Physical Groanings and Spiritual Lessons

So far, this pregnancy has been rougher on me than my first two. I constantly feel nauseous if I don't have food in my stomach; I have been having heart palpitations for the past 5 or 6 days (where my heart beats extra hard for a second and I get short of breath); plus I need to nap everyday or I feel MORE nauseous. All in all, the best word to describe it is an almost constant feeling of Blah! And yet, I am PREGNANT! I praise God that this Blah feeling means there is a little person growing inside me.
I must admit, since I had not felt this way with either Caden or Annabelle, at least not this much, I have had the struggles of my mind not trusting. I find myself questioning if there is something physically wrong with this baby or if maybe this baby will have a personality I might struggle with. When this happens, I very quickly give God glory for being stronger than any "what ifs" and for being bigger than my mind can even comprehend. Very quickly those thoughts are humbled to a state of "who then shall I fear?".

And in the midst of my discomfort, I had two beautiful things happen. I was a part of a weekend retreat for the ministry of YFC Teen Moms as one of the worship team members and I received a letter from a friend who is fighting a battle of a debilitating disease. Both events challenged and grew me. And they were beautiful because I saw and see God at work.
Often, when we are faced with someone else's struggles, we have the tendency to be thankful that we aren't facing those same things. I am no exception. I found myself thanking God for the health of me and my family; the ability I have to stay home with my kids and to hold them in my arms; for the MANY blessings I have been given that I don't deserve. And then, I found myself struggling with this: should I be thanking God for my blessings because I am confronted with the trials of another? I brought it to my loving husband and we chatted about it. And, in God's gracious wisdom, he reminded me that if I have conceit like the Pharisee, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get', then I am in the wrong. Instead, I thank God for His GREAT mercy, totally recognizing that it is not by anything that I have done that I do not share in the same struggles. And I pray fervently for those that are hurting. I pray for peace in trials; for comfort in storms; for joy in turmoil. I pray that they might recognize God's Glory and praise Him for His constant Love.
Suffering, regardless of quantity or quality, will occur. I am a Christian and thus it is imminent. It might be this pregnancy, or something else. I recognize that

"it has been granted to [me] that for the sake of Christ [I] should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake." -Philippians 1:29

And I hope that others will pray for me in that time and that they too will give thanks for the mercy God has shown them.

To God be the Glory!

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?The LORD is the stronghold of my life;of whom shall I be afraid?" -Psalm 27:1

Aviation Fun

On Saturday last week, we visited the Western Canadian Aviation Museum for our family day. Brennan and I had never been there before so it was very cool to experience the greatness and awe that the kids experienced, especially Caden.

This was Annabelle's first glimpse of the place. She was very intrigued.


Caden touching the wing of one of the planes. I'm not sure if that was allowed or not.

Caden and Brennan doing their versions of a salute.

Both Annabelle and Caden were VERY impressed with the big planes that filled the hangar.


We are very excited to do a lesson on planes once we start home-schooling. There is SO much to learn!

What an adventure!



And then...PLAY TIME! The second floor of the museum is a play area and observation deck. It was VERY cool.


The kids got to be pilots....


...passengers....


...air traffic controllers...


...and just kids having fun!

It was a great day!

A Week of Blessings

Last week God overwhelmed us. It was a week of learning and practicing patience and a week of an abundance of God's grace to us. On Thursday we purchased a new home (which we will be sharing with my Mom and my sister Jasmine); on Friday my Mom sold her house and God was SO good to us in that; and on Saturday we confirmed our suspicions that I am pregnant with our third baby! Praise God for he keeps us from what we deserve and gives us SO many things we DON'T deserve!

The journey has been a long one in coming to finding a home that will suit our two families becoming one, but God has sustained and carried us. Now, if you are a person who has grown up in Canada and have been taught from a young age that your independence is and can only be true if you move away and stay away from your parents, then you may be thinking "you are CRAZY"! Well, both Brennan and I grew up that way as well, but have come to appreciate community as a major part of what God has for us and our family. I understand that not all families can or would ever consider living with Mom/Mother-in-law or any other part of their extended family. Our society says that is off or not right. In fact, North America is pretty much the only society where you move out when you get married or move out when you are 18. In most other cultures, 2 and 3 generations remain together, supporting and sustaining one another. Again, I am not saying that this is THE thing to do. It is simply what we have been called to do. And we are VERY excited about it. God has blessed us with beautiful relationships with my Mom and Jasmine and regardless of the adjustments that will come, we all desire to honor God in how we care for and with one another.

And it's a good thing we are moving because, yes, you did read correctly above...WE ARE PREGNANT WITH OUR 3rd!! We will get our new house in May and our baby is due in November. It is early in the pregnancy as I write this, and we know that many would wait until they have finished their first trimester before sharing the news...just in case. But we believe that God has placed us in community to live and share the good and the tough. That means we share the joy our Father gives and we share the tears of what or when He takes away.

"The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers..." Deuteronomy 30:9

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!"
1 Chronicles 16:4

Vancouver Adventure...and Proud to Be Canadian!

Two weekends ago now, the kids and I took an adventure and went to Vancouver (Surrey to be more specific) to visit my Dad and Step-Mom, my three brothers and sister-in-law. Now, going to visit them is always fun, but going to Vancouver in the middle of the Olympics has to be declared a full-fledged adventure...or just crazy...depending on how you see it. We saw it as an adventure! We didn't see any sporting events, but you didn't have to to know that the Olympic spirit had infected all of Vancouver and it's surrounding areas let alone all of Canada.

We did visit the Surrey Site of activities in downtown Surrey. They had kids tents and events including crafts, curling and a toboggan run. Since the line ups were nuts, the kids didn't actually do any of those, but they were completely satisfied taking in the music, waiting to see the horses of the RCMP Musical Ride (which we only saw 1 of), and seeing all of the Canadians come out in full-fledged Canadian gear. In fact, even the kids were wearing their Canadian sweaters!

It was so great just being with our family and having some great bonding time.

Thanks to Uncle Brandon, Uncle Brett and Uncle Blaise for keeping their old toys for so long!


Some crazy fun at Tim Horton's!

The kids and their Uncle Brandon.

The weather was also fantastic!! We even got to go to the beach and the kids had their first "dip" in the ocean (just their fingers, don't worry) !

One other thing to consider: there has been a lot of talk about what these Olympics have done for Canadians and their patriotic spirits. I don't know about the rest of Canada, and whether this spirit will last, but I can say I am a Canadian Patriot and proud of it! Brennan and I were talking last night and we decided that being patriotic is honoring God for the country we belong to. It calls us to be thankful for the beauty that we are surrounded by - from the prairies that go on forever to the majestic peaks of the Rockies; to pray for our leaders - from federal to city; and to be thankful for religious freedoms and the fact that we can be missionaries in our own country! Praise God for Canada indeed!!