Our 2009 Family Snapshot

In case you didn't get out Chritams letter, here are a few snippets from our life:
-We've been in Manitoba for more than 6 years now and it really feels like home. Sometimes people ask us "If you die now where would you be buried?" We say Manitoba, that's how I know we are home. That said we still miss the mountains and ocean and family we have in BC, especially now during the holidays.
- For summer holidays this year we went to BC with Jeff Krahn and kids, and Al and Martha Sawatzky and boys. While we were in the Rocky Mountain area we went to a lake way up in the mountains. It was an afternoon in time I wish could last forever, the sun was so warm, the lake was a wonderful turquoise colour, we were swimming and lounging on the dock with some awesome friends and then it started to rain, yes the sun was still shining and this was the best. The whole trip was a memorable adventure.
-Our family loves music. We have a lot of diversity in our music. Music is often combined with dancing at our house, that's how we keep fit :). Our favourite musical artist right now are: Krystal Meyers(Joelle), Hannah Montanna(Ariel), David Crowder(Cindy), Xavier Rudd (Ben), and Gummibar(Seraya)
-Ben really got into cyclocross(off road biking with a road bike) this year. He is part of a local group that call themselves ABES (Altona Biking EnthusistS) and I can tell you first hand he is very enthusiastic about biking, he has the kids hooked and is not giving up on trying to convince me to be a Babe of ABE. It has been a lot of fun cheering him on at races and see him so excited about it.
- We attended the Church Planting Congress in Calgary. We travelled with over 40 other people from our conference. It was amazing. We were encouraged once again to keep focused on the basics: Make followers of Jesus, reach out to our local community, and reach out to the ends of the earth.
-This year we saw more than ever that our little girls are growing up, the thought comes with a mixture of fear and excitement. The scary part is how they move to be so independent of us and look and act more like tweenagers than little girls. The exciting part is seeing them grow in their faith, read their bibles on their own with enthusiasm and begin to ask questions that matter and to be active in caring for the poor. Ariel read the whole book of Psalms this fall. Joelle and Seraya went on a unicef collecting drive all on their own in some cold weather. And now they are all getting enthusiastic about fundraising for drilling a well in a place that needs clean water, talk to Ariel if you also have an interest in this.