#8 - Celebrating His Goodness

It is 5:38 in the morning, and I am up on the rooftop waiting to see the eclipse of the sun in Cambodia. I am with the Three In One, Andrew and Sian, two members from Char's team waiting to see His magnificence: 

'Wow!' doesn't describe it, but this happens every 300 years or so, and, LORD, as I saw the moon being eclipsed by the sun I thought of YOU, Your army interceding and taking over your land of Cambodia, the kingdom of Kampuchea! I saw it as a visible sign of the LIGHT, YOUR LIGHT overcoming the darkness in this land, the darkness of the mind and soul, and being flooded by YOUR glory; strongholds breaking off; the freedom and chains breaking off, Your vision Father. Psalm 118:5b..."the Lord answered me and set me free." 

I thought of POR, Ratanak, Chab Dhai, and other Christian NGOs here, working for your cause. I thought of YOU in Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, England, USA, .... the list goes on for those who are praying for the captives to be set free here, and in other parts of the world.  

And I praise Him, and I cry and I am humbled and on my knees. 

2 Samuel 9:8.. What is your servant that you should notice a dead dog like me? Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son asked of David. 

I was asking the LORD the same thing (not exactly in those words!), but the sentiment was the same. I wondered this as I experienced visible signs of His favour this past week starting with the most magnificent one of the eclipse. I was walking around and God started bringing to mind the littlest things I should be celebrating with Him in spite of the heat, swarming of the flies, etc....things like: 

     

     -I am on the swing, it is 6:15 in the morning, it is my quiet time with Him, reading His Word and listening to His music. I hear a whistle and I look up, I whistle back, and this young boy whistles back; so I whistle back surprised that I could and that it was so loud. We look at each other and smile. Then he makes a sound with his mouth and I imitate it and we laugh. He is not one of my students but for the past week as he passes by the window, we somehow have gotten in the habit of communicating by sounds! 

     - I am outside my class at noon, waiting for the key to open the door and a Grannie comes up to me and wants to take a pic with me! I do not know this particular Grannie, so I am surprised and got a student to take a pic with my camera (and yes, will try and get them out to you all!) 

   - In my six o'clock evening class I am teaching pronunciation and sentences like 'what is your favourite...' and K, one of my students, stands up and says : "MY fave-o-rite (that is how he said it) singer is"....then he flings out is arms and says, "MY fave -o - rite singer is K!" (himself!) I started to laugh not only because of his expression, but his manner and then what he said! Everyone talked about famous Khmer pop singers but not K! I could not stop laughing ! So I stepped out of the class (at least the doorway) and who should be passing by in the back of me without a sound, one of the grannies! I jumped! My teaching assistant Poeune saw me jump and then he started laughing at me! (I said 'sweet mama!' which cracked him up!)  

Really! People should say something or wear a bell! It is dark around 6 so I did not see her at all!  

We were all laughing in the class! 

     - R came back to class. I had mentioned him in the last letter, ready to be the first to answer questions and led the other 2 boys in victory over a competition with the girls on spelling and grammar test. 

     - A house mom whom I do know came to me saying she thinks I am beautiful! I, of course, was thinking how wonderful she was and what a woman of excellent taste! Naturally I told her, I love you! And then as I walked away, 20 mins. later another house mom whom I do not know stops me and says the same thing. I say thank you but now a little wary seeing as this is coming from someone I do not know. Then a third house mom tells me the same thing 10 mins. later! I know I am being played but by whom? (I do have a PHD in covert operations and playing jokes, learning under the Mistress (ah master?) Sureshmi!  

I think of Teacher Peoune whose wife knows them all but he says no although he thinks it is funny that I am so suspicious.   

Then I thought it is Channak!  

As I write this I have NOT figured out who is at the bottom of this! But as Sherlock Holmes says (or is it Watson?), The game is a foot!  

This is community here! 

     - getting to talk to my sister and to see my nephew Daniel on skype; pray I get to see Nate too. 

     - talking to my parents in Trinidad and hearing their voices as if they are right here. 

     - skyping with Pastor Wayne's and Betty's small group, getting to sing Happy Birthday to Mark Harris from Cambodia and hearing everyone's voices and being prayed over. 

YES, He wanted me to just relax and enjoy what He was giving to me: the seemingly little things to the big one, the eclipse!  

May I encourage you to also celebrate and enjoy even the tiniest moment with Him.  

It all adds up. He just wants to be glorified. I do not deserve it but He wants to pour out His love. 

Lastly, time with Charlene was His big hug and I celebrate His timing in bringing her into my life here. It was wonderful to pray and speak about heart and spiritual issues.  

I am humming that song "As He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me that I am His own"....It is an old hymn but God brought that to mind.  

Thank you for your prayers, I cannot emphasize on how much of an impact it is here: I CANNOT do this without you, thank you.  

Dancing with Him,  

Your sister and friend,  

Vidya 

#7 - YES! I knew that finally I would.....

YES! I knew that finally I would...

Before I finish that statement, I want to share this.
Call this:

Vignettes on a Sunday evening at POR:

Father, as I sit here outside of my 'house', it is stifling hot inside, there is no power and no fan so it is like an oven in the room, yet on the bench here there is a cool breeze blowing. Two grannies are passing by and they hail me out. I smile and wave back. One young girl around 12 or 13 runs up to the 'baby house' to get a baby to take to her group of friends; this very athletic boy passes by cuddling a one year old trying to make him smile; two Grade 6 boys walk hand in hand, not self conscious a bit, laughing at something; then the game begins: volleyball!

 The older kids are setting up the teams and house moms and older folk come out to watch the game as well. I pray for them, I know some of their names and they are inviting me to come and sit with them, but this is where Your wisdom prevails, I need to keep the boundaries and have been with them 8 hours running and am enjoying just watching them.....
Thank you Lord for this 'quiet time'.



My Invisible Role:

1Samuel 7:8: "..Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us that He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines..."
This was my verse last week, God was reminding me of my 'invisible' role here: to pray for Marie, for the committee who runs POR, for the teachers, Khmer and English: for the house mothers, for students......


A Plague of Flies:
verses 9 and 10: "...He cried out to the LORD on Israel's behalf and the LORD answered him....The LORD thundered with loud thunder..."
Well, literally the thunder here is LOUD! It shakes everything and then the lightning swoops down!
The kids are playing in the rain and I would too, but I have a healthy respect for lightning and am not stepping out in the rain until the lightning stops.


But I think of my night last night. I was sitting in the living room with my roommate Halina; we were correcting tests and with the rains expected it to be cool, but inside it was not.

Then the flies just came in; flies with long wings, swarming us.
Halina put her towel under the door but they still came in. So each of us fled to our rooms, where it was hotter. Then the electricity went, and with no power, no fan. I could not open my bedroom door to allow any air from the sitting area to come in because of the flies!


Needless to say, sleep was at a minimum and when my alarm went off I was already up. I then went outside to see all the dead flies covering the floor like a carpet! Sounds good but it was NOT!


Swept the floor for over ten minutes and then noticed they were on the kitchen counter, on the dishes, just everywhere!
I was grumbling to God, saying, "Really, Lord I know what the Israelites felt when they were in Egypt, with the plagues...."
This really was not a good way to start the day!

Then I had to take the garbage out, and as I was walking there was a house mom walking ahead of me. Actually, she was hardly able to walk. 
Her feet were twisted and she was swaying from side to side, and her slippers would slip out of one foot and she was trying to hold onto the leaves of the plants to get her balance. 
I walked up alongside and put out my hand and she held it and we walked slowly together to the bus where she crouched down in a sitting position to wait for the other house moms to go to the market.
As I walked back to my room I could hear my LORD say, "And, you are complaining, why?" ....
I apologized and thanked my Lord for my ability to walk and to run yet was overcome that He would allow me to meet "Rey" that morning.
I had never seen her before and it has now been over a month since I have been here at POR!



"Mama, you are good!"- a Coca Cola vignette:
I am dreaming of ice cubes!

It is so hot that I have a image of Coca Cola in ice with the glass cold and droplets of water running down the glass in my mind.
I share this with Teacher Poeune, my Khmer teaching assistant for my 6 o'clock class as we are in the library preparing for our class.
It is now 1:30 in the afternoon and the library is literally a sweat house!
He says, "You really want Coca Cola?" ( they say coca cola not coke).
"One of the kids could go on the bike and buy you some cans!"


I was so overwhelmed (I know what some of you are thinking, Coke is not good for you, drink water, but when it is very very hot, only Coke, coconut water or perhaps lime juice can quench that thirst).
I was overjoyed!
(No I am not a Coke addict... mmmm... I mean a Coca Cola addict!).
SO I got my Coke and then called Marie and asked if I could come up to her house to get some ice cubes, and she said yes!
So there I went off humming, holding my can of Coke and my glass to get my ice.


I stopped by the office window, saw Channak, Marie's assistant, there, and showed him my Coke and said, 'Jesus loves me!"
He says, "Vidya, where did you get it?"
I say, "Hey, Jesus loves me man!"
And he repeats, "Where did you get it?"
I give him a look and said, "I am going for ice," and went my way!


I could not figure out why he was asking until 10 minutes later I remember we had a convo and he said he had Coke in his room and I wondered if he thought I got it from his room!
So at the library I texted him that Jesus loves me and the Coke was SO good!
He asked, "How did you get in, the house mom would never let you in" ( to his place!).
I looked at Teacher Peoune and asked him, "Should we have fun at Channak's expense?"
He laughed!


So we called the house mom and Peoune translated for me.
I asked her if she could move two cans of coke from the case and put them elsewhere so he would think the Coke was given to me!
She said, "Oh no, I could not do that to Mr. Channak!"


SO, I went to plan B.
I said to her, "Are you going to his office now? Could you give him a message from me? Just say 'Coca Cola', and keep saying it as you are cleaning his desk!"
She beamed and said yes!
So off she went with Poeune and I, laughing.
I get a message from Channak, "How did you do it, how were you able to explain in Khmer for her to do what you wanted?" And yet he said at the end of the day when he went home he would check his supplies for these were his people (his peeps I taught him) and they would not play any jokes on him.
I looked at Poeune and said, "We got him thinking!"


So I called the daughter of the house mom and taught her something and said, "Now go and show Teacher Channak what you have learnt!"
I went with her but stayed outside the door. She goes in and says, "I learnt something today," and then begins to sing, "Things go better with Coca Cola, things go better with Coke!"
AH, it was a moment of pure joy, you had to be there to experience the sound of "NO, not you too!" and then my name being called!
I was laughing so hard (and you know I cannot laugh softly!)


Channak came out and said: "Mama, you are good!"


[At this time I should have told him anything I do and say is not a reflection of the mission and values of RAC etc.etc. so that you would be exempt from anything I do here but alas, I forgot, so next time I will exempt you and YOU KNOW there will be a next time!]

But I discovered two things: humor is essential here, and I found a partner in covert operations (yes, Sureshmi, he is not you; you have a PhD in covert operations) in Teacher Peoune (teachable and willing to aid!); and that He has already began to form 'our community here'.



The Classes:
Many of you have been praying for each of my classes.

The midday class of 20 students: there are clearly 5 students who are not able to follow the lessons. But it is these same students who will volunteer to pray in Khmer at the beginning of the class before I pray in English. In my tests their marks are in the forties (out of 100) while most of the class are in the range of 70 to 90. I pray against the spirit of tiredness, laziness, self doubt that they could learn at the start of the class, so now I boldly pray for His Sword to cut through the fog in their brains, that they may be able to understand what is being taught. I pray that for me as well as I learn Khmer. I can communicate through body language, expression and touch but I so need to be able to communicate in words.
Wouldn't it be so SWEET if at the beginning of the classes that the students would pray in English and I would pray in Khmer? Shall I be bold enough to pray for this?

Friday: Someone asked, "How come you have order in your class? The kids are paying attention".. etc.
I say: I have an army of people interceding on behalf of me, on behalf of the students. We take His mission seriously. Plus with my experience in Canada, I immediately do the consequence on breaking of the rules. It is so ingrained that you do well and you succeed by good marks; that 'cheating' is widespread, which includes helping your fellow students in the tests!
They still speak in Khmer to each other when it is NOT allowed in the class; they mutter under their breath the answers, surprisingly thinking teacher does not hear!


I will ask for special prayer for this midday class. My Khmer teaching assistant is now going to be helping in 3 other classes at the midday hour which means I have him for less of the time (another T.A. teacher Kayar), so can you pray for order and my ability to think ahead to get a written translation of the grammar rules. I am teaching past and present tense, and there is nothing like that in Khmer grammar so the ability to transfer this to English is NIL!
AND putting '-ed' at the end of the verb is difficult enough but they have to learn the irregular verbs as well!

Friday early evening class: at 6 in the evening; lesson began well.
Teacher Poeune and I had an amazing time in prayer before the class and then it happened.
Something must have triggered "R", (I have mentioned him before) because he started to backchat with Teacher P.
Then the anger in him built up and he walked out of the class, walked back in, tears running down his face, literally shaking with anger, still yelling at teacher P. P is calm and talks to him, but then teacher P has to leave, "R" takes out cell phone and is talking to someone. I send a kid out to get Pastor who does the discipline and counselling.
I have no idea what is going on, the Khmer is fast and furious and the kids grow quiet. Pastor comes and "R" goes with him. 
I end the class with a prayer over the kids (unusual, but sensed I needed to do a calming prayer over them). I went outside and met with Pastor who was preparing for the youth prayer time service which happens every Friday night.


Long story short: Pastor was translating for me as I talked with "R".
Consequence for him: go to his house, not to the meeting, or sit with Teacher Vidya on the bench outside and listen from there to the meeting. I went for water and came back to find out that sitting with me was what he accepted (yes, who knew that would be a punishment!). 
I thought of the many times I had to do this with my 'guys' from Drop In and community service; yes, surely the Lord will never let any of our experiences go to waste. I prayed aloud as we sat in silence, offered him water etc.

Cannot give details but would ask special prayer for R.. I had to leave early Sat. morning to come here to the city and as I write this I do not know what is the outcome of the situation. But at the church service on Sunday morning, the guest speaker was Rev. Eng Sam Ath, the general superintendent of Assemblies of God of Cambodia, a young man who himself was living in an orphanage and now heads up the Assemblies. I looked at him and thought of R and called out to the Lord for R's soul. Pastor had told me to pray for R's salvation. I assumed that R was saved being at POR. I could see R becoming a leader for our Saviour but Satan is battling for his soul. I went up to this young pastor to thank him for his message, showed him Pastor Sok's card from Tahas Institute and he knows him. He asked for my email address so I pray I hear from him and his wife, would love to have him speak to R.

The Stylist and her mother:
It was raining so hard I stayed at this hair dressing place. I asked the stylist how she was doing, about her family. She shared that her mother gambles, her brother and sister gamble, that Khmers do not know how to work and save because the people here are
still attempting to relearn values etc. stemming from the reign of Pol Pot regime. She had to distance herself from her brother and sister, but her mom lives with her, and that is causing dissension between her husband and herself. 
She says, "How can I turn my mother out? She is my mother, but she will not listen to me." 
I pray for God to fill that hole in the lives of so many Khmers. This came from a Khmer so I can pray for God to restore the mother to Him, for God to send a Christian to this mother, (she is about 60 or so) and that her transformation would be the domino for the others in the family to come to know our Jesus!


OH! I began this with I knew that finally I would...
I was in the lobby and the staff there said, "Vidya, there is a group here from Toronto".
So I went to say hi. 
They were from Agincourt Pentecostal church and ....YES I MET A TRINI!


I was laughing because I had just come from the rooftop with Jesus and there she was, from Tunapuna, which is not far from my parents' place! 
We hugged and laughed and then I turned around and met a Jamaican and a Bajan (from Barbados)!
Only from Toronto, eh?
The co-owner of the hotel whom I have gotten to know and who speaks English quite well, came to see what the celebration was all about, so I told her and she said, "SO God answered your prayers to meet someone from your country?"
I said "Yes!"
Everyone says we sound alike. I am going downstairs to see if she is here so I can just hear her speak!

My friend Halina left here yesterday in the middle of the rain and thunder!
The same lady I mentioned above says to me, "Are you going to pray for her safety?"
I said "yes" and immediately prayed right there and then by the tuk tuk!

Going up now to the rooftop. It is 10 minutes to 8 in the morning. 
Had dinner with Lisa Cheong last night. Good to see her, share and have wisdom poured into me from her and ...cannot think what I gave to her, hopefully not anything negative, but she gives me hope when I hear her speak in Khmer.......

John 7:38: "I am not here on my own but He who sent me is here also"... I know you are all 'here' with me, thank you so much.


1Samuel 12:23: "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you"....I want you to know that I do pray for you as well, when I get your prayer requests I pray for His continuing protection and presence for you, my brothers and sisters!

Dancing in Khmer,


Sister V

(Went to wedding with Sok who owns 'Our Thai' restaurant on Highway 7 in Toronto; she is here in Cambodia for her niece's wedding; lovely to be with her and spend time with her; got invited to another wedding for December!)

#6 - It Finally Happened!

Well finally it had to happen! But before I say what ...

INVISIBLE ROLE
Isn't God awesome? (rhetorical!) 

Last week HE confirmed and affirmed my visible role here as a teacher. 

This week He affirmed my invisible role as intercessory prayer warrior! 

It began with the service at church entitled Pray Bold, Persevere in Prayer and then my Lord gave me ways to pray bold and also to persevere these past 2 weeks!

'R' AND THE FLOWER-BUG
One kid in my grade 6 class (Ramona Loberg's class has adopted this class), "R", could and would not look at me and this made teaching pronunciation to him difficult since I could not see his mouth and he could not see my mouth when I was sounding out the words. 
I prayed and then asked my TA Khmer assistant to pray with me and then he translated to "R" that the teacher said many kids have survived looking at her face, so he will live if he looks at me! 
He may have bad dreams but he will live! 
He was startled when Poeune said that, (so was Poeune since he was translating 'cold' and he himself looked at me and tried not to laugh!) looked up, and there was a glimmer of a smile, and then he looked back down! 
But he kept looking up. 
We had prayed for "R" because of his situation: father is in jail, no mother, and his motivation is quite low to be in class. 

Well, guess who was first to come to class 9 (10 mins. before class mind you!) 

Yup... "R"!

 Came and shouted , "hello Teacher!" 

(For some strange reason everyone shouts here! Yes, some of you are thinking, "...and Vids, don't you speak loudly?" But I digress!)

He asked how I was, I said in Khmer that I was so hot, and he gave me a 'cool gum' to cool down! 

Do prayers work? Yes. 

Specific prayers? Yes! 

Thank you, thank you for your prayers.
  

He brought me a flower at last class! (I put it in my hair, and promptly forgot about it till next class when I felt something in my hair, thought it was a bug and crushed it, much to the puzzlement of class!)

Then one day last week, I noticed a lady hovering outside my early class in the afternoon, so I told her she could come in. She came in and stayed at the back of the class. It was the Grade 2 Khmer teacher for the Khmer school. The children go to Khmer school starting at 7 in the morning till 10:30 or so. Then they go to English class. I thought hmm... let us see where that connection goes! 

I was surprised since she did not go to the other classes! I saw her 2 days ago and she smiled and we hugged and I told her to come to my class. 

I would like to go to her class as well. (Communication is minimum, she speaks little English and I so far speak little Khmer!)

CHARLENE(:
Charlene Pollock came with her team to visit us at Place of Rescue. We got a chance to pray over Marie Ens, the pastor on site, and some of the babies and their grannies as well. Love the timing of the visit where we focused on prayer again. 

It was so good to see Char, spend time with her, be encouraged by her and to have lots of laughter as well!

Cannot wait to see any of you when you come!

Then wouldn't you know it, when I slept one night (up to 3 hours) the alarm went off on my phone at 5 and I felt like turning it off but 2 things came to my mind: you: some of you have pledged to pray with and for me ; and the kids  here get up at 5 and do devotions with their house parent. I asked them if that was hard to be up but that is normal for them so knowing that, how could I sleep in? 

Plus the mosquitoes wanted me up! 

TEACHING, DISCIPLINE AND BINGO
For my new class at 7 at night, I was praying over them and God gave me this from Luke 24:45: ..then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scripture... I substituted English for Scripture and have been claiming that verse for them. 

I had sent out their names to you and this Tuesday we are doing our first major test, the results of which go toward the public school (Khmer) and towards the assessment of keeping them here at this grade or moving them forward.

The unity between the other English teachers and myself grew stronger this week. I am learning a lot from Jeremy and Stacy ( a couple here, J is a teacher by profession, Stacy is a nurse but is here as a teacher) and Halina, my house mate! 
We all have challenges keeping discipline, our prayer is to spend time teaching rather than class management.


Those of you who know me know that I set discipline from the start, in those years at the Drop In Centre, working with youth at risk and Alliance Men (Ha! Just thought I would throw that in!) have come in handy! 
My Khmer assistants tell them the rules and the consequences which I have created and I do follow up on any disobedience immediately!

I was doing a bingo game in the biggest class I have, (20 kids at the height of the heat midday sun!) the purpose of which was, I would call out a word and they would find the word on the bingo card and mark on it 1, 2, 3 etc. to match the pronunciation of the word I was saying. 
I had just cautioned them NOT to speak, not to look at each other's paper etc. etc. when I remembered I forgot to tell them to write their name on the top of the page!

So I said "please write" ....I looked at one kid, ML, and I could see him trying to find the words please etc. on the paper, not finding it, and trying not to look at someone else's paper! That cracked me up because they were all trying to find my verbal instructions on the paper! You had to be there to see their faces. 
I could not stop laughing (and yes, snorting!). Then they gave me the look of 'teacher teacher'! 
Who says you can't have fun at the expense of the kids (in a good way of course!).

 THE BIG WORD(;

OH yeah, what was I alluding to when I said at the top of this, finally it had to happen?

I am not only learning Khmer at 9 to 10  on Tues. Wed and Frid. in the morning (NEED BIG TIME PRAYER FOR MY MIND AND MY TONGUE TO BE COORDINATED), I am also teaching English from 10 to 11 to Channak, who is Marie's chief assistant!

So there we are doing grammar and reading and we come across THE WORD, no not His Word but the word ....
"ask"!
Present and past tense!
I know some of you know what is coming up. 
He looked puzzled when I pronounced the word and asked if that was the English way of saying it! 
He is accustomed to American pronunciation! He said it sounded different! 
"Axed"???????????

I had to wait until my house mate came and requested (notice I did not say 'ask'!) her to pronounce the word!


Speaking of which, she asked me yesterday,"Vidya, how come when I speak to the tuk tuk drivers or other Khmer speaking persons, they do not understand, but when you speak to them with your Trini accent they seem to understand?!" 

I cracked up! 

I silently looked up and pointed heavenward!

Yes I was silent ...but only for a second! 
Ha! 

I said I have an army of people praying for me, HE has allowed me to find favor, it is nothing that I am doing! 

So for those of you who have specifically prayed for communication for me, be encouraged by this!

RED HELMET AND RED-FACED WITH SINGING(: 

I had to go to receive my bank card and the only way was to go on the back of a scooter. 

But Marie has wisely cautioned us to wear a helmet to go in, so I went with Baht Kim (one of the members of Place of Rescue committee), male. 

I had to figure out how to hold on to the scooter and not him, (first time I did hold on to his shoulders!) cultural sensitivity et al...anyway, we went to the market and for 8 US dollars I got my own scooter helmet! 
AND yes, it is a deep red! 

Unfortunately the pride I had wearing it fell when I got to the bank and could not get it off! 

Baht Kim had to help me much to the amusement of the guys who look after helmets and scooters! 

But I got to sing and pray on the back of the scooter on way back to POR! 

Baht Kim thought I was talking to him. 

He could see my mouth moving but then he realized, oh she was singing!

PRAYER
I have been asked to pray by two of the staff here for their families, and have been bold to say what I have been praying for this land of Cambodia and for POR! 

It has somehow connected with them.

**I ask for prayer for wisdom as I plan classes and that He would continue to go before me in building relationships not only with staff, but with students, house moms etc.

Celebrated Marie finishing work on one of her books, a collection of true stories of some of the people here. 

POR is their refuge here as well as being in His arms.

John 4: 50.."the man took Jesus at His Word and departed.." 

This struck me, how often have I neglected to believe that what He has promised to me will be done! 

I encourage you to persevere, be bold and talk to Him, claim His promises to you.

You have not been forgotten! 

His Word comes alive because we serve a GOD who is alive!

A PICTURE:
I will leave you with a picture: 

I had to find a new place to meet with Him at POR: right outside my living quarters is a swing. 

I go there with my iPod worship music, my Bible, my journal. 

This week as I was praising Him, I just felt Our Saviour come and sit with me and then this breeze came in and we swung together! 

HE knew I needed to feel His presence even though HE is always there, but He wanted to give me an extra hug because He knew I would need it! 

The heat was fierce this week!

Then I put on His music and yeah, we danced together! 

Love 

Sister V

~As I write this I am aware of our brother Marcel going to be with the Lord.  I cried and rejoiced at the same time. I know He is at His feet being cradled and loved by His Heavenly Father. But he will be missed. 

Marcel, thank you for all the times you came and talked and laughed with me. I thank God I got to know you better when you volunteered at Neighbourhood Connections. Your smile and gentleness will be missed. To Helene, Marc, Michelle and Mel: my love and prayers.~