Samuel Gill Servant in Training with NTM 
Fun Figures
Miles covered: 3000
Average MPG: 31
Sermons listened to on the road: 13
Houses slept in: 6
Churches attended: 4
Number of times I fell asleep at the wheel: 0
Enjoyment quotient: 7.674 x 10^9
Hi friend. As promised, this is my review of my holiday globe trotting. I was quite pleased that the Lord allowed my Christmas break to go as planned. I only missed one engagement that I was really hoping to make. And once again I was delighted to visit family and friends whom I have not seen for a while.
Two of my good Tambo friends and I were invited to join the Al Lotz family – our school principal for many years. They are now living in Rome, Georgia, a welcome refuge (for me) from the winters of Chicago. The fact that Christmas was not white did not bother me a mite; give me Georgia and 60s anytime. The four of us (their son was the fourth stooge) had a great time together picking up where we left off and reminiscing about our Bolivia days. 
Among other things, we also enjoyed soccer tennis, piecing puzzles together, and making Bolivian salteñas. Although these opportunities seem to be few and far between, they are such a blessing when they come.
The bulk of the rest of my break was spent catching up with my brothers and sisters from two churches in North Carolina. During my stay, I shared a room with my cousin Daniel and enjoyed the time to fellowship with family. There are many reasons why I love visiting the Doss family, but I would lie if I said my Aunt Jeany’s cooking was not one of them. Seriously – Wow! Let’s just say I’m glad for the sake of my diet that she lives several states away.
On a more serious note, my time with family was not in the best of circumstances. My Uncle Ken was diagnosed with cancer last year and is fighting for survival right now. The battle against the side affects of the chemo has been all uphill, so he doesn’t have the energy to do much of anything. It is difficult seeing him in this situation because he hates being so useless. At this point it’s just pray and wait to see what happens. I was glad that I had the chance to be there with them and help out some around the house and with clearing out his office.
Now that school has resumed, I’m back in Missouri, ready for a new semester like a linebacker waiting for the hike. Something about the break and some lessons I revisited with the Lord have refueled my tank and restored my determination to make the most of this time. Please continue to pray for me as I seek to keep Him first in all. Thank you.
