June *BLINK* December

Sabbatical Adventures

It has been a whirlwind of 6 months. So time for a recap.

At the end of August we got to enjoy the local rodeo. I spent the day with my dad taking in the horse shows, show barns and indulging in ice cream.

September

I spent September with friends in Edmonton. I stayed with this family during my last 6 month stint 5 years ago. I've been watching these kiddos grow up and it is hard to believe they are already 6&7! 

One of the goals during my sabbatical was to take time and find rest and sit at the feet of Jesus. I decided to take a walk through the river valley in Edmonton. It is surprisingly quiet in this part of the city and I enjoyed having long talks with the Lord. I had one conversation in my travels about the ups and downs and decisions I needed to make and the things I love and I looked down to see a leaf smiling at me. It is the little things sometimes that remind you that God has things in control.

October

In October we celebrated Thanksgiving with the whole family. My older brother won't be able to make it home for Christmas this year so we had the big family meal together and took family photos at Thanksgiving.

Travelling to USA

At the end of October I took a trip down south to visit friends in California and Oregon. It was great catching up with friends that I hadn't seen in decades and it was such a blessing and encouragement to just sit on a couch and spend time together. I didn't take many pictures as more time was spent enjoying the company. 

In California I got to experience trader Joes, help out at a community Fall fair event, enjoy In-N-Out and spend lots of time with my friend's dog Swayze.

In Portland I got to visit my college roommate and her husband, and meet her family of 4 girls! Also got to visit her brother in-law and his wife that I also knew from college. Great to catch up with old friends.

November

November brought Remembrance Day. I was able to attend our local ceremony which was a blessing to be a part of. Taking time to remember those who fought and are fighting in wars is a special past time.

End of November we got our first snow. We got our tree from the bush and put it in a bucket outside ready to bring it in the first week of December.

I managed to make a trip down to Kamloops to visit some dear friends and do some downtown shopping and sight seeing.

December

December brings very busy times including our church's big production of the Bethlehem nativity called Bethlehem Star. We put up a giant circus tent and transform it into the streets of what we Westerners imagine Biblical times to look like. I am sure we are way off from the actual experience of walking the streets of Bethlehem 2000 years ago. However, it is a great time to work together as a church family and share the gospel message of the love of Jesus with the local community.

My dad has been helping with the tent raising since the beginning in 2009 and he declares this is his last year being the foreman. So I helped him create an instructional manual for future tent raisings to be done with out his supervision. 

I also got myself roped in to doing overnight security to make sure the tent stayed safe. It was just our luck that was the night it snowed all night long, and we were on sweeping duty to keep the inches of snow off from weighing down the tent and causing damage. Memories were made.

I also got to be involved in the play production that was done with puppets. We did  55 shows over the weekend. I was playing Mary during the scene when Gabriel comes to tell her she will be having a baby.

Canadian Past Times

Nothing says Canada like Tim Hortons and hockey! Both my nephews play hockey and I got to go a number of times to cheer them on. I love watching the little guys on the ice as they learn to control the puck and stay upright. It has been a joy to spend time with family.

Getting Older

So with age comes deterioration of the body. My eyesight has had issues with double vision which started to become more obvious a couple years ago. Apparently my eyes have a tendency not to cooperate and go off and do their own thing. It has increasingly gotten worse so I am now seeing a specialist to address the issue. It will mean some therapy and hard work to retrain my brain and strengthen my eye muscles. Thankfully since covid they have developed ways to do the therapy remotely and I can do my sessions online. Prayers that the therapy will be helpful and successful.

Christmas is Coming!

We are gearing up to Christmas and looking forward to spending more time with family and participating in family traditions. My Mom's birthday is on Saturday so we will be going up the mountain to do some snow shoeing. All our snow from November has melted and it is doubtful we will have a white Christmas which makes me quite sad. But we will see.

Going Home

I leave to return to Prague on January 3rd. I've been homesick the past few weeks seeing all the videos of the markets and Christmas programs and events. I am looking forward to going "home"!

Home is kind of a relative term. I have enjoyed being home and I look forward to going home. For me, home is where the people are. I have many types of family. My related family, my church family, my Prague family, my TeachBeyond family. So for me home is where my family is and I have family all over!

Sabbatical Lessons

 Come and Find Rest

Intentionally resting can be hard especially when one feels lazy when they are doing nothing. However, sometimes taking the time to do nothing is actually doing something. There is a reason God rested on the 7th day. Not that he needed to but because it is something we should do. 

I have been learning how to find rest and renew my desire to hear God's voice and follow him. Often in life we can get so caught up in doing things we forget how to be. To be in the presence of the Lord. To find rest in him and to cast our burdens and our cares. This life, in light of eternity, is a drop in the bucket. 

I have been reading through the book of John and I'm currently meditating on John 10:1-5. 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."

Every time I read scripture something new speaks to me. This time two phrases grabbed me.
To follow and to know His voice. 

Sometimes I long to hear God's audible voice. To hear him speak direction clearly. Go here, do this. I am learning how to hear when God speaks. Sometimes it is the simple things and the little things. I went for a walk along some trails and was talking to the Lord about my life and made a comment about something I loved and then saw this leaf smiling at me.

To hear his voice is more than words, thoughts or feelings. It is to be in his presence, to draw close to him. I left the field dry and weary in a way that reading the word of God was a chore and praying even more so; something on my check list I had to do, rather than desiring to do. 

I have been learning what it means to hear his voice and know the shepherd.

My life currently is in limbo. The door of possibilities is wide open and knowing which way to go seems vast and uncertain. I am learning to take each step slowly and enjoy the journey. Not all answers are needed immediately.

Setting off into Summer

TeachBeyond Orientation 2025

In June, I went to Wheaton College, near Chicago, to attend our new member orientation for TeachBeyond. This was a wonderful opportunity to hear the stories of new team members as they prepared to go to the field. It was an encouraging time to see all that God is doing around the world. To put faces to the names I read in the all emails that I receive. It has been 14 years since my first orientation and it was helpful to learn about all the changes and new procedures.

There were in attendance:

• 29 children of new members 10 staff kids - total of 39 in the TCK (third culture kid) program, 
• 68 Orientation participants (59 of those are CANUSA candidates, 3 are spouses, 2 are associates or seconded partners, the others are somewhere in the application process) who will be serving in 20 countries
• 73 staff including youth volunteers

I got to help with a core group and walk with them through this journey as they prepared to go to different parts of Europe. We played some games and made connections. Praying for this amazing team of people as they prepare for the adventures ahead of them.

TRR - Tax Related Relocation

In order to comply with tax requirements and to keep my Canadian residency I need to return to Canada for a minimum of 6 months every 5 years. Amazing that has already been 5 years since my last 6 month stay in 2020. I will be mostly in BC with a few visits planned to Alberta and the U.S.

Family Time

Came back to Canada in time to celebrate my Dad's 75th birthday and then my nephews 8th birthday. We took a family trip up to northern Alberta to do some fishing and stay with some friends of my brother. Caught some fish and did some fish fry. Got to visit a friend in Grande Prairie on our way through and stopped off at my Uncle's on the way home. Got to see a good part of the beautiful countryside. 

What's Next?

Currently I am on sabbatical for July, August and September. It will be a time to relax, recoup and refocus. I already have a trip planned to Edmonton for most of September. I also am planning a trip down to Oregon and California in October to see some friends. There will be visits to multiple places in B.C. while I am here.

What about your teaching job?

I have turned over my grade one teaching position to another teacher. I will be returning in January and will be continuing as head of the elementary department and filling in the holes where needed. There are a lot of unknowns at this point as to what God has in store. Waiting to see which doors will open next.