A Morning in Prison Last Thursday morning Hans, Rudy & I went to the women's institution here in Kitchener, ON. Hopefuly this is just the first of many visits for me. Seven and a half years ago I started working at Cornerstone (yes time does go by quickly!). When I started I had never had any contact either verbally, in person or written form with anyone who had been in prison. My prison experience consisted of playing Jail on Sunday afternoons with my sisters. Cathy had a key chain with a million keys so she was the guard (she also had the play handcuffs). She would arrents us (in the basement) and put us in jail (the laundry room). The goal was to escape and then she would catch us again and throw us in solitar (the crawl space). Yep - that was my whole prison experience - not very qualified! The first time a student called the office I was in a panic. I couldn't believe I had someone from prison calling me on the phone!!! I quickly passed the phone onto Rudy...
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I know you must be thinking "WOW! 3 posts in a short time... this can't be Jen", well there was something I wanted to share. This morning I was reading Cher's 'Over the Kitchen Sink'. (For those of you who didn't read her blog, Cher was remembering when her and Rich first got married and how God took care of even the smallest things - like providing material for Cher to make a dress for her little baby girl.) This made me think of things that God has done to show me -in big and small ways- that he loves me. Two years ago I had a few weeks to look for a new place to live (as Hettie was going to Africa for a year and our landlords needed our space). Everything was too expenses or not in nice areas. (though Jeff really did try to help me find something). I talked to Rachel who just had a baby (Tristan) a few weeks earlier so things were busy. I asked her to talk to Ryan about me coming to stay with them for a bit. (I was thinking till Hettie came home ...
Eli Michael Wood born October 11, 2008 at 12:15 am to Michael & Karen Wood Though he was a month early, we were so excited to finally meet our long-awaited newest nephew. He was in the NICU for a few days, but is home and slowly growing. We thank God for keeping Karen & Eli during the delivery. Rachel & I drove out to Toronto (at a more decent hour) to visit. We weren't able to hold him as he was on monitors, but we were allowed to go in and take some pictures. Mike & I are in the NICU with Eli 12 hours after he was born. The next Saturday, Ryan & Rachel and I along with Tristan & Hannah went to visit the new family member. Tristan was holding him like an old pro - even patting his bum when he fussed... Hannah - well, she's just over a year herself but she did give kisses. We are all so thankful for God's grace in preserving this little boy and giving Mike & Karen the opportunity to raise him to be a man who loves and serves the Lord.
Okay... I'll smile if you want These are just some pictures of Tristan & Hannah (from Rachel & Ryan) from the last few weeks. It is so sweet to see them together - not that they don't fight... but when they wake up first thing in the morning or from a nap or haven't seen each other for a while they get so excited Smile!
When it rains... it pours Okay so I haven't posted in 6 months and now I'm posting 2 times in one day... well I wanted this seperate. Back in March I had asked for some ideas on encouraging others in our families and church and there were some helpful things there. So now I'm going to share some more. First of all a great book to read is "Treasures of Encouragement" by Sharon Betters (which Trish gave to me years ago). Besides stories of how different people have been encouraged in different situations, there is an appendix at the back with 50 ideas from no money to some money, no time to some time involved. There is also a calendar book that you can get with more ideas and I've found it very helpful for keeping organized (and so I know who I've written or done something for). So here are just a few of the ideas that I've used over the years that I hope will be helpful. 1. Flowers. I only know 1 person who doesn't like flowers (well she likes...
Sorry... no pictures yet... Well, things have been pretty busy over the last 6 months. I do hope to put up some pictures soon but for now... this is what's been going on. 1. I started to take a quilting class. I've made a few quilts before but now I have a bit of a better idea of what I'm doing. I've determined that I don't like paper piecing or applique (and if I ever get those ones finished I'll post a picture) or circles. 6inch blocks are my friends (along with the seam ripper). Usually bi-monthly 5 ladies from church get together and we're working on a few different projects. It is great to have ironers (thanks Tini & Sally) and to sit and chat while we work away. So far we've completed 4 quilt tops for the church nursery and we're looking for some new projects. 2. John & Lucy (and family) moved to Scotland. This has been a bitter/sweet time for me. Having met the folks from the churches that he has been called to, I am very exci...
I suppose it has been a great while since I've posted anything on this blog... I promise that I have taken lots of pictures and things have happened and I will get to posting again soon. The last year and a half or so, I have been thinking about encouragement. In Hebrews 3:13 we are told to "Encourage one another daily, as long as it is today" 1 Thess 5:11 says "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing". How often do I do this? How often do we as a church encourage each other and build each other up? How do I go about encouraging my fellow believers? my elders? my pastor? those close to me? those I don't know so well? At the church I attend we have folks in different areas of life, young, married, with/out children, widow, and single. What are some ways to encourage these folks in the area of life that they are living? Sharon Betters has written a book called "Treasures of Encouragement" (Trish gave it ...
What's New? Last Friday, after a few delays, Hettie came home from Africa! It was with great anticipation that I waited at the airport (a day later than originally scheduled) for my dear sister. Though her arrival time kept changing as I watched the monitor, it was good to finally see her. Saturday we spent the day with Heather, talking and walking through the mall and then out for dinner. We had icecream for dessert (which Het hadn't had in a year). On the Lord's Day we had a special welcome for her at church. First the children were all outside waiting for her, but she was a bit late... so they didn't see her. Then we had coffee downstairs so everyone could welcome her back. The most common comment was that she looked the same. It certainly didn't feel like she had been gone for almost 1 whole year! Time just flew by. We are all excited to have her back and can't wait to hear and see all about her trip. Hannah just had her 1 month appointment and is now 9lbs ...
Church Camping at Valens A few weeks ago, some folks from church went camping. On the Thursday evening the whole church was invited for a campfire, singing, and marshmellows. Here are some pictures that I found on my camera. Simon & Tini did a great job of organizing it. Hopefully next year more families will be able to come and get to know each other a bit better. :) I stayed over on the Thursday evening and had a great time talking and mostly laughing around the campfire after everyone was gone. Even with most of the kids sleeping in 2 tents, it was pretty quite... Aunt Gertrude didn't have to make an appearance!
On Monday afternoon, I met with the doctor who did the sleep study. According to him, I slept for 6 hours (I'm not too sure about that but I'll take his word for it), only stopped breathing 1.9 times/hour (5 and under times/hour is considered normal) and my legs didn't move (I'm not sure what that had to do with anything). He also said that I didn't snore (but maybe they couldn't hear me over the other 2 folks near me who woke me up in the morning!). So the good news is that my sleeping has nothing to do with my headaches. In other good news the medications that I've been on since the spring seem to be helping. Though I still get headaches they are less frequent and last a shorter amount of time (though they are more debilitating than before they only last for about 2 hours). Praise the Lord for this time that I've been able to enjoy without the worries of having a migrine. Another great thing about this medication is that it is the lest expensive ...
Hannah Rose Everts July 27, 2007 7 lbs 3oz We are so excited to have a little girl in the family! (though after 6 sisters you wouldn't think so!) Because Hannah was a footling breech, Rachel had a c-section planned for Friday early evening, but got bumped up to a later time. Hannah was born at 9:56 pm. She was laying sideways and it took some effort, but sh e is here safely. Rachel is doing extremly well and looking forward to coming home. Tristan wasn't quite sure what was going on... what 13 mont h old does? He pointed straight to her nose (like he does on his doll). He now looks like a GIANT! We are so thankful to the Lord for his blessings to Ryan and Rachel with another covenant child.
This past weekend I went to BonClarken in Flat Rock, North Carolina for the Women's Ministry meetings and was also able to attend a bit of the Family Bible Conference. I left Saturday morning from Toronto Airport and landed in Charlotte, NC at 10:30 am. Within 20 mins, I had my suitcase and was sitting on the Hertz bus heading towards the car lot! I had planned to spend the day mostly driving around. I went up 'north' to Winston-Salem to the Joanne Fabrics store to buy material (though it sure would have been nice to know if Rachel was having a boy o r a girl so that I could buy appropriate material... now I just bought some of both). By 7 pm I arrived at BonClarken (the mecca of the ARP). It was a great feeling to see that sign and know that I was 'home'. Pastor John told me to look out for his brother Bernie (who was also going to be there along with his brother Arie, and sisters Theresa and Marlene and his mom along with their families) and low and behold who was...
This past weekend, while I was in North Carolina, I brought along a book to read through. "Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?" is written by Carolyn McCulley. The subtitle is the heart of the book: Trusting God with a Hope Deferred. A book for single women of all ages who want to understand what biblical femininity looks like for an umarried woman. Carolyn has a website called Solo Femininity (solofemininity.blogspot.com) where she address different topics concerning single women. I have found this to be a helpful site to go through and have been greatly encouraged by what she shares. I was able to read a few pages of this book on line and then quickly ordered 2 copies. The first chapter is called "You're Still Single?" where Carolyn talks about going to her highschool reunion. She pointed out how difficult it was to hear the same questions... "Oh, you never got married?' or "What is a nice girl like you doing still single?' or "Why aren't ...
We dding Dress Shopping On Saturday morning (at 8:30 to be exact) Mom, Karen, Kim and Amanda met at Rachel's and the 6 of us headed off for Cambridge/Kitchener (after spending time saying hello to Tristan) to go wedding dress shopping for Kimba. We stopped first in Cambridge and though we liked some of the dresses at the first shop, they weren't very nice. The one lady (thankfully she wasn't the one helping us) kept muttering "there's too many of them.... how many dresses do they have... that is far too many". The lady helping us just showed us into a room and brought more dresses so it wasn't too bad. The first dress Kim tried o n was beautiful - way out of the budget price range, but absotlutely beautiful. As she tried more dresses on we decided (as sisters) not to make any comments until we had heard what Kim thought. This was actually quite difficult... for those of you who know the Hovestadt girls, we are not often known for being quiet - especially w...
This weekend Mike & Karen, Kim & Derek and I went camping at Brant Park. Mom and Dad and Rachel, Ryan and Tristan along with Oma and Opa Hovestadt came up for the day on Saturday. We had some exciting news! Kim and Derek are engaged!!! They are hoping to plan the wedding f or this October - almost 4 months! Derek has a home in Waterdown already so they will be nice and close - about 30 mins from Cambridge! We had a great ti me sitting by the pool (in the cold) and by a nice warm campfire in t he evening. We even got pictures with 'the boys'. And of course since Karen was around there was a lot of picture taking. We went for a walk on Sunday evening and took lots of pictures of Kim and Derek. It is great to have Mike and Derek with you to take pictures because they will do whatever pose you ask and come up with good ones on their own... and they say the Hovestadt women are strange???? We had a great time away with the 5 of us. It was great to get to know the brothers in...
Last night I had an 'interesting' sleep... but I'll let you decide. First I thought I would be brave and take a picture, but I wisely didn't bring my camera so your imaginations will have to do. I went to the K-W Sleep Lab for a sleep study. We are hoping that maybe I'm doing something in my sleep to cause the headaches, so like trouper, I headed out for another test. I arrived at 8:30 pm and was shown into a nice room. There was a double bed and a very nice Lazy Boy chair (I thought of John's study right away). I had to fill out some forms and change into my pj's then wait to be 'hooked' up. Adam and Kevin were the technicians and before I had hardly made myself comfortable on the chair they were 'sanding' and rubbing cream on my head, face, legs and neck - all the while rambling on about what each wire that was being attached to my body would monitor: heart rate, brain waves (I assured that that there was a brain in there as the MRI proved ...
Hello everyone, I think that you should add a new link to your favourite, girltalk.blogs.com and be sure to check out the Friday Funnies. If you are a mom you will want to listen to today's - in less than 30 seconds this lady sings all the phrases that moms say to their children (for those of you who went to Tamarak it is a bit reminisent of Julianna and Karen's operatic song about meeting boys). Enjoy!
It has already been a year since these photos were taken - it is hard to believe how fast the time has gone by. Last summer I had the priviledge, nay the pleasure of visiting John & Lucy, th e family and Jessica Oosterhof in Scotland. While there we lived in Tain - the oldest borough of Scotland, which is in the Highlands. What an absolutely beautiful place! Unfortmately, I can't find my CD of pictures, but Jessica so kindly gave me these (which have me in them) so I can post them. Two weeks was defin atetly not long enough to see everything - though we did see alot! We went to Urquhart Castle at Loch Ness (no we didn't see Nessie), Dun Robin Castle - which was overwheming! Everything was so big! Jessica and I imagined the men and women who came to the castle for parties ,walking down the big staircase to the garden that overlooks the sea. There is a building that is full of 'stuffed' animals big and small - elephants, giraffes, deer, antelope, fox, all sorts of fis...
Happy 1st Birthday Tristan! Tristan just celebrated his 1st birthday and we had some family come over on Saturday for a little party. While Rachel and I were getting last minute things ready, Ryan was doing some work on the patio dorr. Tristan got out his tool belt and tried to help out. The dollar store is a great place as Ryan found out - he bought Tristan's took belt, which did fit around his waist but it was so long he couldn't figure out how to sit down again. Sarah made a barn cake (of course - my camera wasn't working so I didn't get a picture) with a 3D barn, a pretzel post fence and lots of barn animals. Rachel gave Tristan the top of the barn to eat. It was quite funny to watch him (again saddly no pictures), first he took very small delicate bites (making sure to suck off every bit of icing before moving on to the next piece). By the end - and we're still not sure how he managed it - he had a red beard and moustache and legs, arms and belly! We plunked ...
On the long weekend, Mike & Karen and I decided to spend a quiet weekend together camping. (Did I just say Karen and quiet in the same sentence?!?) We were a bit smarter this year than last and brought the trailer, got an electrical site and brought a heater along. While it was quite cold at night we were snug as bugs in rugs. Our first night was not one of much sleep. The people beside us came in just before 1 am drinking and making all sorts of noise. Finally at 4 am I opened the door and told them to be quiet. (Mike was shocked awake because he hadn't heard a thing!) At 4:30 Mike and Karen went out looking for the park rangers and then went to the site and told them to be quiet. Finally at about 5am they were asleep in their tents. Karen (who doesn't always need a lot of sleep) went out at about 8 and found the ranger and by 9 he was shaking their tents telling them that they had to leave. Karen, being Karen, made sure that we got our money back for the night! Our neigh...