Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

My dear friend Carmen shared these verses with me this evening and I've been thinking about how much truth they hold for our family, specifically over this last year...

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

I will meditate on all your works

and consider all your mighty deeds."

~ Psalm 77:11-12 ~

God has been so gracious to us and has opened our eyes to what true provision really looks like. Whether it be financial help, emotional strength, family safety or spiritual vitality-- He's been so faithful.

As we head into a New Year, I challenge you to take the time to really consider all that God has done for you & brought you through over the last year. Meditate on the goodness He has shown. And pray through the thanksgiving you will feel when you see all that our loving Father has been & will be in the days ahead.

Praying you all had a wonderful Christmas & wishing you God's richest blessings for the year ahead.

Much love,

Jon, Bonnie & Callie

An early Christmas gift?

It seems crazy to me but this kid is literally potty-training herself.

She recently seemed to show interest in the potty & would point at her bum and say "poo poo's!" When I would ask her if she needed to go on the potty, she would reply, "YEAH! Hand, Mommy!" (which translated, means 'hold my hand') and would run to the bathroom door. I soon realized that she was actually needing to go to the bathroom, so I would sit her on the potty.

The first few times, we didn't quite get there in time (totally my fault for not believing her!) and she had already gone in her diaper, but I would sit her on the potty anyway and tell her what a big girl she was. She seemed pretty proud of herself :)

But yesterday, she told me "poo-poo's Mommy... potty!" so we ran to the toilet. Sure enough, she had started to go in her diaper but we quickly got her on the seat and she finished on the potty! We had two successful potty times yesterday!!

I quite obviously had NO intention of potty-training at this age. I mean, goodness.... she's only 17.5 months old. But the fact that she seems to understand the sensation and is interested in going, means I would be crazy to NOT let her sit on the potty. I haven't even had to bribe her with anything :)

So.... I have no idea whether this is going to be the true start of potty-training for Callie but for now, I'm super proud of her and will continue to let her choose the pace at which we train. If it means less poopy diapers for me to have to change, I'm all for it!!

PS: That's not actually her 'pushing' face (although it does resemble it a lot). This is her "cheeeeese!" face that comes whenever she sees the camera :)

All good things must come to an end...

It was a strange feeling to sleep in this morning and not have to rush out the door to get to class on time. Its also strange to know that we won't be seeing our fellow MTE friends everyday anymore. Sad really. The last 4 months of training have flown by and the reality is finally sinking in that we aren't all going to the same mission field. You grow pretty close with people when you're together day-in and day-out. Its hard to accept the fact that we can't all go together as one big team.

Friday, Dec. 17th marked our last day of MTE training & our official "commissioning service." It was a wonderful time of sharing, praying & worshipping together. Many of our classmates will still be around for a while (some have team building activities to complete in January) but for others, Friday was 'good-bye' and it definitely wasn't easy. I managed to keep the tears to a minimum as the hugs were exchanged but as soon as we left and made our way to the car, the emotion got the best of me. I hate goodbyes. And I hate the fact that this was just the beginning of many more goodbyes to come.

I'm thankful for the last months we've had as an MTE class. It was an incredible time of growing, learning and building deep relationships together. I'll miss everyone so much!

Missionary Training & Equipping

Class of 2010

So to all of you-- Gary & Ellie, Lowell & Melissa, Bud, Reg & Faa, Sherry & Doug, Susan & Steve, Johann & Hedi, Pepe & Marisol-- Jon, Callie and I love you dearly and will continue to pray for God's leading & blessing on your lives as you continue to follow His plan and walk in risk-taking obedience. We miss you already!

Update on Mom's surgery...

(Written on the day of surgery-- Dec. 14th, evening)

Hi everyone,

Sorry I didn't write sooner but our internet has been down all day.
My Mom's surgery went very well. The surgeon was able to salvage the nerve that connects her vocal chords so her voice is fine. PRAISE THE LORD!
He also said that he's fairly certain he was able to get the parathyroids (that were also in question) but will know for sure, once he gets the pathology results (they should have within the week). The surgeon wasn't able to get the last bit on the left side, due to so much damage & scar tissue from previous surgeries, but feels confident that due to how small the growth is there, that it may not even be tumour. He is confident that they were able to get all that they needed too.
I had planned to go in to the hospital this morning but Callie woke up at 2am, throwing up and continued that on for the rest of the night/morning. So I wasn't able to get into Vancouver but Dad said that they'd be keeping her over night tonight, and hopefully sending her home tomorrow.
So overall, good results. God was so gracious and answered our prayers! He is so good and we're exceedingly grateful for such a positive outcome.

After talking to my Dad this evening, it sounds like Mom is in quite a bit of pain now, especially her throat from intubation, and her neck/chest from the incision. So please pray that she'll get a good rest tonight and that the recovery will move along speedily and with as little pain as possible.

Thank you again for your ongoing prayers. Its an incredible thing to know that so many people are lifting Mom in prayer! Blessings to you for your invaluable support & friendship.

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(Update: Dec. 15th, lunchtime)

Mom is HOME!! I just talked to her on the phone and had tears in my eyes as I pondered what a true miracle it was to hear her voice. She sounded good and is happy to be able to rest in the comfort of her own home and sleep in her own bed :) You can continue to pray for healing and the road of recovery ahead. But thank God for his abundant protection and goodness! We're so thankful!!

Will you pray?

Hey everyone!

I'm writing to ask you all for prayer. My Mom heads into surgery tomorrow morning @ 9:30am and we'd really appreciate all the prayer we can get!

Please pray that:

- the surgeon gets a good night's sleep tonight and is bright & alert tomorrow morning!

- peace for Mom as she goes into surgery

- wisdom & accuracy for the surgeons as they operate

- protection over Mom's vocal chords

- speedy recovery

Thanks for your support! Prayer is a powerful thing & we're thankful for a loving heavenly Father who hears our prayers.

Christmas cheer...

Now that we don't have to move again in a few weeks, I was finally able to set up our

Christmas tree...

I have all of my Christmas shopping done and everything is wrapped.

Now its really starting to feel like Christmas,

and I can start the countdown 'til Craig & Jen arrive.

Only 19 days to go!

A day of celebration...

Today, we CELEBRATE!

After months of battling to find renters for our townhouse, God finally provided us with a wonderful couple today! They are Korean church-planters here in Chilliwack and will be moving into our house next Wednesday. I cannot begin to tell you the intense relief this brings us. But most of all, its just another story of God's immense provision and faithfulness to us. He has provided in ABUNDANCE over the last few months and has given us unending proof of his promise to provide for us. We're so thankful to serve a God who cares so deeply. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and this specific prayer request! We're so thankful for this answer to prayer!!