Our New Normal?

It seems like with all that is happening in the world we are all trying to understand what are new normal looks like...  Our current normal is relaxed and trying to find the joy and simplicity in the time we have.  Initially we were told that schools would only be closed for three weeks here in Ottawa.  I am confident that we all know that is no longer the case. Now all non-essentials shops and business' are closed. The world is becoming a strange and quite place that seems to have moved us far away from the daily hustle we are all used to.  People have wildly different opinions and emotions regarding this time.  Here are a few of my thoughts.

COVID-19 Is serious, there is no question about that.  It has gotten far out of hand and we need to take it more seriously, but equally there are steps that we can do to help prevent the spread of this virus that do not involve fear mongering or intentioally panic buying. We has a family are doing our best to follow the instructions that the government and medical authorities have given us.

Is it wrong that we are enjoying it?  In saying that we are taking it seriously, I do feel bad that we are having fun through this time.  We are having to learn the new normal for our family (or at least those of us that are together).  Our house currently consists of myself (Eileen), Nathan (17yrs), Zachariah (8yrs) and Jeremiah (6yrs).  Aaron is in Ottawa but still in quarantine from his travels until April 6th (he is healthy and showing no symptoms, we are simply following the rules laid out in the situation). Caleb is still at university in Cantebury, UK. Eden is still with the OM team in Belgium. This new normal still has to allow for chores, my work, Nathans work and various unmovable parts of our schedule but it also allows for long (socially distances) walks and bike rides each afternoon. Lazy evenings of reading by the fire instead of rushing to get things prepared for the next day.  I am not sure why but there is a definite mental shift.  I work from home so the idea of being home all day is not new to me but this situation has shifted how I view being at home.  I will work each morning but I have cut my work day down to about 3-4 hours each day, also some of the events I have been working on are currently on hold so this easily allows for this change. It seems to be a mental change by not only myself but also those around me, on social media, radio news and phone calls.... we seem to no longer have the expectation on each other to just fit one more thing in.... we seem to now understand that are bodies and minds need time to rest and enjoy those we have close to us.   so... that is what we are doing... a little learning, resting, having fun and enjoying this new normal.   Don't misunderstand me, we are only on week two... I am fully aware that in a few weeks I may be willing to lock my family out of the house but for now... we are safe, happy and enjoying each other. 

We had big news....

We had planned to send this update out and let you know our plans...  We are moving back to the UK. I now use this as past tense that we 'had' big news as with all that is happening it the world, this doesn't seem as big any more.

Our plan is to have our shipping container be packed up and leave Ottawa at the end of June and then our family will follow it the first week of July.  We had also planned to spend May visiting family, friends and churches in the US.

We have no idea if any of this will still happen anywhere near the scheduled time.  We are starting to assume that the plan for May will not happen which will mean we will have to find another time.

At this point we are still moving forward assuming that we will be able to make our move in July, we don't know if that is still realistic but we do feel that we need to move forward until it is clear that we are delayed.

We came to Canada with the intention of being here for 2-3 years but with a willingness to stay longer if that was what God has for us.  We have taken time to pray about the options we have as well as seeking council as we made this decision but the more we talked and prayed about it the more evident it was to us that we still have a heart for the ministry in London and going back is what the Lord has for us.   We have greatly valued our time here in Ottawa, it has not been easy but we have loved it but like all good things... it must come to an end.

Please continue to pray for our family through this process over the coming months. 

Homeschooling?

Thank you to all those who have reached out to ask how our home schooling is going. I am fairly sure most of you have asked out of morbid curiosity! But let me fill you in anyways.... we are NOT homeschooling. Homeschooling is a decisions parents take when they feel that it is best for their family. We have evaluated the idea on many occasions but continue to feel it is not the right decision for our family. We ARE isolation schooling, it’s very different..... it looks like lazy mornings, board games, card games, baking, exercise, worksheets, reading, late nights and various electronics. We get outside while we still can on walks and bike rides. 

My kids don’t need a teacher right now, they need security, reassurance, fun, silliness, and a reminder that while the world is chaotic and so much is out of our control we can still control our actions and how we respond to the situation and each other and that Gods promises have not changed even in a pandemic. 

They daily ask concerning questions about the loved ones that are not with us but they are learning this new normal and so far... isolation schooling is much more fun than homeschooling and at this stage even I am not ready to rush them back to school.

Proof that we do some learning...

 

I am telling myself that I am teaching them strategy... not just having fun.

and Nathan is always willing to help them get rid of some of their energy!

I am even managing to find the time to do some of the things I enjoy. 

Well, it is fall already... time keeps sneaking past us faster than we can keep up with it. The kids are back in school and loving it! Aaron and I feel like we are still running to try and catch up but thankfully.... the schedule is slowing down.

Transform 2019 - UNLEASHED In July, Eden and I (Eileen) headed to Athens, Greece to work with the Transform Team for the 2019 conference.  160 people gathered from 30 nations to worship, learn, teach and prepare to go out and share the gospel in many creative and practical ways in Greece, Athens, Albania, Turkey and Romania. If you are interested in reading more about the event you may enjoy the Conference Report or the Outreach Report. We had a great time this year, as always it was great to see how God touched so many of the staff, volunteers and participants. The above picture is one of my favourites from the conference and two dear friends I (Eileen) never see enough of, the middle is Tony (affectionately referred to as Uncle Tony) his wisdom, grace and compassion is always both an encouragement and challenge.  the Far left is Nontsikilelo a woman who searches daily for the heart of God in every situation an amazing example to all who meet her.

The summer was busy... but we managed to find time to have some fun along the way!

International GO Conference - August 2019 This year we again went to the Netherlands as a family (well, most of the family) to help with the GO Conference. For two weeks those going out for 1 year or more are given training for some of the many things that they can expect and some of the various issues they will face.  Two weeks is never enough time to even begin the process but the connections and relationships they make during this time will hopefully help them through those even harder times. We (Aaron & Eileen) both work on the operations team, this is dealing with the practical issues around the conference.  The teenagers both helped as volunteers (Eden running the Kids program for those aged 0-5yrs, Nathan worked with the A-Team). Zachariah & Jeremiah both enjoyed participating in the kids program (it's like two weeks of full day VBS, they love it).

Eden - Africa Trek At the end of August Eden jumped on a plane to South Africa, she is participating in the Africa Trek.  It is a three month intensive discipleship program.  During her three months she will visit various African countries, working on many practical projects, share the gospel and grow in ways we can only imagine. Please pray for Edens time in Africa and if you would like to hear more about what she is doing let us know and we will add you to her updates. She will get home at the beginning of December and anticipated going to work with the OM Belgium team in January.

Friends for Dinner - Thanksgiving 2019 October 14th was Canadian Thanksgiving.  Friends for Dinner worked on matching 179 international students with Christian hosts to enjoy a meal as they look at the traditions and beliefs behind the custom. Each student who participates is given a small gift bag containing various items, including Bibles in their own language and information to digital links to learn more about the Gospel. We are now looking at preparing for Christmas 2019!

Oasis International Fellowship During the summer we had the privilege of spending a few days in London which allowed us to attend Oasis.  We are always encouraged to see how it is growing and the people that God is bringing into the church. So many of the church members risk so much to learn more about Gods love for them and their desire to share it with others and bring kingdom living into their everyday lives is encouraging. We have missed being part of this ministry and look forward to being involved again next year.

Update on Zachariah!

Thank you all so much for your prayers for Zachariah.  We were honestly touched by hearing from so many of the care and concern for him and our family.  As you can imagine, we weren't prepared for how those weeks unfolded. From the initial start of the illness we were always told "oh he will be able to go on as normal".  It became very clear that he was NOT able to go on as normal. 

We were thankful to be in the very fortunate position of having a specialized children's hospital very close to our home.

All that to say that after a few hospital stays and way too many Dr's visits we are now at the point where we will only see one specialist every 3 months (for his Kidneys) and the other every 6 months (for his liver).

We have also been assured that for the kidneys there will be no longer term affects due to this illness.

As for the liver we need to continue to pray that there are no changes in the growth they found.  The Dr we spoke with believes it is an internal vascular birthmark and nothing to worry about.  Over the next year or so as they measure and test the growth we will know if he is correct or not.

The interesting thing about HSP is that it can continue to reoccur until the child is about 12.  It doesn't always, they just know that in some cases it does.

So, although we are very thankful that Zachariah is MUCH better we do ask you to continue to pray for him.

How to specifically pray:

Kidneys:  That the appointments continue to go well and his kidneys heal completely.

Liver: That the growth found is just an internal vascular birth mark that neither grows or is something we need to be worried about.

HSP:  We are praying that the HSP infection continues to be under control and that we will NOT be dealing with reoccurrence of this as time goes on. 

Please pray for Zachariah

February has been a hard month for Zachariah.  On the 7th, after being home from school sick for a few days he went to CHEO (the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario).  The Dr's gave us a diagnosis of Henoch Scholenien Purpura which is a blood infection that also causes pain in the joints.  This gave us a clear understanding to why he was so unwell and why he was unable to walk comfortably.  He went home and we waited for him to slowly get better.  Unfortunately the Dr's did tell us this could go on for a while before he feels better (some cases lasting 4-6 weeks)

By the following week Zachariah had not been able to eat or drink anything, had a consistently high fever and a lot of abdominal pain. So... back to CHEO we went. On this visit it seemed the Zachariah is suffering from some of the more severe side effects of this diagnosis.  They are all known but not as common so we hadn't really been prepared for them.  After three days in the hospital Zachariah looked much better thanks to the IV and nausea medication.  The Dr's told us what to watch for and when to come back in. 

Zachariah started this week well with attempting to go to school on Tuesday, that only lasted 2 hours and he was back at home with stomach pains.  Although he had stomach pain we didn't rush him back to the hospital but thought maybe he needed a few days to regain his strength.  So a couple of more days home from school and Thursday morning found us back at CHEO for another 2 day hospital stay.  This time more meds, another ultrasound, an IV and steroids and we are good to go...  

all that to say we are now home again and Zachariah looks like he is feeling better this morning.  We have three weeks worth of medication to give him and a long list of instructions of when to bring him back to the hospital. 

In saying all of that this is what we would like you to pray for: 
ULTRASOUND RESULTS:  Swollen kidneys, growth on his liver and the intestines are telescoping into themselves (this is the one that cause his pain). 
MEDICATION: He is now on a strong does of steroids for the next three weeks to help the swelling and telescoping, pray for no side effects from the medication.  He is also taking a second medication to protect his stomach from the steroids
ENERGY:  Zachariah is very run down from this illness, he needs to build up his energy and his reserves (having lost 3kg's in two weeks he needs to gain that back). 
WISDOM: please pray that we have wisdom on when to go back to the hospital or not. It is easy to both downplay symptoms because you already have a diagnosis and also to overreact to the smallest amount of pain. 
ONGOING TREATMENTS:  We now have appointment for the near future with both the Kidney and Liver specialist, please pray that when they come around his little body has healed enough that we don't have further issues from this. 

Hoping you have all had a wonderful Christmas and a great new year!!

Virginia!

The first stop for us after leaving Ottawa was to visit some good friends in VA.

Our first stop was with friends who we knew when living in London, UK.  They had also been there for a while and our families had quickly become close.  The kids loved reconnecting and for us (Aaron & I) having time with them was good for our souls, refreshing and relaxing. 

We took a trip to "Texas Beach" which is not in Texas and not a beach, its along a river and a wonderful place!! We had so much fun, a perfect place for a family with lots of age range. 

Texas Beach

Summer 2018 Itinerary

Family Driving Fun!!

This summer is gonna be busy.

As a family we are spending July in the USA and August in Europe.

Below is our planned itinerary.  Let us know if you are around when we are in your area.

Zachariah Skiing!

Zachariah Skiing!!
Zachariah loves skiing.  Over the winter he has learned to Ski, Eden and Nathan have learned to snowboard.  It has been a great way to get out and enjoy the winter. 

Jeremiah at Pre-School

Jeremiah at Pre-School
Jeremiah loves his school.  It is a highlight of his week.  Although he regularly reminds us that next year he will be able to take the school bus to "BIG SCHOOL" with Zachariah.

Grandma Jones

Grandma Jones

This picture was taken about a month ago of my wonderful grandma.  Two weeks ago she suffered a stroke, it was a big one and after almost a week in the hospital she was moved to a local hospice for her last days.  As you can imagine the last two weeks have been emotionally taxing.  I (Eileen) spent every moment I could with her at the hospital then the hospice.

Now is the time to look back as we prepare for her funeral this week.  My grandmother was an amazing women, she is part of the generation that has seen so many changes within their world that no other generation to come will ever see as much change (cars, TV's, phones and such).  The one thing I think most about this fact is that Grandma was not as changing as her world.  Many things in her life were wonderful and many difficult as we all have.. but Grandma was unchanging.  The world around her fluctuated, people came and went, circumstances change but not Grandma.  She was (and will continue to be in my mind) a solid rock who's main desire was to love and take care of her family.  Nothing was as important or valueable to her than the time she spent with her many family members.

I was blessed with having her nearby in my childhood and a constant part of my life.  I am a better person for it and am thankful my children have gotten to know and love her.

Grandmas wake will be on Tuesday and the funeral on Wednesday.  Please pray for our family through these days. 

Jeremiah wants to work with Grandpa!!

Working with Grandpa!!

We joke often that Jeremiah is very similar to my (Eileen) father.  They have a lot of characteristics that are similar, what they find funny.... how they watch tv... 

Yesterday Jeremiah turned 4.  Today he decided he was old enough and asked me to take him to work with grandpa.  Thankfully, grandpa is a good sport and we headed over.   This is the scene we arrived to, Jer was so excited!!!  He loves the digger!!! 

This photo below is when Grandpa and Jer were working together!!  Its not a great pic but if you look  carefully, you can see Jeremiah in the cab.  

Valentines 2018!!

Valentines Day 2018

Zachariah loves going to school and enjoys spending time with all of his friends.  Valentines day is always an opportunity to share how much he enjoys them.  This year he came up with the idea for his class gift and announced to us what we would be making.  

It is hard to see in the picture but those cute little Dino's are actually crayons made by chopping up and melting down old crayons! 

As you can imagine, they were a hit!

I can't wait to see what he comes up with next year! 

Eden is driving!!!

Well, I guess it had to happen eventually.  Eden is our first child to be on the road!!  Ottawa has less public transport than London did so Eden is pretty excited to be working towards her license.  She asks to drive at every opportunity!!  She is learning well and doing a good job.  She is looking forward to getting her full license and it will be nice for us to have another taxi driver in the house!!

Friends 4 Dinner

During the Christmas season we had the privilege of hosting some Moroccan students for a Christmas meal.  It was a fun event for all of us.  We are already looking forward to the next time we can have them over!!

Building a house in Kindergarten!

Zachariah building a Gingerbread house!

Perspective is a wonderful thing, although often lacking in the stories told by the little ones.  Zachariah came home from school very excited about us coming into his classroom to help him build a house.... a house we asked, that seems like a pretty big project for one morning in Kindergarten.    We were informed with great assurance that this would be enough time as the house is only for one person so not as big as a normal family home.

It didn't take a lot of guessing for us to be pretty sure we were coming in to make Gingerbread houses.  With great excitement on the day we showed up ready to build our house!  I looked at the supplies we were given and asked Zachariah who exactly he was planning to have live in this house? The classroom Elf he said with surprise that I wouldn't know such an obvious answer.   When my facial expression still didn't look to be that of one with all the knowledge he proceeded to explain to me that the Elf in the classroom looked like a toy but in reality was a real elf that played in the classroom when all the children went home!!  it looks like THE ELF ON THE SHELF really lives in Ottawa!!

Unfortunately, the elf is still looking for a new home.  We may have eaten the one we made for him!!

Ottawa fun... a taste of normal!

The move to Ottawa has been interesting as I am sure anyone who has moved countries would admit is normal.  The move is the easy part, the transition is somewhat harder and takes a longer time.  We have now been here for three months and are honestly feeling settled (or at least appropriately settled for the amount of time we have been here).  There are so many things we miss about our friends, family and home in the UK.  Life runs differently here and we have to relearn what that looks like.  We are so thankful for the bursts of NORMAL that go beyond our expectations.  Last Sunday Eden and I (Eileen) went downtown to stroll, have lunch and just relax with two friends and their daughters who are both Edens age.  A simple gesture of friendship from them that spoke Life for us.  The idea that slowly normal was returning... 

The First Snow

Zachariah & Jeremiah with their snowman.

The first snow came this weekend and the kids were pretty excited. 

Waking up on a Sunday morning to a blanket of white is idealistic for your first winter.  

We will have a lot of snow this summer and the kids will enjoy it but we are sure as the winter goes on there will be more snow than even children can be excited for so today....  we are enjoying it!!

Ottawa!!!

We've done it!!!  

We are now moved!  It takes a while to feel settled and there are lots of new things to get used to and learn how things work.  At this point we can say that we are doing well and settling in.  We are no where near settled, but that is something only time can do. 

The kids are enjoying their schools, at least as much as kids can enjoy School. 

Thankful!

Thanksgiving day pumpkin pie in Canada!
(made by Eden)

 These last few months have been busy, maybe hectic would be the better term.  Not the type of hectic we normally talk about but instead the hectic that has your emotions up and down so fast you find yourself asking “hmmm... that was an interesting reaction”.  The process of moving had been simple in some ways, difficult in others, traumatic even at times but through it all there has been times of fun, relaxing and even enjoyment.