Sunday and the week ahead
A podcast (audioblog) about Sunday morning, pilgrims to Chalma, and (re)finding a doctor…
Prayer and Praise
Nathanael’s feeling better.
After a rough start to the night, Nathanael was eventually able to fall asleep. I think there was a fair amount of tossing and turning (they have a very squeaky bed – you can’t miss every toss and turn!), but he slept and most of the hives were gone this morning.
He was pretty tired, but we decided to send him to school anyway. He said his teacher let him have a little rest, and now that he’s home again he seems to be doing ok. It may be a rough day (he’s not the only one who’s tired!), but I think we’re on the upswing.
Thanks for your prayers! 🙂
Nathanael’s feeling miserable.
Poor Nathanael. He’s got hives. Over a good portion of his body. No fun.
We’re going to put him to bed pretty soon, but if you happen to be reading this in the next day or so, we’d appreciate your prayers for the itchy guy. Thanks!
The tax man adds it all together
Months.
For months we’ve been trying to find out what taxes we owe. We’ve been in the unusual position of wanting to pay our taxes, but not being able to!
You can read the start of this whole story here if you like. And the follow-up here. And the next follow-up. Finally, on Christmas Eve 2007 the Canada Revenue Agency finally figured out what we actually owed (from 2006) and sent us a notice.
We owed a lot.
Once again, this is really both a praise and a prayer. The praise is that we had enough cash in our Ministry Expense Account, and the money is on the way to the CRA.
The prayer request? Well, that money really should have been for … well … ministry! That was money that could have help fund our ministry expenses in 2008.
We’re changing our lifestyle in 2008. In 2007 we stuck around home a lot (after all, we’ve been going to school – all four of us). In 2008 we become a little more nomadic – taking frequent trips as we get to know different people and ministries in Mexico, and learn more about the language and culture. That gas money is on its way to the Canadian Government at the moment. 😉
So we would appreciate your prayers that the Lord would provide for the many ministry expenses we’re expecting in 2008 – and that we would be wise as we set priorities.
God does have a way of providing what we need when we need it – through His people and their prayers, and many unexpected surprises! We’re so thankful that we have a God that doe provide!
Van break down in Mexico
It happened a couple of times in the past year and a half. And not at the greatest times.
We were working ourselves to the bone trying to get out of our apartment in Calgary, and our van died – no power, battery dead. We blamed it on bad electrical work in a trailer, got a boost, and were fine.
Fast forward a year later or so. In one of Cuernavaca’s busiest intersections, the van died. No power, battery dead. This time, I wasn’t pulling anything. For a few minutes I blocked traffic (I imagine everyone I know must have driven or walked by) until a friend came and gave me a boost. The van was fine for a few more months. Afraid of complicated electrical work, we decided to wait and see what would happen.
Fast forward to December, several months later, in the midst of Christmas preparations. On my way home with the turkey, the battery started to die. Armed with experience, I wasted no time and made it home. Now what?
I decided to drive it (downhill) to a Christmas party, knowing that there were people there who could help if I needed help. I did.
This time, though, the boost did little good. I just barely drove it out of the gated community, and it died again. I had a couple of very generous friends to help, parents of Hannah’s classmates. One gave my family a ride home, while I talked to the other. He (Alberto) suggested I leave the van there for the night, near a 24 hour store and the securities guards at the community gate. We talked to the store owner and the security guard, and I do believe I saw some "thank you money" pass hands. Everyone helped me get the van to the side of the road.
The next morning, on advice, I pulled out the battery and took it by foot and bus to the store, and had it replaced. Via a lot more walking up and down hills and another bus, I got the new one back to the van. From the symptoms I figured that, even if there was a cable or alternator problem, the battery was likely part of the problem. It gave me enough juice to drive it a little, but it was clearly not the whole problem.
I called our landlord to see if he could recommend a nearby mechanic, but he didn’t call back, and it was now the weekend – Sunday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day…
I saw Lisandro (our landlord) on Boxing Day (26 December). He generously went with me to a little shop where electrical work was done – a typical, greasy place with pin-ups on the wall and a big wooden skeleton to hang things on. Oh, and some guys that seemed to know their stuff. They tested the obvious things, and this morning we went back (before Lisandro went to work).
After hanging around for an hour waiting for the owner, watching another guy get his car fixed and chatting with him and a mechanic, we found the owner and talked to him. Lisandro left, and after about 45 minutes the owner (maestro) took a look. Maybe the alternator – let’s take a look. We talked about new engines, Calgary, and the Winter Olympics that Calgary is still remembered for.
I hung around and watched the whole procedure – it was the regulator in the alternator. I helped him replace the belt (why not?), started up the van, and voila! I mean … ¡que bueno! It worked.
After a bit of driving today, it looks like it still works. So far so good. It’s nice to have a van again.
Tonight I’ll probably swing by and thank the guy in the 24 hour convenience store and the security guards. Maybe I’ll give them some Coke and cookies as a thank you.
So that’s a van break down in Mexico – generous friends, a few interesting experiences, and even a few more Spanish words. Not a bad holiday season so far…
Amnesia!
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I’d like to share this story from a friend of mine named Alan. It’s a truly bizarre story, but I link to it not so much for your entertainment, but so that you can pray and also share if you have any insight.
On Sunday night, Jackie (Alan’s sister) and her husband Daniel were hanging out with family and friends, having a good time. Later, she prepared for one of her lessons (she’s a teacher). At about 10:30pm, she told Daniel she was going for a walk.
Around 7am the next morning, she was knocking at the door of a house several kilometers away, asking them to call an ambulance. She didn’t know where she was, what she was doing, or even who she was.
For the full story, read Alan’s original post here. You can also check out the comments, and the follow up posts: It could have been someone else’s trauma… and A bit more on that hypothermia idea…. Check for new posts here.
Photo courtesy of Dan4th