Christmas Greetings from the Turanskys Merry Christmas to All Our Friends! It’s always a joy to connect with friends and family this time of year. W
Christmas Greetings from the Turanskys
Scott and Carrie on vacation this month
Merry Christmas to All Our Friends!
It’s always a joy to connect with friends and family this time of year. We hope you are enjoying a wonderful Christmas season and finding many reasons to celebrate the Savior's birth.
We appreciate your cards and letters and look forward to hearing from you. We're sending an email Christmas letter this year so we can include several photos and stories. We hope you'll enjoy them!
Lizzy and Megan celebrate their 25th birthday
This year brought some big changes to our lives. Our twin daughters, Megan and Lizzy, moved into their own home this summer, officially making us empty nesters. We are so proud of the way they have stepped up to the challenges of renting a house and managing their lives so well. They are both continuing to work as full-time pet groomers at a private shop in Ewing and are building good reputations as caring and experienced groomers. They are both involved at Calvary Chapel Mercer County and enjoy connecting with friends in their knitting group. We are glad they live close by and we are able to see them often. They are both a treasure and delight!
Melissa and Peter Morrison
Our daughter Melissa and her husband Peter moved from Kenya to the US late last summer, and they are now living in Brooklyn, NY. Melissa is attending NYU and working toward a double masters in public health and nursing education. She worked as a teacher's assistant this fall and is going to be involved in an African nursing education research project next year. Peter is interviewing with international humanitarian organizations and hoping for a new position soon. Both Peter and Melissa have been doing a lot of running. They also enjoy exploring the city and cooking creative and healthy meals. We are so happy to have them only a short train ride away for a season. It was great to have them home on Thanksgiving, and we look forward to seeing them between Christmas and New Years.
Our son Ben and his wife Galan are living in Huntsville, AL, where Ben is stationed with the Marines overseeing transportation for a reserve unit. Galan is attending college and working full-time. They traveled up to see us this summer for Ben’s birthday and again this fall for the wedding of one of Ben’s friends. Galan and Ben just celebrated their first anniversary on December 3rd. This is a very busy time of year for Ben who helps head up the Marine’s Toys for Tots program in Huntsville, providing thousands of Christmas gifts for boys and girls. We're excited to see Ben and Galan growing spiritually and as a couple, and we’ve really enjoyed our visits with them.
Our son Josh and his wife Melinda moved into a new apartment this summer which is much closer to their church, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, which is also where Josh works. Josh and Melinda are doing a great job homeschooling their three children, Hudson, who is almost 10, Hayden who is 6, and Hanalei, who is 2. It's great to see the way they are investing in their children's lives.
We have been blessed to be able to travel to California a few times this year to see them. It's always fun to be with them and hear all they are learning and doing. We also visited Scott’s parents, John and Shirley Turansky, twice this year. Their example of love, faithfulness, and commitment to the Lord and each other has a huge impact on all of us. We are so thankful for them.
Time with family is a precious gift!
Four Generations of Turanskys - Hudson, Josh, John, Scott, Hayden
After 15 years leading Calvary Chapel Mercer County, Scott stepped down and passed the leadership to his associate pastor, Gregg Downs. Gregg and his wife Robin have faithfully served the Lord with us since the beginning. We are confident they will do a great job at CCMC. Scott is now pastor at Calvary Chapel Living Hope in Robbinsville, NJ. We helped plant CC Living Hope two years ago as a campus with video teaching by Scott and Gregg. With Scott there full-time now, we are seeing exciting growth and look forward to all God is going to do.
Carrie has enjoyed getting to know the women at CC Living Hope as they study the Word together, went away for the women's retreat, and hosted the Christmas Tea. Our friends at CC Living Hope are eager to grow in their faith and share the love of Jesus with their friends and neighbors. Scott is tying his parenting and church ministries even more closely together at CC Living Hope where we are emphasizing strengthening families and passing the faith to the next generation. Please take a look at some of the exciting new things that are happening with the National Center for Biblical Parenting. Take the Family Challenge
Carrie's newest novel, Snowflake Sweethearts, released this month. It's the third and final book in the Bayside Treasure Series, which is set in the Fairhaven section of Bellingham, Washington and features a group of matchmaking senior age friends. Snowflake Sweethearts has been described as heartwarming and inspiring and has received several 5-star reviews on Amazon. Here’s a link for more info and to purchase a copy if you'd like. Snowflake Sweethearts
Looking ahead to 2013, Scott and Carrie both have new books coming out! In May The Christian Parenting Handbook, by Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, will hit bookstore shelves. We're very excited to get this helpful resource into the hands of parents. The Christian Parenting Handbook offers 50 short chapters with biblical insight and practical help for the most challenging issues parents face. It’s the kind of book every parent will want on their bookshelf to consult year after year. If you'd like to be part of the launch team please let us know.
Carrie and Scott at Highclere Castle
In October Carrie signed a three-book contract with WaterBrook Multnomah to write an English historical romance series. The first book, The Governess of Highland Hall, will release in October. With the popularity of Downton Abbey, we hope people who enjoyed the TV series will be looking for books set in the same time period. The Governess of Highland Hall features both the wealthy family upstairs and the loyal staff downstairs, with some of the same romantic and heartwarming elements readers have enjoyed in her previous books. Scott and Carrie took a research trip to England in September. We visited some beautiful historic homes and gardens, including Highclere Castle where Downton Abbey is filmed.
As we reflect on the beauty and wonder of Christ’s first coming . . . we look forward to His soon return with hope and expectation. Until then we continue to trust Him and serve Him with grateful hearts. May God bless you and your family this Christmas and in the New Year.
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