感謝你們今年特別架設網站，這是一項愛的工作，因為它使我們能夠跟蹤一些我們不常聯繫的朋友和同工，感謝您將我們和那些人包括在一起，這是我們的榮耀。 對這些朋友和同工，以及所有TCCCNA會員，我們談談過去一年的回顧 — — 也期待別人能讀到其他同工的信件。

今年，並不是一開始就特別突出，但後來卻變成一個我們生活主要的轉淚點，由於金融危機導致的經濟萎縮，今年協和神學院（聖路易斯，密蘇里州）要求55歲以上的教職員“提前退休”。雖然不是所有人都接受這項建議，但有些人接受了，包括我在內，雖然我是“提前”退休，但我也已經到了該退休的年齡。無論如何，6月1日我正式退休了，我們試著享受生活，一個沒有專職的人生。我繼續兼職教書，這是我喜歡的，但我們也嘗試計畫旅行和其他的娛樂（話劇，音樂會，社會/公民活動）。

年終時，我們有一個突發事件。就是在我們要離開一個月前往加州和香港（並到緬甸為那裡的教會培訓領導人）的前兩天，Phyllis 因嚴重肺炎住院。如果我們為了去看的分散在各地的孩子 (Jonathan和家庭在香港； Gayle 和 Sheryl 的家庭在三藩市地區) 和所有孫子，還是出航，就算感謝上帝，一路上肺炎並不明顯。除了不方便，肺炎還可能會致命的。無論如何，在住院一周後，她得以回家靜養，病情持續好轉，使我們能夠與我們加州的家庭歡度過聖誕節期。順便說一下，感恩節前夕正是她中風四周年，她走過很長的一段路，仍然還有一些殘餘的影響。

正值歲末，滿懷期待新一年的來臨（包括一個充滿希望的在台灣逗留數個月）。主要的問題仍然衝擊著這個脆弱的世界，我們的主的誕生將帶來生命的禮物¬--喜悅和希望。我們也祈禱將那些禮品送給你、台灣同胞和所有神的兒女。

Dear sisters and brothers of the Taiwanese Christian Church Council of N.A.:

What marvelous joy spills over from our Lord’s gift of His Son. The angels couldn’t hold in their songs of praise, the shepherds ran through the hills to Bethlehem, the wise mean came from far off to give their homage, and that joy continues down through the centuries. One personal overflow of that joy comes from your letter and the very gracious gift of $150 you sent a few weeks ago. Thank you for that and for all the memories of fellowship in Taiwan life and ministry.

Special this year also was the website you have put together. That work of love is most appreciated, for it allows us to track some good friends and colleagues that we don’t often have contact with. We thank you for the honor of including us with those people. With those friends and colleagues, in addition to you all, in mind, we’d like to include a few items of this past year—and we look forward to reading current letters from others.

This year didn’t start out particularly special for us, but it did turn out to mark one of those major points of passage in life for us. Among those blind-sided by the economic shriveling of this year was the seminary (Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO), which in turn led to an offer of "early retirement" to folks 55 and above. Though not all accepted that offer, not a few did, including myself—although at my age "early” retirement seemed more like "it's-about-time” retirement. Anyhow, as of June 1, I am retired—and we’re both enjoying while still trying to figure out life without full-time commitments. I do continue to teach part-time, which I enjoy, but we have also taken time for some travel and other pleasures (plays, concerns, social/civic activities).

There was one other major, year-end surprise. Just two days before we were to leave for a month in California and Hong Kong (and a trip to Myanmar for in-service training for church leaders there), Phyllis was hospitalized with heavy pneumonia. While that took the sails out of seeing in one month’s time all our children and all grandchildren, scattered as they are (Jonathan & family in Hong Kong; Gayle and Sheryl and families in the San Francisco area), we were thankful that the pneumonia didn’t become apparent while on the road. Beyond inconvenient, that could have been life-threatening. In any case, after a week in the hospital, she’s home and on the mend--enough that we were able to spend Christmas week with our California family. By the way, Thanksgiving Eve also marked four years since her stroke, and while she's come an incredibly long way, there are still a few residual effects.

As we stand just a couple days before the New Year, we look with anticipation at the year coming (including a hopeful stay of a few months in Taiwan). Major issues abound in this fragile world, which serve also to highlight the gifts of life, hope, and joy that our Lord came to bring. We pray those gifts for each of you, for our compatriots in Taiwan, and for all God’s children.

Your sister and brother in Christ,

Phyllis (梅惠理 – Muî Huī-lí) & Henry Rowold (羅恆理 – Lô Hêng-lí)

rowoldh@csl.edu