Mexico December 2010

In pure self indulgence Ron and I took a vacation for 2 weeks to Mexico. Puerto Vallarta and surrounding area were delightful and the 2 weeks flew by!  The photos say it all!

Beautiful Beaches:

 Gorgeous sunsets:

 Delights for the eye:

 Wonderful food:

 Sweet kids:

 Beautiful sculptures:

 Traditional celebrations:

 Parents proud of their children:

 Iguanas!

What a privilege!  We are grateful. 

Inputs and choices

Pondering the multitude of options for this day I am impacted by:

• the gift of having options
• the need for wisdom to choose 
• the blessing of relationships
• the people I miss who influence my life and decisions even in their absence

I  (Lauris) am thankful for:

• Ron
• waking up to live another day
• the smallness of my problems  and the greatness of the needs in the majority world
• today's numerous opportunities to be kind and generous
• light, water, warmth, a hot shower (OK and a  good cup of hot tea!) 
• laughter 

I celebrate:

• God's gifts of His word, His Son, forgiveness, hope, a  future, security in Christ Jesus
• the opportunities to serve with the life and experiences we have been given!
• family and friends

As we enter into advent, we wish you all joy and peace in the knowledge and presence of Christ Jesus! 

He came with a purpose! from the manger to the cross to His resurrection ... He was and is and is to come!  

Christmas is not about a bunch of stuff!!  Worship Hm and celebrate your relationships!   

I am learning - slowly! I have  along way to go! 

Photos of Haiti CRWRC

CRWRC has put in 19 deep wells in Leogane communities

a beautiful woman - Mme George

Cement for families to use for the house foundation and anchors.

She was delighted to have a floor.

home under construction

44 latrines,

a grateful woman. 

Sugar cane cart for transporting housing components to the villages, 

Photos of Alaska

Ron enjoying an early May view - stunning

photos of Kenya

Turkana sunrise

                                                        

Beautiful people

                                                        

Ron takes a nap

She was very pleased to have this photo taken together.

A camp for displaced people. tough conditions.

road side scene - termite hotel and camel.

after a rain.

on lookers at a  food distribution,

sharing the maize

Times flies when you're .......

• enjoying many wonderful guests and family, 
• travelling to Alaska, 
• serving in Haiti for 4 months, 
• visiting in Ontario, 
• reconnecting at home, 
• preparing for a vacation and 
• looking forward to going to Malawi in 2011 with CRWRC

That is a lot of 'water under the bridge' since we last blogged  to the point where I had forgotten how to log in!

All along the way there are lessons to learn, opportunities to bless and be blessed, wonders of God and amazing people.

The more we learn and experience, the more we realize how much we do not know! The struggles along the way are just as important as the 'wow' moments! Maybe even more. We look forward to what lies  ahead in the confidence that God is with us.

Our hearts are aching for the people of Haiti as they suffer with the aftermath of the earthquake, the hurricane and the cholera outbreak. In the midst of all this an election campaign is underway.
The press does not tell many important stories about Haiti - for example Haitians cannot cross the border into the Dominican Republic just now which shuts down the livelihoods of those who purchased goods for market in the DR.
On the plus side CRWRC is hard at work - if you want to learn more check out

http://www.crcna.org/pages/crwrc_reliefresources.cfm for newsletters  and videos from our time in Haiti 

http://www.crwrc.org/pages/crwrc.cfm for their wonderful work globally.

So - that's it for now - perhaps some photos will follow! Perhaps!

Advent is upon us and we are listening to some Chris Tomlin music on you tube. It was not so long ago that I did not know what you tube was! (thanks Caleb).

Christmas - it is so NOT about stuff!

Bless you all

goats for gold

http://www.goatforgold.com/

Check it out ...  and hey there USA - how about trying to out give  Canadians in goats !!