Merry Christmas!

With Love, Beth

Bubble Note # 53

What's happened since my last note? The Picture-line is below.
Fall Skills- a three day rotation of multiple outdoor skills for the purpose of adventure, team building, glorifying God and a ton of fun.


It all began with rock-climbing...

Followed by a little kayaking...

Rafting in the fall--AMAZING!

Specialization: Each student chooses one of the three skills to specialize in. This is a 5 day event in which they go more in depth with whichever skill they choose.
Can you guess which one I did?... 5 days on the Salmon and Snake River, hitting 3 different states (Idaho, Oregon and Washington), eating tons of food and creating memories.

Since the end of specialization (Oct 9) we have been in various classes, helping teach other classes, and attempting to complete homework. What's on the calendar next? Currently the first year students are completing a practicum (where youth come in and they plan and execute a program for them, out of all the material they have learnt. This ranges from figuring out roles, to who works where, to what they do and how they do it. It's a big task so if you could keep them in your prayers that would be great). After the practicum is over (Sunday), we will have a quick day to debrief, clean up camp, pack and then we head back to Prairie on Tuesday. What does the rest of the semester hold? Well, I'm not completely sure. The academic work certainly picks up once we reach the Prairie campus, but I'm positive there will be other 'stuff' that comes up that I don't yet know about. But...I'll be sure to let you know when I do know!

Much love to you all. Hopefully some crazy stories will soon be in store.

Beth

Bubble Note #52

My last note was actually sent 2 weeks after I wrote it. There is something with Prairie's mail system that it won't let me send any mail out of my kastanet address, but I can receive fine. Therefore if you send me an email and I don't reply for a very long time, don't think I haven't replied yet, for perhaps, I may have. It may just be sitting in my outbox waiting for the internet to work ;-)

We (Me, myself and over 30 others) have now been at Camp Bighorn for over two weeks, and let me tell you, it has been stellar. It began with a 10-day out-trip. The first three of those days were filled listening to Tom Collins out at a Ranch that a couple graciously lent to us for Leadership Training. Even though I have been through this course before, there are constantly new stuff being brought to my attention. Those three days were not easy. It wasn't the cold weather, nor the dripping tarp, but internal issues that were being 'cleaned out' by the Holy Spirit. Deep Cleansings hurt. But they are good.



This was followed up by a 7-day backpacking trip with out respective teams. We had sunny weather for the first 5 days, and the last day and a half was a little wet, but not to bad. I still have 10 toes AND fingers. Huge Bonus ;-)  This trip was mainly for beginning the 'forming' and 'norming' stages of our teams (namely Green Team for me) and thanks to God, it went wonderfully. The first year students are very eager to learn, and we made it to most of our destinations with relative ease. Now I could show you hundreds of pictures from the trip, but instead I limit it to just a couple.


(Taking a drink from my handy-dandy bladder [no, not THAT kind, the kind that holds water in your backpack])


Green Team (Top left to right- Kyle [aka Sunshine], Jon, Kurtis, Beth. Bottom L to R- Chad, Julie, Carmella, Abe)


We did a morning hike in which we woke up at midnight, began hiking at 1am (it takes at least that long to pack up one's life into a backpack that holds 65litres), and covered 2 1/2 miles, bushwacking, in the dark and gaining 1200ft in less than 2 hours! Pretty impressive eh? So we then pulled out our sleeping bags (since we arrived 2 hours at the summit before sunrise), slept for 2 hours and awoke to this! Isn't Dad cool!

After all this amazingness we moved into a river acclimation class in which the 2nd year students were teaching the first year. We finished that about...30 minutes ago. It was awesome. The students loved it, swimming rapids, water wars, throw-bagging etc. Again, cold, but good. If you want to see pictures and/or videos, check out the Explore fan page on Facebook (of which I happen to be one of the ones in charge of). http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051255&id=1566930078#!/pages/Explore-Wilderness-and-Leadership-Program/144564012224283?ref=ts

Well, you are all probably tired of hearing me talk by now. I would love to hear from you all as well. And...pictures are always lovely!

Blessings for now,
Beth

Bubble Note #51

"Oh, I need to go, I have a meeting at 3 o'clock." "Sorry to cut this short, but I need to meet with someone at 4." "Is it really supper already? K, I'm coming." "Oh shoot, I hadn't planned for our discussion group yet."

So maybe they aren't word for word, but pretty accurate. So maybe I'm not as busy as I make it seem, I'm finding time to write this email aren't I? Though it may be short, it's almost time for supper ;-)

I am thoroughly enjoying my time at Prairie as an Explore Intern. There are meetings, classes, plan-making-meetings (which often result in making another meeting in the future) and then, naturally, the obligatory hang out times :-)  Even though I am an extrovert, I am learning to enjoy my rest. One of the biggest blessings this year (even though it is only 1 week into the school year) has been having my own room. This allows time for me to rest and therefore give my all during the times that I am out.

Abe (my co-intern) and I had the pleasure of meeting and beginning to build relationship with Green Team (the colour we chose for our team this year). We have 4 guys and 2 gals, all of which seem to be fun and willing to fully step into this year. No doubt there will be challenges, but as this year is beginning I am LOVING stepping into relationship with these young people. It has also been cool to see Tyler step into college life (even though today was the first day of classes), and I'm hoping to be a part/observer in the change that will occur in him this year.

We are on campus for the next week and a half as the freshmen complete a course on the "Reading the Bible in the 21st Century". During this time I will be attending some classes on Leadership Foundations, continuing to plan our upcoming backpacking trip, creating a vision and philosophy with Abe for myself and our team, and completing other various Admin Intern tasks (each intern is asked to take on a different 'role' within the intern team, such as Program Coordinator, Logistics etc...therefore mine is Jr. Administration Intern).

Just because I like pictures...the first picture is of my room at Bighorn (I was sharing with 7 other ladies) and the second is my room here at Prairie (you like my thrift store decorations? Everything in the second picture was bought [total] for under $16)




Blessings,

Beth

Bubble Note #50

Rarely in my life have I legitimately been able to say, "Sorry, I've been to busy to write". But this constitutes as one of those few times.

These past 2 months have been wonderful, exactly what I needed upon my return to Canada and a great preparation as I move into my Explore Internship. When I arrived back I was feeling rather nervous about the internship mainly because I felt I was not well equipped (as everyone except one of the other interns has had another whole year of Explore schooling) nor qualified for the position. This summer has calmed some of those fears, but also assured me that it is not by my own strength than I will be leading anyone, but only by His power.

Some of the jobs that I did this summer included working in the kitchen, facilitating a Jr. High and High School group of gals, working on Ops and leading a Chapel team. But that is the big picture, you want the little picture? Ok. Mud Pits, bike rides, rappelling, kayaking (and just yesterday learning my roll!), rafting tons, sunburns, cliff jumping, hikes, sleeping in tarps, junk food, 730 devo's, 50 women in a 5-shower stall bathroom, exhaustion, ultimate frizbee, meeting tons of new people, spontaneous trips into Plains, laughter.  Have I really been in North America for 10 weeks already? The time has flown! Someone remind me to write more often, because when I don't write for a whole month there is so much to tell that I don't even know where to begin! So, perhaps I'll just tell you about the future.
All of the interns, as of yesterday morning as officially done with Camp Bighorn Summer Staff. Now, normally when this happens the staff leave to head home, but we are sticking around for just a bit. We will be going backpacking on the Idaho/Montana Stateline trail for 5 days starting this Monday (this also means that we have the weekend off! My first full weekend off all summer...time? Dang, how do I fill all this time). After we return we will be driving up to Canada to begin to prepare for the freshmen that will be coming in on August 20th (one of which will be my brother, Tyler!!). We are in Canada for about 3 weeks with the Explore freshmen as they do some courses before returning back down to Bighorn for our Fall Semester. Soooo....perhaps more busyness? Ah, well, I like the busy.

So, best thing about this summer? Probably happiness. This summer has been one of the happiest times of my life, joy in the everyday, strength from the One who gives and laughs with the ones I love. Best thing about this upcoming year? Hopefully the same thing (but with Tyler included which makes it so much better!).

Well the bell rang and it's time for breakfast. But, pictures are always fun. Pictures are courtesy of Camp Bighorn (Admin Team).

Chapel (I'm the one in colourful pants...can you find me?)


Just after a biking event while facilitating Highschoolers.
(For more pictures go to http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Camp-Bighorn/344035665582?v=photos&ref=ts )

Take care all my friends,

Beth

Bubble Note #49

 



Dust flying. Wind whipping past our ears. Peddling faster. Singing Sound of Music.

Soft grass under a cherry tree. Quiet. A cool breeze. Early birds chirping. Smile.

Balancing on a log; in the middle of a lake. Rolling. Oh shoot. Submerged.

Washing vans. Power sprayers getting out of control. Wet. Laugh.

City park. Serenaded by the homeless. Sharing. Tears.

Rapids. Bouncing. Slivers of fear. Relax. Sigh.

Campfires. Ripples of light. Praise.


Welcome to a small snapshot of my week. I wouldn't change a thing.

(Photo credit to Angeli)

Beth

Bubble Note #48

Fireworks from above. Now, unless you have watched fireworks from a plane, my guess is that not many of you have witnessed the spectacle of gun powder exploding in an array of colours from above. Let me tell you, it's cool. This past weekend was the joint celebration of July 4th (the US Independence Day- possibly the most celebrated day in the US next to Christmas and Thanksgiving) and Bighorn's 25th Anniversary; so needless to say it was a busy weekend. We had about 200 people on or around camp, from various involvements in camps to some just curious people. Great story times, amazing food, quality company- a blessing.


Some watching our softball tournament on the afternoon of the 4th.

Before this last weekend we had our first camp. Or camps. We had a day camp, a Jr high group and a Sr high camp all at the same time. That week I was in the kitchen, a wonderful yet tiring place to be. Most days began at 730 and didn't end (in the kitchen) until 8 at night. Learning how to be a true servant and not expecting acknowledgement is a process, one of which I would appreciate prayer for.

Now for the future! Today we are prepping for a 3 day staff adventure trip (as we had no camps this week). My group, along with another group, will be rafting tomorrow, then mountain biking for a day followed by a 1-day backpacking trip. Who's jealous? Even our time "off" turns out to be amazingly fun.

It's...well what's a good word? Scary? Exciting? Jaw-dropping? It's _____insert appropriate word____ that I've been back in North America for over a month already. Culture shock hasn't been too bad, though transition is certainly more difficult that I was anticipating. Being in an environment that is conducive to growth has possibly been the best place that I could have come into.

Thank you all for your prayers, they are always appreciated.

In Him,
Beth

Bubble Notes #47

I began to write this letter about a week ago, only to stick it into my drafts box, glance at it occasionally as I checked my email, and decide that, since I was having a permanent case of writers block, I would continue to postpone until I could entertain you lovely people to the best of my ability. Thus, now. I am sitting on my bed, which is one of 8 beds in a room that is about...15 feet by 10 feet. Clutter surrounds me on all sides, yet soft light makes the heaps of clothing seem much larger than they actually are. Though, since this room is occupied by females only, there is not yet a stench.

I'll backup for all of you who are confused about where I am, what I am doing and why I haven't been writing for the last month (your anger is justifiable, and I am sorry.) I am currently at Camp Bighorn in Montana (USA). Land of rushing rivers, green trees, brilliant beauty and constant laughter. I am working here as a summer staffer as a part of my Explore requirements, this entails everything from facilitating campers, to working in the kitchen, to leading raft trips to...well you name it. The past week and a half has been spent in summer staff training, and has been wonderful. These last 3 days I have spent on the river, which were incredible. I have missed the outdoors so much, so to be back in the wide open space, with sun, breeze and lack of smell is more amazing than you can imagine. Sorry, I don't have many pictures, but below is just a glimpse into what we do in our free time (and how it looks).

I am incredibly blessed. This next week we are beginning Day Camp (ages 4-8 approx), and I can't tell you what I'll be doing. Not because it is a surprise, but because I don't honestly know what I will be doing.

Please continue to pray for safety on the river, ropes and in general as we deal with a lot of fluctuating environments. Also, Tyler is planning on attending Explore this upcoming fall (WOOHOO!), but the job he had planned for this summer fell through and is therefore out looking for another job. Please pray that he would have patience and confidence as he searches for another job.

I would love to hear from you (really really.)

Blessings,
Beth

Bubble Notes #46

I have been home a week, covered 3 provinces, over 3000 kilometres, attended a graduation, a funeral and been emerged into the Canadian culture. I arrived home Friday the 27th, and found out enroute that my grandpa had died (it was expected). Thankfully my parents had arrived back to Calgary from BC (they were attending a leadership conference) an hour and a half before I arrived back. Since I made a mistake in communication (I assumed that my uncle would not be in Calgary to pick me up due to my grandpa dying, so I called Tyler to come pick me up, which piqued suspicion at my house), my parents figured it out about 30 minutes before I arrived home. The reaction was priceless, screaming, hugging, crying, a little bit of hitting for arriving home at such a time (my bad. haha). But life hasn't really settled down since then, the day after was Tyler's graduation (425 students), then his banquet, then the following morning mum, dad and I drove out at 5am to head to Manitoba (a 14 hour drive). The following day was the viewing, the following the funeral, and the following was my parents business in which I occupied myself by walking around Winnipeg (beautiful city). And then we drove back home on Thursday. This weekend hasn't held much, working in the garden, walking around, church. It has been lovely, busy, but good. Not much is happening this week; dentists, driving test, more banquets, rugby games, visiting some people, returning books, bathing suit shopping (that's a little more than I thought..) and other stuff that I'm sure I don't know about yet. But on Friday my parents are driving me, a fellow interning friend and Michael down to Montana so that I can begin my time at Camp Bighorn. I will be spending the summer down there as it is part of my Explore program requirements. Not much time at home (have I unpacked my bags from Asia? Psh. Do I need too?), but so far it has been wonderful. Below are some pictures of the pre-grad and graduation.


Can you find him? He's the one in blue.


We don't need a reason to party...but we don't mind one.


Dad and I all dressy for Ty's Grad banquet.


And for all those who are still living in South Asia. My biggest culture shock moment is below (driving to Manitoba, 90% of the 14 hour drive consisted of this. INSANE). I had forgotten how big, how green, and truly how empty (or rather, spacious) Canada really is.


Well friends, I suppose I should unpack some....maybe....maybe not.

Blessings,

Beth

Bubble Note #45 - The Return

Dear Friends and Family,

By the time you all read this, I will (Lord willing) be sitting my parents living room in Calgary. The short story behind this is that I had told my parents I would be back "on Canadian soil" June 4th, but little did they know that I would be flying in on the 28th; which is today, at 5pm. I am currently sitting in the Montreal airport waiting for my third flight. Long day (but almost 24 hours of continuous sunlight since I have been flying west with the sun, lovely). I have met some pretty cool people on my trip (everyone does), and really, it hasn't been to tiring or long yet. Which is odd. I figure that South Asia has made me travel-stress-resistant, haha.

Tyler (my 18 year old brother) is graduating from highschool tomorrow, which was the reason for my early arrival back. Already I am missing the Stringers and others, but it does feel good to be back.

Oh! My time with Stacey (the friend I mentioned last that was coming from the States) was absolutely wonderful. We travelled by bus, train, auto, taxi, foot and saw many sights. It was fun, and I was glad to have a visitor to show all my special places too :-)



Well, since I haven't actually SEEN my family (as I write this email in Quebec), I don't have a whole lot to talk about. I'm sure there will be more soon.

Much love to those that I am coming home too, and those that I leave behind.

Beth
p.s. I am home now, but found out soon after writing this email that my grandpa (my dad's dad) passed into eternity. Please pray for my dad's family as this time will hold a lot of sorrow and change.

Bubble Note #44

Well Canada, enjoy your snow. 39 tomorrow (the lows quoted here are more of a international fictional desire), woohoo. I love hot weather...with a few requirements:
-I don't want to be working outside in direct sunlight in anything over 35.
-It prefer if it dips below 30 by 10pm so I can sleep.
-Cold beverages are available.

Thankfully most of these have been met...with the exception of dipping below 30 degrees C by 10pm. But, I am blessed. I have a bed, a fan and mosquito repellent!

Well my friends...my journey here is coming to a close. A few weeks from today I will be...well, most likely sleeping off jet lag. Several people have asked me recently what I'm going to fill my last day with. Well, there are several exciting things on the agenda. First, my 20th birthday is a week from today (which conveniently happens to be our last day of school as well) and the kids and I have been planning for months (literally) to go to an amusement park a little outside of town. None of us have ever been there, but have heard good things. Really, several loose bolts just makes rides more exciting right? I also have had the honour of being invited to a wedding, which is the one thing I have desired to do my entire time here yet never been asked. SO cool. A good friend from the States/Togo is also coming in little over a week and we will be spending some awesome time together. I have it planned for us to travel to the tea hills (we went there back in Feb and I sent some pictures). I'm stoked about that...although not so much about taking a bus on hairpin turns. Yarps for the driver of that bus would be appreciated ;-)

As far as the virus/infections (which turned out to be a staph infection, giardia and lice) I mention in my last note, thank you all for your 'thoughts'. I am fully healthy at the moment! Praise Dad! I am currently treating for worms (which is recommended every 6 months on the field) since it costs about $0.20 here for a treatment vs. $1/pill in Canada.

Please respond! Even though I am heading home soon, I am going to continue to send these updates. If you would like to be taken off the list at any point, please let me know. Your thoughts, encouragement, friendship and smiles are a daily blessing to my life.

Love in Him,

Beth

Bubble Note #43

It's hard to know what to write about when the last two weeks really hasn't consisted of much. Though, there has been a lot of sickness. One of our close friends has been going back and forth to the hospital, and the problem doesn't seem to be getting much better. I wish I could give you more information but it's not really my place to do so. But, please pray for this friend if you remember. Tricia has been visiting them quite a bit recently which leaves the kids and I (since Stephen is travelling) to hang out. Really, I don't do much with them after school, they are good at entertaining themselves. But it is fun to have this last little while with them.

I'm not sure if I have the flu, a virus or if the antibiotics I'm on for an infection are still wearing on me. About a week and a half ago, right after we arrived back from Goa a small boil just exploded into a pretty intense staph infection. I ended up in bed with a chills and a 102 fever before I started on the antibiotics. That hasn't happened to me in a while ;-)  Praise Dad that after a couple days of hard meds the infection started draining (nice biology lesson for the kids; their expressions during the whole thing was priceless) and I performed a whole bunch of mini-surgeries on myself of lancing, cutting and draining the quarter-sized hole in my leg. Oh what fun. I am almost done with the antibiotics (another day) and the infection is healing nicely. But, these drugs do leave me feeling tired and nauseous all the time. Please yarp that once I stop the drugs my appetite actually comes back (and it's not something else that I'm dealing with).

The below picture...there are somethings that are the same no matter where in the world one is.




In Him,

Beth

Bubble Note #42

Wow friends, I must apologize profusely, it has been way to long. Though, honestly it feels like I just wrote an update it has been a month and a half (this past month has flown by).

So what has happened? Well...today...I went parasailing! Don't know what parasailing is? Just check out the picture below. No, this is not us (I went with a friend). It is hard to get a picture of oneself in the air...while in the air. So these are some people that went right after us. It was aaawwweesome. We are currently at a beach in another state because of a homeschooling conference. It has been wonderful for me, a nice break and of course, I love meeting new people so this has been a blast.




The easter party was planned and executed wonderfully (all thanks to Tricia) and as many as 30 people came and heard the story. Follow-up has been exciting as some begin to question and seek deeper. Please keep these people in mind.

My time here is running shorter. People are beginning to ask if I'm ready to go home, what I'm looking forward too, what I'm going to miss etc. To be honest it is kind of strange to be thinking of it. It still feels as if I just arrived, I'm a newbie (and really..I am.) I am ready to go back in the way that it has been a long time since I've seen my family (whom I miss incredibly) and friends. I really won't be home long before turning around and heading down to Camp Bighorn for the summer (part of the internship requirements, I am really excited for that too, but before that, my family ;-) ). We'll see what happens in the next month and a half.

Well, we're flying back tomorrow.  I like the beach, but...I also like home.

Blessings,
Beth

P.s. just a little picture of me in my Easter sari....

Bubble Note #41

"How many thirds are there in 3?" "Well, there are 3 thirds in 1, so how many?" "Ohhhh. Ok. Thanks."

Just a glimpse into the past 5 seconds of my life (Lizzie actually answered Luc, psh, they don't need me as a teacher!)

Good news: We are nearing the end of our school year!
Bad news: I have almost run out of math for Luc to do so I'll have to make stuff up for the next 6 weeks.
Update news: Both of my grandfathers are doing much better and are either home, or en route to get home. Thank you for your yarps.
Cool news: I was able to go to a volunteer session at a Challenge Course here in town that does 1-3 day sessions with groups from Dell personal to special needs children to university groups. I positively love their focus and passion and the work they are doing. I am hoping to help out there at least a couple times before I leave.
Wet news: It rained yesterday, relieving much of the heat. Woohoo! Though, many of you who have lived in tropical countries know that often after the mid-hot season rain, the heat intensifies.
Upcoming news: Easter! We have a Easter party this Sunday to which we will have tons of sweets, talking and henna. What is henna you ask? Well it is pretty much a designable stick on tattoo. It is a paste made out of an herb that stains the skin. I have designed the design below that tells the story of our Brother from the beginning of time until our Body of Friends.


Future News: Next weekend (the 10th) I am heading to the village with some wonderful ladies to do some 'stuff' there. We will be performing drama's (or rather...I am.) giving talked, telling good news/stories and just having a good time. The last time I was in the village it was an amazing and blessed time, and I'm looking forward to the same thing. Please yarp as I need to prepare for this drama and learn some stories. Thankfully I've never had the problem of talking in front of people ;-)

As a closing, I'll show a picture of how I fill my free time. Best form of transportation ever.




Blessings,
Beth

Bubble Note #40

So not a lot is happening over here, but there is quite a lot at home that I am going to ask you to yarp about. About a week ago my mum told me that things weren't going so great for my grandpa (my dad's dad). He was in the hospital because of some stuff that has happened regularly (liquid buildup in the lungs etc). Unlike other times, this quickly escalated to other problems. Fast forward a couple days and the doctor informs family that his kidneys are working at 10%, a day later he is diagnosed with kidney cancer. My parents made a quick decision to drive out to Manitoba with two of my dad's sisters to be with him during this crucial time. They made it there, but our van died en route (and the diagnoses is a new engine. Needless to say, old faithful is no longer faithful). Praise Abba that all of my dad's siblings were able to join and support my grandpa in the hospital. Unfortunately it is not only his kidneys that are not functioning properly, his heart is failing and his diabetes has taken a turn for the worse. They tried to take him home but soon after arriving home they had to rush back to the hospital because his blood sugar was very low. We're not certain what the future may hold.

Yesterday morning I talked to my mum to get an update from her. She told me all of the above, and then informed me that her dad (my Opa) was also in the hospital (in Ontario). He had 'very very high blood pressure', as my mum said. They did a CAT scan which showed that he had had a stroke in the last week, which affected his sight. He is still in the hospital and has been confused at times (to the point of not recognizing my Oma). This has been incredibly hard on my family, especially my mum and dad. Mum is flying to Ontario to be with her parents on Saturday. We're not certain what the future may hold.

Needless to say, even my direct family is rather scattered. My Dad in Manitoba, my Mum is Ontario, my brothers in Calgary, my sister in Saskatchewan and I in South Asia.

I like this passage...(insert appropriate name in the blank- See 2 Samuel 7 for the whole story)

 Then _______ went in and sat before the LORD, and he said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? "And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future And this is the custom of man, O Lord GOD."

I suppose it is still our custom to desire to know the future. Whatever is your burden to yarp for, please do. Your thoughts and encouragement are very much appreciated.

Blessings,

Beth

p.s. I'm on Twitter now, so if you have an account let me know, I am @ExploreBeth.

Bubble Note #39

I'm lying on my bed, the sweat making the my semi-long hair stick to my
neck. The occasional breeze sweeps through the open windows creating a
faint moment of relief. Okay, so really, it's not that bad yet, only
about 30 degrees Celsius (and it's 10:37pm). But, I heard hot season
wasn't supposed to start until May, so this heat has surprised the whole
city.

Tonight I was reminded why, well, or rather, reassured why I truly love
this country, people and following Dad's callings. I was riding home in
a cab (I tend to do that a lot after dark, it's much cheaper here than
in North America; the cab tonight cost about $13 and we were driving for
an hour), half listening to my ipod, watching the traffic go by, people
walking, restaurant lights, office building windows aglow, a cop walking
through traffic at an intersection Breathalyzer'ing random people (what
an awesome past time). In essence, everything was 'normal'. Maybe it was
the music I was listening to at the time, but I felt such incredible
joy. Nothing special was happening at that time...life just felt...right.

Because I've now bought my ticket (and will be back in Canada on June
4th!) I've begun to think over my time here. Sure it's only been 6
months, not really a lengthy amount of time, but long enough for people
back home to ask "How was it!" So, I want to answer that question while
I'm still out here, How is it? Well, it's wonderful. What I do isn't
extraordinary. I teach, in my bedroom, two children. Simple. But living
overseas, doesn't that make it exciting? Well that really depends on
what you view as 'overseas'...technically, for me, all of you are
'overseas'; so isn't your life exciting? I'm a simple person, doing a
simple job because the most complex Person called me to do it. Simple as
that. And because of His grace in my decision to follow, He has blessed
me abundantly and given me joy and peace beyond description.

I was reading Isaiah 43 this morning, and just because the Word is so
cool, I really want to share with you the parts that stood out too me:

"...Thus says the Lord, your Creator...He who formed you...,"Do not
fear, so I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are
Mine!...Since you are precious in My sight, ..you are honoured and I
love you....You are My witnesses...and My servant whom I have chosen, So
that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before me
there was no God formed, And there will be none after me...The people
whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise."

See...I can be serious. Sometimes ;-)

Blessings,

Beth

Answer to the Picture

So I had many people email, but no one got it exactly.


The answer is the white bumper laying on the meridian. Moments before I took this picture a man (carrying said bumper) placed it there, then walked back to his bumperless car and drove away. At least he had the mind to move it out of harms way. Finder's keeper I guess...haha

Beth

Bubble Note #38

So. I have news.

As all/most of you know, I have been yarping, thinking, hoping, dreaming and all of the above of what I could possibly do this next year (after returning to Canada around June). Of course, with my history you may assume that my possibilities may consist of becoming a professional shark diver in the Caribbean, or maybe being an airline stewardess for a couple months just to get the travel bug out of my system, but alas it is neither. A couple months back I applied for the internship position in Explore at Prairie Bible College in Three Hills, Alberta. I did Explore in 08'-09' and grew with Abba and with people in a very challenging and yet encouraging environment. The internship position is that where I would be a co-leader of a team and lead the first year students through various outdoor and classroom activities (where they grow [Father willing] more in Him, interpersonally and as a community). Ok, now that all the explanatory mumble-jumble is out, I can tell you that this last Wednesday I was informed that I had received the position. Ie, I will be completing my bachelors in Outdoor Leadership in Canada (and the US, sort of...) all the while being able to play outside with some wicked awesome people. Am I stoked? I'll let Josiah say it.

I also spent this past weekend out in a village with some friends, which was so much fun. Some of the highlights? Driving an auto (w00t.), holding hands with slum dudettes and racing them down dirt roads ("Auntie...SO fast Auntie...), having 100 kids throw flower peddles on us (who needs Bath and Body when I can have the real deal), hiking, mountain top yarping and singing and eating really good food. I'll have to tell you more about these precious children some other time...

To end this email, I have a question for you. I took this picture as we were waiting at an intersection this afternoon, what may be out of place?

10 Points to the person who finds it first (really...it's not like it's hidden).

Beth

Stoked

Please do not distribute this information without consent from the author.

Bubble Note #37

It's been almost two weeks since I sent an update and I have to say, I feel rather guilty. It's like not talking to friends for a long while, and then when you talk they reply "Where have you been?!" Well, I've been here. Plodding along. Currently there are a bunch of crackling voiced boys downstairs celebrating Luc's 10th birthday! Woohooo. The double digits. Takes a lot longer to get out of them than it does to get into them.

School has been going well, the kids and I are enjoying ourselves (not to say every day isn't unique) and I'm beginning to look forward to reading aloud! Crazy. I know. But, we are reading Cheaper by the Dozen (the more I read it, the more kids I want to have...I think it's supposed to have the opposite effect) and This Present Darkness. Two very different books but each very interesting and the kids tend to bring up questions I've never really thought about before.

SO, funny story. Today, Lizzie and I were walking around E-city (the IT part of town where we live) as I was trying to get money (ATM, not begging. Though either may work). Ok, slight rabbit trail. The ATM's here are halarious. I have encountered possibly any problem that could come with an ATM...but then again, I shouldn't say that because surely I will discover more in the future. So we go to the closest ATM, my card doesn't work there...which I suspected in the first place. We walk another 10 minutes and come to the 2nd ATM, well....if you didn't know it's a public holiday and the bank is closed. How does this affect the ATM you ask? Well, it means that no one is there to fix the screen from it's frozen position from starting up (these ATM's use WindowsXP if you were ever wondering). With a laugh and more sunburn we turn, walk another 10 minutes to this other bank we passed on our way to the last 2. After entering into a oddly an architecturally (yes. I did have to google that word in order to know how to spell it.) designed building we stumble around until we can find out where said bank is. Hm. Relocated (to about a 10 minute drive away). Well, last shot, we know of one last ATM within walking distance. So we go for it, thinking all the while what may be wrong with this one (please don't ever think I think upon these experiences as a hassle. I thrive on challenge.) [previously these ATM's have been out of cash and/or out of order]. We arrive. I enter. The door almost kills Lizzie with it's automatic swing-back (minor detail.). I proceed to tell the machine I would like to have my information in English. Not Hindi. Not the other one that appears as pretty calligraphy. I enter the amount and press enter, fearing that any breath may scare this poor machine into a seizure. It worked! Both Liz and I felt like doing a Charlie Brown dance right then and there because of our incredible success. As I grabbed my card and turned to leave, the screen momentarily blacked out as the words "This service is temporarily unavailable as the signal to the satellite has been lost." Needless to say, I felt like I beat fate (or there is Divine humour just for our sake ;-) ).

Oh, but that wasn't even the story I was going to tell. Ha, sorry. You know, normally if someone were to ask what I did today, I would sum it up as "School, lunch, school, went for a walk and got some money, Luc's party, got distracted while writing an update, sleep" So. Perhaps there are little smiles behind the mundane.

Now the story I was originally going to tell is going to seem lame. But I'm going to tell it anyways. As Liz and I were walking back from our battles with the money machines, I suggested that we walk a block past our gated community to see if the coffee shop that was being built had opened yet. As we were walking past our gate a tractor came rumbling down the road (oh, doorbell. Ha, guess one little dude missed the memo for the time of the party. :-[ ). Now tractors are not unusual but there was something about this one that made me giggle. First off, it was going fast...like, a tractor on steroids this was. That...and the front two wheels were crooked, and off the ground. The tractor was doing a wheelie (being weighted down by the cart it was pulling behind). Now, the engine (or something rusty) was at the back, fully exposed. I turned around and watched the crooked, wheeling speed down the road. The driver hit, with considerable speed, the speed bump which he had obviously failed to slow down for (his front two wheels went over the bump and the back two kind of flew over it). Not only did the tractor stop quickly and awkwardly fall forward...there was ah...hmm...how can I describe it...clinky sound from the back? At least 5 parts fell from the exposed engine to the ground. Surely the driver must have heard them fall, for he was 10x closer to it than I. But, he looked behind and sped away. Now that I think of it, I think I've witnessed auto theft. If you could even call it that.... So now, when your children (or future children) complain that they think you car is so old that it's just going to fall apart on you, don't think it doesn't happen. I've seen it all....

Something along these lines[not taken by me]...but there was nothing in the load...


Sorry if I carried on to long...I suppose there is stuff going on.

Beth

ps. This is what we do in school (he isn't that tall, I was bending down)

He obviously has a cheek talent (his cheeks are practically touching inside his mouth) that I have an obligation to encourage.

Bubble Note #36

Today, I hit the official marker of month 5! PTL for all that has happened, it has been wonderful.

Many of you have been asking about mouth progress, well I did go for the draining and it went quite well. I was much more impressed with these facilities than the previous. The oral surgeon seemed to know what he was talking about and immediately began numbing my mouth and draining it (I asked for the topical anaesthesia since I have a phobia of needles...so he gave it too me, but didn't give it time to set in, haha). He also had to cut off part of the gum because it had been stitched over top of my back molar, thus I was biting on it unknowingly and it became infected. So I have to go back on Saturday to have the stitches removed (hopefully this place is a little gentler ;-) ). The antibiotics seem to be working well and I'm pain-free. Thanks for all of your thoughts. 

Another exciting event that has happened recently was the discovering of a Challenge Course close to our house! A friend told me about it, so I googled it, contacted the head guy and asked if I could bring the kids to see and/or try out the facilities. The first day they already had a group on the campus so we were not able to do any of the ropes courses, but he said to come back the next day. While there, I shared a little bit about Explore and the ropes courses that I had done. He then asked for any ideas and/or suggestions that I had to let him know. I sent him a couple and the next day he said that perhaps, if I could remember enough, I could come back to do a workshop for them! A refresher and/or brainstorm for new ideas for their course. How exciting! Even though I am very under-qualified for this, he said that even remembering what I have done or done myself would be helpful to them. I'm also planning on going back and volunteering some weekends while I'm still here. It is awesome to see a Believer organization such as this in this city. As the lead Challenge Course facilitator told me, "We're proof that Dad still uses donkeys."

Many many blessings,

Beth

p.s. The kids loved the high ropes, and were shaking a little more than they anticipated, hehe.

Bubble Note #35

Just a quick yarp...I know you've always wanted to eavesdrop on emails (slightly altered for your enjoyment), so here is your chance:

To my most awesome Dentist (in Thailand)  I had my wisdom teeth removed on January 6th (at 5pm), to which I would like to thanks the oral surgeon and the staff there for doing a wonderful job. The procedure was pain free and much more enjoyable overall than I ever expected it to be.  It has been 3 weeks since the surgery and just tonight the left bottom jaw has begun to hurt again (there was a lump by the jaw bone, I assumed since they had to drill into it to pull the tooth it would be a bruise or something of the sort) and there appears to be slight swelling (there has been no pain since the first week until now). The stitches have been removed and there is no pain in the gum, only a tightness when I open and close my mouth. If you could let me know how I should proceed that would be wonderful.  Beth   -  Dear Ms. Friessen,  I would like to thank you for your compliment. I am sorry to hearing your post-operative complication. As your mention, the lump on the left lower jaw would be an early sign of post-operative infection which is commonly present in a few weeks after paralell wisdom teeth surgery. One side tends to be infected due to food impaction. In this case, the abscess may be formed at the tooth socket. It would be nice if you are able to see me. However, I would recommend you that the abscess need to be simply drained by a dental profession under local anaesthesia. ...  Best regards, The Awesome Dentist  

So Tricia made a call for me and I have an appointment tomorrow morning (to do...whatever it is they need to do). Woohoo. If you could yarp, the stitches experience wasn't too thrilling, so I'm hoping this facility is a little cleaner and...well, if I have really high hopes, accommodating.

Blessings,

Beth

Bubble Note #34

Hi, my name is Bes and I've been renamed by a 2 year old. Yes, my friends, Josiah (almost 2) still cannot say 'Beth' and therefore my name is slowly being converted to 'Bes'. Stephen started it all and the kids soon caught on.

Has January flown by for anyone else? Last I remember I was laying in my bed in Thailand trying to remember the importance of staying up until midnight because of New Years. I fell asleep thinking of the reason why. And now, it's almost February. Just in the last month I have:
    -flown internationally (note to any flyers out there: the arm rests in the two seats next to the emergency exits don't actually come up; and sleeping may prove awkward if you try and sit in one and throw your legs in the other seat, best to find a whole 'nother seat.)
    -had my wisdom teeth pulled and stitches taken out (which I'm SURE your sick of hearing by now, but really...it was kind of cool.)
    - travelled into another national state
    -frolicked through tea plantations (don't assume I'm lying. I do frolick.)
    -seen a massive male elephant with about 6-foot long tusks grazing close to the road
    -swam laps in a relatively warm pool while thinking about all of you trudging through snow
    -had good discussions with Abba through highs and lows
    -learnt that driving outside the city is much more frightening than bungy jumping (except there's no insurance this time.)
    -been to government offices to be registered

So we spent this last weekend up in the mountains with a couple here that Stephen and Tricia are working with. It was an amazing time and the area is beautiful, calm, quiet and clean. Everything I had not yet experienced. We drove 9 hours southeast (we were told it took about 4 hours ;-) ) into the hills. Despite the hairpin turns that were counting down numerically to the bottom (20/27), the awkward passing (sometimes a little breath taking.) -this is a two way road, and the sometimes confusing directions we managed to arrive at our destination at tea time. Yes, that's right, there was a 4 o'clock tea waiting for us. And the next morning we had porridge, eggs and tea. I felt like I should be wearing a frock and a parasol. Never have I felt so British in my life.

The rest of the weekend was rejuvenating and relaxing. Well...how could it not be with a view like this?


We are now back at home and at school. We have been completing 2 days in 1 for the past week or so, just to get caught up and back on track (this means the kids are working until 3pm, which they believe is absolutely dreadful! haha...oh I am a slave driver).

As far as yarp requests goes? I'll put a few just in case you would like specifics:

-To get caught up in Biology (a course I am taking while over here...mostly so I don't loose the academic side of my brain)
-To be able to conquer personal struggles that I have been...revisited with recently (right when I think I've overcome an obstacle, I'm humbled once again to see that I have not)
-To be able to encourage the kids in the area they need it most
-To make friends in the area
-To press on towards the goal to which He has called me (this is general...just because...well..I think general prayers give me a little more room to allow Him to decide what He wants that to mean, haha)

I'm heading up north this weekend to spend some time with friends that I haven't seen before Christmas. Funny how excited I am to see friends that I really only knew for 4 months.

Thank you all for your yarps and letters, they helped enormously in overcoming my temporary homesickness. Now I feel like being back in Canada for one day would be a nice change, but I would certainly want to come back (not like before where I was honestly desiring to hop on a plane and dash home). Your love, more than anything else, means so much to me.

In Him,

~Bes

Bubble Note #33

We're Home! Here's what happened: We flew to Bangkok and Stephen went to the embassy and presented our case to the people there. Even though they did not give us a different type of visa they did give us an exception stamp. This stamp stated that we were allowed to return to the country before the required 2 month period but it also stated that upon return we would have to register with the country. Since I have to be careful in my wording, I'll once again copy Tricia's email, "This does mean that we have to register in the country now, which we have never had to do up to this point.  That can be a complicated, frustrating process in which we see the parts of our country's bureaucracy which we don't wish to see. :)" We are expecting this to take multiple days to complete, and since the office we have to go too is a 2 hour drive (through exhausting traffic) away, we can't just run back home to pick up a document that we may be required to show. Please yarp that all of us, but especially Stephen will have patience and energy to deal with...everything.

It is good to be home, though, to be honest I think I am beginning to culture shock. I was warned that it normally comes between 6 and 9 months after being here, but I think that returning from Thailand triggered it ;-)  With this comes intense emotions, homesickness and sometimes bitterness, please yarp that I will be able to overcome this with joy. In no way do I regret where I am, but that doesn't mean that I don't miss my family and friends. After a conversation with Tricia, I realized (even though I 'knew' this before, it hit me again strong) that true love only comes after I hit the bottom and love becomes a choice, and not a result of emotions. The same applies to culture and countries. I'm willing to move forward into that.

On another note, I had my stitches removed this morning. Perhaps I'll narrate it to you. But to do that I have to go back in time. The oral surgeon in Thailand told me that anytime after a week I should go to a dentist and have the stitches removed, 'no biggie' I thought. The past couple days the stitches were beginning to get annoying so I decided to google a place and try and find a dentist. After searching a little bit Tricia and I decided on a certain one that had a fairly good website, so I called them. "Can you come at 630 mam?" (This was at 5 o'clock)
"I'm sorry, I'm busy tonight, do you have room tomorrow?" (We had a new years eve party on our compound which ended up being 5 hours long with performances and then food served at 930)
"Ok madam, 1030 tomorrow?"
"That works."
"Ok mam, then 630 tonight or 1030 tomorrow"
"I'll come tomorrow then."
"Ok mam, 630 tonight or 1030 tomorrow."
"Ok. Thanks."
So waking up this morning I almost jump out of bed around because..well...things here take time and I thought I may be late for my appointment. Take a quick shower (first hot one since we've been back, a pipe was broken. Ah, bliss.), run downstairs and down a breakfast. Stephen, Elizabeth and I head out of the door around 10, with a google map mentally recorded. When we arrive at the area of town where it is, we start looking. "Beside Syndicate Bank and Coffee Day" said the website. We soon see a sign leading to the dentist. Getting out of the car we follow the sign down some stairs (this is still outside, they often have little shops in the basements on other buildings). "Dentist" it reads outside (as well as "please leave your shoes outside".) Stephen okays the place (as that is what Tricia wanted him to come along for) and heads off to grab coffee. Lizzie and I take a seat and wait (ends up...appointments aren't needed in basement dentists). The dentist walks briskly in from the outdoors 45 minutes after opening time. Within 5 minutes they call be back to the little double patient room. In the back was one room with two dentist chairs (you know...so you can converse with the other patient while having your work done. Naturally). I told them what was needed (they were very professional, I just tried not to look at how clean everything was). Near the beginning the woman pulled out a syringe and liquid (sitting on a shelf in the cupboard). Not quite at ease with the hygiene of the place I quickly said, "I don't think I'll need any anaesthesia." "Oh no." she replied, "this is just the cleaning solution." A sigh of relief escaped from my lips (All I could think of was how I was going to explain to my mother that I got AIDS from having stitches removed). The rest of the procedure went fairly smoothly. At one point (this 10 minute procedure hurt more than the whole surgery) he asked me if I was in pain, I nodded and said yes. "Okay." he replies and continues working. I half laughed, rejoicing that I didn't have the teeth pulled here. Just another average day in my life. So here I am. The teeth grew in in Africa and Canada (at least...they tried too), removed in Thailand and the stitches removed here. I have an international mouth ;-)

Let me know what is happening in your lives! It helps the homesickness (guilt-trip...did it work?).

Much love.

In Him,
Beth

Bubble Note #32

Quick Update: They would not give us the visa's we desired, therefore tomorrow morning at 7am (5pm Calgary time) we are flying out to the capital in an attempt to get an exception letter from the embassy there. It sounds like the embassy personal may be over-run with frustrated foreigners, therefore their hospitality and generosity may not be at 100% tomorrow. We'll be staying at a guest house for one night, after that, I can't rightly say where we'll be. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a movie; you may call me Indianne Jones. My life is cool.

In Him,

Beth

Bubble Note #31

Hey again,

Read that again; except, this time imagine me saying it with a swollen face and with a lisp. Okay so the surgery went great and between the laughing gas and your prayers all four teeth were removed almost pain free. And true to it's name, I did start laughing at one point during the surgery, and I'm still not sure why.

Post-op is going fine. I'm not very good at being bed-ridden, but I have been drinking lots and eating soft foods. Sticking (somewhat) to the rules set by the dentist and my mother.

Even though our leaving date back to 'home' was today, we are still in Thailand. The reason? Well I'll just copy Tricia's words, "... the visa issues here continue to become more stringent, and our leadership has decided that instead of trying to get back in, we need to see if Tricia and the kids can change their visas to something different.  There is a consulate in the city where we are staying, so on Monday morning Stephen will go and try to change them.  Please ask Dad for favour with government officials for both our family and for Beth.  Until now, the visa issues have not affected Beth, but the rules have been changed, and she is also now in danger of not being allowed back in the country for two months.  We'll be in Thailand for a few more days at least as we seek to find a more permanent solution to the situation for our family."
There are many possible options for what could happen, including flying back to the country and being turned away (in which case we would have to fly back), it all really depends on what happens in the next couple of days. I told the kids that wherever we are, we are starting school back up on Monday (as we have been on 'holiday' for about a month, with the move, Christmas and trip here and all). There were groans until we agreed that school, in it's most educational atmosphere, should take place beside the pool while prepared for spontaneous PE breaks. That may make math a touch more pleasant ;-)

As far as what I have done here while on break? Well, many touristy type stuff and sometimes leaps of faith. My biggest accomplishment was daring to jump from a 50 metre tower while attached at the feet with elastic bands; otherwise known as the bungy jump. Was it a thrill? Yes. Would I recommend it? Depends who you are. Would I do it again? Definitely. It was also good to be able to get out of the city atmosphere and play in nature. It may be hard to go back to buildings, street, garbage and a small gym after hills, trees, rain, rushing water and wooden cabins.

I have recently felt incredibly blessed with all that is surrounding me. My cup isn't just overflowing, it's spewing everywhere. Thank you all for your continued support; your thoughts, letters, conversation and yarps mean so much to me. I have almost hit the 1/2 way mark of my time here, and I bet the last half will go much faster than this first half (even though it feels like it has flown by). I feel like I should have some really incredible stories to tell you, and I kind of do, but really, the mundane day is so much more interesting. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime...

In Him,

Beth

Bubble Note #30

Hello Everyone,

This will just be a quickie because we are headed out to do some biking.
We did manage to leave the country without being stamped with the 2
month stamp. Praise Dad! But the real test will come upon entering the
country this next Saturday, so yarp that once again we will be willing
to accept Dad's will.

Other big news, my wisdom teeth are coming out today. I am slightly
nervous as I will not be put under and it will be done with laughing gas
and local anaesthesia. If you happen to be up at 4am Calgary time,
please yarp that I will have peace; I get pretty nervous around needles.
And that the recovery time would be short.

Much love to you all, I'll update you on what I have been doing here
(Bunnnnnggggyyyyyy) when I have more time.

Beth