A Close Call

I’m not sure if anybody will ever read this.  If anybody will have a record of the past few days of our lives.  But in the faint chance this finds its way to other survivors, I will write.  There’s not much time so forgive my brevity.

It seems like the distant past to think about the fun times with the children at the park, or playing in the backyard.  Or the endless curiosity satisfied as we journeyed through the interactive displays of the Winnipeg Children’s Museum.  It is equally difficult to remember the joy of a party with close friends.  Sitting around a fire, reminiscing about days gone by.  Even going to church this morning, and enjoying a quiet afternoon feels like weeks ago.  We never knew that while eating our barbequed kabobs, we might in fact, be having our last meal together.

Shortly after supper we noticed the storm through the kitchen windows but were not much concerned. We put the children to bed like any other night, with stories and a snack.  Then we sat down to play a game of Dominion.  The game went quite quickly and we would’ve played more if not for the early departure time of the aunts and cousins the next morning.  So instead we settled down for a relaxing time of east coast research by watching more Anne of Green Gables.  And then it happened.  There was nothing we could do.

Initially, the worst thing about it was the silence.  A silence thicker and deeper than the darkness which produced it.  I can’t remember who spoke first, but it must have been at least five minutes.  And the words only stated the dreaded reality we had each already concluded:  “there was no power.”

There was nothing we could do but make ourselves comfortable and wait.  We have candles set up but only enough to last the night.  There was also a quick decision made about what can and can’t be flushed.  But we know it is futile.  There will be no alarms waking us from our slumber.  Only rotten milk for our children’s mouths.  The sump pump will no longer hold back the water, nor the furnace hold back the cold.  It seems like we’ve been pulled into a missionary’s tale, but I fear you might never see our slideshow.  I sit here writing this letter by pen as the last of the red wax drips from my candle…farewell and goodbye.

p.s.  The power came back on shortly after writing this entry.  We live to tell about it.

Notes From the Last Few Days

Assembling trampolines are not nearly as fun as jumping on them.

Baba teaching Jovi, “Obeying your parents is in the Bible.”  Jovi responds, “That’s not in my Bible, Baba.”

Catching up with old friends is a blessing.

Drinking lots of juice can cause cavities.

Emailing seminary assignments precisely when they are due can be tricky considering time zones.

Flinging bread where only a duck can reach it, rather than dozens of geese, is extremely satisfying.

Good playground slides make even parents try them out.

Hearing a good apologist answer tough questions makes you always wish “so-and-so” was there.

If I speak in the tongue of Evrest, but have not food, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Joy is often realized when dessert comes with coffee.

Killing bugs is inevitable when kid’s attempt to love them.

Learning of loss makes one wish to be home.

Maybe feed your kid some lunch if he’s eating the bread for the geese.

Never go to a garage sale when it’s supposed to open.  Always go 15 minutes early.

Outstanding Deal of the Weekend: An unused Whirley Stovetop Popcorn Popper for $8 (no PST either)!

Prerequisites for a PEI trip involve watching all the Anne of Green Gables movies.

Quiet time will be gladly traded for a couple aunts and three cousins.

Reading the weather forecast reminds us what day of the week it is.

Some blog entries take a deceptively long time to write.

Tim Horton’s frozen lemonades are only $1 right now, so go try the raspberry right now.

Utter surprise with Evrest’s appetite for salads (then again, it is food, I suppose).

Violence while sleeping is more justified, than if your brother was bugging you while you were awake.

We really enjoy teaching our current favorite games to family and friends.

Xylophones are necessary for the moment, but piano seems a more responsible choice.

You should always be thankful for what you have, especially if it’s the potential to be lonely.

Zooming over the past couple days is done, and now we’re onto week three of our sabbatical.

The Exchange

Books we are reading:

   Evrest – Up and Down (Oliver Jeffers)

   Jovi – Pete’s a Pizza (William Steig)

   Britt – Divergent (Veronica Roth)

   Jeremy – New Bible Dictionary 3^rd Edition

Today we took full advantage of Baba and blessed her with our two young ones as we went on an afternoon date.  The setting for this date was downtown Winnipeg, specifically the Exchange District and Forks area.  We were excited to browse some of the unique shops in the area and snack on a poutine from Smoke’s Poutinerie.  We bundled up and started out.  Not to sound too mushy, but it was fun to walk the streets hand in hand, checking out old buildings, shops, dashing through traffic, and drinking coffee by the river.  We will spare you the details, but mention an encounter we had with a man named Brad. 

Brad is homeless and approached us asking for money.  While we chatted he told us that he was a Christian and showed us a cross around his neck and a Bible in his pocket to prove it.  After discovering that we were also believers we did the customary greeting and pounded fists (brotherly kisses are so 1^st century).  He also shared about his wife who wasn’t well.  They were struggling to make ends meet.  We gave him the couple bucks we had on us and asked if we could take him for lunch.  He declined saying that he was more worried about his wife.  We offered to take him grocery shopping, but he declined again mentioning that he could take us to an ATM.  Our hearts went out to Brad.  We could not get him and his wife off the street.  His need seemed to be less for money and more for relationship, for community.  So we told him.  We shared about some churches in the area, and encouraged him that the relationships he forms in those communities provide the best opportunity for them.  We parted hoping that he and his wife would get connected with the living Body of Christ.  We pray that God would continue to open our eyes to the poverty around us, whether material, spiritual, relational, etc.

...(enters Evrest)...

My name’s Evrest.  People call me Ev.  Try not to view this entry as a dating profile…I’m way too young.  Something I should get out’ve the way first is that I wear size five diapers (Pampers mostly).  I like to pretend I’m using a toilet but I never actually go while I’m on one.  Lest you be discouraged, I am getting more interested in the whole process.  Now on to more pleasant things.  I sleep nearly twelve hours a night, but I wake up with the slightest noise.  Like my sister, I enjoy sleeping horizontally across the bed, so as to better kick my parents when a bad night drives me to them.  Upon waking, I am immediately ready to play.  Currently my most favorite activities are vacuuming and driving my Gido’s red tractor, alone.  If I am interrupted or stopped while in the midst of these activities, I’m usually quite outraged (and rightly so).  How dare they think I can get any decent square footage clean while given only a minute or two with a vacuum?  Or how am I to relieve my need for speed and feel the wind in my hair if they govern my tractor out at 1.3 km/hr.?  It’s understandable that I respond emotionally to such injustice.  I also enjoy wrestling with my sister.  Unfortunately her hair always seems to get in the way while we roll around, ending with her screaming.  She’s sooo emotional. 

As for other people, I naturally tend to get along better with guys.  They just seem to get me.  I’m currently quite amazed with birds, planes, trains, most vehicles, geese, dogs, ping-pong, and punishment directed at me.  It would also be good for you to note that, although I tend to type quite well, I still have a tough time speaking English.  I have a little bit of my own accent, and tend to end words and phrases in a rising tone, making it seem like I’m always asking a question.  You’d get used to it.  This has forced me to nodding and shaking my head a lot in order to get my meaning across.  I say the word “no” a lot and even to things/people I like which makes me think I don’t really have a clear definition of what it means.

Contrary to my speaking skills, I’m a fairly good singer and even better musician.  Percussion is my specialty whether acoustic drums, the bongos, real/toy hammers, and even the microwave door on my dad’s head (a fairly unique sound).  Accompanying my music I like to dance.  Not in the graceful, move-based motions of my sister, but rather in the wide-stance, sumo-like, side-to-side sway.  I think I’ll have mastered that form by the time I’m a teenager.

My tiny hands are getting quite sore typing, so I’m going to wrap it up.  I like reading, and enjoy a good, short tv show.  I tend to eat my sour cream without anything else.  And I love the outdoors.  I periodically push over kids my age out’ve curiosity, and then with my parents reminder, I show them gentle.  I yearn for independence.

Alright, now you know way too much about me.  Please don’t try to set me up with anybody you know.  My parents tell me it’s all arranged.  Pray for me…

The 'Peg Prelims

You know your children have not grown up in Winnipeg when they are fascinated by Canadian geese. When your son puts some grass in a bowl to give to the goose in the field next door. When your daughter thinks they’re cute and wants to pet a nesting mother goose. And when goose poop on the sidewalk seems weird and even funny. We have three weeks to teach our kids the truth about Canadian geese.

Notwithstanding our feathered-education plan, the first few days here in Winnipeg have been quite agreeable. Some highlights have been:
Evrest – the water slide, the zoo, help building the swing-set, and Gido’s tractor;
Jovi – warm weather, hide-and-go-seek, cooking with Baba, and lot’s of snuggling;
Britt – sleeping in, sunshine, shopping, and family adventures;
Jeremy – ping-pong with pops, playing games, catching up, and reading.
We are four days in, and already we feel that the days are passing too quickly.
Pray that we may be intentional with the time and people God has given to us.

To Saskatchewan, and beyond...

Two days ago we began a journey. And like the beginning of most journeys there was a mixture of excitement, sadness, fear, and joy. Our first stop was a brief 24 hour visit with family in Vermilion, Alberta. We were blessed to spend Easter around a table with family. But soon the time had come for our all night dash through Saskatchewan to Winnipeg. Important ingredients for this 12 hr. (6pm-6am) drive include: a veggie tales movie, clear roads, dollar store microphones, three blankets, a large bag of Spitz, an audio book (DonQuixote), a large black coffee, diapers or a rather large bladder, and a sizeable amount of determination. Before most of us knew it, we were at Baba and Gido’s house, a retreat center of sorts for young families. Now after a day of getting settled, we look forward to the adventures God has in store for us. Our reality is still quite surreal at times, and we do miss the pieces of us we left behind. We welcome you to come along with us…