In Everything

I’m back. Sorry for the long periods between posts. No excuses or reasons, other than a busy life and feeling like I had nothing worthwhile to say!

Anyway, I’m nearing the end of another read thru of the Mitford series by Jan Karon. A friend of mine introduced me to the books a few years ago and ever since I’ve been an avid fan. Many times, as I’ve stayed up way too late reading, I’ve asked myself what could be possibly be so riveting about a 60+ priest living alone in a little town that I would have difficulty putting my book down and getting some much needed sleep. But it continues to draw me in and close friends of mine are familiar already with my references to Father Tim and my disclaimer right after that I do indeed know that he is not real. Really. I do know that.

One of the things I appreciate about Karon’s writing is that she so beautifully weaves in the Truth and teaches and inspires the reader without being “preachy”. I have learned a lot from her gentle teaching. This last week I have been encouraged again to be thankful in a new way, after reading a message Father Tim preached in the book “In This Mountain”:

…..in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes. 5:18

“Our obedience to this (1 Thes. 5:18) will say “Father, I don’t know why You’re causing or allowing, this hard thing to happen, but I’m going to give thanks in it because You ask me to. I’m going to trust You to have a purpose for it that I can’t know and may never know. Bottom line-You’re God– and that’s good enough for me.”

In everything. So I’ve been trying it. I keep a journal now in which I record the things I am thankful for each day, including the things I am having trouble understanding and appreciating. Even the things that keep me awake at night, struggling with worry. Anyone reading my journal might scratch their head at some of my entries, but I know why they're there.

There is a submission in the writing and an acknowledgment that I may not understand, but He is faithful and He is worthy of my trust. I may understand some day, or I may not, but as Father Tim said, “You’re God, and that’s good enough for me.”

Father Tim may not be real, but the Truth is.

He is Risen!

Trust

I just had to share this with you. Emilie emailed her Daddy this morning as she dealt with the news that school and therefore a much awaited field trip were cancelled due to a snow storm. I think she expressed the thoughts and feelings we all experience when something goes wrong in our life. I'm following that with her daddy's reply and advice to her and then her sweet, trusting response. What a beautiful reminder of how submitting to God and trusting His work in our lives brings peace in the midst of pain. I am humbled and encouraged by her example today.


daddy today isn't any school and that really sucks because are field trip was today and another tomorrow i feel like pulling my hair out argggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!! i am so mad i am going to cry why why why did it have to snow today why not yesterday or or or saturday cause these next three days of the week were supposed to be perfect cause on friday we were having a party arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh if its no school tomorrow i wont have any hair left and my eyes will be swollen from crrryyyyyyyyyying


 I knew you would not be happy. I am so sorry honey. If I could I would come home and play with you just because I knew you would be sad. But I cant come home early either. I am sorry honey. I am praying for you to have a good day anyway.

Love you baby.

Dad


thanks daddy its just hard to know i am missing a field trip but if i keep praising god and thanking him that tomorrow is the big field trip he might make it work tomorrow and on friday. i am going to make the easter crafts mom got for me but then i will play zelda . like mom said, make out what's best of it. i just wish it didn't snow today but i will have to be brave and face what might be ahead of me and trust god to do the best because maybe school was canceled today because someone could have got hurt at the srss for our electricity field trip . ok bye

All I Need

Contrary to the look on Ivan's face, my children really did enjoy blessing me yesterday on my birthday. It was great resting in my room and hearing the sounds of Bob and the kids working together to prepare a very nice dinner. Of course, there were varying levels of participation, but it was great to just stay home together and enjoy a special occasion.

Their ultimate gift to me was this picture, though, since my kids HATE posing for pictures (especially Ivan). They did cooperate, though, and I have this treasure to remember the day by.

It’s really that simple, isn’t it? No gift would have outweighed the blessing of having my children nearby and happy. I’m so thankful I was able to have that yesterday.

 

Birthday Blessings

It's my birthday! I love birthdays and this one is no exception.

So, I am celebrating by:
       1) eating chocolate for breakfast (some received as a gift from a friend)
       2) having lunch at a cute little tea house with a dear friend
       3) enjoying a special dinner planned and prepared by my 3 kids (and their Dad)
       4) counting my blessings
       5) wondering who cut my bangs when I was 4
 

The Music Moves Me

So, Bob and I had our first dance lesson yesterday. And we survived. And so did the teachers and the onlookers.

Boy, was it intimidating. We walked in while the intermediate class was finishing their lesson. Most of them wait around and talk while we beginners have our lesson, because after that there is a time of just plain dancing and practice time. They turn down the lights and everything. This Menno girl has come a looooong way!

Anyway, knowing the intermediate class is watching is scary, especially since the teachers just launch right into the lesson and in the first lesson we learned how to dance the rumba complete with a TURN! Have mercy. Do they have any idea who they are working with? I was hoping for baby steps, but we got launched into the world of dance from a cannon. OK, not quite that bad, but it was scary. And so much fun. If it wasn't for my feet hurting from too pointy shoes, I would have danced longer. Gotta get me some better shoes. Still need to practice the turn though. I keep getting it wrong.

When we got home Bob and I showed Emilie what we had learned and she clapped and everything. We must be good.

Finding Home Part 6

Bob left and his sister arrived, and we entered what we thought was the final stretch of our stay. At this point we had been in Romania for 7 weeks. Two weeks later S arrived one evening to tell me more “bad news”. By now we had proceeded far enough with the adoption that we had entered the waiting period- a part of every adoption. It is a buffer of time in which the birth parent has the right to change their mind. A difficult time, but necessary. I had a chart marked with the days of the waiting period and cheerfully marked the days off each night as I went to bed (whatever works to keep you going!). S’s news that day was that he had discovered my lawyer had neglected to file the papers until just then, and therefore the waiting period was only starting now. I’ll never forget that moment. All my hope for going home soon collapsed, and I was devastated. How many more delays could there be?

But, after a difficult night, we determined to go on, and made the necessary arrangements to lengthen our stay. By this time many Canadians had come and gone with their new children, leaving us behind. We were now proficient at changing our departure dates on our airline tickets and extending our visas. Because Bob’s sister needed to go home before I would be able to go, we asked our sister in law if she was interested in coming to be with me for the last short stretch. She was thrilled to come and made the arrangements. By this time it was May and we had been in Romania for 9 weeks. We had arrived in winter and were now experiencing spring.

Katy continued to grow and to claim my heart. She was the bright spot in all of the waiting and I treasure the time I had with her to spend only caring for her and getting to know her-something I may not have had in the regular busyness of life at home. I also treasure the time I had to become more than a tourist in her home country. Once you are living alongside the local people for that length of time, shopping with them in their markets, using their transportation (by this time taxis were a luxury seldom possible with our stretched farther than we could ever imagine budget), you gain a new perspective and I am thankful.

S became incredibly dear to me and took care of me in that time as a father cares for his daughter. These blessings would not have been possible if we had been able to leave Bucharest as quickly as we had wanted to, so I am thankful. I have much more perspective to offer Katy regarding her country because of the length of our stay.

Anyway, the waiting period finally ended and we were able to have our final court date and gain Katy’s passport and visa and any other paperwork we needed to bring her out of the country. We were cautiously confident we were actually nearing the end and marking off the days on my chart every evening became more and more exciting.

Preparing to leave actually became heart wrenching. Leaving S and M behind was difficult. Enduring something as painful and joyful as we had, bonds you with someone, and the thought of possibly not seeing them again was very difficult. I struggled to convey to them how thankful we were for them and how sure we were they were God’s direct and purposeful gift to us. (We have met them again since, and I am so thankful).

But we did leave. My SIL had been in Bucharest for 3 1/2 weeks by now-2 1/2 weeks longer than we had expected, but we were going home!

The entire length of our stay in Romania was 12 1/2 weeks-a full 1/2 week longer than the “record holders” up to that point. A distinction I would rather not have, but we have it nonetheless.

The day before we left, S came to our house to settle last minute things. I remember him coming to me, holding my hands, and telling me that he could now confess that he had had his fears regarding our adoption. Apparently the media had been full of stories that foreign adoption was being shut down in Romania, and he was very fearful this would happen before our adoption was final. His fears were valid– Katy and I left Romania on May 29. Adoptions in Romania were ended May 30.

Is there any doubt Katy was intended for our family? Is there any doubt God was working? Is there any doubt God had a plan? None. I am humbled and amazed at His faithfulness and can hardly wait to ask Him in heaven to show me all of the unseen protection and intervention on our behalf during the whole process.

In all of this writing I have only scratched the surface of the story. Much had been left unsaid and I am sure you have questions about aspects I have left out. Feel free to leave a question in the comments and I will gladly answer.

I fully acknowledge that this has not been written perfectly. These posts always been written in snatches of time stolen at work or at home, so I have been unable to edit like I might normally. But at the same time I know God has been a part of the writing and I trust that He will work through my humble attempt's at telling this story and to glorify Him. I still dream that at some point I will be able to write the whole story, perhaps in a book.

Katy is 18 today. Eighteen years have passed since she was born and almost that many since we landed in Winnipeg airport and were greeted by her Daddy, family, and friends. God’s faithfulness has continued, and praise the Lord, will continue. I praise Him for what He did in our life and for what He will do in the future.

He has a plan. He will be working.

Finding Home Part 5

The following weeks were spent having documents translated, court dates, long line ups and our first real experience with bureaucracy. Court appointments for adoptions in the district of Ploiesti were only available on every 2nd Friday, and if that Friday happened to be some sort of holiday (there were many), you had to wait another two weeks. For every day we felt we were getting somewhere in the adoption, we had many in which we were merely waiting. We hears stories of parents who were in and out of Romania within 3 weeks, going home with their new son or daughter. For a while we had hopes that we would be among those, seeing as how we had a child to adopt the moment we landed. We were wrong.

At about 4 weeks into our stay S determined that it would be best after all to have Katy come and stay with us. The adoption was taking longer than he had anticipated and he wasn’t able to pull strings anymore to keep Katy in the hospital. We were thrilled, but he was scared. S, our “father away from home” was not at all sure that these young Canadians could possibly know how to care for a baby. He was right of course, but really-what parent does at the beginning? S arranged for a nurse to arrive every evening to show us how to bathe Katy and to care for her. A week into the visits I thought I had successfully communicated to her through gestures and a few words that we no longer needed her services. Her arrival the next evening at the regular time proved I was wrong. We had to communicate the fact through S, who did it hesitatingly.

I will never forget the day we brought Katy home from the hospital. S went in with gifts for the nurses as thank yous for their care of Katy and came out with this huge bundle of blankets. I remember that it felt like my arms couldn't even reach around it all, but I held on tight. We got into S’s car and I dared to peak into the bundle, seeing those gorgeous brown eyes blinking up at me from her little cocoon. Our girl was coming home and we were so happy!

The following days were spent in learning to care for our daughter and getting to know who she was. It was stressful and wonderful at the same time, just like it is with the arrival of any baby. Our longing at this point was to take her home to Canada. We wanted so badly to be done with the uncertainty and feeling of displacement and the hidden, but very real fear that things would continue to go slowly and badly.

At about 5 weeks into our time in Bucharest, S and M dropped by with what he called “bad news”. He informed us that evening that the adoption was going to take much longer than he had anticipated and that we would need to stay longer. He did not know how long, but we should be prepared. Bob and I had both taken 6 week leaves from our jobs, so this was an issue. We needed those jobs! Bob arranged for an additional week and we asked his sister if she would be willing to fly out to be with me once he went home. His sister took a 3 week leave from her job and excitedly made plans to join me half way around the world.

Letting Bob go home was incredibly difficult. I can’t explain how far from home we felt in a country in which only one short year before had undergone a revolution to overthrow communism. The country was still reeling, and even though democracy is desirable, the transition for a country is very difficult and we were in the middle o f this. Markets selling only potatoes and onions were the norm when we arrived. Empty stores and long lineups for eggs or milk were normal.

There was no such thing as hopping into my car if I needed groceries or something for my baby. We used taxis (something we don’t use much here in the country) subways (even less), and did a lot of walking. We learned to make do with what we could find and relied heavily on the instant chicken noodle soup we had been advised to bring along from home. I still can not cheerfully eat that kind of soup, since we ate it daily for many, many weeks. As spring arrived in Romania the choice of produce in the markets greatly improved and we began to eat better.

Anyway, because of all of this, being alone in a strange country was overwhelming. I cannot begin to put into words both how much I struggled with my faith in God nor how faithful He was to meet me in that struggle. I remember times sitting on our front step, battling moment by moment to trust Him in a situation that felt so out of control. Would we ever go home with our daughter? Leaving without her was not an option. How long could this all possibly take? Could I handle another set back or delay with the adoption? Would things get worse before they got better? Would I be safe without Bob to protect me? Had we been naïve to think we could do this? Were the prayers people were praying for us actually making a difference? And the biggest question of all-why? Why was He not moving faster? Why did we have to suffer?

Finding Home Part 4

Our first night in Bucharest included being shown to our beautiful, very old, home. We would be sharing it with other adoptive parents from Manitoba, but each couple would only pay $25 a night to stay. A significant saving over the $100+ charged at any of the hotels and a much better place (cockroach free, I might add) than many of the other options for rent. A blessing we didn’t understand until we saw some of the living conditions other Canadians were in while staying in Bucharest.

We also met our interpreter and his wife that evening-lovely people who became very dear to us over the course of the adoption and our stay in Romania. In fact, Katy’s middle name is the name of our interpreter’s wife. The story behind this is that when she made the trip in to the maternity hospital in Ploiesti (the city in which Katy was born, about ¾ of an hour from Bucharest), the birth mother indicated that she did not want to name the baby and that our interpreter’s wife should. So our wonderful, spunky friend named Katy after herself! I love that. We would have likely named her that anyway, but I think it delightful that she made sure it happened! M, our interpreter’s wife (initial to maintain privacy) had been told about a baby born to a young, single girl who didn’t want her baby to go to an orphanage, and had asked the nurse if they knew of anyone who might adopt her. One of the nurses knew that M had helped with foreign adoption in the past, so contacted M to see if she knew of someone. M answered that, yes, she had a couple from Canada coming in just a few days. She took a day off of work to go to the hospital and make arrangements with the birth mother and grandmother and convince the hospital staff to not let our baby go to anyone else (a real possibility). So that’s how we came to hear about our baby girl as soon as we arrived in Bucharest.

It is important for me to note here that just shortly before Bob and I arrived in Romania, the Romanian Government made it impossible to adopt from orphanages, due to an outcry from the Romanian public. Apparently many stories were floating around that the Americans were adopting babies and taking them back to America for scientific experiments, and the people in Romania understandably reacted to that news, true or not.
So the miracle of having a child to adopt so soon was huge, sicne many other couples coming from Canada had to spend much time searching for children “up for adoption” that were not in the orphanages yet. Many, many sad stories of children sold are the result of this situation. Bob and I are so thankful that we did not have to consider the moral implications of these situations.

I should also note here that given the situation with the orphanages, Bob and I chose not to pursue adoption of any other children at this point.

Our next day in Bucharest was spent checking in at the Canadian Embassy. We spent much time in line, and while there overheard a couple talking about their experiences while adopting. They went on and on about all of the frustrations they were encountering because they were adopting from a certain district, in which, they assured all those listening, “every jerk in the world” lived. I remember thinking I was glad we weren’t adopting a child from that district, until I heard the district they were referring to and with a sinking, even queasy feeling, realized they were using the name “Ploiesti”, which sounded just a little too familiar. More on this to come as I continue with our story.
The following days were partly spent going to Ploiesti with our interpreter to meet the birth mom and grandmother (the mom was a minor so therefore needed a parent to sign for her) and to begin the legal process of adoption. Very interesting meeting your child’s birth mom but not being able to communicate other than through gestures, eye contact, and through an interpreter. It was a moving and humbling experience to pick her up at the maternity hospital at which she had given birth and to know that she was leaving it without her baby. I am so thankful we had the opportunity meet the both of them and hopefully show them that her baby’s new parents were honest, loving people.

Katy stayed in the hospital and through some connections of our interpreter (S), was transferred to a pediatric hospital in Bucharest. S felt it was best she stay there while we worked on the adoption, so we were free to do what we needed. This was at the point where we all still believed that the adoption would be processed at a reasonable rate, so the decision made some sense at the time. Looking back, I would give anything to have brought Katy home with us right away. It would have been best, from this perspective anyway, but I have to trust that there are things I didn’t see or know, or that God’s grace will cover this as well.

Our first meeting with Katy took place a couple of days after we arrived in Bucharest. I remember walking into her room and seeing this absolutely gorgeous baby girl with a MOP of black hair and amazing dark eyes blinking up at us. Was this going to be our daughter? More grace and blessing than I could ever have imagined. How incredible. I also remember holding her and promptly being peed on, but we just laughed out of the sheer joy of meeting our girl. What an experience.

Come back tomorrow for more of the story!

Finding Home Part 3

Yesterday I promised you a story of an amazing answer to prayer, so let me begin with that. I mentioned as well that we had been planning on adopting two 3-5 year old children who had been in an orphanage and had thereby suffered a life without love and affection. We knew there would be challenges, but were willing to take those on.

Sometime before we were to leave for Romania, a close friend called me one day and asked what exactly I was hoping to adopt, meaning boy, girl, age, etc. I found myself hesitating to answer, because in my heart of hearts I knew exactly what I was hoping for, but was afraid to say it out loud. She challenged me to share it anyway, but I continued to struggle inwardly “to put it out there”. I knew I was afraid to trust God and afraid to end up being disappointed when I didn’t get what I had asked for. I finally did tell her, though, that what I was really hoping for was a newborn baby girl. I immediately added a disclaimer and acknowledgement that babies were next to impossible to adopt and that I didn’t really expect to be able to bring home a baby girl. My friend reminded me of the verse Matthew 18:19: "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” and promptly asked if I was in agreement with her to ask for a baby girl. I swallowed hard and told her, hesitatingly, that yes, I was. She pounced on it and told me that she would be checking up on me and asking if I was actually praying together with her for it. (For the record-she did).

Back to preparations. We continued to gather information and were put in contact with a woman in our province who had come back from Romania after adopting a young girl and who was now helping others prepare to go. When she found out how we were planning on landing in Bucharest with no one to meet us and how we thought we would magically find an interpreter somewhere, her response was (to Bob), “Oh, you poor, naïve man!” Turns out she was right and turns out she was an incredible gift from God to us. She made sure that someone would be waiting at the airport for us when we landed, that we would have a place to rent while we stayed in Bucharest, and that we would have an interpreter to help us find children available for adoption.

So, as I mentioned yesterday, just 2 short months after Bob and I decided to go to Romania, we were on a plane headed for Bucharest (the capital city). Somewhere between Frankfurt and Bucharest I remember Bob and I turning to each other and wondering, with panic in our eyes, what exactly we thought we were doing! It really hit home at that point that we were somewhat out of control at this point and that there was no turning back.

We landed in Bucharest, immediately dealing with culture shock as we walked from the plane, passing armed guards and into an airport with broken down doors and intermittent lighting. Once we were through customs and had claimed our baggage (including several boxes of donated medical supplies) off of the baggage claim (which looked like it would break down at any moment), we moved on to meet our contact. She was holding a sign with our names, just like in the movies. Except there was no limousine waiting for us.

As we walked with her outside to our car, she turned to us and told us that she had good news for us. She told us then, casually, that our God loves us beyond measure and that He was pleased to answer our prayers, hesitant as they were on my part. She didn’t tell us in those words of course, but rather by saying, “If you want, you can adopt a new born baby girl. Your interpreter has been in contact with a new mother and has begun to make arrangements.” IF WE WANT? Oh yes, we want! I can still not tell this story, even type it here, without weeping at the goodness of our Lord. We did not deserve this gift, but we gladly accepted it.

Without a doubt, God had a plan for this newborn baby girl and without a doubt, He was working to bring her home.

From that very moment, Katy (named after the friend who asked me to pray with her) was our daughter. We never looked back. I remember lying in our bed that night, naming her, together with Bob, and marveling at the love in my heart for a baby I had never seen, or even heard of until that day.

More to follow tomorrow.

Finding Home Part 2

The waited for information came in the mail and we began the process of getting the government requirements together.

We needed a Home Study (HS), and an OK from the Immigration Office. We were told that the collection of these requirements would likely take 6-8 months, since getting a HS and an appointment at the Immigration Office in a shorter time frame was difficult. We were discouraged by that news but began the process as quickly as possible.

In those days you could have a HS done by a private source, so when we were quickly connected with a Counselor who was qualified to do HS for the government, we were very excited. We began this process within a week or two and had the study completed in a very short time. First hurdle jumped.

The appointment at the Immigration Office came quickly too and before we knew it, we had the papers in hand that showed we had the government’s support in bringing our new children to Canada. (I should note here that at this point we were expecting to adopt 2 children, ages 3-5 or so, since there were by far more of those in the orphanages than any other ages. We understood that these children would have developmental issues because of the lack of love and affection in their early years, but were prepared to deal with those when the time came.)

There were many other requirements, more than I can remember now, including passports and Visas and other papers, but somehow we were able to acquire them all in a short time. Miraculously short.

The other issue at hand, of course, was money. Always money. We were a young couple, not at all prepared to tackle a project of this size. We did a lot of praying and through those prayers and the prayers of others, were able to refinance our mortgage and borrow money along with it. Many people from our church and families contributed as well, and though there were many moments of struggling to trust God to provide what we needed, we came to the point where we felt we had enough money to go.

So, time frame for all of this so far? Remember the prediction that all of this would take 6-8 months? We decided to pursue adoption on December 24 and were on a flight for Romania on March 3-just over two months of preparation. Nothing short of a miracle.

God was working and God had a plan.

There were many times of discouragement in those 2 months. Many moments of fear and doubt. Many well meaning people asking us if we were crazy or just naïve. But through it all was the assurance that we were within God’s will. So much was happening in this process that we could not possibly have done on our own. His Hand was working and His Spirit was guiding and encouraging. So we kept on.

Drop by tomorrow to read about another incredible answer to prayer and about our first days in Bucharest.

Finding Home

I think it’s time to tell the story.

18 years later I am taking the time to sit down and write out how God came to bring a baby girl across an ocean and to the home and family she was intended for. It’s a long story, so it will be posted in installments here. My goal is to have it completed by the 28th of this month, as that’s the day that baby girl turns 18!

It was December 24, 1990. Bob and I both had the day off and had the glorious privilege of sleeping in. As I woke up I reached over to turn on the radio to hear the morning news and catch up on what was happening locally. The announcer was talking about some little children who would be celebrating their first real Christmas ever, having just arrived in Canada with their new adoptive parents. He went on to say that thousands of children in Romania were still in orphanages, due to the poverty in the country and due to the upheaval there after Romania’s recent deliverance from a communist government.

In that moment, I turned to Bob and simply said, “We should do that.” Naive and impulsive words, but somehow it seemed so clear that Bob and I were in a place to offer a home to children who needed one. We had been hoping for children, having been married for almost 6 years, but hadn’t had any yet. We were not to the point of fertility testing, but were beginning to be impatient. Being in a place where we felt we were ready for children, but not having any yet, put us in a place of readiness for this situation.

Amazingly, only a short time before this particular day, Bob had heard about the plight of the Romanian orphans and had felt God calling us to adopt. Bob’s answer to that was “It’s fine with me, but you’ll have to convince Iris”, with the feeling that God certainly had His work cut out for Him! Imagine his excitement and awe, when I turned to him in bed that morning, totally ready and willing to do that very thing.

God was working and God had a plan. We have no doubt.

It was an excruciatingly long Christmas holiday for us, as we were anxious to get information about how to proceed. We really had no idea where to start, but started with Mennonite Central Committee as soon as we thought somebody might be back in the office after the holiday season. (We had been praying over that time of waiting and still felt that God was leading us to pursue this.) They couldn’t help us, but directed us to Samaritans’ Purse, which paid off, as they were able to connect us with an organization that helped out people wanting to adopt in Romania. It was a good start, after only a couple of phone calls. Bear in mind that this was before the day of the internet and Google and all the riches of information that would now be at our finger tips!

We waited anxiously for the information to arrive in the mail and begin to cautiously tell our family and close friends of our decision to pursue foreign adoption.

Come back tomorrow for the next part of the story-preparations to go.

Just a little about me

I've resisted filling in one of these emails so often, but for some reason today I felt like adding my information and posting it here rather than emailing it to my friends. Feel free to comment with your answers. It's amazing what we find out about each other! 

3s About Me

Three Names I have been called :
Ars
Dolly (as in Parton)
Irish

Three Jobs I have had in my life :

1. sales clerk at Zellers (draperies and cashier)
2. child care worker in a Day Care
3. sales clerk at Marks Work Wearhouse

Places I have Lived :
1.Calgary Alberta
2 Steinbach Manitoba
3.Kleefeld Manitoba

Three TV Shows that I watch:
Corner Gas
American Idol
Dancing with the Stars

Three Places I have been:
1.Germany
2.Romania
3.Bahamas

People that e-mail me regularly:
1. Bob
2. Theresa
3. Merle

Three of my favorite foods:
1. Chocolate with almonds
2. Mashed Potatoes
3. Lays Ripple potato chips

Three things I am looking forward to:
1. building our new house
2. spring
3. Fargo in August

No condemnation

"The world will bring its condemnation. They may even put their sword behind it. But we know that the highest court has already ruled in our favor. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). No one successfully.
If they reject us, he accepts us. If they hate us, he loves us. If they imprison us, he sets our spirits free. If they afflict us, he refines us by the fire. If they kill us, he makes it a passage to paradise. They cannot defeat us.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. We are alive in him. And in him there is no condemnation.
We are forgiven and we are righteous.
"And the righteous are bold as a lion." (Proverbs 28:11)

John Piper, "The Passion of Jesus Christ"

A Simple Question

I've been mulling over this ever since someone asked Bob and me a seemingly simple question not long ago.

"How can I pray for you?"

Simple, yet it's impact has stayed with me and I have been moved to think of the incredible privilege we have to stand by each other in prayer, as well as the care demonstrated by these simple words.

Being asked those words tells me that the person is asking for more than the usual “How are you? I’m fine” conversation. They want to know what’s weighing heavily on my heart, what is causing me to lie awake at night, or where the enemy is making headway in his attempt to discourage me. Simple words that, somehow, open the door for me to be honest.

The impact of the care and love shown by the question has moved me to consider asking my friends the same question. What unspoken desires and pain are around me every day? What can I take to our Father on my friend’s behalf?

May I have the strength and love to ask the question and to be faithful in my intercession.

Valentines

School was cancelled today due to extremely icy conditions as a result of rain we received over night. Turns out February is a bit early for rain here in Manitoba.
We needed something to do, so this morning was the perfect time to spend preparing the fun Valentines I had planned to make for some family and friends. I got the idea from Martha Stewart's website.
Here's some pics:

This is a shot of the gorgeous two sided paper I used, with some of the creases already folded into it:

Here's the project after some strategic folding:

Tuck in a packet of herbal tea, fold it up, write on a Valentine greeting,


and this is the end result.


A little something to (hopefully) brighten someones day and let them know I am thankful for them!

Faithful

I just delivered a message to someone attending a meeting of our Ladies Sewing Circle here at the church and in the process received a healthy dose of encouragement for myself.

Five beautiful women, many whom I've known since I was a little girl, gathered around a table for a time of reading Scripture. They were taking turns today, reading verse after verse, with voices that have gotten shaky over the years. I don't think there's a woman under 85 gathered there this afternoon.

As I listened to them read I realized what was touching me was that these women, in their many years, have experienced God's grace over and over, and therefore have a deeper understanding and knowledge of the promises they are reading. True faith developed in tough circumstances-some more difficult than I can imagine. Some have buried children, some have buried husbands, some have children who still are not believers. But they know their Lord and they take comfort from His Word and trust Him to take them through whatever lies ahead.

May my faith grow and become more beautiful, as theirs has, and may others be blessed as they see my trust in the One who is worthy.

Say Cheese

I just came back from buying $35 worth of the best cheese around-Bothwell mild cheddar. In 20 minutes I can drive to the small town of New Bothwell, choose my fresh-as-can-be cheese, and get home. Not bad. It's way less money to buy larger quantities and straight from the factory and easily worth the trip. Our family eats a lot of cheese, so we really benefit from the savings. I won't tell you how long (or short) a time the cheese lasts in our house. Let's just say "Not long enough".

Around here, cheese is rated by how much it "squeaks" when you bite into it. If it doesn't squeak, it's not fresh enough. Not that we're picky.

I encourage you to visit the Bothwell site. They ship all over the world so it may be worth your while. I can't guarantee it will squeak when it gets to you though!

Time for Montgomery!

I was excited to come across a blog that featured a link to an LM Montgomery reading challenge for the month of January. If you know me, you know I have been greatly impacted by all of her works, especially the Anne books, (to the point of naming my daughter after her and the Emily of the Emily series) and that I've read them countless times. Just a day or two before I found the challenge I had been thinking that I needed to get lost in that world again, so the timing was right!

Follow the link on my sidebar to check it and maybe even join us. There's always room for a kindred spirit!

Oh, I'll be reading the Emily of New Moon Series. I've read that it in many ways resembles Lucy's life, so I find it fascinating just for that alone.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my "makes my heart melt, amazingly funny, spitting image of my brother, shy and wonderful" son. Ivan is 14 today and I marvel at how much he has grown and how much his Dad and I love and appreciate him. He makes us laugh 20 times a day, makes us want to hang on to these days with him at home, while looking forward to seeing him as a man, and just plain makes our home a fun place to be. He is gentle and shy, yet determined and committed to truth. We love seeing him think through things and be willing to stand up for what he believes, even when he is a lone voice. 
We love you Ivan and wish you the happiest of birthdays and a wonderful year of being 14.

Our Year in Review

Since all the news shows are doing it, so will I. Here are just a few highlights of our year. I'm not the best at taking pictures, so there are definitely some highlights not documented here, but I thought it would be fun to look back and marvel again at God's grace in our lives!