Spiritual or Physical ?

Well here we are preparing for another missions trip and here are some out of the blue physical things that are happening ...

Last Thursday my husband has this "fly" thing happening in his eye. He says it is like there is a fly flying around his eye...being totally annoying. He'd like me to kill it but I'd have to bonk him on the head and that just isn't my nature! Anyway...he went to the Doc to see if there was something haywire in his brain. Not! So then he went to see the Optomotrist and was told he has a periferial vitreal detachment ... I'm probably not spelling it correct. In essence, he has to let his brain get used to this "fly". He has to wear sunglasses when the sun is shining and has to be aware that if he all of a sudden has hundreds of flies in his eye or a shutter appear to come down over his eye, he'll have to rush to emergency asap as his retnae will have detached.

I was at work yesterday and felt this drippy nose thing, muscles paining and sort of a sore throat. I haven't had any illness forever so I'm toked up on Vitamin C and Enchincea and a few other anti-oxidants to help me kick this thing.

One of my sons came home from work today not feeling well.

Yeah...so is this spiritual or physical? I think both!

So if you read this and believe in prayer...pray...we need it!

Getting Ready to Travel

This is a busy week as we prepare to leave for Slovakia. We will travel separately so pray we meet on the other side of the world safely. I'm hoping it will be warmer than here. I'm fighting a cold for the first time in over a year so I hope I can get some rest while I'm away as well! I don't know how you fit rest into a conference and meeting people but I will have to try. We may try to go up to Poland as well for a couple of days but we'll see.

Yesterday we spent hours at the bank opening an account for NLI now that the government has approved all the red tape. Banks are thieves. It is unbelievable what charges they levy for everything! The lady that worked with us was awesome and let us joke so that helped the process.

I had a scare Sat. night or should I say Monday morning. 2:30 AM I heard a knock on my back door. My husband was away on a ministry trip and both boys were sleeping. There was "NO WAY" I was going to open the door. I peeked out the kitchen window and saw a rather small person with a ivory knitted toque and an ivory 3/4 jacket. I thought it was a woman but I wasn't sure. Whoever walked off my deck and was trying to get through the gate but was pushing it the wrong way. I watched for "the person" to walk down the driveway to see if I could see who it was in the street light. I never did figure out who it was. I wondered if one of my neighbor ladies was in trouble as the person did look more like the frame of a woman but I will never know! It was rather frightening though. Our wonder dog didn't hear the person either. He is so deaf now.

So that is a snapshot of the past few days...just the usual...life stuff otherwise.

Chapter Closes

Well this morning we met with the new pastors of Sherwood Park Pentecostal Assembly. It was so weird as I woke up early early Sunday morning praying for them as I knew they were candidating (as dumb as our PAOC system is - totally not Biblical ... but political like our country). I also prayed for the staff that worked so many years with us as I knew it would be an emotional day for them and I've learned it was. Anyway....it is amazing to me how once a mother...always a mother. I was a caregiver to this assembly for 17 years and one year does not break the "heart" for those you love and cared for. I still love the Assembly and we know it has great potential as they yield to the Lord. We love the staff we worked with and will continue to love them. We have developed a new dimension of relationship with so many - away from the pastor role. It's all good. But saying all that to say...that officially we move on and the church moves on...to embrace someone else and to the next chapter of their lives.

More

Well today I grabbed a pair of pants to wear to work and I realized that working out at the gym has paid off. I just about gave these pants away last winter as they were just too snug. So whoopie!!!

I've been asked to facilitate a group of young adult women who have just entered U of A so they can perhaps get to know each other. Any ideas as to a "name" for this group would be awesome! I can be a "mother" figure but what do these girls want to talk about --- how to hook a guy?, am I beautiful? ???? Those are 2 things I can think of that most young college age girls are concerned about. HELP! Many of these would be girls who have just moved into Edmonton and this is their first year away from home. I really believe this is something God wants me to do but I will need "time" so pray as my schedule is NUTS.

We are also heading up a prayer ministry at our church so with us being gone lots this is also going to be challenging. We so want to give back to the local church though in whatever way we can.

I'm going to be helping from time to time care for "babies". I hope I haven't lost my touch. I used to co-ordinate the nurseries for years.

Our church has been so gracious to give us time to just "drink" and be blessed this past year but we are ready to give again. It will help us get to know people better and connect in a deeper level. I pray I'm ready for that.

I'm reading Donald Miller's book "Searching for God Knows What". I have been thoroughly blessed. He sure makes you stop and think. Our culture sure shapes even our churches and our lives in ways that are not always good. He talks about relationship with Jesus being the #1 priority of our lives. How we know that but how we practise it is so wrong. Like I'm reading this and thinking I'm giving back to the local church but I want to give to Jesus and encourage others to a deeper relationship with Jesus as that is what REALLY matters. I highly recommend this book.

Day 50

Yesterday when I went to the gym I was congratulated for being there for my 50th visit! Whoopie! I slowly but surely whipping this old body into shape. It's great! I love this gym cause you don't have to look like a diva to go. Some gyms, I'm sure they are super models before they go and they have all the proper clothes, etc. Not my gym...we are just a bunch of ordinary people working to get some changes in our lives. It's awesome...no big pressure. It has paid off though in how I feel and so I'm happy.

Congrats to ME!!!!!

Fruit Salad & Love

That is how I would best describe my weekend. It is all good in the end but the chopping, slicing, dicing and mixing can be not so good!

My week was full of pressures to get our tickets booked for our missions trip, get my sons settled in college, get an updated statement to our missions office re our finances and just life. I was getting through until Friday night. Our oldest son had headed off to a weekend retreat and had phoned his dad to see if he could leave his keys with someone so we could pick up the car later. He wanted to be sure the keys would be safe and his dad assured him all would be well. This car is his baby and he had this remote security key starter. Well we went to pick up the car and could not find the keys anywhere. The caretaker came to the school for us, the fellow who had taken the keys to put them in a place for us to find them came to the school and another gal called a few people to see if anyone had seen them. They never did show up but as any parent would do...we would not leave the car. The car had not disappeared so we were thankful for that. We decided we had to set up camp so that if someone had the remote starter, we could protect the car. The next morning I took coffee to my husband and he let some workmen into work at the job he is doing at the school and I sat to watch over the car and call to figure out a way to disengage the security system so we could drive the car home. Three different guys tried to help us but there was no way we could get the car to start. The security system was secure....We had to call a tow truck to take the car to a Best Buy to have it disengaged by a technician. It just 'happened' that the best technician in the city was at Best Buy when we arrived with the tow truck and he worked in the cold on that thing for 1 hour. We are talking 4:30 pm before this is all done. We "waited" and "waited" for help and instructions. I kept thinking of those poor people in the New Orleans who were waiting for help and it seemed like an eternity before it came. Ours was a day and night ordeal but for these people the nightmare goes on. We had to install another remote starter $$$ later this week. The keys still have not shown up.

The other nightmare I'm trying to sort out is the bus system from home to Concordia in the evening. Concordia is a 15 minute drive from home but on the bus it is 1 1/2 hour and you have to transfer 3 times. CRAZY! I'm trying to figure this our for our youngest son who is taking some evening classes.

Then comes the lessons on love....unconditional love.

Being a parent is so very challenging and draining at times. I think it has been the hardest job of all jobs. It is a job where love is so incredibly deep. You give and give and give and you hurt so deeply for your kids. It is easy when you can make decisions for them but freeing them to make decisions right or wrong is another whole ballgame. I think I'm understanding God's love for me more and more. He wants my love. He wants me to respond to him. He wants me to offer to walk with Him but He has given me a free will. He doesn't force me but allows me the freedom to choose. It is so painful when I choose things that pull me away from him or that hurt him. He gives to me over and over and often I don't even say thanks but expect more. I so often just take Him for granted. When my guys tell me they appreciate me or say thanks, it means so much to me. When they demand, I often don't say too much but give because I love them. God does that for me over and over and over again. I'm so amazed by His unconditional love.

Anyway...I feel I've been in the school of learning this weekend. The stresses, the challenges are all part of the lessons I need to remind myself how totally dependent I am on the Lord for strength, for $$$, for rest, for endurance.

College Mother

It was the first day of Kindergarten and my son sat at the breakfast table quiet as could be. He had met his kindergarten teacher. He had seen his classroom but today he ventured off alone without Mom. I was as nervous as could be. My little baby heading off to school. He was so innocent, so protected, so loved and I had to send him off into the world of school where he would learn. Not that learning is bad but the playground learning is where so many comparisons are made, where children can be so mean to one another, where others are not always accepted for who they really are. As I watched my son, I finally asked, "What is bothering you son?" He started to cry and said "I just know everything about home and nothing about school." I held him and although apprehensive myself, walked my little boy to school and watched as the door closed behind him and he entered into the "school of learning".

Today I sent that son off to College. It was quite different as he has his own bank account now and has his own car and although he still lives at home, has matured into a very responsible young adult. He has learned well. I'm a proud mother as I see he is learning life's lessons well.

Thankful

This morning as I headed to the gym for my morning workout, it was drizzling. I started to complain to the Lord about the lack of "sunshine" and He brought to mind the pictures I've been seeing on the news lately. I quickly asked his forgiveness and started to express my thanks...

Thank you Lord that I have a lawn to mow and windows that need cleaning because that means I have a home.

Thank you Lord that I have meals to make because that means I have access to food.

Thank you Lord that I can work out at the gym because that means I have health.

Thank you Lord that I have laundry to do as that means I have clothes to wear.

Thank you Lord for the books I have to do because that means I have eyes to see.

Thank you Lord for the alarm that wakes me in the morning - sometimes sooner than I'd like but that means I have ears to hear.

Thank you Lord for all the things I have to organize because that means you have given me abilities and talents and again health to do those things.

I am TRULY BLESSED.