Prayer Requests

  • Praise the Lord that He brought Peter and Janet to rent our house. Pray that they will be settled there and feel that it is home.
  • Please pray for our children, Niall and Sorche, as they settle into school and dorm life. Pray for good friends for both of them and that they will be able to handle the adjustment to a new school routine.
  • We are so thankful for the many people who have pledged to support us financially. Please continue to pray for this area, for our understanding of the new things we are encountering and that God will provide for us in all areas.

View of our village, Holzen

View of our village, Holzen
Our dorm is the white building to the left of the church

Lynn and Sorche in Colmar, France

Monday, July 28, 2008

Anniversary Day

Last Wednesday, July 23, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We had our special time away in early June to St. Maarten for a resort-type holiday so the real day was a somewhat low-key occasion. Niall and Sorche were available for dinner so we ate out at an Italian restaurant in downtown Oakville called Big Papa's. A generous "on the house" dessert was enjoyed by all there, followed by a gathering for cake at our house with Jim's brother, sister and spouses along with our friends, the Camerons. It was a fun time together. We are grateful to God for 25 happy years of marriage.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Battle Continues

The closer we get to the month of August, the tougher the battle seems to be getting. As we have increased our network of prayer partners and asked them to rally around the cause of getting us to Germany, the personal attacks on all of us seem to be increasing daily. There were numerous times last week when things happened that left us puzzled and perplexed, but then an email would come from someone offering words of encouragement and reassurances that they were praying. We were able to finally mail out letters asking for support and have already been blessed by the positive responses we have received, especially those from unexpected quarters. We were even surprised by how quickly Canada Post delivered those letters.
The house has not sold but there are so many people praying that we are experiencing God's peace as we wait for His perfect timing, as well as the best buyer for this place.
Today we were privileged to pray with The Venerable Charlie Masters and his wife Judy here in our home. Judy is the daughter of Adolph Janz, one of the original Janz Team members. She grew up in Germany from the age of 5 and was educated along with her cousins in the very beginnings of BFA. We were so blessed by their willingness to come and pray with us about serving with Janz Team at BFA.
Jim and the kids have taken another load tonight up to the warehouse where we are storing our stuff. Little by little the house is being emptied (only to uncover more dust and interesting bits!) The excitement is mounting as we anticipate what God will do this week as we wait on Him.
On another note, Jim and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on Wednesday. Wow! Can't think of a more exciting way to mark this auspicious occasion than to be selling and packing up our household and moving to Germany in a very short period of time! For our 30th I think I'll settle for a quiet vacation somewhere or maybe just dinner out.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Hot, humid days and packing

The weather has been very hot and humid. Jim has spent hours at the studio working hard on the commission he hopes to finish next week. We are attempting to pack boxes, mostly books so far, and fit in doctor's appointments, good-bye lunches with friends, work, carting kids to and fro, neighbourhood picnics and fund-raising letters all at the same time. God has given us peace about waiting for his timing to sell the house. There is a woman coming Thursday evening to view the house again and show it to her family. Please pray that if God would have her buy the house, all the details would come together quickly, easily and smoothly from her angle and for the right timing for us.
This weekend we are going to the cottage to see Tristan who has been there since the beginning of July and for Jim to speak at the little Anglican church the family attends when up north. Then Niall and Sorche will stay on and join their cousins for "Cousin Camp" hosted by Aunt Cathy and Aunt Bonnie, Jim's two sisters. We will return home and continue with work and major packing up, with only Hamish home for company. The days are quickly going by to wind up our lives here in Bronte.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Prayer and blessing

Last Sunday we spoke in church and shared about BFA and our role there as dorm parents. We asked our congregation to pray for us as we prepare to go, as we raise our funds, for our house to sell and to support Hamish and Tristan while we are away from them. There was a time of prayer and blessing for us all as a family.
In the afternoon, Tristan left for the North with Grandma and Grandpa Paterson and Kirah (his harris hawk) to get settled into the cottage before he starts work on Wednesday at Golden Creek Bird Farm with Dirk and Friedhelm.
In the evening, we invited people to come to our home to pray specifically for the sale of our house. We had 12 other people besides Hamish and ourselves. Niall and Sorche helped look after the kids who came. Jim gave a little reading, then had us spend 5 minutes silently listening for God's words and direction in the matter of selling our house. We were encouraged and blessed by the strength of belief that our house would sell and the prayers for God to move the heart of the person who is to buy it. We know that this will all take place according to God's timing. A wonderful bi-product of the prayer was the peaceful sleep we had Sunday night.