Deuteronomy 7:6 (NLT)
For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.
photo credit: Artistically Amy
Baby Ticker
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Psalm 13:5
Psalm 13:5 (NIV)
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
photo credit: Artistically Amy
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Matthew 7:25
Matthew 7:25 (NIV)
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.photo credit: Artistically Amy
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
my 100th post!!!
On a bunch of the blogs I read they have done up quite the elaborate post for the 100th - many which include a list of 100 things about themselves. Well, I really am not a list kind of gal and who really wants to know 100 things about me!
I will though tell you this - I love that I can use this blog to pour out my heart and whatever I am thinking and people may or may not read it, but I still get the enjoyment and the stress release of being able to put "pen to paper" (or in this case, fingers to keyboard!) and get my thoughts down!
Here's to many more posts!!!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Okay, I'm totally hooked!
I have spent most of my computer time in the last two days on digital scrapbooking websites finding out all the cool things that are out there and downloading quite a few items so that I can do some more pages! I am so excited! and I can even print them off if I totally love them! (with my printer, I would have to send them to be printed like a photo, so would have to reduce the size of them to fit an 8x10 but still, good quality prints!)
There are SO many options out there, I may see if I can do some digital scrapping for work this summer. I scrapbook all our field trips and make a book for the kids to look at over the years. They are still looking at the ones I did in 2002 & 2003! There weren't any done for 2004 & 2005 and I have not finished the one from 2006 yet! Remember, I went and got married, that took a lot of my time up in the fall!!
The great thing is that I have a high speed "LITE" internet connection so while most of the time I don't find it slow, it can take a bit more time to download some of the backgrounds and such and so I can set it up to download a bunch of the bigger files and then do something else and come back when it is done, so I am not just sitting watching the download box!
There are SO many options out there, I may see if I can do some digital scrapping for work this summer. I scrapbook all our field trips and make a book for the kids to look at over the years. They are still looking at the ones I did in 2002 & 2003! There weren't any done for 2004 & 2005 and I have not finished the one from 2006 yet! Remember, I went and got married, that took a lot of my time up in the fall!!
The great thing is that I have a high speed "LITE" internet connection so while most of the time I don't find it slow, it can take a bit more time to download some of the backgrounds and such and so I can set it up to download a bunch of the bigger files and then do something else and come back when it is done, so I am not just sitting watching the download box!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
my 1st digital scrapbook experience
click on photo to see larger image
This was my first digital scrapbooking experience and once I got the hang of it, I really started to enjoy it! It definitely doesn't replace hands on scrapbooking, but it is fun for putting things up on my blog!
This was my first digital scrapbooking experience and once I got the hang of it, I really started to enjoy it! It definitely doesn't replace hands on scrapbooking, but it is fun for putting things up on my blog!
oh my dear husband...
I just was on the phone with Ronel and found out that Ronel spent 2 days & 1 night in the hospital last week (Wednesday & Thursday) because of the severe pain he has been having over the past couple of weeks.
After many different tests, they found out that he has a gallstone which is causing all the abdominal pain that he has been having. The doctor told him that if it doesn't pass by itself, then he will need surgery! I really do not want my husband to have to have surgery in Haiti!!!! especially without me there! While I know that there are very good doctors at the hospital where he will be treated, it is still way below our hospital standards and not something I want Ronel to have to go through. Please be praying for Ronel and his health - that this gallstone would just disintegrate and pass through his system, that all pain would go away and that there would be no further occurrence of any gallstones. Please also pray for his health overall as he is needing to go and get a medical exam done for his immigration paperwork and I don't know exactly what the Canadian government is looking for but I do know that they don't want to allow people with health issues that will "tax" our medical system into Canada! Both Ronel & I appreciate your prayers!
Below are some photos of HAS (Hopital Albert Schweitzer) which is where he stayed.
(photos taken from the HAS website)
This is the Admitting Dept of HAS - this is where you have to wait and get your file and pay to see the doctor. To get your file, you must have an appointment, be REALLY sick, or know someone at the front desk. The files are all kept in a big room (think of your doctor's office then multiply that by possibly a 100!) and frequently they can't find a file, which just causes more chaos! Thankfully a good friend of Ronel's works at the admitting desk, so Ronel should have had a little bit of an easier time getting in.
The front view of HAS - in the background in the screened "windows" of the adult ward which is pictured below from the inside
The curtains are often left up for the breeze so there is really no privacy. The line up outside the windows is the pharmacy line up! This is where Ronel would have most likely spent the night, if he was sick enough to get a bed! Other wise it would have been the nearest section of floor or bench that was available. He did say that he was on IV so I would think that he got a bed (not that they are comfy by any means, and you must provide all your own linens for the bed!)
Makes you think.........
After many different tests, they found out that he has a gallstone which is causing all the abdominal pain that he has been having. The doctor told him that if it doesn't pass by itself, then he will need surgery! I really do not want my husband to have to have surgery in Haiti!!!! especially without me there! While I know that there are very good doctors at the hospital where he will be treated, it is still way below our hospital standards and not something I want Ronel to have to go through. Please be praying for Ronel and his health - that this gallstone would just disintegrate and pass through his system, that all pain would go away and that there would be no further occurrence of any gallstones. Please also pray for his health overall as he is needing to go and get a medical exam done for his immigration paperwork and I don't know exactly what the Canadian government is looking for but I do know that they don't want to allow people with health issues that will "tax" our medical system into Canada! Both Ronel & I appreciate your prayers!
Below are some photos of HAS (Hopital Albert Schweitzer) which is where he stayed.
(photos taken from the HAS website)
This is the Admitting Dept of HAS - this is where you have to wait and get your file and pay to see the doctor. To get your file, you must have an appointment, be REALLY sick, or know someone at the front desk. The files are all kept in a big room (think of your doctor's office then multiply that by possibly a 100!) and frequently they can't find a file, which just causes more chaos! Thankfully a good friend of Ronel's works at the admitting desk, so Ronel should have had a little bit of an easier time getting in.
The front view of HAS - in the background in the screened "windows" of the adult ward which is pictured below from the inside
The curtains are often left up for the breeze so there is really no privacy. The line up outside the windows is the pharmacy line up! This is where Ronel would have most likely spent the night, if he was sick enough to get a bed! Other wise it would have been the nearest section of floor or bench that was available. He did say that he was on IV so I would think that he got a bed (not that they are comfy by any means, and you must provide all your own linens for the bed!)
Makes you think.........
getting a look into my mind......
I was doing some "clean up" on my blogs today and read some of my posts from when I was living in Haiti. I found it very hard to read them without getting teary eyed. I miss Haiti, I miss what I had there, the kids, the friends, the people, the weather, the scenery, Ronel, meeting people when teams came, pretty much EVERYTHING. It made me think about how life changed when I followed God's calling and moved back to BC.
I know that God called me back to Canada for a reason, one that I don't completely understand yet and maybe never will, but being obedient, I followed God's calling and came back to BC, just like I was obedient when I made the decision to move to Haiti back in 2002. Now, I won't try and say that being obedient to God's calling was easy but there is something that while not easy, makes it doable because you know that what God has planned for you is far better than anything you could plan for yourself.
I have no doubt in my mind that some people think I am crazy for moving back to Canada without Ronel, and some probably think I should have stayed in Haiti and filed Ronel's immigration paperwork from there. While that seems so much easier, I know that it wasn't what God had planned for us and I have no doubt that we will be learning something through this process.
There is a day to day struggle that both Ronel and I go through. I am sure that most days it is harder on Ronel because daily he is going places or doing things that we have done together, routines that we had that are no more. I also know that there are some situations which have made life somewhat uncomfortable for him, many things changed when I moved back to BC and much of what we knew as "normal" or routine when we were both in Haiti has changed. I have things a bit easier, or so it seems to us ~ Ronel has never been to BC, and so everything I do, each and every day, have no memories connected. I can't get nostalgic about when Ronel & I went here or ate at this restaurant or miss having him attend my local church with me because he has yet to do these things with me here in BC. Yes, we did these types of activities in Haiti, but they just are not the same. I go to work, go to bible study, hang with friends and don't have the memories of when Ronel was there with me. Yes, I miss him and can't wait till we can do these activities together but when I keep myself busy, I can keep my mind active and off past memories that just make me dwell on the past and not on the present or the future. Many people ask me about Ronel and about any progress on the paperwork, and while I don't often have much to tell, that is often the hardest part! This messes up my plan to keep busy and not let myself dwell on the fact that Ronel and I are many miles apart! I do appreciate the fact that the people around me care about my life and want to know about how things are progressing, but at the same time, you only want to answer the same questions so many times. Not that I want people to stop asking, but to be considerate that some days I won't want to talk much about the progress.
At this point in time, there isn't much progress! ~ Ronel has had problems getting his medical exam done that we need for his application. First the doctor's office was closed because of Haiti's national holiday, then it was closed due to unrest in the capital city, then more holidays for Carnival - closed for more than a week (at a time when Ronel had time off school which made it more frustrating!) and now the doctor's office said maybe the end of this month, but Ronel needs to be able to have a day off work and may need more than one day in Port-au-Prince to complete everything needed for his exam. On a good note, he has sent in to get his police report done and is going to be getting his photos done that he needs for all of this paperwork, if I remember right, I think that Ronel needs like 20 immigration photos done!! (somewhat similar to passport photos, but a slightly different size I think)
I keep telling myself that God is in charge of this whole process and He was there when Ronel got his passport done and in his hands in ONE DAY! This is not something that happens, here or in Haiti, but definitely not in Haiti. I remember when I was living in Haiti, we needed to get a passport done for a staff member so that they could travel with Karen to the Dominican Republic and it took forever to get it done! This was one of the reasons that Ronel started on his so early (even before we were married) - we wanted to make sure that he had lots of time and we weren't delayed in filing our paperwork because of his passport, and God had that situation taken care of! I still smile when I think about the fact that he had it in his hand the same day he took in the paperwork! I remember that phone call - Ronel was so happy and I almost cried from joy! I know that God can do miracles, He has done them in my life and I won't forget that too easily but sometimes, when things get difficult, I find myself forgetting those moments in my life and only looking at the difficult times. This is when I am thankful for the friends in my life! The ones who gently remind me of the things that God has done in my life and the things that He is still doing daily in my life. The ones that just give me a hug when they can tell by my face that I am not having a good day, that faithfully continue to pray for Ronel, myself and that the paperwork will be processed as quickly as possible.
I have no idea when Ronel & I will get to live in the same house together, I have my hopes - I would like for Ronel to be in Canada by January 1st, 2009. Now I don't want to hear that I'm crazy, but this is my way of keeping optimistic. If Ronel arrives even one day before that, then that is one day that we have been given as a gift! If I said that Ronel would be here by November 1st, 2007 and he didn't arrive then, I would most likely be miserable as each day after that passed without Ronel here. I am sure that many of you would have your own way of dealing with this, but this is currently mine and I retain all rights to change my mind at any time about how I deal with this!!!
I know that God called me back to Canada for a reason, one that I don't completely understand yet and maybe never will, but being obedient, I followed God's calling and came back to BC, just like I was obedient when I made the decision to move to Haiti back in 2002. Now, I won't try and say that being obedient to God's calling was easy but there is something that while not easy, makes it doable because you know that what God has planned for you is far better than anything you could plan for yourself.
I have no doubt in my mind that some people think I am crazy for moving back to Canada without Ronel, and some probably think I should have stayed in Haiti and filed Ronel's immigration paperwork from there. While that seems so much easier, I know that it wasn't what God had planned for us and I have no doubt that we will be learning something through this process.
There is a day to day struggle that both Ronel and I go through. I am sure that most days it is harder on Ronel because daily he is going places or doing things that we have done together, routines that we had that are no more. I also know that there are some situations which have made life somewhat uncomfortable for him, many things changed when I moved back to BC and much of what we knew as "normal" or routine when we were both in Haiti has changed. I have things a bit easier, or so it seems to us ~ Ronel has never been to BC, and so everything I do, each and every day, have no memories connected. I can't get nostalgic about when Ronel & I went here or ate at this restaurant or miss having him attend my local church with me because he has yet to do these things with me here in BC. Yes, we did these types of activities in Haiti, but they just are not the same. I go to work, go to bible study, hang with friends and don't have the memories of when Ronel was there with me. Yes, I miss him and can't wait till we can do these activities together but when I keep myself busy, I can keep my mind active and off past memories that just make me dwell on the past and not on the present or the future. Many people ask me about Ronel and about any progress on the paperwork, and while I don't often have much to tell, that is often the hardest part! This messes up my plan to keep busy and not let myself dwell on the fact that Ronel and I are many miles apart! I do appreciate the fact that the people around me care about my life and want to know about how things are progressing, but at the same time, you only want to answer the same questions so many times. Not that I want people to stop asking, but to be considerate that some days I won't want to talk much about the progress.
At this point in time, there isn't much progress! ~ Ronel has had problems getting his medical exam done that we need for his application. First the doctor's office was closed because of Haiti's national holiday, then it was closed due to unrest in the capital city, then more holidays for Carnival - closed for more than a week (at a time when Ronel had time off school which made it more frustrating!) and now the doctor's office said maybe the end of this month, but Ronel needs to be able to have a day off work and may need more than one day in Port-au-Prince to complete everything needed for his exam. On a good note, he has sent in to get his police report done and is going to be getting his photos done that he needs for all of this paperwork, if I remember right, I think that Ronel needs like 20 immigration photos done!! (somewhat similar to passport photos, but a slightly different size I think)
I keep telling myself that God is in charge of this whole process and He was there when Ronel got his passport done and in his hands in ONE DAY! This is not something that happens, here or in Haiti, but definitely not in Haiti. I remember when I was living in Haiti, we needed to get a passport done for a staff member so that they could travel with Karen to the Dominican Republic and it took forever to get it done! This was one of the reasons that Ronel started on his so early (even before we were married) - we wanted to make sure that he had lots of time and we weren't delayed in filing our paperwork because of his passport, and God had that situation taken care of! I still smile when I think about the fact that he had it in his hand the same day he took in the paperwork! I remember that phone call - Ronel was so happy and I almost cried from joy! I know that God can do miracles, He has done them in my life and I won't forget that too easily but sometimes, when things get difficult, I find myself forgetting those moments in my life and only looking at the difficult times. This is when I am thankful for the friends in my life! The ones who gently remind me of the things that God has done in my life and the things that He is still doing daily in my life. The ones that just give me a hug when they can tell by my face that I am not having a good day, that faithfully continue to pray for Ronel, myself and that the paperwork will be processed as quickly as possible.
I have no idea when Ronel & I will get to live in the same house together, I have my hopes - I would like for Ronel to be in Canada by January 1st, 2009. Now I don't want to hear that I'm crazy, but this is my way of keeping optimistic. If Ronel arrives even one day before that, then that is one day that we have been given as a gift! If I said that Ronel would be here by November 1st, 2007 and he didn't arrive then, I would most likely be miserable as each day after that passed without Ronel here. I am sure that many of you would have your own way of dealing with this, but this is currently mine and I retain all rights to change my mind at any time about how I deal with this!!!
Happy Birthday!!
Wishing you a wonderful day and a great year!
Love ya!!
***updated*** I called my sister today to wish her a Happy Birthday and we started talking about life in general, (it's been a while since we last talked) and she told me that her & her husband started building their new home ten days ago and hope to be finished and in by June, so I'm going to plan a visit sometime this summer to see them and their new home. They bought property on the river just outside of Campbell River (I think the area is called Storey Creek) not too far from where they live right now. It is a big piece of property and their home will sit back on the property close by the river (as close as they are allowed) and have lots of privacy. The land has lots of trees on it and it will be their dream home! I am very happy and excited for them! Oh and while we have had TONS on rain in the last two weeks, they have had only 2 afternoons of rain, otherwise it has only rained in the evenings and has been dry for them to work all day on the house construction!! How awesome is that!
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