Visit with Steve & Amy in Woodstock!

Several weeks ago I had the privilege of helping Steve & Amy move their things into their summer internship home in Woodstock. What a huge house for such a small family! :) It was so nice to visit and spend some quality time with them! it's wonderful to have them so close for the summer!

Family Night! :)

The other night we enjoyed a fun night of fellowship with the whole family... even Steven & Amy and Tim & Charlene made it! As is Mom's custom, she spoiled us all with her excellent cooking... and I made the same dessert that I made for our church picnic last weekend: a heavenly chocolate mousse cake... this recipe is amazing! yes, I'm finally learning the ropes in the kitchen, and it's actually quite fun!

Somehow we managed to get all the kids together for a picture, before it started pouring buckets...

We had a fun time playing Bonanza! my first time ever... great game, although I must say, my brain was fried after a long day at work, and it took me the whole game to really get the hang of it! :)

all that hard work paid off, eh Charlene? :)

This kid's a brain, as you can see! :)
(playing cards, and only just over a year old :))

silly poses for the cam... :)

China Earthquake - 2008

About a year ago, there was a terrible earthquake in China. One of the reporters who went there to investigate further into the cause of the earthquake, and to interview the mother of one of the children who died, encountered animosity and even violence from the authorities, which was caught on video... you can read/see the video about it on the Financial Times World News website.

It's so sad to think of the incredible amount of oppression and intervention of the government on every part of the life of the Chinese people, and even on outsiders! We know of it, but often forget about it - they live such a different life, so totally unfamiliar to us.

We can be so thankful for the freedoms that we have here in North America! Sometimes it seems as if we're slowly giving up our freedom in other less noticeable ways (but perhaps more sinister?) - take for example the new driver's license: it's got a radio chip and barcode in it that can be tracked through some sort of magnetized code (I don't understand it completely). You can read a little bit about it on The Toronto Star's website. The U.S. is also starting to issue these new "enhanced" drivers licenses (click here or here to read more).

Sign of the times? who knows...

Valley of Vision

Thou incomprehensible but prayer-hearing God,

Known, but beyond knowledge,

revealed, but unrevealed,

my wants and welfare draw me to thee,

for thou hast never said, ‘Seek ye me in vain’.

To thee I come in my difficulties, necessities, distresses;

possess me with thyself,

with a spirit of grace and supplication,

with a prayerful attitude of mind,

with access into warmth of fellowship,

so that in the ordinary concerns of life

my thoughts and desires may rise to thee,

and in habitual devotion I may find a resource that will

soothe my sorrows, sanctify my successes,

and qualify me in all ways for dealings with my fellow men.

I bless thee that thou hast made me capable

of knowing thee, the author of all being,

of resembling thee, the perfection of all excellency,

of enjoying thee, the source of all happiness.

O God, attend me in every part of my arduous and trying pilgrimage;

I need the same counsel, defence, comfort I found at my beginning.

Let my religion be more obvious to my conscience,

more perceptible to those around.

While Jesus is representing me in heaven, may I reflect him on earth,

While he pleads my cause, may I show forth his praise.

Continue the gentleness of thy goodness towards me,

And whether I wake or sleep, let thy presence go with me,

thy blessing attend me.

Thou hast led me on and I have found thy promises true,

I have been sorrowful, but thou hast been my help,

fearful, but thou hast delivered me,

despairing, but thou hast lifted me up.

Thy vows are ever upon me,

And I praise thee, O God.

--Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, God Enjoyed

Columbine High School Shooting - Parent's Address

Just a week ago we passed the anniversary of the horrible high school shooting at Columbine (April 20, 1999). Darrell Scott, the father of one of the victims of this tragedy, spoke to the House Judiciary Committee just a month later.

I couldn't find his address on the House Judiciary's Website (I'm wondering if they might have taken it off), but found it on the National Rifle Association's page (find it here). His address is very moving, and forces us to see where sin and violence actually come from - our own hearts.

"Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?...." James 4:1

His Masterpiece

My life is but a weaving, between my God and me,
I do not choose the colours, He worketh steadily,
Oftimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.
Not till the loom is silent, and shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful in the skillful Weaver's hand,
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned. (anonymous)


I found this poem while reading Corrie Ten Boom's book, A Tramp for the Lord. Her life was often hard and full of sorrow, yet she always rejoiced to see God's working, and loved to do His will and tell of His love. Her testimony is such an example to me, how she persevered, trusting the Lord, even when life looked anything but hopeful. She says,

Although the threads of my life have often seemed knotted, I know, by faith, that on the other side of the embroidery there is a crown.

Looking at life from God's eternal perspective gives hope; I know that all things will work together for good, because I love God, and I know I'm called by Him (Romans 8:28). There are so many things right now that I sometimes think, "What His purpose in putting this in my life? why do things have to happen this way? why does it seem like everything is going wrong?"

But in the broader perspective, we must learn to see that God has His own mysterious purposes, some of which we will never know until we join Him in glory. And really, "this life is just a vapour... it will soon pass away." When we get to heaven, it will seem like such a short moment that we were here on earth, and we will wonder why we didn't trust God more, live for Him to the utmost of our ability, or love Him to our greatest capacity. Why do we worry about our lives? what can we accomplish by worrying? God will take care of you, and show you His ways if you keep trusting Him, resting in Him, waiting on Him.

Take Strength

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
2 Timothy 2:1

These strong, simple words can be spiritual adrenaline for us when we need them . They were written by a man who knew what he was talking about, as he himself was in prison. He was writing to a young minister who was also suffering and evidently tempted by doubt, fear, even uncertainty of his call. The older man admonishes him very lovingly to take his share of suffering, take his share of hardship like a good soldier, and to take strength from the grace of God.

Where shall I ever find the strength I need to get through this experience, this ordeal, this day, this week? The answer is Take it! Take it from the grace which is ours already, in Christ Jesus.

"Here it is," He is saying, "Will you have some?"
"Yes, thank You, Lord. I'll take it."


A Lamp for my Feet, Elisabeth Elliot

Faith Bible Conference

February 9-13

LaFayette, IN

One cannot help but come away from Faith Bible Conference refreshed and energized in your walk with the Lord. Listening to these men and women of faith stimulates a desire for truth, growth in faith, passion for lost and hurting people. This conference, though it is designed for those heading into the counseling ministry, has proven to be very helpful for me in my walk with God.

We get a whole lot of knowledge and theory in our Reformed churches; and for sure, this is all very good. But what are we struggling with every day? what are we saying, thinking, doing? how are we spending our time? sometimes it's hard to connect theory with practice. We struggle to know how to handle our problems Biblically. I struggle to know how to help my friends - what do I say when they go through hard times? How can I help them, and direct them to the One who can alone provide true hope even in our trials?

God has used this conference to bring me to my knees and to see my sin. But He doesn't just leave it at that - He also shows how we can overcome those sins and live a life full of joy and hope! It is my prayer that I may learn to put to practice what I'm learning, and help others to also find the joy and hope in believing in our Saviour's name.

We had a wonderful visit with Steve and Amy and Sierra on the Sunday that we were there; they've been living in Chicago while Steve goes to seminary training there.

The weather was beautiful, perfect for a walk... it brought back memories of Michele and my walk from the previous year...

Sunday night, Brian, Liz, Charlene, Tim, and myself all enjoyed playing a game of "Train through Europe" (is that right, Charlene?)

I didn't really take many pictures the rest of the week...

packing up and heading home!

he loves his teddy's

Mom went down to check on Jaden during his nap one time last week.... she was shocked and frightened to see his empty bed, and frantically searched the rest of Carole and Kevin's place, only to come back to his room again, and find that he had climbed out of bed and lay down amongst all his teddy's, and promptly fell back to sleep.

A Hunger for God

John Piper, in his book A Hunger for God has some powerful ideas and revelations on fasting - why people did it in the past, why we should be doing it still, some of the misconceptions that we have of fasting... he has a totally different perspective that's really refreshing and encouraging. Fasting is another means of bringing glory to God. It must be done with the right motives; it's not about earning "browny points" to get us closer to God. Rather, it's about seeing Christ's all-sufficient work on the cross. It's "an expression of secure and happy longing for the all-satisfying fullness of Christ.... it looks away from itself to the final payment of Calvary for every blessing it will ever receive.... it is a hunger for God awakened by the taste of God freely given in the gospel." We fast in order to cultivate a hunger for God - whether that hunger is something that we have, or something that we desire to have.

The following quote from this book was very convicting; it's so easy to be carried away by all the things in this world - the 'things' that we have, the 'things' that we 'need', things that we just can't live without, be it a person, possession, dream, ambition, etc.

"The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all theill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is a pice of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18-20). The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for thesimple pleasures of eath. for when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable....

..."the pleasures of this life" and "the desires for other things" (Luke 8:14, Mark 4:19) -- these are not evil in themselves. These are not vices. These are gifts of God. They are your basic meat and potatoes and coffe and gardening and reading and decorating and traveling and investing and TV-watching and Internet-surfing and shopping and exercising and collecting and talking. And all of them can become deadly subsitutes for God."

"[Chrisian fasting] keeps the preferring facutly on alert and sharp. It does not let the issue rest. It forces us to ask repeatedly: do I really hunger for God? Do I miss him? Do I long for Him? Or have I begun to be content with his gifts?"

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73: 25-26

A Chance to Die

To be transformed in to the image of Christ I must learn his character, love his obedience to the will of the Father, and begin, step by step, to walk the same pathway. For Christ the pathway of obedience began with emptying Himself. I msut begin at the same place.

He "made Himself nothing." (Phil. 2:7 NEB)
"You must arm yourselves with a temper of mind like His." (1Pet. 4:1 NEB)
"If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must leave self behind." (Matt. 16:24 NEB)

What does this mean? Is it mere words? How can one leave self behind, make himself nothing? The answer will not come in a vacuum. If a man or woman honestly wishes to be a follower, the opportunity will present itself. Christ will say,"Here is your chance. Now, in this situation, you must make your choice. Will it be self? Or will you choose Me?"

An oder missionary said something to Amy Carmichael when she was a young missionary that stayed with her for life. she had spoken of something which was not to her liking. His reply was,"See in it a chance to die."

A Lamp for my Feet, Elisabeth Elliot

Resolutions

The following are selected resolutions from The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards:

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

19. Resolved, never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.

20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance, in eating and drinking.

(I could work on that one!)

29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.

30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.

36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. Dec. 19, 1722.

37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,- what sin I have committed,-and wherein I have denied myself;-also at the end of every week, month and year. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.

46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye: and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family.

53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.

60. Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4, and 13, 1723.

62. Resolved, never to do anything but duty, and then according to Ephesians 6:6-8, to do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man:‹knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.Š June 25 and July 13, 1723.

65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness, of which I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance; according to Dr. Manton' s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119. July 26, and Aug.10 1723.

67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what am I the better for them, and what I might have got by them.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

Watching Quietly, Praying Silently

The man whom Abraham sent to find a wife for his son Isaac had been long in Abraham's service. No doubt he had learned much of trust and obedience through watching his master walk with God. He set out on his mission, confident that God would help him. Beside the Well of Abram of Tow Rivers he halted his camels and was praying silently when a beautiful young woman appeared with her water jar on her shoulder. She responded to his request as he had prayed she would, and he watched quietly to see whether the lord had made his journey successful (Gen. 24:21).

Very possibly we often miss what God wants to show us because we don't take time to pray silently and watch quietly. It was by doing those tow things, along with the obvious practical things (let us not leave those undone) that the servant was able to say, "I have been guided by the Lord" (Gen. 24:27 NEB).

A Lamp for my Feet, Elisabeth Elliot

Invisible Blessings

Being very much of the earth - earthy - we always want tangible, visible things - proofs, demonstrations, something to latch onto. If we always had them, of course, faith would be "struck blind." When Jesus hung on a cross, the challenge was flung at Him: Come down! He stayed nailed, not so that spectators would be satisfied (that miracle, his coming down, would have been a great crowd-pleaser), but that the world might be saved.

Many of our prayers are directed toward the quick and easy solution. Long-suffering is sometimes the only means by which the greater glory of Go will be served, and this is, for the moment, invisible. We must persist in faith. God has a splendid purpose. Believe in order to see it.

"Our troubles are slight and short-lived, and their outcome an eternal glory which outweighs them far. Meanwhile our eyes are fixed, not on the things which are seen, but on the things that are unseen" (2 Cor. 4:17, 18 NEB).

A Lamp for my Feet, Elisabeth Elliot

Leave Him to Me

When there is deep misunderstanding which has led to the erection of barriers between two who once were close, every day brings the strengthening of those barriers if they are not, by God's grace, breached. One prays and finds no way at all to break through. Love seems to "backfire" every time. Explanations become impossible. New accusations arise, it seems, from nowhere (though it is well to recall who is named the Accuser of the brethren). The situation becomes ever more complex and insoluble, and the mind goes around and around, seeking the place where things went wrong, brooding over the words which were like daggers, regretting the failures and mistakes, wondering (most painfully) how it could have been different. Much spiritual and emotional energy is drained in this way - but the Lord wants to teach us to commit, trust, and rest.

"Leave him to me this afternoon," is what his word is. "There is nothing else that I am asking of you this afternoon, but that: leave him to Me. You cannot fathom all that is taking place. You don't need to. I am at work - in you, in him. Leave him to Me. Some day it will come clear - trust Me."

"Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand, and he will lift you up in due time. Cast all your cares on Him, for you [and the other] are his charge" (1Peter 5:7)

A Lamp for my Feet, Elisabeth Elliot

Toronto Motorcycle Show!

December 12, 2008

How fun, that Robert also loves motorcyles! :) I never thought I'd find someone who likes those noise-making, speedy, adrenaline-pumping toys as much as me! I think that's the one thing about Robert that my family shakes their heads at...

We were talking to this guy who gives tours all over the world on his bike (see below)... On one trip, he went all the way round the world, going west through Canada, up through Alaska, over into Russia and down through Europe, then south to Africa. His next trip, he'll be shipping his bike (pictured below) out to Africa and giving a tour, raising money for some schools that he supports. He was pretty interesting to talk/listen to!

I'm not sure for what reason, but they had some really cool birds on display at the show - peregrine falcons, owls, a bald eagle and a couple others as well.

After the show we enjoyed a delicious dinner at East Side Marios...

after dinner we walked around downtown and then made our way home again

Niagara Falls

November 29

:)

Before heading off to the Messiah concert that evening, we enjoyed dinner and a walk at Niagara Falls, looking at the light displays...

Our first picture together :)

Contrary to some belief, Robert is NOT a goat farmer, as one of my previous posts might have suggested (see here) :) haha nope that is most blessedly untrue.... (no offense to any goat farmers who may read this)

Tell it with Flowers...

November 15, 2008

Guess who these beauties were from?

:)

"Jili" the Stray Kitten

November 2008

All day that saturday we heard this little wimpering "meow" coming from underneath the steps to Kevin and Carole's entrance. Finally, that evening Michele went and investigated and sure enough, she found the sweetest little kitten! We had a lot of fun playing with the baby kitty, feeding it, cuddling with it... however we knew we couldn't keep it (although Michele took some convincing!). Eventually Michele found a home for it.

Royal Winter Fair

First we went to the goat pens and petted them until our hands turned black! they were so sweet, I just loved them....

The cows were a little bigger and less loveable/touchable... I was a little scared of them, and their slobbery mouths and huge muscles - wouldn't want to turn off one of those massive bulls!!!

but I still got a picture with one none-the-less! :)Superdogs Show was pretty exciting :) the MC was a little over the top, and the performance was definitely geared towards a younger crowd - but nevertheless we thoroughly enjoyed the show (or at least, I did! :))

The picture on the right shows the height that one of the greyhounds jumped - apparently it was the world's record for the highest indoor jumping!

The RCMP show was probably pretty cool too; we only saw them as they got ready to go out to the rink to do their show - you could watch it on TV, but at the Fair you had to pay another $20 to get in - so being the Dutchies we are, we opted against it :) there was enough to see already without the horse show.

Rob is REALLY hard to get a picture of!!! so unfortunately I didn't get even one picture of him... :(

What's been going on for the last 3 months??

Allow me to introduce you to someone: Robert H.
I'm sorry to say, that Robert does not believe in pictures... so you'll have to wait for a photo!

The last couple of months since Charlene's wedding have been a whirlwind of activity... I had thought that things would slow down after the wedding, but just the opposite has happened! not at all a bad thing, really :)

First, a phone call...
which turned into a blind date the day after Tim & Charlene's wedding in October! yes... can you believe it? I allowed myself to be set up on a blind date - no idea whatsoever WHAT he looks like, WHO he is, WHAT his history is, VERY little of anything about the guy... but I had heard some good reports about him so I was willing to see what this guy was about.

Chinese Lantern Festival

Rob and I had a wonderful time at Ontario Place, talking a lot as we walked through the park, observing all sorts of light displays of so many things: dinosaurs, animals from all different countries, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, and more....

A broken camera...

I was trying to photograph every moment, as I so love to do... but then I carelessly let the string on my camera slip off my hand, and my camera went flying to the cement ground and broke - and I couldn't take any more pictures! :( Rob sweetly offered to buy me another camera, which I vehemently refused! However, I later found out that he actually hadn’t offered to BUY a camera, only to help me find a place where I could buy one myself! hmph. :)

A few weeks later, Rob sent me some pictures from the Lantern Festival. I wondered how he got them, and discovered later that he had advertised on kijiji, asking anyone if they had any pics, to send him some! :) awww...

Stranded at Ontario Place...

Making our way back to his truck at the end of the night, we were somewhat alarmed to find that it wasn't there anymore! what a shock!

We'd had a bit of trouble getting into the parking lot, because neither of us had had enough cash, which was the only form of payment. Eventually, we gave the little that we had, and the non-English speaking attendant shooed us in (we think he might have taken the money for himself - but I guess we'll never know) anyhow we never got a receipt to display! so perhaps the car was towed, we thought!

We found security officer and a cop, who walked with us to where we thought we'd parked - they were sure that we had parked in the next lot over, but it just didn't seem possible! there was no way we'd walked that far... and besides, we had parked beside a dead seagull, and there it was, a dead seagull and the open parking spot beside it where the truck should have been! the security and cop managed to convince us to walk to the next lot, upon which we found, to our embarrassment, that they were right! :) haha

They said that Rob joked that we must have been lost in each other’s eyes when we had been walking before - b/c we didn't remember seeing any of the things that we passed! I was slightly taken aback - we had only just met, and he's joking about being "lost in each other’s eyes"?! but I guess it was true ;)

A wonderful night, none the less...
Despite the problems, we had a wonderful time! :)

Laser Eye Surgery

Just 3 1/2 weeks ago I had the opportunity to get laser eye surgery done... I would post pictures of how my eye looked after the surgery, but I didn't think it'd be very nice for the viewers to be accosted by the image of my bruised eyeball... so I refrained :)

You're welcome.

Maybe you're wondering, "did it hurt? what did they do to you? how long did it take for you to recover? what were you thinking/feeling? what's your vision like now? did it really work as well as everyone says it does? would you recommend it?"

No it didn't hurt at all! (and I would say that I have a high pain sensitivity). There's several different procedures available, the most common are PRK and LASIK.

1. PRK
An older method in which the surgeon takes a knife and cuts the cornea back- actually, I think they just scrape off a very thin layer of the cornea, and then do the surgery; the cornea does not get replaced after the surgery (my stomach turns at the thought). Then they do their laser thing and it's all over... it's supposed to be the most painful method. "The surgeon removes the outer layer of the cornea (epithelium) with a surgical blade or blunt instrument. The laser beam, guided by a computer, is then used to vaporize tiny amounts of tissue under the surface of the cornea. The procedure removes just enough tissue to reshape the cornea in a way that corrects vision. The initial healing process is complete in about a week." (read more about it here)

2. LASIK
A newer method, much better than PRK... "This surgery is more complicated. The surgeon first cuts a flap in the cornea with a very sharp blade or laser, and then lifts it and uses a computer-guided laser to remove calculated amounts of tissue from the inside layers of the cornea. Afterwards, the flap is put back and the eye heals more quickly than with PRK." (read more about it here)

You can get the LASIK surgery with a blade or with a laser.... I opted for the laser, because then I could get a lifetime guarantee (if you're a candidate, that is). Also, a laser's bound to be more accurate than someone's shaky hand! :) the Bladeless LASIK method is the most accurate type of surgery available right now; it's pretty much guaranteed to have perfect results.

A bruised eye ball is not so beautiful to look at.... but it's a lot better when compared to watching the surgery itself take place!!!! ugh, it's awful! if you think you can stand it, take a look at the video... I watched the first little bit but then had to cover the screen with my hand and close the window with my other hand !!! I went into the surgery somewhat ignorant of what they would do to me... every time I tried to research the surgery or listen to my doctor explain, I just got grossed out... now that I've been through it, I thought I'd look into what they did, and in a sense, it's interesting... but I probably would NEVER have had the surgery if I knew exactly what it would entail! If you think you want to see it, the following youtube clip will show you the entire surgery. The surgery is only 8-10 minutes per eye. Here it is...

Before the surgery, I was a nervous wreck! they tried everything - the calming music, the water trickling down the fountain, the relaxant pill, the reclining chair.... yeah whatever! these people were about to laser off my eyeballs!!!!!!!

Then they led me to the operating room and sat me down... First they put this brace thing on your eye so that your lid doesn't close. Then everything's black except for the flashing laser, and then you feel this weird sensation that something wet is coming off of your eye ball!!!!!! I think that's when they laser'd off the cornea... but I'm still not too sure if that's actually what happened! some time goes by, and then someone's always calling out the remaining time: "just a minute left, Louise, you're doing great, just 30 seconds left, awesome Louise, " etc etc... and then it was over!! They were really sweet, so caring! But they better be - I had to pay them the hefty sum of $5000!!!! but it's an investment... it'll pay itself off. Glasses are anywhere from $400-600, and contacts are about $300 per year! so I'm thinking it was worth it, looking at it from a 20-year span.... in about 20 years or so I might need to get reading glasses, but that's okay I guess...

For the first few minutes after the surgery it was a bit hazy, but even just a few hours later, everything was crystal clear! and it has been ever since! I'm going for a checkup on Thursday - by then it will have been exactly one month since my surgery. My eye doctor had told me that I was a perfect candidate for the surgery b/c of my eye shape and corneal thickness, and my prescription (it was 4.00 and 3.75)... I'm extremely happy with the results, and highly recommend it if you can! it's so wonderful to not have to depend on my glasses / contacts anymore!! I think it's so amazing to see what doctors can do nowadays.... I feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to get the surgery done, and that it went so well too!!!!

Thank God I didn't go blind and that it all went well after all! :)

I just love it!

A prayer for the world

Dear Lord,

I pray right now for a major crisis I don't know about and that isn't being reported on. Thank you that you know what is going on in every corner of the globe, and that you always care. Thank you, too, for having chosen to share in the suffering of this world through your Son and his sacrifice on the cross.

I pray for Congo, where war still rages, where corruption is rampant, where children brandish machine guns, and where displacement and severe economic instability is leading to the starvation of many. Help us to care about this because, we confess, it can be hard.

I pray for Orissa, India, where there is perhaps more persecution of simple followers of Christ than perhaps anywhere else in the world. Whole villages being burned down, hundreds in hiding, many killed. Comfort those who have been or still are being affected directly, and for those who have been affected indirectly through the loss of loved ones. As these families suffer, may we suffer with them, and grieve for them - as your Spirit does. Show us what we should do. Send the comforter, your Spirit. And may we respond to the persecutors not in anger or hatred, but in love. In fact, from all of this, send labourers to go to, live among, work with, and care for the primary persecutors of these people.

I pray for Zimbabwe, which continues in crisis, where the limbs of opposition party members' children are being hacked off by the brutal regime in a mostly-successful attempt to intimidate. I pray for the leader of the opposition, Tsvangirai, who is in talks with Zimbabwe's repressive leader, Mugabe, through the mediation of the President of South Africa - for Tsvangirai in this time when he undoubtedly feels the hopelessness of grave injustice. Give him wisdom at this critical moment. For the nation of Zimbabwe, which is receiving perhaps only 0.1% of the coverage of the U.S. elections, we pray for *your* attention. And we know in faith that it has it.

As the great nation of China returns to business as usual in the aftermath of the Olympics, we pray for the unknown pastors hidden behind bars - imprisoned for their faith. We pray for their families - that you will comfort them.

I pray for Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam - and for the hundreds of thousands who are captive to the sex trade in this region. I pray for those who have been infected with AIDS and are dying from it - feeling shamed and worthless. Show them that you love them and that they have great worth in your eyes. I pray for the thousands of children, who at such a tender age have been flung into cesspools of sin, forced by those who shelter them to gratify the desires of clients. Bring justice, Lord.

For a child huddling under a mound of simmering garbage in a slum in Egypt or Peru or Bangladesh, I pray. For the young professional who running after career and money, but is feeling hopelessly lonely and empty, I pray. For the man who is facing bankruptcy, I pray. For the families who are being affected by the war in Iraq, I pray.

In the midst of all the lostness, pain, and hopelessness; I thank you for what you are doing, and for the sure hope so many have found in you. Thank you for that family in Southeast Asia that has taken in unwanted orphans. Thank you for that center in Uruguay that is opening its arms to the people no one else wants. Thank you for the *many* who are working, hour after hour, on behalf of those I have been praying for right here - many in the trenches, many on their knees, many in advocacy. Send more workers, Lord, and use us as you will.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

"But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish." - Psalm 9:18

---> Nigel Barham, Thursday, September 4, 2008 Blog Entry

Daily Strengths for Daily Needs

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage,
and He shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psam 27:14

He giveth power to the faint;
and to them that have no might he increaseth strenth.
Isaiah 40:29

Leaning on Him, make with reverent meekness
His own thy will,
And with strength from Him shall thy utter weakness
Life's task fulfill.
JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER

Should we feel at times disheartened or discouraged, a confiding thought, a simple movement of heart towards god will renew our powers. Whatever He may demand of us, He will give us at the moment the strength and the courage that we need.

FRANCOIS FENELON

We require a certain firmness in all circumstances of life, even the happiest, and perhaps contradictions come in order to prove and exercise this; and, if we can only determine so to use them, the very effort brings back tranquility to the soul, which always enjoys having exercised its strength in conformity to duty.

KARL WILHELM VON HUMBOLDT

(all of the above selections are from Daily Strengths for Daily Needs, August 20; I've been wanting to post it since I read it, but haven't had the chance till now! I hope you are edified by reading it. )

Camp Tamarack

(Photo courtesy of ypfriends! thanks! :)
Unfortunately I did not take ANY pictures at camp!
:( :( :(
very unusual for me.... what a shame, especially since my memories are mainly built on photos!!! (I hate to think what would happen if I lost all my photos, or worse yet, if I lost my eyesight! )

Camp Tamarack is over! Once again, it was a great week! Throughout the week, we heard seven messages from Pastor Anjema, Pastor Vogel, and Pastor Stringer on the theme of "the glory of God", along with workshops on various topics from which each camper chose two.

Each message that was brought brought different points of conviction. I pray that God will continue His work in me and in the others who were at camp, and that our lives may display God's glory for all the world to see! It's far too easy to get on that 'high' at camp, and then you come home and find that things are just as you left... I pray that each one would purpose in his/her heart to live out what they've learned, that they would be changed and renewed after this week of spiritual refreshment.

This year was somewhat different for me than other years - mostly because it was my 7th year helping out at camp. There's a lot of young people coming up who are beginning to replace the older ones. It felt strange to not have as many of those older people there this year, and though it was still fun, it certainly felt strange to be one of the older ones (I was the 4th oldest female camper!).

Now I'm one of the role models for these young people - yikes, what a thought! ;) I've always struggled with feelings of inadequacy in fulfilling this role, especially at camp, and this year was no exception. I see so much in me that needs to change, so much sin that needs to be expelled; I need the Lord's work in me so much, every day! I know that God hasn't yet finished working on me. He will continue to purify me, cleanse me from my sin, and make me more into the image of His Son Jesus Christ.
I long for the day when I may be perfectly whole!

August 16

It's been seven years now since Dad passed away.... time passes so quickly. We still miss him a lot, but God's grace is sufficient for our every need. I look forward to the day that we'll meet each other again in heaven!

[The Lord] knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.

But the mercy of the LORD
is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments
to do them.

Psalm 103:14-18

"Daffodils"
-- William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

I wandered lonely as a cloud,
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced;
But they out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Arrival in Bulgaria, Veliko Tarnovo

I'm sorry to those of you who have been wanting to see pictures from Ruth and my trip in Europe! Pictures take absolutely FOREVER to upload to the blog - so I thought I'd make slideshows instead...

The following slideshow is of our arrival in Bulgaria, and of our tour through Veliko Tarnovo, an mideival city which also used to be one of the old capital cities in Bulgaria. I mentioned it also in one of my email updates.

The slideshow's actually only 3 minutes... but the song goes for nearly 5 minutes! I don't know how to fade it out!

House Cleaning!

Last week a bunch of people from my church were getting the house ready for our missionaries (Rich & Ange) who are back on furlough from Mexico. It's awesome for us, because they're living right across the road from us! sweet little helper
I was cleaning the windows, not taking pictures of myself :)
ugh... yet so beautifully made, at the same time!

it was weaving its web outside one of the windows I was cleaning

Rich & Ange, we're looking forward to fun times ahead with you guys and your kids!

Visit at Tim & Charlene's

After cleaning at Dan & Joyce's new house last week while they were on their honeymoon, I had dinner at Tim & Charlene's - our first dinner in their new condo! there were a lot of firsts that day: I was the first to use their shower, to have dinner there, to use the new dishes, cutlery & glasses, and to use their beautiful new dining room table! pretty exciting! :)

Thanks for the fun times, guys!! looking forward to many more to come! :)

Splash Pad!

Charlene and I got to take the kids to the splash pad last week! the water was absolutely freezing cold, but it was tons of fun! Ash & I dared each other to go through all the different water spray things, but Charlene & Jaden both found it too cold for their liking.

as we approached the splash pad, Jaden got a little nervous ;) he doesn't seem to love water as Ashleigh does! but perhaps that's good thing, at his age.

But he sure doesn't mind getting OTHER people wet! he started a waterfight - him against all us girls! :)

but he soon ended the fight by dumping the rest of the water out...

It was a beautiful day in a beautiful park! it was fun being a kid again ;)

Charlene also posted on the day...

Dan & Joyce's Wedding!!!

the beautiful bride...

I didn't take very many pictures of the day... but Carole took some good ones.

Later at the reception...

our MCs for the evening:
Tim & Charlene

hehe I'm sorry Tim... the following picture makes up for it :)

they sure got practice with those swooping kisses! :)

Beppe with her three beautiful daughters handsome & beautiful, aren't they? ;)
"Great is Thy Faithfulness"
by TorontoYP

My mom and Joyce's mom are like two peas in a pod - they even bought the same dress (by accident!) :)

The Shoe Game

"who's going to wash the dishes?"

but they disagree on some things...

was this question "who's the better driver?"

Congratulations, Dan & Joyce! It was such a blessed day! I pray that your life together will truly be blessed by the Lord!

IT'S FINISHED!!! :)

I can finally say that I'm done my degree at York University! it took me a while longer than I had hoped, but that's okay :) During my last year at York, I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, with a TESOL certificate (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), which will now enable me to be able to teach pretty much anywhere in the world. However, I am yet unqualified to teach children, or to teach in the public school system in Canada. It's somewhat ironic: I'm not qualified to teach ESL to children, but I am qualified to teach adults (immigrant adults, that is). I've been considering a few options, one of which could possibly mean going overseas to teach English... otherwise I could stick around in Toronto and teach here.... we'll see where the Lord leads.

This final year at York was the best year I had there - we had the best teacher EVER (the first picture that you'll see in the slideshow), who really has a gift for teaching and for bringing the class together as a unit. Thanks Joanne! and thank you, all my classmates! I hope to be as good a teacher as her one day :)

At our final class we had a class party for which I put together the following slideshow. But be warned - it's 15 minutes long!!! :)

York University TESOL Class 2008!

I wish you all the best!!!

Bulgaria - Week 5!

Hasovitsa, BulgariaHasovitsa Conference --Ruth

On May something we set out for Hasovitsa. The curving, twisting road followed a meandering river, and Lou’s ever-responsive stomach reacted accordingly. Of course, car-sickness is bad of itself, but when you have two car-sick little girls draped across you, one gets a double-dose. Thus we greeted Hasovitsa with varying sighs of relief, the loudest coming from the turmoiled depths of poor Louise. We stepped into the “Rodopian Region”.

Our host, Zladka and her son, Bobby

The villa we slept in was as picture-perfect as Hasovitsa itself. It was heated only with fireplaces, built of concrete, block and tile, and could sleep 20 people in BEDS! (Have you ever heard of such a place?) We were heartily welcomed by our two hostesses, Zlatka and Tinka. The two ladies are sisters who live with their extended family in a huge house in the nearby city of Smollyen. Zlatka is a computer programmer and Tinka is a home-maker. They were so incredibly unique! Both had a hilarious sense of humor, a warm heart and vast knowledge of mountain herbs. There was hardly a day when they weren’t collecting something from the mountain-side, whether it was pine sprigs for pine honey (mmmm…) flowers for juice (!!!), or the like. LOL, they even pointed out the source of Viagra :) Zlatka has a sweet imp of a boy named Bobby (6 years). Bobby wore a wily, smily look about him and always had “a trick!” or knew “this trick!” We’re pretty sure he’s going to be a magician when he grows up :) Ninka (8) is his sister and the daughter of Tinka. When a girl is as sweet and kind as Ninka is, it’s a bit hard to describe her. She was a bit quiet, and obviously treasured every moment spent with friends. When Louise and I remember Ninka, we are also most encouraged by what God has enabled us to do for our Bulgarian friends. At one point in the week, an English friend of hers (Cindy) spoke to her mother. Hearing the English conversation, Ninka exclaimed, “Mom, Cindy speaks Bulgarian!” The truth is that Ninka wasn’t used to understanding English! That was SO exciting to hear :)

Tinka and her daughter, Ninka

Elian & Radoslava --Ruth
I haven’t mentioned one of the main organizers of our trip yet: Radoslava. Before traveling to Hasovitsa, we stayed a few days at Elian & Slava’s house. They have two wonderful and lively daughters, Teddy (8) and Vicky (5). Teddy likes surpass the boys (she’s a confirmed tomboy), and yet she likes to dress up and dance. We’ve established her future career to be a lion tamer :) Vicky is constantly singing –in fact, due to her 5-year-old English skills, this was one of the main ways we got to know her. She loves to hold hands or hug. She’s also got an eye for fashion, and we’ve set her out as a future fashion designer, in the classic style of frilly flouncy dresses. Their father Elian works with computers as well and works admirably hard at his and Slava’s small business. By the end of the trip, Slava felt like a very close aunt for me. She’s a historian, and has a unique story or saying for every little custom or site one comes across. It was so sad to leave her, her girls, her wisdom and stories behind.

Elian & Radoslava and Nikki

Teddy (Theodora)

Vicky (Victoria) and Nikki (Nikolas)

Jivko and Iliana – Louise
Jivko and Iliana have three children: Stephan (5), Gabbie (3) and Sammy (1). Jivko is a computer programmer and has his own business. We didn’t get to know him very well, because the only time that we had to talk to him was when we went out for dinner one night with his family and Elian and Radoslava’s family. The majority of the evening, their heads were huddled close as they debated and discussed the latest technology. During their deep conversations however, Ruth and I were able to talk with Iliana and Radoslava and get to know them. Iliana studied a total of five years to become a speech therapist, after which she promptly became a secretary for her pastor. Sometimes it’s strange how little we use our degrees and diplomas in our professions! Eventually she met and married Jivko (their love story is sweet and quite funny as well). Each of their three children are the sweetest, bubbliest, most giggling children you ever could meet. Their ability to speak English was low, yet they understood a lot more than I thought they would. They went absolutely berserk when we’d tickle them; it was hilarious to watch their antics when we played the ‘tickle game’ with them.

Jifko and Gabbie

Eliana and Sammy

Gabby and Stephan

More Hasovitsa Happenings (because we know this is WAY too long already!) --Ruth

• Enjoying coffee with cow-fresh milk (after fishing out all the floaties, of course!)


• Delicious Rodopian cooking: potato banitsa, croissants Bulgarian-style, flower tea, etc. etc.


• Feeding the multitude with pizza and quesadillas, thanks to the integral part of the ladies…, also made Terra Tor (a cold soup of cucumber and yoghurt) and Banitsa R-rr-rrruttt! (“Ruth” Bulgarianized –be sure to roll the “r”)


• The late nights continued… lots of planning, knocking our heads together to gather “lesson” plans or, in reality, game plans for the next day (there’s a pun in there for you, Dad ;)


• Lots of late night talks over tea: telling ridiculous stories, jokes, past experiences… We learned the “Ruchenitsa”, a traditional Bulgarian wedding dance (no worries Mom, we don’t expect to put that to use ;)… Practising the chicken dance (some fun pictures from that :P)


• The crafty Tinka teaching us how to say “I want to be a Bulgarian bride!” :)


• The never ending songs of the children… every time the first words of “My God is so Big” were shouted, we would groan internally, grit our teeth and exuberantly (aka dutifully) join in :)


• Seeing lines of children holding hands, walking along a mountain path and singing “My God is So Big” because they wanted to…


• Walking along mountain paths... hmmm, beautiful


• Meeting Elena, the daughter of Tinka. At 14, she discusses the Scriptural references of CS. Lewis and Tolkien with her strongly atheist teachers! She was sweet, intelligent, always questioning the reasons behind concepts, always looking deeper. In two short days she became a good friend.


• Walking 3 km to the nearby village of Pisanitsa (or “Pizzanitza” as the kids called it) to buy ice cream. When the shopkeeper was nowhere to be found, we walked to his nearby home/ hotel, and from there received a ride back to the shop in a very old, sputtering Mercedes Benz that looked as if it would like to shoot off the mountain side

The week in Hasovitsa is definitely precious among our memories of Bulgaria!

THE END... for now
So that’s a small snippet of our experiences in Bulgaria. We hope to update you on the continuing adventures of Lou and Ru :P upon our return (internet access has been difficult!) complete with PICTURES.... I PROMISE!! :) God is blessing us and keeping us safe. We thank those of you who have been praying - we’ve really felt the Lord’s protection and guiding hand throughout the entire trip.

Bulgaria Weeks 2-4

So, after we’ve said “we should really write an update” literally a hundred times, here we are, sitting, typing and doggedly punching an email out to you. If this gets to you, we’ll have succeeded :) The truth is, nothing short of a lifetime has passed, and the thought of putting that all on paper is daunting indeed… There’s so much to tell about!

Now, where do I start?!! I know this is horrendously long: it’s the unabridged version of an email –sorry! I'll edit the post later when I get home and add lots of pretty pictures okay? :)

Ruth and I wrote this together - you can also see her blog.

Our stay at Todor & Daniella’s
Pomorie, Bulgaria

-- Ruth

After the Bombadils’, we moved to Pomorie on the coast of the Black Sea. Here we met Todor & Daniella, and their four (!) children (four kids in Bulgaria is almost unheard of… it made us feel like we were back home in the Dutch community :) Dariel is the oldest; he’s the boy that wrote us before our trip, declaring that he enjoyed having “salutary” conversations (and no, we certainly didn’t know that word before our ESL student taught it to us ;) He enjoys books like Narnia and LOTR (which seem to be universal in Bulgaria), has a glint in his eye which reveals his love for fun, and was a most appropriate wise man for our play, (despite his short 12 years of life experience :). Then there’s Debora (not “Debra”, but Deb-o-ra, as she was careful to correct me), who’s 11. Debora is one of those people who take a little while to get to know, but are well-worth knowing when you do. She likes creating things, being artistic and the apartment was full of her creations. The small apartment was also very full of her little sisters, who were always close behind or around their big sister. Jessie is a five year old with big, beautiful eyes, and Becky (3) is a bundle of energy that was always popping around some corner and calling out a cheery “HELLO!”

We may have mentioned something about the way time works in Bulgaria; it, well, sort of doesn’t work. The truth is, Bulgaria has a time zone all of its own: a slow and meandering one, where the sun is the only thing that really regulates things and prevents Bulgarians from squeezing in 25 or 26 hours into each day, as they’d like to. We really felt (and enjoyed :) that at Todor and Daniella’s. Each night found us cozily in their kitchen, talking until 2 or 3 in the morning. Todor and Daniella spent 10 years volunteering abroad for Youth With a Mission (a Christian outreach organization), and the stories they have to tell are truly amazing! They really experienced the meaning of “God will provide” as they traveled about with 4 children in tow! This email is getting long, though, so I’ll stop here. We have some of the stories safely secured in our journals.

Yordan and Kalina
Pomorie, Bulgaria
– Louise

Okay. Get ready for the love chapter. Ha! got you worried, didn’t I? ;) we’ll tell those stories later… ;) but for now, we want to tell you about this special family; they were particularly demonstrative in their show of affection – I hope the following memories and descriptions are not too sappy! J love, love, love; I love love, do you love love? hehe

Kalina (above)
Mariela and Ralitsa (below)

From the moment that we entered Kalina and Yordan’s home, Ruth and I were wrapped up in love and welcomed as part of their family. Upon our first meeting with Ralitsa (12) and Mariela (7), we were welcomed with such wonderful, heartwarming hugs as I’ve never experienced before – hugs which were more than those momentary ‘flash hugs’, hugs which one could sense more than words could say. Their home was happy and fun filled, full of singing – singing ALL the time! during our time there, we taught them various English songs including “There was an old woman…” but oh, we never wanted to hear about that old woman again! we must have sung that song a thousand times! yet they never tired of singing these songs over and over again J Kalina instilled in her girls a love for music and song; they’d even all listen to music together with Yordan over Skype. Just 10 days before we arrived at their home, Yordan had moved to Finland, where he and his family are hoping to emigrate as soon as the conditions are right with his job and community. It is very hard for each of them to be separated from each other; there was more than a few tears shed for his absence. It was so touching to hear Kalina talk about her husband and to hear the delight in each of their voices and to see it in their eyes when they heard his voice. From what we heard about Yordan, he is a wonderful family man, a romantic husband, and one who cares so much for the environment that his family grows up in. Yordan and Kalina decided to move to Finland to seek a better future both for their children and themselves; they’re both quite fed up with Bulgaria, especially with the Communist history and post-communist mindset and the immoral culture.

For lack of time (and possibly by this point, interest on your part ;)) The memories from our time at Kalina’s house are much to special to let them pass by unsaid, and yet there’s so much to write about. And besides which, Rome is waiting outside our door, yet here we are, typing, typing, typing away….) so point form will have to do.

• Kalina: petite, young-looking (and young! :)) mom who is “one of the girls” and every bit as spunky and fun as a young person. We enjoyed many talks with her after our late night dinners, extending into the wee hours of the morning.
• 1AM walks on the beach by the moonlight
• singing ALLLLL the time – silly songs, happy songs, Christian songs, fun songs
• searching for sea shells by the Black Sea shore; exclamations of the girls on the beauty and design of each one
• creating a picture/design with sea shells and rocks that we had found
• I got to play piano here! it was so delightful… I just can’t wait to get home and play my piano again though…
• learning about all sorts of things in our various ‘classes’ when we were going through their homeschooling lessons
• listening to the girls play piano and practice for their concerts and recitals
• We were a little dumbfounded at the girls’ love for bacteria and spiders and fungus – it seemed slightly out of character, considering that their home was the most UNFRIENDLY place for such creatures. Their home was always incredibly spotlessly clean, due to the tireless efforts of Kalina, who took great delight in making their home as neat and clean as it could be.
• their impeccable manners – each of them was an amazing hostess, always asking us first and checking if we needed anything, or if we needed a nap or tea or something to eat etc etc.
• their pet history: while we were there they were taking care of a rooster named Chernovsky “blackie”, and a turtle (forgot his name). They had also had pet pheasants, pet rabbits, and parrots/love birds… this family looooves any living thing!
• Kalina takes care of a sweet little 3 year old Jacqueline; she’s almost like their adopted sister… we had fun getting to know her a little bit
• some quotes from the girls: “I am sooooo happy right now”… “I love you so sooo soooooooooo much!” [while giving us vigorous and lengthy hugs] “I’m going to miss you”
• goodnight kisses/hugs

Some memories from the Burgas church & its members:

• going out for dinner to a nice restaurant in Nesebar, an old town/fortress on the coast, with Iavor, Jishka, and Kalina, and spending the majority of the evening in religious debates…
• going to church in Burgas and meeting the wonderful people there including:
• Iavor (the pastor), his wife Jishka and their 1 year old son Javor
• Maria, 20 years old, sweetest girl ever, whom we convinced to visit us in Canada
• Meetko and Yanny, the 2 guys in the youth group; both were so sweet and friendly; Meetko had been to the States before, and will again going when he gets his visa ready
• Julia & Mishu and their 3 year old daughter, our next hosts
• Meetko & Elena, a sweet young couple, recently married; Meetko runs a hotel and Elena’s an opera singer
• Lily, a professional piano player/ music teacher
• there’s others too, but this is all I can do for now

One last memory to segue into the next home: during our stay at Kalina’s, I got sick with my second sinus infection EVER – for 2 days straight I was trying to turn the faucet of my nose ‘off’ but it just kept running and running until it was raw… not a fun time… and then poor Ruth got it too (we’ve been sharing everything else on this trip, why not share the germs too? J ). However, Ruth’s version of this cold went straight to her chest, and such a nasssty cold/cough it was! poor girl… she got lots of sympathy – but having a cold made for a difficult time at the next home we stayed at (Mishu & Julia’s). Both of us were still drained from being sick.

Mishu & Julia and their daughter, Lily
Bourgas, Bulgaria
--Ruth

Perhaps Mishu & Julia best illustrate just how excited and committed Bulgarian Christians are to homeschooling. It really has affected their entire home. Their daughter Lily is just three years old, and still mastering Bulgarian. Despite this, they were quick to take part in every opportunity available: they were excited to host us and to glean English from our conversations, and Julia and Lily faithfully attended the final conference in Pomorie. Mishu & Julia are teaching Lily English as well as Bulgarian, so that she will be well prepared for the English homeschooling programs. Lily is a bouncing, pig-tailed little girl who likes to learn. Her 3 year old rendition of the ABC song is something else :) Mishu works for AVG anti-virus, and “all that sort of thing”, and his computer speals were interesting but quickly went over our non-techy heads :) Mishu met Julia in university, where they both studied together. She enjoys translating Reformed/ homeschooling materials into English.

Cultural Highlights from Bulgaria

Bulgaria Time Zone
Bulgaria seems to have a time zone of its own - or perhaps it's like this everywhere in Europe... or maybe it's normal at home too and I just didn't know... but here, everyone seems to be able to stay up all hours of the night and not feel the effects of it the next day!!! it's crazy... I can do that too, but not every day! every night at Peter and Jifka's house we were usually up till 2, 3 or 4AM, and they normally got up at 7 or 8. I tried to do that too - and sure, I could stay up no problem! but getting up in the morning was another story!! It was all I could do to drag myself out at 9!!! :) It was the same thing at Todor and Daniela's, but finally we had to say that we just couldn't do it - we needed our sleep :S I don't know how these people do it - they can work all day and party all night and feel none the worse for it! One person explained it to us, if one makes an appointment for 11:00, it's okay to be there at 11:15. Time doesn't really seem to matter here.

Driving in Bulgaria
Absolutely NUTS! pedestrians can die if they want to, the drivers in the cars plow their way through. Okay, maybe that's extreme, but to be a pedestrian here is indeed very dangerous. Some people even will speed up when we start crossing the street!

Sirene (Feta) Cheese
Used everywhere all the time, and on everything, this delicious cheese is a staple in the traditional Bulgarian household. Salty, crumbly, flavourful, delicious... Ruth and I are set on learning how to make feta when we return to Canada :)

Banitsa
This is a pastry dish that we've had at almost every household. It's so tasty delicious, and can be done many different ways, though usually it's made with feta.

Wafla Moreni
mmmm yummy chocolate.... oh I miss eating chocolate.... wafla moreni is a type of chocolate bar that has peanuts and chocolate covering a waffe type of bar. It's pretty good. chocolate.... oh i'm salivating now!! this is one thing that I've had to get used to (and it's a good thing too): not having chocolate/sweets/candy available ALL the time. I know I know, it's terrible but true that I'm addicted to all things sweet... this is just the trip I needed! :) perhaps I can break the addiction! :)

Kise Mblako
It's like plain yogurt, but different, and definitely better. Not goopy, just fresh and natural goodness... Bulgaria is world-known for its yogurt and dairy product industry. Many of their recipes use this ingredient, including something called Aryan, which is a half and half mix of Kise Mlako and water - a little strange tasting, but once you get used to it, its not bad at all. Also, Tarrator is another favourite Bulgarian food, made with Kise Mlako: in English we`d call it `cold cucumber soup`.... it`s very refreshing and tasty.

Rakia, Boza, and Beer (name?)
Rakia: WOW - that's HOT stuff!!!! a tradition carried in many Bulgarian households is to offer an alcoholic drink called rakia after dinner. You can feel it burn and strangle as it goes down, unlike anything we've ever had! makes you twist your face and wonder why anyone would ever drink such stuff... :)

Boza: non-alcoholic beverage with a very interesting flavour.... can't say that either of us really enjoyed it all that much :S it smells very strongly of I don't know what...(Ruth says it sortof smells like raw meat juices) but when you drink it, it's totally different... and it's so thick and sweet! It's made from some type of grain or something... I always thought I liked everything that was sweet, but now I'm taking that back! :)

Bulgarian Beer: Not bad, though I'm not an authority on beer by any stretch of the imagination :)

Bulgaria - Week 1!

Hello everyone!

Take a deeeeeeeep breath, and get ready for a loooooooong post! hahaa seems to be all or nothin'! :) Our time in Bulgaria has been incredibly busy, spending all our time with the children and their parents, except for when we sleep of course :)

Friday, May 2: Arrive in Sofia, Bulgaria!

Upon our arrival in Sofia we were met by Elian and Radoslava (the primary organizers of our trip, besides our Bulgarian contacts in Toronto). After a 3 hour drive, we arrived in Velika Tarnovo, where we had a brief tour of the ruins of Tsaravitz (a King's fortress). This place was really neat (I think I may have already written about it before...) Following this tour, we met Peter who had come to pick us up and take us to his family's home in Silistra (a 3 1/2 - 4 hour drive), which is in the northern part of Bulgaria, right beside the Danube river on the border of Romania. I think this was where we left you at the last (and only) email :)

Our First Family: Peter & Jifka Porumbachanov

We spent 9 wonderful days with Peter, his wife Jifka, and their three sweet boys George (12), Nikki (5) and Paul (3). Each day was filled with fun things! Instead of teaching English 'formally', our time was spent in conversational English, rather than with books and studying. It was sortof like a holiday for them, a time away from the books and more focused on speaking everyday English. On our first day, George acted as our tour guide and showed us around Silistra, explaining its history to great depths (him and his father are nuts about history - it was really interesting - we learned so much from them). His English is really very good; we had very little difficulties in understanding each other. (Except for our own lapses into poor English -- I really mean "very FEW difficulties"... I'm sorry to say that our English has disintegrated terribly :S We did do some actual schoolwork when we went over some book reports that he had translated and helped with his grammar, word usage and other things that came up, and some pronunciation as well. But for the most part, our time with this family was purely spent in conversational practice. It's amazing to see how much English this family learned solely through extensive reading, watching English movies with Bulgarian subtitles, and listening to music. They have had very little contact with English-speaking people, yet it was impressive how much English they actually knew! --this was the FIRST time George ever SPOKE English!

So much happened in our time at Silistra... to say everything, I think I'd need to write for a year! :) but here's some highlights:

Sunday, May 4
our first "home church" experience

Our second day in Peter's house (Sunday), we experienced our first home church meeting. It was really neat - a small group of people, maybe 15 people, but it was so special. We met some new people there, each of them so sweet: Jovko and Cornelia and their adorable 5-year-old daughter Amy, and their son Samuel (2); also an older woman named Velichka - her name means Grace... such a beautiful name! her husband has been a complete invalid for 2 years, yet she lovingly cares for him day and night; Bobby, a fitness instructor at the local gymnasium; and Maria, another older woman whose husband has rejected the church. Peter is the pastor of this church, and its services are held in his home. The entire service was held in Bulgarian (of course). After singing a few songs, he read a passage from Ecclesiastes, one of the Old Testament books in the Bible. He also read from James (a New Testament book in the Bible), and taught about the use of the tongue. It's so common and so natural for us to talk behind others' backs, to slander, to make others feel stupid, to use our tongues in a sinful way. But God teaches us in the Bible that this is wrong, and that we must use our tongues to build each other up, to edify each other, to speak the truth in love. Ruth and I listened to the message for the first bit, but because it was all "Greek" (Bulgarian) to us, we just read our Bibles. After the message, Peter broke the bread and poured the wine, and we had the Lord's Supper. In many ways I found it similar to how we practice communion in our churches at home, with some differences... After this, we sat and talked for a while with the church and introduced ourselves. Later that evening Peter gave us a summary of what he had taught that morning, which is how we know a little of what his message had been about.

Monday, May 5
Waterfight!!!

The following day we went again for a walk around Silistra, and had a water-fight by a large fountain in the park! it all started when George and I decided to sneak up behind Ruth and throw some water on her from the fountain, and pretty soon George, Ruth, Nikki, Amy and I were running around the fountain, chasing each other and throwing water on everyone! well, maybe not everyone - just everyone in our little group of children :) I haven't felt like such a child for so long! it felt a little strange but we had a great time, though other passersby were looking at us a little dubiously: I suppose it was a strange sight to see two 'grownup' girls (sometimes I wonder about us) and a bunch of children chasing each other, shouting and laughing, having a waterfight in such a place!

A Day in the "Village"

One day Peter and his family, together with Jovko and Nellie's family, decided to take the day off to visit his house in the village. There we went exploring, climbed trees, told stories, chased a sheep :) got out the weed-whacker to cut the knee-high grass for a make-shift soccer-field :) had a picnic, drank Bulgarian beer for the first time, played some football (soccer) and other games, learned to drive standard (!!! :) ) and just had a great time! it was almost surreal.... it's sad but true, but at home it's unheard of to take the day off for no reason, other than to enjoy the day and the fellowship of friends and family. These people have such a different mindset; they've set their priorities on other things than money and things that won't last, and have made a conscious effort to develop bonds with their family and friends, and to make memories that will last forever.

Sunday, May 11
The Lake of Sreburna
"Silver Lake"

Our second Sunday in Silistra, we first had our church service in the next room, and then packed up, went for a walk, and had a picnic with Peter's and Jovko's families at Silver Lake, a wildlife conservation area in which a lot of endangered species of birds live. Such a beautiful area, and so full of wildlife! One thing that has really struck me about Bulgaria is that there's flowers EVERYWHERE! it's just so beautiful! And there's wildlife everywhere too! it's normal to see horses, cows, donkeys or goats grazing by the road, not only in the country but even in the towns and villages! there's also a lot of horses or donkeys used by the farmers to pull their wagons. It's a little like stepping back in time, seeing what life was like a hundred years ago. It's very quaint; apparently Bulgaria is the only country in the European Union that still does this.

A Day in Ruse, Bulgaria

One day Peter took George, Ruth and me to Ruse (about 1- 1/2 hours away). We will forever remember Bulgaria's driving customs. I won't go into great detail, except to say that I find it just totally exhilaratingly thrillingly pleasurable! :) haha perhaps that gives you some idea of what it's like ;) don't worry, we're in safe hands! and the cars they drive are just so cute - these tiny little old Russian cars from 40 years ago are still going hard at it, and their owners sure know how to push them! Anyways... so we were driving to Ruse. There we saw Peter's university, where he is studying law. We toured some parts of the city and had lunch at a quaint little cafe, where we enjoyed the beautiful weather outside and the delicious food. Yuuuuummmmm the food is just so good here - I fear that when we come home we're going to be more than just a few pounds heavier!!! :S Margarita, you warned me about this, but I paid no attention - now I see how right you were!! :) ahhh, but it's worth it!!! I just hope that I fit into my bridesmaid dress for Joyce's wedding!!!! yikes... I better watch it... or else there'll be a pudgy ugly maid of honour waddling down the aisle! :) ahaha... During lunch there was also a live band/orchestra that was playing in the square for the passersby - they played so well, it was really nice. After the band finished playing, the mayor of the city also came out to give a few words, of which I understood nothing except for the final one: Blogoderia! (thank you) :)

The Lost Wallet

On the way home we stopped at a spring to get a drink of water - fresh from the ground! pure, fresh spring water, so delicious... then we took a short run up the nearby hill to stretch our legs before the drive home. However, what we didn't realize at the time was that I dropped our wallet during our vigorous little run up the hill..... :( it was supposed to be securely clipped onto my pants - I've used this wallet so much, but I've never had this happen before. Well, by the time we got home and realized it was gone, it was too late. We made the trek all the way back to the spring again (a 45-minute drive) but by then so many sheep must have passed by and trampled or eaten it, or perhaps someone found it, I don't know. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but we had Ruth's mastercard and debit card in there as well as some cash. Needless to say, we've cancelled those cards now, and now we'll use mine instead. So in the end, it all worked out okay, and it wasn't a great loss... Great start to the trip, eh?! wow... I surely hope this doesn't happen again!!!! now we realize a little more how careful we need to be!!

Land For Sale!!!

On to something not so disastrous.... though perhaps to some of you this may seem so :) Ruth and I have decided (ahem, drum roll please)... we really ought to buy a piece of property in Bulgaria! :) it's such a beautiful country, and land is so cheap, you really can't go wrong! it's bound to appreciate in value, so why not?! ;) we'll build a house, or maybe a hotel or something, and we'll rent it out to you all, since I know that you'll all want to visit Bulgaria after all we've been saying, right? ;)

Pictures are on Their Way!

We hope to be able to post some pictures but for the moment I'm afraid we can't :( I'm sorry... we've been taking tons of pictures though, so get ready :) I'll post some as soon as I can.

Defeat? no, this is Victory!

The very triumphs of His foes He used for their defeat. He compelled their dark achievements to subserve His ends, not theirs. They nailed Him to the tree, not knowing that by that very act they were bringing to world to His feet. They gave Him a cross, not guessing that He would make it a throne.

They flung him outside the gates to die, not knowing that at that very moment they were lifting up all the gates of the universe to let the King of Glory come in. They thought to root out His doctrines, not understanding that they were implanting imperishably in the hearts of men the very name they intended to destroy.

They thought they had God with His back to the wall, pinned and helpless and defeated. They did not know it was God Himself who had dragged them down to that point. He did not conquer in spite of the dark mystery of evil, He conquered through it.

(excerpt by James Stewart, a Scottish theologian, which is quoted in Joni Earackson's book: Heaven, Your Real Home)

A Call to Faithfulness, Diligence & Obedience

Teach me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see,
And what I do in anything,
To do it as for Thee.
-- George Herbert --

"Not with eye-service, as menpleasers;
but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily,
as to the Lord, and not unto men.
Colossians 3:22-23

Every duty, even the least duty, involves the whole principle of obedience. And little duties make the will dutiful, that is, supple and prompt to obey. Little obediences lead into great. The daily round of duty is full of probation and of discipline; it trains the will, heart, and conscience. We need not to be prophets or apostles. The commonest life may be full of perfection. The duties of home are a discipline for the ministries of heaven.
-- Henry Edward Manning

Daily Strengths for Daily Needs, Mary W. Tileston

Vision 2025

Hand in Hands
Joining hands with nationals involved in Bible translation - helping top up their support from their local churches..

Churches in Africa, Asia and Latin America are ready to send their people to be involved in Bible translation for people groups within their country or in other countries. It is exciting to see the worldwide church responding to God's call to mission. Vision 2025 depends on the Church in Africa, Asia and Latin America mobilising thousands of workers to go to where God is calling them.

Their churches, their friends and families are giving as much as they can but it is not sufficient for the workers needs. They are giving out of their poverty. Sometimes this is only 25% of their needs, sometimes it is up to 60%. This depends on the context they are working in and their family circumstances.

Go to www.vision2025.org/handinhands_clicktorelease.html and click to release one penny to help top up their support.


The Blank Book
In over 3000 languages today, books of the Bible are blank. No way to find out God's message.

The Blank Book enables you to connect with Bibleless people groups around the world. The Blank Book is a way to support the translation of a book of the Bible into their language. Through The Blank Book, you help provide the funds to translate a specific book of the Bible through the work of local men and women committed to the translation of the Bible in their language.Will you help fill a Blank Book?

Go to www.vision2025.org/blankbook_clicktorelease.html and click to release one penny to help fill a Blank Book.

The website is part of www.vision2025.org with information on Vision 2025: By 2025, together with partners worldwide, we aim to see a Bible translation start in all the languages that need one.

Wait

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied;
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master who gently said,
"Child, you must wait."

"Wait You say wait!" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word!

"My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
Lord, I've been asking and this is my cry;
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and tout
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting. . . for what?"

He seemed, then to kneel and His eyes wept with mine,
And he tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"All you seek I could give and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want - but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.

"You'd never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I live and I save . . . (for a start),
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of My comfort late into the night;
The faith that I give when you walk without sight;
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for Thee.'
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,
But, Oh the loss! If I lost what I'm doing to you!

"So be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me
And though oft' may My answers seem terribly late
My most precious answer of all is still, "WAIT".

Anonymous