Tonight I am a proud parent.
As my husband and I sit watching Christian comedy on YouTube, Caylea and Daniel are at the Healing Hearts Youth night.  Caylea has been taking the lead for the youth ministry and its been neat to see her grow through this.  There were a couple of boys attending last year and not necessarily a regular guy to hang out with the guys.  So Caylea conscripted her brother, Daniel.  And he seems to be thriving in his role as "cool youth sponsor guy"!  Without trying too hard, the guys seem to be drawn to Daniel. 
But what makes me feel so thankful and a little proud is when I overhear their planning meetings, along with Daniel's girlfriend, Danae and our Healing Hearts intern, Carolyn (from Millar College of the Bible).  I hear them discussing fun activities and scheduling who is leading which Wednesday.
And then to hear them discussing their Bible study topics.  Going through the book of Genesis.  And to sometimes get the privilege of hearing their debriefs after a youth night, when they talk about who prayed out loud.  Or who had offered to pray for them as leaders!
I'm excited to see Caylea and Daniel, Danae and Carolyn bring their enthusiasm and love for God and impart it to the youth!
From a humble start in the fall with 4 church kids to sometimes up to 9 or 10 by Christmas, we are witnessing how God can use the up and coming young adults to minister the Gospel to the next generation.
Lord, bless them tonight as they clean the church and then study Scriptures and pray together.  May revival start with our youth!

At first, I felt like a double-agent. 
Healing Hearts or Northern Canada Evangelical Mission?
But lately, we are seeing our worlds overlap.  When we are in Prince Albert, some of our Healing Hearts Ministry team stops by the office.  And in a couple weeks, we have an NCEM couple spending the night in our home in Regina.  Our hearts want to bring the best of both worlds to bless the other!
The reality that our two different lives are becoming more unified was apparent last weekend.  We arrived at the Pambrun campus of Millar College of the Bible.  Caylea had the booth set up with both Healing Hearts Ministry and NCEM.  We brought some items to add to the display.  The fun part was we were set up beside the NAIM display (North America Indigenous Ministries - our former mission) and two tables away from Interact (another ministry focused on First Nations)!
We had lots of laughs and meaningful conversations with our fellow mission representatives.  But more importantly, we had lots of students coming by.  Caylea roomed in the dorm and her hosting student may be interested in an internship with Healing Hearts in Regina.  We also met a young lady who feels called to inner city work and wondered how to apply!  Another couple connected with us who would like to explore NCEM's options.  God is at work and He isn't worried about organizational divisions.  His Kingdom is ONE kingdom.
I love how the Lord brought our life to intersect with so many missionaries serving in Native ministry.  Next year, we are planning to work with NAIM and Interact for the Saturday night Marketplace at the missions conference.  Our joint project?  Indian Tacos!

What did we do before texting?
I love the fact that the kids will text and I can anticipate their arrival.
Mark, Amy and Caylea were coming home from Manitoba for New Years.  They got in about 10 pm on December 30 and we had a lesser version of Christmas with more gift-opening.  Mark was happy with his two dress shirts and a 4K movie!  He said most of his other presents had been gift cards so he appreciated opening these ones!  Amy appreciated her devotional journal, Christmas socks and a Carcasonne game - to share with Mark, of course! 
We sat up and visited for a while, but everyone was pretty tired.  The next morning, we slept in and then Mark and Amy needed to make a trip to Walmart.  Then Mark helped me spice up the roast beef I was cooking in my "Instant Pot" for my traditional candlelight New Years' Eve supper. We played some games and then I finished up the preparations for Yorkshire pudding and veggies.
We ended up spending the evening at home, watching a movie.  Walter and I made it to 10:30 pm ad left the younger generation to bring in the New Year.  They watched the "Taylor Swift Concert" that was just released on Netflix.  We had nothing to prove and so went to bed!
Our plan for New Years Day was to drive the almost 2 hours to Kisbey and arrive at the Rec Centre for the "ringing of the bells" at noon.  We brought some crackers and cheese to share and about 15 of the townsfolk were there.  A smaller crowd than usual celebrated with a potluck lunch and one of the fellows walked across to the United Church to ring the church bell.  We all went outside in the cold sunshine, and posed for a picture while several brought cowbells or other bells for ringing!  It was a fun way to begin 2019.
Back at Mom and Clarence's home, the men watched the Junior hockey tournament on t.v. while us ladies played a game called 5Straight.  Quite the competitive match:  Caylea and Grandma Charlotte vs. Amy and Cindy.  Well, several rounds later, Amy and I conceded to the champs! 
Mark snooped around to watch; Grandpa Clarence took over Mom's hand at one point so we could begin supper preparations.  We had pork tenderloin, turnips and carrots and a tossed salad.  Mom made Grandma Cecile's creamy rice pudding, which involved Cindy stirring the mixture for 40 minutes to get it to the perfect thickness.  It was worth it!  We enjoyed a delicious meal and visit around the table.
Grandpa got in a storytelling mood.  He told us memories from being six years old, after his mother had died and his aunt came to care for him and his siblings.  He recalled taking a train to Winnipeg at the age of fourteen to sell cattle.  For being 98 years old, his memory is sharp as ever, and not just of days gone by.  If you ask him what he did yesterday, he will recall details of the weather, who was at the coffee shop and what they discussed.  He keep my mom on her toes!
Mark and Amy left early to meet friends back in Regina.  Caylea came home with us and we enjoyed a quiet ride back in the darkness. 
No mention of Daniel, you may notice.
Daniel travelled with his girlfriend's family to Ontario for a wedding.  Danae has relatives in the Sudbury area so Daniel experienced a two-day  marathon trip.  They travelled through the United States and both ways, the border officers gave Daniel some razzing over being the odd one out in the van!  The wedding was in the evening of December 31, with a short ceremony and a fun dance.  The 1920's theme included flapper dresses and feather boas, hats and three-piece suits!  Very classy!  Daniel mentioned the midnight lunch with meatballs and various cold cuts.  He didn't mention the salads, but Danae did!  She likes her vegetables.  We were glad when they arrived safely a couple days later as travel in January can come with weather and road risks. 
And that was our New Years celebrations.
Thanks for sharing it with me!

CHRISTMAS 2018
How can an event we look forward to for months be over in the blink of an eye?
     Christmas did begin on December 1 for us, with some early parties and events.  We had a week at home where Walter was laid up with a bad back, so I had him cornered to discuss Christmas gifts and then I went out and bought them all in virtually one shopping trip!  The rest we can thank Amazon Prime for excellent service!
     Then we had a funeral and some meetings in northern Saskatchewan, which brought us home just in time for quick preparations for hosting family on Christmas Day.  I conscripted help in the kitchen and Daniel proved to be handy at chopping, slicing, peeling and even rolling out Scuffle dough!  Caylea was busy in the garage with Walter, preparing scroll saw gifts for the exchange.  I must say, it was a simpler meal with less baking than normal, but everyone was full and satisfied!
     Christmas morning was very special as we gathered by the Christmas Tree and gas stove in our dining room.  Walter read the Christmas story in Luke Chapter 2.  Caylea even shared some special things she had learned about Jesus through reading Leviticus and Hebrews simultaneously.  Daniel led us in prayer.  We missed Mark and Amy that morning, but they were spending December 25 with the Teichrib Family this year.  (We enjoyed their company for New Years!) We opened our gifts with thanksgiving and focus on the Lord.  It was such a meaningful time.
     My mom and Clarence joined us for brunch around 11 am and opening of gifts.  We had quiche, apple kuchen, scuffles, fruit and coffee.  Yum!
     Then out came the game of Sequence.  My 98-year-old stepfather did not miss a beat as we six played several rounds of the card game.  It was really fun!
They left early afternoon, while it was still light outside.  They had turkey dinner plans at my aunt and uncle's farm and then still planned to drive another hour after that to their home in Kisbey, SK.
     The next round of family arrived but my turkey was finished early.  So we readied the table and cooked up the potatoes and vegetables for the big meal.  About 13 of us gathered in our dining room for a delicious meal.  I'm so thankful others brought items for the dinner and it wasn't too much work for us!  We ate our desserts and sipped coffee or tea before someone suggested we do our gift exchange game.  Dishes were quickly cleared away and leftovers stored, while the table was moved and chairs arranged in a semi-circle.  Good thing Walter had built our dining room addition as big as he did!
     After the exciting game of drawing numbers, stealing gifts and unwrapping unique and fun items. we cleaned up that mess and moved on to the next event.  CARDS!
     Hand and Foot is a Canasta game that was apparently invented in Saskatchewan.  We had enough players for a tournament - I can't remember who the winning team was but there was lots of laughter and complaining!  That's the main thing!
     The crowd went home about 10 pm.  Walter and I sat on the couch, sighing and feeling quite content. Boxing Day was just going to be watching movies, playing games and eating leftovers.  The main event was over.  God had been so good to us!