CHRISTMAS LETTER 2012
Sandells
Box 4455
Mankato, MN 56002
December, 2012
Greetings for Advent and Christmas!
One of the best things about this season is that we can connect with you, our friends and family, with annual Christmas greetings. Most of all, we pray that you find time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the abundant life He brings to each believer.
Looking back at 2012, we did participate in many activities that were similar to those of the previous year. Beth is still on the faculty of Minnesota State University, Mankato. She served on the Human Resources Committee at Crossview Covenant Church and on the Board of Trustees for Alaska Christian College, Soldotna, AK. Denny is still enjoying retirement, while buying and selling antiques in Mankato, Waseca, Owatonna, & Hutchinson. He also organizes and promotes antique shows and flea markets in Mankato and Owatonna. Denny is still serving on the Board of Directors for People and Christ Together (PACT), to feed hungry people in the Mankato area.
In August, we visited Igor, Vera, and Jenny Kashin in Cleveland, TN and the World’s Longest Yard Sale. We only shopped from Alabama to Kentucky. It’s still pretty long! And we bought a lake-house in Waseca, MN, which Denny has been remodeling since August.
Meanwhile, 2012 did have some differences for us from the year of 2011. In July, Beth started a full academic year of sabbatical leave for research, writing, conference presentations, and professional development. So, she is not teaching, but she is keeping busy. She has spent a lot of time collecting data and writing articles to submit to academic journals about developing cultural competency of undergraduate students. The first half of her sabbatical leave included conference presentations in Magadan and Moscow, Russia; Porto, Portugal; Baku, Azerbaijan; and North Mankato and Minneapolis, Minnesota. During one trip, Beth was literally flying home from Baku, Azerbaijan when our Nara and her husband, Cavid, welcomed Yusef Huseynov into their family on September 15 in Baku. Beth is taking credit for the convenient birth because she went for many long walks while visiting Nara just before labor started about two weeks early! Yusef is a handsome and adorable little boy.
We look forward to learning how your year has been. And you are always invited to come visit us in beautiful southern Minnesota. Maybe we can spend some time “at the lake.”
In Jesus’ name,
Denny and Beth Sandell