Greetings, friends and family! You probably noticed we did not send out a newsletter in 1994. The pace of our lives picked up dramatically, leaving little time for writing. So here is two years' news, and what news it is! 1994 and 1995 were challenging years, and it isn't over yet. Key events include Alan's new job, our 25th anniversary, a car accident... so let's get started!

We are updating our mailing list, in anticipation of a possible move in the very near future. Please send us all of the following: your mailing address, street address, postal code, phone number, fax number and e-mail address. Thank you!

Our Christmas 1993 letter left you with a cliff-hanger. After 22 years with the same engineering firm, Alan saw it shrink by 75%, with his group down to two people, and only overseas work on the horizon. What would happen to us?

Not long after that letter went out, our pastor prayed with Alan about his need for work, and during the prayer, a former colleague phoned to offer Alan a job! Within days, Alan started at Industrial Systems, a software firm in Seattle's "technology corridor". As it's fairly close, Alan is away only two nights in a "good" week, though quite often it's three and occasionally four nights. He has, however, briefly visited 14 other cities in the US, Canada, Europe, South America and the Caribbean during these 2 years.

The highlight of Alan's 1995 was the Promise Keepers conference in Seattle. Over 63,000 Christian men filled the stadium and promised to obey God, live pure lives, love and protect their families, and support their pastors, churches, and each other. Men, if you haven't been to PK -- go next year!

Industrial Systems merged with Aspen Technology in April 1995, and is now expanding its European operations. They have recently discussed sending us to Frankfurt, Germany in 1996. So we leave you with another cliff-hanger!

As 1994 began, Kathy was accompanying violin students at the Langley Music School. She also continued her piano studies, and played in recitals. From January to May she planned the music, decor and food for our 25th wedding anniversary celebration, and worked with Alan on the program. She also grows fruit, vegetables, and beautiful flowers in our garden.

In July 1994 while Kathy was driving Paul home, a four wheel drive vehicle ran a stop sign and struck our Chevrolet Impala from the side. Our car was a write-off; Paul seemed to recover after a few weeks, but Kathy was paralyzed on one side for several hours. Her finger movements remained uncoordinated for weeks, and since then her range of arm motion has been limited, for which she is still in physiotherapy.

Recently Kathy was diagnosed as a diabetic. She doesn't require any drugs, as she is able to control her condition through diet alone.

In early 1994 Peter learned that taking just one extra course would earn him a "double major" degree. He therefore signed up for an archaeological "dig" at the Lunt, a Roman fort in Coventry, England, that summer. Between trowels, he attended Greenbelt (a Christian music and arts festival) and visited relatives and family friends.

In November, Peter graduated from the University of BC with a B.A. in History and Religious Studies. Since then he's taken further courses and been elected Culture Editor of The Ubyssey, the student newspaper at the University of BC, after a stint as Entertainment Editor for its independent rival Campus Times.

He also designs technical illustrations for a manufacturing firm, and is a frequent contributor of film and CD reviews (plus the occasional news story) to Christian Info News. He hopes to find work as a full-time journalist, preferably with a focus on film.

Monica has certainly managed to stay busy in 1994 and 1995! Here are some of her jobs during the past two years:

• violinist for Willingdon Church's Easter "Singing Cross"
• summer camp counsellor at Camp Squeah
• office volunteer at the Reform Party of Canada
• Toys and Sports sales assistant at The Bay department store
• Write of children's stories for an educational firm
• Easter Bunny posing with children at the shopping mall
• author of short stories sold to a women's magazine
• cook and farm hand at a ranch on Hornby Island
• English as a Second Language instructor
• companion to a physically and mentally challenged woman
• foreman of a jury
• Santa's Helper at the shopping mall

Monica expects to graduate from the University of BC in spring 1996 with a B.A. in English. She likes to try new vegetarian recipes, and hopes to travel and teach overseas.

Paul has always enjoyed seeing things grow in the garden. In 1994 he saved our dying magnolia shrub by digging around it and putting a load of good soil underneath it. In 1995 he dug holes in front of our house, so that Kathy could plant a hedge.

In 1994 Paul helped several people to move house. He also helped the men of our church to move the church's office to a new location.

In August 1995 Paul started working at an electronics parts supply house, and with access to parts at wholesale, he has now built a number of unique and useful devices.

Paul is now an accomplished computer consultant and programmer. If you're thinking of buying or upgrading a computer, or your computer needs troubleshooting, give him a call (or email him). He may even write a special program for you.

Click here to visit his home page.

Michelle is studying violin and piano at grade 9 level, so much of the news about her relates to her music. In 1994 she played at a piano and violin recital, and later at the Kiwanis Festival, where she opened the program with three pieces on the violin. At our 25th anniversary, she played Beethoven's Romance in F for our guests. She accompanied her friend Katie Felton at her flute exam, in front of a large audience, and played in a concert that was a tribute to a local composer, the late Robert Flemming, whose family were present. She also played in 1994, and will play again this year, in the orchestra for the Singing Christmas Star musical at Willingdon Church.

Michelle's school choir and band went to San Francisco in 1994; she enjoyed the trip, even though she lost "almost everything of value that I had on my person". In 1994 she went to Columbia Bible Camp as a camper, but in 1995 she returned as a trainee in their WALT (Worker And Leadership Training) program. One more summer as a WALT earns her a certificate. Then after the 1995 camp she left for Germany with her cousin Anton to visit her "Opa" (grandpa), then spent three weeks in Madrid, Spain with our friends the Esaus.

Alan planned a surprise 50th birthday party for Kathy. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts at stealth, Kathy noticed some unusual activity and guessed what was happening, but she enjoyed the party just the same.

Kathy got her "revenge" by putting on a surprise party for Alan. Kathy got Alan's friends to schedule their Promise Keepers accountability group meeting for that afternoon. On his return, he was totally, but pleasantly, surprised to find the house full of friends. Of course, it's easy to surprise someone if you schedule their party a month before their actual birthday!

In spring 1994 we hosted Oncle Peter and Tante Melita, with whom we took the cable-car up Grouse Mountain for dinner at the Grouse Nest. Then in summer we received Willie and Elsa Bellon and their children Rene, Laura and Ruth. Willie, who works for Audi, brought us racing posters and a history of Audi. They visited Canada Place with Kathy. The Bellons are a musical family, so we organized an old-time family singalong, which we recorded, putting the best "takes" on a cassette.

In summer 1995 Kathy's nephew Anton Ugraitsky, came rafting with Alan, Paul, and Kathy's brother Jake down the Thomson river -- the rapids were the best part. Since Anton lives next door to Michelle's Opa in Germany, we put Michelle on Anton's plane for her trip to Europe, and he looked after her. Right after Anton came Eduard and Carmen Unruh, with Walter and Anna Rausch and their children Ben and Stella. Kathy visited Seattle with them, where they saw Pioneer Square and the Omnidome, and discovered that free coffee is available at the rest stops along US highways!

Kathy's mother -- "Mom" to us and "Oma" to our children -- was 80 in February 1995. Her relatives and friends celebrated the occasion with a party at her church, where they honoured her with songs, poems, and recollections.

Kathy directed, and with Alan's help produced, a 35-minute video of highlights from our life with Mom, starting with some early black-and-white photos and progressing through old 8mm movies and recent videos, and ending with the song she always sang to her children when they were young.

On Mothers Day her family presented her with a book of tributes from all of her living descendants. Each person or couple contributed a photograph and a personal message telling her what she meant to them. Alan set all the text in a uniform style, and added a family tree at the beginning of the book.

In May 1994 we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary with a party at the church where we were married. The church has grown, and its original sanctuary is now the church hall, so we sat almost where we had knelt in 1969 to make our vows.

We had a wonderful time, with great food and an excellent program. We showed slides of the highlights of our 25 years together, and then it was our guests' turn. They performed special music, reminded us of long-forgotten incidents, and greeted us in various ways, including one message in Zulu!

We closed by reminding everyone that Kathy's family left Russia during Stalin's era, and Alan left South Africa during the time of apartheid, yet both of those "strong kingdoms" were now gone; only God's kingdom is eternal. We sang several hymns together, concluding with the Lord's Prayer, a beautiful conclusion to a wonderful celebration.