Hey by the way...I am Canadian

Praise the LORD.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever. ^{Psalms 106:1}

So, funny thing, being one of the only Canadians in an office of 97% of the others are American. And being the ONLY Canadian in our church. This week, I have had the pleasure of being reminded of Thanksgiving.

Being thankful for this season in my life, for the new community I am with, and for the relationships that I miss tremendously, but know that are being built stronger each day.

I was asked this week, do Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving? I was like of course we do, we just do it in October, to celebrate giving thanks for the harvest. So, nothing to do with pilgrims?
Nope...not really.

I then explained that we in Canada are a little smarter, in that we space our turkey consumption between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we can enjoy both the meals. Hee hee!

Anyways, since this is a week of Thanksgiving, I don't have a family dinner planned, because I am Canadian, but that does allow me to reflect what I am thankful for twice in one year!

So what I am thankful for...
I am thankful for the provisions, for the love and the strength He has given me.

I am thankful for my sister, who just got engaged to Rick, my baby sister means a lot to me and I miss her but I know that we are being brought together in spirit

I am thankful for being blessed with transportation to get around here in Nairobi, ok everyone is thankful for it.

I am thankful for my brother and his family, to be able to spend this year together has been a blessing.

I am thankful for great friends back home, even though I don't have close friends here, I am thankful for the love and support, the laughter and the tears that you have blessed me with, the talks and the prayers are the most important.

I am thankful for growing in God's image, to continually becoming the woman of God.

I am thankful for good coffee, (yes this is important) that replaces my Starbucks addiction.

I am thankful to invest in the lives of many here, to be an influence and mentor.

I am thankful for a church body, here and at home, that supports what I do.

That is just a few of the things that I have been thankful for, I like that I can celebrate the seasons of thankfulness twice this year, cause by the way...I am Canadian...but I can celebrate like an American.

To my Canadian friends, what do you have to be thankful for as the season comes towards Christmas and as you reflect upon this past year, what has happened come into your life that you are blessed by?

Here is a great song by David Crowder

Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me

Thank you for finding me
Thank you for finding me
Thank you for finding me
Thank you for finding me

Thank you for hearing me
Thank you for hearing me
Thank you for hearing me
Thank you for hearing me

Thank you for healing me
Thank you for healing me
Thank you for healing me
Thank you for healing me

La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la

Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me

Thank you for saving me
Thank you for saving me
Thank you for saving me
Thank you for saving me...

La la la la la la�

My Jesus, I love thee
I know Thou art mine

Ella...my little Elle to her Aunt Jo

Ok...as I was taking this picture, I saw this little tongue stick out...
so just in time...I stuck mine out, I did not teach Ella to pose like this!

The kids were on their way to a costume part, Titus is an Indian,
Cassidy a girly girl (note the Chihauhau),
and Ella insisted on being a Ballerina (she practices her dancing too)

So this is us, Saturday morning after Cartoons, Ella insists that we are together
most of the time, well I was surprised that I found my camera that morning
Ella said that we must take pictures, so she grabbed my neck and squeezed as tight as she could.

Then she said, "Let's make a face"
after the picture..."your EYES" with giggles
Ok...didn't realize how scary I really looked...

And this shot was another weekend, this was just evidence for Cassidy that
I really did see Ella playing with her Polly Pockets.

Its Raining...

It's raining. It's pouring, the old man is snoring.

Wow, for those that are praying for rain, the heavens opened up and let out about 4 inches of rain in about 20 minutes. The noise was unbelievable and amazing, the sweet sound of rain.

Let it rain, oh let it rain,
Open the floodgates of heaven,
and let it rain, oh let it rain,
Open the floodgates of heaven, and let it rain
and let it rain, oh let it rain,
Open the floodgates of heaven, and let it rain

Mission Impossible...not possible

Items Needed:
Ladder
Dog Food
Gate Guard
Flashlight
Keys
Cell phone

And the outfit in all black, well thought of but never required!

The mission: Feed the dog

The problem: Locks changed, no entry or access granted

The solution: Climb the wall and hop the refuse cabinet, open front door and find starving dog.

Mission Possible: Not possible!

So, the story goes, the house that I am taking care of and their dog is under renovations. The workers decided that on Saturday they would change the locks, to this point we still do not have a valid reason why but this left the dog unfeedable for two days. So after making numerous phone calls and yet not getting any response, last night at midnight…I decided I needed to do something. So, I grabbed some dog food, a ladder, my cell phone, and keys set up camp across the street. Then, I had a thought that I needed to get a gate guard…just in case someone thought I was breaking in…or if I fell and hit my head. So I went and ask nicely from the gate guards for help…two of them came along to help me.

I climbed the wall, with dog food in hand, once I reached the other side, down to the front door…I came across a new lock, my plan had failed, as brilliant as it was. So I made my way over the wall, this time it was a little more difficult but the guards came to my rescue.

Mission Impossible…was impossible but I did manage to feed the dog first thing this morning, thankfully!

She was so happy to see me!

Save the date!

But I have exciting news! Guess who is engaged???

Congratulations Jennine and Rick!!

Ha ha...my baby sister is engaged to the most wonderful man in her life, Rick! I am so excited for them. The wedding is planned for July 2011, and looks like I will be in town at that time!

I know...I know...I had you all at engaged!! I just couldn't resist it!

So the story...
Jennine went to answer the door, there was this little Chinese woman there to deliver flowers, Jennine was telling this poor lady that she got the wrong house, as Rick was behind her, down on one knee, asking, 'Baby, will you marry me?' Jennine totally didn't expect it, she thought forsure that it was going to be a big romantic event, dinner, etc. But just simple, nothing fancy! Great job Rick, welcome to the family!

Driving...

Ok...well I couldn't let this one slide, my first out of town driving experience in Kenya.

Some of the common phrases that left me lips (don't worry I didn't write them down while I was driving)
- Hallelujah
- What the heck?
- Are you serious?
- Come on over...welcome to my lane!

All while listening to Pastor Henry's sermon on being a torch bearer! Fitting as it might be!

While my first out of town driving experience was all to uneventful but all too exciting with fighting the road with Matatus, and the bad road conditions of grooves in the roads, it is not snow or mud, but in the pavement grooves that I swore would swallow up the car in an instant if I was in the other lane.

Besides being cut off, numerous times, trying to pass matatus that let their pride get in the way, and have a small child run across the highway without looking in front of me. I survived!

Yes, I am a survivor of the Kenyan roadways!


This is something similar to what I am driving around...isn't it cute?

Running the Race

As many of you have heard, the AIM Air accident happened Aug 1st. Two families’ lives were changed that day, the pilot Frank, from Ontario died that day; his co worker Ryan, from Florida, died a week later from the injuries that he sustained. Both of these men left behind a wife, each with four children. It was ultimately devastating, as my heart feels for these families who are currently on furlough in the states, trying to adjust their lives. Please continue to pray for them.

My question to God lately is why, why do You allow us to go through these hardships?

I am almost to the half way point of my year term; it is hard to believe but to be honest there has been many times in the last couple of months I have been ready to give up. It could’ve been either that I just needed to come home for a couple weeks to see familiar faces or even to come home for good. Each time I thought what good would it be to give up, what is it I am running from?

I have determined this week, that through all the frustrations, the roadblocks, the discouragements, that God has put me here for a reason, to be made wholly dependent on Him, to continue to follow Him in obedience as this is the race that He has set before me to run. I have fallen and my eye is off the target and I have become unfocused but I am picking myself up from the ground to continue on in this race. I used to say to our small group, that ultimately when you feel discouraged and you feel that you are flat on your face that you really can’t go any farther but to pick yourself up again and fully rely on God, who will be there as you continue to run the race set before you.

Consider the story of Job, even as he endured long suffering, he was still giving thanks to the Lord and not losing hope in the mercy of God.

Here I am, sitting on my front step and bummed that I sprained my ankle, but thankful that I didn’t break any bones and laid up in a cast. As I asked God ‘why the hardships’, the answer came:

‘I didn’t call you here because it would be easy, I knew you could handle it.’

Life as a missionary is not easy, and most would probably jump to agree with me on that. But some of the hardships that I am up against: being a single female in a city of darkness, of sin and corruption, that it is unsafe to be by yourself, capturing loneliness, the conveniences of life in Canada, and missing out in true friendships and fellowship that I enjoyed in Calgary. But I am thankful for the hardships I have been given, because I know that God has a plan for my life. He loves me, and is a Sovereign, most holy God that I trust to hold my life in His hands. I am going through a transformation of the heart; it has not been easy but I do know that God is here every step of the way.

Adventures!

This past weekend, was a long overdue trip to Diamond Plaza, now this is just an experience in itself, more than anything. This place is the little India of Nairobi. It is where you find, authentic saris, indian food, and a whole other culture of life here in the big city. It truly is a great experience. Even if we spent an hour and a half in traffic, it is all in the day here in Nairobi. We tried something different, it was a milkshake with gelatin in it, now I can't remember what it was called, but it also had rice vermicelli in it. So you suck the noodles through the straw, which according to Loren...makes it that much more fun to drink it.

This weekend I spent the day with a family that lives close by, we went out to a school just on the outskirts of Nairobi, it was beautiful, houses where on small acreages, and they were gorgeous. The school we went to was an International School, we went for a Halloween party put on by the US Embassy, definitely interesting to see the American culture. We did spend most of our time in traffic as well again but it was fun, ok...it wasn't but we had to be positive.

Church was good on Sunday too, got to hang out with a couple of friends Sunday afternoon. Then Sunday evening the power went out, just as it got dark and was out for a few hours. You know...it is hard to entertain yourself when there is no power. Thankfully I had some battery time in my laptop, and someone to chat with, actually I think I did more of the chatting...until the battery died. Then it was time to pull out the candles.

It was good to catch up with those that I found online this weekend, it was truly a blessing to be able to be encouraged by you and to update you on how the prayers had been answered.

Other than that...that was all of my weekend, tonight I have visitors from Canada, and dinner out, looking forward to it!

Rain ...rain...rain

Its raining its pouring...and all the Kenyan's are dancing!

Well, it has been raining here for the last couple of weeks, Praise the Lord, it is wet!

There is just so many thankful things this week, I am truly blessed.

I thank you for all your prayers, just so you know last week was a hard week for me. I will be honest, I was ready to leave Nairobi, I hated it. I felt so lonely, so abandoned that I had enough of this dark place.

This week, I see God's hand in everything, and tons of answered prayers, the biggest excitement is that I thank you all for transportation. I have been truly blessed in starting to drive these last few days, I can get to and from work, and out to the grocery store, without wondering how I am going to get there. One less stress.

It has been encouraging to hear from most of you, especially this week. It truly has let me see that I need to depend on God more, and to be content in myself a whole lot more.

Eph 3:17-19
...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Gal 6:9-10
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.