I received a strange letter in the mail yesterday.
The envelope is addressed to "Jonathan Yu" and the return address says that the letter is from "The John Hawthorne Family" of "Puposky, MN."I have no idea who these people are.
I opened the envelope and inside was a letter printed within a watercolor border of mistletoe and ribbon. Here are some excerpts:
Dear Friends and Family,
The Christmas Season finds us snug and warm in our little cottage in the north woods, as the blizzard winds howl outside. We have been at Sweet Dreams for over three years now, becoming country folks as fast as we can!
At Country Faith Church we continue doing our Bible studies, attending services and small weekly care groups. Jacey and Corrine recently found out they had BOTH been praying for God's transforming touch, as fast as possible.
Mihai and Gabriela are attending seventh grade at Heartland Christian Academy (their 2nd year there after 4 years of home school). They receive much personal attention as well as the Bible study and character development emphasis missing from the government schools.
Jacey is busy with teaching business appraisal all across the country and even taught in Istanbul and Taiwan this past year. He continues writing evaluations in his charming little home office/log cabin.
So we count our blessings and thank God for them and thank God for you. God bless you very much this coming year. It would be great to see you.
Our Love,
Jacey, Corinne, Mihai, and Gabriela
…it would be great to see me?
Included with the letter is a glossy photograph of (I assume) the Hawthorne family in the middle of a snow-covered forest with two snow dogs. The son looks adopted.
The date on the photograph is (suspiciously) December 20, 2002.
The letter, however, appears to be legitimate. On the back of the letter are the family's home telephone number and personal e-mail addresses.
If this is a joke, it's certainly an elaborate joke.
[pause]
Why did this family send me a Christmas letter and a photograph of themselves?
I'm going to call them.