Our home is in Honduras.

The night before we flew out, our parents and my brother came to the apartment for an early birthday party for Jake and Elisa.  My parents bought pizza and my mom's yummy "three step salad; a salad with candied almonds and mandarin oranges and a tangy dressing. My in laws brought ice cream cake...yum!!
It was our final goodbye with them. One last hug, until who knows when. I didn't want to let go when I gave them a hug goodbye at the door. After they left the tears flowed. Elisa and I were a mess.

Sleep evaded me all that night. So many emotions and thoughts swirling around in my mind. I had a lot of what ifs... what if we have too much luggage? Thirteen bags, do they even allow that? What if the bags are too heavy? What if they confiscate some of our food items and don't allow us to bring them in? What if the kids don't do well on their exams? What if, what if?  I was also afraid if I fell asleep I would sleep through the alarm and not get up in time. The alarm was set for 2:45 and needless to say I didn't sleep at all.

It was early afternoon yesterday when we arrived at the airport in Tegucigalpa.  Four of us with our thirteen hockey bags, four carry ons and two lap top bags.  Jake is arriving later on because he is doing ministry at Braeside camp with the Rubber Chicken Company.  One funny thing at customs was Ben's question " hey...why are there only four passports?" He has his blond moments and that was one of them..:-)
 We managed with all our luggage without getting too stressed. We were able to load them up high on two small luggage carts. Dale and Ben steered them and couldn't even see over the top.
The only mishap was a large container of baking powder I brought. Somehow the lid came off and though I had secured in a tied bag, the contents went everywhere! What a mess.

Not long after we arrived at the team house we had a lunch of salad and sandwiches. Then Randy took us to the bank to see if we would be able to set up a bank account. The bank was so impressive. (Except for their logo. It looks like angry birds.)  Apparently that is the running joke in Honduras. That's according to the lady behind the desk who heard our conversation and understood English. Armed guards everywhere at the bank. Very modern and high tech. We entered at a "private" entrance and were given a card that you swipe. Without it you can't get anywhere in the bank. Security is that high.
After what seemed like forever, we had our bank account. It took almost two hours. I've heard from more than one person that was fast! I was getting inpatient wondering why on earth it was taking so long. I realized that is pretty much the norm and I need to get used to that. God is going to be teaching me patience. I am going to need it because I am not one to like to sit and do nothing.

After this we headed to La Colonia; the grocery store. We purchased a few supplies to last us a couple days until we get to the market on Saturday. I found the prices more or less comparable to Canada with the exception of a few items. Milk was more. Cereal was more. Crackers are almost five dollars a box...so I guess that will be an occasional treat. We were told not to buy our meat there, but to buy it at Price Mart. ( Cosco)

Their are certain things to remember. Things like not flushing the toilet paper. Following up with hand sanitizer after you wash your hands. The way we wash dishes. Washing in hot soapy water and then rinsing in bleach water. The way we prepare fresh produce is quite a procedure. It's different ways depending on the fruit or veggie. I really need to write it all down so I can refer to so it's engrained in my mind and becomes like second nature. I don't want my family getting sick!

Please remember to keep my kids in your thoughts and prayers this afternoon as they do their entrance exam for school. I have no idea what it entails but I can't help but feel nervous for them.

In closing I just want to say that as we were flying into this beautiful land of Honduras yesterday I didn't feel like I was a tourist or that we were just passing through. I felt like I was coming home.

Between here and there....

It was over two weeks ago now that we moved out of our home in Stratford. For some reason it seems much longer than that.
From there we moved into a temporary home; a three bedroom apartment on the top floor of a church in Kitchener. It's quite comfortable actually with enough room for us all to have our own space and not get in each other's faces.

A day after moving in to the apartment, Dale and I ordered our new eye glass frames.  It was during a deluge of rain. I remember driving through the storm and the water going up over the top of the van. It was scary and kind of fun at the same time!  I don't know if I have ever seen rain like that before. Fairview mall had to shut down due to the amount of rain that fell. The water was knee deep in places.

 Then the next day we loaded up our camping gear and headed to Wasaga Beach. Almost every year since Dale and I married we have camped at Gateway camping. We love it there. It's about a ten minute walk to the beach and a quiet place to camp. It's within walking distance to Tim Horton's, Walmart and Bulk Barn. They even have a salt water pool that Dale and the kids enjoy. We had dinner each night at Dale's aunt Norma and uncle Jerry's home who graciously had us in for the evening meal. She is an amazing cook. We didn't want to put her out at all but  Aunt Norma insisted. She seems to enjoy cooking for more than just her and Uncle Gerry and she invited us to come in each evening for dinner. Afterwards we would head back to the campsite and have a campfire. Dale made camp pies for him and the kids. They don't appeal to me at all. I actually think they look gross. Dale and the kids all love them so it's all good. Basically it's bread with jam, marshmallows, chocolate chips and peanut butter. Put it in a pie iron over the fire and cook until done.

We headed back to the apartment Thursday afternoon. We all had physicals at the Dr's in Woodstock on the way home. Then once back at the apt. I did a couple loads of laundry and were on the road again first thing Friday morning. This time we went to our old stomping grounds...Essex.  We had arranged to meet a few friends for lunch at the Chinese restaurant there; A1.
I also stopped by the daycare center that I worked in, hoping to see a few friends that still work there.

Then in the evening we met up with our children's biological siblings and went to the mall in Windsor. They all watched a movie. None of the movies playing appealed to me so I chose to sit in the mall with my kobo and read. I kind of needed the alone time.


On Saturday we picked our good friend Maureen and did a little state side shopping. I only spent around ten bucks!

While in Essex we stayed with a lovely couple who have a beautiful home outside of town. Gaye and Gerry were amazing hosts. She too is an incredible cook and we ate well while there.  Elisa's friend Julie also joined us one night and the two girls had a blast catching fire flies. They were everywhere! I guess it's a sign you are in Essex county. They are in an abundance. It's so cool to see their little butts lighting up the sky everywhere. The girls had so much fun together. It was like no time had past since they were last together.

We attended our old church Sunday morning and it was so nice to see everyone. Of course with facebook we never really lost touch with most of them, but it was good to see them all in person one last time.
Sunday night we dropped Jacob off at Bethel camp outside of Rodney where he was to minister with the Rubber Chicken company for the week. We met up with the Powell's who treated us to ice cream on the wharf.

Everything after that is a bit of a blur. So much has happened I know I won't be able to remember it all. I think it was Monday that Dale and I had a call to pick up our glasses so we did that as well.
We went back into Stratford the same day. A lady from our church in Stratford treated me to a free hair cut from her daughter who is an amazing stylist...and a bag full of hair products.  That was such a blessing!  I was so touched! Though I am growing out my hair for Honduras, I desperately needed a trim but in all the craziness had not made time to book an appointment.

Since then Dale has been working on getting documents together for our residency. It's so much we never thought of, things we needed to have signed and notarized before we go.  Passport photos, birth certificates, marriage license, bank statement from the last 6 months and medical certificates.  I am sure there is more that I am forgetting. Actually we are getting a head start on it by starting now rather than when we are already there.  We purolated everything on Friday and hopefully it's all done correctly so we can proceed with what ever comes next. Hopefully we know before we fly out on Thursday morning.

Friday one of my oldest friends, Sandra invited us to her parents for dinner. My friend, her hubby and girls live in Owen Sound but they happened to be "home" when we were in the area. It was good to see her family and her parents. Sandra and I met in home ec, way back in grade ten and have been friends ever since. I am so glad it worked out to see her one last time before we leave.

Most of you know Dale is an amazing deal finder. Before Zellers closed their doors for good, Dale redeemed our club z points. We have been to African lion safari this week for FREE and tomorrow we head to the Toronto zoo for FREE! We also had FREE passes to play mini golf and did that yesterday after spending the morning with his bible college friends. A few of them we got together with earlier in the week for dessert one night. We had a lot of laughs!

Today we went to church at New Life. ( Formerly Howard Park)
What an awesome service that was. The worship was real. Very lively, upbeat and loud!  It was powerful. We all loved it. Elisa said to me afterwards that if we lived in Toronto she would definitely want to go to this church!
It was awesome seeing everyone as well.

So, as you can see; things have been super busy. Tomorrow like I said is the Zoo. Tuesday we are back in Woodstock for another Dr's visit. Wednesday we take the van to get safety checked and to be sold. We are getting together with our Pastor and his wife there as well. Wednesday night is an early birthday bash for Jake and Elisa who both have birthday's in August.
We will not get a lot of sleep that night! I imagine I won't get any. I will be afraid of oversleeping. We have to be up around 3am to be picked up and taken to the airport with our
belongings crammed into 12 hockey bags. We fly out around 6:25am!

Jake will be going to my inlaws  and will be going to braeside kids camp for a week of ministry with the Rubber Chicken company.  He flies out at the end of his time at camp to be with us. Please keep him in your prayers as he flies to Honduras on his own. I am a little nervous of him getting through customs in Honduras!
There are only three and a half sleeps left!

Do you have a dream?

How many people have a dream; something they would love to do.....someday? Maybe when the time is right. When the kids are grown. When they retire. Someday in the future.
How many of us have a bucket list of things we want to do before we die?
Maybe... just maybe those dreams are God given, dreams that God has put in your heart. Maybe it is Him stirring things up inside, the desire for more. The desire to do more, do something different, something outside the box.  Perhaps it's a career change. Perhaps it's for missions. That desire to go.

Can I encourage you for a moment to take a risk? Be like Peter and be willing to step out of the boat. Sure, he doubted and he began to sink. But out of all the disciples in that boat he was the only one willing to get out of the boat and walk on water. The others sat back and watched. Some of them may have thought "I wish I had the guts to do that" or maybe they thought he was crazy. It doesn't matter what thoughts were running through their minds really...except that Peter was willing to take a risk. The only one.

Maybe you have a dream. If you have a journal or a blog or some other means of recording your thoughts, why not write it down? Record how you are feeling and thinking. Record what  you feel the spirit of God speaking to your heart.  Record the dreams he has given you. You never know where they will take you. Or when.

Habbakuk 2:2-3 ( the message) says
    And then God answered: "Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. 3 This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming - it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time.

My thought is that God is not going to put dreams in our hearts and leave it at that. We need to be willing to step out in faith and watch how God works. He isn't going to abandon us. He is faithful and will walk with us each step of the way. Sometimes it may seem like the process is taking forever...but know that it will happen when it is meant to. We need to take that first step.

Tonight we went to Braeside camp to take in one last service there before we leave for Honduras. The speaker told an amazing story about someone that took a risk and I am going to attempt to tell it to the best of my memory.

There was a minister scheduled to speak at a pastors conference in a large city. For some reason he felt God telling him to preach a message of salvation. He questioned it because all the people there would be pastors. Why would God want him to preach on salvation to a group of pastors?  It just didn't make sense. He told his wife, who told him " If God is telling you to do it, then you need to do it  "

In another part of town there was a man who felt strongly led to go into the red light district of his city.
He had a plan and talked to his wife about it.. Her response was "Woah...you need to talk to the pastor"
He told his pastor who told him basically the same thing. " Woah.. you need talk to your wife"
So the man took a large amount of money from his life savings and went into the red light district with the church van and the church's name blazoned across the front. He began to stop and ask the girls who worked the street..
 "How much do you charge for three hours?" Each one would reply with their rate and his response to each of them was  "OK. Get in the van"
 One by one the girls went into the church van. Finally after his money was gone, thirteen girls sat in that church van. The door closed and the man announced. "Ok. We are going to church"
He drove them to the church hosting the pastors conference.  All the girls, thirteen prostitutes sat in the back row.
For the first time those girls who worked the streets...heard the Word of God. The wonderful message of salvation. And do you know what? One by one each of the girls made their way to the front of that church full of men of God, and gave their lives to Christ.
Now, three years later, all thirteen of those girls are serving the Lord. Not only that but they are bringing others to Him.
All because of a man who heard God's voice and was willing to take a huge risk.
How about you? Are you willing to be a risk taker, pursue the dreams He has given you?
What would happen if you did?

A week of farewells

The past week we have been saying our goodbyes.

One week ago today, my family ( mom's side) had a reunion in Woodstock, where we said goodbye to my aunts, one uncle and cousins, spouses and their children. It was suppose to rain all day, and though it was overcast, the rain held off. It was wonderful to catch up with everyone that we haven't seen in a while.  My aunt Caroline was there and I hardly recognized her. She has lost 160 pounds. One of my cousins was there with a new fiancé.  It was so good to meet his perfect match, his "Proverbs 31" woman.
( my cousin and I)

On Sunday we had our farewell to Bethel. I think I have said before how much we are going to miss our church family.  Bethel was home for the past five and a half years. It was been a wonderful part of our journey, the connections and friendships made will be cherished forever.  It is sad to say goodbye to that part of our lives, but at the same time there is excitement at the road ahead.
I will say one thing about this journey we are on. Before this began I would never in a million years get up and talk in front of people.  No way. Definitely not my cup of tea. I was too shy, too tongue tied, too nervous. But God is helping me overcome that. I am still nervous, still maybe don't say all that I want, all that is on my heart, but he is giving me the grace and the strength and it each time it is a little easier. So, nothing is impossible.

Some of the special people to me personally..

 

 

On Monday our daughter Elisa had her grade 6 graduation. She looked so beautiful in her pretty gown. So grown up. So ready to face what lies ahead of her. There were a few tears for her as she said goodbye to her friends.
Most gut wrenching was the following day when she and her closest friend went out for dinner following her friends grad. They said goodbye on our front step, both of them clinging to each other for dear life and sobbing. It tore my heart in two to watch them in so much pain. So much heart ache.
I know though that even while we may be moving far, far away, the two of them have a friendship that will endure for their life time. That's how special of a connection they have. Friends for life.

Wednesday we said goodbye to our remaining pet; Taffy.
Her new owner came and picked her up, and Taffy will have a good home the rest of her life. But how I cried when she pulled away. We had her since Jake was 6 years old. She was the cat the Jake prayed for as a young kid, knowing that Daddy did not ever want a cat. Yet Daddy was the one who brought Taffy home as a little kitten. It was hard to let her go, knowing we would never see her again.

 

 

 

Thursday was our kids final day of school.
It was also my last day of daycare in my home. I am going to miss these kids so much. They have brought much happiness and laughter to my life. Next time I see them I won't recognize them I am sure. The past 5 years have been rewarding and I really enjoyed my job most of the time.

 

 

 

 

Friday was the day.  The day we loaded what remained of our belongings and loaded them in the back of a small uhaul trailer. It was surreal walking through the empty house, my heart flooded with memories of days gone by. It almost didn't seem possible that this time we would not be returning. This was not some vacation we were packing for...this was the real deal.

 

We are now living in a comfortable three bedroom apartment in a church. As I write this I am sitting in the café in the lobby of the church because our Wifi in the apartment has not yet been connected. This church has an amazing library that I can't wait to check out in the morning and maybe borrow two or three books.

This afternoon we have Dale's family farewell. It is being held here in the church gym; where once again we say goodbye to his close knit family.

It is going to be a busy three weeks, as we have much to do before we fly out on July 18th.
I know though that God will help all our plans fall into place so that we are ready to go when that day arrives. He will be with us each step of the way, just like he has so far.

It's for real now!

Filled with memories of yesterday, the empty rooms of our house echo.

In less than one weeks time, we will load up van with our seven hockey bags and leave the home we have lived in for the past 5 amazing years. Our kids have basically grown up here. They have skateboarded on the street, rode their bikes and ran around with their neighbourhood friends, caught the bus to school.  All of that is coming to an end. There will be no more visiting with our wonderful neighbours, no more gardening for Dale, no more walks around the neighbourhood for me.

If the walls could talk, oh the stories they would tell. The joys, the struggles, changes worries, cares. The battles fought and won and many answered prayers within these walls.

On Friday we will pull away from our house  and drive down Wooton Ct. one final time and begin the drive into our future.

We received the official word late last week that we had reached the percentage needed in our budget where we could purchase our tickets.
There was much rejoicing in the house that day let me tell you!

And yet...

While we know this is the path that God has on from the moment he first breathed it into our hearts- it is still difficult.
Our hearts ache at the thought of goodbye.
Tomorrow morning is our final service at Bethel Church and tonight as I write this, my heart is heavy. Tears have fallen.
Part of me wants to hang on and not let go....not leave this precious church family that we have come to know and love. And how we love Bethel.

Tomorrow marks the end of a story. It's for real now. A new story begins!

 

 

 

 

A life lesson along the way

The other day I had an unexpected chat with one of Ben's friends rumoured to be a "bad" influence. He showed up at the house skateboard in hand wondering if Ben could come out.  At the time we were looking for a home for Taffy. I jokingly asked him if he wanted a cat...maybe talk to his mom about it. That is when he told me his mom died 8 years ago of cancer when he was 6 years old and his older brother walked out on the family. The older brother that he once looked up to, never calls and never comes for a visit. Wow! I felt so bad...Did I ever put my foot in my mouth that time. He sounded so sad when he said it. "it's just me and my dad" he told me, his voice flat.

 I can't imagine so much brokenness at such a young age. It was all I could do not to give that kid a hug.  I probably would have freaked him out though!  Hopefully between now and the time we leave we can reach out to this boy...show him the love of Christ , maybe even have him in for a BBQ. I have to admit I felt so convicted because before I even talked to him I had judged him . I had heard things.  I told Ben not to hang around him... to stay away...before I even actually met him and got to know him as a person. Perhaps he does have some "issues" but who having gone through all that wouldn't? His entire world was turned upside down at 6 years old!  In that moment I didn't see him as the boy I had him labelled as...I saw a young boy with sad eyes and a heart full of pain.
That day God put his finger on some things in my life  that were not pretty; things that were not pleasing to him. In that moment I saw things in myself that I didn't like. I felt ashamed of myself and I vowed to try and change with God`s help.
Who of us doesn't struggle with something? Maybe there are people that we don't like or we think we can`t get along with, people we avoid or have a grievance against.  Let's try and make things right. Life is too short to waste holding grudges.  Let's forgive because in forgiving it is us that become free!
We all have a story; each and every one. The cashier in the grocery store, the single mom trying to make ends meet, the girl pouring your coffee at Tim Hortons, the man who walks down the street talking to himself...Regardless of our story...God's love is huge! He made us in his image. He loves all of us with a love we cannot even fathom. If we would but turn to him and allow him to change us from the inside out..

 

Feeding program....it's begun!

This morning I was sitting in church and it hit me....just four more Sundays including today and we  are finished this chapter in our lives. It's hard to believe we are saying goodbye so soon, when in some ways it seems like we just arrived. We love our amazing church family! God has so richly blessed us here in Stratford in so many ways.
I've mentioned before about all the mixed emotions; because as extremely difficult as it is going to be to say goodbye...we are anxious to get started in Honduras.

The in school feeding program (ISFP) has already begun in Tegucigalpa. We have seen the photos that Randy and Judy have posted and how our hearts long to be there...and we will be soon!

To see the radiant smiles on these children's faces and knowing the hope this program is bringing makes it worth it all. They look so happy! Their hungry bellies are being filled.  They are receiving a portion controlled protein rich drink in the morning and a high protein lunch in the afternoon. I am sure because of Erdo ( Emergency Relief and Development Overseas) coming into these schools and offering this program, that school attendance will increase. If you were hungry and you knew at school you would be fed, wouldn't you want to go to school?  Would school not be something you looked forward to each morning when you awoke? Also as a parent would you not want to ensure your child was there?  If they are nourished they will be able to focus and concentrate better on their studies than they would if they are coming to school hungry. Grades should increase. What a positive change the in school feeding program is bringing to these children! Our family looks forward to being a part of it. Though we don't have an exact date yet for when we can depart...we should have one nailed down soon. As you know, our goal is the end of July.

Matthew 25:37-40

The Message (MSG)

^37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’