Category: Updates

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Little Jay Bird

It finally happened. With a huff and a puff, out came little Jay Bird. Okay, so there was more to it than that. But anyways, he’s finally here. And he looks great! Was a little blue when he showed up, but now he’s got some good color. And mom is doing well too! She was a little blue too (after all that huffing and puffing) … but her color has returned! Smile
 
You’ll find some new pictures of him on the right side. Thanks for all your prayers and love – what a difference they make in our lives!
The little family of four. Ben, Ang, Cassie and Jay.
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No baby yet

For a baby that tried to come out two months early, this one sure is being stubborn! Ben and I were sure that this baby would at least come a week or so before the due date and everyone would get lots of time with our new little one. Well, now the baby is 5 days overdue, we have family flying in next weekend to come and see the new one and a baby dedication planned. I have to say, once again I am learning to trust God, His timing and to not be in control (wasn’t I learning this lesson two months ago?) It is hard to not be able to control what is happening.
 
Now for those who are going to write their suggestions, I just want to say I’ve: been swept, walked, ran, climbed up hills, rested, bathed, massaged, tried castor oil (see video), red raspberry leaf tea, and every other thing possible. Now all we can do is wait. And actually this is a good place to be. Waiting, for a girl who hates to wait, this is a good place to be. Character building that is FOR SURE! :)  
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On Our Hearts

Just over 1 year ago we went to K*stan and spent a whole month there. It really was a great experience. We met and taught and lived with great people. Of course they have some different customs and different culture than we do, but they really are just like us. They want a good life, they want happiness, they want to see their kids grow up in safety and security. You’ll notice in the video clip (better seen here) a busted up shopping mall. We walked that mall many times, shopped there for food, actually lived within easy walking distance of it.
 
Right now, many people are taking issue with (aka ri*ting and pr*testing) how the government has been run. Though from here it is rather difficult to really understand the issues and who’s side is "right", the average person just wants what we want and definitely doesn’t have it at this time. So our hearts hurt. Feel free to pray with us for the many ordinary families and people who must persevere through such trying experiences! Not long ago, it could have been us.
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Motivating Students to Give…

Pioneering is hard work.
 
I think we knew that when we started all of this, but I guess I had hoped it wouldn’t be :)
We are excited to begin the very first Titus Project in Europe this July in Sweden, but the challenge is getting the SBS graduates to see how important it is to give away what they have been learning. Right now we have awesome staff, great teaching opportunities, but not enough teachers-in-training to take with us.
 
 I guess we all struggle with that right? Generally we seek to improve our own life: seeing the blessings we have, the relationships we are in, the money we make, the things we learn, as great things in our life, for OUR life. If we can in turn use that to bless others without too much effort on our part, or too much sacrifice, all the better. I am just as guilty of that as the next person. But I still have to admit I am disappointed in the lack of interest.
 
And so, we as the staff need to look at how we can motivate the students to sacrifice a few months of their lives, and a few dollars to go and teach those who would not normally receive teaching. Please pray with us that the students from the SBS’s around Europe (there are about 5 of them all running right now) will be motivated to go and teach this summer.  
 
Sorry for the ‘downer’ post, I guess I am just a little discouraged right now. Thanks for listening and praying with us.
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Fairytale Endings

It has been so wonderful to be home! It really feels like a miracle. Though we never really know how things will end, so far it has been like a fairytale.
 
While waiting for little baby to be born, we’ve been mostly working on preparing for Titus Project. We will be leading the 3 month program in Sweden this July. If no complications arise, we’ll be leaving for Europe in early May. But until then, there are lots of things on the to-do list. Preparing budgets, organizing outreaches, planning teachings and the 3-week training time schedule as well as the more important aspect of seeking God for direction. The training time remains about 85% the same every time we run it, so you might understand why it is so easy for us to fall into the trap of simply going through the motions instead of taking time to seek God for his lead. But we never want to become stagnant leaders, although we have had our fair share of dry times. Please join us in praying that we would accomplish every good work Jesus has for us, both for this month at home and then the next 3 in preparation and execution of a successful Titus Project.
 
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Safe and Sound

Last night at 8.30pm we walked through the doors of Winnipeg International Airport. What a great feeling! Lots of family were there to meet us, grab our bags and take us home. The flights were quite uneventful, you know the story, long lines, long flights and too little sleep. But hey, sometimes, uneventful is a wonderful blessing! For us, it meant no delivery, no labour pains, no nothing. Thanks so much for praying and thinking about us, we really appreciate it! So, we’re living at Melbourne again. If you’d like to call us, 977.2950 or 470.0196. This week we’ll mostly be resting, recuperating, and doing some debriefing together. And the waiting for baby begins… Smile
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Exciting News!!

Today was the day we were waiting for- no more pills and a doctor’s appointment. An American friend here recommended a doctor to us that speaks great english so after prayer with our team we ventured off to see Dr. David.
 
First he did another ultrasound (that is 3 in two weeks!) The baby is still healthy and doing great! We reminded the doctor that we didn’t want to know the gender. Funny story, he asks us about 5 minutes later if we have email, but we couldn’t quite understand his English so we thought he said it was a male, we looked at each other in disbelief, ‘Did he really just tell us?’ But after seeing our faces he repeated, ’email! email!’
 
After the ultrasound he checked to see if I was still dialated. Nothing has changed since I left the hospital last week, a tiny bit open but nothing to worry about.
So the next question was, ‘Our flight leaves on Saturday, will it be okay to fly home?’
 
AND THE ANSWER WAS YES!! I will stay on the pills that relax my muscles for the rest of this week and for the flight. Once I get home I will stop taking the pills, but the doctor says there is no reason I shouldn’t be able to go full term! He can’t tell me why I went into labour early, maybe it was an infection, but he didn’t think it would happen again.
 
So there you have it folks!! Doctor’s letter in hand, this little baby will hopefully be born in Canada with family all around and everything is back on schedule! Two weeks ago the baby started down the path to entering this world, but his/her body was just so little, it wasn’t time. Thank you to all who prayed for this little one to stay inside, God heard and answered our prayers! I especially want to thank Ben’s parents for sending Liza here. If it wasn’t for her, I’m not sure this would have had such a great ending. Every morning she gets Cassie up, changes her diaper and feeds her breakfast. This is while Ben leads the morning meeting with our team. Then she brings me breakfast in bed, and makes sure I get enough rest. She plays and takes care of Cassie all morning while Ben goes and teaches with our team. In the afternoon she puts Cassie down for her nap and we take some time to watch ‘Touched by an Angel’ (she brought the series on DVD) and cry together. Ben usually comes home in the evening and works on the schedule for the next day. If Liza wasn’t here he wouldn’t be able to continue leading this team and this teaching trip would have fallen apart- or at least would not have finished strong. Also, without her here I probably would have done some things I shouldn’t like pick Cassie up from her playpen etc. and then who knows what would have happened.  
 
Yesterday was our final church service with the 75 or so people we have been working with the whole time we have been here. The stories they shared about how God has changed their lives touched our hearts and reminded us again why we do what we do!! We’ll share more about that soon, but just know that without everyone’s love, support and care, especially these past few weeks, many of those stories may not have been told. Thank you! All of the emails we receive, the comments on this webpage, the offers to come and help, and most importantly the prayers said have made a significant difference! Thank you! And for those in Winnipeg, hopefully we will be seeing you soon!!!!!
 
 
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Liza’s Journal Entry

I’m so thankful for this opportunity to be here.  It’s been really great to get to spend time with Ang and Cassie.  Little Cassie says my name now every once in a while and I love it.  We spend lots of time together making meals for Ang and sometimes the whole team.  This morning we made eggs and Cassie was cracking open the eggs with a little help.  She’s such a great little helper.  

It’s been really great getting to know the team and watching Ben and Ang in their leadership roles.  I’m so proud of what they are doing and of how they are pouring their lives into the ministry of making leaders and teachers of the Word.  They have a great way with their students and the people of Armenia. 

 

I have a few little snipets of my diary that I thought I’d put in for you…so you can hear some of my reflections from being here. 

 

“Cassie and I went to church this sunday (Ang stayed at home to rest), so we sat at the back of the little church (which is really just a little cement basement).  It was so refreshing being in the presence of people who were just hungry for the things of God.  After church we gathered in the Pastors home and ate lunch.  The Worship leader and her team had some impromptu worship time after lunch.  She sat down at a piano (which was quite out of tune), but nonetheless it was beautiful.“

“Worship……is what wakes people’s souls up.  It penetrates the layers of materialism and our focus on the world and gets us to the intimate place where abandon and sacrifice are wrapped up in the desire to love, and thank God for all He’s done.  Lord, what a responsibility for worship leaders….so take people to the place of experiencing Your Presence so that the church for a time are broken away from their “reality” and taken into the real place of God’s working.  Lord, help my eyes to be opened to this reality every day, to be at the place where I don’t live for Liza but for Christ.  Lord, how quickly I need to be reminded of this.  Lord, soften my heart to hear Your truth.  Set me free from all that holds me back from being fully surrendered to You." 

 

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Help…it is hard to accept!

Well, now I have been on bed rest for 5 days. I’m learning a lot about myself during this time!
Last sunday one of the girls on our team was preaching in a church about a verse in 2 Corinthians. Paul says that God’s grace is sufficient for him, because God’s power is made perfect in weakness. As I was writing notes and evaluating her sermon, I heard God whisper in my soul ‘this is something you need to learn.’  I would say I am a pretty strong person, and so I didn’t have much to argue with God about on this one, I know it is something I need to grow in, embracing the areas I am weak, looking to God for His strength, not trying to always do everything on my own. Little did I know what the week ahead would hold.
Now I do feel very weak. I can’t control or plan for what is going to happen.  I can’t even make my own food! I have to ask for help for everything and I have to be willing to let others help me. This is a hard lesson for a girl who has always been Little Miss Independant! But character growth is a good thing, it leads to more freedom in life from the pressures I put on myself and I become more of the person I was always created to be.
On the day I came home from the hospital I started writing in a new journal my sister Lisa gave to me at Christmas. What was the verse at the bottom of the page? 2 Corinth 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Okay Jesus…I get it! Help me to really GET it! :)
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Return to Camp

Yesterday early afternoon Angela returned to home. The pill form of the contraction-hindering medicine has been working so far. So the doctor sent us home with medicine for 10 days. If nothing happens until then, we will probably return for a checkup. This is GREAT news for us!
 
More great news, help has arrived! Liza, Angela’s closest friend, arrived in the middle of last night. She’ll be taking care of Cassie and Angela until the teaching finishes for our team. Thanks Dad & Mom for this!
 
We’re SO thankful for all your prayers and love! If you are praying, pray that this little baby will stay inside for just the right amount of time.
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My wonderful husband

I have a wonderful husband! Please keep supporting him with your prayers. Right now he is trying to be a team leader to 4 teachers who are all teaching everyday all over Aremenia (this just happened to be our busiest teaching week yet!) Also, he is trying to be a single dad to Cassie and take care of his wife in a hospital which is a 20 minute taxi ride from where we live.
 
So Ben’s day starts at 7:30 with a team meeting. Then he gets Cassie up, feeds her, and takes her and a member of our team to the first teaching location. After that he leaves, takes Cassie here to the hospital to be with me for a few hours. At 12:00 he takes her home for her nap time, tries to get some rest himself, and then takes her to a friends place to baby sit for night before heading back here to the hospital to be with me. Then after all of that he goes home around 8:00, puts Cassie to bed, and then starts check-in’s for the next day’s teachings with all of our team!
 
Thank you God for such a wonderful man!!
 
As for me, I think I may be going home today. I will be on bedrest, taking pills to stop contractions for about 10 days. After that we’ll see. I had an ultrasound yesterday after they took out the IV. They said the baby was healthy and that I wasn’t dialating any more. So who knows!! Maybe I will even be able to deliver at full term! The biggest thing is for me to rest and not do anything that causes stress or pressure. So I will attempt to do that for the next 10 days! I don’t know if you all heard but Liza is flying here to help with Cassie (and the new baby if it was born) while I am on bedrest. That will be a TREMENDOUS help and should really enable me to get the rest I need so we can keep this little baby inside as long as possible!
 
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Lying here

Hey everyone, just lying here for the second night in the hospital. Still no contractions so that is good. Maybe I’ll find out more tomorrow. Just thought I would write a quick note of thanks for all the emails, love and prayers. I probably won’t write back to the emails, but I read every one!!!!
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No new news

Wednesday (Yesterday), the doctors stopped Angela’s contractions with medicine. She is still on the drip and hasn’t had contractions since. Yesterday, they gave the baby steriods to help its lungs develop strength. Those steriods need at least another twelve hours before they take full effect so Angela will stay on the drip until then. After that, they may try to send her home (not Canada, just out of the hospital), with some more medicine until about 36 weeks or if she goes into labour again. If that happens, she won’t have the baby for a few weeks. Otherwise, she will probably have the baby in the next few days.
 
We really appreciate everyone! We know that we are VERY loved and that encourages us immensely! We also know that we are loved by a truly wonderful God and that he will be with us, no matter what comes! But we really appreciate your love, there is nothing like the arms of people to lift us up! We will update when we know whether Angela will be going into labour tomorrow or whether she will be going home.
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A great first week in Armenia!

I just wrote a great blog, and somehow I erased it :( The undo button won’t work. Arghhhh.
Well, I won’t re-write it all. Let’s just say that we are having a really great time seeing people’s lives impacted here in Armenia, and having our lives impacted as well! Everyone has been kind, hospitable and very loving! We are enjoying building relationships within our team and with the church we are working with!
Ben and two of the guys on our team travelled to Georgia today. They will be teaching in a church of Kurdish Christians!
 
We can’t get onto facebook here, so if you have written on our wall or messaged us, sorry but we won’t be able to write back to you :( Also our internet is dial up, so we don’t email very often. We are asking in advance for your forgiveness for our lack of communication during the next month. We will do our best to keep this website updated weekly so this will be the best way to stay in touch!!
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Armenia Introduced

Yerevan, Armenia. We landed safe and sound Thursday at 1am in the morning. It took nearly two more hours before we all had our visas and were on our way home … when the taxi stalled leaving half our team stranded. But the place we are staying – too high for our expectations. It is a beautiful guesthouse for missionaries and it turned up at the last minute .. for a great price, less than $200 per person for 6 weeks, including utilities!

We have started teaching and it will be busy. Our team will be attending two homegroups every day except Sunday … when we will be preaching. Half of our team will be gone north for one week and half south for the week after where they will be preaching and teaching. We are excited! What a privilege it is to serve Jesus!

More to come on Armenia. A land with a lot of history.

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On the Road Again…

Well we have some good news – our whole team got all the money they needed and tomorrow we are off for Armenia. We’ve had some meaningful prayer times and some overwhelming logistics meetings but we are super excited to be on our way!
 
Now we are saying good bye to our friends here in Taiwan. But we are saying hi to other friends in Armenia. Actually, one of the SBS staff from Ukraine will be in Armenia for a while, exactly while we are there. There may be almost 20,000 ywam staff worldwide, but sometimes it seems like a very small world indeed!
 
You’ll notice some pictures of our friends in Taiwan, Allison, Brett and Lana and a few others. Thanks for being such wonderful friends.
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Why Europe?

As we booked the tickets for our team to go to Armenia I was again reminded of the need for Titus Project Europe.
The cost for us to send a team to Armenia from Taiwan (which is the closest Titus Project) is huge! Once we get there the cost of living is cheap, but we can only get there by flying and the flight alone costs $1700 Canadian Dollars. WOW! If we were in Ukraine the cost would be minimal! We are excited to pioneer this Project in Europe and to be able to meet the needs in that part of the world much more efficiently! There are two members on our team who are still praying and trusting the Lord for finances, so please pray with us!
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Getting a Tooth Pulled

How many of you have ever had a tooth pulled? I think Dad threatened me once that he would use the plyers. Or did he get the string and tie it to a door and slam the door? I can’t remember.

Leaving Taiwan last July we had no idea when we would return here to Taiwan. We cleaned house, released possessions and said our farewells. But God called us to return to work with Titus here this January. And what a pleasure it has been. We are almost done week 1 of 3 of the training portion. Our team has met a couple of times, they include three guys, Justin, Bryan and Jean as well as one woman, Natacha. It is going to be a fruitful time in Armenia.

But even more joyful, has been our reunion with much loved friends. Last week we had dinner with some of our long-term missionary friends, it was so encouraging to be welcomed and loved and hopefully we gave back as well. Then last night we went out with two close Taiwanese friends who have recently given their lives to Jesus. It was so good to have fun and mutually encourage one another.

What a great way to start a new year, even as we say goodbyes in Winnipeg, we experience joy in the arms of friends in Taiwan. Kind of like getting a tooth pulled, hurts a tonne, but following God is the best thing for us.

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Reflecting and Looking ahead

Ben and I were praying together today for closure from this amazing time and home and vision for what lays ahead! Isn’t it easy to look back on the past and wish for it again, as opposed to looking ahead with expectation?
 
Reflecting: The past five months have been filled with some difficult times facing fears but thankfully answered with hopes and good news. They have also been filled with great times teaching (every sunday to our friends at our home church, and also a training session with Camp Arnes staff), relaxing times having dinners, lunches and breakfasts with friends, peaceful times with our families, and the challenges of working on things for Titus Project while very far away. It has been a VERY meaningful, blessed time. We could not say enough great things about these past five months and we don’t regret a thing!
 
Looking Ahead: Even though it has been a very memorable, fulfilling time at home, we would be lying if we said our hearts are not aching to be overseas meeting people’s needs. Being home has been a little bit like being fish out of water. We love it here, but we long to be elsewhere at the same time. Does that make sense? Has anyone else ever felt like that? 
 
Only 10 more days until we head to Taiwan. We will cherish every one of them, every moment with family and friends…and then we will face forward, excited for what lies ahead.