Blood

A Jehovah Wittiness couple in British Columbia resort to the highly controversial In vitro fertilization to conceive there much desired child. Of course...they end up with 6, that is sextuplets. All 6 of the newborns are small and sick some needing a blood transfusion to survive. Jehovah Witnesses do not believe in blood transfusions based on Acts 15:29:

For it has seemed food to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no great burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.

One new born dies, then another. Finally the government steps in and removes three of the now quadruplets to save their lives via blood transfusion. The parents hire a lawyer and complain, the government apologizes and hands custody of the children back over to the Jehovah Wittiness couple.

I just don't get it.

In vitro fertilization---okay. Blood transfusion----no.

I wonder if God would consider sex (creation of a human being) in a petri dish as sexually imoral?

YAHOO TONGA! :)

ITS OFFICIAL I AM GOING TO TONGA FOR 6 WEEKS! PRAISE GOD!

I think a little adventure is necessary in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, or Fiji afterwards!

Details to come:)

Anxiety--Peace

Anxiety is not from God....peace is. Now is a time of anxiety. I recognize that the anxiety I feel is created from my own mind, as behind it, deep with in I have godly peace. The calling in my life has been clear since I was young, it has developed and grown more fully, and a few trips of lack of obedience have held me up on the way. But, alas..I am being obedient, and God is proving his faithfulness-thus the peace I feel inside. In regards to human anxiety--in one week I will know where (or if...but I have faith) on this foot trodden earth God will take me as a reward for my obedience, I am positive this is a reward! For when given the opportunity to witness in a way that I have dreamed of and been called to since I was 16 is truly a reward after many instances of stubbornness and strong headed foolish disobedient endeavors.

In less than a week I will find out if I will be nursing in Namibia Africa, Tonga, India, or the Philippians. May God have his will, I have peace regardless where he sends me, and look forward to a little travel play afterward.

I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself,

that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

Correct me, O LORD, but in justice;

not in your anger lest you bring me to nothing.

Jeremiah 10:23-24

This is my favorite verse of all time, and extremely relevant at this time. God is in control of my steps, and I leave them for Him to direct. Yet I am human and full of fault. My God is sovereign and reigns in justice, He has the power to remove everything from me including my life. This verse is a plea, for justice and mercy, for if God were to judge me harshly on mistakes of the past I would be reduced to nothing. Yet I am a willing servant, and I pray that in mercy and grace He give me the opportunity to serve him in the way he has set out for me.

SNOW DAY

We definitely do not get very many of these, so Jacob came to school with me for a morning class then we hit the big sledding slope....Beacon Hill. Beautiful view!

Jacob made this snowman all on his own, quite proud.

This is Mandy (school friend), and the pre-"I'm going to beat you little ass down this hill" pose.

Your on! (I kicked her butt and got taken out by a snowman at the bottom of the hill)
Best of all! Some smart person built a luge (bobsled track) down the slope...very very fast! Some guys were even racing down the hill in a kayak (Islanders). We were fools and all piled on one crazy carpet....ouch.

Serotonin

I have always wondered why it is that some individuals who suffer from depression resort to "cutting." I always assumed it was to create physical pain as an explanation for the unexplained depression that individuals suffer from. When your skin is cut (weather on purpose or not) your platelets gather at the cut to begin the blood clotting and healing process. One of the major functions of platelets, aside from creating a temporary plug, is to secrete serotonin.

That's amazing! So "cutting" is more than a psychological action, rather it actually physically produces a neurotransmitter that in lacking causes depression.

This information is purely for interest sake and I am not suggesting by any means that it is okay for anyone to cut themselves when feeling blue!

Winter Storms...Ode to NewFoundland :(

I absolutely love wind storms, but I think its getting a little excessive! We went down to the break water and Dallas Road today in the 90km wind.

Jacob could not stand and I was hanging on to my hat for dear life!

Standing over the break wall was a blast. We saw the big ones coming but never escaped in time.....absolutely saturated!

Strange place for a cemetery....I mean who cares about the view if your DEAD!

I had the opportunity to attend a Nigerian church plant here in Victoria. How interesting and incredible is that! Africa is on fire compared to Canada (from my experience) and this church plant seems to be well received. Before the worship began the pastor taught an hour long bible study. This morning it was on God's anointing and how if you follow you human head and not God's will His anointing will be removed. The pastor used King Saul as one of many examples. If your anointing has been removed due to human disobedience then how can one claim themselves a christian? The study was hard truth dolled out honestly and forthright. I was so excited to hear the sermon if this was the pre-church study...sadly when the rest of the congregation gathered the pastor preached on how God knows who you are, where you live and how many hairs are on your head. He also tended to take biblical metaphors literal. Aside from the meat to baby food feeding, the worship was uplifting and a breath of fresh air.

Here's some skating pics,

Jacob thought the ice for the snow cone was made by the Zambodie!

I love kids imagination :)

Scoop

Amazingly enough I am well...FINALLY! Christmas was incredible, I love my immediate and extended family. Christmas dinner consist of a wonderful thick (accent and size!) German grandfather with his whacked out old fashioned sense of humor, Italian cousins of which on is a rocket scientist and the youngest (8) I swear is a genius, my step mom and father whom where cooking for all of us as they packed up for Mexico (leaving that same day), my wonderful brother and sis-in-law and their rug rats, and my step sister (stage manager). It was a fabulous meal dished out on paper plates (An amazing accomplishment if you have ever had a special dinner at my parents!), except my thick German grandfather had a real plate of course! It was wild to sit back and observe the conversation which consist mostly of the scientific dynamics of a bubble (the 8 year old genius) and the difference between a stone and a rock. Over Christmas my (2nd) step father lost two fingers snow blowing, but got one sewn back on, and my other step father stowed away to Maine with Cheryl his amazing wife. I LOVE MY FAMILY and would not trade them for the world!

Jacob got spoiled with his play mobile castles and Heelie shoes, and of course his cool ride on toy from the Victoria 614 crew. As soon as he opened their amazing gift he turned to them and said, "Is there more?" To which I scolded him and asked him where his manors went to which Jacob turned back to Nicole and Beracah and asked, "Is there more...please?" AAAAHHHHH

The best part of Christmas was not having to play into the whole Santa thing. Jacob understands that Santa is make believe and he whispers in my ear with a grin on his face when ever he hears any child or adult mention that bloated bearded man. Even better is his understanding that it is Christ's birthday. The worst part of Christmas is being sick, three weeks straight from my last exam until, well today (mostly anyways). But this is God and it is good. Lying on the couch, or in bed listening to everyone else have fun has forced some great contemplation and prayer time. Today I quit my job and the church worship team. Contrary to myself image and Pats perspective, I am not super woman! I have felt God pulling on me to leave corporate worship and focus more on a quiet worship relationship for quite sometime, stubborn, but in the end faithful...well not quite yet.

I am not one for newyears resolutions--Actually I appose. But I do have goals for this year. First off is that I will be accepted into the international program and have the privillage of working as a nurse in either Africa, India or Figi. Second, and most importantly, to establish the worship relationship that has been pulling on my heart. Third, go with my family to disney land and hopefully take a stow away or two. And fourth, keep God and family at the front of endevors while finishing out this year of school and starting on the next.

We have no Christmas photo's
We are lame