Photos

Trip to BC

This is Corinne and I chilling in her grandma-in-law’s downstairs bathroom while talking on the phone with our older sister Marianne on Christmas day.

 

That’s Corinne making us some brunch… back in 100 Mile House.

 

That’s Corinne by the biggest skis in the world… situated right in their village.

That’s Rick and us (you don’t see us…) about to slide down a hill.

This is Dustin … with the tubes.

Corinne and I went for a hike - This is the Ski Hill.

Corinne and I, faking to use some kind of chairlift half way up the hill.

This is Corinne exhausted… but not there yet.

Myself on top of the Ski Hill!

Better view…

Now… we went bowling. It was rather small… and different.

Corinne bowling.

 

We had lots of fun, but we missed something quite BIG back in Québec!

12345

I have no real title for this post and I find it quite unfortunate that this is a quick post when this is the first one of the year 2008. But when I think of it, it really does not matter at all.

Since my hosts are sleeping and I am up I thought that I would add some things that you might want to know since you are reading me.

1. My older sister and husband had a baby girl the day after Christmas and I am looking forward to see this family of now five people when I go back to Quebec.

2. My younger sister and her husband are bringing me to Abbotsford on either Thursday or Friday. It’s a five-hour car trip and we’re not sure about the weather so we’ll see when we leave. You can pray about our little trip and theirs as they go back.

3. I’ll be flying back to Montreal on Friday and will be arriving on Saturday morning. Pray for safe travels again.

4. I didn’t shave my head.

5. Corinne and I climbed the Ski Hill yesterday. It was tough climbing up but we had a really good time and are quite proud of ourselves. I’ll post pictures later on…

6. My hosts are still fast asleep.

100 Mile House, BC

Hi there. Yes, I am safe and sound. Apart from losing my jacket in Calgary airport I had a pretty good day on the 24th as I flew to Abbotsford, BC. It was the first time so many people were waiting for me at the airport. Well, I guess, four people is a lot to me.

We spent the first two days in Chilliwack which is close to the coast then we drove to my sister’s place, 100 Mile House. I thought that Riviere-Beaudette was a nowhere village, well 100 Mile House is truly a nowhere town in a real hole. Hmmm, well, valley sounds better maybe. 100 Mile House is just so far away from other towns it feels like I’m in a far west movie. Well, maybe not that bad.

Anyways, I’ve been enjoying my trip a lot. It’s really nice to see the West of my country again and realize how different Quebec is from the other provinces. It reminds me of my two years spent in Saskatchewan so much. Safeway, Seven Eleven, Husky and co. It’s good to rest and do little to nothing. I desperately needed that.

Corinne and I are planning on climbing a hill. Well, it’s kinda big. It should take a few hours to climb up and we’ll see how the snow slows us down. Hey, I’m wanting to shave my head.

Gain.

I love to hear John Piper say:

“… How do you make Christ look magnificent when you’re dying? Answer: say “gain”. If you put everything this life offers over here and Christ over here and death takes all this and gives only Him, what do you say? GAIN! And when you say that, you know what happens in hell? They gnash their teeth. Fail! We failed again! we can’t stand it when those saints treasure Christ and delight in Christ and are satisfied with Christ and enjoy Christ so much that He looks so great. They gnash their teeth in hell when dying Christians say GAIN. And the angels, with tears running down their faces they rejoice, yes! Look how magnificent Christ is magnified by being preferred above everything that life can offer.”

Hey, I’ll be going to WEST for Christmas! I’ll be visiting my sister and her husband who are living in BC this year. Exciting!

not alone

I wasn’t alone to start school in my family this week. Iain my nephew started kintergarten just today!

He looks thrilled eh? Well, no worries, I was told he had a great time.

—

Lord Jesus, I sin. Grant that I may never cease grieving because of it, never be content with myself, never think I can reach a point of perfection. Kill my envy, command my tongue, trample down self. Give me grace to be holy, kind, gentle, pure, peaceable, to live for Thee and not for self, to copy Thy words, acts, spirit, to be transformed into Thy likeness, to be consecrated wholly to Thee, to live entirely to Thy glory.

Deliver me from attachment to things unclean, from wrong associations, from the predominance of evil passions, from the sugar of sin as well as its gap; that with self-loathing, deep contrition, earnest heart searching I may come to Thee, cast myself on Thee, trust Thee, cry to Thee, be delivered by Thee.

O God, the Eternal All, help me to know that all things are shadows, but Thou art substance, all things are quicksands, but Thou art mountain, all things are shifting, but Thou art anchor, all things are ignorance, but Thou art wisdom.

If my life is to be a crucible amid burning heat, so be it, but do Thou sit at the furnace mouth to watch the ore that nothing be lost. If I sin wilfully, grievously, tormentedly, in grace take away my mourning and give me music; remove my sackcloth and clothe me with beauty; still my sighs and fill mu mouth with song, then give me summer weather as a Christian.

- a Puritan prayer -

Look what I found… this is truly my little sister! I think she’s pretty!

Apocalypse // aTTwkaliTTus

For those of you who’d be interested, my older sister is presently, currently, actually, pregnant with their third child. Since the very start family and friends in general hoped for a girl since they “already” had two little boys. Today was the big day. Marianne had an … échographie/sonogram/ultrasound/sonography (which one do you guys use for this type of scan?). So finally I got the long-awaited phone call this afternoon (well, I am exagerating a lot here). And the truth was APOCALYPTUS (uncovered / unveiled).

IT’S A GIRL!

I’m really joyous! First of all because I know that my sister is really happy about it, her hopes are becoming real. And I’ll be happy to have a … nephew girl. I can’t remember the word for… I don’t even remember the French word for it. (So I got up and asked my roomie this question, “C’est quoi un neveu fille?” and she answered, “Nièce” which reminded me of the English word, niece - thanks Rachel) so yeah It’ll be fun to have a little niece. I’ll make sure she plays sports and dislikes pink and girly stuff. No I am joking Jason. She shall be just the way God is making her to be.

Exciting!

Teddy Bear & Corinne some… 18 years ago.

Pursued

I feel like I haven’t have any real rest since a week. I started a cold and worked lots no matter the little energy I had. I’ve been busy going from Montreal to the South Shore to Montreal to my dad’s to Montreal and teaching. Ah and on Sunday we helped my grandparents move out and then in their new home. I was really tired by the end of the day and just wanted to leave, but eh they needed us. I’ve never felt low on energy like that since the day I was born. I have enough energy to do all I need to, but it is so tiring, all of the sudden just to be in the métro, my energy goes down and I feel dizzy. It’ll go away… someday.

So I’m living by myself now, still at my grandparents’ place (well, their old place) and it’s neat. For little things like, doing laundry after supper, playing the guitar without a care about how loud it is, leaving the house without saying goodbye to anybody or when I should be back, taking a shower at 12:30pm… all kinds of little things that make me feel more at peace, more free. I can rest, at last from the routine and the “oh not too loud” or “man, I have no other time than in the evenings to do laundry these days, when am I going to get to do it?” or just planning my time according to the fact that I know that my grandma will talk to me for a little bit before I leave. It’s a good feeling to be here by myself.

Since I think of it, I don’t know what he studied in, but my brother-in-law just graduated from seminary. Clap clap clap. I thought I should highlight this event since I seem to highlight everything going on around me.

Ah, before I leave. I just noticed the title of this post. Pursued. Well my grandparents are not living here anymore and I’m enjoying it, especially the fact that I am no longer caught up in my grandma’s long conversations. So the phone rang. And yes, it was my grandma. No, she had nothing in particular to tell me, but she did talk to me for a little while about all kinds of things. I felt as if I was pursued… hopefully she won’t call me every night! Oh well, I wonder about what love is though.