Wednesday, December 23, 2009
In Simcoe for Christmas
10:11 AM | 
Posted by
The Feere Family
Hi Everyone, sorry we haven't posted in a while, we only occasionally have internet access. We are in Simcoe for a bit as we have joined Bethel Baptist, our sending church and spent a couple of weeks in services with an opportunity to preach or teach each week we have been here. We will spend Christmas with mom (Alan's) and this Sunday begin travelling every week. It has been nice to have a house for a few weeks as Mr. and Mrs. Jim Roberts allowed us to stay in their home over Christmas while they are in Florida. We sure appreciate it! I am preaching at New Testament Baptist this Sunday in Hamilton and Golden Harvest Baptist in Stevensville, ON, next week and then off to Ohio for a couple of Sundays as we present our ministry. Please pray for good travelling weather and for liberty as we share our ministry in these churches. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Home at Last
Hey, there, everyone! We are finally home in Hamilton. We have unpacked all of our things. Now, it is time to go to the laundry mat. We will be there a while:). No problem, I enjoy doing laundry. Tonight, Alan and I are all alone. It feels weird. Mrs. Eagles has taken our four young uns along with her two little ones to FaithWay Baptist Church to see their Christmas program. Wasn't that so sweet of her? Anyway, we thought we would take this time to finish up some Christmas shopping.
Please continue to pray for the Elliot family. Little Esther had her surgery, and it seems to have gone well. She will be in ICU until Monday. Thanks!
Well, I will sign off for now. Have a wonderful weekend!
Psalm 113:1,2
Love,
Ida
Please continue to pray for the Elliot family. Little Esther had her surgery, and it seems to have gone well. She will be in ICU until Monday. Thanks!
Well, I will sign off for now. Have a wonderful weekend!
Psalm 113:1,2
Love,
Ida
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Vacationing
Well, we just spent about 9 days in Lubbock, TX with my family. We were able to have a couple of family outings while we were there. I will get my tech guy to post some pictures for me later. One outing that the children really enjoyed was going to Legacy Play Village there in Lubbock. I mean HUGE!! It was really neat, and the kids enjoyed themselves so much, that they just HAD to go back another day!! This time, they talked my brother, Uncle Telly, to go with us. Apparently, he is just a lot of fun!! Then, on Wednesday, we drove about 1hr. 45 min. to Palo Duro Canyon. It was just breathtaking!! What is so amazing to me is that for that whole drive, everything is soooooooooooo flat. Until about the last 5 miles, where you start driving up and down little hills. And then, all of a sudden, there it is. A large, beautiful hole in the ground. It was spectacular!! There were several trails to take down. One was for walking down, or you could bike down another on (yeah, no thanks!!), or take a horse down another one. We chose the walking one. We started down the trail and about 10 minutes into it, we ran into a man and his daughter. He HIGHLY recommended that one of us adults go back and drive the van down to meet the rest of the gang. So I volunteered for the job. Before we for the canyon, I had told the girls to wear culottes, but for some reason, I did not take my own advice, and had on an old skirt. It made for difficult hiking, so I was glad to be able to help my family by driving down to meet them. I LOVE to go hiking, especially with the kids, as they talk about the neatest things, so in a way, I was a little disappointed, but there will be other hikes, I am sure!! Anyway, we had a wonderful time!! It was nice to be able to see our family, Thanksgiving dinner was awesome, and we were able to do a little bit of Black Friday Shopping. That was GREAT!! Now, we are headed back towards home. I will post some more later about where we stayed. For now, I gotta get going.
Have a wonderful day,
Psalm 113: 1, 2
Love,
Ida
Little Esther
Hi, friends, please continue to pray for little Esther and her family. She had surgery yesterday morning, where the surgeons removed about 95% of the tumor. It was cancerous. I have not heard how she is doing today, but please continue to pray. Because of her excessive bleeding during the operation, they had to pack her insides with dressings. If the bleeding has stopped, then they will take out the dressings on Thursday. If the bleeding continues, then they will operate again today. I will try to post as soon as I hear anything else. Thanks for praying!
Have a wonderful day,
Psalm 113:1,2
Love,
Ida
Have a wonderful day,
Psalm 113:1,2
Love,
Ida
Friday, November 20, 2009
Urgent Prayer Request
On our way down to Texas, we usually stay with our pastor and his wife from the church that we attended while in Bible college. This time was no different. And while we were there on Wednesday, we learned some terrible news. Please fervently pray on behalf of Missionaries Daniel and Lydia Elliot. They are called to Mongolia, and have been there for the past 3 years, I think. Anyway, they have 4 children, and the oldest, 6 year old Esther has some sort of cancer in the liver and the lungs. There are tests still being done, and she was to be flown to Kansas City early Thursday morning for an operation. She is in so much pain, that her mom cannot even touch her to hold her and comfort her. Please just pray that the Lord would give them grace through this time. Lydia and the 2 girls arrived in Springfield on Wednesday, and Daniel and the 2 boys are to arrive in Springfield today. They will then be driven up to Kansas City to be with the rest of the family. I am sure they are all exhausted both emotionally and physically, but they serve the Lord Who loves them and knows exactly what they are going through. Please pass this request on to those who you know will pray for this dear family. The more people praying, the better. Thank you!
Psalm 113, 1,2
Love,
Ida
Sunday Night
On Sunday night, after some powerful preaching from Bro. Jerry Burns of Kitchener Baptist Church (if you ever get an opportunity to hear his preaching, you will be blessed. He is obviously spirit-filled), the church had a fellowship including a farewell cake. That was really kind of them!! Pastor and Marlene Massecar came to church that night, and were a wonderful support for us. They had gone through the exact same thing just 11 years earlier on the very same weekend. So they knew EXACTLY how we were feeling. During the fellowship, we were able to get some pictures taken of all three pastors with their wives. That was really special. I will post one on here as soon as Brendin can get to it. He is my techy guy.
The following Tuesday, our family started on our journey down to Lubbock, Texas, to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I am excited to be here!! It took 3 days to get here, so we are a little tired, but very thankful for the safe journey. Thanks for praying for us!
Psalm 113:1,2
Have a wonderful day,
Love,
Ida
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
WOW!!
Wow!! What a mighty God we serve, and so loving, and holy, and perfect!!
Faith Baptist Church of Hamilton just celebrated 13 years, and Alan and our family just celebrated 15 years of service in the Hamilton area. I cannot believe how quickly those years have just flown by! Thanks for praying for us! This was to be our last weekend at our church as the pastor and his family. I had visions of sobbing like a BIG BABY!! Although it was an emotional week, the Lord gave GRACE. Abundant grace. The weekend started with a banquet on Saturday night. After the a delicious meal, there were testimonies where a few people got up and gave very sweet tributes to Alan and our Saviour. The whole night was a bit emotional, but we got through it. The church presented our children with gift cards to Wal-mart--that was so sweet!! I know that they will get behind Pastor and Mrs. Eagles and serve the Lord. I am confident that they will be used of the Lord in a great and mighty way! Thank you, Faith Baptist church for all of the love and support you have offered to our family in the last 15 years! We will greatly miss you, but we know that you're praying for us, as we are for you! We love you!
Psalm 113, 1:2
Have a wonderful day,
Love,
Ida
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Moving Day
We finally have made the move from the house to the church missions apartment. Our house doesn't close until December 2, but we are hoping to take a trip to see Ida's folks next week for the American Thanksgiving before we start full time deputation in January. It has been good for the Eagles family as well, as they are able to paint some rooms and now have a place to sleep so that they won't have to commute back and forth the hour drive from Simcoe everyday until their house closes, also on the 2nd of December. Please pray that our lawyer can get all the necessary work done by Monday, or we won't be able to go south. Also pray that I can pick up some meetings along the way and while we are in Texas. Also, please pray that the kids make the adjustment to living in cramped quarters. They are doing well so far, and with the big parking lot, they can play basketball, scooter and skateboard, and play some road hockey (truly Canadians!). One more thing, we had kept February open for a possible trip to Togo, I have been, but my wife hasn't, but it doesn't look like we will be able to go. They are having their national elections, and often they will close their borders for a week or so as to protect themselves from any vulnerability during a government change. The timing can be unpredictable, so we don't want to get stuck there. We will try later in the year, but please pray that we can fill that month with meetings with such short notice. I really have no time until next week to sit and call pastors to seek out meetings. It is a good thing that God has called us and will supply our support, so I won't have to worry about it! Thanks and have a great day!
Al
Al
Friday, November 6, 2009
Prayer requests
Please pray for our children today, as Alan is taking Abbie, our dog, to her new home. She has been with us for the last 2 1/2 years, and of course, she is part of the family. The boys and Bethany, especially are having the hardest time, Emily says, "She's just a dog!!". Heartless, I tell you!! We are trying to be moved out of the house and into the church by tomorrow...yeah, we'll see. It's coming...SLOWLY.
Also, if you could please pray for Pastor and Faith Eagles. This weekend will be their last at Bethel Baptist Church, and after having been a part of that family for the last 4 years, I know it will not be easy for them or the church. Many transitions are going on, but we know that the Lord is in it all. Humanly speaking, though, change isn't always easy. But God's grace is abundant, and His peace is great!
Thanks for thinking of us and praying for us! We love you!
Psalm 113:1,2
Have a wonderful day,
Ida
Monday, November 2, 2009
Ladies Meeting
I had the privilege to speak at a ladies meeting for Bethel Baptist Church of Simcoe last Saturday, and did I ever have a grand time!! I really enjoyed the fellowship, and I don't know about the speaker, but the food was excellent!!!! It was held at the Greens at Renton, and it was so nice. Nicer than nice! It was just plain FANCY!! It was great to see some familiar faces and to meet new ones. Everyone was so kind. To top it all off my pastor's wife, Marlene, was there. I wasn't even expecting her to be there, but I am glad she was. I know that she and others were praying me through that time. Not that it was all that difficult, but I was extremely NERVOUS! Mrs. Bohman, my new to be pastor's wife, had asked me to give my testimony about becoming missionaries to West Africa. As these past few months have been emotional for me, I really expected to be severely emotional during the speaking time. But, thankfully, the Lord kept me from "coming apart". Back to Marlene. I have really been wanting to blog about her too, as she has been such a great influence and godly example to me since I have known her. But she is so modest and humble, I wasn't sure she would like for me to write about her. I can just see her now, putting her head back, waving her hand out, and saying, "OHHHH"! But then, maybe she doesn't even know about this blog and doesn't read it. So I am going to take a chance:).
Marlene and her family welcomed Alan and me into the church and their home as if we were already family. They encouraged us, taught us by their godly example, showed us the love of Christ, and had great faith in a time when it would have been so easy to throw in the towel. She possesses that quiet, godly strength that comes with being a Wiedrick. She will never know just how much she helped me. Never, did she take me aside and say, "You're doing something wrong". Nor did she ever reprimand me for anything. And I KNOW I made many mistakes, and she would have been justified in doing so. Many times. But that was not her way. She led by example. She looked to the Lord for guidance, and served alongside her husband, as she continues to do to this very day. We have had many laughs together, shared many tears, and prayed many prayers together. Together, we went through many fantastic times, and one or two VERY DIFFICULT times. Marlene was the same no matter what situation arose. I did see her get riled up a couple of times, but that was only when her family was attacked and mistreated. I am a much better person, wife, and mother for having had her as an example. I know that she would not want to be praised. But she is a Proverbs 31 woman. She certainly points people to Christ. When her husband resigned as our pastor 11 years ago, I was really upset because we really loved them and couldn't see anyone else as our pastor's family. And then, when he recommended that the church hire Alan, I was even more upset. I knew that Alan would be great as a pastor, but I KNEW I couldn't fill those shoes. Thankfully, the church didn't expect me to be Marlene. I am so glad for a loving Father Who takes us with all of our imperfections and works His will, using what little we have to offer. I am thankful for people like Marlene who just want to serve the Lord, no matter where God has placed them. I think that everyone needs a Marlene as a friend. She will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Thanks for reading, and thanks especially, for praying for us!! Praise the Lord for ALL HE HAS DONE!!
Psalm 113:1,2
Have a wonderful day,
Love,
Ida
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Austin
Austin is the last of our four children that I have blogged about. I don't know why it took me this long. But I would like to thank the Lord for him. Austin is truly amazing. He enjoys making people laugh. When he was little, we would say, "Austin, entertain us!" And he would just crack off all sorts of jokes, and just do his best to make us laugh. He usually succeeded!! Another really cute thing happened when he was about 3 or 4. He was running down the hallway, and I said, "Wow, Austin, you could be in the Olympics!" So after explaining to him about the said Olympics, he decided he wanted to be a part of it. So he trained for it. I would have to count for him, and then he would kick up his little leg and just tear off down the hallway! That lasted for a couple of weeks, and then he just up and decided he couldn't handle the demanding schedule!! But to this day, he is a bit of an athlete.
Lately, he is very sensitive to things going on around him. One day as I was putting away the laundry, he asked me why it was that while everyone else was sitting down and relaxing, that I had to do the laundry and dishes. I just explained to him that these things just didn't get done by themselves, and just as he had responsibilities, so did I. He asked if I felt bad about having so much work to do, and I said no. I was happy to have a family to do these things for. So he said, "Thanks, Mom, for all the work you do for us and for taking care of us! I really love you!"
Now, since we have gone to other churches, he loves to collect other missionaries' prayer cards. I said, "Austin, you shouldn't take those prayer cards, they are for the church people here. What are you even going to do with all of those cards, anyway?!" His response was, "Pray for them." O.K. what do you say to that??!!
For family devotions, we pick a missionary of the week to focus on praying for from the prayer cards that we have recieved over the years, and now we have MANY more to choose from!!
I am really blessed, and can see spiritual growth in him, and I know that the Lord will use his abundant energy for God's glory.
Psalm 113:1,2
Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Ida
Friday, October 30, 2009
Crazy World
I was talking to our dr.'s receptionist the other day, and she always recognizes my voice right away. This time was no different, so as soon as she did, she said, "I hear you're going to Africa, or have you gone already?" I said, "No, we haven't left yet. We will eventually be moving there, but in February, Alan, Brendin, and myself will be travelling to Togo, West Africa, for about 3 weeks." She said, "Oh, that's just CRAZY, eh?" My response was, "You know what's CRAZY is all the preparations that have to be made BEFORE we actually leave!!!" It's true! We have to become human pin cushions in the next week or so. That's ok. I can live with that, I guess. The cost involved is outrageous!! Just to get in to the community health centre is $50/each. Yellowfever is $100/each. Hepatitis A and B (also known as Twin Rex) is 3 sets each person at $60 each needle, each person. With the last needle, you can take one 1 week, another the following week, and the 3rd a few months later. Each time you go in is $15/a person. For the next month or so, we will continue to have our benefits, so the cost will be lower for the 3 of us going in February. And I KNOW that the Lord will meet those needs. Not a problem. My problem is mostly this: We were reading online, and apparently, in Canada, they offer for FREE the Twin Rex needles to those who live immoral lives, such as drug abusers and others who live in sin. What a crazy world we live in!!!
Didn't mean to rant, just sometimes, I don't get it!!
Psalm 113:1, 2
Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Ida
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Lighthouse Baptist Church
We enjoyed our first missions conference at Lighthouse Baptist Church in St. Catherine's, Ontario. The people were so kind with many encouraging words. I feel like we have met some people whose prayers we can count on. There were so many kindred spirits there! Pastor and Mrs. Tourangeau and their children were so hospitable and provided lunch at their home. They already had one missionary staying in their home for the conference. I know that it was a very busy time for them, but they took the time to fellowship with us, and we enjoyed every minute of it! If you ever get a chance to go to their church, I encourage you to do so. You will not be disappointed. I enjoyed everything about it, from the preaching to the food.A funny thing happened: We had some fellowship on Saturday night with cupcakes and cookies. Then, on Sunday night, Pastor Tourangeau announced that there would be fellowship that night as well. I just happened to be looking at Austin during that time, and he got the biggest smile, and his eyes bugged right out of his head!! He could not believe that there was to be fellowship TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW!!! It was really hard not to burst out laughing right then and there!!
Not only was the preaching and fellowship good, but I came away with some very helpful advice. I don't know if many of you know this, but Alan, Brendin, and I will be travelling to Togo and Ghana in February. Unless the Lord miraculously provides for the other 3 children to come along, we will have to leave them here, spread out in 3 different homes, for 3 WEEKS!! That is an extremely difficult pill for me to swallow!! But this Mrs. Gomes wisely said, "Just think of it this way: At some point, they will be going off to college, and this can be some training for that." I never thought of it that way, but I thank the Lord for putting people in my life to help calm my nerves. I also enjoyed Mrs. Tourangeau's visit. She is a very meek and humble lady who strives to serve the Lord by serving beside her husband, and raising children for God's glory. She was truly a blessing to get to know, and I pray that if we have any down time here in Southern Ontario, that the Lord would bring our paths together.
Thank you, Lighthouse Baptist Church, for your sweet and encouraging words!
Psalm 11:1,2 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.
Have a wonderful day,
Love,
Ida
The Eagles' House has Sold!!
Yay! Thank you all for praying!! Late Saturday night, and very unexpectedly, the Lord sold the Eagles' house. What was really amazing was that earlier that week, Pastor Eagles had challenged the teens in their church during a chapel service. He challenged them to pray and watch as the Lord answered their prayers. He challenged them to pray that the Lord would sell the house before the week ended. See, he and his wife had a scheduled showing for Tuesday and Thursday of that week. He challenged them on Wednesday. Well, BOTH appointments ended up being cancelled. But he had expected one of those people buying the house. In the end, the people who ended up buying the house actually heard about it because the Eagles' real estate agent overheard a conversation in his office, of an eager buyer moving to the area. It may sound confusing, but all in all, it was nothing short of the Lord answering prayer, and teaching young people that they CAN depend on HIM to meet their needs.
So, as of December 2, we are homeless, and I am ever so excited about that!!! Never in a million years, could I have ever imagined saying that, but that just means that we are one step closer to Togo! I don't know how many of you read our blogs, or how often. But I will keep posting our requests and praises, as they arise. Thank you so much for your many prayers before God's throne on our behalf!
Psalm 113:1,2 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.
Have a wonderful day,
Love,
Ida
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Our First Meeting - Royal City Baptist Church
It was a pleasure to share our ministry with the good folks of Royal City Baptist Church in Guelph, Ontario. The people were very kind and we had a wonderful time. We enjoyed very much the fellowship we had with Pastor and Mrs. Boadway following the service. All in all, it was a great day. Thank you Pastor and Mrs. Boadway and Royal City Baptist Church for making our first meeting so much easier!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Pre-Field Ministry Video
Finally after hours of work, we finally have our video presentation ready, just in time for our first meeting, this Sunday at Royal City Baptist Church in Guelph with Pastor Boadway and his good people. Thanks Pastor Eagles and Bro. Phil Wiedrick for all your help!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Thanksgiving Day
We had a great Thanksgiving day! We were quite lazy that morning, and slept in. That was NICE!! Then we went to Alan's mom's house in Simcoe and just relaxed. The children had a great time helping their great-uncle harvest squash and pumpkins. I think they are made for farm life. They much more prefer to be out there getting dirty than being indoors soaking up their brains with knowledge!! It was a great change of pace for them, I must say.
It always breaks my heart when I know that people in our church don't get a turkey dinner, or family to spend it with. So this year, Alan and I decided we would invite those that we thought would be alone over to our house and we would make them a feast. It had to be the Saturday before, but that was ok. Anyway, Emily and I spent most of Saturday cooking, and what an assistant she is!! She worked hard, and I appreciated her help. I think that because she was such a good help, I did not feel so stressed out. We had a great time. We only had 4 extra people, but we had great fellowship with them. Then, I was pleasantly surprised when Alan started washing the dishes, and in no time, he had the kitchen in tip-top shape! He did such a fantastic job!! I just love him!!
We have so much to be thankful for! The Lord has certainly blessed us in our 15 years of marriage. He is continuing to bless, and I know that as we continue in our next phase of life, He will be there, too. Aren't we blessed to have a Heavenly Father Who knows our needs even before we have need of them, and He's there, ready to take care of it:).
Have a wonderful day!
Psalms 113:1,2
Ida
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Golden Harvest Baptist Church
Sorry, everyone, that it has taken so long to blog. I didn't realize how long it had been until my sweet mom emailed today to make sure that everything was ok. She saw that we had not blogged in a while, and just was checking in on us. I love you, Mom! Thanks for keeping me in line!!
On Tuesday night, our family had the privilege of joining Golden Harvest Baptist Church for their missions conference. I was really impressed with this group of people and the heart that they have for missions. It was such a blessing to be with them. We were not there as part of their conference, Alan had just talked with their pastor, Pastor Ed Smith, and asked him if we would be able just to come and watch their service. It was 2 1/2 hours long, but it surely did not feel that long!! We had a great time. They do something neat for their missionaries every year. They have Christmas night. The church members draw names and buy Christmas gifts for the missionaries, and then present them with the gifts after the service. It was really sweet to see. They even sing Christmas songs.
What impressed me the most was their missions bulletin board. They have each missionary's picture along with their country and missions board. There were several missionaries. Then, in the middle, of the board, is a large map of all the countries, and flags where each missionary is. Everything was large and easy to see. As I was shaking hands with people afterwards, there were a couple of men who I was able to visit with. These men had their backs to the board, but they told about most of the missionaries that they support, how long they have supported them, and other facts about the different missionaries. What a blessing it was to be there and see first hand Christ's love in action. We are scheduled to be in their missions conference next October, and I really can hardly wait, because their spirit was so sweet. I felt like I had been there before. If you are ever in their neighbourhood, I am sure they would love to have you stop by. It is Golden Harvest Baptist Church, Stephensville, Ontario, just a few miles from Fort Erie, Ontario
Au' Voir,
Psalm 113:1-2
Ida
On Tuesday night, our family had the privilege of joining Golden Harvest Baptist Church for their missions conference. I was really impressed with this group of people and the heart that they have for missions. It was such a blessing to be with them. We were not there as part of their conference, Alan had just talked with their pastor, Pastor Ed Smith, and asked him if we would be able just to come and watch their service. It was 2 1/2 hours long, but it surely did not feel that long!! We had a great time. They do something neat for their missionaries every year. They have Christmas night. The church members draw names and buy Christmas gifts for the missionaries, and then present them with the gifts after the service. It was really sweet to see. They even sing Christmas songs.
What impressed me the most was their missions bulletin board. They have each missionary's picture along with their country and missions board. There were several missionaries. Then, in the middle, of the board, is a large map of all the countries, and flags where each missionary is. Everything was large and easy to see. As I was shaking hands with people afterwards, there were a couple of men who I was able to visit with. These men had their backs to the board, but they told about most of the missionaries that they support, how long they have supported them, and other facts about the different missionaries. What a blessing it was to be there and see first hand Christ's love in action. We are scheduled to be in their missions conference next October, and I really can hardly wait, because their spirit was so sweet. I felt like I had been there before. If you are ever in their neighbourhood, I am sure they would love to have you stop by. It is Golden Harvest Baptist Church, Stephensville, Ontario, just a few miles from Fort Erie, Ontario
Au' Voir,
Psalm 113:1-2
Ida
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Birthday Boxes
Here are the pictures of the girls' completed boxes from the party. They turned out really cute!!
Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful day!
Love,
Ida
Em turned 11!!!
This past Sat. Emily celebrated her 11th birthday. Where has the time gone?? It seems like just yesterday the Lord gave her to us. We allowed her to have her neighbour friend and her cousin over Saturday for a sleep over. They had a great time!! We had tacos for lunch, then went to Adventure Village for a game of mini putt and the girls were able to get on the bungi trampoline. It was great fun watching their faces as they jumped way high in the air, almost to the tree tops!! They thoroughly enjoyed it! After that, we went home for a craft and some supper. For the craft, we decided to decorate wooden pencil boxes with paint, crackle, and other decorations. The boxes turned out beautifully!! Then we had supper that included beef stroganoff, chocolate cake and ice cream, and some pop. Those quiet sweet little girls were BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS!! But that is ok; it really was my fault for letting them have all that junk food. Everyone then headed off to bed, and we all went to church the next morning. We had a geat time, and I especially hoped it would be memorable for Emily.
Have a wonderful day!
Psalm 113:1-2
Ida
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Trip to Quebec City
Hi Everyone, I just thought it was about time I posted something or you might start to think that Ida is the preacher in the family. I went last week to the National Preacher's Fellowship in Quebec City, Quebec where I had the privilege of setting up our display for the first time and hand out a pile of prayer cards to preachers from across Canada. Please pray as we have sown the seed, now we hope for some meetings as I follow up! Have a great day.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Luke's Birthday Party
Last Saturday was the PERFECT day for a party! The weather was nice, and the company delightful. Our children were invited to the Harris's house for Luke's 10th birthday. Did they ever have a grand time. The theme was pirates, and Mrs. Harris found some really neat names to give the children for their name tags. Emily was Scowlin Emily Barbossa. Austin was Sharkchum. I don't remember the other two. They had such a wonderful time, thanks Harris family, for having us over!!
Walking the plank, with Buckeye the dog as the shark.
Austin Sharkchum
Bethany and one of her best friends, Victoria Harris
Brendin and Luke Harris, the birthday boy
Scowlin' Emily Barbossa (which is funny, because she is usually smiling!)
We thank the Lord for the Harris family. We have only gotten to know them really well in the last couple of years, but they are family to us, and we greatly appreciate their friendship! We love you guys!!
Psalm 113:1-2
Have a wonderful day,
Love,
Ida
Blessing
Thank you to New Testament Baptist Church of Hamilton. They supplied Brendin's A.C.E. Science curriculum. We were so not expecting this blessing, but it is ever so appreciated!!!
For the last 6 years, we have used ABEKA, and I have thoroughly enjoyed using it, although it is a very demanding curriculum. I enjoy it because it 1)is King James 2) has high standards 3)the teacher's manuals are usually easy to understand 4)comes with daily lesson plans. However, teaching 4 children on a full-time basis, one-on-one has become somewhat overwhelming on some days. For me, the perfect situation would be to use their dvd's.:0) But that is not going to happen this year, and that's o.k. We will do what we can, when we can. But God's Word in Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Jesus Christ which strengtheneth me." I am so thankful for His Word. I am NOT very good with Science. NEVER have been. Now Brendin is struggling with it as well. So we decided to try P.A.C.E.S for only that subject this year and see how that goes. I can't wait to see how he does!
Anyway, I think this will take a little pressure off of the both of us. Thanks, NTBC! We appreciate your thoughtfulness!
Psalm 113:1-2
Have a great day,
Love,
Ida
For the last 6 years, we have used ABEKA, and I have thoroughly enjoyed using it, although it is a very demanding curriculum. I enjoy it because it 1)is King James 2) has high standards 3)the teacher's manuals are usually easy to understand 4)comes with daily lesson plans. However, teaching 4 children on a full-time basis, one-on-one has become somewhat overwhelming on some days. For me, the perfect situation would be to use their dvd's.:0) But that is not going to happen this year, and that's o.k. We will do what we can, when we can. But God's Word in Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Jesus Christ which strengtheneth me." I am so thankful for His Word. I am NOT very good with Science. NEVER have been. Now Brendin is struggling with it as well. So we decided to try P.A.C.E.S for only that subject this year and see how that goes. I can't wait to see how he does!
Anyway, I think this will take a little pressure off of the both of us. Thanks, NTBC! We appreciate your thoughtfulness!
Psalm 113:1-2
Have a great day,
Love,
Ida
Sunday, September 20, 2009
An Answer to Prayer
Our prayer cards have been printed and delivered. Yay! Now Alan and Brendin can take them to the National Pastor's Conference in Quebec tomorrow! We are very excited about that. Please pray for journey mercies not only for my two guys, but for pastors/missionaries and their wives across Canada who will be traveling to the conference. I am very excited that Brendin gets to go. He has learned so much about Quebec, and now he will be able so "see" the facts that he has learned about. For those too far to recieve our prayer cards, you may see them on our website.
Thanks so much for your prayers!
Psalm 113:1,2
Love,
Ida
Thanks so much for your prayers!
Psalm 113:1,2
Love,
Ida
Friday, September 18, 2009
Our Walking Miracle, Sweet Bethy-Boo
Yesterday, Bethany had an eye checkup. She has been wearing glasses since February of this year. I want to give thanks and praise to the Lord, because she got a good report on her eyes. The dr. said that since she has been wearing her glasses, the left eye has improved. Why is this a big deal? I'll tell you:
When I was expecting Beth, I had an ultra sound done at about 24 weeks, which just happened to be around Christmas time. I believe it was done just a couple of days before Christmas. We then received a phone call the following week, telling us that there was a problem, and the ob/gyn wanted to see us and then have another ultra sound done. The problem was two-fold. At first, we were told that there was no viable brain, and then they said that my placenta was leaking, and at 24 weeks, that was pretty dangerous to the mother. They advised that I have an abortion. Which I STRONGLY declined. Instead, we phoned our family and church family and baptist pastors and churches throughout Canada, and asked them to pray. We knew that no matter what the outcome, our Lord was in charge, and we just wanted HIS will to be done. Well, long story short, we have a beautiful baby girl who is now 6 years old. She is compassionate and very loving. She also has a little bit of sass in her. She loves to make people laugh, and is a delight to teach.
So now, about her eyes: every since she was born she has had "crusties" in her eyes, and her eyes used to get quite infected, especially in the winter time. She also has very narrow eyes, which can be corrected when she is old enough to make that decision herself. Right now, it is apparently not affecting her eyesight. If it did affect her eyesight, they would have performed the surgery by now. But for now, it is considered cosmetic surgery. Anyway, she has visited the eye specialist since she was about 1 year old. He said that her tear ducts are too narrow to allow tears through to her eyes, but there are just enough to create the crusties. He also said that as she grows older, her head will grow older, as well as her tear ducts. That hasn't happened. When she cries, she still doesn't shed tears. Well, this last Feb., we noticed that she was not seeing things as well as she probably should be, so we called the specialist (which by the way had just seen her the previous June and said that all was well, and she would not need to be seen again for 2 years.) They said that they don't do just regular eye checkups, she would have to go to the "regular" eye dr. Well, it was this "regular" eye dr. that noticed that Bethany had a very noticeable astigmatism. He was very surprised that she was not bumping into walls and such. He said that she also could probably do much better in school, as well. Apparently, people with astigmatism have a hard time seeing straight lines. So we got her the glasses, and Praise the Lord, her eyesight is improving!
Here are a couple of things that she has said in the last little bit that I found funny and profound:
When we broke the news to her about Africa, she was very upset. She didn't even want to talk about it. So she said, "I can't go to Africa, what will Mr. Atkinson do without me??!!" Bro. Atkinson is a dear man in our church who is suffering from terrible heart disease, and for the last couple of years, not a day has gone by that Bethany does not remember him is prayer.
And then a few weeks after praying that Bethany will have a change of heart towards Africa, we had this conversation:
Beth: Mom, does Daddy WANT to go to Africa, or does GOD want Daddy to go?
Me: Well, GOD has called Daddy to go to Africa.
Beth: And we should ALWAYS obey God, right?
Me: Yes, that is right.
Beth: Well, why didn't you tell me that in the first place!!?? I would have understood and not gotten so upset!
How profound!! Thanks for praying for Bethany and her eyesight!!
Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Ida
Friday, September 11, 2009
Some prayer requests
Just to let you all know, that the house is pretty much completed, and Pastor and Faith Eagles have decided to purchase it from us. YAY!! Now, the Eagles just need to sell their house. Please pray that their house will sell quickly. It should, as it is a very nice house, clean, and nicely renovated with a large back yard and a garage. They have done a wonderful job on it. So, if you are considering on moving to Simcoe, On., there is a nice home on 8 Campbell. They are trying to sell it privately first. Once they sell their home, then we can match up our closing date with their closing date, and we will better know when we can begin deputation on a full time basis. Also, please pray that Alan will be able to get the deputation presentation done. He has been working hard at learning new programs for video editing, etc. Now we just need to put together some kind of presentation. The final request is for our prayer cards to come in time for Brendin and Alan to go to Quebec for the National Pastor's Meeting. That will be in about 10 days.
On a different note, please pray for our friends, Bro. Jim and Denise Arnold. I have an unspoken request on their behalf.
Thanks so much for your love, prayers, and time.
Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, Praise the name of the LORD.
Have a great day,
Ida
Monday, September 7, 2009
The other day, I got into some real trouble from someone very special to me. Emily. She was surely not pleased that I had blogged about THE DOG before I blogged about her. And apparently, I have posted pictures of everyone else, but her. So I am now posting about her.
It really should not have taken so long to post about her. She is an extremely special little lady. She will turn 11 later this month, but is she ever mature for her age. She is a big blessing, and helps out tremendously, and rarely asks for anything in return. She definitely is NOT a whiner, and she DOES put up with a lot from these boys. She is kind and considerate. She doesn't like to see people hurting, and she thinks it is her job to be a 2nd mother to Bethany. She really does a wonderful job of it, too. While Em was away at Camp Y.E.S., it was she that Bethany missed most. Particularly because Beth had to do everything:) If Beth calls out to me for help, many times Emily gets there before me.
Last Saturday, I did not have the privilege of going to Beacon Baptist Church's grand opening. Alan took Em, Austin, and Bethany to the grand opening instead. Alan said Em was like a little wife. I said, "How is that?" Apparently, just after service, Alan set his Bible and keys down on a seat and thought he would come back after the fellowship to get them. (He is notorious for just setting his things down, and then forgetting where he put them). So when he mentioned that he was going back upstairs to get his things, she told him she already had them for him. How sweet was that??! Then when they arrived back home, he realized that he had not picked up the set of keys with the house key on the ring. So Emily pulled THAT set out of her purse. She had seen them lying on the counter as she was walking out the door, and knew that they would need them later that night!!
For the last 4 years, Emily has been blessed with piano lessons. Well, unfortunately, our church pianist had to have heart surgery about 3 months ago, and has not been able to be back at church since then. Emily has had the privilege to be able to serve by playing piano for offeratory, hand-shaking time, the Lord's table (she taught herself how to play the organ with some help from her dad for this particular part of the service), and she even played a congregational song once. She has done quite well, and is continuing to progress. I must say that it has been some kind of pressure put on her 10 year old shoulders, but she has been happy to do it. I am thrilled with the young lady that she is becoming.
I must say that the Lord has truly blessed us with wonderful children, for which we are so very thankful. They ARE children, so at times they CAN be trying, but I just want to pause a moment and thank the Lord for our dear sweet Emily.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Abbie
This is our dog, Abbie. She is 2 years old. We have had her since she was just a puppy. Please pray that we can find a good home for her soon. We will not be able to keep her as we will most likely be living out of our van for most of our deputation time. It is probably not possible to take her to Togo, either, as she would most likely become cobra food in the first week there. She is kinda hyper, and a little on the not so smart side. O.k. A LOT on the not so smart side. But she is adorable, and LOVES to sit on people's lap. She is crate trained, and so at night or anytime we leave the house for any length of time, she goes to "bed". She just loves her walks, and she can: sit, shake a paw, and lie down. That's pretty much all. Oh, yeah, she is pretty good about stealing dirty socks out of the laundry basket. I don't know why, but she only likes the dirty ones. It is kind of gross, but it is a fact. She also likes to guard the children's most prized stuffed animals, and she does it as if they are her own puppies. So, when she is told very firmly to "DROP IT!!, she does, and her right ear kind of sticks out a bit, showing that she knows she did wrong. Anyway, she needs a place to go where someone will love her and appreciate her. Please pray that we can find that kind of home soon. We love her and will miss her terribly, but if we can at least find a good home for her, that will soothe things a bit. Thanks for praying with us!
The first pic is of her just after she was groomed. In the last 2 pics, her hair has grown nice and long enough.
Have a wonderful day,
Love,
Ida
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Most Perfect Afternoon
Yesterday was the most perfect afternoon! Alan usually tries to take Mondays off. But this week, Pastor Eagles was here and they worked together all day Monday. So he took Tuesday off instead. The day started off by our sleeping in a bit, as we had delivered papers that morning. Then, after a lazy morning and a little lunch, we went fishing. We couldn't have asked for better weather. We went on the pier that is located under the Skyway Bridge. There weren't many people there, so the six of us were able to spread our things out and make ourselves at home. The sky was a beautiful blue colour, there were a few nice, puffy clouds, but not many, and just a slight breeze was blowing. Just enough to keep us from getting overly hot. We didn't catch much, but it was VERY relaxing.
The day ended with Brendin having a practice for a baseball tournament his team will be competing in this weekend; and Austin and Alan (the coach for Austin's team) having a baseball game at 6p.m. Austin played really well for being extrememly exhausted. This game was the playoffs. Since their team was the first-place team, they had to play the last-place team. The championship game will be on the 12th. It was a great game to watch. they ended up winning 15-4. I always enjoy watching our boys play. I am really proud of this team. There just happened to be a lot of younger children this year, and many of our older power hitters had outgrown this level. The first game they played was an exhibition game, but they lost something like 20-4 or something like that. Sorry, I don't remember the exact score, Anyway, they have really "stepped up to the plate", and done a wonderful job!! I am very proud of these young ones! I have not been able to see too many of their games, but am always excited to hear of the great plays involved.
So, it was a wonderful day, and I am extremely thankful that the Lord just allowed us to take that day and get refreshed.
Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Psalm 113:1,2.
Have a great day,
Love,
Ida
The day ended with Brendin having a practice for a baseball tournament his team will be competing in this weekend; and Austin and Alan (the coach for Austin's team) having a baseball game at 6p.m. Austin played really well for being extrememly exhausted. This game was the playoffs. Since their team was the first-place team, they had to play the last-place team. The championship game will be on the 12th. It was a great game to watch. they ended up winning 15-4. I always enjoy watching our boys play. I am really proud of this team. There just happened to be a lot of younger children this year, and many of our older power hitters had outgrown this level. The first game they played was an exhibition game, but they lost something like 20-4 or something like that. Sorry, I don't remember the exact score, Anyway, they have really "stepped up to the plate", and done a wonderful job!! I am very proud of these young ones! I have not been able to see too many of their games, but am always excited to hear of the great plays involved.
So, it was a wonderful day, and I am extremely thankful that the Lord just allowed us to take that day and get refreshed.
Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Psalm 113:1,2.
Have a great day,
Love,
Ida
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Bethany and Austin
Bethany and Austin have landed a job for the week (with their parents' help). Our friends who have a Spectator Route (the Hamilton Paper) are away for a week. So while Em and Bren are away at camp, the rest of us get to get up at about 2:45 a.m. every day to deliver the papers. I am VERY proud of them. This is pretty much the first time that Beth has had much of a responsibilty outside of setting the table and doing some laundry. She slept through two days of the route (we must address her work ethic:0); at the same time, she IS only 6!!!). The rest of the days she helped roll and band the papers, hold the flashlight for me, and even delivered them. She did a wonderful job when she worked!! Austin is our athletic one, and we really depend on his speediness. He does a great job, but sometimes he forgets the house numbers. Oh, well, he is only 9. I am really proud of them. They would get up when they were supposed to, have a bowl of cereal, and then work. Yesterday, it had started spitting rain, and Beth said, "It won't rain for long. I asked God to keep it dry for us." It stopped spitting. It just seemed to only do it for that one particular house. It rained buckets today for most of the time, so Austin and I got drenched. I had prayed all week long that God would hold back the rain for us, and He did until today. I learned that I would not melt. It actually kept me nice and cool:0). We only have two more days of delivering, and Brendin and Emily will be helping, so it will go even faster. Austin chose to use his cut of the money to buy a camera. Mrs. McClain had wisely advised our children to journal their travelling experience, and he really took it to heart. He is becoming quite the little shutter bug, with the dog being his main model. I was sitting on the steps yesterday talking on the phone when Austin aimed the camera on me (or so I thought). So I smiled and he snapped a shot. He very excitedly called out, "That's a GREAT picture!" So I gestured to him to let me see it. It was a picture of the dog and my feet!! (See Austin's blog for a picture of Abigail the dog).
Well, Brendin and Emily come home today, and I can hardly wait, although they will most likely be BEARS from exhaustion. Oh, well, I heard they had a great week at camp!!
Psalm 113:1,2
Have a wonderful day,
Ida
Friday, August 28, 2009
My Greatest Supporters
Well, the time has come for me to finally post what has been on my heart for the last few weeks. I don't know WHY I waited this long to write this, except that I don't think I was ready for the tears to flow. But now, everyone else is busy doing something else, and I have a few moments to myself. I can now think and write. Maybe. But how can I write all the things that are going on in my heart and mind about the people who have sacrificed so much for me to be able to do the things that I was most passionate about? How can I tell them EXACTLY how I feel, and how thankful I am for them?? My parents. My Mom has ALWAYS been there! When I was sick at school, and that was a lot!, she would take time off of work and come and get me. We did not have a lot of money growing up (I still don't:)). But our needs were met. My parents worked very hard to make sure we had what we needed. They taught me to work hard, and get a good education. They gave me my first car (it was their hand me down hatchback, but it was what I needed at the time. Apparently it was just perfect for my then lead foot!!), but they said, "You have to pay the insurance." So I went out and landed a minimum wage job. It paid the insurance. My dad took me out and taught me how to change a tire, check the oil, listen for new sounds, etc. that I STILL to this day look for when driving a vehicle. When I wanted to go to Mexico on a missions trip for a whole summer, she said, "Do it!!" When I wanted to go to Bible college 12 hours away, she said, "Yes, go ahead, God has great things in store for you!" When I wanted to get married, and MOVE all the way to CANADA from Texas, my mom helped me sort that out. As for my dad, he was not so willing to allow me to do all these things. So my mom and I had to give that over to the Lord, and ask Him to change his heart. It's not that he didn't WANT me to DO all those things. It's just that he felt that if I weren't close by, then something bad would happen... And he was VERY strict with me. For which I am extrememly thankful. When I was in jr. high, and friends with the WRONG crowd, they were going to places that would only get a person in trouble. I NEVER asked to go to those places, because I KNEW the answer I would get. As I parent my own children, I understand his reasoning. It is not that he did not trust ME. It was that he did not trust THE WORLD. I didn't understand it at the time, but now I do, and am so very thankful!
As thankful as I am now for how they were when I was growing up, I am so much more thankful for them NOW, and have been in the last couple of years. My mom has been talking about the Lord and praising the Lord with me for about the last 5 years. Since my dad accepted the Lord about a year ago, I get phone calls from him about how good God is! He calls just to see how things are going with us, and to say, "I just prayed for ya'll". He calls to ask a question about Scripture. He calls to say, "I was just thinking about yall". He calls to say, "Do you know what the LORD just did?!" I am so very proud of both my parents. They don't have much in this world, but they have the LORD Jesus, and each other. They witness to others, study the Word, love their church (Tabernacle Baptist Church, Lubbock, TX), and love their pastor and his family. That's all they really need! They are happy, and growing in the Lord. My mom and I have been spoiled. For about the last 4 years, we will talk most every Saturday for about 1-2 or more hours on the phone. We have talked so much that our cordless phone batteries are shot. But I absolutely cherish that time I have with her. And a lot gets done while I am on the phone, too. I feel closer to them now than I have EVER felt! And as difficult as the decision for Alan to make about going to Africa, it was the response that my parents gave that made it just a tiny bit easier. The never said, "Don't do it!" or "You could make more money here in North America", or any thing to discourage us. They only said, "If that is what the Lord wants you to do, you had better do it, and He will provide for your needs." I know it is not easy on them, but they have never voiced it. I know in their hearts, there may be some fear or anxiety about the whole thing, but they only want what is best for US. And that is to be in the centre of God's will. Not theirs. I emailed my mom a heads up about this posting, and here is a part of her response. I hope she is ok with my putting her words on the blog, profound as they were: "The Lord is the one that has given us the grace to be able to accept your and Alan's decision and to do it honorably. The Lord knew what He's been doing all these years, you have to stop and think why now? why not a year ago? why not 3 years ago?. When you look at it clearly, "It's all about HIM" and we do love the Lord." Her words. Thanks so much, you two! We love you so much, and thank you for your support!!!!
Psalm 113:1,2
Have a wonderful day,
Love, Ida
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Brendin and Baseball
I just wanted to stop and give thanks unto the Lord for our children. Although many times I see them as not trying very hard or "trying my patience with a vengence", they do something that makes my heart swell, and my eyes well up with tears. I will post more later about the other children, but because it is so close to church time, this has to be fast.
If you know any little thing about Brendin at all, you know that he is most passsionate about baseball. He eats it, sleeps it, breathes it. He LOVES it. While school is in session (we homeschool), he is the most perfect child during the week of the Blue Jays home opening. (Once I grounded him for the whole week of the opening, and he was not able to watch ANY games that week. Well, being a girl, I didn't realize just how important that week was for him, but he learned, and has minded his p's and q's since then). He has been playing in one league or another since he was about 6 years old. He is 12 now. When we first entered him into this league, we said, NO SUNDAY games. The coaches were all very good and understanding, as was Brendin. Because this was a tournament, we allowed Brendin to play, but ONLY between the hours that we were not to be in church. This last weekend, his team competed for the city championships. It was his team against the other for 1st place. If they won the first game, they were the champs. If they lost, they had to play that team again 30 min. later. They lost the first game, which ended at 3:10. The next game began at 3:50. The score was tied at 5-5 in the 7th inning. Brendin had pitched the first 3 innings and did a wonderful job and made a couple of awesome plays. At the top of the inning, he just happened to be first batter up. He got on base. It was 5:45. Church started at 6. I said to the coach that he could stay until he came off the diamond, whether because of an out, or a run. That was ok with Coach. He made it to 3rd base, but there was a third out, so it was then the end of the top. When he came off the diamond, he grabbed his things and said good-bye to everyone. Not one complaint. Not begging, "Can I just finish the inning?" Nothing but a happy heart as he changed his clothes and got ready for church. What a blessing that was to us. I am sure he was disappointed to not have been able to play out the rest of the game, but he never voiced them aloud or with a bad attitude. So, although his passion for baseball is great, I could tell his love for the Lord is greater. For that, we are very thankful. By the way, they lost and came in 2nd. Oh, yeah, we made it to church by 6:02. They hadn't even started, yet.:)
The first pic is of Brendin as he watches the Jays play. This pic is about a year old, but that is how he dressed everytime he watched them play. The second pic is of him playing hardball this year. It was his first year of hardball, but boy did he hold his own!!
Psalm 113:1,2
Well, I gotta go!
Take care, everyone, and have a wonderful evening!
Love,
Ida
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Free Time, What is THAT??!!
I know, I know, this is the 2nd blog today. But, guess what?! I only have some laundry, ironing, a small bit of painting, and a few dishes to do today!!! I can't believe it!! For the first time since I came home from Texas in April, I have hardly anything to do!! The house is spotless, two of the children are content and getting along, the other two children are at camp, and Alan is working at the church. The renovations are mostly done (enough for me to take part of the day off). I don't much know what to do with myself!! I think Austin, Beth, Abbie (the dog), and I will take a hike on the trails today. I love those trails and will miss them tremendously. But I am thankful that the Lord put us so close to have enjoyed those trails for the last two years. They are beautiful!
As much as I am thankful for this break that God has given to our family today, I am SO VERY THANKFUL for the strength that He has given us these last few months to be able to get everything accomplished that we thought were necessary. Please don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. I am in awe of HIS goodness. You see, several times these last few months, I would pray, "Lord, please give me strength or time for a rest. Whichever you want to give me, I am happy with. " The time for a nap NEVER came. But His strength was ALWAYS there! God is good, all the time!
Just as I was typing this blog, the thought came to my mind: How many times have I had to pray for strength about working so hard about the things of GOD? HMMM...Oh me. The Lord is faithful, even when I am not faithful.
Psalm 113:1, 2 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.
Have a wonderful day,
Ida
As much as I am thankful for this break that God has given to our family today, I am SO VERY THANKFUL for the strength that He has given us these last few months to be able to get everything accomplished that we thought were necessary. Please don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. I am in awe of HIS goodness. You see, several times these last few months, I would pray, "Lord, please give me strength or time for a rest. Whichever you want to give me, I am happy with. " The time for a nap NEVER came. But His strength was ALWAYS there! God is good, all the time!
Just as I was typing this blog, the thought came to my mind: How many times have I had to pray for strength about working so hard about the things of GOD? HMMM...Oh me. The Lord is faithful, even when I am not faithful.
Psalm 113:1, 2 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.
Have a wonderful day,
Ida
New Pastor of FBC
Hey, everyone! I can't believe it has been a week since my last post!! Even though I haven't posted, the Lord has still answered prayer in a GREAT way:
About 2 weeks ago on Sunday, August 9, Pastor Jason Eagles, and his lovely wife, Faith, along with their two beautiful boys, came to our church and candidated for the postion of pastor (well, Bro. Eagles actually did that part!). We thoroughly enjoyed the preaching and the fellowship, as well as the special music that was provided. The church voted on the following Sun. night and voted to hire him as their pastor. Three nights later, he ACCEPTED!! We are so very thankful. Right from the beginning, the Lord has laid Pastor Eagles and his family on Alan's heart to pray about asking him to candidate. Right from the start, the Lord opened the doors and aswered prayer on our behalf, as well as the Eagles' behalf. Right from the start, we ONLY wanted the Lord's will to be done! Please pray for the Eagles family, as they have been on staff at Bethel Baptist Church, Simcoe, and it will be difficult leaving their church that has loved them and that they in return have loved. Change is rarely easy, but we thank the Lord for the peace and grace that HE gives us as we try to live and make decisions according to HIS will. Please also pray that their house sells in God's time. We know that everthing will be taken care of, right down to the smallest detail.
Thanks, friends and loved ones, for all of your prayers, thoughts, and cards. We are so greatful to the Lord for putting you all (ya'll for those of you in the south) in our lives!
Psalm 113:1, 2 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.
Have a wonderful day!
Love, Ida
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
SURPRISE!!!
Yesterday was my birthday, and because it would be my last one here at FBC, the sweet ladies threw me a surprise party! (I expect to see you all at the altar on Wed. night for all the lying ya did!!) It was complete with the tastiest chinese food ever, the most delicious birthday cake, the sweetest fellowship, and generous gifts. Thank you so much, ladies! Your kindness and generosity does not go unappreciated. Thanks Karina, Loidy, and Mrs. Garcia for making the room look so nice, and Karina for working so hard to make things happen. Thanks, Pauline, I know you were the culprit for getting this whole thing started! Thanks, Denise and Sommer. You are so smart in the way you got me downstairs (remember, ALTAR!)! And everyone else involved, thank you for making my day so special! You all are forever in our hearts. Thanks for putting up with us for so long, and for allowing us to make our mistakes, and learn from them.
The kids were also so sweet! Bethany woke up and put her most prized possessions (purple pony, litte treasure chest with little rocks, and a sweet card that she made) in a bag and gave them to me! Was that not sweet?! I am pretty sure I saw her later in the day playing with MY purple pony. But that's ok. I can share! Austin went to camp for the week. He left on Monday, so he said that I would have a week of peace and quiet without him. I know it will be much more quiet around here without him, but I miss him terribly! Brendin and Emily did the sweetest thing. They were disappointed for me because they know that more than anything, I LOVE birthday cake, and I would not be having any. We were just tooooo busy working to get the house ready for a showing. There was just no time for cake. So after lunch, they said, "Mom, you have been working hard all day, and you need a break. And since you can't have your birthday cake, we want to get you the next best thing. A blizzard from Dairy Queen!" How sweet is that??!! "But you have no money, guys!" "We will have enough to get you a blizzard, and the three of us a dipped cone. We will divide the cost between the 2 of us!" Well, you don't have to ask me twice! So when we got there and got our order, we had ordered children's cones for them and a small blizzard for me (which I shared with them). When Em got her cone, it was so small, she said, "I paid $10 for THIS???!!!" We had a nice time! Thanks guys, that was really nice!!
Alan got me a nice outfit. He always does such a nice job of choosing nice clothes. Thank you, Honey, I love you VERY much!
It was such a lovely day, thanks everyone for making it so!! I thank the Lord for my wonderful family, and for putting such great people in my life.
Monday, August 17, 2009
More Answered Prayer
Hey, there, everyone! We had the opportunity to go to Henrietta, New York last Friday. The trip had a three-fold purpose. 1) We needed to open a U.S. bank account, so that when we are in the States, we will be able to cash cheques when needed. No problem. I just needed my passport and SS#. 2) We needed to get a cell phone # to put on our prayer cards so that we could get the cards sent off to be printed. That was accomplished, and the Lord answered our prayer in a great way. I will write more about that further down in the blog. 3) We wanted to take our annual trip there to see our good friend and missionary Jim Arnold. He is the field coordinator for West Africa with Independant Gospel Missions. When we first met him and two of his daughters, they were on furlough. Alan had just been hired on at FBC as full-time pastor. He allowed us to pick his brain, and he taught us how to treat a missionary. We asked so many questions about what we should expect from our missionaries, and what they expected from us. It was a great learning experience. His daughters at the time were still young (ages 8 and 10, I think), but boy, were they ever a great help to us. I had two little ones, and they just did a great job of helping to entertain them. I will never forget them for all that they taught us. So we have continued to stay great friends with him and we love his family dearly.
About the cell phones. We needed to get them from the States because their plans for coverage in North America are cheaper. So we stop at the Verizon store, and the nice lady answers all of Alan's questions. But she goes on to tell us, that our depost will probably be $400-$500. I forget the exact reason for the high deposit, other than the fact that we live in Canada, and really don't have much of a credit report in the States. So she goes on to try to sell a phone. Well, I think "Feere" is French for "free". We only wanted the free cell phones, which they do not do there in their little store. Alan said that we could get them online for free, so she encouraged us to do that. Then we go to Best Buy, where the young man there is very friendly and very knowledgable about his job. The only thing is that he had never heard of the kind of plan we wanted, so he did a lot of talking to head office. He was VERY patient! Then he goes to get us phones that we want, the FREE kind. He says to us, "Because you have to use your passport and SSN as a form of i.d., your deposit will most likely be around $500. I have never put in an application using a passport where the deposit was not a high one." I look at Alan, because I know that there is NO way we were going to pay that kind of deposit! So Alan says, "Can you just run the application and see how far we can go before a deposit shows up?" So the fella says, "Yeah, I can do that!" The Lord pushed it through! All the way, with NO deposti!! The young man was VERY surprised, but we knew Who was in control!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The Pattern
I was asked to make a couple of pair of culottes for someone very special (Jordan). I was very happy to be able to help out, and with my brilliant sidekick (Emily) beside me, I just knew we could get it done in just a couple of hours. You see, just last year we made close to 25 pair together. It felt like I could do it in my sleep! So, I look for my pattern, which I just knew I packed away in my bedroom closet, but for some strange reason, it disappeared. Well, I thought I would be able to get it done from memory (which, due to age is also quickly disappearing!). Who needs a pattern, right?! I cut out the material and started sewing away, all the while knowing in my gut that something just doesn't look right. I asked Em to try it on for me, but she couldn't even pull them up over her hips. Cancel that pair (it was a good thing that I had used some old material that was just laying around). I went to Fabricland and found a pattern that I thought I could fudge a little (it is so hard to find modest apparel nowadays, even in a pattern, but that is another blog for another day!). This morning, the pattern was cut out, and with it two very modest-looking pair of culottes were transformed!! Yay!! Emily did a lot of the sewing, and I did the hard parts. The spiritual part that came to mind was this:
Many times we think that we as Christians can do things our way to try to make our lives turn out right, and make the Lord happy with that. However, God has given us a pattern for our lives, and many times we think our way is better. We can find it in His Word, but we don't read His word, much less apply it to our lives. I am thankful that we don't have to go through life without His guidance and direction. What a great God we have!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Answered prayer
The reason I asked Alan to set up a blogspot was because I wanted something to help us to keep track of answered prayer, and at the same time, keep friends and loved ones in touch with what God is doing in our lives. Here are a few answers to prayer that the Lord has provided in just a few short weeks, since surrendering to the mission field:
a laptop and a camera
someone has made a donation towards our printing costs--Thank you!!
a donation was made from the V.B.S. children of Bible Baptist Church, Salt Lake City, Utah-- Thank you!!
The house is being renovated in preparation for a quick sale--Thank you Hermano Luis!! (and Mrs. Karina for giving up so much of your time with him to be able to help us) We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! (Thanks to the Lord for the strength He gives us daily)
Family photos completed for the prayer card--Thanks to Hermano Edgar for doing the photographing
a display board
A special thank to the Rutherford family for your sweet fellowship these past few weeks! It has been a nice distraction from the busyiness of all that is going on.
Ps 135:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.
Have a wonderful day in the Lord,
Ida
a laptop and a camera
someone has made a donation towards our printing costs--Thank you!!
a donation was made from the V.B.S. children of Bible Baptist Church, Salt Lake City, Utah-- Thank you!!
The house is being renovated in preparation for a quick sale--Thank you Hermano Luis!! (and Mrs. Karina for giving up so much of your time with him to be able to help us) We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! (Thanks to the Lord for the strength He gives us daily)
Family photos completed for the prayer card--Thanks to Hermano Edgar for doing the photographing
a display board
A special thank to the Rutherford family for your sweet fellowship these past few weeks! It has been a nice distraction from the busyiness of all that is going on.
Ps 135:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.
Have a wonderful day in the Lord,
Ida
Monday, August 10, 2009
Called to Africa!!
As Alan said previously, we are looking for a new pastor for Faith Baptist Church of Hamilton, ON. The reason for that is because the Lord has called him to be a missionary to Togo, West Africa. We have been at Faith since we were first married. That's 15 years!! We praise the Lord for giving us this wonderful congregation with whom to serve and grow. We feel like we grew up here! All four of our children were born here, and were in church since the first Sunday they were born. The church is growing and exciting things are happening! But God chose for us to leave. I am thankful that there were no problems that are pulling us away. I am so thankful for a group of people who want to serve the Saviour, and who takes care of their pastor. Although they are sad to be losing him as their pastor, they have been most encouraging and are excited to see what God is doing in this next chapter of our lives. We love you Faith, and we will miss you terribly! Thank you so much for allowing God to use you in such a great way in our lives, and for loving us so much! May the Lord richly bless you as you endeavor to serve our Lord, and look for a pastor to lead you.
We will miss Canada so much. The Lord is so good to give us this great land. We love it here!! However, God has placed another love in our hearts as well. You see, Alan went on a missions trip to West Africa 2 1/2 yrs. ago. He absolutely loved it, but at that time, he did not intend on ever leaving Canada. Fast forward to Spring of 2009. I did not know that the Lord had been "talking" to him about Africa. What I knew was that for some reason, there was such a longing for it. It seemed that that was all he could talk about. But he still never said anything to me about going, or even asked my opinion, or anything. When he first prayed about it, he basically said to the Lord, "If this is what you truly want, you will have to put a neon sign in front of me that says, Africa, this way! And would you put it in Ida's heart to where she will bring it up first." Well, in April, I had the privilege to fly to Lubbock, TX to see my parents get baptized (that will be another blog). (I am so happy for them and VERY proud of them. They are really growing in the Lord by leaps and bounds!!!) Anyway, while I was there, I had never planned on mentioning anything to them, but for some reason, I just started talking about Africa. I told them that I felt I had to prepare them about something. I said, "I don't really think it will be anytime in the near future, but for some reason, Alan seems to be longing to go to Africa. It seems he can't focus, and it doesn't matter what the situation at church is, he just seems to be talking more and more about it. He's not talking about going, he is just talking about IT." I said, "If he says that God is calling him to go, I will NOT discourage it, and the children and I will happily go and serve with him." I was told, "You know that Africa is a very dangerous place, but if that is where God wants you, then that is where you need to be! And He will take care of you and your needs." Just like that. This from a man that had at that time only been save for about 6 months!! My heart overflowed with joy at that satement!! I called Alan because I was soooo excited about what had just happened. He said, "Wow, George has really grown!!!" It wasn't until I got home that he realized that his prayer had been answered. When I recounted to him excatly what happened, he turned white, but he still did not say anything to me. It was a couple of weeks later, after many sleepless nights for him, that he started seeking counsel from other pastor friends. God still would not give him peace in his heart until he came right out and said, "I will go!!!" He has slept like a baby ever since!!! There is so much more that happened to get him to that point. He argued with the Lord many times, and thankfully, the Lord won.
We will miss Canada so much. The Lord is so good to give us this great land. We love it here!! However, God has placed another love in our hearts as well. You see, Alan went on a missions trip to West Africa 2 1/2 yrs. ago. He absolutely loved it, but at that time, he did not intend on ever leaving Canada. Fast forward to Spring of 2009. I did not know that the Lord had been "talking" to him about Africa. What I knew was that for some reason, there was such a longing for it. It seemed that that was all he could talk about. But he still never said anything to me about going, or even asked my opinion, or anything. When he first prayed about it, he basically said to the Lord, "If this is what you truly want, you will have to put a neon sign in front of me that says, Africa, this way! And would you put it in Ida's heart to where she will bring it up first." Well, in April, I had the privilege to fly to Lubbock, TX to see my parents get baptized (that will be another blog). (I am so happy for them and VERY proud of them. They are really growing in the Lord by leaps and bounds!!!) Anyway, while I was there, I had never planned on mentioning anything to them, but for some reason, I just started talking about Africa. I told them that I felt I had to prepare them about something. I said, "I don't really think it will be anytime in the near future, but for some reason, Alan seems to be longing to go to Africa. It seems he can't focus, and it doesn't matter what the situation at church is, he just seems to be talking more and more about it. He's not talking about going, he is just talking about IT." I said, "If he says that God is calling him to go, I will NOT discourage it, and the children and I will happily go and serve with him." I was told, "You know that Africa is a very dangerous place, but if that is where God wants you, then that is where you need to be! And He will take care of you and your needs." Just like that. This from a man that had at that time only been save for about 6 months!! My heart overflowed with joy at that satement!! I called Alan because I was soooo excited about what had just happened. He said, "Wow, George has really grown!!!" It wasn't until I got home that he realized that his prayer had been answered. When I recounted to him excatly what happened, he turned white, but he still did not say anything to me. It was a couple of weeks later, after many sleepless nights for him, that he started seeking counsel from other pastor friends. God still would not give him peace in his heart until he came right out and said, "I will go!!!" He has slept like a baby ever since!!! There is so much more that happened to get him to that point. He argued with the Lord many times, and thankfully, the Lord won.
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