Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Well hello!

Things here are goin' pretty good.

Auntie Gloria came over for tea this morning and we gabbed away!

I'm just thinking about heading over to Liquidation World - Auntie Gloria was just there and found a lot of awesome stuff. Michelle said they've got "method" brand hand soap on sale... I've been looking for a scent-free liquid hand soap that isn't anti-bacterial. Pretty hard to find, apparently! Michelle said that Method soap is pretty good for that. Will see what I can find.

I also got some nice pictures developed from my trip so I framed a few of them in my bathroom and I have a nice one of me at Peggy's Cove with the lighthouse that I'm framing for mom and dad. I also got a copy of it for me. I'm really looking forward to hanging it in my bathroom. A strange place for pictures of lighthouses, maybe, but I find I can hang random pictures in there and it won't disturb the rest of the decor/mood of my house. Will see if Liquidation World has picture frames, too.

Dad and I are making uber progress on my buffet and hutch. We're trying to figure out what we want the hutch to look like. I'm taking suggestions - let me know if there's a hutch design that you like! Dad's done a ton of work on it and I'm so excited to be helping (at his direction!).

My date with the dentist yesterday was fantastic, in the most sarcastic sense. I had a cavity to be filled but when they ground it away (kinda reminds me of the smell of burnt horse hoof) they found a second cavity. Shame on me! I forgot completely about those gigantic needles they use to freeze your mouth/face with. Yikes. I'm glad I forgot!! Lets hope it'll be another five years before I get another cavity.

Should get a move on.

Moving Forward with Joy

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Hello!

Just got home from church. It was a very uplifting service. There's still a lot of missing people but I continue to listen, pray, not get involved in the craziness and am following Willem. Its a plan that seems to be working! I helped with Sunday School, we had two kids. The lesson was on the 10 commandments and we did some activities and crafts. All told, a good morning.

Mom, dad and Jill are coming over tonight for supper. I'm going to give them their little gifts and spend quality time together. I'm making homemade tomato soup - I found the recipe online that calls for canned tomatoes (the kind I can actually eat!) and its quite delicious (so long as I remember to take out the bay leaf and not accidentally mince it in the soup! whoops!). I've got some cleaning to do and then I'll start the soup. Its a quick one, takes about an hour to make, all told.

I've had quite a hard time adjusting to the new time zone plus catching up on sleep after my 26 hour day on Wednesday/Thursday. That was more than I could bear plus the plugged ears and sinus infection. I'm glad to be doing better. Thanks to Dr. Fitzpatrick at the Chilliwack Emerg for medicating me!

Moving forward with Joy

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Hello!!

I'm so pleased to report that my trip to Nova Scotia and back have been seizure-free. Thank you to all of you who prayed for me and my safety and for 'traveling mercies'.

The trip home was painful and exhausting. I've managed to acquire a sinus infection that blocked my ears in the most painful manner. After we dropped Jen off, mom and dad took me to Emerg so I could get something for the pain and for some antibiotics. The trip was very long... we didn't leave Halifax until 3:40pm local time... and we arrived in Chilliwack at 11pm local time. Which was closer to 3am for Jen and I. We were both completely done and could have sat down and cried. Well, I could have. Jen was stoic and did get little bits of sleep. I was unable - my ears were screaming at me.

Mom and dad surprised me with a few additions to my house - cleaned carpets (did you know that I have light blue rugs?! I thought they were a medium grey!). Mom cleaned all my windows and dad built me the most fantastic over-the-toilet storage cabinet. I love it! Dad also fixed my bi-fold closet doors, built me brand new fantastic shelves for my storage closet and a set of shelves for my coat closet. And he fixed my cutlery drawer so it won't fall out when you go to grab a fork! All told, pretty freakin' fantastic! It was better than Christmas!

I'm doing some computer 'house keeping' and then I plan to reorganize my bathroom with what little energy I have left. It'll be early to bed for me.

Again, thanks for the prayers and thoughts. You guys all had a hand in making this trip a success. I can't wait to go again... will have to save my pennies!

Moving forward with Joy.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010


Hello!

Well, I'm all packed here, my suitcases are in the van. I'm ready to go. We don't leave for a couple of hours which is great - I plan to relax.

Its been a really wonderful and memorable trip. Being the 'auntie tree' for the kids to climb all over and bruise, colouring with Shea, tickling Eli, smothering Rowan with kisses. Sharing tea with my two 'Jenny-poo's', making meals together... doing dishes at super sonic speeds while Jenny isn't there to stop me! Getting the kids ready for bed so mom can read 'em stories and tuck 'em in. Being woken up at inhuman hours by two blurry faces (just til I get my glasses on!) and having them pester me into playing duplo or cars or horses. Josh's fantastic sense of humour!!! And Jenny's laugh. Aww, I'll miss that laugh.

Yesterday was the icing on the cake, Peggy's Cove. It was pouring rain, stiff freezing winds. It was perfect! The lighthouse was deserted - we were the only ones there, dressed in our winter woolies. I took a bunch of pictures... including the one at the top of this post.
I should get a move on. See if I can be helpful.

I'll be seein' some of you pretty soon! I get in late, late tonight.
Moving forward with Joy.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Hello again!

Its been a quiet day in the McEwen house. Well... 'quiet' meaning 'not busy'. Not 'silent' at all - its been pretty loud here!

I forgot to blog earlier about Jenny's party at the in-laws last night. I think I mentioned the atlantic lobster dinner (yum!) but I didn't mention the part about the cake. I searched high and low here with the help of the folks at the grocery store for sour cherries to make the pie filling for Auntie Gloria's black forest cake but there was no such luck. Instead we bought pre-made pie filling. A total disappointment! And Jenny didn't have round cake pans so instead I made two 9X13" cakes (doubled the recipe). The cake traditionally has three layers but I found that two layers also works in a pinch. The cake was delightful, even with the bought pie filling. The German guys staying with the in-laws ate huge pieces and everyone told me how great it was! Thanks Auntie Gloria!!!

On the way home, Shea sang for at least 10 minutes about how good the cake was... she went into great detail about the gooey cherry pie filling and the sweet whipping cream and the soft chocolate cake... and on and on and on. It was so funny. I don't think I've ever heard someone sing about a cake!!

Well, that's all for now.

Moving forward with Joy.
Hello everyone.

Its a cloudy day in the town of Head of Jeddore. They're forcasting rain for the next couple days... which is really good because we want to go to Peggy's Cove tomorrow to see the lighthouse. We're going after spring break is over here, on a week day and if its raining on top of all that then maybe it'll be deserted so I can get some good flash-free pics of the lighthouse.

Shea and I have had the opportunity to play 'horses' a couple of days in a row now... she's got a zillion different horses so I got one, a flying unicorn and she got the saddle horse. Unfortunately the big scary monster got to the saddle horse before my flying unicorn could get to her. The monster ate the saddle horse's heart and ran off... as gruesome as that is, its a good thing my flying unicorn was hot on the heels of the monster and carried a roll of duct tape. We saved the poor saddle horse's missing heart and wound with duct tape and unicorn kisses. I mean, really, of course that would work! Josh said Red Green would be proud!!

We went to the in-laws last night for supper - atlantic lobster! It was quite the experience. Even though I've had lobster twice it was still confusing and frustrating but SO worth it! They have two German teenagers staying with them... their cousins. One of them has been here for the past year going to school and the other lad is this guys cousin, a close friend. They're both hilarious and even the kid who came from Germany just yesterday's english was pretty decent.

I'm not sure what all we'll get up to today. I'm still sick. Ugh. Two more sleeps. I'm dreading leaving here but also looking forward to coming home. I'm going to miss Jenny SO much, Josh and the kids, too. Jenny's talking about maybe coming out west in a year or so to see her folks. That would be nice!

Moving forward with Joy
Hello everyone.

Its a cloudy day in the town of Head of Jeddore. They're forcasting rain for the next couple days... which is really good because we want to go to Peggy's Cove tomorrow to see the lighthouse. We're going after spring break is over here, on a week day and if its raining on top of all that then maybe it'll be deserted so I can get some good flash-free pics of the lighthouse.

Shea and I have had the opportunity to play 'horses' a couple of days in a row now... she's got a zillion different horses so I got one, a flying unicorn and she got the saddle horse. Unfortunately the big scary monster got to the saddle horse before my flying unicorn could get to her. The monster ate the saddle horse's heart and ran off... as gruesome as that is, its a good thing my flying unicorn was hot on the heels of the monster and carried a roll of duct tape. We saved the poor saddle horse's missing heart and wound with duct tape and unicorn kisses. I mean, really, of course that would work! Josh said Red Green would be proud!!

We went to the in-laws last night for supper - atlantic lobster! It was quite the experience. Even though I've had lobster twice it was still confusing and frustrating but SO worth it! They have two German teenagers staying with them... their cousins. One of them has been here for the past year going to school and the other lad is this guys cousin, a close friend. They're both hilarious and even the kid who came from Germany just yesterday's english was pretty decent.

I'm not sure what all we'll get up to today. I'm still sick. Ugh. Two more sleeps. I'm dreading leaving here but also looking forward to coming home. I'm going to miss Jenny SO much, Josh and the kids, too. Jenny's talking about maybe coming out west in a year or so to see her folks. That would be nice!

Moving forward with Joy

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Hello folks!

I just had the pleasure of watching Shea give her new barbie-style horse's mane a trim. Fortunately she got it at Value Village so its not such a crisis but she was so careful with it. Adorable.

The kids and I baked Jenny's birthday cake this morning. We doubled the recipe and made 2 9x13" pans... its going to be black forest cake (Auntie Gloria's recipe) but she didn't have round cake pans so we'll make it two layers instead of three and they'll be sheet-cake sized. Ah well, ya gotta make do. To top that off, they don't have jarred sour cherries anywhere near here... I had to buy pre-fab cherry pie filling. (YIK!) At least the whipping cream is the real deal. I should have listened to my instinct and brought a jar of cherries with me. Oh well. Jenny's happy either way. I also forgot to buy marashino cherries to decorate it with but Jenny does have bakers chocolate I can grate onto the top. Its going to be my best attempt with limited resources. teehee.

Lunch is pretty quick. I cooked a Demerse-raised chicken last night but it came out of the oven so late that we ended up not eating it... we're picking it apart for chicken sandwhiches today. Jenny made fresh bread for the sandwiches, too. YUM!

I have come down with a fantastic head cold that's starting to feel more like a sinus infection. I'm hoping to wait until I come back to see the doctor but we're taking it day by day. I went to bed uber early last night and slept reasonably well until 3:30am... I took an antihistamine which cleared up my stuffed up nose enough for me to fall back asleep. I hope my blocked ears clear enough so that the flight home isn't painful.

Should get a move on!

Moving forward with Joy.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Good Morning folks.

Hope you guys are all good.

We've just finished a late morning cuppa tea and are getting ready to start lunch. Not sure what that'll look like but I'm sure inspiration will strike.

There's been a minor war over Shea's new glasses. Apparently Eli likes them more than Shea does. It was bound to happen, I suppose. The 'cool' factor has worn off... she's not too inclined to wear them. But she does look adorable in them!

Eli managed to make a disaster of all of Josh's special card games... I'm sure he'll be thrilled (not). Oh, they're playing hide and go seek now! Jenny and I were both wondering where they get their energy from. teehee.

Shea woke up aunty Deedee this morning. As much as I groan when I hear the bedroom door open, I think I'll miss it when I go home. The chaos is beautiful in its own maddening way!

Not sure what all we'll get up to today. We need milk so we'll head out to the store at some point this afternoon.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Hey there!

Hope you guys are doin' good.

Things here are pretty rockin'.

Josh is just getting ready for work, Shea is on a sleep-over at her grandparents, Jenny is sweeping up cookie crumbs with Rowan on her back, Jen is fast asleep and I'm sitting here writing you, waiting for my tea to cool.

Yesterday was Jenny's birthday and gosh did we ever have a good time! Jen, Josh and I stayed up late and cleaned like mad so that Jenny awoke to a sparkling house. They let me loose with crepe paper streamers... I used all four rolls. Needless to say, this place is very colourful!

Jenny opened her gifts and loved them all!

I didn't end up going to dinner with all of them because we ate egg-based pancakes for breakfast. I didn't even think to ask about their egg content. I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening in the bathroom, wishing someone would save me from my misery. ugh. I'm all better today, though.

It'll be a chill day here. We might go into Porter's Lake to pick up Shea's glasses after we pick her up from her sleep over.

I'm going to go drink my tea.

Moving forward with Joy

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Hello folks!

We've had an adventureous couple of days.

Yesterday's adventure took us back to Musquodoboit Harbour to Jenny's in-laws for hamburgers for supper... it was lovely to chat and see everyone. The kids adore their grandparents! And its clear that the grandparents adore the kids!!

We came home from there, put the kids to bed and then hung out for a bit. Josh restarted the fire (quite the production with green wet wood) so he threw out all the old ash... there was a cloud of dust that came up out of the garbage but the lid closed... and the 'dust' kept pouring out the sides of the garbage can! I opened it to see red embers sizzling at the bottom of the can with huge clouds of smoke rising into my face. I took the garbage can outside while Jenny got a few bowls of water and we put the fire out - laughing all the way!

I brought the second season of Little Mosque on the Prairie so we watched a bit of that and ate ice cream - yum!

Today our adventures took us to Hailfax. We left early this morning and headed into Dartmouth and across the toll bridge - so great and SO beautiful. Halifax has so many cool old buildings and the neatest shops. I got some shopping down and took a few pictures. Might get a chance to upload them after the kids go to bed. Jen took a whole bunch so if you're on facebook then you can look at them on her page.

We made our way down to the harbour to get fish and chips but the minute we turned the corner Jenny spotted a few people with cameras. That was a dealbreaker for me... Jenny walked me back to the car and we waited there for Josh, Jen and the kids. They said that the good part of the harbour was closed off and there weren't many tall ships parked so it didn't take them long to hoof it back to us. We hit up McDonald's for lunch. Kind of a disappointing alternative to Fish and Chips!! That's ok, its the company that counts. A good time was had by all!

We'll have a snack-y supper... none of us are really hungry. I'm just thirsty! They have great well water here. It doesn't taste all that different from Chilliwack. Thank goodness. I had visions of me having to drink abbotsford-type water for two weeks. That's SO not the case. Delicious! Jenny said its a drilled well.

Hope you're all well.

Moving forward with Joy

Monday, March 15, 2010

Hello!



We've just returned from shopping in Porter's Lake. Shea picked out her first glasses, they'll be ready in a week (not sure why, the lenses might have to be brought in from afar). I got to stay in the van with Eli while he slept... that was a blessing since he really has a hard time in stores, wanting things he can't have. Jenny says that Shea's glasses are rectangular square metal ones in a ravishing shade of raspberry



We went to Superstore afterwards and did some shopping. Its waaaay nicer than the Superstore in Chilliwack! And they bag your groceries for you - a real treat! I tried to find sour cherries so Jen and I can make Jenny's birthday cake. They didn't have any but in the process of finding that out I got a tour of the store and was told a few stories about how my tour guide (just a store clerk) made cherry pie for her family when she was 11 in Ontario and didn't realize that the pits needed to be removed! I thanked her for both the story and the tour and told her that the people at Superstore in Chilliwack aren't half as friendly and helpful. She laughed and said "you're in the Maritimes, dear, get used to it!"

I couldn't help but crack up!

Doug and Monika just called and have invited us for supper. Gotta get a move on!

Better get a move on!

Moving forward with Joy
Hello folks!

Things here continue to truck along.

We went to Dartmouth yesterday and looked around at some of the stores. I picked up a ball of yarn to engage in what Michelle calls 'the spiritual practice of crocheting'.

We're headed back to Dartmouth to buy glasses for Shea, her first pair. She's excited about them but I suspect she'll hate them after a while... we all do!

Sorry this is so short, I'm going to go have a cuppa tea and some breakfast.

Moving forward with joy!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Hey there folks!

Yesterday was another chill day here. We didn't get up to too much, just got to enjoy each other's company. It was great.

The kids and I did crafts - collages. It was mostly Shea and I but Eli joined us after a bit.

Shea has another wiggly tooth so I imagine the toothfairy will make a visit while we're here.

We're off to Dartmouth today to do some looking around and shopping. Will update later.

Moving forward with Joy

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Hello to my friends and family!

Things here continue to truck along really well. Am having a really fantastic time.

Yesterday was a chill day. We went to "abba" and "amma's" house last night for supper. (That's what the kids call their Grandma and Grandpa). It was delicious and the company was good. They have their 17 y/o relative (of some description... maybe a cousin or nephew) Theo staying with them. He's an exchange student from Germany and is hilarious!

Eli and I did some baking yesterday. I'm pro-star at baking with kids after all my experience with A. Fortunately all he wanted to do was stir and eat the batter. Thank to Auntie Gloria for sending me the instructions for Amish Bread. I brought the starter with me but forgot the recipe. Whoops! I also divided the started so we got four loaves out of the deal. I only brought one box of instant pudding so for one batch we had to use instant custard. Everyone says it turned out really great. I haven't tasted it yet.

Jenny is currently doing battle with Shea in the shower. tee hee. They don't have a bath tub here so its a bit of a production to get the kids clean. Eli loves the shower and hops at any opportunity to shower but Shea is another story.

Not sure what kinds of shenanigans we'll get up to today. We're about to have a discussion about that once the kids are out of the shower and Jenny has dried off!

Moving Forward with Joy.

Friday, March 12, 2010


Hey there folks!


Its a quiet morning in the McEwen house. Shea has gone to school, Eli is watching a movie and Rowan is chillin' with dad.


I took these pictures yesterday and hope to take more tomorrow.

The top picture is of Shea riding her 'horse' Brusa. Its adorable! She plays with that swing like its a real horse. Brusa even has a bridle, bit and reigns. Its really a bright pink jump rope. Three cheers for imagination!


A cozy family - Jenny, Josh and Rowan

Shea washing her horse. Jenny said she does this often. She also checks her feet (which are really the stirups - sp?) and takes her to the farrier. It was adorable and also kinda sad - she really would love to work with a real horse. She's slightly obsessed... reminds me of someone else I know... teehee. .

Shea asked me if I had a sister. I said yes, her name is Jill. Shea's eyes got really big and I said "the farrier". Shea nodded and said "yes, she takes care of the horses and their feet!"
My heart melted.

Rowan on Jenny's back.


Eli sneeking ice to throw at Brusa, the horse swing... much to Shea's shegrin.

Will take more pictures today and write more tomorrow. Its still super early for you guys but I hope you all have a good day.
Moving forward with Joy

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Well folks! Good morning to you!

Just to put you all at ease, I made it safely to Jenny's humble abode seizure-free!!!

The flight was uneventful. We stopped in Edmonton and Toronto and then got off in Halifax... it was quite the day flying over the Rocky Mountains, the prairies, the great lakes (or just one lake). Jen and I had our row to ourselves on our way to Edmonton (it was a surprise to go to Edmonton, we thought we were flying to Calgary). Jen slept a bit on the way to Edmonton and then we both crashed for an hour on top of each other on the 3.5 hour flight to Toronto. Jen brought travel scrabble and that kept us amused after we woke up.

The flight attendants were fantastic! The one gal kept things lively and interesting while they did the safety proceedures, etc - it was quite funny. When we boarded she looked at our boarding passes and said "you guys are with us all the way..." in a way that made us laugh. She even pointed us out to the rest of the 120 people on the plane "we brought these two all the way from Abbotsford!"

Jen and I were so stunned when we arrived in Halifax. We waited and were some of the last people to get off the plane. Jenny and Josh were there waiting for us. I had just stepped through the doors to the greeting area when I heard Jenny shout "Camera!!", I closed and covered my eyes and was the assualted by people trying to protect me. Jenny lead me out of the airport and Jen and Josh picked up our luggage.

It was SOOO good to see Jenny! I woke up this morning and couldn't believe where I was. Its so unreal! We had breakfast not that long ago and watched the kids make paintings. Loads of fun. Its so good to be here in the chaos. We had a morning cuppa tea - very peaceful! I brought my big teapot with me, its so awesome to be drinking tea out of it with 'my girls'. Jenny's teapot isn't big enough for all of us plus my pot is perfectly seasoned. :o)

My heart is so happy to be here but I'm still a-prayin' for my Cooke's family.

I should get goin' but I hope to post pictures in the next couple of days.

Chat soon.

Moving forward with Joy

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Hello folks!

Well, I'm almost done packing. I've got a few things left on my list and that will all come together in the next couple of hours... some stuff is frozen and that'll have to wait til tomorrow, I'll pack it last minute (like the frozen chicken I'm taking with me!).

I can't tell you all how thankful I am for your prayers. This is a very anxious time for me and it means a lot that you guys are lifting up my flight and safety in your prayers.

I found out today that mom can see me safely onto the plane... that's a huge relief for both me and mom and dad. I also was told that I can ask for 'pre-boarding' so that I can talk to the flight attendants so they're all aware of my situation and my anxieties. Plus, that way they won't be caught off guard if I have a seizure during flight. I'm praying against seizures for this entire trip but most importantly for the flights.

I'm looking at my nearly-packed suitcases and I'm just so freakin' excited I can't hardly think straight enough to type at the same time.

And for those of you who are following my 'swear jar' (I gave up swearing for Lent)... the tally as of last night was $13.25. I've practically eliminated all the really foul words and am working on the smaller 'offensive' words. This chunk of scripture is on the wall in the church office. "... Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Phillipians 4:8) I've been trying to think on those things when I'm fed-up and want to curse. Let me tell you, I've come up with some creative ways to express frustration!

I'm going to sign off for now. This time tomorrow I'll be safely in Nova Scotia!

Moving Forward with Joy!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Hello folks!

The service today was good. There were 74 people for worship this morning. I had the Sunday school class so I don't know what the sermon was like (we had one kid in Sunday School - an improvement on last week). At the beginning of the service our Minister read a message from Presbytery. Presbytery is the regional grouping of churches (the entire upper and lower Fraser Valley).... they sort of oversee things going on in all the churches here. They got wind of the trouble that's going on and are forming a committee to deal with what's going on at Cooke's. I don't think anyone is sure what Presbytery will say or do or decide. I don't think there's any sense in worrying - but still, everything that's happening plus Presbytery's visit is distressing.

There's still an awful lot of finger-pointing. People are trying to assign blame on one person or group of people when really, the problem/situation is systemic. We're all somehow involved and somehow guilty.

There were a few choir members who joined us in the pews today but I'd say about 90% of the choir have chosen to go elsewhere. We were missing about a quarter of the congregation. It wasn't as bad as many had feared. There were a couple people who showed up this morning just to say their goodbyes and then left, claiming that they'll never come back. I didn't realize that that's what was going on until I saw one gal leave the room in tears. Her two friends came to say goodbye.

I was pleased so see so many familiar faces, though they were all very grim. I tried to worship God with as much joy as I could muster. Its hard when faced with something so difficult... but isn't this exactly when God calls us to worship Him? When we're faced with something we can't see our way through, shouldn't we just leave it in God's hands and worship him with thankful hearts that we have someone to care for us?

I had supper at mom and dad's - dad made my favourite - a salt-packed roast. So Good! It isn't at all salty... its kinda hard to explain but it sure is delicious. I might take the recipe with me to Jenny's and make it for her and the family! Jill and I ran errands after supper - a few groceries and snacks for our flight.

My Elder is coming over tomorrow morning for tea so I ought to go do the dishes that are waiting for me in the sink.

Moving Forward with Joy.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Hello!

Just getting the Sunday School lesson for tomorrow. It'll be a miracle if there's any kids. If they do show up, the lesson is on Noah's Ark and we'll be doing a paper craft.

Things here are going reasonably well. Got a ranting email from one of the ladies in the church choir this afternoon. She sent it to a bunch of other people. Its quite... interesting.

I talked to Jenny today before I went over and hung out with A. Jenny is so excited about us visiting. She's got her house in order... I called her while she was making space for all of us to sit at the dining room table. Four sleeps!!!

I'm heading over to mom and dad's on Monday afternoon to do up all my laundry, then I can pack it away on Tuesday afternoon. Then Friday I hop on a plane and fly across the country!

Time to think about bed.

Moving Forward with Joy.

P.S. I trust that it was ok with everyone that I removed the music from my blog. I decided that it would be best, so that my relatives on dial-up would be able to read my blog while I'm gone.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Hey there folks.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers and notes of encouragement since my last post. Its been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. The shock is starting to wear away and I'm pretty devastated for my church. My aunt in Alberta shared a tidbit of wisdom that was passed on to her during a similar situation... she told me that every time a group of people leave the church, God brings in a new bunch. I hope and pray that this will be true for my church, though I still think its silly and sad that we've lost people at all.

I'm really looking forward to getting away for two weeks. I know that nothing will really change at church while I'm gone but, as my Auntie Gloria here mentioned, I need a break to look at this with fresh eyes. And who knows, maybe the people who are leaving in a huff will take a break and realize how much grace God really gives us to forgive who ever slighted us.

And reliable to a fault, whenever I'm uber stressed-out I loose my voice. I do believe I'm on my way there! Its kinda raspy today... I hope it lasts at least for tomorrow so that I can still answer phones. It might be asking too much to hope for my voice to last until next Tuesday for singing on Sunday and for my last shift at church before I head out to Halifax.

We're all getting so excited for our trip. Jenny's busy making up a room for us and for she mentioned doing some baking, too. I want to make some oatmeal molasses cookies to take with me to share - they're Jenny's favourite. I've got my packing list here and bought the last of the gifts for them today - just little things.

I'll do my best to blog and post pictures while I'm gone... that way you will all have a glimpse into my trip!

Moving Forward with Joy!


Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Hey there folks.

Its been a sad few days here. Sad, confused and frustrated, actually.

There's a lot of heartbreaking stuff going on at my church (Cooke's)... a lot of bitter disagreements, anger and division. Its so complicated and everyone has a different version of the truth. There's both truth and deceptions in every different version that I hear. At first I thought it was my job to uncover the truth but after hearing five or six vastly different stories, I've decided that there's no sense talking to anyone else.

At the end of the day, we've lost our choir director/organist. Lines have been drawn and the choir and congregation are fit to be tied.

I guess what's upset me the most is the utter shock I feel. Until last Thursday, I had no idea any of this was going on. I knew that there were church politics but I didn't think it was anything earth shattering. The last ministers were friends of mine and they kept me pretty shielded from the evil stuff going on and after they left, the congregation has carefully left me out of it. I'm thankful to everyone who protected me from all this.

I spoke out of turn at the AGM on Sunday, not understanding what was going on, what the differing positions were. I upset a few people but that was certainly not my intention. I told them they were being silly. And maybe they are but they each believe their own version of the truth so strongly that it wasn't right of me to criticize. It would have been better for me to just sit and listen. I was upset to see perfectly intelligent Christian adults pointing fingers at each other and I thought that calling them out on their ridiculous games would be for the best, even though it wasn't. I came away from there confused above all but also hurt that these people whom I dearly love were slinging insults and conspiracies at each other... it was nothing like the 'brotherly love' they fake on Sundays. I saw true colours at that meeting in dark shades I didn't know existed.

After emailing a few wise people (friends and family) and getting their widely differing views on it, I prayed like I've never prayed before. Seriously, I've never come to God that broken before. It was humbling. I had some friends pray with me, both at the women's Bible Study last night and then with my dear friend Jen who prayed with such wisdom and insight. I went to bed still confused and calling out to God.

This morning was a whole new day! I woke with such peace in my heart. I got an email from my aunt and uncle in Alberta who cautioned me to not get involved, to not take a side, to just listen and pray. They also recommended that I follow our Minister and I plan to do just that. He's our shepherd and I'll trust that he's going to lead us with God in his heart. I know he's just a guy like the rest of us but I have faith that he's the right leader for this kind of chaos.

I'm volunteering at the church for two hours a day, three days a week until I leave for Halifax on the 10th. Today was my first day and it went great. Our secretary left me with a few jobs to do. I got them all done this morning so I asked our Minister if he has any little jobs that need to be done for tomorrow. I don't know if he will but I'll take my book and sit by the phone and wait for people to call just in case. We had one call today. I was nervous to answer but I did just fine. I'm experienced with cold calls, PYPS made me overcome that fear!!

I'm so excited about this trip! Only eight more sleeps! Jen and I told Jenny before church on Sunday morning. She shrieked in excitement for the next 25 minutes! It was so thrilling to listen to her!! haha. Jen and I are looking forward to celebrating her birthday with her. So now that the cat is out of the bag, I can tell you about my plans over the next few days.

Thank you to all of you guys who've been praying for me and my church. Please continue to pray that the evil that's passing from mouth to mouth at my church doesn't infect my heart. I need to read up on that spiritual armour stuff! Ya know, each of the people there are perfectly entitled to their opinions... I just wish they weren't so freakin' negative and awful to those who disagreed with them.

Talk to you soon!