New Family Members

Tim’s brother and wife recently adopted twin girls from Ethiopia. Ababech and Abebu. They flew out in September to get them and they’ve been in Canada about three and a half weeks. We just got to meet them on the weekend for our family Thanksgiving. They are adorable. They still have adjustment issues and probably will for quite awhile but it was great to finally meet them. Mom and dad are having a rough time helping them adapt to a new family and new surroundings.

Writing Contest

If you have followed my blog at all, you might know I entered a book in a writing contest. Well, the results came in last Friday and I did not win. It was a shot in the dark but needed to try.

I am in the process of formatting my book to have lulu.com print. I am hoping that I will have it sent in to Lulu in the next week. This book is called, “Then Sings My Soul.” It’s about depression and post partum psychosis, a story of life change. It’s not very long, maybe 116 pages or so. My goal is to help other women get through different stages of depression.

Once I have the book in my hands, I will likely have another site where you can order it from if you are interested. Stay tuned for details.

Long Summer

Hello Gang,

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written. I’ve been home with my family all summer, not really thinking about blogging. The main thing on my mind is waiting for results for the book contest I’ve entered.  I won’t know the results until late August or early September. If I don’t win, (and I’m not holding my breath) I will self-publish through Lulu.com. This in itself is quite a task because it’s an American company and I’m Canadian.

I am looking forward to getting my story out there though because I think many people are stuck in the middle of depression without knowing it.

I went to a Beth Moore conference last weekend and it was great. She is easier to listen in person than on a DVD.  The question she threw out there to us is, “Is your life worthy of a story?” She talked about the eight things we need in our lives in order for it to become one.  The worship was really good too. Great band. I’d encourage anyone to go to one of her conferences. She’s lots of fun on stage. She pops around and talks to people.

There are still three weeks left til the first day of school. The weather isn’t all that great and we’ve run out of money to do things.  Not sure how I’m gonna occupy these three characters. I am looking forward to going back to work. I’ll be working at the same school my husband does. Weird. I got a job there as an EA.

Once I have my book published, I will have a separate blog called “Then Sings My Soul.” You will be able to order a copy there if you wish, either an online copy or book copy.

Bless y’all. Hope you’re enjoying your summer.

I mailed in my book today…feels great!!

I Got the Job!

I got hired at PCI for next fall. It’s a half-time position but that’s okay with me. I still have three active kids to look after. I will be in the learning assistance program where a friend of mine also works. I’m pretty excited!!

I am also printing my book out to be sent off to the contest I’m entering. I can edit til the cows come home but that will make me crazy. Time to let it go. It’s just a contest. If I do not win then I will self-publish next fall. I’ll keep y’all posted.

Blessings.

The Waiting Game

I had an interview at PCI (Portage Collegiate Institute) last week. We were told we’d hear an answer this past Monday but interviews didn’t go as planned so they said this Friday hopefully. I hate waiting.  I have worked at La Verendrye School since March and it’s K-grade 8. I’m sure being in a highschool will be much different. I’m not sure if I want to get hired or not.

So I wait til Friday!!

June’s Impact Article

Last Sunday night around 7:50 pm there were maybe 30 of us in the chapel waiting for the final votes to come in regarding the building campaign. Al Braun came into the chapel at 8:10 or so with a piece of paper stating the results of the vote. He handed it to Ray and the people at our table, unable to read Ray’s poker-face-response, waited in anticipation of the results. I suppose we expected a smile to spread across his face if the results were positive, but no expression at all. We almost took that to mean defeat and our excitement momentarily fell. What if…?

About 20 seconds later, Ray proceeded to tell the rest of us that the members of the church voted 88% in favour of the new building. A few sighs of relief found our table. Wahoo!! Here we go! I can say for myself that if the results had come back negative, I would have been really disappointed.

I remember when we first heard about the building project at Apex, a meeting for small group leaders. We were at Paul and Laura Stanley’s house and Paul passed pictures of the proposed plan around while explaining the cost. That night I was a bit overwhelmed and freaked out. How in the world are we gonna find 2.5 million dollars?

Since that night, my thoughts and emotions have been up and down. Do I like the look of the new building? Absolutely, yes! Do I want to pay for it? Well…?! Part of the problem I have personally is that I get sidetracked easily. I can be in favour of something but if someone else has concerns and shares those strongly, I sway to the side of uncertainty fairly quickly. Tim and I made it a point to go to the question and answer meetings concerning this project because we wanted to hear the answers for ourselves in order to make a final decision we could be comfortable with.

After the second question and answer meeting, I came away feeling at peace. The building is tired and there is no question that it needs a face-lift. I am excited that my family gets to be part of something faith-building. Is it scary? Yes. Do I think the money will come in to pay for it all? Absolutely! God has His hand on PAC and I anticipate Him continuing to do great things through us.

I need to tell you also that Tim and I wrestled greatly with the pledge idea. At first we just didn’t want to deal with the pledge cards. We were frustrated by them—not because we didn’t want to give, but because the future is unknown for us. My job is temporary, until June. At the end of June I am back to square one and will be looking for another job. I have my foot in the door with the school division and that helps but I am not guaranteed a job. So the question for us was, how do we pledge when we don’t know our income?

Some couples told us that they prayed and asked God for a number, and they both came up with the same one. That’s great but that didn’t happen for us. We were way off base with each other. That was a very uncomfortable conversation. Discussing finances is at the bottom of the list of “things I like to talk about.” We slept on it, talked it out, and did some budgeting. We figured out our debt plan and came to a happy medium, which we are both at peace with.

I am reading through James this week and today I came across James 2:14 “Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone.” It’s easy to say we have faith but when it comes time to act it out, sometimes it’s a different story. We struggled through this process but God saw us through it and brought us to action.

I have become a different person in this church. This church took me in, a very broken person. I was already saved but not whole. I learned to love God, others, and above all, myself here. I want more than anything to be able to give that gift to someone else and I’ll do it, whatever the cost. This is not about me and my comfort, it’s about kingdom building!

James 2:21 goes on to talk about Abraham’s faith in sacrificing his son on the altar. He trusted God so much that he did whatever God told him to do, and in this, his faith was made complete. 2:23 “Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous.” He was even called “the friend of God.” So you see, we are made right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.” I want to be like Abraham.

Lego Creation of the Day

Kids Soccer

My seven year old son is playing soccer this year and we just came home from his second game. The weather was beautiful. Usually we need blankets and ear muffs as we sit in the wind and watch.

It’s so funny how this age group plays. They are so little and they follow each other around like a swarm of bees. It’s good that it’s mandatory for them to wear shin pads because they are forever kicking into each others legs.

My son’s team lost 3-0 but they had a great time and seemed to be oblivious of the score.

Is it Worth it?

I am currently writing a book on  my different experiences with ministry and my struggles through depression. The first rough draft was written quickly. I just got my story out on paper. Now, however, I am trying to fine tune it and make sense out of the story. As I am trying to do this, I easily get discouraged. It’s so much work and I wonder, is it really going to help anybody? I sure hope I’m not doing this in vain because it’s really tedious.

How do I truly know whether to press on or let it rest? I think I feel God prompting me to move ahead so I am doing so. I suppose when I am done, people can decide for themselves whether or not they want to read it and if God so chooses, He will speak to others through me. I just wish I was done already!!!