Nick's Baptism

Nick is a son of our dear friends, Steve & Kathy.  Sarah and Zach are his siblings.  They are a very special family and it's no accident that God chose this family for Nick.  Even before Nick was born, Steve and Kathy knew that he had spina bifida.  Since the day of his birth, he has astounded medical personnel as they exclaim over the fact that he can move his arms, talk, and breathe on his own - all things they predicted he wouldn't be able to do because of how high his lesion was.  Not only is Nick able to do all of these things, he's also been blessed with a very sharp mind and a quick wit.  He's a joy to know and it's been an honour to walk alongside him and his family through the numerous surgeries that he's had to undergo.  Their care for Nick through it all, has been remarkable  - they would not leave one stone unturned in helping him achieve his potential in all areas of life.  Nick's enthusiasm is contagious!



Nick giving his testimony

Yesterday were were invited to attend a service at their church as Nick was going to be baptised.  What an incredible time that was.  Nick had a testimony that brought honour and glory to God (and tears to everyone's eyes).  Because he is a wheelchair kid - his dad had to carry him into the baptismal font..also very touching. 







Our dear friends on a very special day.

There have been so many rough days for Nick (and his family) and it was just amazing to hear Nick testify that, through those tough times, his faith grew and was strengthened "dramatically" and that he felt God with him through everything!
It's always nice to get together with these special friends and yesterday was no exception.



Zach, Nick, & Matt
(Zach & Matt were born the same day in the same hospital,
delivered by the same surgeon  but Zach is 1 hr older than
Matt - another special time our families could share:)

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:13-16)

Happy 90th Birthday, Grandma V!

This was a very special event as we joined Grandma for a dinner last Friday evening to celebrate her 90th Birthday!

my sister, Ruth, made this beautiful card as a keepsake for all of us



Grandma enjoying her dinner



Grandma with her birthday cake
which my sister, Sue, made:)



I think that only 150 family members were able to make it.
The other 25 or so live out of town...
all these people b/c Grandpa & Grandma fell in love!!

 Grandma V (my mom's mother), has always been a very special lady to me.  Her unconditional love for each of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren has been remarkable.  She also has a great-great-grandchild now but, because of her Alzheimer's, I doubt she's really aware of that.  Even at her age she still knits cotton dishcloths and makes so many of them that my mom & aunts have been coordinating the colours and making afghans for all of us (kids, grandkids...and possibly some great-grandkids will be blessed with one too).  She also does 'search-a-word' puzzles and alternates between her knitting and her puzzles every day.  She's been living with my parents for the past 4 1/2 years (since my Grandpa passed away) and it's been very special to see how Dad & Mom care for her.  She's been such a blessing to us through the years that now it's an honour and a privilege to help in any way to take care of her in her old age.  She's one of the sweetest ladies I know!

Here is a poem about Grandma's - I found it on a website and changed things a bit to suit  our special little Grandma

GRANDMA'S HANDS

Grandma’s hands were weathered
Lined by tales from the past
They’ve knit a thousand memories
That comfort me at last
With knitted blankets and dish cloths

There were many stories told
Of hopes and dreams and promises
And shelters from the cold.
Did she know as the threads tugged gently
That they would dry so many tears?
Did she know they would serve to comfort me
In times of greatest fears?
My grandma’s hands are gentle
They are strong and soft and kind
They reflect a thousand memories
Which I’m thankful that are mine.

Empty or Meaningful?

In BSF this year we are studying the book of Isaiah.  When I heard about that I kind of thought we were just studying bible history. I knew there were lots of prophecies of Jesus in it but I didn't know it would challenge us on all levels. 
Do we trust God? do we REALLY trust Him? do we REALLY trust Him with EVERYTHING? 
When we worship Him, do we worship Him with our whole heart or do we just go through the motions?  Are our hearts engaged in our bible reading, prayer, and worship? 
Do we think if we offer the right kind of sacrifices, do the right kind of good deeds, or  perform enough traditional rituals that we can appease God or earn our salvation?
When it says that we need to take our "evil out of God's sight" (Isa 1:16) isn't that kind of impossible? Where exactly is the place that God can't see? 
Are we ready for some spiritual housecleaning? 
It's kind of scary and exciting...scary because of what I know I'll find, exciting because I know what God can do with it.  It is my prayer that all of us will be honest and transparent as we are challenged to take a deep look at what God wants us to do with every area of our lives, that we will be willing to trust each of those aspects of our lives to Him, and that we will share the message of His incredible gift of salvation with others. 

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" (Isaiah 1:18).

Celebrating with Matt!

Last night Robert and I attended an awards ceremony at UFV with Matt.  He was awarded a $3000.00 'Excellence Entrance' scholarship at his high school graduation.  It's such a blessing to be gifted the way Matt is!  We hope and pray that he always uses his gifts to honour & glorify God and to benefit those around him.

The Award

Matt with the UFV President & Chancellor (Brian Minter)

Strength for the Day

This is a big lesson that I have been learning.  God gives us strength for the day, when it's needed. It's so easy to 'worry' about how we'll get through this afternoon, tomorrow, or next week.  I have learned that we can trust that we will be given strength when it's needed - not ahead of time, not too late, but just at the perfect time.  God has always been the source of my strength and, because He never changes, the source of my support will remain constant, even when circumstances swirl and change around me.  What a comforting thought!
"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19 ESV)

Count your blessings, name them one by one...

There are so many people and things in my life that fill me with joy and make me thankful:

• Robert – who cheerfully picks up my slack in every single area of our lives. I honestly do not know how I could possibly cope without him.  He gets up early to make breakfast & lunches for the kids. (This is a huge deal to me b/c morning is usually my worst time.) I am so thankful that he does this every single day! He faithfully does the laundry, cleans the house, gets the groceries...and so much more! 
• Our kids who each in their own way gives me energy to keep going.  They are each precious in a different way and I love their uniqueness.
• Loving family members - so thankful for them, their care & love, their encouragement & most of all, their faithful prayers.
• Church family - the way they come alongside us no matter what's going on & how they do that for everyone in the church family - what a blessing!
• The multitude of friends for their care and love, whether we see them often or not, we always know that they still care and we can pick up where we left off whenever we do see each other 
• Dr Ross - my family doctor whose strong Christian character makes me know that prayer guides his practice.
• The fact that God is teaching me a deep lesson through all this and is so patient as I learn it
• The fact that joy is not about our circumstances but about what God has in mind for us, how He makes everything work together for our spiritual good, what it means that His son died on the cross for me and what His promise is concerning eternity for all those who believe in Him. (John 3:16)

"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (I Th 5:18)

Remarkable & Amazing

Jeremy is home from the hospital!  Our hearts are so filled with praise and thanksgiving for how God protected and spared our precious son throughout this week. It will take time for him to be pain-free and to feel stronger but he has already improved so much it's wonderful.  I have realized again this week how fiercely we love our kids and how helpless we feel when they're hurting and we can't take the pain away.  It is my prayer that all of us will benefit spiritually from this week so that we will be able to look back on it and be thankful for what God taught us even through such an intense trial.

Life is fragile - handle with prayer

We have much to be thankful for as our 20 yr old son, Jeremy, was spared in a motorbike accident on Monday morning. He was heading to work at 6:30ish and skidded on loose gravel and hit a telephone pole. His bike is totalled but he is alive. The police & paramedics that came to the scene said that if he had been speeding or driving recklessly things would have turned out much differently.
Initially it looked like Jeremy was going to be totally fine but, after they let him get up for just a couple minutes on Monday morning, he almost fainted and his abdominal pain got much worse. He ended up having a CT scan and they discovered that his spleen is lacerated in several places and started leaking fluid into his abdominal cavity. He was moved from a non-acute bed to an acute bed in emergency so that they could monitor everything more closely. A surgeon came to see him and has decided that he would hold off on removing his spleen at this time and would move him to ICU to keep a very close eye on him for a bit. He looks so good on the outside but his insides obviously took quite a beating. They are also doing bloodwork every 2 hours to keep an eye on his hemoglobin. They will be watching bloodwork results and vital signs closely and will hopefully be able to leave his spleen heal on its own. He will have to take it super, super easy for the next weeks to allow his spleen to heal. In the meantime, he's on IV morphine for the pain. They're also prepared to do blood transfusions if necessary. We have so much to be thankful for already but he is not out of the woods totally yet either.
I read this Psalm last night and felt again how God is watching over Jeremy so far...
Psalm 121 - "A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you-- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
It's just unreal how quickly our lives can change.  Life is fragile & needs to be handled with lots of prayer.
Please remember him (and us) in your prayers and we will keep you posted.

God is the God of individuals!

Sixteen years ago, God measured my shoulders and decided that they were big enough to handle the trial of arthritis. In those 16 years I have had very few days without pain, I’ve had several surgeries, have had to use a cane at various times, have had so many cortisone injections that I feel like a pin cushion, have tried all different medications, currently go to Vancouver every 5 weeks to get one medication by IV and am likely facing a knee replacement in the future. Every joint in my body has been affected…except my jaw. I am an RN but have had to go on long-term disability. There are so many losses associated with this. The only predictable thing about arthritis is that it is unpredictable. Just because I feel okay and can get around today doesn’t mean that I will be able to get out of bed tomorrow. I have 3 rheumatologists on my medical team and have tired of hearing them say that they have never seen such an unrelenting, aggressive arthritis. I was recently told by one of them that while the medications are not getting me to a pain-free place, they are keeping me from being all gnarled up and I’m truly thankful for that.

Laced with uncertainty, my heart and feelings have fluctuated from confidently knowing that God is in control and that He only has our spiritual good in mind when He places challenges like these in our lives to feelings of despair and questions of why I would need to go through day after day of unrelenting pain. I’ve asked God to take this thorn away but He’s always answered me by saying that it is not His will to take this away but He will give me something even greater and better … the grace to bear it. As my family doctor has pointed out to me on occasion – Jesus will heal me but that might not happen on this earth.

Last year I joined Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) for the first time where we studied the book of John. It completely overwhelmed me. I grew up in a Christian home and was saved at a very young age, but I still have so much to learn about God’s character. This study showed me in a whole new way how God cares for the details of our lives, how He treats us as individuals, how He requires us to have faith but still recognizes and is sensitive to our human weaknesses, how He prays intricately for us, and what He was all willing to endure to save His people and bless them with eternal LIFE.

I think the study of John 17 stands out as one of the most significant ones for me. When I read how Jesus, just before His arrest & crucifixion, prayed for Himself, His disciples and all believers throughout all time, it broke my heart because it was so personal, so detailed, and so compassionate. When I think about how He asked His father if it were possible that the ‘cup’ be removed from Him, I realize that it’s okay for me to honestly tell God that some days living with arthritis is just too hard. I have also learned that He protects His sheep even through the night so my dark nights of the soul are also under that protection. I also take great comfort in the fact that this Jesus loves me unconditionally – that His love for me isn’t based on my performance but on His eternal plan, promise & commitment.

For now, He holds out His hand, gesturing for me to place mine in His, and asks me, “Can you still trust me?” In spite of all those rough pain-filled moments, I can confidently place my hand in His knowing that He will give me strength for the day. Having a new understanding of His tender, gentle care has been Life-changing for me and focusing on Him has given me peace with the entire situation.

How anyone can live without this Jesus is beyond me. What a Saviour!