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HOLIDAY GREETINGS 2007
FROM THE JACOBSONS
Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas from Tanzania. We
come to this time of celebrating the gift of God coming to us
through Christ with great joy and excitement. We enter a
New Year with hope and expectation.
It has been eventful year for all of us.
Mark is fully engaged with trying to run Selian while developing
the new Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. The ALMC grand
opening is the 8th and 9th of March 2008
and we welcome you to join us for that celebration.
Mark has also been serving the cause of Hospice for the
continent as the new Chair of the Board for the African
Palliative Care Association based in Kampala, Uganda.
In October 2006, Linda's mother, Helen Woodward, died
suddenly at home at age 82. We all gathered in Tennessee
to celebrate her life, but it has been a very difficult
adjustment without her. Last Christmas we had some of
Laura's friends come for a while and last summer nephew Beau
came following his college graduation. In February, Linda
started a program in Spiritual Formation and Leadership on line
from a school in Michigan. She is back to college age
sleep habits, but really enjoys the reading and weekly
discussion with class members around the world. She will
attend a seminar in California in January 2008 for a residential
requirement and will get to see her Aunt Grace on the way.
In August, Linda was diagnosed with cancer, but we are
incredibly grateful that it was picked up very early in routine
screening and that was curable with surgery alone. God is
good and it only took about a month to get everything done in
Minnesota with great family and church support. She also
continues to serve the International School on the Board,
teaches piano, works with the women groups and helps with
visitors to Selian.
 After
graduating from Rift Valley Academy in 2006, Sarah is a
sophomore at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Although the
cold takes some getting used to, she enjoys the new snow
activities. She pursues her love of music and
international travel through opportunities at Olaf though misses
a more international community and living in Africa. She is
surprisingly, the only African on the Water-ski Team! Dad
tried to link a business trip to an opportunity to attend the
St. Olaf Christmas Festival but was caught in one of the early
winter storms. After much struggle and help from travel
savvy kids, he got from Atlanta to the concert in time for the
finale! As a sociology major, Sarah has managed to plan
out her four years with a great deal of music, French and study
abroad opportunities, spending January 2007 in Martinique and
will spend January
 2008
in New York City, as teacher's assistant in a high school French
class.
 After
completing her schooling in Arusha and doing well on her IGCSE
exams, Katherine has moved on to boarding school and the
International Baccalaureate program in Moshi. These
will be her final two years as she begins to think about
colleges and further education in the States. She loves
her new lifestyle and is taking advantage of the music and
sports available at school as well as the social aspect of
boarding. Highlights since the last Christmas letter are
successfully climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and all her
opportunities to travel.
We are blessed that all three of our
children are home and we are enjoying that gift incredibly.
Other highlights of the year include six full weeks together in
the summer, a family trip to Ethiopia where we visited the 800
year old rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, time together in the
States including a summer lake trip, safaris and camping with
nephew/cousin Beau that included tree climbing lions and 73 bird
species, and most recently some leisurely days of swimming,
snorkeling in a shipwreck, and spending hours in the car
together on a trip to the Tanzanian coast.
In so many ways, we have come through a
very challenging year – with health, work, personal issues
hitting with all too much frequency. Yet, throughout, we
have sensed the presence of God and have experienced His peace.
We also have greatly experienced the support, prayers, and love
of you as friends and family.
Please know that our prayers are with you
as well!!
Blessings,
Mark and Linda, Laura, Sarah, and Katherine
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