Year in Review

Dear friends & family,

We sincerely apologize for the lack of posts that our blog is currently producing. It has been a busy fall and winter season for Tommy and I, so let me run through a recap for you:

Cross Country (XC) Season -

I know that was FOREVER ago, but Tommy had a good season with his cross country team this past fall. It started off with me having to call an ambulance for a student but it ended with everyone of my runners getting personal records! This was officially my first year being the head coach for cross country and I had a blast! I was able to have some amazing assistant coaches who guided me and helped me along the way. The bible verse that we focused on was Romans 15:5-6. Looking forward to coming back for another season in the fall!

Romans 15:5-6

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Basketball Season -

Basketball season has come and gone! Both Tommy and I were the head coaches for our teams - Tommy for the boys team and me for the girls team. It was our first year back to playing other teams, specifically military schools. Both of our teams had at least 10 players and it was such a joy to coach and get to know our players. My girls team won the JV tournament we participated in! Tommy's team was able to participate in a tournament called Far East, at the end of the season.

Teaching & Subbing -

Tommy "This year has been going great! I have started my 4th year of teaching at OCSI! Coaching has consumed a lot of my time and has caused me to be quite busy. I have been learning to find a balance between work and coaching and it can be difficult at times. Currently I am teaching soccer while I am coaching soccer. Every year I do soccer I get nostalgia from my experiences of playing soccer in the Netherlands on my school and club team and my love for the world cup!

Brittany "I have been subbing quite a bit this year. I have enjoyed getting to experience a variety of classes."

Christmas Break -

We were so blessed and thankful to be able to go back to the US for Christmas and New Years this year. It was our first Christmas spent with our parents an

d siblings since 2019 (pre-Covid)! We got our taste of Michigan winter, even experiencing that crazy winter blizzard that hit much of the country, right before Christmas! We also welcomed a new family member into the world! My sister gave birth to her daughter, Hailey Joy, on December 20th. My parents' first grandchild.

Soccer season - Soccer season too has come and gone.

• Again, both of us were the head coaches for soccer. We had a great season! Lots more games than we had last year! Girls drastically improved from last year and were really competitive against the military teams. The boys team were a force against the other teams. We didn't lose one game and also tied against the base school Varsity teams!

• Long-term subbing - On Monday, March 13th I (Brittany) will be taking over for one of the 3rd grade teachers, and one of our dear friends. She is going on maternity leave and will be out for the remainder of the school year. So I will be her long-term sub starting March 13th. I am currently spending time in her classroom; shadowing her, getting to know her class, and teaching a few lessons.

(This has already begun it's May 1st already and Brittany has been teaching 3rd grade for over a month)

Fertility treatments - some of you are aware of this, but Tommy & I have been struggling with infertility for about a year and a half. God has given both of us a strong desire to grow our family and to have a child. It has been a long journey so far and we are still in the midst of it all, but we are extremely thankful for the love and support we have received from everyone so far - our community here in Okinawa, our family & friends back in the States - thank you everyone! God is so good and so faithful. I am not going to go into any more details on this post, but if you would like more information feel free to directly message us.

Family

We were also blessed by our family! Tommy "my family came to Okinawa for a couple of weeks! My brother showed up at Starbucks unbeknownst to me. My wife planned for months to surprise me and it was a big surprise! Super thankful for my family to have come to Okinawa to see what we have been up to!

Easter Sunday Picture!

Best surprise of my life!

Britt and I had to show our parents Park Golf!

Downtown Naha!

We had to redeem ourself from last time the three of us went fishing and only caught 1 fish. This time we as a group caught 50+ tuna! It was amazing!

Thank you mom and dad for an amazing time!

What would our posts be if we didn't have a sunset picture!

Tommy recently bought a new camera! Here are a few of his photos:

Tommy " I recently bought an entry level mirrorless camera (Sony a6400 with a Sigma 18-50mm lens). Its an APSC camera which means it has a 1.6 x crop from a full framed camera. I thought Sony has had a lot of experience and the type of camera I was looking for! If i'm ever in the area I would love to do a free photoshoot for you! I'm looking to build up my portfolio!"

I'm considering on starting a photography business. Still researching and figuring out all of the details but this is a new and exciting part of my life!

If you would like to support us by donating to our ministry, feel free to click on the URL link below. Then you can type in "Thomas and Brittany Mahaffie" into the search box and click on our names.

https://rceinternational.givingfuel.com/staff

*You can also find that information under the "CONTACT & SUPPORT" section of this website.

With love,

Tommy & Brittany (author)