Hello, everyone, I am back! You may remember a previous post I wrote back in January sometime about a baseball player for the Blue Jays. Well, this year, we wanted to try to surprise Brendin for his 13th birthday. We contacted the assistant pastor, Bro. Bradley Edmondson, from Calvary Baptist Church in Ohio. His wife is good friends with MacDonald's wife. Sometimes MacDonald gives passes to meet with people after the game. But things didn't work out. Seeing as how we promised to take Brendin to a game for his birthday, Tuedsay was the only day we could go this week. I wasn't planning on going as there was sooooo much to do, but Brendin really wanted me to go because he knows how much I enjoy going to games. So I decided to go, and am I ever glad I did!! We were early (of course), and were watching the Red Sox practice. The Jays had already practiced. Anyway, besides the Red Sox team, the only Blue Jays player on the field was: you guessed it, JOHN MACDONALD!! So Alan called over to him and told him that we knew Bradley Edmondson. So he came over and talked to us!! That was pretty exciting! You can see a picture of him and Brendin on Brendin's blog. Doesn't he have a beautiful smile?????!!! Besides his smile, he is a phenomenal player!! I just LOVE watching him play. I do have to keep telling myself, He is just a man!!

Back to real life. We are on our way to the East Coast. Right now, we are in Riviere-Du-Loup, Quebec. It is beautiful here! We left at 5 a.m. today, and we should get to our destination in Bear River, Nova Scotia, tomorrow night. We took some time this afternoon and toured the old Quebec City. That was interesting, but I was surely glad to get to the motel tonight!

Well, I have to get the young 'uns to bed for an early morning!

Psalm 113:1,2

Have a wonderful night,

Love,

Ida

Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for praying for us. I don't mean to be redundant, but you just don't know how much our family appreciates your praying for us. The LORD is good!!

Well, last weekend, we had the privilege of being at KBC's missions conference, and what a wonderful time we had! Alan was the main speaker, and he says that he has always feels great liberty to preach the Word there. The altar was used at every service. Praise the LORD! KBC was very generous by putting us up in a beautiful motel. It was perfect! We kind of feel like home there. They are planting a church in Stratford this week. Would you please pray for Pastor Robinson and his family? We were blessed to have met them, and we know that the Lord will use them in a wonderful way. It was such a blessing to see someone come to Canada and start a new work. KBC has great musical talent, and it was a blessing to be able to hear some of that talent.

I was especially impressed with a particular young lady. I won't mention her name because I don't want to embarrass her, but I really believe that the LORD will use her in a tremendous way. She has such a servant's heart, and I know that she is an encouragement to her pastor and youth pastor.

We had some terrific fellowship with Pastor and Mrs. Clayton. We always enjoy getting together with them. It was great getting to know the Burns and the Danyluck families a little better. It was really a wonderful week, and it seemed to come to an end rather quickly:(

There were 2 other missionary families that I was so thrilled to have met: Bro. and Mrs. Paul Szbatin and their son, missionaries to the Native people in Alberta, and Bro. and Mrs. Bartley and their family, missionaries to St. Lucia (the Carribbean). The 2 ladies are sisters. Anyway, I find it a great blessing to meet other families going to the mission field.

Well, thanks for reading!

Psalm 113:1,2

Have a wonderful night,

Love,

Ida

Hello, friends and loved ones! Thank you so much for praying! Much has happened around here, and because I am so long-winded, I will divide the blogs up according to events. For now, I am asking prayer for our Bethany. Since Friday a week ago, she has been suffering from lower right abdominal pain off and on. There are NO other symptoms. Well, because she tends to be a bit of a drama queen, I have not taken her in to see anyone...until last night, when I took her in to the ER. She doesn't ever seem to be in pain when she is doing something fun, and they checked her urine at the ER, which was negative for infection. The dr. said that most children who come in with abdominal pain will have it for a little while, and then it goes away, without knowing the cause. Apparently this is fairly common. So I will keep praying and watching, and I ask you to pray as well. I appreciate it!! We are due to leave for Nova Scotia on Friday, and we will be away for the next 3 Sundays. Soooo...hopefully he is right. Thanks for praying!

Psalm 113:1,2

Have a wonderful day,

Love,

Ida

Hello, Friends and loved ones, thanks for stopping by our little corner of the web. Again, we REALLY appreciate your prayers and are thankful for your friendship.

This past Friday was the beginning of the conference here at the church that we have belonged to for the last 15 years. Except for a few illnesses, the conference was great. Let me start off by saying that on Thursday, Alan woke up and whispered to me, "I am losing my voice; I can hardly talk!" Jokingly, I said, "OOOHH, it's going to be a great day!!!" Then he reminded me: "I have to preach this weekend." And reality set in. (There's no way he can preach like this!) Since Thursday, he has had a serious sore throat. He drank tea, took Motrin continuously, etc. But still, his throat became more and more painful. On Saturday evening, Mrs. Eagles became very ill, and just couldn't keep anything down. Then on Sunday morning, Austin came down with it. About an hour later, Emily decided to join them all. There was another family in the church whose 2 children also had the same thing on Sunday. Thankfully, for Em and Austin, so far, it looks like it has taken its course, and they are on the mend. We keep praying for Alan, Mrs. Eagles, and the other 2 children. I was able to get Alan in to see a dr. today. I thought he maybe had strep throat. This clinic is neat because it is an after hours clinic where 15-20 doctors including our family dr. participate in taking turns covering each other after regular office hours and on the weekend. So, it is possible to see our own dr. at some point. So I called the clinic at 5:45, and she said tell him to come right in. So he was in and out within 10 minutes. Apparently there is a really nasty virus going around that includes either a cough, fever, and sore throat, or that same virus will affect people with nausea and vomiting. This dr. said that Alan's virus somehow "stuck" in his throat and caused his tonsils and the back of his tongue to swell. (I am sure preaching 4 messages did nothing to help his condition) So as far as the soreness of the throat went, that couldn't be helped, but he did prescribe him a one-dose steroid that would bring the swelling down. Alan took it at the drugstore per the pharmacist and waited around for about 15 minutes to see if there would be any reaction. Since there wasn't any, he left. After about 30 minutes, he really noticed a difference. On Friday and Saturday, Bethany was complaining of her right side hurting. After checking with Alan, he confirmed that it was in the exact area where her appendix is. (His appendix burst when he was 10, so I figure he knows what he is talking about). However, other than some pain in that area when she coughs or laughs, she has no more symptoms. So I am keeping a really close eye on her. Brendin has a sinus infection (I think) and is feeling miserable, and I am fighting a cold (I hope it is just a cold!). Do you think that maybe Satan didn't want this conference to happen??

I say all that to say this: Despite everything that went on behind the scenes, the LORD is good! The conference went well, and while attendance was down on Friday night, it picked up on Saturday and Sunday. The LORD touched lives and worked on hearts. The altar was used at every service, and at one service, it was FULL!! Besides us, the Nick and Susan Ruby family (missionaries to El Salvador) was there. We have enjoyed being in 3 conferences with them. They have always been a blessing to us, and we appreciate their ministry. The conference started off with a late lunch with the Eagles, Rubys, Jimenez (assistant pastor) family, and us. It was delicious! They grilled chicken breast, had salad, and rice. For dessert, there was mixed berries with whipped cream. Then on Saturday night, after the service, we celebrated Brendin's birthday with the teens and the Rubys. On Sunday, we were supposed to have lunch with the Eagles family, but because most everyone was feeling rotten, Pastor Eagles ordered Wendy's for everyone, and we went our separate ways. At 2:00, there is a Spanish service that takes place at the church, and there were 38 people present!! What a blessing! We were so thrilled for Pastor Garcia and his family!

Please pray for Kitchener Baptist Church's Missions Conference beginning this Thursday. We are really excited to be in their conference. We know Pastor Clayton and his family personally and they have a GREAT heart for missions. Prayerfully, everyone will be better; but if not, we have already learned that the LORD will have HIS way!!

Have a wonderful day,

Psalm 113:1,2

Love,

Ida

Hello, friends, we pray that all is well with you, and if there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you so much for your prayers...they are definitely appreciated!

Well, as the title of this post states, it is official. We are now the parents of a...TEENAGER!!!

I can hardly believe it! So your prayers are definitely needed:) Actually, the first day of teen hood has been pretty good. He did something on his own that I normally have to ask him to do. What a blessing that was! I was told last week as a word of encouragement that during the first two years, teenagers' brains are pretty much broken. I am hoping she was teasing!! But we will soon find out! We are so thankful for all of our children. They are each an asset to this family, and my prayer is that they would honour and serve the Lord in whatever capacity that He would have for them.

Happy 13th Birthday, Brendin! We love you very much!!

Have a wonderful day,

Psalm 113:1,2

Love,

Ida

Hello, everyone! What a blessing it is to serve the Lord! Thanks so much for praying for our family! I am going to try to make this short...we'll see how that goes:)

Let me start off by telling you that at each service, one representative from every missionary family had to go before the church with a reasonable need that could be taken care of by any one in the church. That was hard! Because the Lord has blessed, and we had such a hard time coming up with needs that we still had. So, here were the needs that we requested and were met: 1)The spark plugs in the van were changed. 2)Someone tried to meet the need of Austin's dress clothes. One family brought in a suit jacket and a suit that they were saving for THEIR son. This thought really blessed us, however, they were a bit small on him. But he did get a pair of blue pants and a pair of shoes. 3)Alan mentioned that with Bethany's dry eyes, we were constantly buying fake tears and Polysporin Antibiotics for her eyes. Several people brought in both, and one person even donated some money towards buying some. I was just in awe!! Just before the evening service started, I showed Bethany all those blessings that people brought in for her, and her response was: "Boy, am I SPOILED!!" It was funny because I told her that someone even talked with the pharmacist, and taking the pharmacist's advice, bought the best kind, just for her! Well, later that night, while we were at the Pennell's house for supper, she was obviously having trouble with her eyes, so I put some drops in them for her. Well, I used the already opened bottle that I had in my purse, as there was still some in it. Thinking that I was using the new stuff, she said, "Wow, that IS the best kind! It didn't even make me dizzy like that other kind!" Hmmm...I didn't tell her that it actually was the OLD stuff:) 4) For the last service, Alan just told the people how that our children LOVE to read books, and that we would be travelling for long periods of time, and books would be helpful. Well, we didn't receive any that night, but the next morning when we picked up the display board, I think they gave us half of the school library!! I may be exaggerating some here, but there were certainly MANY books! Thanks so much for being such a blessing to our family!

So Mrs. Pennell also provided lunch for us. I tell you, she was a busy lady!! That night, after the service, the church voted to take on all the missionary families present. That included Nick and Susan Ruby to El Salvador, Bro. and Mrs. Townsley, planting a church in Terryville, Connecticut, and our family. It was also during this evening service that Pastor Pennell called each missionary husband up, along with his wife. Do you remember my stating earlier that Alan had to "see" the room before we checked in? Well, in that envelope with all the instructions were also instructions for the husbands to have something written for their wives about how much they appreciate, love and are thankful for her. I guess Alan and Bro. Nick got together Sunday afternoon after telling us that they were just going out for "coffee". So, as a surprise to each wife, the husband read to her what he wrote, and then she was presented with a rose and a gift card for Home Sense. It was REALLY sweet! This must have been extremely hard on Alan because he is such a private person. But I loved and appreciated his kind words. I know that he loves me. Very much. He tells me every day. Several times a day. Most of the time, just out of the blue. For no special reason at all. He is wonderfully sweet that way. I am privileged and honoured to serve the Lord alongside him...no matter what continent the Lord takes us to!

Have a wonderful day!

Psalm 113:1,2

Love,

Ida

Hello, friends and loved ones, thanks so much for those of you who prayed with me about taking this citizenship test! I will know the results in about 6-8 weeks. I think I did o.k., but I will just have to wait and see:( I did a LOT of praying! I mean, A L O T! It truly was a neat experience, but I would be really happy not ever having to do that again! There were 20 questions on the whole test. Of those questions, there were a set of 2 questions that HAD to be answered correctly, or the test would be failed. Then there was a set of 3 questions, one of which HAD to be answered correctly, or the test would be failed. We were told that we would be notified in about 6-8 weeks, and if we passed, they would inform us about the date for taking the oath. So I am praying that: 1) I actually DID pass 2) that the date for taking the oath would fall during the one week in June when we would be in town. It would be nice for the whole family to be there. If it were to fall anytime before or after this week, I would have to fly back from wherever we were. So, it is out of my control and definitely in the Lord's, so I will let HIM to whatever HE wishes. And not worry. Not one bit.

Please pray for Faith Baptist Church here in Hamilton, as well as New Testament Baptist Church, as both churches are holding their missions conference this weekend. We will be at Faith Baptist this weekend. Please pray for Alan, he is the special speaker for this one, and he has a sore throat.

Have a wonderful day!

Psalm 113:1,2

Love,

Ida

Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow!!! Thank you so much for praying and keeping tabs on us! You just don't know what that means to us, but thank you!!

Just a warning: This is a really long post. Really long.

Well, let me start off by saying that the preaching was FANTASTIC!!! Every message spoke to my heart, and the Lord used Pastor Sullivant in a great way! I had never met neither Pastor Sullivant nor his lovely wife, Brenda. But can I say, what a godly couple!! He is pastor of their church, Pembina Valley Baptist Church, in Winkler, Manitoba, as well as president of their college. They are down to earth, but their love for the Lord as well as their commitment to His service is very obvious!

I had met Pastor Pennell maybe once or twice before, but never his wife. Another godly couple!! They have laboured in the church that they started back in the 70's, and they are doing a fantastic job there in Barrie. Not only do they have a ministry there, but they have also sent out many people from their church to be missionaries, pastors, etc. They have a REAL love for missions. The whole week I kept telling people that I felt very spoiled. Then I got to thinking that the word "spoiled" just doesn't sound good. I think that term is the redneck coming out in me:). Now I realize what I mean by being spoiled: BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!!!! That's what I felt like the whole week!!!

Wednesday: We got to the church and set up our display, then drove over to the motel where Alan checked us in. He had to go and check out the room (this is somewhat significant, and I will tell you more about that later). There he found a beautiful fruit basket, a book by Terri Chappell, and an envelope with instructions as to what was planned for the week, as well as a love offering and something to help us with our meals. You would think that that was enough, right?! Not according to Heritage!! The room was phenomenal! Not only did everyone have a place to sleep, but there was a place for 4 suitcases, a backpack, and ALL of our shoes (that is a big order!). And then, there was a ton of space for walking around! It was wonderful! After unloading, we went to supper and then on to church. Mrs. Pennell and her daughter-in-law Janell worked very hard, and we went to the Pennell's home for refreshments afterwards.

Thursday: Alan and Austin had the privilege of going to the school and speaking to the high schoolers. Then came back and picked us up and we went back to the church for lunch and then once school resumed, we were able to speak to another class of students about Togo. That was fun! I was impressed by their questions. When that was done, because it was miserable outside, we just decided to go back to the hotel and take it easy, ordered pizza for supper, and watched the Jays play. John MacDonald played, YAY! We went to church, and then after service, we went to the Pennell's house for refreshments.

Friday: We slep in that day, and took our time getting ready. We kind of had a late breakfast down in the lobby, and we were able to have a fantastic visit with the Ruby family who were also in the conference. Each missionary family took their turn going out for supper with the Pennells and the Sullivants, and this was our night. We had a terrific time of fellowship with them! After the service, was teen night, so we joined the teens downstairs, where we would just have some time getting to know them. We have a wonderful time, and had the opportunity to share with some of them about Togo, and we got to know them by asking them questions. Pizza was served...it was a good thing I had a Caesar salad for supper:)

Saturday: The men had the opportunity to go to the Classic car show in Toronto, and then on their way back, they stopped in at the Bass Pro Shop. They left at 9:30 and got back around 3:30. As for the ladies, we were REALLY blessed! At every service during the conference, an offering was taken. This offering was used to divide between the missionary wives and Mrs. Sullivant. Mrs. Pennell first drove us to the house where the girls would be lovingly taken care of and have a great time while the moms were gone. Then she took us to lunch which was really good! Then she drove us to the mall, where we each went our own way, and then we would meet back at a certain time. Now, those of you who really know me, you know that I am just NOT a shopper, unless: it is Value Village, it is for the children, or it is for a gift for someone else. But this time, I had a B.L.A.S.T.! Janelle and I went together, and I have to say, I think I many have met my twin. We like the same style of clothes and shoes. The fellowship was sweet, and she really knows what she is doing!! There were some really great sales, and I was able to pick up a couple of things for the children. I looked for something for Alan, and I really wanted to get him a tie, but we don't see eye to eye on tie fashion (he has a MUCH better eye for it than I do), so I didn't get him anything, sorry, honey:(. For supper, we were invited to some one's house, where we had some great fellowship and some pizza with their family, which includes a REALLY LARGE dog! When we got home, I was able to use the hotel laundry facilities, but there was only one set. I think it took around 3 hours to get it done. So, I crawled into bed at midnight, happily knowing that the family would be nice and clean for Sunday!!

Since this post is so long, and there is still more, I think I will cut it off for now and use a different post tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day,

Psalm 113:1,2

Love,

Ida

Hello there, Friends, thank you so much for checking in on us. Your prayers are certainly being answered, and we praise the Lord for that!

Yesterday (Monday) and today we were supposed to be at FaithWay Baptist Church's Spring Bible Conference, but unfortunately, we were not able to go. You will not believe how disappointed I am in that. The speakers are: Pastor Sam Davidson from Oklahoma, Pastor R. B. Ouellette (sorry if I misspelled that name:) from Michigan, and Pastor Doug McClain from Hamilton, ON. I don't think I have EVER heard Pastor McClain preach except at a High School graduation, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE hearing the other two preach. And I would really like to hear Pastor McClain. So, can you see my disappointment? However, I am thankful for Livestreaming!! I couldn't catch this morning's messages, but I did this afternoon's, and hopefully tonight's. Isn't God so good??!! I really enjoyed that message from Dr. Davidson.

Well, I am going to sign off of this post and write about the rest of the mission's conference while it is still fresh on my mind.

Have a wonderful day,

Psalm 113:1,2

Love,

Ida

Hello, Everyone! Thank you so much for praying for us!

Right now, we are in a missions conference at Heritage Baptist Church in Barrie, ON. WOW!! I have never felt soooo spoiled! The put us up in a motel for the whole time, complete with a delicious fruit basket, and a couple of other gifts. It is one of the most spacious rooms I have ever seen! The people here at Heritage are so good to us! Pastor Sullivant from Pembina Valley Baptist Church in Winkler, Manitoba is the special speaker. It is nice to be able to meet him and his wife. Alan and Austin went to the church's school this morning, and spoke about Togo to the Sr. High schoolers. He said that they asked some really good questions, and then he came back and got the rest of us. We then went back to the church, where we had a delicious KFC lunch, and then Alan was able to talk to the Jr. Highers. What a fantastic group!! I don't know if they realized that the more questions they asked meant less school or what, but they asked MANY good questions. It was really good to see their interest in Togo!

Right now, we are in the very spacious hotel room, just relaxing. I DID try to teach Bethany today in the room, but someone turned on the television, and well, things didn't work out the way I wanted:( But, there is always tomorrow...maybe:)

Well, I should go study on how to be a good Canadian, so I better sign off!

Have a wonderful day,

Psalm 113:1,2

Love,

Ida

Hello, friends and loved ones. Thank you so much for praying for and thinking about us. This past weekend we were in a missions conference at Beacon Baptist Church with Pastor and Mrs. Harris and their good people there in Welland. We were so blessed! First of all, we are very close to this family, and we greatly appreciate any fellowship we can with them. We have only really gotten to know them in the last 2 or 3 years, but it feels like we have been friends all of our lives! The main speaker was Bro. Heidenreich (the name is probably misspelled, sorry). He brought a fellow missionary, Bro. Marco. They are both world missionaries, meaning that they travel all over the world to help in any way that they can. I think these two men became Brendin's new best friends! He really enjoyed their fellowship (they both were very funny). I am so glad that he enjoys being around God's people. Of course, Austin never meets a stranger, so along with the Harris boys, he met other people that he enjoyed being with. One of Bethany's best friend is Victoria, so she was glad to see her. Next to piano, Emily's passion is babies, so she was on cloud nine being able to do anything to help with Lily:)

It was great getting to know the people better, and we met several new folks (this church is a GROWING concern!) The Lord is really blessing their faithfulness! This is a hard-working, hard-praying church, and I can hardly wait to see the Lord just open up the windows of Heaven and let loose!!

We thank the Lord for allowing to be in these services; we were truly blessed!

Have a wonderful day!

Psalm 113:1,2

Love,

Ida