"R u sore?"

- me texting Ingrid

Ingrid: "No, r u?"

She says it might be from the bit of rock climbing I did, but I'm wondering if she is secretly fitter than I...

Wednesday Night Bible Study

We are finishing up Deuteronomy. Last night we read Moses' final words, which were blessings to the 12 tribes of Israel.

Afterward, my dad who was sitting next to me, pulled me against his chest and said, "I bless you!"

"You're giving me the blessing of Benjamin!" I said. "You are putting me between your shoulders."






Of Benjamin he said,
"May the beloved of the Lord dwell in security by Him,
Who shields him all the day,
And he dwells between His shoulders."

-Deuteronomy 33:12

Hand-me-downs from my little sisters

If you see me in a soccer or volleyball shirt, it's Jessica's. If I'm wearing nice jeans or something with a mission logo, that's from Melissa. And if I'm wearing cute sandals, those are Elona's.

L'Arche

Last night Ingrid and I had dinner with some special needs adults. There we met Rita, a girl our age. She was living in a monastery for the past 5 years, in almost total silence. (They only spoke on Sundays, and if they absolutely had to say something, they wrote it on paper.) She went a little cuckoo from being alone in her cell so much, so they sent her back into the regular world for a while. But she hopes to return to the Sisters of Bethlehem, make vows and live there FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE. In silence and solitude.

In our Local Mountains

Breef von Eddy

...oba lot die nicht op irgendeinen dommskop enn, meatje. Wan, dan soll daut n gouda maun senne, dan soll die seine en leiwe süs du best, en die seia gout senne, sonst mot etj vebie kome en am den kop wausche.
Aulet baste en den sejen von dem basten hirte, vonne gaunze welt.

Herzlichste jreiss von dienem couseng edjik

Edna and Virgil Kleinsasser at our house

Our 20s and 30s group is going through the book of Acts. We are on chapter 15, the part where the early church had a great debate about circumcision. To put us in their shoes, our leader divided us into two groups: One group was to argue for circumcision, and the other to argue against it.

I felt like we were in grade school, doing a class assignment. Every time Tom, from the circumcision group, stood up and read from the OT with great authority, it so cracked me up!

Women's Bible Study

This week we came to the great crescendo of the Songs of Ascents - the "Unless God" chapter.

1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
- Psalm 127

And verse 2 is even lovelier:

2 It is vain for you to rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food;
For He gives to His beloved even in her sleep.

A Day at Work

Yesterday I picked up a newborn from the hospital. As they wheeled me out in a wheelchair, with the baby in my arms (hospital policy), passersby gave us tender looks and said, "Congratulations!"

Once outside, I got up from the wheelchair and thanked the volunteer who was pushing it. "Sit back down, I'll wait with you," she said. Oh yeah, she thinks someone is picking me up. I couldn't tell her I wasn't the one who gave birth, etc, for confidentiality. "I can walk to the car," I said, feeling funny as I walked off. (My entire interaction with her was funny. Earlier she had said, "Wow you look good" and all I could say was "Thanks!")

As I crossed the road, the sun hit the little boy's face and his whole face went into a big squint. At the car, I strapped his tiny body into the car seat, and then off we went. During the drive, he was completely silent. I couldn't see him because he was in the backseat, in a rear-facing car seat. He is premature and going through drug withdrawals, so I was suddenly worried about the silence. Is he suffocating back there? But I knew I had strapped him in correctly. At work, they train us for every little thing. We even had a four-hour training on car seat installment. So I relaxed in my seat, feeling confident. I was fully equipped and prepared to do this small, yet delicate task. And with great pleasure, I did it.

"Hoak die enn."

-Dad to Mom, while walking

(That means she should hook her arm in his.)

Off Roading

Erin, Jessica and Elona

Jessica

Among pine trees and little brooks - that's where I want to be!

Mark Bornstein wants to organize hiking day trips with our 20s & 30s group. I work Saturdays, but where there's a will, there's a way, right?

Strong and Humble

"Zack*, go to the back of the line! You're talking while I'm giving instructions."

"Sorry," Zack mumbled and walked to the back of the line.

That is exactly the response we expect of him, but for a moment I had to stop and be amazed. Amazed at how a child can be so humble and submissive when corrected. Being reproved is no big deal to Zack. It happens all the time. He gets chided for making paper helicopters during class, running in the hall, whistling during the movie, eating too much candy, coming out of his room after bedtime. There is usually some typical 10-year-old boy thing he is doing that isn't allowed.

He is a tough boy, who is very much on his own in this life. He has a father who visits him from time to time, and that is the only emotional support he has. As I watched Zack standing there at the back of the line, I wondered what he was thinking. I don't think he was even thinking about being reprimanded just now. He was probably thinking about the next thing he wanted to do.

As he stood there quietly, the 6-year-old next to him gently nudged him and leaned against him playfully. He smiled down at her. It was nice to see someone showing him favor, even if it was just a little girl. She nudged him again and I heard him whisper, "Stop, we'll get in trouble."

Imagine always getting in trouble, even for your natural and innocent impulses. Zack is used to opposition, and seems sturdy enough to handle it. I pray that good things will come his way.





*Name has been changed

John, me, Bethanie, Melody and Pino

"No Latinos, no salsa."

-Peter, explaining why there is no salsa in Toronto. "Too cold."

A teen girl at work kicked me hard in the knee. Of course I know not to take it personally, but this time the physical pain transferred to emotional pain. Yet in Bible study I am constantly reminded that I am so loved, that I'm freed up to love anyone through anything.

God turned curses into blessings for those he loves (Deuteronomy 23:5). Beth said the Hebrew word for "love" in Deut 23:5 is ahab. Ahab is an ardent and vehement (like a wolf!) inclination of the mind, and tenderness of affection all the same time.

Im Klavierstow

My coworker goes horseback riding in wilderness areas. Sometimes wild horses come and RUN ALONGSIDE THEM!

"I'd rather be here now."

-the bumper sticker Rudi would have

Ingrid's friend Rudi is here from Canada - very interesting guy. During Lent this year, he ate nothing - not even one bite, not even one cup of tea - except together with others. So he had guests over for almost every meal. And for breakfast, he'd go out and eat with the homeless.

Today

FOUR baptisms in our family today!!! Melissa, Elona, Jessica and Chris!!










Elona and Chris













Mom thought this needs to be largely celebrated. "Three daughters got baptized! A sheep needs to be slaughtered!" We don't have relatives here, but we could at least have our dear mentors. But it's Easter, and they all have their own family gatherings, so we just went to the beach. And while we were in the sand, we felt a strong earthquake. That was nice. :-)


Tailgate party with Elona, Chris, Jesse, Dad, Mom, Henry (Alvia's stepdad), Donna (Alvia's mom), Seth, Alvia, Cam, Melissa & Manda (front)

We had an Easter egg hunt today.

Even our older kids were into it, because whoever found the golden egg got an iPod. When we were back at the house, one boy said, "Easter is all about candy." I asked them if they also knew the religious meaning of Easter. A teen boy said, "Jesus' birthday?" Another said, "Isn't it when you don't eat meat or something?"

at the English Tea House

Elona and Mom

Letters from Mennonites in Belize

I am so excited every time I get a letter from them! We talk about theology, child rearing, and how we ought to live as Christians.






Mennonite schoolhouse in Belize, 2009