Top Ten 2013

Top 10 Resources that influenced me in 2013 that I'd recommend:

1)     Mountain Breezes: The Collected Poems of Amy Carmichael – Her poems are so deep, speak so eloquently of the struggles of the heart, the riches of His grace, the mysteries of His will, the triumph of faith and the glories of His crown & eternity.  Some of my favorites thru the years: Thy Way is Perfect, The Age Long Minute,  Do Thou for Me,  Let Us Go Hence,  My Quietness …– What a thrill to find them and countless more in this new book!

2)     A Miracle for Jen – Linda Barrick with John Perry.  A True Story of a teenage girl sold out for God and the incredible way He spared her life, healed and spoke thru her - miraculous!  

3)     A Place of Healing, Joni E.Tada – her latest book on suffering and healing written while going thru the worst suffering of her life – agonizing back pain!  Here she wrestles at a different level and still comes out triumphant & trusting, clinging to God’s promises and seeking to obey in everything.  She does get many answered prayers and can look back on the incredible way the Lord has used her over the years via the myriad of volunteers who help her daily and the Joni & Friends ministry. The book ends with many heart-warming stories of God’s grace in the lives of people all over the globe whom her ministry has touched.  A legacy like that makes suffering worthwhile!

4)     The Last Battle, C.S.Lewis, Very insightful allegory of the last times…. C.S. Lewis has such a knack for picturing and describing the indescribable, showing how the beauty and joys of this life are only pictures and “shadow land” of the real eternal world, world with world As Lucy put it: “Yes, Mr Tumnus, like an onion except that as you continue to go in and in each circle is larger than the last.”!  Wow, try get your mind around that?  how does he know to describe it like that!?  My favourite part is swimming UP the waterfall and running without getting tired!  Telescopic eyes…!  What wonders await – far greater!

5)     Under the Lilacs, Louisa May Alcott, (borrowed from sis Chris) enchanting wholesome children’s book with a exquisite drawings and really smart dog J

6)     LampLighter books:  Saved by Love (the transforming power of loving selflessly);  Trapped Beneath the Surface (beautiful story of sisterly sacrificial love & patience); Broken Hyacinth (vivid eg of the havoc one’s jealously and bitterness can wreak on one’s own life and other’s close to you )

7)     The Missing Piece – Finding God’s Peace for Your Past  Lee Ezell – True story of a young lady’s journey from victim to victor as she surrenders, commits all to Him, forgives, learns gratefulness and finds purpose in her pain as she becomes a “wounded healer” by God’s grace and wonderful working to bring all to a beautiful and amazing conclusion!

8)     Because He love Me  Elyse Fitzpatrick (in our church library) -  driving us back to our identity in Christ:  righteous, chosen, and loved by our Heavenly Father!

 

9)  Focus on Family Broadcasts:  Digital Invasion, Arch Hart and his daughter discuss the impact of technology's influx into everyday family life and help parents better manage their family's interactions with digital media.

      Teaching Kids to be Financially Savvy, Mary Hunt and her excellent book

 

10) PEMF – Pulsed Electromagnetic Frequencies – electronic medicine - the wave of the future.

Mom's creative sewing

Mom’s creative sewing reached new heights this year with a number of prize-winning gifts flowing from her sewing room and out to the Grandkids:

 A fancy Victorian doll’s dress for Anneke’s birthday

(a real vintage dress made from material cut from one of Great Oma B's dresses!)

quickly became Anna & Emma's favourite outfit

A piecework apron for Bethany’s birthday

 

 

Her masterpiece quilt “ The Road Through Westville”  some years in the making was finally completed and given to Josiah who was eagerly awaiting it.

These all won 1st prize at the Bolton Agricultural Fall Fair!  (plus a crocheted bag purse) except the quilt which they said would've one 1st prize if it had more quilting on it!  Amazing job, Mom!

   She also remade a dress for Esther’s graduation - sorry we don't have a before picture so you can't really tell how vastly she improved it!

  And for Marike, she made a cloth stuffed doll complete with button eyes, yarn braids, dress &  matching bonnet, white frilly apron, and bloomers!

 

 which Marike fondly named Elisa and proudly shows to everyone who visits.

 

 

 Here's some more shots of the quilt during production and then close-ups for those who can't see it in real and asked us to post.  

the top layer of the quilt when the applique was completed

 

below: the batting, back, and jean patch side is on and Mom's quilting - this was the gezellig part as she could do it anywhere while visiting...

 

 

Dad's been a great cheer leader and even freeing up time by helping extra in the kitchen!

 

final check just before submitting it for the fair

 close ups  

 

If you look closely, you can see the hand quilted smoke, clouds, butterflies and birds

The main road through Westville has everything you need!

Oma's barbershop 

 

 

The applique, jean border and putting together was all done by machine so the 48 year old sewing machine (Mom's wedding gift from Dad) had quite a work out and died just after all her gifts for this year were completed!

Ice Storm before Christmas

 "Because you have made the LORD... your dwelling place,

 No evil shall befall you...

For He shall give His angels charge over you

 to keep you in all your ways....

Because he has set his love upon Me,

therefore I will deliver him;

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

 I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver Him... and show him My salvation"    Psalm 91

 

The weekend before Christmas,  a severe ice storm swept thru and left us in the cold & dark – for 46.5 hrs! 

(Sat eve til Mon eve)

The trees heavily laden with ice broke on hydro lines causing widespread power outages and un-traversable roads

 

above is the path beside our house - couldn't get thru!

 this one below is sideways

 

A power outage in the winter is no picnic - we are so dependant we are on hydroelectricity! 

It was a good exercise in empathy as it kept us thinking of our brothers & sisters in Ukraine who have to survive whole long winters like that!  Wow! We are so spoiled here!

Our Heavenly Father is so good to us and thru this time showed us His care and protection (as in Psalm 91 below) providing in so many little ways so that it never became unbearable! 

 Sunday it was just around freezing and the sun came out during the day to cheer & dazzle us with the beauty all around us

  

In the evening when roads were somewhat navigate-able, Maurice & Rachel invited us for warmth & hot soup (tho their area suffered much damage to the trees lining the streets - and they lost power just as Dad & Mom arrived! -thankfully it did come back on after a couple hrs). 

On Monday a neighbour who warmed our lunch soup on their gas stove!  And later Ralph & Sharon had us join them for a Christmas feast!  Driving home that evening however, the car lost all power! – but the Lord sent His angels to push us safely the last 10 km back home – just to the beginning of our driveway!  And then when we got into the house, it was warm and the lights were working!– just in time as the temps dipped to -16C overnight and stayed well below freezing for the next couple days!  And all the rest of the family and our friends were cared for as well. Praise the Lord!

 It was really beautiful with the sun shining thru the lacy glass branches! 

 Photos can’t really capture the sparkling, translucent beauty! 

 (another sideways- of the side of our house)

 

The next day, Christmas Eve, after charging the car battery, Dad drove to the garage and again lost power while driving - just blocks from the garage!  This time the Lord sent help via a kind man who pushed the car off the road and gave Dad a ride to the garage where he called CAA.  Once the car was Amin’s, Chris picked Dad up and going thru Brampton decided stop at R&S.  Providentially, Ralph was home from work for the rest of the week and so could lend Dad his car.  And so we celebrated Christmas Eve together at home in warmth & safety in the midst of the icy winter wonderland - all that much more grateful for the many gifts our Loving Father showers on us - not forgetting wheels, heat & light!

The Light of the World is Jesus!

 

Christmas day, after a Christmas worship service, the 3 of us joined Christine & Maurice's family.

 

 

Kenny & his cousins (Ralph's) spent most of the afternoon skating on the frozen fields so the rest of us had a nice quiet time talking …. 

 

 Great to be able to catch up a little with Lizzi & Mark who were home from school for the Christmas break 

 

“But when the fullness of time had come,

God sent forth His Son,

born of a woman, born under the law

to redeem those who were under the law

that we might receive adoption as sons....

and God sent forth the Spirit of His Son

into your hearts crying out “Abba, Father!” 

(Gal 4:4-6)

Profession of Faith Rachel Christina

  

We rejoiced to witness another grandchild (Rachel, eldest of Ralph) do Public Profession of Faith and be received into full membership of the Church.  What a blessing to see the faith of generations before passed on and personally appropriated by the next generation.  This public Profession of Faith & love for Christ, His Word, and His Church is the greatest of all declarations that we can make in our life time – even greater than the declarations of the marriage vow  - of course, it’s not the first time and certainly not the last time we confess Him but its special b/c by it we are admitted to the Lord’s Communion Table – that blessed sacrament commemorating Christ’s atoning work on the cross and nourishing our souls as He communicates Himself to us and fellowships with us in this tangible way.

Rachel’s uncle Steve W, London URC pastor, lead the service and preached on Ephesians 1 – a very fitting rich, Christ exalting, Grace- proclaiming sermon.

Ashleigh,  Aunt Carole, Uncle Steve

Mom Sharon, Rachel, and her Great Grandmother "Beppe V..K...".

 Oma Tinie D had already gone home to prepare for all the family to come for lunch at her home.

below with sister-in-law Amy W, sister Maria & niece Liana

 

 

Dad Ralph and Oma B,

Great Uncle Clifford VD and Opa B

Aunt Christine, Great Aunt Henrietta VD, 

 Aunt Marguerite & Rachel  rejoicing together

  "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith
 in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

            do not cease to give thanks for you,  
making mention of you in my prayers;
          that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
 the Father of glory,
                 may give to you the spirit of wisdom & revelation
 in the knowledge of Him,
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened;
 that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance
 in the saints,
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power
 toward us who believe,
   according to the working of His mighty power 
which He worked in Christ
          when He raised Him from the dead and
seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places
far above all rule & authority & power & dominion,
and above every name  that is named,  
not only in this age but also in the one to come.

 And He put all things under His feet,   

and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."
Ephesians 1: 15-23