|
| So I just got back from a place that I have learned to love SO much. Yeah, its Ontario  and seriously guys its quickly become one of my favorite places to go.......ok, so it has a lot to do with my pretty amazing sister living up there.....who by the way is getting MARRIED! yikes. I taught Vacation Bible School in Sioux Lookout the first two weeks in July and spent every day getting to know my fellow teachers, myself, my kids, and yes, God, better. Talk about stretching yourself to nearly the limit of what you think you can handle and conquering what you're sure you can't. It was amazing to see how quickly the kids became attached to you and vice versa. So many of them come from awful home situations........abuse, neglect, drunk fathers....and so on.....and two hours a day for two weeks felt like only a drop in the bucket toward filling the need these kids have for love. It was also incredibly amazing to see the way God worked out every day for us......we learned and we grew and we laughed together for two pretty special weeks. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking but I will explain a few right away. Everyone was supposed to arrive the saturday before vbs started for orientation. Now orientation was not just a lengthy list of do's and dont's.......our main orientation was a day full of activities designed to make the 11 teachers learn to work as a team. aka, TDA's.....Team Developement Activities. That explains some of those weird pictures where you have NO clue what we're trying to do. Pretty amazing, tho, and by the end of the day we were extremely drained, hungry, tired, happy, and generally more in touch with eachother. Anyway, here are some of the people and memories that made VBS 07 such an experience.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
| | |
| I've been having the greatest summer.... Still no tan but that's not the worst that can happen....at least I'm finally making some money again, which to say the least feels really good.  o yeah. I just got back from canada last week and wish I had pictures for you guys so I could gush about the blue, blue skies and clear water and prove that I really do know what a fishing pole is and which end points toward the water In 3 weeks I'll be heading back to Sioux Lookout for summer bible school so pics will have to wait until then. This last weekend was great, so fun to see Lisa again and hang out. That time just laughing and being together with friends all weekend felt somehow more precious on monday when I found out about the kids in Indiana who died. I don't ever want to take the people I love for granted because they're the best parts of my life. I had this crazy notion to pick up the phone and call every single person I knew and say 'hey', just wanted to chat, take care'. I wanted to ask you guys all to pray about something and it's going to sound a bit strange......Heidi sent me an email today and I really wish I could post the whole thing in here. I don't know quite what to do with it but something tells me it could be revolutionary....amazing....scary.....enlightening.....and demand a lot of faith and a lot of prayer. A student at IGo, the training center for missionaries in Chaing Mai, has been praying that God would show Himself strong in Thailand and be glorified by causing a temple in Chaing Mai to fall by some natural disaster. The Thai people are very religious and firmly believe in idols, spirits and the like and its a power that is not easily broken.....won't ever be broken outside of Christ. This student is asking for the prayers of christians around the world to plead with God in the next days for this temple to be broken.....and that God would get the glory. If anybody would like to read the email of the struggle and journey this student went thru to get to this point and why he feels we need to ask God for big things like this, just leave me a comment and I'll forward it to you. It's worth reading. In the meantime.....I'll be praying...... you guys all have great days tomorrow. life's short....live like you believe that. | | |
|  
This weekend was a crazy full weekend and I'm lovin it!   One of the many events that took place along with baptisms, graduations, and volleyball, was a wedding. Annie and Brad Carpenter were married today in what I thought was a really beautiful, really elegant ceremony. These pictures are especially for my sisters who both would have loved to have been here and couldn't be so maybe these will help describe the day.    
I loved that one pic of them by the cake and you can see the A & B sketched on the side of the cake which I thought was unique. So anyway as my first weekend out of school I'm having an awesome time hanging out with friends and family I haven't seen in a while. Love to everybody, take care..... | | |
| Hello xanga people! Hmmm I wonder what one should post when one has been absent from the scene for many months and has missed many good conversations and updates and whatnot....hmm. I got home tonight totally psyched because I have only two more exams for Spring 07 and they are definitely the easier of the five which means that in TWO days I will be home free for the SUMMER. Yah! my mom who knows me well says that I will be as thrilled to be going back in August as I am to be getting out. She's right. But until then, let the summer begin!! | | |
| hey everybody, this is me finally updating! I know.....I'm the only one excited about that fact but that's basically because dude it's actually fun to be on the computer at home now. Let's just say sometimes a crashed computer is a blessing because (if you're lucky) you get a new one out of the deal, one that actually comprehends it's job instead of refusing to even wake up most mornings. Anyway, so much has happened in the last month or so.....so many good things. The best of which was Andi and Jo being home for christmas. But I'll let the pictures do the talking. 
Andi and Jo, my sisters My family (oh and Joe) on christmas day with a gift card to applebees that turned out to be a crazy time. :)  Justin and Sandy, two of the craziest canadians I know. :) We made a quick trip up there the week after christmas for a hockey game!!
 Some of my favorite people all bundled up in the arena.  good times at the Rangers game. I got to see a real live OHL game.
 Joe, this one's for you :) we'll make you into a potato salad expert yet.
And so went the wonderful month of December. I go back to class tomorrow......if it wasn't for some man named Martin Luther King Jr. I'd have been back today already. Surprisingly enough, I miss it and am ready to go back to somewhat of a routine. You all have great weeks and maybe......just maybe.....we'll get some snow. :) | | |
|
