Morden Town

OK, so we are moved, settled, and getting into life here in Morden.  There are a pile of random pictures below that you can take a gander at.  We moved October 20th, so we have been here a month.  It is hard to believe.  So much has happened in that time.  We did some painting.  Trev and Derick have done some renovations in the basement, which has provided Trev with a very nice and clean office in the basement.  Beth and Derick came out and stayed with us for 2 days to help with all the basement work.  Electrical, framing, insulating, drywall.  Lots of work.  We got our first snowfall while they were here so we went outside for a roll in the snow.  Nora spent the whole time sucking on her mittens.  Jack stood in one spot.  I think he was in shock.  Brook ran around like a crazy child.  Completely delighted! 

Most of the curtains and blinds are up, and the place is generally put together the way we want it.  Our new place is a bit smaller than our Boissevain house, so we have had to get rid of a bit of furniture, but we have CLOSETS! Yay!  You don't know how much you miss your broom closet until you don't have one for 4 years!  Trev has been trimming the trees in the backyard, but there is a LOT of work to do back there yet.  I think we'll wait until spring to do anymore.  Dad and Trev (and Jack) installed a dishwasher for me.  I am so happy.  I don't mind doing dishes, but I HATE the pile that sits on the counter all day waiting to be washed!  I feel very spoiled.  I only had to go 3 days without a dishwasher.

We went trick or treating, with the purpose of getting to know some of our neighbours.  (well, that was my motive, but I think other family members were after candy)  Brook was a princess, Jack was a tiger. We went up and down our block, and tried to meet our backdoor neighbours too.  It was fun. We had 85 kids come by!  We had to start turning them away because we ran out of candy.  Kid # 86 was not very impressed.  He had a huge pillowcase FULL of candy and when I told him I had no more candy he said "What? Owwhhaahh!" and stormed off.  Ha!

 There are not many people out and about in our neighbourhood because it is so cold, so it has been hard to get to know our neighbours.  Hopefully come spring we will have more luck. 

The kids and I are still trying to get used to our new life here.  Play dates, activities, and friends are all still new, but we are getting into it.  I have to admit I miss the comfort of visiting with friends that I know well. Brook has good days and bad, but so do the rest of us.  She mentions Boissevain regularly, and all I can do is validate her feelings and help her work through them.  We've been getting excited about christmas and all the fun that comes with that.  We have started some family routines and activities that Brook can look forward to every week, and that seems to help.   Trev's work is going well.  He's slowly figuring out what he wants to do with the youth program and how thing are going to work.  He's only been at it for a few weeks, so there is a lot more to be done yet.

So, that is us.  We are here and we are just figuring out life in a new community, new house, new church, new new new.  So far so good:)  

Trev and Brook with their laptops.  We made her one out of a cereal box and she loves it.  I catch her sitting on her bed typing on it all the time:)

So I have to admit, the last 6 months have been difficult.  Trevor finished his job at the Boissevain MB church at the end of April, and since then we have felt that we were in our own little "wandering in the wilderness" experience.  Although many lessons have been learned, it has felt very dry.  The frustration of not doing what we felt called to do, sapped our life, and made us question whether or not we were called in the first place.  Through it all, God has been faithful. Reassuring us of our calling, and teaching us some very important lessons, that God could only have taught us in the darkest of times.  As much as I wish he would have chosen to just write me a letter on the things I should work on, he knew this experience would be far more effective.  So in the mids of our waiting and learning, God was working things out.  Getting the next part of our journey set while we were getting ourselves prepared.

Two days after Trevor started his job at Western Archrib back in May, we got a call from Glencross Church in Morden, asking if Trevor would apply to be their youth pastor.  We were quite confused as we felt that God was asking us to wait in Boissevain for a while.  We were in no hurry to rush off to another job, as we were still healing from the last.  We quietly pursued the Glencross job in the spring, but once school was out the process slowed to a crawl, and we waited once again.  

Mid August we had a formal interview, mid september Trevor candidated, and last monday, he was offered the job.  He accepted.  Our candidating experience was wonderful.  We had a great time getting to know the youth, parents, and other members of the church.  What a warm and welcoming place.

Here is where it Gets crazy.  The last week and a half have been nothing short of a miracle!  On Monday evening Trevor got the job.  Tuesday afternoon we put our house up for sale. By wednesday noon we had sold our house!  18 hours on the market.  In Boissevain that is unheard of.  Thursday we got pre-approval for a new mortgage.  Friday we took a deep breath.  Saturday we went house shopping in Morden, found a house we love, and made an offer.  They accepted our offer that evening.  Wow. I have signed a lot of paperwork this week.  Monday I got a stack of boxes and I have been packing ever since.  

In the last year, it has felt like we were swimming upstream.  Every step forward was met with a shove backwards.  It has been difficult.  Thankfully it looks like we are done with the wilderness for a while.  The road has been cleared before us and we can see where God is leading.   I'm not saying Morden is the promised land, but it sure is nice to know where God wants us to go.  

Our Summer

So we have had a super fun summer.  So much so that I have not had any desire to blog. Family gathering #1 - The Pauls gathering was a blast!  Kids everywhere.  Food, and great weather.  We had so much fun.

Brook spent some time at Lake william with Trevor's parents enjoying their new camper.  She didn't sleep much, but who needs sleep when you can have fun with Grandma and Grandpa?

 A sunday evening visit with Mike and Jeanette and Mom and Dad.  It was a grew wiener roast too.

 A visit to see Ryan and Jackie in Winnipeg.  Feeding the ducks at the Forks and enjoin the spray park.

 LOTS of afternoons at Lake William.

It's been a great summer!  More pics and information to come once I have more time (or desire) to start blogging again:)

So I didn't realize that I have not posted anything in a month.  Sorry about that.  I know there are a lot of you that are wondering what we are up to.  We got a Mac computer and I am lost!  It has taken me a month just to figure out what I'm doing.

Trev started a job at the beginning of May at Western Archrib, a beam and truss manufacturer here in Boissevain.  There are aspects of the job he likes, and others he does not, but it pays the bills.  The nice part is he has regular hours and has all of his weekends off.  We are enjoying that we have every evening together as a family and that we have much more freedom with two days off in a row every week! I have felt a burden to pray regularly for Trev and a few other Christians that work at Western Archrib as they have a challenging work environment.  If you wish to join me I pray at 9:30 am (coffee break time at W Archrib)  I am really excited to see what God is going to do there.

Two days after Trev started his job at Western Archrib we had a church from Morden approach us about their vacant youth pastor position, so we are slowly pursuing that, but taking our time as we feel we need to be careful about where we head next. Personally I am quite nervous about moving with our young family, but I know that God has plans for us and he will look after us.  It is sort of a nervous excitement. I am gearing myself up for the next adventure!

Other than that we have just been enjoying the beautiful May weather, soaking up all the sun we can and enjoying what God has blessed us with here.  Below are some random pictures from May around here. The last few are from our trip to Elgin Reservoir today.  What a beautiful day. J

We are back.  We kind of fell of the face of the earth for the last few weeks, but we are home and getting back into “normal” life.  April was really good to us.  We spent time relaxing, hanging out as a family and generally taking it easy.  I am amazed how quickly a month can slip by.  We were sad that there were a lot of people we wanted to visit with that we didn’t have time for.

5 Teeth.

  Our trip to Vancouver / Abbotsford was wonderful. It was not exactly what we had expected, but that was likely good.  We spent the first day in Vancouver sightseeing, visiting the aquarium and generally feeling out of place in downtown Vancouver.  We took a bus to Abbotsford and spent the rest of the week at a Bed and Breakfast taking part in a retreat run by Power To Change.  The speakers and leaders were really great!  We learned a lot from them and from our fellow retreaters.  It was a priceless 5 days.  The kids did wonderfully at Mom and Dads.  I don't think the even realized we were gone.

 

Jellyfish at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Along the Seawall downtown vancouver

Our B&B.  Wow!

So now we are home and Trev is starting the job hunt.   We are not limiting ourselves to jobs in Boissevain, although we are not making plans to move right now.  We have no idea what is coming our way, but we are thankful for the time we had this last month.  J

 

Westminster Abby - Abbotsford Monastery

uh oh

Family Update

A big thanks to all of you that have sent us encouragement in different ways - phone calls, cards, emails, and visits. We appreciate your support during our transition. Here is a little update on our situation.

Trevor's last day of work was March 31st. We took a little family trip to Grand Forks for a few nights, and spent most of our time swimming, eating, or shopping. The kids loved it and it was very relaxing for us to get away. We spent the last 5 days visiting with my parents on the farm. It has been great fun to take it easy and be away for a little while. The farm is always a comforting place to be. We took a day trip to PVBC and that was great. What a wonderful place that God has built there!

Every one asks us about our future plans. To that we say, "We are waiting". Trevor and I both have a peace about our decision to wait before making any big decisions. We feel like we have been rushing ahead of God, making plans, then asking him to bless them. We want to change that. He knows best and we are going to take the opportunity to search for his direction.

The problem is that both Trevor and I are planners. We like to organize, plan ahead, and then have a back up plan should things not pan out. (I guess camp and youth ministries have taught us that) God has asked us to wait and trust him, and it is testing me incredibly! I have had to make a conscious effort to push some thoughts out of my head and just wait. It doesn't mean we are waiting for a lightning bolt from heaven or a sign in the sky, but once it is time to move forward God will make that clear. This I am certain of!

We wanted to be intentional about our healing during this month, so we are not just taking trips and spend time away from home. Trevor and I are heading off to Abbotsford at the end of April for a retreat run by Power To Change. We are excited about the trip, but it involves leaving our Children in Manitoba for a week while we are gone. I have no doubts in their babysitter's abilities, but I have never been away from them for this long before and it makes me nervous just thinking about it.

So that is what we have been up to and what is on the horizon. If you wish to pray for us there is a short list of prayer requests below. Again thank you to all of you for your encouragment and prayers. - Jamie -

Prayer requests
- Wisdom for Trevor as he thinks about what type of job he would like to pursue and where.
- Patience for us both
- Safety for our family as we will be apart from the kids for a week
- That April can be a time of healing and renewal for our family

Around our place in March

I found a photocopied page from a devotional book stuck in my front door the other day. Author unknown.

My Grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9)

If none of God's saints were poor and tired, we wouldn't know half so well the consolations of divine grace. When we find a homeless wanderer with nowhere to stay who still trusts in the Lord; when we see a destitute person going hungry who still glories in Jesus; or when we see a bereaved widow overwhelmed in affliction who still has faith in Christ-oh! What honor it gives to the Gospel.

God's grace is illustrated and magnified in the afflictions and trials of believers. Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work together for their good. They believe that out of apparent evils a real blessing will ultimately spring-that their God will either work a deliverance for them speedily, or most assuredly support them in it. This patience of the saints proves the power of divine grace.

When everything is calm I can't tell how strong a house is built-a storm must rage and beat against it before I'll know it's strength. So it is with the Spirit's work. If it wasn't on many occasions surrounded by a storm, we wouldn't know that it was true and strong. If the winds didn't blow upon it, we wouldn't know how firm and secure it was. The masterworks of God are those saints who stand steadfast and unmovable in the midst of difficulties. Those who would glorify God must expect many trials. There are no great victories without great battles. So if your life is full of trials, rejoice, because you will all the more experience the all-sufficient grace and power of the Lord.

Jack and Sam

Brook is in Brandon visiting with Ken and Judy, so Jack and Sam had some quality time together. They played for at least 1/2 hour yesterday evening.

How God “reacts” to us in our pain.

The last few weeks I have been learning a lot. I am finding that the relationship between a child and a parent is much the same as the relationship between us and God. There are obvious flaws in the simile, but I believe we can learn a lot from it.

Last week Jack was toddling around the living room. I had been trying to keep him up until nap time and I could tell he was getting tired. All of the sudden he tripped on the edge of the carpet and hit the bridge of his nose on the edge of the coffee table. The sound of the collision was horrible. I rushed to him, scooped him up in my arms and did my best to comfort him as he wailed. His nose bled a little bit, but he must have cried inconsolably for at least 5 minutes. That was a very long 5 minutes. He ended up with a puffy nose and a bruise that ran down the side of his nose and under one eye. He survived.

When we are in impossible pain (for whatever reason) does God react the way I did? Rushing in, scooping us up in his arms? I believe so. There are people who suffer unimaginable pain, and all they can do is rest in Gods arms and cry for that very long 5 minutes. Much like Jack, some of us are tired even before we suffer great pain. The way that my son clung to me is how I want to cling to God in my time of need.

Obviously there are some flaws in this comparison. God foresees our pain, and disaster in the way a parent cannot. Why does God not stop the chain of events? I believe sometimes he does, but pain is a very good teacher. There are some lessons to be learned that only pain can teach us. Jack is much more careful around the edge of the carpet now. The saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” used to bug me. Being beat up just makes you weak right? Perhaps being beat up makes you smarter, not necessarily stronger. Maybe being beat up makes your faith stronger, and that is more important than your comfort.

Brook pushed Jack down the other day. I obviously had to deal with the perpetrator of the crime, but as the victim Jack sat on the floor crying, waiting to be comforted. He was not hurt, he just wanted to be scooped up and comforted. I refused. I told him “you are a big boy, get up, lets go” and I walked away. He wailed as if his face had met the coffee table again. How dare I leave him in his time of need! God can gauge our pain. He knows how strong we are, or if we are just a drama queen in need of an audience. I'm still working through all of this, but I think in our pain we demand that God serve us in the time and manner that we request, and when he doesn't we question his love, his motives, and his sovereignty.

Prayer Request

Today we found out that two grade 9 girls from our youth group were killed in a snowmobile accident. The specific details have not been released about the accident yet.

This evening Trevor is visiting with youth and doing what he can to ease some of the pain and answer questions. He has been asked to go to the school tomorrow and be available for grief counselling for the students. Please pray for wisdom for him as he has never done this before. Please pray for the families involved. One girl is from a single parent home, it was just the teen and her mother. The other girl is an exchange student from Mexico and I cannot imagine how hard it will be for them to deal with this at a distance.

Trevor was scheduled to go on a missions trip to Mexico on Wednesday, but it looks as though that will no longer be happening.
Jamie

Changes

As many of you already know, Trevor has given his letter of resignation to the church council. It is a long story, but after several meetings and a lot of discussions, we felt this was our best course of action. Trevor's last day of work will be March 31st. Trevor would have loved to finish the school year as youth pastor, but it was just not possible.

We are very sad to say goodbye to the Boissevain MB Church, and we wish them all the best as they search for a new youth pastor.

Please pray for the youth, that they would be able to transition well, and that volunteers can be found to connect with them and lead bible studies.

Pray for our church council moderator, as he has an enormous load to carry right now.

Please pray for us as we have absolutely no idea what we are supposed to do next.

Pray for Trev as he is heartbroken that he had to leave his job before he felt he was done. He loves the Youth very much and he can't believe the situation he has found himself in.

All we know is that God has provided for us so far and he will continue to do so.

Romans 8:35 -39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jack and Sam

I didn't get it on video, but right before this I caught Jack take the ball from Sam's mouth, put it in his own, and then give it back to her. EEEWWW. At least we know his immune system is good.

Bubbles

I gave the kids a bowl full of dish soap suds before bath time the other day. They had so much fun! The floor was soaked and so were the kids, but it was a great way to keep them busy for 1/2 hour.

Blessed

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17

I am Blessed
I am Blessed with a wonderful husband
A beautiful daughter
A healthy (active) son.

I am blessed with a warm house
A fridge full of food
A closet full of clothes
A house full of furniture.

I am blessed with health
Energy
life.

I am Blessed

I am blessed with the endless questions of a 3 year old
bite marks on the backs of my legs
Muddy paw prints on the clean floor.

I am Blessed with dirty dishes
Piles of laundry
Floors covered in crumbs.
So many children's toys that I need a shovel to clear the floor.

I am blessed with loving family
generous friends
A gracious God.

I am blessed.

There are days that I know I am blessed, yet I feel discouraged. All the blessings I have and yet I am unfulfilled. Why?

Because I was made for more than all the wonderful things that this earth has. I was made for heaven. Perfect communion with God. That is the ultimate blessing.

1 John 5:11
And this is the testimony : God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The Boy is walking