The season of advent focuses our hearts on the reassuring truth that our God is faithful. He is at work, even when it doesn’t feel like it. As we bear witness to God’s people in centuries past, waiting for a Savior, we can be encouraged in our waiting. Whether we are in need of a rescue, or relief from life’s difficult circumstances, or the arrival of good news; we wait as a people who know our God is faithful. Hope, joy, peace, and love are not just a future reality, but are the blessings of our God who is with us today, Emmanuel. He is our hope, joy, peace, and love today, and tomorrow, and forevermore.
We invite you into the home of our lead pastor and hope you find encouragement on your journey as you witness the unfolding story of God’s faithfulness to the van der Riet family. We’ve heard many stories over the years about the transition from a family of 6 to a family of 10 through adoption. It’s been beautiful and brutal and everything in between. And now we get to hear from each of them about how God is working in their lives today.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.