Family News and Milestones 2026

We thought you would enjoy a brief peek into our lives. We’ll start with the families of our two sons, then our daughter Jenn’s family.

Ben and Bonnie in Jacksonville

Ben and Bonnie’s family of eight is busy with homeschooling and a variety of family activities. Ben is now in his 17^th year as a U.S. patent examiner and continues to find great enjoyment in his work.

During one of our visits to be with the family in Jacksonville, we enjoyed watching and listening as Patrick delivered a sermon in their children’s church. See a photo of Patrick preaching his sermon in this post: Memorial Day Weekend Family News 2025

Adriana, their oldest daughter, started gymnastics last year. We enjoyed watching her compete in Orlando last spring and look forward to seeing her compete again this year. Also, last year, Luke’s Little League team took first place! We watched him play several times.

Ben’s family is looking forward to a school trip to Washington, D.C., this spring, including a tour of the Museum of the Bible.

Josh and Nicole in Orlando

Josh and Nicole are doing well; we spent part of Christmas Day with them.

As a research engineer at Southwest Research Institute, Josh is working with a startup (originally out of MIT) on a large-scale demonstration of electrified heat. The hot air produced could be used for industrial applications at temperatures as high as 2,700°F!

Jenn and Brian in Minneapolis

Brian and Jenn’s family reached a few milestones in 2025: Kent started Kindergarten, and Lawrence took a few big steps toward walking. They would appreciate continued prayers for the boys’ health.

Brian appreciates your prayers for further development of his professional skills as a videographer, despite their busy family life.

Jenn is creating a museum exhibit for her work as a cataloguer for the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library. She has a lot to learn and accomplish before the debut. She appreciates prayer for this project and is grateful for the opportunity to grow in her skills.

They’re grateful the Lord provided a new-to-them minivan for their growing family.

Mike and Sus in Orlando

We both enjoy our work with Cru and the Bible study Mike leads at church.

Our calendar is normally full, but the last half of 2025 was even more so for Sus as she had to prioritize dental work. Thank you for all your prayers and your generous response to our need. God supplied for our expenses, AND Sus may be done with all the work by the end of January. She saw God’s care during this challenging time.

Everyone in our family gathered in Jacksonville for Thanksgiving. If you’d like to see some fun photos about our time, go to bit.ly/Schmitt2026THX.

We are all doing well and appreciate your love and prayers. We look forward to the opportunities God will provide for us to continue serving Him in 2026.