Larissa's Bridal Shower

Well, some people might spend their last night at home by packing, but instead I went to larissa's Bridal shower! Larissa is one of our pastor's daughters, and is getting married in May. Larissa's sister, Leona and I organized a Bridal shower for her. As you can see by the hat of bows on Larissa's head, there were a number of people there and lots of presents!!!
It was really nice to see so many people right before I leave, and to have a chance to say good-by to all of them.
Deborah Adair is the lady in the bottom photo here. She and her husband, Steve are in the process of adopting two little boys from the orphanage where I'll be staying, in Haiti. I can't wait to meet their boys and to give them all the nice things that the Adairs have sent down for them! 

Novo-Chloroquine

I started taking my anti-malarial treatments last Friday and woke up vomiting on Monday morning. At first I thought I might have the flu, but then I read the side-affects of my anti-malarial and I realized that vomiting, nausea, and upset stomache are all to be expected in the first few days as my body adjusts to the medication. UGH! Unfortunately, this was also the same day that I was supposed to go shopping for Bridesmaides dresses with Tabea and Mrs. Burgin. My friend Debora Burgin is getting married in June and I'm a bridesmaide in her wedding. Unfortunately, we had yet to have any success in finding the right bridesmaides dresses and so I was to go dress shopping with her mom and sister in hopes of finding the 'right' dresses. So, I slept all morning and then was determined to go shopping. I slept the whole way there in the backseat of the Burgin's vehicle and thought I felt better when we arrived in London, Ontario.
I was ok for the first mall we walked though, but ended up throwing up in a garbage can in the middle of White Oaks Mall. How embarassing!!! I spent the next three hours or so trying to sleep in the back of the vehicle while Tabea and Mrs. Burgin finished looking for the 'right dress', which none of us did end up finding! Haha! Debora says she's going to keep looking in the stores in Florida, where she's going to school. Hopefully she'll find something!
Although Debora and Tabea's little sister, Naomi, did not come shopping with us, she really wanted her picture put on my blog. So, here is a picture of me with Naomi. Naomi's favorite colour is pink and she gives some very big hugs!!! 

Comissioning Service

Today was the day that my church prayed for me and comissioned me off to Haiti. It is always very comforting to know that I am never going on a mission trip alone. I always have the assurance that God is going with me, but it is also very encouraging to know that there is an army of prayer warriors back in my home church that is praying for me. I especially appreciate this reasurrance during the times, on mission trips, when I feel tired and discouraged. Those times are bound to come for me while I'm in Haiti, but I know that God is with me and that He has laid it on the hearts of so many people to be praying for me. I truly appreciate the support of all my family and friends.
In the picture above, you can see me standing with Hilda Cornell, the organizer of the 'Willing Hands' group (from my home church in Forest, Ontario) that meets to make quilts, afghans, sweaters and hats for charitable causes. Here, we are holding up two of the quilts that the 'Willing Hands' group is sending with me down to God's Littlest Angels Orphanage in Haiti. Praise God for those willing hands! 

Sarah's Wedding

Yesterday, Saturday, I drove down to Hanover, Ontario to go to my friend Sarah's wedding. Sarah and I are friends from when I was in training at New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson, Michigan. It was great weather when I left Saturday morning, but I drove right into a snow storm, about halfway there, and had to drive very slowly to make it the rest of the way. Thankfully, I was not late for the wedding. Sarah and her husband, Derek will be missionaries, working with Dao people of Indonesia.
It was really great to see some old friends again! I enjoyed a wonderful day with several old friends from the Bible Institute! Here I am with my friends Ruth, Brielle and Debra. Ruth and Debra are the two on the end and they are both pregnant and expecting in March! 

Shopping!

Well, it was a great night! My sister, Tania (in the photo with me on the left) asked me if I wanted to go shopping with her, and of course I said that I did.




We had a lot of fun just hanging out and we also brought along her son Michael (the one being kissed) and one of my other sisters, Rachele (the one kissing michael)!




Michael and I spent a lot of time bonding. He bought a new coat, so now he thinks he's really cool! Haha! :o) He even taught us some slang, so we could be cool too! "Waddup?"









Here we all are in Reitmans (Laurie had just finished her shift, so she took our picture!)
That's me on the far left (the only one who really looks like me), and beside me is Tania, then Michael and Rachele.
It was a really fun night and Rachelle even bought me soup!

Valentine's Dinner

Our youth group put on a Valentine's Dinner for the audults in our church. It was a great night filled with lots of fun and lots of hard work. This is a picture of me, in the kitchen, holding a plate of the chicken parmesan. Looks good, doesn't it?! Marnie was our expert adviser and there was lots of help from all the teens. It was a busy night, but everything went fairly smoothly! No really catastrophies to speak of, thank goodness! I had to remind myself that I wasn't at camp and so I shouldn't expect any major disasters! Haha! J/K
If you're wondering what that silly thing is that I'm wearing, it's one of the church's nifty aprons... except I'm wearing it backwards! I didn't realize it until Pastor Kevin pointed it out to me when the night was almost over. I wondered why the neck felt so tight, but I hadn't even noticed that the pockets were in the back! Haha! 

This is me!

This picture was taken by my friend, Bobbi, as a fundraiser for our church youth group.
Didn't she do a great job?! 

My New Blog

Hello!
This is my brand new blog.
Pretty soon I will have regular updates on here so that you can keep up to date with what's going on in my life.
Currently, I am planning a trip to Haiti. I leave on the 1st of March and I will be gone until May 31st...a whole three months! While I'm there, I will be a volunteer at God's Littlest Angel's Orphanage. I will be taking care of small children, probably between the ages of two and six years old, but maybe some babies too. I will get to take them for walks, sing with them, play with them and just enjoy taking care of them. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these children and I would appreciate your prayers for me as I am on this trip! Also, feel free to send me emails and comments! I know that I am going to miss everyone from home, so please keep in touch!
Until next time!