End of ‘09 Adventures

Posted by Tia Ciferno and filed in Blog, Photo Journal

Happy New Year from the Ciferno Family! 

We love the new beginnings and energy that surround this season. I start almost every January off with reading an Amy Carmichael book, and have never been disappointed. Each one has given me an infusion of fresh focus and high calling.  This one was entitled “This One Thing” and is a biography of her dear friend and co-worker in South India, Thomas Walker of Tinnevelly.  What passion is on each page of this yellowed account.  Here is one quote from Walker that inspired me~

Better, far better, do less work, if need be, that we may pray more; because work done by the rushing torrent of human energy will not save a single soul; whereas work done in vital and unbroken contact with the living God will tell for all eternity. Thomas Walker 1859-1912

We pray that our work done in ‘09 will “tell for all eternity” but please pray for us, and we will for you also, to be more prayer focused and less a “rushing torrent.”  If it’s His Energy and not ours, then we welcome the torrent!  But more of Christ, we pray and less of us. 

Here are some of the priveleged events and people we joined with in the past months… and we pray, as Walker did, that God would cleanse, bless and bear fruit from them all.

__________________________________________

I was invited by my dear friend Cindy to be part of the choir that worshipped with Michael W. Smith in Akron, Ohio in late November.
For someone who is usually singing solo or duet, this was an incredible joy!

There’s our Michael…giving us instructions and being such a delight and encouragement.
What a heart for His Lord and for people.

This also gave me the joy of connecting again with Michael Olson, Michael W Smith’s drummer. We had an evening of ministry with this brother back in the summer.  What a gift he has. And how fun to be worshipping again with him!

November also held a gathering at another living room. Stella and her “team” made the morning an extravagant time of delicious brunch delights and then I had the opportunity to sing to and encourage these beautiful women. Most of those pictured here are former co-workers of Stella’s who have kept in touch after retiring. Lots of stories!  And we had a tender time in the Lord.

 

My travels that day allowed me to have a visit with dear relatives in my hometown of Pittsburgh.
My sister Tami and her four children met us there too.  What a crowd! The Steeler fan with the “7″ on his shirt is my cousin Vince, who has had a year’s battle with cancer and is doing wonderfully.
We have so much to thank the Lord for.

An another family photo~ shortly after that we celebrated my niece Scartlett’s third birthday… this is the little one many of you have heard me talk about… her nick-name is “Squishy.”

November and December also brought the joy of setting up other musicians with ministry in our corner of Ohio. First we enjoyed spending time with the Glover Family, who have a dramatic testimony of the Lord’s Love and Forgivness. www.thegloversonline.com
Kathy is in the center, and Rosanne (a dear friend and help in hospitality) is on the right.

 

 

 

We also hosted my friend  Jennifer Shaw www.jennifershawmusic.com Jenny sang in three churches (all churches that are second homes to me) and everyone loved her, as I knew they would. Our last evening was spent at Southington Christian Church with Pastor Randall Riley, and of course we got a non-typical pose. Randall doesn’t believe in typical anything.

A great highlight for me was an Aglow meeting near Salem, Ohio. It was there that I met the most vibrant family.   Verla up to tell me that in the spring her age will be the “reciprocal” of mine.  We’ll be 49 (shhhh) and 94.

This is the “whole” family.. aunts and sisters and granddaughters and moms… all serving the Father.The young woman in the blue in the front row is a new friend named Julie who went above and beyond the call duty to help all morning.

Speaking of leaving a legacy, Julia and I led worship and special music for NorthMar C&MA before their guest speaker, Mary Kay Beard, founder of Angel Tree Ministries.  What a dynamic woman of God! What an honor to meet her!

 

We were also honored at the dinner banquet of Grace Fellowship Church in Warren, Ohio, a local Ministerial Alliance dinner, a concert at First Christian in Girard, OH, the Annual Memorial at McFarland’s, a Disciples of Christ Pastor’s gathering, and HIS Music Connection Coffeehouse.

__________________________________________________

Some of you have asked my what the guys do here at home while I travel. Do they miss me? Are they so bored?  Here is a photo to let you see how much fun they’re having without me…

A GIGANTIC thank you to all who allowed us to share our gift with you in these past weeks and months. We are constantly thanking our Father for you. We do pray that we’ve been “fishers of men” while our men were fishing.