Oswald & June Happenings

The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.”



Other (not so serious) June stuff:

Walker-Thon fun with Alicia and Ariana and a whole crowd...

Lora sharing her beautiful poetry at a 'Creative Aging' Seminar.  I had so much fun and especially enjoyed the Merry Pipers.  Looks like there are lots of great opportunities out there for me as I age...

Patrice continues to create delicious fare.  We had lunch at Tante Hilda's and she brought these along.

Finally had the neighbours over for a BBQ and Bocce Game!

It was a success!

I even told one of the neighbour guys that I loved him as we were hugging each other good bye.  HAHA!!  He is gay so I probably don't pose any threat...

Another outing with Tante Hilda and Oma to Kaloya Park in Oyama.  We sat in the car and ate our Tim Horton's goodies while we enjoyed the view. 

And then Princess Leanne had a birthday so we celebrated at Kelly O's with the girls and laughed ourselves silly over this picture.  

And sweet Joanna.  She's been a dear friend over the years and I have loved watching her grow into an amazing Godly woman.  And I got to attend her RN graduation so we celebrated at Starbucks. 

Year End Sushi!

So, I went into school for the last day of classes to say goodbye and to have lunch with my department.  Such a beautiful bunch of people.  I have an amazingly supportive supervisor and she treats us all like royalty. We had sushi and talked about students and funding and how amazing our school community is.

They gave all of us in the Special Ed Department a book called "The Element" and I am only in chapter one but am feeling some stirrings inside about my destiny and passions and what happens when they collide.

I have to just honestly admit that it feels like something big was stolen away from me when I had THE ACCIDENT.

Up until that point everything my life had been gearing up for becoming a nurse and ultimately using that skill to bless others in missions.  I even threw in some Bible School for good measure to round out the spiritual part of the equation.  Or not - maybe I was really just more excited about the prospect of spending a winter in a castle in England.

Anyways following the accident, I was pretty consumed with just trying to stay alive initially and then trying to be a mom and wife from a wheelchair after that.   It was very consuming and exhausting so I didn't even try to hold onto my nurses registration for the future.  It all seemed so far away and impossible.

But before I knew it Patrice was in high school and my days were growing far too long and boring so I pursued training to help kids who struggle with reading.

Doing this has been hugely rewarding and I just love the interaction with kids.  I feel like I make a valuable contribution through my work, but sadly, I do get a little bit bored with the repetition and I have been growing increasingly restless.  This past winter stirred up some other things inside of me as well.

So as I was reading the first chapter just now, I set down the book asking God about my passions.  I have been praying about going to Israel for a prayer gathering in November and it's like I just felt in my spirit to GO FOR IT.  Those gatherings, when they were held in Canada, gave me so much life and I felt like I was truly a part of something so much bigger than myself.  Like I was somehow changing history along with this remnant of believers that dared to believe for God to move in our nation and across the world.

So, I'm just putting it out there.
I'm daring to believe for God to make a way for me - to make the impossible (or super difficult things) possible.  He can find me a great place to stay.  He can provide transportation and friends to help me.  And strength to get there so that I can do what I love to do more than anything else in life.

New Birth

One of my little students this morning was having a really rough time reading and trying to remember the different vowel sounds so I just asked her if she wanted to pray.

I explained how Jesus inside of us helps us and the Holy Spirit is wisdom inside of us.  Then I wondered if perhaps she had not yet invited Jesus into her life so the fun began!

She was eager to ask His forgiveness and to invite Him to take over her life and move into her heart.

We had a sweet little prayer time and I gave her a little shell necklace to commemorate this fantastic event.

I told her the angels were so excited about her becoming a Christian and she seemed so happy.

Trusting Jesus to look after this dear little lamb.

Inch Worm

The other morning as I was rushing off to school I realized I had forgotten my cell phone. So as I was getting out of the car back into my wheelchair to get it I somehow slipped off my transfer board down, down, down onto the cement floor as my other wheelchair slowly lowered off the roof of the car onto me.  I had flicked the wheelchair switch on my way to the cement!

I decided as I sat next to the car that I should probably just start praising God and thanking Him for looking after me.  I asked Him to send someone to rescue me. And if He didn't He would certainly help me to get to the phone...eventually.
I knew that Patrice was working till 3:00, Becca was out of town and Sara was staying at her parent's place.  So I was in for a long day if I didn't start moving.

It was quite the fiasco and it took me some time to untangle myself, get the wheelchair back onto the car and get myself moving in the direction of the phone!
Trying to keep a cushion under my bottom as I scooted along to prevent injury was trickier than I had imagined and it took me about 40 minutes to move about 20 feet.  It's harder than it sounds without any balance and these long legs flopping around...

The dogs were of no help at all but they were company.  I was sitting by the back hall closet feeling rather exhausted when I heard a car drive up!!

Apparently Patrice found herself driving up Spiers with her client, wondering why she was coming all the way up to the orchard for such a little time (she had to make a photocopy).

But I knew why!  God had sent her to rescue me!

She laughed when she saw me all scrunched up on the floor and said "Aw, mama you look like a worm!"  Haha - yes, inching my way to the kitchen.

Anyways, that was such a faith builder and encouragement for me.
And Elsie, if you're reading this it's probably better that you don't tell mom!
Ha!

Isn't that a great story?  Thank you Jesus for another fine rescue!

Open Heavens in Lake Country

I've been doing lots of LUKE this past week!
So grateful for these opportunities to share the living word.
Praying that I will be a vessel that allows His Word to move through with power and anointing...

There was the Grade 7 class - great listeners,
Anne's home group that met in her back yard for a potluck and a little Luke,
And this morning I shared two sections in front of a lovely little group of believers out in a Lake Country Church.

Anne says she is my business manager and is getting me "gigs".  So funny, but true.  I've spoken twice at her home to different groups and then she told her friend who is the pastor of the church to have me come and speak there.

It was the sweetest morning - felt like an open heaven's in that tiny church.
Such passionate worship,
Such beautiful sharing of God's word and testimonies,
Such a spirit of love and of faith being activated.
The door was open and the warm air blew in - almost felt like Hawaii!

I was seriously blessed beyond what I could have imagined there.
During the worship the leader prayed for me, that the Lord would be around me like a fire and like a hurricane...
And after I shared the pastor prayed over me, saying that she saw flags and that I would be speaking to many nations.

Wow.
Same words from Loren Cunningham and from others at YWAM.
But to hear them here in such a different environment somehow added a weight to them.
So I lift that up to you Lord.

As they said again and again this morning at church "THE LORD watches over HIS WORD to perform it".

So I just need to be faithful with whatever small things He puts before me.
Here and now.
He will look after my tomorrows...

Meanwhile I'm just loving this Spring and all of the wonderful opportunities and experiences God is putting before me.