Wisdom of the ages

When Kevin and I started our relationship, we decided to seek out another more experienced couple to mentor us. I am SO thankful that we have their input into our lives!!! It is so challenging to have their wise advice, to ask them questions, and to have them ask US the tough questions.

Could we survive without the accountability? Maybe.

Would it be a good idea? Nope.

Because of our pride, it's easy to think we've got it figured out, or that we will figure it out on our own. I am so thankful that God has humbled us to ask for accountability! Even as we talked about getting engaged, we discussed it with our mentor couple who told us about their engagement and convictions leading to their decision. I think that God definitely uses other people to speak to us, and I know He is using this couple to speak truth into our relationship, to keep us grounded in His Word, His Truth, His Love.

Thanks for mentors who take the time to speak into my life!

P.S. Another reason why accountability in any area is good was expressed well by my friend Darren (I'm paraphrasing). He said, "I'm not going to be stupid enough to give myself the benefit of the doubt." It's true. Giving myself the benefit of the doubt has led to many a stupid decision on my part, and seeking accountability from other people you respect (who will love you enough to challenge you, even at the risk of you throwing things at them) lessens the probability of a stupid decision occurring. And believe me, any decrease of stupidity is a good decrease! ;)

S-car-goooo!

I had a yummy yummy dinner this past Thursday night at Boho in the T.Dot (for Summerlicious). The particularly tasty treat was the appetizer. Escargots in a phyllo pastry cup. YUMM! My first s-car-go experience, and it was fantastic. I got to share it with another particularly tasty treat, Nancy, AHAHAHAHAH. But seriously, try escargots. They are DELISH!

In more news, our '88 Honda is dying awwwww, so we're looking at getting a Honda Fit to replace it. Honda Fits are so cute! And of course, the most important question is, "What colours do they come in?" Ahahahaha. Not sure when we'll actually go and buy it, but I'm excited for all the foldy-chair-ness!

And right now, we're in the middle of a crazy storm. I just looked out the window, and it is amazing to see the wind whipping these trees. It was such a great reminder of God's power. And to think that He can calm the storm, just as easily as He can start it. Wow. Thunderstorms for God's glory. Wow.

Enouraging quote

As we were debriefing about the year overseas, someone gave me this quote and I really enjoyed it.

"If God calls you to be a missionary, don't stoop to be a king." - C.T. Studd

Space cadet

According to my sister, my behaviour lately has been "space cadet-y". I totally agree. I'm SO out of it. I could blame it on jet lag (I'm not feeling QUITE as awake as I should), but it's also because I completely forget so many things about Canadian culture and find myself just observing and spacing out!

In Re-Entry by Peter Jordan, he says,

What are some of the signs of reverse culture shock? One is feeling "out of place," as though you are a spectator watching from afar. You don't really fit in with what is going on around you. While everyone else seems to be sure of their social position, you seem to hang out at the edges, wanting to paricipate fully, but not being quite able to.

Exactly. I'm SO out of it. I feel like the world runs on around me, but I'm not fully part of it yet. I think I'm going to need to keep adjusting. Gah!

The workout today helped! It is SO MUCH EASIER TO RUN HERE! I think my lungs are super-efficient with ALL the oxygen, because they were so deprived before. I haven't run in almost a year, but today was okay! And then I watched Superman Returns. Suprisingly good! It was good to hang out with my sister and her boyfriend.

Tomorrow, the cleaning, purging, throwing away continues, and it's craft time to assemble gifts!

War veterans...

I met with a dear friend of mine, my first discipler, in B.C. and she spewed so much wisdom as I told her about readjusting to the Canadian culture. There was one thing she said that stood out to me especially, and that was that returning missionaries are like war veterans. When war veterans come home, they realize so much has changed in their home culture and they often have trouble readjusting, finding new jobs, and re-acquainting themselves with old friends. She said returning from the missions field is similar, because we've been fighting a spiritual battle. War veterans have organizations that help them re-adjust to the culture, and it's important for us to find a support network, too.

So how do I feel? In some ways, it's back to normal. Slowly, things are starting to come back...how to do a load of laundry, doing dishes in 2 HUGE sinks (bye-bye small Asia sink!), driving in Toronto, petting my cat.

I think the problem will be taking time to spend with God. Already, I'm trying to adjust by to-do-ing everything, putting tasks on a list that I'll check off once I've finished them (it's control-freak syndrome!). One thing that's not on my task list? Re-adjusting to culture. Is it a mistake to assume that that will happen naturally? Probably.

If you talk to me this week, can you ask me if I've taken time off to start processing this past year? Ask me if I've spent some good time with my Father. Thanks for all your support, friends! :)

"Home"?

I was born in Canada and raised in Canada for 23 years. Shouldn't I know what it's all about??

Apparently not. I'm experiencing culture shock to the max. Flushing toilet paper?? I can do that?? Grass! There are lawns! Clean air...skies that are grey because they're cloudy, not because they're smoggy! People drive normally! There are lanes and people obey the laws! And...the Blue Jays are actually doing well! I know! Gasp!

And so the adjustment continues.

P.S. Drove for the first time in 11 months today! After not buckling a single seatbelt in 11 months (including once in Vancouver, oops), I got into the car and my arm reached over to buckle it in. Automatic! Good thing some things don't change.