December in a nutshell.

Some snap shots of my December.

                                                                                                               

Grandma and Seraiah at the family Christmas.










                                            Last day of work before flying                   .                                                                                                                                                .                                               to Ottawa to get Emilee.

Makai Poffenroth at family christmas.

The PRBI girls came for a December  reunion/birthday celebration party. We all played soccer together and we had a wonderful time!
We ate alot, laughed and just relaxed together.

Jessica got engaged the weekend after!!
The finale to our wonderful girls weekend was meeting at Montana's with 'the boys'. Joel, Josh, Scott and Justin joined us. It was wonderful!






I flew to Ottawa to visit Emilee and the family that she was nannying for. Then Emilee and I packed up her stuff and drove back to Alberta in time for Christmas. We left the 21 of December and had to put in 40 hours of driving before the Christmas Eve service.

 

Death

Hello Dear Friends,

I have some sad news and some sobering thoughts that I need to release… this is my safe place. No tears, No questions, No interruptions… just processing.

This weekend was a wonderful weekend for me.

Although my town and coworkers are suffering greatly after losing important people in their lives.

My co-worker lost his mother (in her 80s) Friday evening. She has been in the hospital all summer suffering from circulation problems, they have amputated both legs hoping that would save her life. But she went home to be with her Lord Friday.

I can praise the Lord about this passing… because it is just that. She believed that Jesus saved her from her sins and she trusted her life to him, her creator, saviour, and friend.

Beaumont is suffering the loss of 3 teenagers, and 1 youth worker. The teenagers were killed instantly on Saturday at 3am. Drunk driving. need I say more? The High school has witnessed fatalities from drunk driving accidents in almost all of the graduating classes in the last 20 years. My grad class in 2004 was the 1st in 10 years not to loose a graduating student, but sadly we lost madeline the next year to drinking and driving.

The youth worker who is a few years older than me and attended the high school at the same time was not feeling well, went to the hospital, and died a few hours later on Sunday afternoon. Blood clot to the lungs.

It doesn't matter how old we are, how fit we are or how much fun we are having in life. Death comes when we don't expect it. All we can do is be ready. I ache for the families of those who have died this weekend in my sphere of influence… but after watching the news this evening, it's everywhere.

I believe that God wants what is the best for us, which is why he created us to be in perfect loving relationship with Him. We chose to doubt him. We chose to taste the fruit that he said not to… we doubted his goodness and truthfulness.

Now we have to live with the consequences of our doubt. Our relationship with him has been severed by our own doing. We need to choose to turn back to him. to believe that he LOVES us. That he wants the best for us (big picture) and that when we choose to live in relationship with him giving up our independence he is always with us, whether we are dead or alive physically. Our spirit will always be with Him and He with us.

And that is the reason why I can say HALLELUJAH and PRAISE THE LORD. even though I hurt for the families.

Android Revolution

I couldn't hold out any-longer.  My blackberry has served me well but I am tired of it freezing and not sending or receiving messaged until 2 days later. In our fast paced world this leaves me in the dust a lot of the time. But I am now officially up to speed! 

Now I won't need a laptop… I hope. If I can do Email, Skype, Facebook and google from my phone the only reason why I will need a computer is to update this blog… I'm way faster at typing on a keyboard than I am on the touch screen.  

So friends, Text me, Skype me, Facebook me, Call me… I guess my cell phone can do phone calls too! 

Life Choices

OH HOW HE LOVES US. 

As I listen to this song I think about my life choices… the good, the bad, the ugly and the "what was I thinking…" choices. I have made some incredibly stupid choices, I have also made some good decisions. The best decisions have been to repent from the incredibly stupid life choices. 

The beauty of a life with God is that we can see His love and His grace in the bad decisions and well as the good decisions. His love speaks louder than any decision I could make. Since I am His creation and He knows me so intimately none of my decisions are a surprise to Him. He may be disappointed with the choices I have made but that doesn't change the way He loves me. 

In the past few months I have witnessed/ heard about some incredible life choices that my friends are making. Some of those choices swell me with pride and joy. Yet others bring me to tears and make me ache for the consequences and pain that follow those decisions. None of those decisions change the way I love those friends. I will always love those friends no matter what life decisions they make. But, something does change, those life decisions either draw the friendship closer or cause distance. Once the bad life decision is made it's like there is a fork in the road, you choose one direction and your friend chooses another. There is the physical distance between the roads but also the emotional, spiritual and relational distance that comes from being un-able to relate. 

I believe that is the way it is with God. We can walk close to Him and be in relationship with Him, but when we choose a different direction we loose the contact with Him. We cause the distance. He didn't leave. He is there, walking parallel to us but on a different road. His arms are stretched out to us and offer us a way back to Him. All we have to do is admit we were wrong, accept His love and grace and run into His arms. He is always loving us and waiting on us. 

As I think about relationships that have changed over the years, the friendships that have grown distant have mostly been because of a physical distance. But other relationships have been because of life decisions and losing the ability to relate. Different Schools, Dating, Moving, Work, Marriage, and Children whether they are good choices or not isn't for me to decide but they have been the cause of losing that ability to relate. 

The longer we live the more life decisions we make whether good or bad (because we are not perfect) those decisions shape our lives and will either draw us towards the Lord or away from Him. I challenge you to think about that in your own lives. Can you see how decisions have pulled you away from the Lord and friends and how other decisions have been beneficial to those relationships. 

OH HOW HE LOVES US. 

HE IS JEALOUS FOR ME

HIS LOVE IS LIKE A HURRICANE 

I AM A TREE

BENDING BENEATH THE WEIGHT

OF HIS WIND AND MERCY

WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN 

I AM UNAWARE

 OF THESE AFFLICTIONS 

ECLIPSED BY GLORY

AND I REALISE 

JUST HOW BEAUTIFUL 

YOU ARE AND HOW GREAT 

YOUR AFFECTIONS ARE FOR ME 

OH HOW HE LOVES US OH

OH HOW HE LOVES US

HOW HE LOVES US OH

WE ARE HIS PORTION 

AND HE IS OUR PRIZE

DRAWN TO REDEMPTION 

BY THE GRACE IS HIS EYES

IF GRACE IS AN OCEAN 

WE'RE ALL SINKING

AND HEAVEN MEETS EARTH 

LIKE A UNFORSEEN KISS 

AND MY HEART TURNS VIOLENTLY

 INSIDE OF MY CHEST

I DON'T HAVE TIME TO MAINTAIN

 THESE REGRETS WHEN 

I THINK ABOUT THE WAY… 

HE LOVES US! 

WOO HOO!!!!!!! 

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is coming up, I am so excited for this holiday. I think it is one of my favourites. We are having lots of family over, lots of food and I expect lots of laughing!

I am thankful that John and Shirley Bennett are coming from chicago
I am thankful that Emilee is coming from Ottawa
I am thankful that Luc and Rebecca are coming from Calgary
I am thankful that Mom and Dad are coming from Ft. Mcmurray
I am thankful that Patti and James are coming from Rimbey
I am thankful that it will be a full house for the weekend! … I might need to escape saturday for a bit of solitude though… :)

I have so many things to be thankful for. The Lord answered my prayers and has extended my job until christmas. I will be pruning the field trees at the nursery until then, Which means I don't have to get another job before my trip.

That is another answer to prayer. I have been wanting to return to Hawaii. Well, God is sending me again. I am going back as a volunteer for 3 months and my sister (another answered prayer) is applying to come along. Her agreement and feeling lead to go to Hawaii was my confirmation. I will be mission building from january 16- april 16. If you want to come visit… I'd love to see any of you there!

Another answer to prayer is that my Jeep has been stalling and it went to the mechanic today (thanks to mom and dad's good timing) and it's just spark plugs and crossed wires… The poor jeep is getting a little old. it's about time some things were replaced.

I am also thankful for fall. I love this weather. I love scarves, mitts, toques and the fallen leaves. I am so thankful for my family and my friends… who live all over the Canada and the world. I miss you all!

I am thankful for the ladies at work and the relationships I am building with them, it will be sad not to see them for most of the winter… but spring will be a sweet sweet reunion!

I am so very thankful for the blood of Jesus that restores my relationship with him. I am so thankful that He loved me so much that he painfully spilt his blood to save me from my own self and sin. I am thankful that he shows him love to me, through relationships, orchestrated meetings and timing, sunsets, northern lights, blue herons landing on the creek behind the green house, moose wandering through a field, Geese collecting and flying south. I am so Thankful that he cares and knows me enough to give me those gifts!

I am thankful!!

No Worries

I had an awesome opportunity to go and drive a combine at a farm by Wainwright. It was a sweet chance to taste the life of a farmer. Paul and Laura Ford opened their house and fields to me. I wasn't at their house long but I know that I am made for country life and it was refreshing to my spirit to be out of the city. I drove a quad, combine, the grain truck, had a nap under the old pine trees… and I just had to climb one of them… It was a wonderful day! 

this is the canola that I harvested from the field! 

Live with no worries… God is the master of all! watch this video and think about the struggles and challenges that you have and how God is being glorified through them! 

Makai Roan Poff.

I would like to introduce you to my new cousin/nephew.  Meet Makai Roan Poffenroth. 

My dear cousin Anni gave birth september 14th to a beautiful strong and hairy young man. Anni and I have been best buds since we were 4, Makai is more than a cousin… He is more like a nephew. 

God is so sweet. Anni was due last Tuesday so I, and many others have been anxiously anticipating the arrival of this young man. The Lord arranged it amazingly. My day off was Wednesday, if Makai hadn't have come, labor would have been induced wednesday at 11 am. which means no baby until wednesday evening. But the Lord decided that it was important for me to be there, so Makai came at 4:00 wednesday morning. I was able to spend almost the whole day snuggling with him and chatting with Anni. What an incredible blessing. 

Makai is Hawaiian for Matthew, Gift from God. He is that! He is a blessing and a reminder of God's faithfulness, love and grace. God is so good to us. I can't wait to hug and kiss this little guy again. He is beautiful, and I am excited to watch him grow up and laugh with him, spoil him, challenge him and hopefully one day climb trees with him. :) 

It is amazing how this baby fits into my Hawaii life. Anni skyped me my first week in Hawaii to tell me that she was pregnant, we had many conversations about hawaii since I have returned and now that I'm thinking of going back to hawaii, for him to have a hawaiian name seems to fit so perfectly. (i know it is not all about me though… Anni has her own reasons why she chose the name).