Change part 4

In case you haven't been reading here on my little 'ol blog for long, let me bring you up to speed on parts 1, 2 and 3 of this "change" series I have going on...

1. August 2013: I submitted paperwork to extend my visa to live in Canada. I knew that sometime in the near future I would have to make a change (hence the name of this series!) and find a different visa that would allow me to live in Canada longer.

2. October 2013: I found out I was denied an extension on my visa and had to get out of the country that very day. So I left and came back to the States. (It is hard to believe this was over a year ago...time flies!)

3. July 2014: After many months of searching, praying, and working on getting a new visa (including meeting with a lawyer) I find out that I do not qualify for any visa in any stream of immigration. This leads me to the decision and realization that God has a plan for me right here in Maine for the time being.

It is hard to believe that it has been a whole year since I got kicked out of Canada. So many changes have come about since that time, as I catch more glimpses of God's plan.

At the time of my last update I was living with my grandparents, working a few hours for a Christian couple, and enjoying spending time with family I had been away from the last 8 years.

I had an UH-MAZING summer. It was such a treat to be able to have tons and tons of family events, parties, outings...you name it! We did so many fun things, the summer was jam-packed full!

But all play and no work...wait, is that how it goes? ;)

Towards the end of the summer, I was made aware of a part time job opening up at a health food store just across the river from my other job...less than a mile away! I applied with much fear and trepidation...did I want the responsibility of another job? Would I like it? God, do you want me to do this? Is committing to living here for a while your perfect plan for me?

I didn't get the job. I had a pretty good chance of being called in for an interview, but they hired someone else before they even got to my name (darn being at the end of the alphabet!)

So I left for a long-planned trip to Nova Scotia. Due to my other job I could only stay a week, but it was nice to go and visit just the same!

Just before coming home I found out the job was available again...apparently the other person didn't pan out that well.

Long story short: I applied and this time I got the job. I also felt more at peace with the step the second time around...I believe that was God saying, ok, I'm going before you on this decision! The timing worked out so well too, since I already had that trip to Canada planned. I love how God works out all the details!

This job has been such a blessing on so many levels:

Not only is it just around the corner from my other job, I also moved to our family's farm and now I live just 5 minutes from both jobs.

You know that for years I have been reading, researching and getting my feet wet in the areas of whole foods, healthy eating and green living. Now I have two great jobs that support all of those interests! I am so excited about what I am learning and the changes I have made to my eating habits and lifestyle - more on that in another post someday. :)

Do I miss Canada? I sure do. Life there was easy and slow-paced and restful. I had always wanted to live on the ocean, and I am glad I got that experience for 3 years. Being 11 hours away from my family is hard. But my new life is good too...I am busy with my jobs, spending time with my family, teaching piano and being involved in ministries at church. I'm excited to see how the Lord is going to use this period of my life and what the years ahead might hold for me...because as I very well know, unexpected things can crop up at any moment!

Thank you for your care, concern and prayers for me over the past year. I'll be sure to keep you up to date if any other exciting things happen!


Shared at the Weekend Wind-Down party

Change, part 3

If you missed Change Part 1 and Part 2, you'll want to get caught up and then come back to this post.

I has been 6 months since I got kicked out of Canada.

via

The last 6 months have held lots of questions and wondering about what was to come. They have also held countless blessings as the Lord has met every need and provided in ways I never would have dreamed possible. And I'll be honest...while I am repeatedly thanking the Lord for the way he provides, I am even more repeatedly asking Him, "why me?" I don't think God minds if we ask Him "why," but we must be content to wait and be content with His answer.

And I cling to these verses:

Feel free to use/download/share/print that photo, just please give credit back to this post. The background picture was taken by yours truly in Lockeport, NS

And so I've been waiting. Waiting to see the goodness of God. Waiting for His will to be evident. Waiting for my heart to be strengthened. Because goodness knows there are moments days when it needs strengthening.

And then an answer I was waiting for.

I found out that the stream of immigration that I working towards applying for has been closed permanently.

In plain English, this means I don't qualify for any visa to live in Canada at this time.

Although it was abrupt and harsh and not exactly the answer I expected, it was a blessing in so many ways. I was about to dump several hundred dollars into an English test required to get a visa. Later on I would have dumped several more hundred dollars into the visa itself. So I am very thankful that I hadn't paid any money yet, only to have my visa rejected or discover another hoop to jump through.

What does this mean for my future? 

Great question! I'm asking it all the time. :)

I can't tell you exactly what it means, but I will tell you this: God has made the way so abundantly clear up to this point, even if I don't understand it or don't expect it, so I am 100% confident that He will continue to make the way plain if I am willing to walk in it.

There is a song (that I don't necessarily endorse, fyi) with these words:

"When I look back on every season, I can find there's ten thousand reasons
To trust that YOU will work all things for good."

That describes me. When I get discouraged at life or overwhelmed at the unknowns that are ahead, all I have to do is look back. Even in my relatively short life there have already been ten million reasons to trust Him. I just have to remember to take it to Him and leave it there.

So for now, I'm working part time for a Christian couple. I'm teaching piano and always trying to grow the So Sew Organized shop. I'm involved in the local church I grew up in and I'm having a blast being with family after 8 years away. God has literally given me a car, a new-to-me computer, a cell phone and countless other little blessings over these months.

I'm not sure what the future holds, but it's ok...well, most of the time I believe it's ok. :) I'm just going to continue to wait and continue to trust that He will work all this for good. Thanks for following along with my crazy journey and for supporting me through it all!


Linked up to the Lou Lou Girls

Balancing Rock + Brier Island

It has been quite a while since I've shared a sightseeing post from here in Nova Scotia. Ready to see some Canadian beauty?

Recently we took a last-minute day trip to some nearby islands. These islands are across from the mainland where we live, so while we look over at them all day, we don't actually visit them very often! The scenery is so beautiful, I couldn't resist taking waaaay too many pictures to share with you all! Nova Scotia has so much varied scenery - rocky coast, sandy beaches, forests, etc. - that each place is beautiful and unique. This day was a bit foggy at first, but it cleared off for the most part in the afternoon.

We drove down the peninsula first, Digby Neck, and then took a fun little ferry over to Long Island. Our first stop was Balancing Rock.

This rock is a neat place to hike to on the coast. It is not a long walk, but it has a wholelotta steps to get down to it!

Rumor has it that once someone got concerned that this rock was going to fall on someone, so they tried to pull it into the water with at least 2 cranes. They couldn't budge it. So even though it looks like it is about to topple over, it really isn't!

Of course, that makes for some really fun photo shoots.

After the boys got done trying to prove their manhood, we traveled on down the island, across another small ferry, and over to Brier Island, the last in this string of islands. We drove to the tippy tip, where there is a small coast guard station and a lighthouse.

See the fog out in the distance? That is the fun thing about these lighthouses...they are still being used! Now there are foghorns as well, but the light in these lighthouses is also important for the fishermen.

We followed a foot path that took us down the edge of the ocean. Is it just me, or is the coast one of the most beautiful places on earth? I thought so.

We walked all the way out to this point of rock. Grammie, don't watch.

From this farthest point, we could watch these rocks. The tide was coming in around them, but do you see those silvery things resting on the rocks?

They are great big seals!

I couldn't zoom in any closer than that unfortunately, but these seals were HUGE and were making this loud, bellowing sound. It sounded like a cross between a mourner's wail and the track from a haunted house. We could hear it loud and clear as we watched these big guys fight for a space on the warm rock. As the tide came in, more and more of them just swam out to the ocean. It was so fun to watch!

The last thing we did before heading home was to drive to the other side of the island. Neither of these islands are very big, in case you hadn't figured that out, so it was easy to drive around and take in the whole island.

Much like when we visit Lockeport, I absolutely loved being on this island. I love the small-town feel of it. I love all the water. Water, water, everywhere. And boats. And a nice mix of sunshine and fog.

That is a recap of our day! Sun, fog, and beautiful scenery. Have you ever been sightseeing in Nova Scotia? How about to an island? Don't you just love islands?

Change

One of the main things that keeps this baby blog of mine up and running is YOU. That's right, you the reader! I blog to be a help and encouragement to you in any way that I can. If I blogged for myself alone, I would have stopped long ago.

Perhaps that is the reason I sometimes hesitate to share too many personal details. In past years I didn’t share too many life updates, and you rarely see me on the other side of the camera.

This year I’ve tried to do better. I shared way too much info about myself on my birthday, I sometimes share monthly family recaps {except for lately when life has been too busy to recap...gotta get on that} and lately I’ve been trying to document our days a bit better as fun things happen.

Today I’m going to try to share my heart more - a current burden that I hope you’ll pray about with me. It is not necessarily easy for me to share this type of thing publicly, but I feel that writing this out will help me. And many, many people that know about this situation already have asked, so this is a good way to update everyone all at once. Thanks in advance for listening, understanding, and praying!


Next month marks the end of our 3rd year as residents of Canada. It is a pretty exciting milestone, but it also marks the end of our visitor’s visas.

Here is how our immigration to Canada works - in it’s basic form:

For us, we are classified as “clergy” {my dad is a pastor} so he was allowed to come in to “work” for our church. We all were allowed in as his dependents. They gave us a 3 year visitor’s visa.

When that visa runs out we either a) leave the country, or b) get permanent status, or “landed immigrancy.”

Which is all well and fine, and should be rather simple since the church has called Dad to be their pastor - but being over age 23 I’m kind of in a mess.

When we first came in the country, I was not yet 23 years old. Now, I’m a couple years past that mark, which means I can no longer qualify as a dependent under my dad.

So, I’m on my own. Which, in case you haven’t figured it out, is SCARY business!

I’ve been researching for months what my options are for staying in the county, and to be honest I’m still not sure what my best bet is. But for now, I had to do something or my visa would run out.

So I’ve applied for an extension of my current visa to give me time to apply for something permanent.

The paperwork has all been submitted, so now everything is in the governments hands, which would be scary, if I didn’t know that God controls governments. {Proverbs 21:1} I got everything in in plenty of time, so I should find out in the next month what the verdict is.

I’m really nervous about it.

I know that whatever happens, God has a plan for the next year of my life, and beyond. He has the perfect place and ministry waiting for me. And truth be told, either side of the border is special to me, so either way I know I’ll be ok. I love my ministry and the people here, and would hate to have to leave them, but at the same time, I have lots of family and friends in the States, and know of countless ministries there that I could be involved in as well. I sort of feel like I get a win-win situation either way!

So why am I nervous then?

I think it is because this decision means change. And I hate change. I always have. As a child I hated when my mom rearranged my bedroom furniture. Change has never been easy for me. And this visa is demanding change in my life on some account.

It has been easy to live here in Canada….I’m just one of the “preacher’s kids” doing church stuff most of the time. There is a slower pace of life here, which has been great - it has given me the time to develop a handmade shop which is what I love to do. I’ve made many friends here and have several different ministries I help out in. And for pete’s sake, we live on the ocean. Life here is easy and good.

But to stay here will require a change. It may require a more permanent job or studies or teaching. I’m not entirely sure yet. Leaving for the States will obviously require a change - and what awaits me on the other side is yet to be determined as well.

Change.

Whether I like it or not, its coming.

And I wish you’d pray with me about it.

That the Lord would accomplish His will for me through the hands of government officials.

That the Lord would give me wisdom to know which permanent visa to pursue if my current extension is accepted.

That I’ll claim the peace that passes all understanding in the next few weeks of waiting.

Thank you.

Family Camp 2013

Last week were with blessed to be able to go to Family Camp! It was a nice relaxing 4 days away from everything that is normal and daily in our routine. I didn't even get online during that time!

The speaker for the week was Dr. Carl Herbster, a former pastor who has such a heart for people. His sermons were so applicable to the lives of everyone present, it was a honor to sit under his teaching and preaching! If you are aware of the trial that has gone on in this family's life - losing a daughter-in-law to cancer just a couple months ago - you would rejoice to see what the Lord is doing in and through this family. Several of his messages were born out of that grief and pain, which applies at some point and time to every believer. It is so true that we sorrow not as those which have no hope!

There were lots of other activities that went on during the four days of camp, including lots and lots of free time. I tried to spend a lot of it with this little man...

He is at such a fun age now, with a growing vocabulary and just generally fun outlook on everything. Here he was stacking the blocks and then saying "cheese" for me to take his picture.

After a while the cutest little girl on the planet came to play with him.

I mean seriously, would you just look at those beautiful curls? I think I just picked out Judah's future wife. Consider yourself betrothed, boy.

Friday afternoon the staff put on a family carnival. It had lots of activities perfect for the kids. I participated by following them around and taking pictures. :)

Giant Jenga anyone?

Pillow fights...

There was a dunk tank about a dozen or more other small booths full of fun things! The kids had a blast trying to fill up their cards with "mastered" activities. Two of my siblings won for the most activities in their age group!

Judah upped the "coolness" factor...

For being in a new place with new faces and a totally disrupted schedule, he did a good job. There were meltdowns, but he had fun. One night during a late game of family Scattergories, I kept him occupied by snapping self-portraits and then showing them to him. He loves the camera and saying "cheese."

I think a week or a few days of away time is so vital, especially when it is coupled with solid, Biblical preaching. It was such a great environment to recharge spiritually and be reminded that you aren't the only Christian on the planet! Especially living in a remote area of the Maritimes, things can sometimes get lonely, and these times are so, so needed. I'm thankful for this opportunity and hope we can do it again next year!

Some Life Updates, July 29, 2013

I’m not setting goals this week...you’ll hear why in a second. Today I’d just like to share some life updates, so cue the random music!

First of all, I stopped on the side of the road to snap these pictures last night. This is the scenery I "put up with" each week on my hour-long ride home from church.

I absolutely love the beauty of that drive each week, and there are so many picture-perfect moments, but this sunset was one of the most beautiful. The entire sky was dark with clouds except for that one place on the horizon...so pretty!

But enough of the weather.

We had a great week at VBS last week! Did you catch any of my FB pictures? It was a challenging, tiring week, but we had one boy saved on Thursday night! He came back to church Sunday along with a neighbor, so we are thankful for the Lord’s working in those lives.

This week, our family is heading to Family Camp. We’ve never been to a family camp at this particular camp before, and we’ve never been as a family of 8, so it might be an interesting week! I’m looking forward to seeing some friends and hopefully having time for real-life chats. :)

If you are wondering about So Sew Organized during that time, here is the deal...I’m going to keep the shop open for those few days I’m gone, just simply be aware that orders will take longer to ship. Thanks for understanding! I hope you will take the time to browse the goodies over there anyway, and perhaps share them with your friends!

I’m sending more shop news via the newsletter today, so sign up for that in the right sidebar if you’d like to stay informed!

In keeping with the randomness, let me hear what random thing is going on for you this week! Exciting summer activities? Sewing projects? Life updates? What you ate for breakfast? Let's keep it random here today, folks! =)

July 1st...and 4th!

When we moved to Canada, it was very easy to forget that we were now in a "foreign country..." not the grand 'ol US of A any more. Living in this province is so very much like living in Maine that it is easy to forget it is not the same place!

Sometimes, however, there is a certain aspect of this country that brings us back to the reality that this is Canada. One of those times is the first week of July.

Really, it doesn't seem like there should be too much difference. Canada celebrates a national holiday on July 1st, which is very similar to our Independence Day in the states. There are parades, fireworks, and lots of fun cookouts and fun community events. It really feels like the 4th of July!

So what is it that we miss, then, about the USA at this time?

The flag.
The salute.
The national anthem.

These things are missing from the festivites...and it makes it feel a little "off." So while we have fun celebrating anyway, we do still have a soft spot in our hearts for the USA. I guess that is to be expected!

Well this year, Canada did a good job, because we got to celebrate on both days...thanks to a little spat in the weather!

July 1st was on a Monday..and we had big plans. Every year we put a float in our local parade to promote Vacation Bible School. Our theme this year is "The Great Flood." We had a big ark planned as a float, with lots of "animals" {disguised as little children} in it. We had 1,500 invitations printed, tracts stapled to each one...we were ready!

So was the flood. How appropriate.

While I doubt the real animals in the real ark were carrying umbrellas, our float was very well received. Partly because of the irony in the situation. :) Partly because we were willing to be out there walking the streets in the pouring rain, giving out Gospel tracts and invites to VBS. And candy. The candy probably helped.

We have found that entering the parade is a very effective way to not only get the word out about our VBS, but to get Gospel literature into people's hands. All told we had 3 people refuse it...and they were all teenagers. For the most part, young and old alike were willing to take our literature, way more than you would reach by standing in the street with tracts.

But back to the float...this ark didn't fare the flood very well, it started filling up with water! The kids were using their umbrellas to try and scoop it out, haha! We were all soaked to the skin by the time it was all over, but we had a grand time!

{We did have a lot of invites left over, so we are actually going to be in another parade this weekend to finish them off! Hopefully the weather cooperates a little better!}

The remainder of the day managed to clear off enough for us to enjoy some truck pulls and ox pulls. Although I'll be honest - watching truck pulls is about as exciting as watching paint dry. The ox pulls are my favourite. :)

Fireworks were scheduled for that night...but because of the weather and increasing fog, they were postponed.

And this is where the Canadians got Americanized.

They scheduled the fireworks for the 4th!!

Picture swiped from a friends FB page...because this bad blogger didn't take her camera!

It was fun for us to celebrate both days. While we would have enjoyed the fireworks any night they had them, it was neat to feel like we were celebrating both days. Hey, nothing wrong with two holidays in one week, is there? =)

We were a bit concerned about Judah...this was his first experience with fireworks. But he liked them! He just looked a little shocked through the whole thing, but didn't cry. We had warned him they would go "bang, bang!" so now he likes to repeat that. :) After it was all over, he said he wanted more...so I guess that is a good sign!

All in all, it was a memorable week, and certainly a memorable float! We're praying that others will find it memorable too, and want to know more by coming out to VBS. Will you pray with us for fruit from our efforts?

How was your holiday week? Which day did you celebrate?

Goals for the Week, July 2, 2013

Greeting you from a very soggy Nova Scotia! I seriously can not believe the amount of rain we have had...our county has a rain warning today, even! It is kind of like living in a rain forest...even everything inside feels damp, things mildew easily, and things like our towels don't dry no matter how long you wait...but I'm pretty sure a rain forest is warmer. :)

Here is the progress I made on my weekly goals last week:

Continue to work on new shop items

Finish mending pile

Cut out girl's playclothes

Begin planning for VBS

Review Philippians 2

Rearrange bookshelves

Finish A Man Called Peter

Write two letters/emails

Practice piano 2 days


And here are my goals for this week! Yesterday was a holiday here in Canada, so I'm starting on these today instead:

Continue planning for VBS

Write one hand-written letter

Review Philippians 3:1-15

Organize dresser and clothes

Work on mending

Work on new shop items  {did you see the update from last week? I just love them!}

Work on Bible case for a friend

Make playclothes for the girls

Continue to read Jane Eyre

What are you working on this week? Any soggy days at your place?

How Does Your {2013} Garden Grow?

 I shared all of our garden planning, planting, and harvesting last year, pretty much from start to finish. {Click those links to see the pictures of last year's garden!} We were blessed with huge bumper crops of everything last year...almost to the point of having no place to put it all! Picture us begging people to take beans off our hands - yup, that really happened. Even our church people were sick of beans!

I'm not going to rehash our entire gardening process this year, since you can just go read about it in the archives, but I thought I'd share a bit of how our garden is doing this year and what is and isn't working in this part of the country. Any other Nova Scotians out there that can relate?

Oh and I should mention that my mom is the main gardener in these parts, so all the beauty of these pictures goes to her. We do help with the planting, weeding, harvesting, and definitely the eating...but she is the mastermind behind the whole shebang.

The first area to show you is our peas....look at those beautiful fences of vines!

If you look up close, the view is even more exciting...

Yep, they are nearly ready! The pods are all grown, and just need to fill out. Just like last year, we use mostly Veseys Seeds in our garden, because we find them to be great quality and work well in this climate! What you see in these pea rows are Dakota, Knight and Sabre.

Here is a shot of some rows of beans, carrots, and weeds...we didn't plant those last ones....

We alternate between a row of beans, and a row of carrots, row of beans, row of carrots, etc. Honestly I'm not sure why...ask my mom. :) Oh, and you may notice if you look at last year's picts...we swap ends of the garden. This year the corn end is where the peas were last year, and visa versa. That is so one area of the garden doesn't get sapped of any one nutrient by planting the same thing there year after year. It seems to work!

Here are beets, radishes, and in the bottom right corner some spinach that has already been cut once.

Here is a shot of the corn...coming along nicely!

We planted three rows of Quickie Corn, three rows of Montauk, and about 8 rows of Bon Appetit. By planting three different kinds, they are not all ready at the same time, so we can enjoy fresh corn on the cob longer!

We also have cukes, squash, pumpkins, and other vine-y things planted, but I'll wait to show you more of those when they are up more. Vine-y things did not do well all over this area this year (too much rain?) and a lot of people had to replant, including us. They seem to be doing well now, however!

Here is a shot of the whole garden:

That is a lot of on-your-knees time, right there!

So let's chat gardens...what have you planted this year? How are things doing in your region? We had so much rain in May and June that a lot of produce that is normally prevalent in our area - like strawberries - aren't doing too well. Do you plant a large garden, or just a small bed? Share below!


Just FYI - Veseys Seeds has no clue who I am, or that I'm writing this post. We use Veseys because us and others have had great results with their seeds for years! Check them out and see if they are available in your area!