2006 Winter Greetings from the Bollingers

It was great to hear from so many of you at Christmas! February seems to be our best month to catch up from the busyness of the summer, fall and holiday season. So, here we are writing our yearly letter. This past year we have had opportunities to learn, balance our time, serve others, and fellowship with our many friends and family. We have enjoyed opening our home to various ministry opportunities and the people involved in them.

Our precious Uncle Jack went home to be with the Lord in March. We miss him so much and his godly wisdom. Granny Bollinger had a serious bout with her heart in August, for which we praise God that she has recovered well. Later that month, Jim had his worst episode in 20 years with his inner ear problem, which had him flat on his back for several days. It took a few weeks before the dizziness really subsided. Grandpa Bollinger experienced some health issues in December, but he is much better now and back enjoying his golfing and woodworking. Four of our dear friends have faced cancer during 2005, all of them teaching us how faithful God is as the Great Physician, who continues to care for these dear ones. Through all of these things, our prayer life has been strengthened and we have been reminded of how temporary this life really is. We truly must make each day count for eternity.

Nathan and Chiree were busy throughout the year working with ministries and corporate video work. They produced videos of Bible clubs in the public schools, Child Evangelism teaching tools videos for summer Bible clubs, and highlight videos from their month in Oklahoma City working with "Operation Salt and Light" summer Bible clubs. Their corporate work with Precious Moments, the Swift National 2005 Convention, wedding cinematography and various local business needs kept them busy and provided them the funds to work with various ministry/video needs.

We raised a litter of Labradoodles again last spring. They became a part of our family for their first 8 weeks until they flew to their new homes all over the United States. We often thank our $25 dog, Polly, for her contribution to the economy of our household. We laugh that she has made more money than any single cow of ours ever did! (See www.bollingerdoodles.com to view a 2-minute video of our puppies. Be sure to turn up your speakers for the background music.)

For the fall semester, my niece, Rachel Dellinger, lived with my mother while she attended college here. It was fun to watch grandma (age 81) and granddaughter (age 18) mesh their lifestyles together!

We had a big reunion of the Bollinger Clan in September when Jim’s niece, Natalie Diliberto, married Nathan Senger in a beautiful wedding ceremony at Topeka Bible Church. It is always such an encouragement to see two dedicated young people make lasting vows and begin their new lives as man and wife serving the Lord together!

On November 18th, Chiree and I were invited to the home birth of Isaac David Snow. After having 6 lovely daughters, Curtis and Melissa Snow had their first son. Little did we know that two weeks later Chiree and I would help take care of little Isaac and his older sisters when Melissa was suddenly diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. This dear family has truly blessed our lives as we watch them daily trust the Lord for His provision and healing. In January, Chiree took over the home schooling the 5 oldest girls. (You can read Melissa’s story at www.caringbridge.org, site name: melissasnow.)

One of the most life-changing things that we are involved with began in November working with a new ministry called “From Prison to Purpose". This ministry helps families of prisoners to understand the needs of prisoners when they are released and to help churches come alongside in meeting those needs. Being a part of this ministry has allowed us to meet paroled prisoners and also to go into the only women’s prison in Arkansas. This prison has an intense program, which involves leading these women to the Lord and then discipling them. It is called the PAL Program (Principles in Application for Life). “From Prison to Purpose” ministry has greatly impacted our lives and we look forward to seeing how the Lord is going to use it. The promotional video sharing about the ministry contains testimonies of several women prisoners in the PAL program and also of several leaders in the prison. Several have expressed an interest in this video. We will let you know when it is completed and available for viewing on-line.

Many of our relatives were able to be together during the holidays. All the Bollingers that live in the area joined my sister’s family, the Dellingers from Denver, during Christmas at Grandma Mitchell’s. We are always grateful for time with our extended family and for the blessing of making great memories together!

To our friends and family nearby---we cherish our times with you. And to our friends and family further away, thank you for keeping in touch by phone, mail or e-mail. All of you are dear to us! May the Lord bless you with all He desires for your lives.

Jim, Ann, Nathan and Chiree

P.S. For those who missed our Winter 2005 Greeting, it can be read at: http://www.cnook.net