Today we took the day off from doing school - instead we took all three kids to the clinic. No, it wasn't a field trip - they were all seeing the doctor. With Andrew's asthma we don't wait very long to have him looked at - we learned that lesson very well a few years ago when we ended up with 17 doctor's visit in 30 days. Actually Andrew is doing the best out of all of them. Caleb seems to have caught his father's strep throat (as did cousin Kyle and Grandma Katie who spent time with us a little while ago). Andrew and Olivia just have the flu. But, if the fevers persist for another few days we are to have them looked at again.
Tonight is the EMC/EMMC mission pizza event at Steinbach Bible College and our family was going to do a presentation on Mexico. The presentation will go on, but how many of the family is represented remains to be seen. I guess we will see how everyone feels later. Right now Olivia is sleeping in the sun on the floor in the living room. She was up a bit last night.
God is in control and He is sovereign. We do pray that He will touch some hearts tonight to carry on the work in Mexico.
Doling out the meds,
Sandy
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Starting Behind
That is how I felt this morning. Our kids had a great day yesterday - sledding in the afternoon and later having fun being pulled behind a snowmobile. So, they were very tired last night. We decided that I would stay home and get them to bed early while Gerald went to our Overflow evening at church. I had the kids cleaned, teeth brushed, read stories, prayers and in bed by 8:00 pm. Olivia fell asleep right away but boys were still awake when Gerald came home from church. I think Caleb fell asleep soon after but Andrew was awake until after 11 when Gerald finally went down and stayed with him. Sometime during the night I ended up sleeping with Olivia for awhile. I was trying not to be frustrated that we would probably have a late start to the school morning. Amazingly they were all up and ready for school around 9. So we go downstairs to start school and I quickly realized that it would be a little later yet! For some reason the light fixture in the school room had dropped and broken all over the floor and the school desks.
Why is it that we run our lives by the clock? I know - most of the world runs on a schedule and we need to too. But, why do I get so frustrated if I am not done with school by a certain time, or I don't seem to get much done or that my to do list always seems longer than I can really possibly get done. Why don't I ever seem to get around to the things that I want to do?
In my quiet time today I read something that made me stop and think. God chose to adopt us as His own even though He knew every time time we would: fail Him, deny Him, desert Him, choose someone over Him, or make choices that would break His heart. Amazing! So, now what do I do with that? How does that change how I react to my day to day activities? Not much changes for me day to day - I am a stay at home mom who home schools our children. But how much of my daily mundane choices honor the King! How I respond to the day - does it honor my Jesus?
Pondering,
Sandy
Why is it that we run our lives by the clock? I know - most of the world runs on a schedule and we need to too. But, why do I get so frustrated if I am not done with school by a certain time, or I don't seem to get much done or that my to do list always seems longer than I can really possibly get done. Why don't I ever seem to get around to the things that I want to do?
In my quiet time today I read something that made me stop and think. God chose to adopt us as His own even though He knew every time time we would: fail Him, deny Him, desert Him, choose someone over Him, or make choices that would break His heart. Amazing! So, now what do I do with that? How does that change how I react to my day to day activities? Not much changes for me day to day - I am a stay at home mom who home schools our children. But how much of my daily mundane choices honor the King! How I respond to the day - does it honor my Jesus?
Pondering,
Sandy
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Strep Throat
Gerald went to the doctor today - the verdict is strep throat. So now he is on antibiotics. As he put it - better this week than next. He has a very busy week next week. Hopefully nobody else in the family will get it. Well, other than Grandma Katie who went home from our house very sick.
We have definitely been struggling to get into the routine of school this week. Last week the kids loved having their cousin Kyle here to do school with them. Now school seems very boring and nobody seems to have any "ganas" to work hard. Unfortunately it seems to take mama getting frustrated and angry before any attitudes change. Is that because I've conditioned them only to respond when I get angry? I want to think that isn't true, but sometimes I am not so sure.
We are looking forward to a field trip tomorrow. We are going to a production of Mr. Fantastic Fox at the Children's Theater in Winnipeg with our home school group. It will be a good change of pace. The weather is suppose to warm up this weekend - oh how we hope so! The kids have been wanting to go sledding since we got home. Maybe that can happen this weekend.
We have almost all of the major items that needed to be taken care of since we came home finished. The dog went to the vet yesterday and got a few injections as well as a great report from the vet. In fact we were told that Lobo was one of the healthiest dogs she had seen that came from Mexico. Four out of the five of us have been to the eye doctor and Andrew and I saw the doctor and replenished our asthma medicine. The last big thing is sending in my Canadian citizen application. I need to get pictures taken and then that will be ready to go.
The house is mostly organized - just a few areas remain that need some work. (Thanks mom for your help last week!) I would like to get my sewing machine back upstairs and maybe find time to work on the quilt I started last year.
For now I think I will go clean the bathroom and wash our sheets to get rid of the germs.
Later,
Sandy
We have definitely been struggling to get into the routine of school this week. Last week the kids loved having their cousin Kyle here to do school with them. Now school seems very boring and nobody seems to have any "ganas" to work hard. Unfortunately it seems to take mama getting frustrated and angry before any attitudes change. Is that because I've conditioned them only to respond when I get angry? I want to think that isn't true, but sometimes I am not so sure.
We are looking forward to a field trip tomorrow. We are going to a production of Mr. Fantastic Fox at the Children's Theater in Winnipeg with our home school group. It will be a good change of pace. The weather is suppose to warm up this weekend - oh how we hope so! The kids have been wanting to go sledding since we got home. Maybe that can happen this weekend.
We have almost all of the major items that needed to be taken care of since we came home finished. The dog went to the vet yesterday and got a few injections as well as a great report from the vet. In fact we were told that Lobo was one of the healthiest dogs she had seen that came from Mexico. Four out of the five of us have been to the eye doctor and Andrew and I saw the doctor and replenished our asthma medicine. The last big thing is sending in my Canadian citizen application. I need to get pictures taken and then that will be ready to go.
The house is mostly organized - just a few areas remain that need some work. (Thanks mom for your help last week!) I would like to get my sewing machine back upstairs and maybe find time to work on the quilt I started last year.
For now I think I will go clean the bathroom and wash our sheets to get rid of the germs.
Later,
Sandy
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Three for the Price of One!
We all love a good deal don't we? Well, Gerald found out that he is getting a three for one deal. On what you might ask? Yesterday he had an appointment with the surgeon to look at his hernia and found out that instead of one he has three of them that need to be taken care of. So he was placed on the list for surgery (about a four month wait) and will have all three of them taken care of at the same time.
He came home for lunch yesterday and told me that he was thinking about getting back into running. I think that may have been too much for his 40 year old body to hear because he came home after work feeling quite achy and sick. He took a hot shower and went to bed. He hasn't gotten up yet so I am assuming he still isn't feeling well.
Grandma Katie and Kyle left Monday morning. We had a great time with them here! The kids struggled to get back into our family routine after they left. Andrew had been praying for a snow storm so they would have to stay. I am so glad that they love to be with their relatives.
Well, I am the only one up - I thought I would let the kids sleep. They were needing some more sleep. I think I will enjoy a little time to myself before the day begins.
Have a good day,
Sandy
He came home for lunch yesterday and told me that he was thinking about getting back into running. I think that may have been too much for his 40 year old body to hear because he came home after work feeling quite achy and sick. He took a hot shower and went to bed. He hasn't gotten up yet so I am assuming he still isn't feeling well.
Grandma Katie and Kyle left Monday morning. We had a great time with them here! The kids struggled to get back into our family routine after they left. Andrew had been praying for a snow storm so they would have to stay. I am so glad that they love to be with their relatives.
Well, I am the only one up - I thought I would let the kids sleep. They were needing some more sleep. I think I will enjoy a little time to myself before the day begins.
Have a good day,
Sandy
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Captivated...
The last couple of days I have been reading a book that Tim, my boss, gave me to read, entitled "There is NO Time." While I appreciated the book in it's entirety, I want to mention one thing within its pages that the Lord has been trying to teach me lately...the power of the Gospel!
We, as Christians within the evangelical church circle, seem to demonstrate where we believe our success comes from by the way we plan, invent and try on one method after another of programs and ministries in our attempt to "reach" people, to "connect" with people...and this seems to be the expected modus operandi. While this does not, in itself, mean that we do not use the Scripture within these various ministry methods, it often appears that our energies are focused more on the method than in what should be the basis of our work...the life-giving Word of God.
The Bible is POWERFUL because it is the WORD OF GOD! Thus, in and of itself, it is what changes lives, by the accomplished work of Jesus on the cross and the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit in each heart! I heard someone mention this past week that in their church, which is labeled an Evangelical church, they rarely hear the Scripture read during a Worship Service...how sad is that?
Last night I came across a CD in my Outreach Magazine that is the New Testament narrated with multiple voices, background sounds and music...it was a special encounter. I popped it into the computer and began to play it...starting at Mathew 1:1 the Scripture began to come alive (I almost skipped over the genealogies before even they tugged at my heart) and I sat back to listen. After a few chapters the kids came up from playing in the basement to ask what it was that I was listening to (Andrew came in right during the Mathew 4 passage of the temptation of Jesus and from that moment on he was hooked...). After that we all sat and listened, captivated by the Scripture, as we listened all the way to Mathew 22.
This was a special moment for our family and it reminded me again that I am so thankful that our kids have not been over-stimulated by technology so that they were "bored" by the reading of God's Word...in fact, they were totally riveted to the spoken Word. Why? Because there is power in the Gospel! Oh that the Lord would continue to transform our family with His Word and that all people would hear and respond to Christ's work, for His glory!
Blessings,
Gerald
We, as Christians within the evangelical church circle, seem to demonstrate where we believe our success comes from by the way we plan, invent and try on one method after another of programs and ministries in our attempt to "reach" people, to "connect" with people...and this seems to be the expected modus operandi. While this does not, in itself, mean that we do not use the Scripture within these various ministry methods, it often appears that our energies are focused more on the method than in what should be the basis of our work...the life-giving Word of God.
The Bible is POWERFUL because it is the WORD OF GOD! Thus, in and of itself, it is what changes lives, by the accomplished work of Jesus on the cross and the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit in each heart! I heard someone mention this past week that in their church, which is labeled an Evangelical church, they rarely hear the Scripture read during a Worship Service...how sad is that?
Last night I came across a CD in my Outreach Magazine that is the New Testament narrated with multiple voices, background sounds and music...it was a special encounter. I popped it into the computer and began to play it...starting at Mathew 1:1 the Scripture began to come alive (I almost skipped over the genealogies before even they tugged at my heart) and I sat back to listen. After a few chapters the kids came up from playing in the basement to ask what it was that I was listening to (Andrew came in right during the Mathew 4 passage of the temptation of Jesus and from that moment on he was hooked...). After that we all sat and listened, captivated by the Scripture, as we listened all the way to Mathew 22.
This was a special moment for our family and it reminded me again that I am so thankful that our kids have not been over-stimulated by technology so that they were "bored" by the reading of God's Word...in fact, they were totally riveted to the spoken Word. Why? Because there is power in the Gospel! Oh that the Lord would continue to transform our family with His Word and that all people would hear and respond to Christ's work, for His glory!
Blessings,
Gerald
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Middle of the Week
The week has been busy. Grandma Katie and cousin Kyle arrived Monday afternoon to spend the week with us. Andrew thinks it is so great to have someone else in grade three with him. (Kyle is also homeschooled) The kids had eye appointments this week. All is well. And they went to Awana last night - the first time since last year. They had a good evening and enjoyed seeing their friends again. Today we have a get together with our homeschool group - we are looking forward to that too!
Olivia isn't feeling that well this morning. She seems to have a bit of a fever and is complaining of her throat hurting.
Mexico feels like a long time ago already - I don't like that. It doesn't seem to take long to get back into the life we left here in Canada. Some of that makes sense - Gerald has to go back to work, the kids have to go to school, and I do have to cook and clean and teach. Our time was so amazing and I want that memory to last. It feels like some of that is fading already. I hear Tanya's word of "Don't forget us" ringing in my ears and I wonder how we are going to keep it more than a pleasant memory. It was easy to live in the present while we were in Mexico because we knew we were coming back to Canada and we would see everybody again. But how do we live in the present here, but keep Mexico alive too?
Well, the clock tells me that we are already running behind - time to get to school.
Sandy
Olivia isn't feeling that well this morning. She seems to have a bit of a fever and is complaining of her throat hurting.
Mexico feels like a long time ago already - I don't like that. It doesn't seem to take long to get back into the life we left here in Canada. Some of that makes sense - Gerald has to go back to work, the kids have to go to school, and I do have to cook and clean and teach. Our time was so amazing and I want that memory to last. It feels like some of that is fading already. I hear Tanya's word of "Don't forget us" ringing in my ears and I wonder how we are going to keep it more than a pleasant memory. It was easy to live in the present while we were in Mexico because we knew we were coming back to Canada and we would see everybody again. But how do we live in the present here, but keep Mexico alive too?
Well, the clock tells me that we are already running behind - time to get to school.
Sandy
Monday, January 14, 2008
Back to the Work Week
Monday morning - the beginning of the work week. This will be a new transition for us. Gerald is leaving the house to go to work. For the past five months we have been together as a family. The kids and I doing school and Gerald working in the office at home getting his material ready for teaching. Today things will change and I am not really looking forward it. I like having Gerald around. While we lived in Mexico we were much more involved in family ministry - how sweet that was! Today we are returning to the more traditional North American way of life. It is necessary, normal , and well, expected. I will miss him!
It is a cold morning here - also more normal that what we came home to. I liked the warmer weather better. We had planned on taking the kids sledding yesterday. They weren't very happy when we told them with the wind chill it was way too cold to go up Abe's Hill. They want to do everything they remember about winter right now!
God is good - all the time. Something I have been thinking about lately. We often tend to think of God's goodness only in the good times. We praise and thank Him for our blessings when our life is going well. But how often am I quick to praise and thank Him when life is tough? It is easy to know that God is good in the easy times. I struggle to say God is good when life is rough. But He is and He never changes. He wants my praise and my adoration at all times. I want to live more Christ like.
Walking the road,
Sandy
It is a cold morning here - also more normal that what we came home to. I liked the warmer weather better. We had planned on taking the kids sledding yesterday. They weren't very happy when we told them with the wind chill it was way too cold to go up Abe's Hill. They want to do everything they remember about winter right now!
God is good - all the time. Something I have been thinking about lately. We often tend to think of God's goodness only in the good times. We praise and thank Him for our blessings when our life is going well. But how often am I quick to praise and thank Him when life is tough? It is easy to know that God is good in the easy times. I struggle to say God is good when life is rough. But He is and He never changes. He wants my praise and my adoration at all times. I want to live more Christ like.
Walking the road,
Sandy
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Happy Birthday Caleb!!!
Today Caleb turns seven years old...we are so proud of our son and can already see how much God has gifted him and so we praise the Lord for such a wonderful child. He is a highly motivated boy who excels at many things including any kind of sports, school work, showing kindness to his siblings, and loving his Saviour!
Sandy and I read an article recently that challenged parents not just to protect our children from the dangers of secular culture but more importantly to equip them to impact their culture with the light of Jesus. Our prayer as a family is to do both of those well, especially the second part...equipping them with the Spiritual tools they need to make a difference for eternity in the world around them, for the glory of God.
With that in mind, we are again so grateful for the privilege and freedom we have to train up our children in the ways of the Lord!
Have a great day...we look forward to seeing many of you soon!
Gerald
Sandy and I read an article recently that challenged parents not just to protect our children from the dangers of secular culture but more importantly to equip them to impact their culture with the light of Jesus. Our prayer as a family is to do both of those well, especially the second part...equipping them with the Spiritual tools they need to make a difference for eternity in the world around them, for the glory of God.
With that in mind, we are again so grateful for the privilege and freedom we have to train up our children in the ways of the Lord!
Have a great day...we look forward to seeing many of you soon!
Gerald
Friday, January 11, 2008
Tidbits about our Trip
We have definitely been enjoying the mild weather since Monday when we arrived home. It is a nice way to ease back into the Canadian winter. I thought I would give you some of our "notes of interest" from our trip.
Until the Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (the second day we were home) the coldest weather we saw was in Cuauhtemoc at -12 C. From the morning we left Mexico until the second day we were home the temperature was within 10 degrees. That means our whole drive through the United States the temperature was pretty much the same.
We wrote down the states we saw on the licence plates as we travelled. We started the day we left Manitoba. We were only four short as we crossed back into Manitoba a few days ago. We didn't get Rhode Island, West Virginia, Delaware, and Vermont. We all thought that was pretty good! Plus, it help the kids learn the US states and where they are located. We saw Hawaii twice!
During our time in Mexico we only saw one other Manitoba plate (that doesn't include Don and Minna or Gerald's parents who came to visit us). As we were driving out of Mexico the last day we followed our second Manitoba vehicle out across the border.
We went to the library today. Andrew was anxious to get some new books to read. I think Gerald and I were looking forward to a few new stories to read to the kids as well. The kids were very excited to pick out some of their favorites from the past.
We also went for a family walk after supper tonight. It was a nice evening and we enjoyed being outside. I think we are starting to relax a little more. The house is slowing getting organized although there is still much to do. Tomorrow is Caleb's birthday so that will be the focus of the day.
Enjoy your weekend,
Sandy
Until the Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (the second day we were home) the coldest weather we saw was in Cuauhtemoc at -12 C. From the morning we left Mexico until the second day we were home the temperature was within 10 degrees. That means our whole drive through the United States the temperature was pretty much the same.
We wrote down the states we saw on the licence plates as we travelled. We started the day we left Manitoba. We were only four short as we crossed back into Manitoba a few days ago. We didn't get Rhode Island, West Virginia, Delaware, and Vermont. We all thought that was pretty good! Plus, it help the kids learn the US states and where they are located. We saw Hawaii twice!
During our time in Mexico we only saw one other Manitoba plate (that doesn't include Don and Minna or Gerald's parents who came to visit us). As we were driving out of Mexico the last day we followed our second Manitoba vehicle out across the border.
We went to the library today. Andrew was anxious to get some new books to read. I think Gerald and I were looking forward to a few new stories to read to the kids as well. The kids were very excited to pick out some of their favorites from the past.
We also went for a family walk after supper tonight. It was a nice evening and we enjoyed being outside. I think we are starting to relax a little more. The house is slowing getting organized although there is still much to do. Tomorrow is Caleb's birthday so that will be the focus of the day.
Enjoy your weekend,
Sandy
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Formal Debriefing Begins...
Today began the official debriefing time for us as I met with Ken and Tim, my two "bosses" at the Head Office. We spent a couple of hours talking about our experience and about my perspective of the overall mission work in Mexico. We ended our time by them asking us to write up some recommendations for future workers and future work in the State of Chihuahua...we have our next Board of Missions meeting near the end of February so I have a little time to pull this together but the sooner I do it the fresher it will all be in my mind. Sandy said she felt left out as she did not attend the meeting with me...she usually was part of the conversations when we talked to Ken by Skype every 3-4 weeks during our time in Mexico.
After the meeting I went and got the oil changed on the van and they told me the back brakes are in bad shape so tomorrow I will have that taken care of...apparently driving up and down the mountain roads had something to do with it! While the van is getting worked on I am meeting with Tim at the office to do some more important debriefing and then on Monday I will get back to work full time...I have a ton of things to do to catch up on and so we'll hit the ground running just as we did when we arrived in Mexico five months ago!
My project this afternoon and evening was dismantling our entertainment unit in our living room...we have made some major life decisions in the last few months and one of them includes taking the "idol" away as the centre focus of our lives...I am one who can very quickly waste away hours of useless t.v. viewing (definition: immoral, anti-christian, and degrading filth from the pit). We moved the t.v. downstairs and I set it up for the kids so that they can watch their videos now and then...we trust that this will improve many things in our home, including our family and couple time in the evenings. Hopefully these little steps will lead to greater commitments to live sold out for Christ, as that is what He calls us to, not just a few areas of our lives, but total abandon for Him, for His glory!
Blessings,
Gerald
After the meeting I went and got the oil changed on the van and they told me the back brakes are in bad shape so tomorrow I will have that taken care of...apparently driving up and down the mountain roads had something to do with it! While the van is getting worked on I am meeting with Tim at the office to do some more important debriefing and then on Monday I will get back to work full time...I have a ton of things to do to catch up on and so we'll hit the ground running just as we did when we arrived in Mexico five months ago!
My project this afternoon and evening was dismantling our entertainment unit in our living room...we have made some major life decisions in the last few months and one of them includes taking the "idol" away as the centre focus of our lives...I am one who can very quickly waste away hours of useless t.v. viewing (definition: immoral, anti-christian, and degrading filth from the pit). We moved the t.v. downstairs and I set it up for the kids so that they can watch their videos now and then...we trust that this will improve many things in our home, including our family and couple time in the evenings. Hopefully these little steps will lead to greater commitments to live sold out for Christ, as that is what He calls us to, not just a few areas of our lives, but total abandon for Him, for His glory!
Blessings,
Gerald
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Emotions
I have to admit that we have been struggling somewhat with adjusting back to life here in Canada. Part of us is happy to be home but the other half is missing our life in Mexico. Amazing that it became home in such a short period of time! We called Tanya today to tell them we had made it home. How good to hear her voice! I miss running over to her house and visiting with her. To us it doesn't seem like we were gone that long - the time went way too fast. And yet, things feels so different to us. What all that means I do not know, but I do know that we are feeling lots of different emotions and we aren't really sure what to do with all of it. Gerald and I are doing lots of talking and that helps - just being honest about how I feel and know that he understands.
The kids seem happy to be home, and yet even they have mentioned that it doesn't feel quite right just yet. We haven't turned the tv on yet since we arrived home and they haven't even asked. Our lifestyle has changed and we see some positive things coming out of that.
We had a good time in Winnipeg today - the kids were happy to pick out some Christmas gifts. And, we are a little more prepared for Caleb's birthday on Saturday. He is looking forward to turning seven years old!
I got Olivia's room all organized and cleaned out today. Pretty much every item of clothes we left home is too small for the kids so I cleaned them all out. They grew two to three inches while we were gone. Tomorrow we will tackle another room. For now, I am tired, both physically and emotionally.
Later,
Sandy
The kids seem happy to be home, and yet even they have mentioned that it doesn't feel quite right just yet. We haven't turned the tv on yet since we arrived home and they haven't even asked. Our lifestyle has changed and we see some positive things coming out of that.
We had a good time in Winnipeg today - the kids were happy to pick out some Christmas gifts. And, we are a little more prepared for Caleb's birthday on Saturday. He is looking forward to turning seven years old!
I got Olivia's room all organized and cleaned out today. Pretty much every item of clothes we left home is too small for the kids so I cleaned them all out. They grew two to three inches while we were gone. Tomorrow we will tackle another room. For now, I am tired, both physically and emotionally.
Later,
Sandy
Still Organizing
We have the van all unloaded and the items put away. But, we are still working on getting the house put back together. Gerald cleaned out the school room yesterday but it didn't all get put away. I worked on the boys clothes - all the pants we left behind were too small for them. Slowly we are getting the house organized. It feels good to be home one minute. Then the next it feels strange. Gerald described it as a feeling of time travel. Our belongings are all as we left them, but so much has happened in between it feels really strange.
We are attempting to start school today. The school room is ready but the teacher isn't! I don't have anything on the walls yet and I know the kids don't want to start yet, but by the end of the week I hope that we are into a good routine again.
We are heading into Winnipeg today - not that we are ready to travel just yet, but we figured that if we didn't go get their Christmas presents before the routine of life starts again it might not happen until next Christmas. Caleb also has a birthday on Saturday.
Time to get the boys up for school - I am sure they will be thrilled.
Have a good day,
Sandy
We are attempting to start school today. The school room is ready but the teacher isn't! I don't have anything on the walls yet and I know the kids don't want to start yet, but by the end of the week I hope that we are into a good routine again.
We are heading into Winnipeg today - not that we are ready to travel just yet, but we figured that if we didn't go get their Christmas presents before the routine of life starts again it might not happen until next Christmas. Caleb also has a birthday on Saturday.
Time to get the boys up for school - I am sure they will be thrilled.
Have a good day,
Sandy
Monday, January 7, 2008
Home Sweet Home...
Praise the Lord! We arrived back at our home in Steinbach at 5:00 p.m. We were all very excited as we came into town and we gave thanks to the Lord many times for his protection and blessings in our lives for these last five months. We also are so thankful for your prayers as our travels and the road conditions were 99% wonderful...we only encountered a couple of miles of sleet/ice on the roads over the course of the whole trip.
The kids have been quietly playing all evening with all their "new" toys that they haven't seen in a long time while Sandy and I have been unpacking and organizing. Olivia said this evening after her bath (she has only had a couple of baths since we left Canada as all we had were showers in Mexico) that it still didn't feel like home...like we were in a hotel or yet another home somewhere along our travels...we assured each other that we were indeed now finally home!
We are very tired and weary from this experience...physically and emotionally. But spiritually we feel very overwhelmed with God's goodness and His work in our lives over these last months, and for that we give Him praise!
Well, off to get the kids to bed and get some rest in our own beds again!
Thank you so much again for your incredibly valuable prayer support of this portion of our life journey...we look forward to seeing many of you in the next days and weeks to chat face to face! We also hope you stay tuned for more of our ongoing journey that the Lord is taking us on in these coming weeks and months!
Blessings,
Gerald
The kids have been quietly playing all evening with all their "new" toys that they haven't seen in a long time while Sandy and I have been unpacking and organizing. Olivia said this evening after her bath (she has only had a couple of baths since we left Canada as all we had were showers in Mexico) that it still didn't feel like home...like we were in a hotel or yet another home somewhere along our travels...we assured each other that we were indeed now finally home!
We are very tired and weary from this experience...physically and emotionally. But spiritually we feel very overwhelmed with God's goodness and His work in our lives over these last months, and for that we give Him praise!
Well, off to get the kids to bed and get some rest in our own beds again!
Thank you so much again for your incredibly valuable prayer support of this portion of our life journey...we look forward to seeing many of you in the next days and weeks to chat face to face! We also hope you stay tuned for more of our ongoing journey that the Lord is taking us on in these coming weeks and months!
Blessings,
Gerald
Sunday, January 6, 2008
The Final Day of Travel
We have had a great time of connecting with our family here in Minneapolis. Tomorrow we plan on driving home to Steinbach. It has been a really good transition time for us. We are so thankful that we had this time to talk about and reflect on our time in Mexico before we re-enter our life in Canada. Gerald and I had lots of great talks on the long road trips debriefing about our four months in Mexico. How blessed we are!
We are ready to move back into our house and settle in. And yet we don't want to settle back into the same old way of life. We have been changed by our experience and we want to remember that. We want some of those changes to be permanent and we continue to draw towards our Savior!
One more day of travel - and I think we will be happy to stay put for awhile. We look forward to seeing many of you soon. Have a good sleep.
Sandy
We are ready to move back into our house and settle in. And yet we don't want to settle back into the same old way of life. We have been changed by our experience and we want to remember that. We want some of those changes to be permanent and we continue to draw towards our Savior!
One more day of travel - and I think we will be happy to stay put for awhile. We look forward to seeing many of you soon. Have a good sleep.
Sandy
Friday, January 4, 2008
Minneapolis...
Two more days of travelling and we have arrived at our second-last stop...Minneapolis!!! We could hardly believe it when we saw the sign for the Twin Cities here, thinking we might never make it.
Yesterday we drove about 8 hours and made it to Liberty Missouri (just on the north east side of Kansas City) where we stayed at Sandy's friends home for night...it was good to see her! Then this morning we left at around 8 a.m. and got to the cities here at about 3:30 in the afternoon...we have had clear roads the whole way but lots of wind.
Weather permitting, we are going to stay here in the Minneapolis until Monday morning and then head for home. We are staying at Sandy's brothers homes during our time here...it will be good to be here as we have not seen these guys since last summer when we were all together in Montana for Sandy's Mom's birthday party!
Thank you so much for your prayers...we have felt God's presence with us through out the whole trip...the kids are travelling well and the van is running good!
PTL!
Gerald
Yesterday we drove about 8 hours and made it to Liberty Missouri (just on the north east side of Kansas City) where we stayed at Sandy's friends home for night...it was good to see her! Then this morning we left at around 8 a.m. and got to the cities here at about 3:30 in the afternoon...we have had clear roads the whole way but lots of wind.
Weather permitting, we are going to stay here in the Minneapolis until Monday morning and then head for home. We are staying at Sandy's brothers homes during our time here...it will be good to be here as we have not seen these guys since last summer when we were all together in Montana for Sandy's Mom's birthday party!
Thank you so much for your prayers...we have felt God's presence with us through out the whole trip...the kids are travelling well and the van is running good!
PTL!
Gerald
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy Birthday Gerald!
Today is Gerald's 40th birthday. And he spent it sitting all day in the van! We left McAllen this morning at 7:10 and arrived in Ardmore Oklahoma around 5:30 this afternoon - 1040 km later. It was a very long day but we arrived safe and sound and the van worked great. Thankfully, tomorrow is not as long of a day. Our high lights of the day, besides Gerald's birthday, include the boys looking at the Texas Motor Speedway - a Nascar Speedway as we drove by, missing rush hour in the cities we travelled through, good traveling weather, arriving early enough to relax before going to bed, and a birthday supper at Denny's. 
It is below freezing outside already - feels really cold to us. It will get steadily colder as we continue to head north. We enjoyed our relaxing time in McAllen, but are looking forward to arriving home.
See you tomorrow,
Sandy
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
A Relaxing Day...
Today was a very relaxing day...we all slept in (the kids until 9:30). After a brunch of pancakes we headed out to do our errands...a stop at J.C. Penny for Sandy, a stop at RGBI for Sandy and I, and then a stop at Target and Wal-mart for everyone...
At RGBI we drove around the campus and showed the kids all the places that brought back memories for us and also showed them were Grandma and Grandpa Reimer park their trailer next week when they come for nearly two months of working on the campus. It was pretty special for us to be there and to talk to the kids about how the Lord leads our lives in so many amazing ways...
This afternoon and evening we relaxed some more while the kids played and played. And then we also did some packing and loading the van again to get ready for our long day of travel tomorrow and the next few days...1050 Kms. tomorrow and a combined 1400 Kms. the next two days after that.
Andrew just told me this evening that after five months of being home he would like to come back to McAllen again...he seems to like it down here!!
Well, just to let you know that we will sure appreciate your prayers again over the next several days as we travel clear across the U.S...we are hoping the van works well, the weather is decent and that we have a fun time as a family as we travel.
Take care,
Gerald
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