?

Open Arms...

Growing up, my dad was a police officer. Maybe that's the reason I've always wanted to stick to the rules. I'm a people-pleaser through and through. I love it when I get kudos for a job well done. I hate it when I feel I've disappointed someone.

Too often I find myself treating God as if He too were a police officer--hanging around, waiting to catch me crossing the line. Every morning, as I journal my prayers, I write out my confessions. Then I end with prayers seeking God's strength to help me be good.

This morning, as I read my Bible, I came across Pslam 40:5:

"Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count."

The part that stopped me in my tracks was "Many . . . are Your thoughts toward us." So I paused, and pondered this for a while. I pictured God thinking about us a lot. God thinking about me. Loving me. Caring for me. It brought tears to my eyes.

All around us we have people tell us we need to be good, to do the right thing, to follow the right path, to care for others more than ourselves. That is all fine and good, but sometimes we need to just be okay with the fact that God loves us--at this moment, how we are. He is thinking about me TONS. He is thinking about you.

And instead of the police uniform that causes us to keep our distance, we need to think of the Daddy who welcomes us with open arms.

AND...Don't forget to scoot on over and enter the The Biggest Book Give-away EVER!

Books To Share?

The English Camp we worked with in the Czech Republic needs your books!

I sent a big bunch this past fall, but I know they'll be needing more this spring! So if you've got some books lying around that you'd like to donate to a WONDERFUL cause, contact my assistant Amy (amy@triciagoyer.com) and she'll let you know where you can send them!

Guest Blogger...Amy Lathrop

Hi everyone, Amy here from Sprightly! When I saw that Tricia posted the online shopping tips yesterday, I thought I might follow it up with a few gift ideas for those hard to shop for people in your life!

For your friends who live in Seattle...

Shoe Umbrellas!

Or maybe the Rainbrella Sheath!

For your single friends:

The Spouse Pillow

Know someone who seems to ALWAYS have a cold?

How about TP Headgear? So convenient.

Here are two suggestions for people who ride the subway or metro:

The Suction Sleeperor the Sleeper Stand

Here is the perfect gift for the noodle lovers in your life:

The Noodle Cooler

And for the on-the-go person:

The Butter Stick.

And here's a nifty gift for that multi-tasking mom:

The Baby Mopper outfit.

Top Ten Tips for Shopping Online

Buying your gifts online this year? Check out these great tips from the gals at 5 Minutes for Mom!

1. Shop at small business web sites to get better personal service. Read customer comments or reviews.

2. Only shop at web sites that display evidence they are secure shopping sites.

3. Make sure the web site you choose lists a customer service phone number.

Never shop at a site where the only method of contact is through email.

If the site doesn’t give hours of operation and you are concerned, try calling the phone number to make sure you can get in touch with a live person.

4. For excellent customer service, always enter your phone number when placing an order.

There is no excuse for a web site not to give you personal service if you have given them your phone number and they need to reach you. Not everyone is on top of their email all the time so, if you don’t respond to an email, they should call you.

Make sure you are easily reachable at the phone number you give. It may be wise to enter a second number in a note field.

5. Make sure the billing address you enter when placing your order is the same address the credit company has on file for you - the address they use on your statements.

Well run web sites have their banking software set to carefully match the address you enter to the address the credit card company uses. This process helps to prevent fraud.

6. If, for some reason, your order “fails” when you submit it, do not keep trying.

Of course, if you are sure you know why it failed the first time, you might want to try a second time. But, do not keep trying.

There is a high possibility that your credit card company is “holding” the funds each time you try and fail. Those “holds” will disappear in a few days but, in the meantime, it is like you spent all that money – your credit card could be temporarily maxed out or your bank account temporarily drained.

Pick up the phone and call that web site. You will find out right then how helpful they are!

7. Shop early – ground shipping is never guaranteed. You want to avoid having to expedite shipments.

But, if you find yourself in a hurry – don’t give up! Call the store.

Depending on your location and where your item is shipping from, you might be pleasantly surprised how quickly it could arrive.

8. If you have shipping time restrictions, don’t just ask vague questions. It will slow down the process. If the web site doesn’t have the option to choose expedited shipping and give you real-time shipping quotes, you should phone or, at least, email to arrange it.

At the high cost of shipping these days, you do not want any nasty surprises. For example, most people have no idea that shipping a ride-on-toy like a pedal car from one side of the country to the other can cost about $60 for ground, $180 for 3-day, well over $200 for 2-day, and a huge amount for overnight shipping. So, check you options carefully.

9. If you find that your options are paying a huge amount of money for expedited shipping or receiving the item a few days late – don’t panic! Having your package arrive “after the big day” is often not as serious as you first think.

a. For example, many parents and grandparents think they absolutely must have the “big” birthday present arrive in time for the party. Once they realize that can’t happen, they often then realize it could even be better this way. There are so many presents and so much excitement on party day, the thrill of the “big” present is lost in the midst of the activity.

Customers often go with our idea of receiving the “big” present a couple of days later and having a special little celebration when it arrives – maybe even a small birthday cake just for that special day! THEN all attention will be on the “big” present which is a wonderful way for the child to enjoy it as well as the parents and grandparents.

b. For baby showers or other special occasions, a nice color picture often works well – a lot better than a $200 shipping bill! People appreciate getting that special gift you chose for them even if it is late rather than you changing to something less perfect than your first choice.

10. If the web site offers Free Shipping in the lower 48 states and you live outside the lower 48 states, contact the store to arrange shipping.

Do not assume the order will ship with free shipping just because the order went through. The product will not end up being shipped so you need to contact the website to get a shipping quote.

So, there you have some of the best tips out there! If you follow these ten guidelines, you should have a great shopping experience.

Remember though, shopping from small, family owned stores gets you the kind of customer service Joan talked about in her list.

As great as the big stores offers may seem, I have wasted hours and finally given up on a number of occasions when I couldn’t find adequate information about the products online and then couldn’t contact anyone for help.

If you want great service - and you want to support small, mom-owned businesses - make sure you check out our Mom-Owned Stores Directory here at 5 Minutes for Mom.com.

Unforgettable Stories

Beneath those white crosses, which as sentinels stand,
Majestically protecting them like the Almighty hand,
In a slumbering sleep beneath that blanket of stone,
Rest the heroes we've known who never came home.
~~Michael Hanko, In Memoriam, 1962

An article I read the other day stated that there is only ONE remaining WWI veteran alive today. One. Frank Buckles. He's even got his own website: http://www.frankbuckles.org/ That got me thinking...

When I wrote The Liberator Series books, I collected stories from Veterans across the country. I interviewed them at Veteran Reunions, over the phone, and via email. They were all too happy to share their stories with me and anytime I had a question about some minute detail of the war or a random piece of equipment they were johnny-on-the-spot with an answer. It was great.

As the novels were published, my mail box became inundated with stories from other Veterans. I have boxes of their stories and photographs. I started a website, www.triciagoyer.com/ww2stories as a place to collect those stories and share them with the public.

I've interviewed MANY veterans who have passed away, and I'm so thankful I've gotten their stories. So in their honor, and vets everywhere, I'm launching the "INTERVIEW A VET" campaign! (Participation gets you a FREE book!)

Here's how it works!

1. Send me an interview with a WWII veteran, typed-up, or videotaped, or autotaped and you will receive a free copy of one of my WWII novels. (Your submission must be original and cannot be something downloaded off the Internet, previously done by someone else: such as a newspaper article or unit history.) If the veteran is already deceased, you can send a personally written story (1,000-2,000 words) of the veteran's experience, written in the same style as those on www.triciagoyer.com/ww2stories

2. Send and audio/video interview AND a transcript of the recorded interview you will receive two of myWWII novels. DO NOT SEND THE ORIGINAL OF ANYTHING. IT WILL NOT BE SENT BACK. PLEASE KEEP A COPY FOR YOUR OWN RECORDS.

3. The campaign will run from Dec. 7, 2008 - March 31, 2009.

4. You're welcome to send copies of additional materials, such as copies of photos, newspaper clippings, etc. I would love to have them for my archives! Stories from those on the Home Front (factory workers, etc) will also be accepted.

5. Submissions can be mailed to Tricia Goyer, P.O. Box 5720, Kalispell, MT 59903. Email my assistant Amy (amy@triciagoyer.com) prior to mailing your submission. She will send you a release form that needs to be signed and returned with your submission. The form gives me permission to use part of the story on my blog, the WWII website, or a future book. Oh, and also let Amy know which on of my WWII novels you'd like!

My goals for this campaign are three-fold!

1. To collect stories. WWII vets are passing away and we don't want to lose their experiences.

2. To encourage family members and friends to record an interview. To connect generations and let veterans know we still care.

3. For research, who knows which story might be the inspiration for a novel some day!


Not sure how to get started? I recommend these resources!

How to prepare
http://www.loc.gov/vets/moreresources.html

Questions
http://www.loc.gov/vets/vetquestions.html

Also, make sure you send the Vet a copy of the interview or story! They'll LOVE it.