HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE HARDINGS!
During this season of focusing on family and special relationships, we want you to know how much your friendship and involvement in our lives have meant to us. We thought we would give a little update on each of the families. We trust that this will be a wonderful 2024 for you.
KARA is a kid magnet!
Kara continues her teaching career at Providence Day School here in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is able to share the joy of knowing Christ in the context of a secular school. So thankful for Kara being so close while Grace was ill. A HUGE encouragement to her and to all of US!
DREW, Janna, Kerani, Kaiden, Kaia, Kelty, Kirsi living and ministering based in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
So grateful that God gave us a front row seat to watch Drew grow into a man of FAITH…willing to serve where the Lord leads and with an amazing savvy for living and flourishing in other cultures. Janna has done an amazing job loving and preparing the girls for college and the challenges and blessings ahead for each of them. Kerani has just a spent a month in the wilds of Africa learning to survive on her own. A super growing experience! Kaiden is now studying abroad in Switzerland and will finish her studies at Davidson College upon return. Great having her closer to us when at Davidson! Kaia, is thrilled to play field hockey at Liberty University and is loving her first year on campus. Looking forward to watch her play some of her games. Kelty loves fashion and modeling and is as kind as they come. Kirsi will finish her last year at Wheaton College in the Chicago area and then finish up her nursing degree at a nearby hospital.
RYAN with Selah, Melissa, Gavin Emery, “Buddy” and “Sky!
Ryan has been the “MacGyver” of our family…can fix anything. His business is grading, and moving dirt with a company he started called Dirty Buffalo. He loves being outside and making a difference to people’s properties. Melissa, a high school Bible teacher at a nearby private Christian school is a wonderful mom, writer, and speaker that God is using in her context to bless and encourage others. Selah, a freshman at Liberty University loves studying music and worship. Selah and her cousin, Kaia, connect often over breakfast on campus. So fun! Gavin will be finishing up high school and taking courses at a local community college. He thrives working hard at a local community sports program for kids and loves pumping iron and keeping his old jeep running. Emery, a sophomore in Rock Hill, SC, has her driving permit and is anticipating getting her first car in a few weeks! Where does the time go?!
KYLE and Margaret, twins Meri Mae and Elizabeth Anne,
Maggie Grace, William and “Maple” 3 month St. Bernard
Kyle continues his work at Bank of America here in Charlotte. It has been so fun to watch Kyle coach the kids football and baseball and have an impact on kids’ lives. So fun to watch! Margaret, a nurse anesthetist, is great at putting people to sleep but better at waking them up again and even better than that, being an awesome mom and helping us in so many ways! Meri Mae loves bling! She is a hoot with ability to do cartwheels on the soccer field and make so many funny faces. Elizabeth Anne scored so many soccer goals this season! She is quite the student knocking out first grade. Maggie Grace loves the outdoors and can catch lizards and chameleons with such skill and quickness. William had a great football season at Calvary Church CHAMPS Sports. He says he wants to be a missionary/football player. He is still big into Legos. All the kids sing in the kids choir at church.
2023 was a great year but it had its challenges too. It started off in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia were over 30,000 Ethiopians gathered in our front yard that opens in to a big pasture to celebrate the rescue of their souls by a merciful God through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross, His resurrection, His ascension and the promise of His return. This is the Gospel and what a privilege to share this with our very lives and His Word!
Bill had the privilege to speak in Ethiopian churches here in America and encourage and disciple those in the Ethiopian community here in Charlotte, NC.
Grace and Bill had opportunities to minister in churches and Bible studies to share the priority and primacy of the Great Commission. As we move into 2024, we recommit ourselves to God’s purposes in this world that needs Him so desperately. We wish to thank all of you who have invested in us to make Christ known.
In a few weeks, Bill will be heading back to Ethiopia to be a part of the 75th anniversary of the church in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. It will be special for our son, Ryan, to join me bringing his family and sharing with them where he grew up and share how faithful God has been through the years. We will meet our son, Drew, in Ethiopia. What a celebration it will be to witness and participate in this historic occasion! The footings and the foundation of the Harding Memorial Bible College project are being completed. Good progress!
Grace and I wish to thank you for your concern and care when Grace was seriously ill with a mysterious virus in November that hospitalized her for seven days. She is doing so much better. Grace is BACK!!! PTL!!
As you can see our family is growing. How beautiful it is to see them all walking with Christ in obedience and of course exercising the amazing grace of God in their lives. We are so grateful and proud of them!
In Him, for Him,
Bill and Grace
www.hardings.org
