My how time flys

Who knew time could fly by so quickly...2007 seems like ages ago and well I guess it was seeing as it is now 2010. It is amazing and sad to think that I have now been back in Canada for as long as I was down in Honduras. I do miss being down there, and the adventures that come with living abroad, but I have also enjoyed living closer to home. Having the chance to spend some extended time with my sister and her clan has been awesome. They are growing in leaps and bounds it feels like. Each one very unique and entertaining in their own way.
I will have to put up some pictures soon after I do a more serious update, but for now this will let any followers know that I am still alive up here in the north.

I'm living in Gravenhurst now and working at an outdoor education centre for a private school that is in Mississauga. I have been busy traveling around for that as there are times when I have to commute to mississauga to be a supply teacher...not one of my favourite parts of the job but it did allow me to reconnect with some long lost cousins and family friends. God does provide blessings amongst the frustrations of jobs.

Well this is short for now but I will see what I can do about trying to keep it a little more current...maybe I'll even make it back on Matt's (my bro in law) blog. Have to see on that one.

wow what a summer

Wow, I can't believe my last post I was still in Honduras. Ok so its been quite a while..I appoligize to all my faithful readers, but honestly those that are faithful know that sometimes I go in spurts...with sometimes long breaks in between. Neways my excuse is that I haven't had much internet pretty much all summer. Very quick email checks here and there as I travelled around the countyside. I had an amazing summer where I was able to go out with amy to visit my favourite Chris Bakker in calgary, where we got to check out the Stampede and travel through the Rockies(ahhhh breathtaking!!), and then hang out in Vancouver (with Kathern and melodee) and Washington for Trina's wedding (oh such a beautiful day it was)- then to Gurnee to stay with my sister's family (3 very cute nephews) - all of which took up over 3 weeks of my summer - totally awsome experience though. As for the rest of my summer I won't bore you with more of the fun details heheh but it was full of hanging out with family and visiting more friends. I am so blessed, Really!
Neways this is a post to update you on where I am now and what I am doing this year. Well long story short I am leaving tomorrow morning to head up to camp Medeba (in West Guilford, Ontario, near Haliburton for those who know a bit of ontario) where I will be participating in their Leadership Development program. I am super excited about this opportunity, especially since it looks like the program was designed with me in mind;) It is 10 months full of adventure skills like rock and ice climbing, high and low ropes, kayaking, canoeing, back country skiing, snowshoeing and more. Along with all those amazing activities I will be challenged in my spiritual walk with God as well. I am very excited to have someone lead and help me to learn more about who I am in Christ and really push me to think, ask questions, and look deeper all the while keeping me accountable to my goals set for the year. I am really pumped to see what God has planned for this year, especially as I have already seen Him answer prayers with regards to financial help for me to be able to take this course. God truely is SO GOOD!
if you would like to get a better outlook on what i'm doing this year go to www.medeba.com and look up LDP 10 month course.

I will have internet while I am there so i will try to get some pics up from this summer as well as from the many back country trips I will be going on this year.
Thankyou so much for all your continued prayers. To my family in Honduras I miss you all!! But am really glad to hear you found a pe teacher for my girls :) Hallaluiah!!
Please also remember my friend Laura Trigg as she just lost her mother very suddenly this week to blog clots that were in her brain. The funeral was on saturday and I don't know if her mom was a believer or not so please keep Laura and her family in your prayers. She has a lot to deal with now as she is her mom's executor as well. So many decisions!

Time for bed, right after I give my blog a new and appropriate name....

Bitter Sweet

So I am going to have to change my blog name pretty soon. I can't believe how quickly my time down here is coming to a close (temporarily of course). We have 2 work days left...which seem like the longests days ever being that there is only a few things left to do after working the last half of last week. That leaves us with hanging out and putting off the inevitable goodbyes that I have already had to start doing :( I really don't like goodbyes..but I think I'd dislike NOT saying goodbye even more. The bitter sweet is that I am really looking forward to going home and seeing my family again...and also going out to visit my friend Chris in Calgary. Its been over a year since i've seen her. We're planning to check out the Calgary stampede and camp in BC/Alberta somewhere on our road trip to Lyndon, Washington.

Neways today we had our final staff send off breakfast. It was quite nice, and I didn't cry :) actually laughed b/c my wonderful principal has such a great sense of humour lol....I think he cracked at least 5 short jokes in the span of a 2 min intro before giving me my appreciation gift. I felt very loved and appreicated today, even with the short jokes :) I am really going to miss being down here. I have had the opportunity to make some truely AMAZING friends who I will miss VERY much!

here are some pictures from lately....there are more on http://www.facebook.com/ check them out.

This would be a typical A1 Family photo. A1 just won't be the same I am going to miss being a part of the A1 family!

Who says I can never be taller than Priest lol

Cosetta and I. I am going to miss our chats :( but we shall have them online now thanks to gmail and facebook!

Best Prom Date Ever !! Even if I did have to share him lol

Leader of the I hate Canada Group...however I think we have finally one him over. He's going to miss us just as much as I'm going to miss his constant harassment :) Congratz Chris

Ya this picture pretty much sums up our friendship....Going to miss you Kevin.

And this photo totally sums up just how crazy Brian is and how it is never a dull moment when he is around. Jen you are awsome, glad to have taught with you this year. Good luck next year.

This would be Big P (as kyle would say) in a phone booth. How cool is our principal. Elizabeth and Dan you will be missed forsure.

And you thought our principal was cool....this is our superintendant :) The staff down here rocks! I'm praying for you and yourr family Mr Smith as you morn the loss of your dad.

Erin good luck next year..help keep the sanity down here :)

Melissa and Amy our hard core beach v-ball team....hehe we sure surprised ourselves! What a blast!

My CCI Family.

Zacapa's you have given me so much, in so many different ways these past 3 years. I thankyou and love you so much and can't wait to have you up to Canada!!

Another awsome family is the Mattica's. John I am going to miss those awsome bear hugs and your unbelievable faithfulness to Our Lord Jesus Christ. You and Andriana both have been a huge encouragment to me and I am really going to miss you guys.

Juan-Jose our drummer who has one level....loud heheh..but we love him neways.

Roberto, you have been so faithful to this ministry over the years. You are an amazing person and I will miss you.

And of course Major Eddie Ortiz, we have all learned so much from you this year. Your dedication and love for Christ is an encouragment and challenge to me. I will miss you!

How time flys!

Beauitful Honduran Countryside

So I am quickly coming to the realization that the year is very quickly winding down. Which is very scary b/c it is my final year down here. I am finding it very stressful trying to keep up with present day stuff while trying to figure out future stuff like what the heck I'm going to do when I get home. As I travel around town down here on the bus to and from our v-ball games I find myself thinking about how strange it will be to not see guards carrying guns or walls with razor wire or the people selling fruit in the middle of the roads. All of these things and many more have become so 'everyday' to me and I can't imagine yet not being able to look out over the beautiful city during the day, or the amazing city lights at nite as we drive up or down the mountain. I am really going to miss being down here, especially when I think about the amazing friendships I have made. I am so thankful for the people God has put in my life, as He always knows just what and who we need.
Today I decided to take a me day. I have been so exhausted lately and I know that I still have work to get done however I wanted to just advantage of a beautiful sat to relax and visit people I won't have the advantage of 'popping over to see' in a few short weeks. So I popped over to visit Jonathan and Cossetta (my principal and his wife) and their 2 kids. One advantage to being in a smaller christian private school is that you get to know your collegues very well, including your administration. I am very much going to miss this! During our visit today I found out that Jonathan's back has not gotten any better, and he just found out that he does infact have a couple herniated discs again. He's had previous surgery to fix the problem, however it looks like he is going to have to have surgery again sometime in aug. Please pray for him, that he would not continue to be in pain, especially during the summer as he is completing his masters. Also that the Lord would put His healing hand on his back that the surgery would not be needed, that the Lord would work a miracle and make him good as new :) I am continually encouraged by their faithfulness and love for Christ, as it overflows into all areas of their lives.

I also want to give a shout out to my Mommy as its mothers day tomorrow :) I am glad to hear that she is one pin less in her ankle and one pin closer to being able to actually walk normally again. It truely is crazy how one little slip can take soooo long to recover from. I am thankful for the attitude my mom has maintained throughout this trial, she continues to see this whole ordeal as a blessing from God to help her put her life in perspective, and prepare her for retirement.

On another medical note I want to thank all of you who were praying for my Grampa's recovery as it has gone very well. I talked to him just the other nite and I am so excited to hear how much better he sounds. He has nowed offically moved into Pathways (a retirement home in Sault Ste Marie) and it is perfect for him. He is loving being there as he gets 3 full meals a day (that he doesn't have to think about preparing) and there are lots of different activities to do and many people around to visit. I can't wait to get home to visit him and I am so thankful to hear how much happier he sounds. God is so good.

Alrighty well kind of a random update but its been 2 months so I figured random was better than nothing. I will have to write more soon as I'm sure I will have some fun stories to tell about my birthday :) heheh always fun times down here.

ok well until next week....

Here are a few pictures from the ABSH v-ball tournie in San Pedro Sula couple weeks ago.

Me trying to give a pep talk....some are actually listening ;)

Go PUMA"S!!

Kevin took this shot...so cool how it turned out so I had to share it!

Thank goodness for road side tire places. It would have taken us FOREVER to change our bus tire if it weren't for that wonderful little airgun thing...look at all those bolts!

Brian just couldn't resist he had to try it out!

Common site on the side of the highway.

Clouds are breaking up....

So what a week it has been, very draining but also uplifting. This past weekend we had an amazing student retreat...the students really were challenged and so was I. Just listening to our students open up on the saturday nite to share what was really on their hearts was amazing! I am so excited to see what God is doing in some of these kids. It is weekends like this one that really makes all the other stresses we go through feel worth while. We have some pretty amazing students here I am so proud of them.
Here is the group that went this past weekend, along with my amazing senior girls who were in my cabin along with my name twin Haidy :) Which is heidi in spanish :)

An update on Grampa is that he is doing wonderful on his recovery. His words to my dad were "this is the place for me and i'm eating all the food in site" He has moved into a retirement home for the next couple weeks so that he can be monitored and they can help him recuperate. I am very greatful for all your prayers. My mom is recuping at home now but she is in need of increasing her arm and leg strength to help her get herself around the house without using her right leg. Please continue to keep her and my dad in your prayers. It is also their birthdays.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAD (tomorrow) and MOM (Sat) and it is her 60th :) if you are close to home stop by and say hello for me :)

ok need to get some rest so signing off for now..

When it rains it Pours!

Well it has been a very busy month of february and apparenlty this has been the month of sickness and injury for my family and friends back home. I know God is in control of ALL aspects of my life but it is during times like this that I feel so challenged to fully trust and rely on him. I feel so small and helpless being so far away, but I know that prayer is my biggest weapon right now. I would really appreciate prayer for the following situations:

1. My Grampa - his surgery to remove the cancerous tumor in his colon was a success, but his road to recovery is slow going. He is in need of gaining some seriously weight back, but another praise is that he is going to be moved to a retirement home (for a few weeks) on tues so they will hopefully be able to keep a close watch on his recovery.

2. My Mom - she just dislocated and fractured her ankle this morning in the driveway. She is going to be having surgery tomorrow to put a plate and some screws in her ankle. Pray for her patience, pain relief and quick healing.

3. My Aunt Jean and Uncle Bob - my aunt jean was recently hospitalized for severe weak spells and it has progressed into Alzimers. They are wanting to send her home but my uncle bob is not able to take care of her b/c she needs 24 hour care..as she has been wandering at night and such. Please pray they will find a suitable solution for all involved.

4. My bro-in-law Matt - he just got out of the hospital yesterday as he had an abcyst in his throat and it turns out that he was diagnosed with Mono. He is back at home now with a cocktail of steroids and drugs to help bring him back to health but he is going to need to take it easy for a while. So please pray also for my sister Naomi as she has been feeling very run down lately (getting cold sores) and she having to take care of both my nephews and matt while making a baby ;) Pray she gets the rest she needs too.

5. Helen Burmaster and Mary Scheleau who are elderly family friends who ended up in the hospital at the same time as my grampa. Helen for serious heart trouble and Mary for a bad fall down her stairs. Pray for strength and healing.

and last but certainly not least...and possibly most of all
6. My Super Dad who has become the hospital babysitter for the past 3 weeks. He has been trying to juggle all of these situations up north, well trying to work via phone calls and such, and now he is driving home to oshawa to take care of my mom. Please pray that GM will offer him a decent retirement package this month so he can at least be done with that part and will take a bit of stress off of him.

Thankyou in advance for all of your prayers. I know that God is SO much BIGGER than any of the things that we could even imagine up and I am so very thankful for that.
Tomorrow is a new day and I am ready for a new day so bed is a must right now. I'll try to keep you all updated on these various health journies.

Lots going on!

Wow so its been a while again i'm sorry, but things have been so busy lately with teaching, soccer, volleyball and home. My list of things to get done is seemingly NEVER ending but i'm trying not to let that get me too overwhelmed. We had a full weekend of muisc practice, going to valle and church. Like amy said we both found a number of things that we would like to get from Valle before we leave. I bit the bullet and bought a painting that I have wanted since my first trip to Valle 3 years ago. I love it, so full of colour and I am really glad that I decided to go for it and not do without it. I'll have to take a picture of it so you can all see it.

This week is a shorter one because we have our teacher retreat and I am excited for an excuse to not do any work on the weekend. THen monday will be spent celebrating Amy's birthday and getting ready for the next week. Our soccer teams will be leaving that week for San Pedro as well but sadly my team didn't qualify so we won't be going :( We do get to go for Volleyball though...just hope my team pulls together and gives their all!

Here are a couple of my favourite pictures from Caving...which was totally AMAZING!!! Nowhere that i've ever been would ever have allowed me to play and explore around like i was able to do in that cave. We made our own way out :) so awsome! We had a great trip...7 girls, most of which I have never been able to travel with so that was cool in its self. It was also one of my cheapest vacations too. Bus there....$10.....Food....$7.....Total expenses $34.....Entire weekend Priceless!!

neways here are some picts hopefully they upload.

Our Fearless Leader

One of the houses on the trail to the caves...very primative

The hourses/donkeys that carry all the supplies to the village 3 hours into the jungle.

Me in the mouth of the cave

This was as we were heading down into the mouth...carrying all the waterbottles and thought i'd pose for a chaco commercial :)

Here is our group after we finished and found our way out of the cave :)

THe giant tree in the center of Catacamas