Special Kramertribe update

He’s here!!!

Introducing Shiloh Isaac Kramer! Shiloh arrived Friday November 20, 2009 at 4:13pm. He was 7lbs. 4oz. and 20 inches long. He is absolutely wonderful and adjusting very well to life outside the womb. Dana is a champ! She endured 36 hours of intense labor with only 2 ½ hours of sleep in 2 days. She is recovering well.

Shiloh means long awaited one and God’s gift. Shiloh is also the first place that was set aside as a dwelling place for God’s name. It was at Shiloh that Hannah dedicated her promised child Samuel to the Lord.

Isaac means laughter. Isaac was the promised child of Abraham and Sarah who believed in God’s promise though they had to wait so long to receive it. Together Shiloh Isaac means the long awaited gift of God’s laughter. Hallelu Yah!

As most of you know we have been on quite the journey the last 2 years. Being parents has been such a desire of our hearts but it was delayed in being fulfilled. Through all the trials we have held on to God’s promises. One passage of encouragement has been Psalm 126. Verses 5 and 6 say, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”

Here are some pictures of the little fella for you all to enjoy. Please continue to pray for us as we adjust to life together. We love you and all and rejoice with you in this great gift.

Kramertribe

October 2009 kramertribe update

Hey everyone!

Here is what happened in this last month of Tim and Dana

2 year Anniversary
On October 7th we celebrated our 2 year anniversary of living in Minneapolis and working at Source. In some ways it is hard to believe it has been 2 years already but it also seems like we have been here a decade. We are very thankful for the last 2 years and excited for what God has in our future. Thank you all so much for your consistent prayers and support over the last 2 years. We are grateful for God's provision through you to be able to live and work in Minneapolis.
There have been many ups and downs in the last 2 years as well as many surprises. One of the main lessons we have learned, and are still learning, is that God is good. There have been times in the last 2 years that we have questioned and wrestled with this but we can confidently say that God is good. We really do not know what the future holds for us but we are sure it is good!
Here are some random pictures from our last 2 years...

































Mohamoud
Tim got to spend some time with Mohamoud on a Saturday morning in October. It had been a few months since we had seen Mohamoud so it was great to be with him again. Tim got to experience his first ever Somali breakfast which was delicious! Mohamoud served a crepe like thing called 'Anjali' with vegetable soup to dip it in as well as Somali Chai. While we ate we talked about the Qu'ran, Sufi teachings, Jesus and the cross. Muslims believe in Jesus, that he is a prophet of Allah and that he is coming back to establish a kingdom of justice and peace. However, they do not believe that Jesus died on the cross. They believe that Judas, or another was transfigured to look like Jesus, was crucified and that Jesus ascended to heaven. Mohamoud and I (Tim) had a great conversation about why Christians believe Jesus died on the cross and the nature of our need for salvation. Thank you for your prayers for Mohamoud.

Wedding
On October 30th we had the privilege of attending our friend Mandi's wedding. It was a surprise wedding that her fiancee planned and it was a costume wedding! Needless to say it was very unique and a lot of fun. Dana went as a 'Bun in the Oven' and Tim went as a monk. It was very joyful to see Mandi get hitched!





Baby Kramer
Baby kramer is doing great and coming soon. We are just 1 1/2 weeks from our 'due' date. Our family and friends here hosted a marvelous baby shower for us here October 4th. We had a really great time and felt very loved. We were blessed to have Tim's family finally meet a lot of our friends that we live and work with. Here are some pictures from the shower!