Different Kind of Holiday

 Actually I didn't get around to praying all those passages but they are so good and I want them close at hand for future reference.  

It's 11:30 pm and my lights should be out but who can resist such a lovely quiet hour?

Patrice is tucked in beside me and I love sleeping with her - she is so "there" when she sleeps, head thrust back, deep even breathing.  such a gift - she's so intense.  We get along really well when we're not fighting. =) 

I just want to say that I prayed alone for one hour today, for Canada and I feel rather pleased about that, especially after all my struggles this week to pray.

I also attended a wonderful prayer meeting at the school this morning followed by a prayer meeting at church! 

Ron is picking up a new truck in Winnipeg so the kids and I are alone for 5 days.  A different kind of holiday.

The Wrestle

 Along with my desire and attempt to draw Jesus into more minutes of the day-to have a more conscious awareness of His presence and activity in my life; I also feel I need to be more disciplined in my actual response to Him - putting His word in to my mind so I can meditate upon it.

Praying with regularity.  A scheduled time with Him.  Why is this my Achilles heel?  Why so difficult to set aside just one hour out of 24?

I feel unbelievable opposition - makes me what to give up but I WILL NOT! I do want to "GROW UP IN. ALL ASPECTS INTO CHRIST".  I feel so infantile in this area - so aware of my screaming flesh which is supposed to be dead! 

So, Spirit of the Living God I call out to you I desperation. Help me to persevere.  I was going to do 1 hour daily but instead I will aim for 1/2 an hour and anything over will feel like a bonus. =) How babies must be pacified.  but 1/2 hour is better than none!

As I sit and try to wait upon the Lord everything in me cries out and wants to run away or fall asleep.  However, as I read out loud the word of God and pray it, life comes in to me. Here are some of the passages I prayed...

Philemon 6, John 10:27, 5, Ephesians 5:17, Colossians 4:12, Acts 22:14, James 1:5-8, 1 Corinthians 1:30

Acts22:14, Hebrews 4:10, John 16:3, Proverbs 16, John 16:13

A New Day & A New Year

 It's beautifully clean and white outside.  Fresh snow - a new day and a new year - new beginnings! 

"His mercies are new every morning"

I feel captivated by a new hope and I "happened" upon a book which I forgot that I ever owned called "Practicing His Presence" and oh what a glorious discovery this has been.

I am so encouraged to begin to seek God's presence in my seconds and minutes... It's the only way to win over any kind of fear or anxiety.  Part of me is gripped by my weaknesses and seeming inability to follow through with my convictions, YET "I can do ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME". 

So I begin today to seek His presence.  Simply turning as many of my seconds and thoughts over to Him as I can.  

Help me Jesus.

December 1999 Yearly Recap

“The light shines in the darkness,

     But darkness has not understood it…” John 1:5

                                                                                         

 The Light is Jesus!  He is the reason we celebrate in this dark, cold month of December. So many forget Him, many don’t yet understand that without Him they have nothing, but those who know Him have EVERYTHING!  I pray that as you enter the new millennium you will do so with His wonderful presence lighting your way.

And this I begin another Christmas letter. Wanting to keep it concise, yet desiring that you would hear my heart and feel connected to our family once again. Is “concise” possible for me?  Let’s see if I can possibly fit this onto one page…

It’s been a wonderful year – the kids are both at delightful ages and Ron and I so much enjoy spending time with them. Daniel turned 13 in October and he is now in 8^thgrade (learning swing-dancing and loving it, playing basketball, making hemp bracelets, playing chess & board games whenever possible and attending youth).  He is very excited about snowboarding this winter and I’m already praying for his safety!  He’s got a great sense of humour and is a lot of fun to be with.  He’s following in his father’s footsteps and is learning bass guitar in the school band – he’s gifted musically but feels that practicing is beneath him. 

Patrice is 8 and is thoroughly enjoying 3^rdgrade at the Christian School.  She loves reading and writing and takes piano, jazz and tap dance after school. She is growing into a delightful little lady and we enjoy so much this sweet age of growing maturity and remaining innocence.  She’s a passionate girl and loves nothing better than dancing with great freedom when the worship band is playing at church.  Thankfully Ron plays bass for the worship team so Patrice goes along for practices whenever she is able.  She also still likes to stick fairly close to Mom and to home, so I’d better appreciate this while it lasts!

For a summer adventure my sister and I drove down to Colorado Springs with the kids to visit some dear friends.  It was loads of fun and I was so excited to visit a YWAM friend in Montana and to see Yellowstone National Park on the way down.  Ron felt he couldn’t come because our house plans were supposed to be finished and he thought he’d be building... but that didn’t quite work out.  As it lies, we still haven’t got a complete set of plans but we have faith that perhaps we’ll start building this next SPRING?!?  We’re glad we can trust God with this building process that seems to be taking an exceedingly long time.  Don’t you love having those faith muscles stretched?  I just noticed that I’m migrating onto page two with my story here so I’ll scrap the idea of writing one page and just let the words flow uninhibited!  Why practice restraint in such a generous season? (Please tell me that I won’t turn into one of those old ladies that doesn’t stop talking…!)

Ron has been busy on and off doing a carpentry job in Vancouver which he’s really enjoyed.  Through it he’s learned some new skills and he’s been very appreciated by the company he’s building for.  He’s proved himself to be a faithful, skilled craftsman. Lately he has been finishing his workshop on the orchard so that he can be warm in the winter as he creates his masterpieces.  He’s thrilled to be doing something he has dreamed of for so long.  For recreation he likes to ski with the kids and attend hockey games where he releases many pent up emotions allowing him to  sit demurely with me through our symphony date nights. A diverse and amazing man!

I’ve also continued to keep busy.  I’m so grateful for good health and that I am able to do so much. I did some biking along the lakeside over the summer which I loved and we once again spent many wonderful evenings up at our orchard having picnics with dear friends.  I truly feel rich – wonderful family, wonderful friends and most of all a wonderful Jesus who gives purpose to everything in my life.  I love growing older and hopefully a little wiser.  Every day brings me a little closer to the day I will see Jesus face to face! Discovering that I’m happiest when “in Him I live and move and have mybeing…” My passion continues to be prayer, although I have much to learn in that area and I wish I were more disciplined. I know that through prayer God’s power and purposes are released in the lives of others so I want to be faithful.  I’m also finishing up a Bible Class (Village School of the Bible) that I’ve been taking over the last year which has been a very enlightening and enjoyable experience.  (& a lot of hard work!)

In January we are planning on traveling to Colima Mexico as a family with some others from our church to help out at an orphanage and have a holiday.  We’re really excited about that opportunity and are trying to learn a bit of Spanish before we go.  It’s so easy to get out of touch with the way the “rest of the world” lives so I pray that our hearts will be softened.

So we enter the New Millennium feeling safe in the hands of Jesus, praying that you too will let His presence light your path into the year 2000.  

“Yet to all who received him… to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become the children of God”.      John 1:12

Christmas 1998 Recap & Newsletter

 "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you..."  Jeremiah 29:11-13

I sit at the desk once again, gazing out over beautiful snow covered mountains and low hanging clouds pondering this most awesome task of compressing our year onto one page.  For some this poses no problem, but it seems that I am one of many words and I want to share soooo much, therefore I must exercise much self control and efficiency in this matter!

Firstly I want to say that I am so full of thankfulness and peace - knowing in greater measure every year the most incredible kindness of our God and longing for the day when I will see Him face to face.  I know that we all have our different trials and tribulations dow here but it really gives me perspective and hope to remember that the best is yet to come for those of us who are in Christ! 

It's been so fun watching the kids exclaim delightedly over the freshly fallen snow.  Daniel has been regularly phoning Big White to find out what the ski conditions are as Ron bought ski passes for the first time this year.  I had an amazing opportunity to go skiing last winter in a little ski bucket with skis on poles attached to my arms.  ( I can imagine you may have some difficulty picturing this because I'm having problems explaining it...). Anyways Patrice came up with me so I was able to learn to ski along with her.  Two kind gentlemen taught us and assisted me on and off the lifts.  I found it to be quite a workout, but being up on the hill on a gloriously snowy day made it all worthwhile.  Daniel is now hoping that I will repeat the performance with him, but maybe I"ll just go and cheer them on instead. 

We also had a great time down in Disneyland for a few days last February.  My Mom and Tante Hilda came along which doubled our fun.  Patrice got braver each day and was going on the wild rides with Ron and Daniel by the end of the week!  I even managed to get onto a couple of roller coaster rides so that I could have that starry-eyed look and wind blown hairdo!  We made lots of special memories and it was so sweet to watch Patrice and Daniel interact with all the Disney characters.  Tante Hilda and Mickey really hit it off too - he chased her down for that last big hug.  She really is irresistible!  

Spring was a very busy time for Ron.  He was managing a renovation of a local restaurant and he did a magnificent job.  He received many accolades from the owners and managers and has been eating free there ever since!  The kids were busy as well with Patrice in soccer and Daniel in baseball.  The fellow who had been working our orchard quit in May so Ron had the overwhelming privilege of "farming" it himself, (I think that's sometimes synonymous for paying to work??) and as much as he loved being out on the land he's now convinced that we have to cut down most of the big trees out there.  I joke that when we finally cut down all our trees, we'll have to buy a new orchard so we can start all over again.  We're also still talking about building up there and Ron's planning to start next Spring.  the tricky part has been finding the right house plan.

We spent many wonderful evenings out at the Orchard this summer with lots of good friends, having picnics, making bonfires or inventing games to play with the fallen apples.  I really cherished the times of fun and fellowship out there.  

The summer also saw us make a trip to Kananaskis Park near Banff where we had fun sighting wild animals, 'hiking'. and admiring magnificent scenery.  I've never in my life been so in awe of God's creation as I have been this year...my eyes have often been on the clouds and sunsets and mountains around Kelowna.  Up at the orchard we have a beautiful view of the valley and I do look forward to moving out there one day (God willing" where I can see it often.  

I"m actually enjoying most parts of getting older - everything seems to get richer and year by year I'm gaining my own personal history with God, finding Him to be so amazing and faithful. I've recently been taking a Bible Study class where we've been reading through and studying the Old Testament books of poetry and prophecy.  It's been a stretch getting back into writing essays again, but I've so enjoyed getting deeper into the word and I am amazed at the treasures I keep discovering there. 

I continue to be so thankful for the privilege of being a Mom.  Daniel turned 12 in October and is now in seventh grade.  I feel a distinct sadness as I see my 'little' boy maturing in so many ways, so quickly. He still loves animals, (added hedgehogs to the collection this year, but got rid of the fish) enjoys school, has some really good friends and has now joined the Youth Group at church.  At the first youth campout (aptly named 'Beyond Wild') he was the youngest but fastest to climb up a mountain using ropes.  He was much less impressed with the mealtime that involved the kids getting a lively chicken to the not so lively "soup" stage.  He informed me that he did not partake of that meal!  He's still taking piano (he talked me into it being his last year somehow...) and he's taking flute in school.  He's an absolutely delightful boy - generally easygoing  (unless he's with his sister) and has a great sense of humour. 

Patrice is our other delight.  Without her our house would be incredibly quiet.  She sings and dances and laughs and screams and lets her presence be known in a mighty way. (smile) She is in second grade and also enjoys school.  We've got her taking tap dancing lessons and her gymnastics finished in time for the ski season to begin.  We find that it's most profitable for all of us to keep her busy and entertained!  This month she is in three different Christmas productions which is lots of fun for her.  Tonight she'll be sining a solo part so we're excited to go and watch.  She's an extraordinary, sensitive, strong-willed girl and we pray for much wisdom to point this little power house in the right direction so that God's plan for her will be realized.

Ron's been away in Vancouver a lot this fall co-managing a construction job, but we took a week for just the two of us to head down to Post Falls Idaho recently.  we were at a place called "Eliajh House' for an amazing time of counseling and encouragement.  It was probably one of the most profound and important weeks of our married life and I'm so grateful for answered prayers.  On that note I want to close, encouraging ou to keep seeking Him and keep on praying because...

 "He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us, to Him be the glory."

Christmas '97 Newsletter

1997 is drawing to a close and as I look back over it, I am thankful for sooo many good things the Lord has done in our lives!  I'm so glad that in Jesus I have an eternal perspective that helps me to make "sense" out of an otherwise very insensible world.  As the years go by I find myself longing more and more for a fuller revelation of the JESUS whose birth we are celebrating.  

This year I've spent more time studying His incredible character and personality and even though I know I'm only scratching the surface, He's begun to BLOW MY MND!  It's not about me trying to attain a right standing with Him - He's already done everything that needs to be done and I just need to fall more and ore deeply in love with the One I'm going to be spending eternity with! As I do that the other things in my life tend to fall into place...(Matthew 6:33)

Now that you know what's been happening on the "inside" of me, I'll go back and try to briefly recap the year as our family saw it.  It's somehow therapeutic for me to sit down and review the year in your presence, so please bear with me and try to look as interested as possible..

Last winter was very long and very snowy much to the delight of Daniel and Patrice.  They loved to build snow forts and Daniel learned to ski.  In March Ron felt a tug towards a warmer climate, oops - I mean he felt the need to do ministry, so he flew down to Hawaii for a few weeks to help a good friend of ours in YWAM who needed an electrician to wire his house.  It was a positive time for Ron and I managed back home with the kids.  They are at a much better age now and able to do so much on their own which is such a blessing for me.  And I made a brave move by having laser surgery done on my eyes to correct my vision.  It's quite a treat to be able to see without contacts! I figured that since I can't walk at least I should be able to SEE! (Now if the surgery hadn't worked I really would have had problems...)

In the Spring I took a little trip with some wonderful friends down to Kansas City for a Conference and we had a fantastic time.  Worshiping with about 2000 ladies from all over the continent was a small forecast of heaven and the Lord spoke some very encouraging words to me during that time.  It was also very entertaining to travel in a group and we had some great laughs.  At one of the airports they misunderstood the booking instructions and they had enough wheelchairs ready for the whole group!  They must have really wondered what kind of a "specialty group" was coming through.

We had a fun summer.  My parent's dog Molly had pups which provided endless entertainment and delight for all of us.  We ended up spending a lot of time over at their place playing with the pups and visiting.  It'll be such a wonderful memory for the kids and we've got part of that memory living right here in our home, leaving small treasures in different rooms to surprise us... We kept one of the pups "Ella" who unfortunately is not completely potty trained.  however she's a fun addition to the family and much less work than a baby! Elsie kept one of the pups too.

One of our summer adventures took us to Vancouver Island. We met up with my brother Vic and his family in Victoria and had lots of fun sightseeing, swimming, eating out and visiting.  

We even saw whales while we were on the ferry ride! 

We also traveled up the island to Tofino near Long beach which was incredibly beautiful.  I felt like God granted me one of my dreams... I was able to sit on a small bluff overlooking the ocean, reading a good book, watching the kids and enjoying the waves and marvellous scenery.  And the sand was packed hard enough by the waves that I was able to wheel on the beach and draw pictures in the sand with the kids.  Ron and the kids also had fun Bach beach combing when the tide was out, finding little treasures and getting terrified by a dead crab. More memories!

Fall saw Daniel enter sixth grade and Patrice graduated to FULL TIME SCHOOL!!  I was particularly happy about that for some reason.  Not the typical Mom that sees her child off with tears in her eyes.  If I had tears, they were rather joyful ones.  Patrice has so much energy and need for activity, fun, people to see, places to conquer, dances to dance, books to read, songs to sing, furniture to rearrange... I think you probably get the idea.  So school is a good place for her ti diffuse some of her energy and she is enjoying it and doing very well.  She's really a fun little girl and we are enjoying her more and more.  She's very passionate, dramatic and zealous and she has a great sense of humour which gets us past those rough places.  Such a gift.  

Daniel is also a great delight to us.  He's doing well at school and has some very good friends.  He played volleyball this fall and he is also in his second year of piano (which is still not one of his favourite activities but I continue to encourage him in that rather forceful motherly fashion..). I love spending time one on one with him, playing games, watching movies or just hanging out.  He's a wonderful boy - such a gift from God.  It is with some regret that I see his "boyhood" years slipping away.  At times I can really see that I have a "pre-adolescent" in our home and that ca be a little SCARY.

Ron has had a very good year.  He's growing in God and is excited about his dream come true- he is finishing up a woodworking shop on the orchard.  We're starting to look at houseplant as we'll probably begin building a home for ourselves up there in the coming year.  It's a very scenic and peaceful location.  Ron has also begun to play bass guitar for the worship team at church which has been a fun experience for him.  He's been a good husband and great dad - I have much to be thankful for.  Things keep getting better for us every year. 

In the fall Ron and I took a trip to Colorado Springs and stayed at the scenic "Glen-Eeryie Castle", with our good friends Barb & Steve to attend a conference.  Dean Sherman, one of our good friends from YWAM was speaking so it was a delight. Barb & Steve are thinking of moving to the area to do missions so we were scouting out the land with them. It was also a lovely get-away and a very scenic location.  Some valuable "couple" time.

I manage to keep busy.  I'm involved in several really good prayer groups; one at the kid's school, one at church and one that I host in my home.  I've learned so much from the ladies I pray with and the lord has shown Himself to be a faithful, miraculous, prayer answering God.  When I pray in these groups I find prayer to be FAR fro boring! It's an exciting adventure of entering into the very throne-room of God to meet with Him, worship and intercede on behalf of many.  Such a privilege.  I've also had the opportunity to share my hope and my "story" at a few women's meetings this past year.

That pretty much sums up our year.  I could go on for pages, but I'll spare you all the details and close with the following verse which sums up my goal and my desire for the coming years.  When all is said and done I want to KNOW HIM and be LIKE HIM.  He truly is a friend like no other... I pray you will also gain a greater revelation of His beautiful character and love for you in the coming year. 

"...but let him who boasts, boast about this; that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord..."  Jeremiah 9:24

Post YWAM Update

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” Hebrews 12:2

                                                                                                            April 10.1996

Hi!

I can’t believe it’s not Christmas and I’m actually writing a form letter…I don’t think I’ve ever done this before!  However, I want to say hello to so many friends and I know I won’t get around to it unless I use this rather remarkable method of mass communication via computer, photocopier and the trusty old mailman.  One day soon I’m hoping that Ron will somehow link me up with the world of E-Mail, so please let us know if you also possess such a machine and we can communicate even more effectively.  

Well, we’ve been home for just over a month and it’s been wonderful to be back. WE spent 3 weeks in Hawaii before coming home so our “re-entry” must have been accomplished there to a large degree.  We felt very welcomed home – the neighbour kids had put up a big “Welcome Back Patrice & Daniel” sign in their front yard and they even had a party for them!  Ron and I also felt loved and appreciated even though nobody put up a big sign in our front yard. 

I got Daniel back into school as soon as I could (homeschooling does not seem to be our “thing”) and he seemed happy to be back.  A few days after getting home, I was asked to be the school “missionary of the month” so I gave presentations of our time away to six different classes at Daniel’s school.  It was fun and Daniel and Bradley Ultich were even able to help out with the presentations to their age group.  During my talk to one of the youngest classes I got quite teary eyed and could have started balling as I spoke of our Outreach and the people we were able to minister to.  Nothing like a happy missionary!

Patrice has done so well since getting home.  Even my Dad has noticed the change in her which really means something!  She is so much easier to reason with and more at peace.  I sit amazed!  I think that the time in Hawaii and during the outreach was a bonding time for us as  family and it build a security into her somehow. God is so faithful!  “Pray and keep on praying, Ask and keep on Asking…”  She is registered to go to Kindergarten at the Christian school next fall and is looking forward to that.  Meanwhile she and I have fun at home and she often runs down the street to my Mom’s place or she plays with the neighbour kids.  She celebrated her 5^thbirthday in March with three separate parties and fireworks.  Somehow that suits her personality.

Ron has done very well since getting home.  He has been very busy out at our apple orchard cutting down trees. (Soon we’ll have to buy a new orchard when we run out of trees on ours haha!)  Actually he’s preparing to plant some young high density trees in place of the big old trees that he cut down.  We will hopefully be able to get a much better fruit yield from these trees.  Ron is also preparing to begin coaching Daniel’s baseball team.  We have lots of fun during the baseball season.  Ron has had very positive feedback in the past from his interaction with the kids he coaches. 

Ron, Daniel, Steve and Bradley all went camping this past weekend up at a little cabin and they were actually able to snow mobile.  So I guess Daniel can’t complain that he missed winter and snow!  It has been a very cold spring here and we are only now starting to get some warm days.  I have been so cold and am tempted to wear a hot water bottle strapped to my head along with fur lined underwear.  I can hardly wait for our beautiful hot summer weather.  Maybe I do feel called to go back to Hawaii now that I think of it… at least between the months of November and March!

I have thoroughly enjoyed being home in my own kitchen with my worship music blasting and my comfortable bed never far away. We can even drink the water straight from the tap here and the showers are consistently hot!  Ah, the blessings of life in the frozen north.  Barb & Steve live just down the road from us so barb and I see each other fairly often and love to pray together.  They are doing well and are soaking in all that God invested in their lives during their Crossroads experience.  We had a little reunion with other YWAM friends in March, enjoying a little pizza party as we shared our hearts and what we’ve all been going through since getting home.  It was fun and having everyone sleep all over the house was no problem after all we’ve been through on outreach. 

I haven’t been eager to get too involved in church activities for the present time, although I’ll probably be teaching Sunday School soon.  Recently I’ve been asked to be on a short program our local TV station is putting on about accessibility and educating the public in that regard.  I didn’t know whether or not to participate, but I’ll take the plunge and do it! Another opportunity to be salt and light…and to use my knowledge in the world of “disability” to help others.