Merry Christmas 2014

Merry Christmas from Ed and Marilyn!!

 “…they shall call his name Emmanuel (which means God is with us)”. What a year it has been!  Each year, often while travelling, we try to do one ‘new thing’. It’s a yearly goal: what new thing shall we attempt this year? 2014 seems like a year of new things: planned or not… by us. We love knowing that for our God, there are no surprises:)

November 2013 - Luseland Bible Camp’s fall celebration supper took place on a Saturday. Ed preached his last sermon at Luseland Alliance Church before entering that world of ‘retirement’. We had a thought of ‘might we be able to escape winter?’ God must have smiled at that idea; because the next day came a blizzard. School buses didn’t run. Friends courageously drove us to Saskatoon; where the next day we flew to the Detroit area to visit Marilyn’s mom before flying to Vientiane, Laos for a planned 4 month trip to learn more about culture and help with ESL programs as needed and we were able. Exciting. New. An adventure, we thought… and it was, but Ed got sick in December and had to learn to walk again - a bit scary. Alone in another country, but opportunities to see God work in and through new friends and us.

 January 2014 - Marilyn’s mom fell and fractured her hip (a hairline break not needing surgery). We cut our Laos adventure in half and returned to help her in rehab, selling her home, her stuff and moving her to Canada in March. Again it was a bit scary. We’re thankful for praying friends and family and the many who helped us along the way. Mom now lives half an hour from us in an assisted living home in Macklin. Nice to have her nearby. Oh, and did I mention, the Detroit area had record breaking snow fall:)

 April 2014 - We began to fill out forms and applications for mom to become a permanent resident of Canada and obtain a visa for temporary residence until that happens. Thankful for those who have been a huge help in that happening. We’re told these applications often take 30-40 months to process. We’re praying for a miracle; as we trust God again to do what only He can!

 July 2014 - Camp Season for Marilyn and the first time it felt ‘normal’ in her year. Thankful for camp staff who love the Lord and dedicate their lives to serving Him. Thankful for campers who have a lot of fun; as they learn and grow in their relationship with God. Thankful for families who experience the transforming power of Jesus in their lives, discover Truth and how much God loves them.

Since then: Ed’s been preaching in our church and those of neighbouring communities. Marilyn was asked to edit a novel written by a camp staff who has published 2 books already. It’s now available on amazon.ca in ebook format and titled: Miracle Monday - an inspirational Christmas story, set in Saskatoon and based on a true story… a great gift for all ages and costs just $3.41. We’ve been blessed and are thankful for health, healing and God’s provision as we continue to look for a new ‘normal’. Finding that may just be our new adventure of 2015. MERRY CHRISTMAS as we celebrate the birth of the JESUS, our LORD, our SAVIOUR, our SANCTIFIER, our HEALER, our COMING KING… EMMANUEL