Thailand and Malawi

Well, that was the fastest two weeks of my life.

No matter how hard you try, it is impossible to catch up on a year away from family  in just two weeks.

Trust me, we tried.

But it was full of blessing. Thanks to family and friends we raised over $1100 for our trips! I need to make special mention of my brother-in-law and his new beautiful Bride, David and Anna for hosting a surprise fundraiser at their own wedding for us! It's the most amazing feeling when you discover just how much your family believes in you.

We also had the opportunity to speak at our home church in St. John's. It was great to connect with them again. If we have any new followers, please be sure to subscribe to our blog, and then you'll simply get an e-mail every time we post. We're going to do our best to update the blog as often as possible while we're away, so if you would like to keep updated, this is the best way! Also, if you know of anyone who would like our updates, please send them the this link http://guitarsandpearls.blogspot.com/

I wanted to take a moment ( or ten) to explain again just what we are doing this summer. I have a habit of speaking too much and too fast in public, so I thought you might like the opportunity to hear it at your own pace.

Matt, in just one week from today (July 4th) will be boarding a plane for a 16 hour flight to Thailand. As a part of his Intercultural Degree which he just finished, he is required to complete a cross cultural internship. We are thrilled that he was presented with this opportunity in Thailand as I will be in there as well and  we really value having these experiences together. It is very important that we are in ministry as a couple, so, we would also want to train as a couple. He will be working with Peter DeWit who has been a PAOC missionary in Thailand with his along wife Patricia and their 5 children for over 25 years.  Matt will be helping Peter in any way needed with their church ministry NewSong  and their women's ministry Rahab Ministries which helps women trapped in prostitution. He will be preaching, teaching English and, of course, leading worship. In addition to working with Peter, Matt will be working alongside another PAOC missionary, Scott Stewart who has a ministry to the men involved in the human trafficking industry which is rampant in Thailand. This is going to be a stretching experience as it is easier to hate those men then it is to love them, but we are called to love the unlovable, and that exactly what Scott and Matt will be doing.

A few days after Matt flies out for Thailand, I will be boarding the same plane, with the same destination (July 9th).  We are flying out separately because I will be traveling with a team of 5 other girls. If you don't already know, I have been working with an organization for the past year called Tattered Tiaras. If you'd like to lean more about us, Click Here.

With all that said, we're taking a team of 6 girls to Thailand.

We will be working with Patricia DeWit who has an enormous heart for the victims of human trafficking. We will be taking part in a program that will give us a look into the heart of the city of Bangkok and working with the Rahab Ministries. Due to the Nature of this trip, we have restricted it to leaders and girls over 19. We will be learning about the sex trade in Thailand and why it is as big as it is, and how we can make a change. We recognize that it is very unlikely that a team of girls could go to Bangkok for a couple weeks and completely abolish the whole industry, but we want to learn about it so that we know why it is the way it is. You can't make a change unless you understand the need. We will be escorted to areas of the city that no tourist would ever go, see the things that only locals see. We will shadow at-risk girls and experience what it is like to work in a sweat shop, or a noodle stand for little to no wage. Truth is, I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. An experience like this cannot be prepared for. I am going in trusting that God will give me the strength to see the things I will see, do the things I will do and come out changed and better for it.

Once our Tattered Tiaras program is over, the girls will leave, but I will remain in Thailand with hubs and Peter and Patricia to help out with their ministry. Both myself and Matt will return to BC on August 4th.

It's not over yet!

Just 10 days later, I will be boarding another plane to Malawi, Africa! Tattered Tiaras will be taking another team of girls, this time ranging from 13-22 in age, to the Village of Hope. The Village of Hope is an orphanage for children who have lost their parents due to AIDS, malaria, war or any other reason. We will be working with missionaries Connie and Dave Buzikievich who are the National Directors of the Village of Hope. The focus of the trip will working in the city of Lilongwe and surrounding villages with children and mothers. Malawi will give the team members an opportunity to see a part of the world they may have never had the opportunity to see.  However, this trip will not be sightseeing. We want the girls on the team to understand that the whole world is not like North America and give them the opportunity to see the struggles and the joys of other countries to hopefully change their perspective on themselves and the world. We want them to learn that it doesn't take much to change the life of one person, not only in a foreign country, but in their own as well. The girls will teach children’s programs, play with children and assist families with daily activities.  I will be the assistant leader on the team along side the founder and director of Tattered Tiaras, Kim Moran. I will be "in training" during this trip as I anticipate leading other teams (possibly by myself) in the following years.

Needless to say, we are beside ourselves with anticipation and excitement. We strongly believe that God has called us to these trips, not for vacation purposes, but in the position of a servant. Our goal for these trips are to serve the local missionaries and make a difference in the lives of the girls on the team. We are trusting in our Lord that He will provide for all our needs. He has been so faithful so far as we have raised over $4500!! This however only covers our Thailand trip. We still need to raise another $4000 for my Malawi trip. This is no small amount, but I like to look at how much we have raised so far and it reminds me that no amount it too big for God. With the kindness and generosity of our family and friends, we are over half way to our grand total. Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far! If you would still like to give, you'll find a fancy yellow Donate button at the top of the page. This is a safe and secure way to donate through PayPal using your credit or debit card. Otherwise, any donations can be sent to our home address. If you don’t have our address, just e-mail one of us or leave a message and we will get that to you. I figure it's not the wisest idea to post that online :)

More than money, we need your prayers! It means so much to us to know that we have a team of prayer warriors behind us. We cannot go in our own strength. Many of the things we will be doing are outside of our comfort zones and outside of our ability. We need God's strength to see us through.  Please pray for safe travels, patience, strength and wisdom to make wise choices, safety and health while we are away and that we will be effective in our mission. Also pray for Peter and Patricia in Thailand and Connie and Dave in Malawi and their ministries. 

Well, if you have made it to this point, you deserve a round of applause. I promise I will work at keeping my blogs shorter. There's just so much great information I want to share with you.

Again, be sure to subscribe to this blog so you know when we post and share it with your friends and family. To do so, look to the right and you'll find a link that says "Subscribe" and subscribe by facebook, email of any other of the many options we have these days.

One last thing, our dear brother David has started a blog as well called "Christian Physician". He writes about a wide variety of topics as he is on the journey of balancing the medical world with his Christian perspective. If you're cool, which I think you are, you'll love it! You can find his blog here: http://christianphysician.blogspot.ca

Check out the ministries we are working with!

Tattered Tiaras : www.tatteredtiaras.com

Rahab Ministries: http://www.rahabministriesthailand.com

Village of Hope: www.vohmalawi.org

Matt at History Maker!

Check it out!!!

This is an awesome video created by Summit Pacific College of Matt and the Summit Band 'Resonate' at History Maker this year!

I'm so proud! :)

Summer? Is it really you?

I think it's finally summer! Please don't get me wrong, when I say summer I am sad to say i'm not talking about the weather; it appears that the typical rain drizzle and fog of May 2-4 weekend is not exclusive to Newfoundland. When I think of summer, not only do I think of the beautiful sunshine, a hot day at the beach and terrifying encounters with wasps, I also think of relaxation...rest...a well needed, well deserved break.

What a crazy, busy, wonderful life we lead.

Obviously if you look over our blog history, it is very sporadic, inconsistent, and tiny. This is a result of little time we find to ourselves during each term. Please do not take offense, family and friends, but the time we do find to ourselves, I just can't bring myself to use for recapping the craziness from which we just emerged. However, I now find myself, still in my PJ's during mid-afternoon on Victoria Day Holiday, with nothing to do for the rest of the day but write this blog. I want to tell you about the awesome month we just had!

At the end of April, we finished the term well. Exams went smoothly and we both received really good grades. The day after our last exam, Matt's parents came for a visit! It was so wonderful to have them here with us. We realized, however, that it was the first time that we had any family out to visit us since we moved here 3 years ago. It's a sad reality that we live in the same country, yet it is cheaper and quicker to go to Europe than it is to get to BC. I'd probably choose Europe any day!


We cleared out our little office and Colleen and Joe settled in, unconcerned with their small living quarters and simply overjoyed to see us! How wonderful it was to have family with us! We had a full list of things we wanted to do while they were here, but first on the list was Matt's graduation!



Graduation took place over two nights. First, there was Grad Banquet. All the graduates, family, friends and students and staff of the college filed into the beautifully decorated gymnasium for great food, amazing music and a night of fun! Matt was asked to sing and consequently made me cry by singing the song he wrote for our wedding day- obviously my favorite song.              

It was a great night!



The next night was the Grad Ceremony!

Cameras were flashing, friends cheering and proud parents were crying.

Again, of course, Matt was asked to sing. He rocked his beautiful red Gretsch electric guitar with his square hat, tassel and gown. Now that's a rock star!

All his hard work paid off and he proudly walked across stage when they called his name, followed by the Latin words!!
(Latin words= cum laude  means "with honor")

Next thing on our list, a day trip to Seattle, WA. 

This was a very special day for myself and Matt. You see, every time we have gone to Seattle, the gas it takes us to get there soaks up our budget and so we eat our homemade sandwiches and dream about having money to make the adventure fun. We were quickly reminded that the best way to vacation, is with your parents! What a blessing they were to us! We had coffee from Pike Place Public Market (the first ever Starbucks!), we bought souvenirs, fudge from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and actually ate from a restaurant!!

 Pike Place Market, Starbucks

                                                       

 Apparently, the cool thing to do in Seattle is
to stick your gum to the wall.
Consequently, this is known as...the gum wall. 

   

Dinner at 'The Pike'

                                                                  

Mowing the lawn (Matt)

Unfortunately, throughout the week, Matt and I had to continue work. We both were blessed by jobs at the school. With the crazy summer we have ahead of us, it was unlikely that any other business would hire us for the summer when we are asking for 6-8 weeks off. But the school, knowing our situation, took us under their wing. Matt is working maintenance and I am doing any odd job they find for me, particularly cleaning. While it's not always easy, we are very thankful for the work. We made sure to take the evenings, however, and show them around town a little more. We visited the historic village of Fort Langley, introduced them to the Olive Garden, and invited friends over for a good ol' cooked dinner!

Fort Langley Town Hall

Olive Garden

Friends!

Exploring Campus

A stay in BC wouldn't be complete without a trip to Vancouver and the Island!

First on the list was to bring Joe to his heaven on earth, MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op). This is a store that has everything outdoors! We were excited to go there as well because Matt was given quite a bit of money for his graduation from both sets of parents, other family and friends. While we put the majority of it towards our summer trips, it was important to us that we spend some of it furthering our camping gear, especially since all we had was the tent.

Thank- you!!!

Stanley Park- Vancouver

While the boys explored yet more outdoors stores, the gals went shopping downtown Vancouver! Unfortunately, we didn't find anything super exciting, but girl time is always welcomed! Since Abbotsford (our home) is a little over an hour away, and because we had plans in the morning to catch the ferry to the Island, we got a hotel room in Vancouver for the night and finished the evening off with a walk through Stanley Park and a relaxing dinner out.

A trip to the island is always a a beautiful adventure!

The ferry ride is one of the most beautiful experiences!

We explored China town and visited the Parliament building,

Spicy Peanut Chicken noodle box

And finally, no trip to the island is complete without dinner at The Noodle Box... one of our favorite restaurants!!

It was a fast two weeks, and we were very sad to see them go, but it makes it so much easier to say goodbye when you know you'll see each other again real soon. June 14!!!

After another busy weeks work, we piled all Matt's music gear in to the car early Friday morning and we and some of his band members headed East 8 hours to Castlegar for a weekend conference with their youth and the youth of the surrounding area. 

"It was one of the best trips of the year and Castlegar was one of those examples of God moving gradually throughout a weekend. Friday night was a little rough, the youth were very emotionless, but by Sunday morning, we not only witnessed the youth praising God with all their hearts, but they joined together with the entire congregation, literally. They had their arms stretched out to God, holding hands worshiping God. It was an incredible picture. "-Matt 

Castlegar was also one of the most beautiful places we have been in BC. Nestled in a valley, surrounded by mountains, lakes and waterfalls. 

Finally, to top off our month of non-stop adventure, this past weekend, May long weekend, we were at History Maker. This is a youth conference for the entire BC/ Yukon district of the PAOC (Pentecostal Assemblies Of Canada). Matt and his band from the college were asked to play Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon. 

"It was amazing to see so many of the youth my band has ministered to over the past 3 years all in one place. Out of the 2500 people, I was surprised how many of the youth I knew... and how many knew me!" -Matt

I volunteered all weekend as an extra hand where ever needed. Most of my weekend consisted of selling merchandise for the various bands at the conference and the rest was spent being proud of my hubby! They did such a great job and it was so fun to see his face on the big screen! God is using him in incredible ways!!!

It has been an incredible, yet insanely busy month! I realized this weekend that I hadn't had a day to sleep past 7:30am in over a month! This morning was my first sleep-in day, and of course I didn't discover it was a holiday until I was dressed and ready for work. 

But, I made the most of it! Look at this deliciousness:

Homemade, whole grain bread
The first batch to ever turn out good!

Alas! Summer break has arrived!! It's been crazy, but it's been fun!


Now, bring on the adventure!