"Just keep swimming....."

Hello, all! This is the latest picture of Miranda, the baby whose birth I had the opportunity to attend. She's looking less and less like an alien everyday! Tee hee! God has been faithful and this little one is growing and thriving...delighting her parents with every poopie diaper, yawn, cry and feed.

As in the words of 'Dori' from Finding Nemo, we "just keep swimming".....

Both Tim and I are struggling with a lack of patience and grace for our job...like "short-timer's syndrome". We are finding each work day more and more difficult as we finish up our 4th year here at the group home. Our effectiveness has worn off and we are feeling tired, worn, and sitting through social worker/parent meetings don't help matters. We are fed up with the way the Ministry of Children and Family Development servicesare run here and are frustrated with the lack of wise parenting that is destroying the lives of the kids in our care. There's nothing left we can do.....

After two days of meetings and 5 days of work this week, we're pretty fried and just want to go to our new home in the Philippines....get a new perspective....a change of pace...do something that makes a difference in others' lives in the name of Jesus...

It's amazing how the vision and plan to start serving the poor in the Philippines keeps us swimming. The Lord reminds us of the journey we're in for through some of the blogs the students of Newlife have kept and just when we feel like we're drowning, He feeds us with anticipation and joy for what is to come.

The Lord also reminds me that though we are excited to help the physically and materialistically poor in the Philippines, for now He has called us to minister to the emotionally poor...the poor parents...the poorly behaved kids. I don't feel like we're doing any good with that right now. I am humbled. He is our strength. I often feel as though I have nothing worthy or empowering to give....and then I remember that's okay, because God does! I am so glad that nothing is impossible for Him and that He doesn't NEED ME to accomplish His purposes. But I am His vessel.

Be blessed.

"HEY! Turn up the heat, eh?!"

Good winter day to you all! Sooooo, it's SUPPOSED to be late February here...the flowers poke their heads up out of the dirt, the sun starts to peak through the clouds and the showers greet our morning coffee....right?

WRONG! It snowed again last night....and our furnace broke.

With our three girls huddled together in front of the fire, we had a weekend of SUGAR! Somehow copious amounts of hot chocolate can make even the furnace breaking a fantastic event!

So this morning, after a night of the chilling 13 degrees (C that is) INSIDE the house, we decided to skip breakfast at the table, drink some more hot chocolate and watch a movie in front of the fireplace. Good times. The furnace guy was supposed to be here at some point today, but for now, I will "chatter" my way through this post. :)

Speaking of 'heat'....I gotta tell you what my 'hottie' did for me for Valentine's Day! The pic above is what I made him....and a card....yeah, I'm lame, but my love likes cookies and chocolate...he's really easy going and hates Valentine's Day unless he is doing something creative for me. It's true! He loves being all sneaky and silly....I'll show you what I mean........

Valentine's Day was a busy day...we had meetings and such. But early in the afternoon, my Tim gave me a bouquet of beautiful tulips and inside was a note:
"I married a woman who's simply the best
She's a hundred times better than all of the rest.
She's kind and she's gentle, and she sure does look hot.
Oh, how I love her, I love her a lot.

But if she wants a present, then let me be blunt,
She'll have to search, yes, she'll have to hunt.
Might I suggest that she looks downstairs
I thought I saw something hiding down there." (next to this was a picture of one of the beds downstairs)

In side the bed was this:
"You couldn't have thought that you'd find it already,
Perhaps you should look near this fat yellow teddy." (next to this was a picture of Pooh Bear)

Inside Pooh Bear was this:
"The bear didn't have what you're looking for?
You'd better go search near the downstairs backdoor!" (next to this was a picture of the door)

In my shoe near the backdoor was this:
"If you put on your shoes and go out of the house,
The gift may be hiding in the garage with a mouse!" (next to this was a picture of our luggage stored in the garage)

In the luggage was this:
"Tonight at the Center, the show starts at eight.
It's a Nat King Cole Tribute, won't that be great?
But if we're going to go, we need to get dressed.
Can you go to the closet and pick out my best?" (yeah, a picture of the closet in our room and tickets to the show! I LOVE Nat King Cole!)

In the closet was this:
"I know what you're thinking, and there's no need to pout,
You'll need a scent that will please both our snouts.
Just look under the bed, and there you will find,
The perfume you wear that blows my mind! Be my Valentine!" (under the bed was my perfume that I ran out of months ago!)

More than the gifts was the presentation. Tim is such a blessing to me....he always puts his heart into serving me and it humbles me. I am in love. Thank you, Jesus for you perfect hubby for me. Be blessed.

Tired, but deeply grateful....

Thank you all for commenting last post and sharing your heart with me. I was truly blessed by your encouragement. I am so humbled by God's faithful provision of friends and new acquaintances along this crazy journey!

The wee baby pictured above is Miranda Elizabeth, the baby from the birth I got to attend last Friday and Saturday. Both mom and baby are recovering from the traumatic experience and it looks like God is doing miracles! We've been praying oodles for this little one and she is a blessing and a gift. Thank you for all your prayers as they are clearly effective!

The other two pictures are of our new friends, the Germain family and of Jenn Germain, me and Naomi...the soon-to-be-midwives! All 7 kids and two adults came to our church Sunday morning and then over to our house for some pizza and fun. It was so great to hear their heart and how God has led them to Newlife School and to the Philippines. God has provided for their every need and they are excited to take their family on this exciting and life-long journey into their destiny. What a powerful family of God! Jennifer and her hubby, Joe, were so real and honest about their experiences and how God has prepared them for the many adventures they have flown into. Both Naomi and I were blessed to have one more connection to the calling God has placed on our lives. It was another confirmation of God's great ability to collect His own and bring them to a place of serving together and serving one another. He is so good at connecting us! I loved it. God is good.

Though the days have been tiresome, we are seeing an acceleration of God's plans. We got word from Impact Nation's team in India today, too! They are seeing an out pour of God's power through healings and salvations! Muslims coming to know the true love of Jesus Christ....the lame walking and deaf ears opened! God is connecting His children and uniting them all over the world because in the family of God, there is neither Jew nor Gentile....we are all the same....serving in the same mission....fighting the same battles....entering into the same destiny....bound for the same homeland....Heaven! I am looking forward to meeting my extended family in the Philippines! AND I am looking forward to inviting more into that family!

Galatians 3: 27-29 says, "for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

What a joy! Be blessed today and know that I am thankful to be in your family!

Counting the Costs, enduring the storm...

Greetings, friends! It has been a quiet couple of days on my blog...sorry about that. Please continue to comment, though, as it is truly a great encouragement to me.

The last few days have been very tiring, trying, and tumultuous. That's partially why I posted this picture Tim took of one of the beautiful tulips in a bouquet he bought me for Valentine's Day....it reminds me that even through the ugly darkness of trial and crisis, God provides beauty to refocus our thoughts and bring us hope......I'll post more later on how amazing my Tim is and what a wondering day he gave me....but here are the memoirs of the most recent experiences....

Our dear friends who are coming with us to the Philippines have been going through a tough time with all the preparations and with their growing family. It has been very difficult on them and weighs heavily on my heart. God is moving, but our thoughts are not HIS thoughts and our ways are not HIS ways....He knows the bigger picture and sees beyond the strenuous days we have been enduring....please pray for them.

My parents are going through some very difficult growing pains, too. The kind that stretch to the point of exhaustion and cause deep pain. My heart aches for them. Please pray for them, too.

Just got word today that Tim's mom and dad, who are in India, are going through some warfare, too as his dad got bit by spiders all over his face and he is so swollen he can hardly see. As he preaches and ministers from one village to the next amidst the pain, our hearts are heavy in prayer. His swelling is subsiding, praise GOD! Please pray for them.

Then there's the birth I got to be at this weekend. My very first one...I got to be the doula. Filled with anticipation and joy, pregnant mom and dad entered the hospital early yesterday morning and labored all day and night. She was so strong and was gracious with everyone around her.....even at her most tired and most painful moment at 1:30 am, she thanked the doctor and nurses around her and smiled a weary smile. I was humbled. Through much difficulty, she delivered a healthy baby girl around 3 am by C-section and was too exhausted to share in the joy of bringing her first child into the world. After a 22-hour day, I too, was completely wasted....I can't imagine her exhaustion. Please pray for her and her family.

My heart is heavy, my body is weak and yet God is making His presence known. Thursday, Tim and I received two beautiful letters in the mail from dear friends that had decided to support us prayerfully and financially in our journey overseas. We also have the awesome opportunity to visit with new friends we met online who are going to be attending Newlife school in September, too! They are coming tomorrow with their 7 children to feast on pizza and fellowship with our dear friends and their two kids and our three boys! A very FULL house tomorrow, but a joyful one, I am sure.

It seems as though every direction we turn, there is great pain and opportunity. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and powers of this present darkness (Ephesians 6:12). I believe that we are warring in our flesh (ie. the physical difficulties we are going through) but also in our spirits (ie. emotions and warfare against depression and discouragement). I know you know what I mean. Tim and I are not alone in our feelings or struggles....we KNOW THAT.

Though pain seems to be infiltrating every fiber of our life and the lives of the people closest to us in some way or another right now, we know God is doing something bigger than our minds can comprehend and we know that whatever happens, He is ALWAYS good and His love endures forever. So this evening, I meditate on Psalm 118. Read it. It's good. "His love endures forever."

Big boat, little boat.....

I really like this picture....

Update on my doula job:
Still waiting on baby.....she's now very overdue and her mommy is really wanting to see her little girl OUTSIDE of her belly. We're still praying....maybe this evening?

One good thing about the little one being late is that I have been reading my textbooks to keep up with what is happening in my friends' body! In the last couple of days, her body has gone through some MAJOR adjustments and it is so humbling to see! God created our bodies so perfectly to bring forth new life on so many levels. Wow.

This weekend, we were sent an e-mail from a contact in the Philippines who is selling his car for $2500 (US) and was wanting to know if we wanted it. As of now, we do not have the money for the car.....we still need to raise our tuition money, too. But we are asking our family to pray with us that if this is God's way of providing us with transportation overseas, that He would also provide the funds to pay for it.

Our contact there has been such a blessing and has answered so many of our questions about life in Davao. We have been so grateful for his help and wisdom. So if you think of it, please say a prayer for Tim and me, that the money would come if this is our car and also for our contact, that the Lord would bless him and keep him safe as he and his family leave the Philippines in March.
Thanks!

In other news, we had a really good weekend....with plenty of confirmations that what we are heading into is far bigger than our imaginations....for example.....

Our friend, Marlies, who basically handed us the job we now work, is living in the UK (she's a kiwi..that is....a New Zealander) to raise money to ....get this... go to the SAME school and serve at the SAME clinic as me! She had no idea I was planning on the Philippines and I never knew her plans, either! And yet, God is once again, bringing us back together. I really believe we will be working together in the future in birthing centers.....AND

At church yesterday, I met Kirsten, a nurse and former midwife who just happened to be visiting our church one of the few Sundays I am able to go! I found out that it is her heart to open safe birthing centers for the poor, too, and she wants to get involved with Impact Nations to get things started! AAAAAACKKKKK! God is moving so fast, it's making my head spin!

I fully believe God is uniting us with our future teams that will go to India and Sub-Sahara Africa and minister the love of Christ by serving women and their children. God is faithful. His vision is so much bigger and better than my own. Reminds me again of the picture above from the Burrard Inlet.....BIG VISION, little dream....BIG GOD, little servant.....BIG PAPA BOAT, little baby dingy.

Be blessed and know that the dream God has placed in you is just a smidgen of His greater plan for your life.

PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!!!!

God is soooooo faithful! He is soooo good!







I am SOOOOO exhausted, but I have to tell you what God did for us last night!

As most of you know, last night was our Spaghet-to-gether dinner, one of our first fundraisers for the Philippines. Because our monthly need is about $1400.00, we need lots of monthly donors who feel the Holy Spirit tugging their hearts to partner with us in this adventure. Well, God did amazing things....

The tables were set with flowers, candles, and red and white checkered tablecloths. Italian music played in the background..most of the meal was cooked and ready to go...we were just waiting for people to come. Tim had phoned all 16 people on our list to make sure each one was still planning on coming and he reached very few, so we were hoping that everyone would show up. Then we got a few cancellations.....a bit of disappointment, but we still had peace. Then my mother-in-law came to help with the prep and she began to pray for God's grace and joy over the evening.

Then guests began to arrive....more guests.....and more.....until there were 14 people chatting and fellowshipping....it was sooo great to hear all the laughter. God hand-picked each person to come and the right people came. Some of our guests met each other for the first time here and by the end of the night, they were taking pictures of each other and writing their e-mails down to take home!

Tim and I shared our vision of serving the poor, lowering the infant mortality rate long-term, giving the poor access to clean water through filtration systems, opening up our home (when we get it) to those wanting to come and see what God is doing in the Philippines as well as those coming to serve.....we served spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, salad, cheesecake and spumoni ice cream.....coffee and tea....talked some more.....then my father-in-law shared about Impact Nations and our connection with them and how they can be involved in journeys of compassion with the ministry and serve the poor, too. Then he prayed and asked everyone to consider partnering with us and supporting us prayerfully and financially.

Then they stayed later and later....the conversations buzzed and the last person left at 12:30 am!!!! I didn't fall asleep until 4 am. But I was deeply humbled and moved by God's grace and His amazing provision.

We ended up receiving enough monthly supporters to cover half of our monthly budget!! PRAISE GOD! ANNNNDD....Impact Nations received donations as well! People were so gracious, encouraging and supportive.....we were blown away. I cried.

We are now praying for the rest of the funds needed to meet our monthly budget and cover the start-up costs of immigration/visas, medical supplies, our furniture, and our tuition. God is soooo faithful and we give Him all the glory. Thanks be to GOD!

Be blessed!

"AAACCKKK....ATTACK!"

I picked this Tim photo because it looks as though that little bitty rock is holding up that giant one....and it is! With just the right angle and stance, this thin rock is holding a BIG load. Kinda similar to when Jesus empowers us to endure hardship....like this week for me.

Yeah...serious attack this week. It started on Friday when our four-year-old was stuck in the house with me all day long.....and then again on Saturday....that afternoon, he decided to bring out every annoying and disobedient behavior known to man. Great. I recognized it as a total attack from satan and began to pray. We hadn't seen this behavior from this kid in a long time. It didn't change.

I thought that this weekend was not a good time to have poor behaved kids around as Tim had several commitments and I would be on my own with the kids for a good portion of the time. It was also the weekend that I was to be the doula at my very first birth and we were also planning and preparing for our benefit spaghetti dinner on Tuesday night. Whew...lots to do and very little time to devote to misbehaving kids. But it didn't stop with the four year-old.

Next came our three wonderful boys that we have every other weekend. Saturday night seemed like a breeze compared to our run-in with the devil in the four year-old.....but then Sunday morning hit like whiplash.....

Our 9 year-old started puking...PROJECTILE BILE all over the floor-the bathroom-his bedroom- everywhere.

And then he felt better.....we decided to go to church....BAD IDEA. Once we pulled into the parking lot....PUKE....inside the church bathroom....PUKE....I decided to leave the two other boys with Tim at church and take the poor puking boy home....PUKE in the car....PUKE in his bed.....PUKE....PUKE....BURP. He was white as a ghost, shaking....feverish. Oooky. I treated him like a king and put some soft music in his room...oh the ginger ale....the cool washcloth...you know the drill...boy #1 was tucked in. Ahhh.

Then Tim came home with the other two boys and took off to see the Super Bowl at his brother's house 'cuz things seemed to be under control with puky boy downstairs and hyper boys upstairs....in the process, my mother-in-law even brought me flowers....AND I WASN'T SICK! What a blessing...I needed those flowers to get through the storm brewing just after 4 pm.

"Bethany, I feel sick." said boy #2. And then....PUKE. Yes, that's right...now two boys puking their guts out all over the place.....the SMELL....OH THE SMELL. The house may never recover, not to mention the bathroom floors. And poor boy #3 was feeling left out...needed attention...needed entertainment...so he picked a fight with puking boy #2 and then threw a GIANT tantrum!

Yes, now I had boy #1 puking and crying, boy #2 puking and yelling, and boy #3 destroying his room screaming and pounding that he wants to go home. And then there's me....on the verge of tears wanting my Tim to come home and help me cope. It was after 6 pm and I was no longer able to tend to all three sicky boys. Then boy #3 began to get violent...throwing things and was becoming a bit of a danger....he required all the attention...so I was praying and calling Tim...."COME HOME, TIM, I NEED YOU!" was my weepy cry. And he came 45 minutes later....

About 8:30pm I took puky boy #1 and #2 back to their family to get them away from boy #3 and to recover from our eventful weekend. And boy #3 was STILL tantruming....destroying almost eveything he could get his hands on (remember that we're planning a benefit dinner here at the house for Tuesday? I was enjoying the anxiety of having to clean up after this work week!). Then, at 9:30pm he finally ran out of steam and fell asleep. That's a good 4 hour tantrum! Impressive.

We didn't get to sleep until after midnight with two gravols each and oodles of prayer.

Boy #3 woke up the next morning not remembering anything. I woke up with a GIANT headache and tummy ache...hoping the flu hadn't decided to visit me again..... Tim woke up with a sore foot and a headache....and we were ALL emotionally empty and exhausted. Talk about attack. YUCK.

And today, I am tired and yet, full of hope because tomorrow cannot be worse than Sunday. It is becoming more and more real to me that the further we get along in our planning for the Philippines, the more adversity we will face...BUT, in the end, regardless of the journey...WE WIN BECAUSE......

1 John 4:4:
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

I AM SOOOO GLAD! Be blessed.
PS. I am still waiting for my first birth....no labor, yet! I'll keep you posted.

God's breaking my bank!

We took dear Uncle Bob and Aunt Syl to the airport today....*sigh*. I am missing them already.

It's been an eventful week and somehow God has been very productive because we got nearly everything done that we had set out to do! We even got in a walk down by Kits Beach with our group home boys! With a hot drink in hand, we watched the sunset and felt the freezing wind ice our cheeks. Good times...hence the picture.

This Tuesday, Tim and I are having a benefit dinner to share our vision and describe our journey to the Philippines. Originally we had advertised it as a fun "Spaghett-to-gether"and we were going to charge $15 per plate. A week before the event, we only had one person signed up. I felt discouraged and confused. Sooo many people had showed an interest and many people had committed to coming and yet as time got closer, people started dropping like flies.

It was hard enough asking people to come to a dinner that I was cooking and charging $15 THEN asking them to partner with us monthly to support God's call of midwifery service in the developing world. I was feeling sick of focusing on money and finances....of planning and researching ways of funding our mission to the Philippines....it wasn't my heart....it wasn't ME...I didn't feel a peace about this dinner. I felt sick and I began to pray...

"Lord...there's gotta be an easier way...I just want to be a good steward of YOUR resources and I don't want to come across as a jerk or someone only concerned with money....and Lord, I want this process to build relationships and connect others with a vision....I want to excite people....what do I do, Lord!?"

And then I felt a peace. And the Lord whispered, "Did I tell you that you had to charge for this dinner? Just share my heart and do what you love to do....serve."

YEAH!!!! I felt released to be me...released to change the whole thought process of the evening. I immediately started calling old friends and people who I knew loved us.....even though we had thought of just sending some of these people letters, we now felt a release to serve them....FOR FREE....to share the vision person to person without fear of not getting reimbursed for the money put out for the food itself.

We called people we had never thought of before and people God had placed in our path just recently. We told them that we wanted them to come to a BIG free family benefit dinner at our house to raise awareness and support for the biggest change and move of our lives and that it was imperative that they be a part of that. Within two days we got 14 people! I ENJOYED inviting people to a relaxing and fun dinner at our house....it wasn't difficult and I didn't feel like I was trying to be someone I'm not.

With just a few days left before our BIG dinner, people are still writing and calling to let me know whether they can come. For the first time in fundraising for this MASSIVE undertaking, I feel at peace and without fear. I am so glad God owns the bank.

Because of the vision and calling God has made clear in our lives, we cannot stop what we are doing out of fear of financial insecurity....we press on. And when we get discouraged, we remember the passage God gave us two years ago.....

Hebrews 11:8-16

"8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

Yeah God! Be blessed!