Are you "fireman ready"?

Hi dear friends,

I just realized it's been 2 years since I began writing this blog and so much has happened in that frame of time.  From deciding which organization to join, to being accepted with MAF, and now over half way through ministry partnership/support raising with a departure date in sight.  This past year was full of traveling and sharing about the ministry of MAF.  I am thankful to be in one place for a record 3 months!  Oh to settle into normal life again.  I yearn for that day - crazy I know.  Support has been coming in slowly but steadily over these last 8 months and now I'm up to 54% monthly & 59% outgoing.  I've hit a plateau for the last 3 weeks, so you can definitely pray that more people will want to be a part of the work of MAF.  If I break it down, 40 people at $50/month (or 80 people at $25/month, etc.) would reach my ongoing monthly target and $8100 in individual gifts.  So all to say - it's very doable and we're very close!  My goal is to be at 100% support in both monthly & outgoing by Christmas.  This will give me the capacity to finish up my last bit of training with MAF before heading overseas in April.  If it doesn't come in before Christmas, well...then my training will be pushed back to the 2nd class of the year which I believe is in April, therefore pushing my departure date back till summer... which pushes back my language training in-country, causing a delay in when I start teaching...a bit of a domino effect.  So do pray with me that despite the pause in giving, we'll reach our target for Christmas!

On to another topic....

I had an adventure a few weeks ago.  I came home in the late evening to find that my house smelled of natural gas.  The boiler had just been replaced 5 days before and the installer had come the day before to fix it again as we had smelled gas then as well.  So after trying to get a hold of the installer to no avail, I called the gas company who immediately had me evacuate the house.  When asked if I had any symptoms, I said I had a headache, but was sure it was just from the strong smell.  The agent told me she was going to patch me over to the fire dept. ( I didn't know why honestly, but figured it was protocol). I gave my name to the dispatcher and they confirmed my address and said a truck would be on its way.  So here I am, standing on my front lawn waiting for everyone to arrive.  I am honestly picturing the gas van and possibly one fire truck for backup for whatever reason.  To my horror, I hear sirens...many sirens...getting closer and closer...Oh Lord, please don't let that be for me....and sure enough, THREE ladder fire trucks round the corner with lights and sirens ablazing.  THREE!!  They block off the road...there were FLARES.  There had to be at least 20 firemen.  It was crazy.  I was escorted to the neighbours driveway where after a series of questions they turned to me and said because I had said I had a headache, EMS was on their way too.  I had a choice of taking oxygen from them or waiting for the paramedics to arrive and go to the hospital with them.  Well I certainly was not going to pay for an ambulance to take me to the hospital for nothing, so reluctantly I said I would take the oxygen from them.  Four firemen come over with a duffle bag of oxygen.  So there I am, standing in the neighbours driveway with an oxygen mask on - breathing...(so embarrassing).  When the paramedics arrive, I am escorted into the ambulance where they hook me up to a variety of machines checking my oxygen levels, etc.  They were friendly, however the one kept on giving me "facts" on carbon monoxide and how it is odourless...therefore you can't SMELL it.  I told him I was aware.  It was honestly the most bizarre interaction as they treated me like I was ill and I felt fine and was trying to talk to them normally but they wouldn't believe it.  Finally a fireman popped his head in and said there was no carbon monoxide and they were evacuating the house due to the strong smell of natural gas.  I was then released from the care of the paramedics (my choice) and back onto the street I go.  Now by this time, the neighbours are in their driveways deducing to each other what had happened.  No one knows me, so they're just chatting around me.  I am absolutely freezing as we wait for the gas company to arrive.  As I tried to control my physical convulsions of shivers, a fireman offered a fire truck for me to sit in and warm up.  So up I climbed into the front seat.  They're tall!  I briefly thought to myself that if I had to go up and down into the truck, there was a good chance I would injure myself on more than one occasion....Moments later, the chief fireman on scene let me know they were heading out and had turned off the gas.  The gas company said there was a major leak inside the home and had tagged the boiler.  After he left,  the boiler installer was called and when asked to come out and fix it that night, he said "well, I guess I have to put my pants back on..."  ?!!!??!!!  "Yes", I replied, "this is a PANTS-ON residence." :)

July, August & September

Hi Friends,

I'm back with an update on the last two months! As a side note - sorry for the lack of pictures, I forget to take them when I'm with people:(

Summary~

We decided to move my departure date to April 2013 - this enables a more healthy departure pace and to give more time to have a full ministry partnership team before heading overseas.

If you read back in my posts, you will see a common denominator of travel. So much so that my travel tank is full for quite a while! I've had a few people ask if I'm on vacation when I travel....and the answer to that is no - besides a few days in July. I believe that meeting up with people and sharing about MAF and what God is doing around the world can be FUN - so yes, if it looks like I'm enjoying myself - it's because I am:)

July had me in Victoria & Vancouver BC. I was able to catch up with a lot of folks there and hear their hearts and the journeys the Lord has each of them on. I took a trip down to Oregon to visit a few more friends & supporters there. I was able to take a few days off to enjoy the Oregon coast with some friends - a much needed break from traveling.

August had me flying to Ontario, where I got to visit my home church and see good friends and family. Since my newsletter went out in August, my monthly support & outgoing funds each increased by 10% ! Praise the Lord! I'm now over a third of the way to each goal! Thank you to each of you who have come on as financial and prayer partners - go team:)

So what's next?

September.....

Well the time has come to start wrapping things up here. Honestly, I do not look forward to it. My life has been here for the last 9 years. My community. My friends. Three Hills is a very transitional town - everyone knows that. It's a college town and people come and go every 2-4 years. It's just how it is. My friendship group is ever rotating through people as they go or return. "They" being the operative word. I'm the one who stays and others go. This time it is my turn to go and leave my friends here. Not pleasant. It's sad to see this chapter of my life closing, even with the excitement of the new opportunities on the horizon, it still grieves my heart. It has been an honour to be a part of this community. Pray for me please as I try to say goodbye. It really is going to be difficult.

Thank you for praying and I look forward to hearing from you soon,

April

"Tiny, terrified space of being right"

Ahh the smell of sugar beets in the mornings; I can't say that I'm fond of that smell. There's a sugar beet mill down the road and for the last several days the air has been filled with a putrid aroma.

I'm down in Idaho at the moment and just finished up the first week of Cultural Orientation. The seminars have been really informative with practical tools to help in different scenarios. The first part of the week was quite heavy as we talked about stress, grief and other potential losses to anticipate as we head overseas. Yesterday we talked about embracing our new culture and what that may look like. We also discussed our own culture as Canadians & Americans and the learned patterns we have been taught.

One of the areas we focused on is the need to be right. I am not saying that this is a beneficial thought process, but one that does exist in me to which I am re-thinking. If I continue in this pattern, merging into another culture is going to be torturous, because I will ultimately do and say things wrong. I'm not sure about you but I've never really liked making mistakes. I learn from them but avoid them as much as possible. Some even suggest you don't really learn UNTIL you've made mistakes. (Shudder). Kathryn Schulz called it a "tiny, terrified space of being right". I wonder why I'm so afraid of being wrong. The more I think about it, the more I realize I must have attached meanings to it that don't necessarily belong. The funny thing is, there is no freedom in operating this way.

I wonder if the need to be right smells like the air today.

Jesus is fully aware of my fallibility and loves me fully. His thoughts towards me don't change. He doesn't value me more when I'm right or value me less when I'm wrong. His love is steadfast towards me. His love for us was never based on our performance, for He loved us first, when our performance was poor.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

***********************************************************************

Ministry Partnership Update~

The Lord is Faithful! Every week I'm seeing a few more partners join the Team to which I am so thankful and encouraged. It is great to be a part of this faith journey with you - faith for me, to see how the Lord will provide partners, and faith for you to see how He will provide for your part as well.

Please continue to pray as I prepare spiritually and emotionally to live overseas.

Pray for safety as I travel again in another week.

Praise the Lord that I was able to meet my 2 co-workers last week and start to get to know one of the couples who is staying nearby.

Thank the Lord for unity among our team.

Thank Him for the Team He is bringing together in support for me.

Thanks friends:)

April:)

In like a lion, out like a....Lion

Many of us here in central Alberta are getting tired of the white stuff.  March started off with a blizzard giving us at least a foot of snow and ended with one too.  While other parts of Canada were experiencing unusual warm temperatures, we have been donning our heavy winter wear and dreaming of warmer places.

I spent all of March in the Three Hills area catching up with friends and together sharing stories of the future.

You know what though?  It's easy for me to share just the above sentence, but if I do that, I'm not telling the whole story.  March was probably the most difficult month this year.

I have been doing a study on Ephesians 6 and in verse 11 it says "Put on the whole armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."  What are his schemes you might ask?  Well he is described as an animal stalking his prey - waiting for a vulnerable moment and pouncing.  His goal is to consume.  He is called the father of lies, the slanderer, the accuser, the tempter and the prince of darkness.  I Peter 5:8 reads, "Be alert and of sober mind. your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

I hate fear.  It causes me to pick up the pace and scramble.  I can't think straight.  I start to believe lies.  There is no longer a filter in my brain.  When I scramble, I grab for the controls, and become ugly.  I no longer trust people.  I do my best to make everything happen in my timing.  My heart becomes sticky and gooey and slimy.  Ughhhhh.  Disgusting.  I hate what fear does to me! It brings death, not life!! Can you relate?

I knew that taking on this position would bring spiritual opposition at some point or another, but I didn't expect it to be a constant press nor in the areas it popped up.  I have experienced doubt, fear, anxiety, disappointment, and anger (for no reason) and I haven't even left Canada yet.  All of these emotions and concerns caused my mind to race and be a place of confusion.  It caused me to ask too many times, in my opinion, should I just stay and help here, or wait for another time?  I focused a lot on what I would be losing by going overseas, and could not imagine what I would be gaining.  As I write it out to you now and highlight the words, it can be plainly seen that these are not God-led words or how He operates.  The Bible says:

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7


"And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.  Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  Luke 12:29-32


"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world."  John 16: 33


"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27

The great thing is that we already know the end of the story - the evil one has already lost.  That's why we celebrated Easter this past weekend!  When Jesus went to the cross as a perfect sacrifice with no sin in His body, He took all of our sins on His shoulders and willingly took the punishment for me and you.  He was beaten and stabbed and hung on a tree until He died.  The devil rejoiced because He was dead and he thought he won.  But 3 days later, Jesus raised from the dead and came back to life! Death does not reign over Him, He conquered it!  And THAT is why Easter Sunday is SOOOO awesome!!!!!!  Jesus brought us LIFE!!!!  No more death!  No more condemnation!  No more accusations!!!  Jesus paid the price for all of us!  So when the devil accuses us before God - as he does - Jesus steps in and says -I already paid for that on the tree (cross).


Romans 8:1 "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins."  


1 John 4:9,10 "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."


So friends, the month started off with a lion seeking to devour and ended with an intense battle resulting in VICTORY & LIFE!


Please pray for me and each other as we continue in the battle, knowing that the end result is victory.  Let us put on the armour of God each day (Eph. 6:10-20) and fight well and victoriously!  For the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, is in us! (Rom. 8:11)

Part II: February Travels

Where did I leave off...right...llamas.

After leaving Washington I headed up to Vancouver, BC to reconnect with a few more people. Some highlights included:

1) Meeting family for the first time and finding out they're great!!

The Lanigan crew:)

2) Seeing friends that used to be students of mine!

Kedar, Jillian & Stephen

3) Meeting up with ol' Three Hills friends~

Ruth & Jen

Melissa & Daniel

Jason

4) And meeting NEW friends! :)

Meta-communites

In addition I conquered Vancouver traffic, caught up with other dear friends (sans camera) and shared about where I'll be heading overseas.

Thank you to all of you who gave me a place to stay, a meal, coffee, and encouragement. I am not able to do this without you!

~ApRiL

Newsletter 1 is out!

If you're not currently signed up for newsletters and would like to be, then send me your mailing address & email and I'll get one out to you asap!

Thanks friends!

ApRiL

Drugs and misunderstandings!?!

I spent 2 weeks in Nampa, Idaho at MAF-US's base where I joined a group of people who will also be serving as pilot/mechanic families in various places around the world. I learned that MAF does not serve in "bird" countries. I don't mean there are no birds in the country, more so that they aren't easy countries. In my class alone, 2 families are moving to East Congo and 2 are heading to Indonesia, plus 2 serving in restricted countries. It was so great to be a part of this class and to learn more about MAF US. As the token Canadian, they welcomed me with open arms:) I met with the staff and they invited me to come into an "on-loan" agreement to their organization - which essentially means "I've been adopted into the family!" Not many people get to have a Canadian Family and US Family!

From there I started the visiting extravaganza. First headed to Pullman, WA where the Olsen's provided a wonderful relaxing weekend for me. I got some great loose leaf tea which I was super excited to try, but alas, Homeland Security confiscated it from my checked baggage as what I can only guess... I'm sure drugs don't smell like mint or rooibos, however I wouldn't know.

Anywho, then I flew to Portland, OR and drove down to Salem to visit an old friend and meet her kiddos. Now here's a story for you~ Knowing that I was about to spend some time in Eugene, my dear friend tells me we must go and get a Beaver's shirt (Oregon State) because they're huge football fans in Eugene and I better be wearing the right shirt. So she proceeds to buy me a Beavers Hoodie with the strict instructions to make sure I wear it with pride and everyone will adopt me as their own. I'm a sucker for instant friends:) So I drive down to Eugene, OR with my hoodie handy and on the second day I put it on with pride! As I was about to leave the house with my face beaming, my dear friends confront me on my attire. They say - you may want to be careful out there wearing that shirt! I proceed to tell them how my friend specifically bought it for me to support the team down here and that's when I learned that Eugene IS passionate about football and they DO have team spirit and that would be for the DUCKS! The Oregon Ducks! DUCKS!!!!!! Not their rival team - The Beavers!! I laughed OUT LOUD as I realized how I was played. Four complete strangers commented on my shirt that day making the same statement - I was cheering for the wrong team.

From Eugene, I drove up to Longview, WA to visit another great family. We had a quick visit and as I looked out their kitchen window, I was surprised to see a llama in their backyard - mere feet away from the window. Yup they have a llama for a pet! In fact it's a "camping" llama! It carries the gear when they go camping - how handy! Because llamas are herd animals, they also have an alpaca for company! They would tell me how they would load the llama into their mini van along with the kids and head to their favourite hiking spots. Love it! Now they have a horse trailer - so those days are done.

The Sweater & The Llama

And so friends, I hope you enjoyed the stories of the first half of my traveling adventures.

Stay tuned for part 2!

Thoughts from a girl with squishy boots

I was on the road for 3 weeks and through that time I had the opportunity to reconnect with friends that I haven't seen in a few months to several years. Seeing each and every one of you blessed my heart and I was privileged to hear your stories of joy, frustration, courage & disappointments . I am grateful that you allowed me to step into your world- despite the challenges many of you are facing.

Throughout the course of my travels, the Lord has been bringing to light my unspoken expectations; surprisingly my expectations of relationships. I have had a history of unrealistic expectations. It was these that led me on a path of burnout several years ago. Although I feel I have overcome on the work front, personally I still have some work to do. I am realizing that my expectations are too high when it comes to people. This is a problem. For we all know - even I do - that people will fail. I will inevitably fail. Unmet expectations.

What do you do?

I wrote the above this morning and actually had to stop and put the computer aside b/c I didn't know how to respond. I came across a blog of a woman who wrote a post today called "This Is The Person You Will Hurt". She talks about brokenness and how it comes to light in close relationships - specifically marriage. That this brokenness causes you to hurt one another. And forgiveness is how you will heal each other. This is the person you will be asked to forgive more than any other, and from whom you will need to ask forgiveness more than any other in return.

What I am realizing is that it is a guarantee that people will hurt each other and therefore I do not need to fear if and when it may occur. It will occur. Relationships are messy because people are not perfect. Hard to swallow for those overachieving perfectionists... (cough) ...like myself... (cough).

Lord, thank you for starting to show me where my thoughts are misconstrued.

Help me to choose forgiveness when it's my turn to do so.

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Back in Thrills~

Hi Everyone!~

I'm finally back in the little town of Three Hills! I have noticed since returning that there is something that this lil' place offers this time of year that the west coast does not - and that is

SUN!!

After weeks of grey skies and rain, it has been wonderful to return to such a bright place!

COLD, but sunny!

Where are my wellies???

Did your mother ever lecture you on wearing sensible shoes for every activity? My mom did:) I think this is why I cannot bring myself to wear super high heals, for that off chance I'll have to run down the street or stop by for a quick game of soccer, or ....walk. Anyways, I am presently in the Vancouver area visiting friends. I learned very quickly that rain is quite popular here these days and my Alberta soft non-waterproof moccasin-boots are not very "sensible" here. If they were made of say caribou...perhaps...but no, they are made of some other material. So although I have only a few days left in this damp area....I am on a mission to find some sensible boots:) Ones that could be worn in BC , in AB and in SE Asia. A feat that could appear impossible, but I feel I can be victorious!

It has been wonderful catching up with so many old friends these last 2 weeks! Thank you to all of you who have let me stay in your home, do laundry, feed me and just have great conversations:) It has been wonderful to be in your world and see you again!

I look forward to seeing a few more of you over the next week as well!

Till then~

April

To the Potato State I go!

Welcome & thank you to those who have recently joined the team!

Today I am ever so briefly back in Three Hills to repack & have a good night sleep. Tomorrow morning I am flying to Nampa, Idaho to start the 2 week MAF-US Candidacy Orientation. Because the place I will be serving is one of the MAF US programs, I will need to complete all of my training through Nampa, Idaho. This is the same place where I did my technical evaluation in October, but this time there is no flying, just a time of getting to know MAF-US and additional preparation for moving abroad.

After this training, I will be heading up to Pullman, Washington to visit a friend and then over to Portland, Oregon to visit a few more and then finally up to the Vancouver area in BC to visit some more of the crew. I'll be returning to Three Hills, Alberta on February 6th - just in time for my birthday:)

I ask you for your prayers as I will have a very tight traveling schedule over the next 4 weeks. Pray that I'll balance visiting with rest and that the Lord will continue to build His team and encourage all of us as He carries out His plans.

May we all reach for the Lord and find Him.

Acts 17:26-31 (NIV)

"From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. "