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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

(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!!

So far behind...

I feel as though even if I tried my very hardest, I'd still be behind with this blog. Life just hasn't allowed much time for bloggerland lately. But I know that some of you still faithfully check to see if I've updated this, so here's one for you! I only have time to show you pictures though, so you'll have to check back for a written update :)

Callie is nearing the 1 1/2 year mark. She'll be 17 months next Tuesday, and she gets busier and chattier each day and makes lots of silly faces.

This is her look of 'concentration'...

Silly "cheese" face...

As I said in an earlier post, we took Callie to the Vancouver Aquarium for the first time at the end of October. We had no sooner passed through the entry gate, and she had her face plastered to the glass to see what this was all about... :) It was pretty cute.

We watched the dolphin show...

We walked around in the sunshine and took in the other outdoor shows...

We visited "Kermit" in the frog section of the Aquarium...

Going in for the kiss...

Watch out world, Kermit and Callie are on the loose!

Checking out the dolphins from the lower deck of the aquarium...

Our dear friend Jen was able to join us for the day!

Watching the Beluga whales...

Callie highly approved. Yaaaaay belugas!

Back inside the aquarium. Jelly fish...

I love this picture... makes me laugh every time!

"Seriously, Daddy..."

Saying bye-bye to the aquarium. Such a fun day!

Trying on Mommy's shoes...

Bath-time bubble fun...

Some of the pictures Jon took at Fishtrap Creek during our MTE Silent Retreat...

All bundled up for the chilly weather.

She INSISTED she should wear Mommy's mittens...

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have more time for blogging soon.

Only 3 1/2 more weeks left of MTE training!!

Its official! We'll be serving in...

... THAILAND!

ประเทศไทย

We're thrilled to finally be able to share where we'll be serving overseas. At this point, we don't have many details other than the fact that we'll be spending our 1st year there, in language training (which could be in one of two places-- Lopburi or Chiang Mai). After that, MBMSI will discern with the "in-country leaders" as to who's team we'll join. So we're not exactly sure which region of Thailand we'll be in, and who we'll be serving with, but we're excited to at least have the answer of which country! I'll continue to update you as we know more.

Quick update...

Many of you have been asking how my Mom is doing, how our discernment meeting went, etc., so I thought I'd send you a quick update.

My Mom got into St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver last Thursday and the new surgeon re-ran all of her tests. It was a little discouraging for her to have to go through all of the ultrasounds, scopes, etc. all over again (she was originally told that wouldn't be necessary) but she was thankful that the new surgeon was at least making her a priority. The tests went well and she is officially on the list for surgery. Looks like it will most likely be sometime in January. Mom said she definitely feels like she's in good hands as this new surgeon said there is some new technology that can detect nerves within scar tissue. Although St. Paul's doesn't actually have this technology, he said he's going to do all he can to get his hands on it for her surgery. So you can pray that would be possible!
And, one neat thing that happened last Thursday-- after finishing one of Mom's tests, the surgeon came into the room and asked: "Do you have influence here?" She shook her head & he replied that he had never received a report from their Ultasound Dept. so quickly! She smiled & thought.....aaah yes. I DO have influence :)
So your prayers are definitely having impact. Thank you for praying and please continue to do so!

As for discernment with MBMSI, we met with their lead team today. It was a good meeting and both Jon and I felt very relaxed.... like chatting with old friends :) We came away from it, feeling very at peace and knowing that God has had this planned all along, and already knows the outcome. Therefore, we have peace in knowing that He has good plans for us. MBMSI will be announcing teams/locations on Wednesday afternoon, so we'll let you know as soon as we know!

Other than that, life continues to fly by. Hard to believe we only have just over a month left in training. This time has been busy, somewhat stressful at times, but also very fruitful and encouraging. We continue to anticipate the exciting times ahead!

So with that, I'll sign off for now and we'll be updating you again, after Wednesday's big announcement.

Happy Halloween...

... from our little Thai tiger!

(More pictures to come, of Halloween

& Callie's 1st visit to the Vancouver Aquarium!)

HEALER- Kari Jobe

Clinging to these words today. He IS the Great Healer. Trusting in his goodness...

Need your prayers!

TUESDAY, October 19th
After visiting the surgeon today, my Mom found out that she has a cancerous tumour in her thyroid. She has had several thyroid surgeries in the past which means there is a great deal of scar tissue, making the now needed surgery virtually impossible to complete, without rupturing the vocal chords. The tumour is growing at a very rapid pace and there is now concern that if it isn't removed promptly, it may start to seep through the walls of the thyroid and into her blood stream. So essentially... this is a seemingly "lose-lose" situation. If she has the operation, she'll likely never speak again. And if she doesn't, it could be fatal. As you can imagine, the fear is very real for all of us right now, and though we're trying to keep an optimistic outlook, this is incredibly scary.

Her surgery has been set for Nov. 24 but it is very likely that they'll be shooting to do it on Nov. 3rd as the surgeon has an open day. This will be confirmed within the next few days.

Please pray for a number of things:
- pray for guidance & wisdom for the doctor as he performs this very risky surgery
- pray that the vocal chords will go untouched
- pray that the doctor will be able to remove ALL of the tumour
- pray for deep PEACE for Mom and our family

Thank-you for interceding in this way. I know Mom will appreciate all the prayer she can get!

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Friday, October 22

We could use more prayer for my Mom. She just got more discouraging news today.

The surgeon that was supposed to be performing the surgery in November has now called to say that he just doesn't feel comfortable doing it, and has decided to refer her to another specialist in Vancouver. This comes as a great discouragement because the fear is that now it will take even longer to get the surgery done. She's already been put through the "ringer" for the last 9 months, and the thought of having to go through MORE testing and waiting LONGER is absolutely defeating.

Please pray that this new surgeon will get back to her immediately, and that the surgery won't be delayed any longer. This is tough enough as it is, let alone the thought of it being put off.

Thanks & we'll try to keep you posted.

From baby to little girl...

Its hard to believe Callie is already 15 months old--- though her independent personality is starting to resemble that of a 2 year olds, more and more each day, so I guess its not that surprising that she's nearing the year and a half mark :)

She took her first steps shortly after her 1st birthday but "officially" started walking at 14 months. And now its hard to imagine her ever doing anything else. She runs around the house with such exuberance, I can't even remember what crawling looked like.

Put her in a room with other kids and she absolutely, 100% has my extroverted personality. She thrives! But as soon as she's in a room of adults, she's the most shy and quiet kid around. Strangest thing to watch.

Her vocabulary has absolutely exploded as of late. Some of her most common words are:

"Heeeello!"

"Awwwww done!" (all done)

"More"

"Peeeeez" (please)

"Tattoooo" (thank-you)

"Open it up"

"Ball"

"Puppy" & "woof, woof!" (and a whole myriad of other animal sounds)

"Happy"

"Baby"

"Mommy"

"Daddy"

"Hot" (which refers to anything hot OR cold... gotta work on that ;))

"Naa-naa" (which means nigh-night, and is what she calls her special blankie)

"Dallie!" (Callie)

"Eli" (her cousin... she just learned that today!)

"Taaa-daaa!"

"Ight!" (light)

"Shoes"

"Down"

"Up"

"Noooooo!" (we hear a lot of this one... hence the nearing 2 year old attitude!)

.... and so much more! We look forward to each new word or phrase and the hilarity it brings to the day. And the more she talks, the more her personality shines through. Its SO fun!

She still loves to sing and dance and now knows the actions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and especially loves the "down came the rain" part. She's also a bit of a "class clown" and loves to get a laugh.

INTENSE teething has become the new and literal "thorn in our flesh." The poor girl has been an absolute inconsolable mess for the last few days and we anticipate the arrival of molars or possibly eye teeth at any time.

Her love for "naaa-naa" (blankie) has grown immensely over the last few months and has become a true vice. It has to go EVERYWHERE with us. We've recently nicknamed her "Linus" because she walks around with her blankie draped over her shoulder and looks like the character out of "Charlie Brown."

Her love for the outdoors also grows each day. Our new house is just 2 minutes away from a field of horses, cows and even a donkey. She loves to visit them and wave hello! We're also just a 5 minute walk from the Vedder River trail. Anytime spent walking at the river makes for a very happy Callie.

One of my favorite things about Callie these days is her love of music. She bobs away in her car seat when we're listening to music in the car, and if you say, "Callie, can you sing us a song?" she automatically breaks out in singing. Its gibberish, mind you, but its cute nonetheless :)

Well... that's all the time I have right now so I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of Callie and her cousin Elijah. Eli & Auntie Viv came for coffee this morning so I snapped a few photos of the two cousins. Callie absolutely adores this little ray of sunshine...