Merry Christmas Season everyone!

Thanks for choosing to look at our family homepage!  I trust you had a blessed Christmas with family and friends!  We sure did!

Last December 25 was my first Christmas away from home and family in 35 years, so it was wonderful to be able to spend this unique joyous time with my family again. I realize Christmastime isn't particularly special to some people, but around the Kirschke home it sure is!

Jordan and Ashley came from college in San Marcos to join Jen, me, Hollis, Caleb, Becky, Melody and her two (my grandchildren Sarah & Caleb),  My brother William, his wife Kelly and daughter Tristine also came over for Christmas Eve dinner.  Luke (in S. Africa) and Matt (in Las Vegas) were not able to be with us, but Faith did join us the day after Christmas for Caleb's birthday on Dec. 26.  So ... with that much family, I am now officially broke (haha).

For those seeing our website for the first time, you can click on the "Smilebox" below to see photos & mini-videos I took while in Israel last Christmas. After all, Christmas is Christmas, right?

 

This scrapbook design created with Smilebox

The ministry I direct, StraightWay Training Center, has experienced an influx of new people ... and this "new blood" the Lord is bringing will make our ministry stronger and more effective in the days to come.  Three entrapeneurs from Alaska and the Northwest are moving her to help us develop our therapeutic community housing/building project under the direction of John Luther and an after-care work programs for our graduates.  A Teen Challenge director, his wife and a staff intern are interested in our vision of "setting the lonely in families" (Psa. 68:6) and making plans to move here from the Northwest along with a Bible college buddy of mine who will become the new spiritual life director for our students.  So, as the economy rebounds, so is our ministry from the recession of the last couple years!

Regarding my archaeological interests:  In the past my archaeological trips have been with the team from Trinity Southwest University to excavate (dig) at what is believed to be the ancient city of Sodom southeast of Amman in the "plain of the Jordan" (just 10 mi. NE of the Dead Sea). They have been amazing times, and on off days we have traveled to cities of the Decapolis, where Jesus sent his disciples preaching, including Gadera, where he cast the demon's in the demon-possessed man into a herd of swine. We stood at the cliff where the pigs ran off to their death, and saw the cave and tombs where the Gadarene man lived! It really makes the Bible account come alive to see these things in person! (I'll post a video here or on the blog later.) For more information on the Sodom site, go to www.tallelhamman.com, and you can also see the YouTube video HERE.

You can see my own video of my time in the Middle East with some of the places I visited on our "day trips" by going to www.vimeo.com/davidkirschke.

So, thanks again for visiting! Check back soon!  I'll add more content and Holiday photos hopefully in the next week or so.

David & Jennifer Kirschke & Family

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* Another site to view a few family and travel pictures old and new, some quite amusing is:http://gallery.me.com/dkirschke