Greetings to all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

                 What a year full of blessings from God!  The most exciting event was the arrival of Joshua, our 7th child and first boy in the family.  He was born on June 26 and weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz.  It was a relatively smooth labour for Kay and she recovered pretty well.  Joshua has since become the focus of the children.  Everyone enjoys his generous smile.

                 We also had 2 wonderful trips.  First, we went to Fair Havens in July for 4 nights in their serviced trailer.  This was new for everybody and the children spent some time to select which bed/bunk bed/couch they would like to sleep on.  Kay brought enough food for all meals while we enjoyed the dinner buffet on the last night.  The children had a great time in riding the bike, cruising on canoe and kayak, fishing, playing soccer and basketball, and simply walking around.  We also attended wonderful sermons from Pastor John Mahaffey on Ten Commandments.  Together with some seniors, we waited until the rock-and-roll style music subsided and then entered the sanctuary.  At night time before bed, we had a small camp fire in front of our trailer to end the day.  Everyone wishes that we can come back again next year.

                The second trip we had was going to the capital of Canada – Ottawa.  It was a 4 ½ hour drive along Highway 7.  We stayed there for 3 nights at Minto Suite Hotel.  The room was very spacious for our family because it was a 2 bedroom apartment – fully equipped with laundry and kitchen appliances.  There were so many places we wanted to visit in Ottawa, but we had to limit our choices.  Finally, we decided to go to the Parliament Hill, Museum of Nature, Museum of Aviation and Space, Residence of the Governor General and the Byward Market.  The highlight was the “Festival of Light” displayed in front of the Parliament Hill.  It was a spectacular production that transformed the brief history of Canada into a 30 mins light and sound show.  On the last day, we walked along the beautiful Rideau Canal and were already planning that we visit Ottawa again and rent bikes to cruise along the canal.

                Derek had a 4 month parental leave from June to October.  During this period, God had given him a new position at the Regional Municipality of York.  It was quite a pleasant surprise to him because he had tried for 4 years to be employed by the public sector.  Although it is a temporary position for 1 year, Derek is still grateful that God has allowed him to work closer to home in a wonderful organization.

                Now, you probably have a question in your mind, as we have heard it many times, “So you finally have a son, are you going to stop?”  As we have said before, we really believe that children are blessings from the Lord.  We do not want to limit our family size for whatever reason, be it physical, financial or mental.  We believe God’s plan is the best plan for us.  We believe God is charging us with these children so that we can bring Him godly seeds for the next generation.  Therefore, the answer to this question is: “If God says it is enough, then we are done.  If God says he is going to bless us with more children, then we will accept them with joy and gladness.”

                 This year, we decided to share our joy with you electronically.  We have prepared a SHORT NATIVITY MOVIE BY OUR CHILDREN   tt that you can watch at this link : https://www.littleapplesofgold.com/christmas .  Feel  free to share this nativity movie with just anyone you wish! 

                 We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  May God bless you abundantly!

 In Christ,

The Chan Family

Derek, Kay, Tiffany, Odelia, Sonia, Viviana, Shoshana, Melody, and Joshua