When the boys are gone...

Having lots of fun with these gals today! Had a campfire, went running, biking, got eaten alive by mosquitoes, milked the cows, and are finishing the day off with a line dance workout, cheesecake blizzards, and lots of laughs. I'll be posting pictures tomorrow!

The Last Train

I love history. I could spend hours in a museum, soaking in every detail. My family is never slow enough for me when we visit one! :)
The history that is my favorite though is mine. In particular, the story of how my great-grandpa came over to Canada from Russia.

He was born to a Mennonite family in Russia in 1897, and married at age 23.
In 1929, because of the revolution, many Mennonite families were traveling from their villages to Moscow to get their passports so they could leave Russia and emigrate to Canada.
In my great-grandfather's testimony, he writes that he was under conviction to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior, but had doubts and didn't feel ready to commit his life to Him.
But he was still a praying man, and he prayed that God would lead him to leave Russia if it was His will.
It was on a Saturday that his wife went to visit her parents, who she found had packed everything and were ready to leave for Moscow in two day's time.
On Sunday both they both went to visit her parents and agreed to send someone to Moscow to get the Emigration papers they would need to leave the country.

That night, my great-grandfather could not sleep. The thought kept going through his mind that if he did not leave that night, he wouldn't go at all. So, at three o'clock Monday morning, he made the decision to pack up his family and leave that day with his wife's parents.

They packed everything into one wooden box, and boarded a train on November 11, 1929 for Moscow. After arriving, they found a house to rent, and the next day, my great-grandfather went back to the train station to retrieve their luggage.
When he arrived, the station was full of Mennonite families that were being sent back home. Upon inquiry, he found out that theirs had been the last train accepted into Moscow. They were no longer allowing families to leave Russia.

They then traveled to Hamerstein, Germany where they waited six months in army barracks before they received permission to go to Canada. One day before Christmas, a measle epidemic claimed their one year old daughter Eva, my grandpa's sister.
They finally arrived home in June of 1930.

One year later, my great-grandfather found peace. He asked God to forgive him, and accepted Christ as His Savior.

I think about this story a lot.
It floors me to think that even though my great-grandfather hadn't fully committed his life to Christ, God still loved him enough to answer his prayer and give him the nudge he needed to leave his village and travel on the last train out.
I am grateful for his faith. Because, I wouldn't be here without it.

It makes me want to pray more, and listen harder to what God might be saying to me.
It also makes me trust Him more. God's got our future in His hands, and He will lead us to exactly where He wants us to be.

Anyway, just thought I'd share that will you all. :)
Goodnight!

#nationalselfieday

Since today is National Selfie Day, I decided that I must honor this day with a selfie picture post.

Ok, ok. This quick post may also have something to do with the fact that I had a full day, and didn't have time to be more interesting. 

Whichever way you want to look at it, and without further ado... Selfie time!

There. I am all "self-ied" out.

Grow

On Saturday I set out to run eight miles. I brought my iPod along and turned on a sermon, the question popped up on the screen "Do you want to play the "up next" list when this podcast is finished?" I said yes, not knowing which podcasts were there (actually, I didn't even know that there was an "up next" playlist. :)

The first sermon I chose was about how we tend to allow distractions to pull us away from our calling and mission as God's children, to show others the way to Jesus Christ and His salvation. 

Now, that whole week I had been troubled because of this very issue. I could even go so far as to say that I was doubting my calling to be what "they" call  a stay-at-home daughter. 

It is hard, especially living on a farm out in the boonies, not being in contact with people other than church family very often, to be sure of this calling. During the week I had taken a look back on my life and panicked because I saw how little I was reaching out to people. I worried that I had missed it.

I was doubting that I heard Him right. Maybe being at home was just seeing me hiding from what I am really supposed to be doing. Maybe I was being a coward.

I was thinking about all of these things as I continued to run mile after mile. The message ended, and the next one played automatically. The sermon was one of a visiting pastor to a church that I listen to podcast of regularly. It was half-way in as I had been listening to it the last time I ran. 

Honestly, I would never have turned this particular podcast on myself because when I had been listening to it previously, I wasn't getting much out of it.

I was surprised that the very first words the preacher said tied right in with what the last preacher was talking about. By this time I was like "Ok God, I am listening now!". And in my mind was already in a airplane headed for the mission field.

The preacher then began a story about how when he was little, his dad would take him hunting, letting him carry an unloaded gun. Being a little boy, he would make a lot of noise and scare away the game until his dad told him to stop running around, be quiet, and step where he stepped. For three years, he carried a unloaded gun, having the tool to hunt, but being restricted by his father.
The preacher said that he didn't ever shoot anything, but he did learn how to be like his dad as he followed in his footsteps.

The words that struck a cord in my heart were when he said that God wants us to use the time "without bullets" to get ourselves in a position to hunt for the kingdom. To learn to step where God steps.
Also to make the most of the season that we are in and not to try to get ahead of God's picture, God's story, because He has a plan, and is writing it the way that will bring Him the most glory.

I began to cry right there in the middle of the road so hard that I had to stop running. These were questions that I hadn't even started asking yet, they were only doubts that were beginning to form. And in that moment His love and care for me overwhelmed me because He answered all of my fears and wondering with peace. This was God's way of assuring me that I am doing the right thing. I am still learning, and that's ok.

I wanted to share this with you all because I know that there are some of you out there that are also in the season of waiting. Waiting can be harder than being out there visibly active for God, because I find myself constantly asking if I am doing enough for Him.
It takes faith to be still. It takes courage to stand firm in your calling.
All I can say is, use this season to grow. Grow until you are bursting through the ceiling. And be confident that God will let you know when it is time to move on to the next season of your life. Because he will.
He loves you enough.

Father's Day phone dump

Today it was off to the races after church to celebrate Daddy being the amazing person that he is. 

I took a few pictures throughout the day to share with you all.

It was a fun day!

Mikey became attached to this Pepsi bottle. :)

06•18•16

Hey all!

Sorry I don't have time for much of a post today. My day was FULL, and I am so ready to hit the hay!

I'll leave you with a picture of Mikey that I took while cutting his hair.

This kid... Always keeps me smiling. :)

Every hour vlog

Ker had this great idea (Well, it wasn't technically her idea, she got it from someone else. But she told me about it, so... it was her idea. :) to do an "Every Hour Vlog". We did simply as the title suggests, turned on our cameras every hour no matter what we were doing.

What I didn't count on was the vlog becoming so long, so... if you get to the end of it, that's great! ;)

The beginning is shaky because I tried to use a selfie stick, not the best idea for video I found out.

But anyway, I hope you all enjoy this vlog!