Suprise!!!! An update.

An update has been a long time coming. I have included excerpts from our Christmas Newsletter below and added some photo links.

Greetings from Prague.

How time flies! We have been in Prague for three and a half years now (arriving in August of 2005). This being our second stint in Prague means we have lived in Europe for 5½ years – half of Mark’s life time!

Our highlight this year was spending our summer holiday in Canada. We spent 5 1/2 fabulous weeks with family and friends. We made great memories in Whistler with Al’s family and hanging out at the farm with Grandpa and Grandma – the kittens and motorbike sure received a lot of attention! It was awesome to spend time with good friends from Abbotsford, Walnut Grove, Moose Jaw and South Dakota. Green Lake, Lac Des Roche, camping in Sechelt, fishing with the boys…life doesn’t get much better than that!
We also spent a couple memorable weeks in Kelowna with Connie’s family. We were grateful to be able to attend Connie’s niece’s wedding and hang out with Nana and Papa, Connie’s brother and her sister’s family.

Connie and Al are still working at Riverside School (in Prague) and our 3 kids attend there. It is quite a special environment to work in and we are grateful for the opportunity. Connie is teaching a Reception class (like Kindergarten) in the elementary – 3 days a week. She absolutely loves teaching. Connie has started an outreach bible study for moms at Riverside. It is so exciting to see how open the ladies are to hearing about how they can have a personal relationship with Jesus - some of them for the first time ever.

Al is the principal of the High School. It has been a busy few years as we have been through three accreditations and have recently been approved as an IB (International Baccalaureate) World School. The process of accreditation (by some of the top accreditation organizations in the world) is very rigorous and emotionally draining. The staff at Riverside have really come together – worked hard and shown their commitment to excellence in the classroom. We are very proud of Riverside, our staff team and students and we are looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us all. Feel free to check out our web site for more information about the school – www.riversideschool.cz

Andrea just turned 13 this December. Hard to believe we have a teenager in the house. We thank God each day for the miracles he has done in her life. In May – 7 months after her treatments – tests revealed that Andrea had no sign of thyroid tissue or thyroid cancer in her body. Andrea’s follow-up tests in November confirmed that she is cancer free! Praise God! Please continue to pray for Andrea. Her health will be monitored closely – 3-6 month check-ups for the next few years and once a year for the rest of her life. Thanks again to those of you who have continued to keep Andrea in your thoughts and prayers and have helped our family in practical ways.
Andrea continues to do well in school. She is incredibly organized and hard-working. We are very proud of her accomplishments. She is active in school life – taking part in various clubs – and swims three times per week. Andrea started to attend youth group this fall. She is really enjoying it. Andrea misses deeply several of her close friends who have moved away over the past two years.

Mark is living life to the max! He is doing well in school and is a great friend to many. He has the ability to mix with kids from all grades. He is active with mountain biking, soccer, swimming and rugby. He would desperately like to play organized basketball -unfortunately opportunities are few and far between. Mark is a talented musician and actor. He is taking guitar lessons and has had several significant roles in the school’s and church’s productions.

Sara has an incredible smile and loves to laugh and have fun! We are enjoying her sense of humor and zest for life. Sara has a keen interest in school and has enjoyed learning about the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. She loves to play imaginary games swim, sing and attend Prague Kids – a Christian kids club that takes place after school. The doctors are keeping a close watch on Sara’s thyroid. They discovered a small nodule on her thyroid in June. The nodule grew slightly, and in October she started to take thyroid medication. We are hopeful that the medication will prevent the nodule from growing and causing any further complications.

Well that’s a brief update on what’s happening with our family.

Blessings to all of you,
Al, Connie, Andrea (13), Mark(11) and Sara(8)

Here are two links to photos dating back to September.
Falk Happenings - Sept - Dec 2008
Christmas 08 / New Year 09