Holiday Time - Neuhorst Style

Christmas this year was so laid back. Big blessings. Walking in my parents village, Neuhorst, candlelight service with the Thiessens, and sacrificial gifts of love from my father. The coolest gifts are the homemade ones. The coolest gifts are the times when your baby nephews take your hand. "Uppy! Uppy! Please!" "Come play, Uncle Lisa!" (That's right, Uncle Lisa, its a term of endearment). I love being with my family, having my husband sitting beside me. I love eating all of the food my Mom and Barb have spent days preparing. I love watching Ray's parents shower all four of their grandsons with love. I love watching my Mom scoop up Alex when he enters her radar. And watching the boys diving into the spoils of Christmas, the love, not the gifts. This love is from our powerful Christ

"And the government will be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace..."

Happy Birthday Megan!!!

BBQ Meatballs and other blessings...

The sweet smell of Barb Worthington's BBQ meatball recipe is wafting in my nose as I write this. We are about to bring supper to Charity and her boys. Ray and I have truly had our socks blessed off this past week. Last thursday was our scavenger hunt at the BP Banister Christmas Party which was so rad. I will put up a slide show of the pictures after. We had several particulars that we had to take pictures of. Its amazing how you get to know people by being forced to take embarassing pictures of each other...

Blessings...my sister gave her life to the Lord this week, so awesome. We pray that it is the real deal, and that the Lord will keep her standing firm in her faith. We celebrated Megan's 18th yesterday, quite fun, I must say, and the cheesecake my mother made was pretty much the narliest cheesecake I have ever had in my time. Yummers..

This past Saturday and Sunday...we had Laverne, the personnel person from SEND stay with our family and spend some time with us. It was really great to talk more about the possibilities that might be there with SEND. We are quite excited about the possibility of going to Far East Russia in the next two years, so as these processes continue, we pray and we get excited and we dream...

The job that is new and cushy

Praise God! I received a new job at J&H this weekend. I am now the receptionist. I love it; its challenging and new and a bit stressful but wonderful...and a total blessing from God. Plus I have a totally cushy chair, so my hip is doing the ramba, praise God! I will never take for granted the value of a good, solid, yet cushy chair.
Tonight we had Ray's work party; it was so much fun, we did a scavenger hunt and ate lots of wonderful food. I hope to show the pictures from the scavenger hunt and the next post, perhaps another slide show?

Greater is He Who Is In Me...

Well, after some gentle prompting (thanks Anna, ha ha), I thought that we should really update our blog. I was starting to think that nobody ever visited our blog site, except for us, due to the skim comments, so I had pretty much forgotten about it...anywhos, a little update...
we continue to work on our SEND applications, which is very difficult given that we have so little time after work and on the weekends, but we are trying to make it a priority. I have really been struggling with worry and feeling so cramped for time; like I have a never ending to-do list that I have made for myself. So God is saying to me, "Lisa, you are squeezing me out a little, I think you need to re-evaluate your priorities; let's talk". The enemy has been poking me with his little arrows of worry, anxiety, and doubt, but I remember, greater is He who is in me... The only way I can overcome these struggles is by giving them to my Saviour. Please pray for me if you read this.
God has also been doing some interesting things in our lives during this time. We are feeling that our tides are about to change a bit, and that we are on the cusp of something. God is constantly orchestrating for His glory, but we are feeling like something is cooking, and it is exciting. We are so excited about this process with SEND. And recently, my boss approached me with the possibility of a promotion and a very hip-friendly job, however, he needs someone long term. I told him that I didn't really know when we would be going overseas (we are looking to go with SEND soon, maybe the next one or two years). I am so glad that I was honest, even though he said the only reason I would not get the job would be because I would not be able to commit very much time. God will work it out for His glory, and I am trusting Him. Please pray for this.
In other news, we took some Christmas pics for Christmas cards...so much fun! We have really been enjoying our family and friends recently; we have marvelous parents, superb siblings, fabulous friends and quite arguably the most adorable nephews on the face of the planet. Life is good. God is great.

My New Old Haircut

Yesterday, Ray and I were very blessed to have a couple from SEND over for supper; Dale and Teresa Murray. It was very wonderful to hear their stories of how they came to the Lord, what God was doing in their lives, and how God brought them to SEND. God also spurred on a new excitement in both of us, and we were once again motivated to work on our SEND applications. We had been working on them already, but today, for instance, I just had a newfound motivation. I am almost done Application Part 2 and then I have to complete the Doctrinal Statement bit. Ray is nearly done as well.
In other news, I got a haircut today. Just a trim, a little off the bangs and the ends. I know, not too exciting, but at least I left the house! I think I am almost at that point where I make a rash decision and say, "Okay, I'm feeling jazzy today, let's cut it all off!" Time will tell, and if you see me walking about with short hair, you'll know what happened.

Well I have borken in

So apperently now I know the password and user name and my most wonderful wife does not. Apperently I think that makes me by default a not so wounderful husband. Onto to more interesting things, for example God's leading and teaching. As was reading in Jeremiah chapter 1 I came near the end of the chapter and God through this little bit on to the end of his assignment for Jeremiah.
Jer 1:17-19
17 "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land--against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. (from New International Version)
Ok how would you like God saying that to you today? God is essentially saying, "You think people are scary you haven't seen what I can do yet." It is interesting that our whole faith in God calls us to stop looking with our eyes at the physical world and see the true reality through that physical world. God takes creation and paints a very special picture one of himself. If we look at man and fear them we forget that we forget that there is a creator. A creator who has wiped out with one angle over 100 thousand soldiers in one night. That creator wants to be on our side. That creator can truelly terrify.
Yet God in his infinate wisdom choses to let us suffer as he let Jeremiah. Infact Jeremiah suffered so much as he served God that he came to the point that he thought God had tricked him. So I guess this is were I come in I have in the past thought God had tricked me. He let me get this job I thought to be alight there. Well maybe he did and maybe he didn't. Maybe he gave me a job to work hard at and to show that I am willing to work hard for him even if no one gets saved. Look at Moses God sent him to the desert for 40 years before he started saving anyone. Some how I got to thinking that since I had gone and gotten all this bible education God should use me more make me more bold for him. Yet it seems the opposite. It seems that he has used me less and made me less couragous. For what I say?
I'm begging to think maybe so that I would learn to say yes Lord, no matter the task no matter the work I will do it in your strength for your glory amen.
In Christ
Ray

Missions Celebration

Ray and I attended a Missions Celebration yesterday at Forest Grove Church. It was so encouraging to hear what God is doing all around the world! Particularly in North Africa, many lives are being changed. I always had this perception that North Africa and the Middle Eastern nations were the hardest to evangelize because of deep-seeded Islam. However, I was proven wrong and humbled, hearing stories of how thousands of men and women are coming to Christ in Algeria, because of media missions through MBMSI. Praise God!
This stirred our hearts that much more for the area that we would like to go, Far East Russia. Please pray for us as we apply with SEND International. Currently, I have completed Application Part 1 and we are both working on Application Part 2. It is a loooonnnngggg process.
In other news, I began my new job yesterday! I am a cashier at J & H Builders Warehouse now; I had to resign from Masters because the experiments were too much for me physically. But this job feels like it could be quite hip-friendly, and I am excited. God answered our prayer in that and we praise Him for it. We were also praising God yesterday because we just put new tires on our car, replacing the baldies that we were driving on before. I had to drive yesterday, and having those new triple tread babies on the car prevented me from my usual winter driving antics, such as getting stuck in many embarassing ways, and sliding around corners. Yes, praise God :).

$5 Christmas Tree

Yesterday Ray and I visited Mom and Andy in the thriving metropolis of Neuhorst, SK. We were in luck, Mom was making homemade macaroni and cheese! Mmm, so yummy. As usual, we were given parting gifts for the road...peppers, vegetables, and a christmas tree that Mom had picked up from a garage sale. This tree is one of those old timers with the white stuff stuck on it to make it look nice and wintery, and I am very, very excited about it. It just got me thinking about how blessed that Ray and I have been since our wedding, to have God provide so much for us through gifts and the kindness of friends. Very rad tree. When we get it set up in December (possibly November if Ray lets me), I hope to post a picture of it.
By the way, Ray and I went canoeing a few weeks ago (as you can see in the pic) at The Thiessen Weekend at Greenwater Lake. I was very excited, it was my first time canoeing...ever!!! I know, deprived, but now I would really like to go again, its so peaceful, plus it requires very little to no lower body movement, which means my hip says, "Thumbs up, Let's go!" And in case you are wondering, Ray and I did not coordinate our outfits, it was an accident. No intended "Samesies".

The Genesis of Blogging

Okay, so here we are, we at last have succumbed to the pressure of blogging...and created our own blog. I've resisted for a number of years now, and Ray just could not be bothered, and yet here we are, blogging. Unfortunately, I have nothing creative to say at this point, hopefully soon something will come to me... I am also excited about editing the site, if I can figure out how, mind you if my brothers can do, than I'm sure I'll figure it out :).