Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Dear Dada!
First of all I want to give you a big hug! That airplane that you are always on, if anyone asks, is sure keeping you away for a long, long time. Mama says you will come home soon, on Saturday I think, but I really don't know how long away that is! It seems like a long time though, but you probably miss us too, and Mama says it always helps if I send you some stories and pictures of us. Since you've been gone, we've been busy! Almost everyday we go to the park and that is my favorite thing to do, besides swimming of course, and we do that too!
Mama always lets me ride my little bike to the park and I love that! Halfway there I make her carry it because my legs get tired from pushing it, but I'm sure she doesn't mind. I haven't figured out how to push the peddles yet and I actually don't plan to either. I like just pushing with my feet, so what's wrong with that right? This whole week Auntie Esther has been staying with us as well, and that is very fun Dad! You should see all the candy she brought along from Holland! Dutch candy is the best! When no one is looking I carefully open her bedroom door and sneak a few into my pocket! Mommy always catches me, so now I've learned a new word because Mama says no "stealing!" On Friday when Mommy, Auntie Esther and I went to the park again, I learned some new tricks. See, there is this embankment with grass and if I take my bike straight down I go very fast!! It is so fun! I did fall off the bike a couple times, but it was worth it!
I can't wait to show you when you get back! Here is a picture of Mommy and Auntie Esther too, isn't it nice?
Finally, after all these pictures of me, I thought I would include one of Mommy especially for you Dad!
Can't wait to see you soon!
Love Jayden
Big hugs XOXO
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Mama always lets me ride my little bike to the park and I love that! Halfway there I make her carry it because my legs get tired from pushing it, but I'm sure she doesn't mind. I haven't figured out how to push the peddles yet and I actually don't plan to either. I like just pushing with my feet, so what's wrong with that right? This whole week Auntie Esther has been staying with us as well, and that is very fun Dad! You should see all the candy she brought along from Holland! Dutch candy is the best! When no one is looking I carefully open her bedroom door and sneak a few into my pocket! Mommy always catches me, so now I've learned a new word because Mama says no "stealing!" On Friday when Mommy, Auntie Esther and I went to the park again, I learned some new tricks. See, there is this embankment with grass and if I take my bike straight down I go very fast!! It is so fun! I did fall off the bike a couple times, but it was worth it!
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I can't wait to show you when you get back! Here is a picture of Mommy and Auntie Esther too, isn't it nice?
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Finally, after all these pictures of me, I thought I would include one of Mommy especially for you Dad!
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Can't wait to see you soon!
Love Jayden
Big hugs XOXO
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Rebuilding the Wall
Jason called yesterday to let me know that the crumbled wall surrounding our property has been rebuilt! Although it doesn't look quite the same as it did before the earthquake, it looks much better then right after and we are very thankful! Especially since this is one of the requirements that needs to be met before Jayden and I can return to Haiti. Here are the before and after photos.
Before the earthquake.
After the earthquake.
Now.
Before the earthquake.
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After the earthquake.
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Now.
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Monday, March 15, 2010
I Will Sing of His Love Forever
People continue to ask how I am doing after the traumatic earthquake we experienced in Haiti and all the upheaval in our lives since then and I want to take a little time now and share with you my heart.
What I write now flows from within. I can’t help but write this. I can’t stop from praising God. I have a Father in Heaven who holds my hand, who supplies every need before I even remember to ask, who lovingly tells me to cast my burden upon Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
I am really a private person, but for some reason whenever I write, starting from the day we arrived in Haiti, I was never able to keep my thoughts, feeling and emotions out of my writing. So when I found out after the earthquake, through google analytics, that there were 5,000 people a day reading the blog in 90 countries around the world, I had mixed feelings. Half of me started to feel proud, I was famous wasn’t I? And the other part of me felt exposed, as if somehow, at the click of a button, the whole world had peaked into my heart.
Since then God has taught me so much! Like I said, God knows what we need before we even ask or when we don’t even know ourselves exactly what we need. To start out with, I needed a good dosage of humbleness. Several weeks scrubbing toilets and bathrooms at school was just the right prescription to put my feet back on the ground. A celebrity to a janitor all in a matter of days. Now that I am humble, He wants me to praise Him, so that the whole world, at a click of a button, can see how great He truly is.
That is my true purpose.
How can I praise Him? By telling you about what He has done in my life moment by moment and day by day. The day I knew my job was done at the school a flicker of worry ignited in my heart. What now? Would there be something else I could do to help supplement our income, fill the time that Jason was away, and that would allow me to have Jayden with me? Not even 10 minutes later the phone rang and I was offered a babysitting job, three days a week where I was able take Jayden with me. I hadn’t even thought of praying yet, but as soon as the phone rang I knew that He had provided. That’s how loving a God we serve. He knows better than we do what we need. He provides before we even think of asking. He loves us when we don’t deserve to be loved. He tells us time and again to give Him our worries, our sorrows, our uncertainties and in exchange he gives us peace, joy and hope. God didn’t stop after giving us the greatest gift of all, His Son on the cross to die for our sins, no, He continues to provide for us day by day and moment by moment.
Is it really possible that we would have a home completely furnished with everything we need in a couple of days? Yes, because everything was provided by God through people around us. Someone asked me today “Is there anything you still need? And I could honestly answer “No”. God has truly provided everything far beyond what I could hope or imagine! You know why? Because with God nothing is impossible.
He even turns what looks like bad things in our lives into good. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose". Humanly speaking it’s not a good situation having Jason gone three weeks at a time, and having very little communication with him while he is away. It could easily feel like we are living two separate lives and that this would make us grow apart. But God has used this to increase our love, respect and value for each other, and to treasure the times we have. He has used this to make our relationship with each other stronger and to teach us more about Himself. With God, I never feel lonely, even though I am alone.
When I first became a Christian, I didn’t want to tell anyone because I was afraid I couldn’t live without the love and approval of everyone around me. Since then I’ve come to learn that that the only One I can’t live without is God and I will sing of His love forever.
What I write now flows from within. I can’t help but write this. I can’t stop from praising God. I have a Father in Heaven who holds my hand, who supplies every need before I even remember to ask, who lovingly tells me to cast my burden upon Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
I am really a private person, but for some reason whenever I write, starting from the day we arrived in Haiti, I was never able to keep my thoughts, feeling and emotions out of my writing. So when I found out after the earthquake, through google analytics, that there were 5,000 people a day reading the blog in 90 countries around the world, I had mixed feelings. Half of me started to feel proud, I was famous wasn’t I? And the other part of me felt exposed, as if somehow, at the click of a button, the whole world had peaked into my heart.
Since then God has taught me so much! Like I said, God knows what we need before we even ask or when we don’t even know ourselves exactly what we need. To start out with, I needed a good dosage of humbleness. Several weeks scrubbing toilets and bathrooms at school was just the right prescription to put my feet back on the ground. A celebrity to a janitor all in a matter of days. Now that I am humble, He wants me to praise Him, so that the whole world, at a click of a button, can see how great He truly is.
That is my true purpose.
How can I praise Him? By telling you about what He has done in my life moment by moment and day by day. The day I knew my job was done at the school a flicker of worry ignited in my heart. What now? Would there be something else I could do to help supplement our income, fill the time that Jason was away, and that would allow me to have Jayden with me? Not even 10 minutes later the phone rang and I was offered a babysitting job, three days a week where I was able take Jayden with me. I hadn’t even thought of praying yet, but as soon as the phone rang I knew that He had provided. That’s how loving a God we serve. He knows better than we do what we need. He provides before we even think of asking. He loves us when we don’t deserve to be loved. He tells us time and again to give Him our worries, our sorrows, our uncertainties and in exchange he gives us peace, joy and hope. God didn’t stop after giving us the greatest gift of all, His Son on the cross to die for our sins, no, He continues to provide for us day by day and moment by moment.
Is it really possible that we would have a home completely furnished with everything we need in a couple of days? Yes, because everything was provided by God through people around us. Someone asked me today “Is there anything you still need? And I could honestly answer “No”. God has truly provided everything far beyond what I could hope or imagine! You know why? Because with God nothing is impossible.
He even turns what looks like bad things in our lives into good. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose". Humanly speaking it’s not a good situation having Jason gone three weeks at a time, and having very little communication with him while he is away. It could easily feel like we are living two separate lives and that this would make us grow apart. But God has used this to increase our love, respect and value for each other, and to treasure the times we have. He has used this to make our relationship with each other stronger and to teach us more about Himself. With God, I never feel lonely, even though I am alone.
When I first became a Christian, I didn’t want to tell anyone because I was afraid I couldn’t live without the love and approval of everyone around me. Since then I’ve come to learn that that the only One I can’t live without is God and I will sing of His love forever.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Time Really Does Fly!
I pull my socks off and rub my feet gently across the carpeted floor. It feels amazing! So nice in fact I can’t help but sit and then all resistance crumbles and I lower myself down and stretch out. Seeing this a giggling Jayden comes running towards me and launches himself at me. I put my arms out just in time as he lands on top of me with a muffled thump. I hug him close and we have a tickle war. A few minutes later, the burst of energy fades and holding his little, not so white anymore blanket close, he snuggles besides me on the carpet close to the fireplace. “Mama go to sleep,” he says and obligingly I close my eyes. The friendly warmth of the fire wraps around me and with Jayden’s little hand tucked in mine sleep doesn’t seem so improbable after all. My thoughts wander to the last two weeks and I still can’t believe they’ve flown by so fast. It’s 8:00 p.m. and we’ve just returned home from dropping Jason off at the Bellingham airport. Was it really two weeks ago already that I had picked him up there? Snapshots of memories made flash through my mind. Moving to our own place and making it feel homey,
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swimming at the Leisure Centre,
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a special weekend with Jason in Victoria,
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Reading books to Jayden, snuggling on the couch, eating dinner at our own table, talking for hours, and just enjoying the time we had together as a family.
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Joy and thankfulness at God’s goodness fills my heart as I stare into the flickering flames of the fireplace. All thoughts and worries about the unknown future are gone. He cares for us, why should I worry?
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