Dino & Debbie Roussos - December, 2007
posted in Missions, Europe |DINO & DEBBIE ROUSSOS
P.O. Box 70127 Glyfada, Greece 16610
Tel : 011 (30) 6944 344167
Fax : 011 (30) 210 8974405
E-mail : DinoRoussos@gmail.com
I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today, in the town of David , a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11
December 2007
Dear loved ones,
This is the time of year set aside for remembering our savior’s birth, a magnificent event that changed the world and history forever. He brought light and hope to a dark and lost world.
We will be spending Christmas in Greece this year. We will miss being with our children and grandchildren in the States, but it will be great to have Stephen with us for the holidays. We’ve been so blessed to have been able to have two consecutive Christmases with our whole family together. That takes some real coordination these days. Our little grandson, Jackson, was 1 ½ last Christmas, so it was so much fun watching him open gifts and see the delight on his face—especially when he saw his Elmo chair and, with wide eyes, he said (under his breath), “Melmo”.
Melody and Andy moved to the Dallas area this time last year and bought a home there. Since Dallas is where we base ourselves when in the States, it’s wonderful to have them there. Melody still works for Sprint/Nextel and telecommutes from home and Andy is the General Manager for a Pot Belly’s restaurant.
On May 7 (our wedding anniversary!) Melody gave birth to a baby girl, Zoe Brooklyn Feekes. Debbie was there in time for her birth and stayed for a couple of months to help out and enjoy the grandchildren. Melody and Andy are excellent parents and are raising their children to know and love God.
Dino was asked to perform a wedding in Dallas in June for a couple whom we have had a long friendship with. It was the first wedding he had performed in the U.S. , and it was an honor to be asked to take part. The timing of the wedding also gave him the opportunity to see the newborn baby.
Nikki and Matt still live in Atlanta , Georgia . Nikki is teaching first grade at Greater Atlanta Christian School and Matt is, currently, working for a Greek restaurant. They spent six weeks in Greece this summer. It was a combined pleasure and working holiday. They were looking at youth camps in Greece as a possible future ministry. We enjoyed having them with us for such a nice long time. They are both kindhearted and have such a desire to serve God and people.
While Nikki and Matt were visiting in Greece , they learned the very exciting news that they are expecting a baby! Nikki is six months pregnant now, with a baby girl. Debbie can’t wait to go in February to be present for the birth of this newest addition to the family.
Stephen is in his senior year at Abilene Christian University . He is planning to graduate by the end of the summer. He will need to take full loads both semesters and in the summer in order to accomplish that goal. He is now looking at graduate schools where he may continue his education in herpetology or environmental studies. He has become quite an advocate of the environment and Christian stewardship of the earth.
Stephen went to Ecuador for one month in the summer as part of a team under his ACU Biology professor. They were high in the Rain Forest of the Andes doing research on the small mammals of Ecuador . It was a great experience for him.
In September Dino and Debbie traveled back to the States to attend the Eastern European Missions Summit where Dino was one of the speakers. Fortunately, it was held in Dallas so we got to spend a little more time with Stephen and Melody, Andy, Jackson and Zoe. We were sorry Matt and Nikki were unable to come and join us there.
Last month, we went to Donetsk , Ukraine for one week. Dino was invited there to teach a course at the Ukrainian Bible Institute. Donetsk is a beautiful city, although very cold. There are many orphans in the Ukraine , so we took the opportunity to visit one of the state run orphanages. We also enjoyed seeing a performance of the “Nutcracker Suite” by a Russian ballet.
We keep in our prayers the American soldiers that are separated from their families during this happiest of all seasons while serving our country in dangerous places far away. We pray that God will protect them and bring them safely home and restore peace on Earth.
Merry Christmas to all of you and may God’s richest blessings be upon you.
Love,
Dino and Debbie