What do you do when...

I was walking through Cancer Care on my lunch break today when I saw the cutest little girl walking with her mother. She was tiny and had white hair. no joke, it was white. She seemed much older than she looked and definitely had an attitude about her. I smiled and kept walking slowly so that I could watch her waddle towards the door. I believe that she may have been a patient because she didn't look very healthy but she was a doll! (she may have been around 4 but she looked max 2 years)

Her mother kept calling her a brat and was speaking really rudely to her. This made me mad. But what almost did me in was when she called her daughter a fat little sh*t. She continued to say this over and over to her as she made her little girl walk down the long hallway. Finally, the girl started crying (because she had been asking her mother to pick her up for quite a while now) and her mother picked her up and continued swearing at her! I almost lost it! I felt like taking this mother aside, shaking her really hard and yelling, "What the heck do you think you're doing speaking to your daughter like that!" I didn't. Instead I smiled at the little girl, looked disapprovingly at the mother and continued on my way. I felt bad for giving the mother a bad look but it was better than slapping her, I thought.

What do you do in that situation? No matter what you do it seems rude but what is right? Do you tell the mother why she should not be saying those things to her daughter? Do you mind your own business? BLAH! I hate when those situations happen. My heart hurts for the babies but I feel so awkward and I don't know where my place is. I prayed. I know that's right and I know that's my place. Jesus, be with that little girl and her mom. Would they find your love, worth and comfort. Amen.

Here's the latest....

I've decided not to move down Henderson Highway. The location wasn't prime for family, the cost wasn't worth the living conditions and I was already feeling frustrated with circumstances and situations.

I'm now moving to ST. NORBERT! Which is past the perimeter highway in the south end of the city. I'll be living with good friends of mine, Matt and Rachelle! The living conditions are awesome (they just bought their house last year), I'll be saving money (which I'm hoping to put towards missions opportunities), I'll be living with people I love and my backyard is a field!!! I'm getting into the country again!!

I'm feeling so much better about this decision! It's so funny (kinda) that everything happens and works out so last minute! Thank you Jesus for providing me with a place that I want to live in! I pray that you would bless my friendship with Matt & Rachelle and that it would continue to grow and get more and more beauitufl! I pray that our house (hee hee) would be a house of peace, joy and love!

Hey, if anyone has a vehicle or muscles and would like to help me move let me know! My dad is coming to move some of the big stuff on Saturday but I would love to move some boxes and smaller stuff before then if anyone wants to take a ride to the country.....

A few words -literally- from the book of Habakkuk

When I went to Kansas City in February I got prophesied over that the book of Habakkuk would be a great comfort to me. I didn't know a whole lot about this book at that time but since than have read it over half a dozen times. Something caught my eye (and my heart) this morning as I read it (this is just a piece):

"but the righteous will live by his faith -" (Hab.2:4)

Even though it's just a little sentence it popped out at me. Then I read the little write-up text at the bottom of my Bible (completely forgetting the term for it now!) and it reads:

"In light of God's revelation about how (and when) he is working, his people are to wait patiently and live by faith - trusting in their sovereign God."

Okay God, as much as I don't know what to do or where to go I DO KNOW that YOU ARE SOVEREIGN! I will trust in that! It seems so applicable in this time with all that's gone on in the last few days/weeks. From Shane's seizures to having to move out within a week and not knowing 100% where yet.

Please keep me in your prayers...I'm feeling really displaced at the moment. I choose to wait and trust in your sovereignty, God.

She put a smile on my face

This is a piece of a conversation I had with one of my clients:

"Thank you so much for helping me," she says as she bends down and puts her hearing aid box in a compartment on her walker. "I'm hearing so many sounds that weren't coming in before!"

I nod my head and smile encouragingly.

She turns her walker around proceeds to leave out of the door that I'm holding open for her and says, "My doctor says this walker is a crutch. After 8 years of walking with it I'm going to learn to walk on my own again. And then I'm going to learn how to dance! I used to dance quite a bit, you know."

I ask what type of dancing.

"Social dancing. I start on Friday. I know that I won't be able to dance right away but at least I'll be able to enjoy the music!"

Mom's the word!

This weekend I got to be a mom for a day!! It was awesome! I got to do respite for my 2 week old foster sister, Vivian. She came in the AM on Saturday and left Sunday PM. She is so small, so beautiful and so precious! She weighs a total of 5 pounds 13 ounces and is a beautiful bundle of joy! It was so great having some company around the house and I was impressed with the fact that she only woke up twice during the night!! Hallelujah! I'm very content with just "borrowing" my mom's foster babies and not having my own at this time. But I do love 'em!!

My mom is so good at her job! She loves these babies so well and has more patience than most people! Not only does she have a heart for the wee little ones that she takes into her home, but her heart extends towards those that birth these beautiful babes. Even though to some people (and probably to herself) it doesn't look like she has this "high and mighty calling" she does an INCREDIBLE job and such an IMPORTANT job of raising, nursing to health and healing these babies that don't have the easiest start to life. Jesus, bless my mom! I pray that every child that comes into our house will come to know Your love. Amen.

Hi!

another wedding down...

one more to go! I've been to three (awesome) weddings in the last four weeks or so! On Saturday my friend Krystel from high school married her love-man Chris! It was a great wedding with an incredible reception/dance! Her incredibly hot extended family loves to dance, and dance ugly (in a really good way) at that! I LOVE UGLY DANCING and they did such a good job of it! Lord, bless Krystel and Chris! Amen!

I just got COOKED! HEE HEE! You know Bryan Cook in the morning (I think it's on freq 107?!?) well, he just called and made up this huge story about his mom picking up radio waves with her hearing aid and about how he didn't want his mom to pee while he was on the phone with me....in the end he told me that I'd been COOKED! It'll be on the radio tomorrow morning sometime. Although I'm not quite sure when?!?! Anyone know? I had to put him on hold so many times but he told me in the end that I had a lot of patience! Sweet! Flip, that's funny!

Yesterday I had an incredible 'date' with my friend, Becki! BECKI I LOVE THEE! We went to church together and then set out on an adventure. We were in Italy, England, Croatia and many more other places...We ended up napping near the flower beds at the Leg. building and become dilerious with the heat. It was sweet! We simply had an incredible and incredibly funny time together! Thank you Jesus for awesome friends!

the never ending questions

I'm back at a place of never ending questions...
Who am I? What do I want? What do I need? What do I desire? What am I living for? What needs to change in the here and now? What's priority?
You know those questions? I guess it keeps a person on their toes.

...plus, I'm moving soon. That makes me really sad. I love my house, my area of the city, part of my family being near, friends...but the change WILL be GOOD! I keep telling myself that. I'm moving into Vineyardland. That makes me smile.

I'm reading the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time and am absolutely loving it! I haven't had the opportunity to read a book in a really long time and it's been sooo good! I love Aslan. His fierce gentleness and power, his beauty and integrity...it's so cool becoming a part of a story and getting a whole new perspective. I definitely recommend these books guys! (Thanks Jason)

Calling Home the Prodigal's - on Sunday night I was on the bus and ran into an old acquaintance from high school. He dropped out half way through grade 12 (we were in drama together) and I hadn't seen him since. So we chatted for about 5 minutes. He ran away from home his grade 12 year, was living on the streets or at friends houses, has no job at the moment (he just got fired) and he didn't seem to be doing so well. As soon as he got off the bus I felt like God had said, "Call home the Prodigal". Literally call him home. So I said quietly, "God, bring him home to you. Bring him home to his family." That's been a theme since then. Can we call home the prodigal's? Those who've left home, those who've known the love of Christ and turned their backs on Him - why not!?! We need to pray for these prodigal's! We can't just forget about them and write them off as lost causes. I pray that the prodigal's in the city of Winnipeg would be reunited with their Heavenly Father. That they would hear Him calling to them so clearly even through all of the muck of life. Jesus, teach us how to agree with You and call home the prodigal's. You are forever standing with open arms! Thank you!

Ode to Joel!

ode to my friend
o, but this is not the end!
many more days
together we'll pray
when I come to KC
I'll be so happy
to see your face
and experience more of His grace!

(that's all I got) Joel, I love you and will miss you while you're out in Kansas City but I'm so STOKED that you're doing the One Thing Internship! You're going to learn so much about God, music, worship and prayer! I can't wait to come out and visit you! You are an awesome friend and I've sooo enjoyed getting to know you over this last year! ....unforgettable is what you are, unforgettable both near or far...

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace! (Numbers 6:24-26)

God is good and He will provide and be all that you need! Love ya man! Hopefully we'll see you in 2 months or so!!!