rustle: a next church

"We plan to go twelve blocks north with a bag full of love, some good people and a plan: to share Christ. The neighbourhood is not unlike any other. It houses despair, economic issues, family dysfunction and need. I know this for I know some that live there. Hope is our trusted steed. We wish to engage and be engaged. We will be spent in service. Our church plant team plans to be needed, growing, created, moved, neighboured and centred in Christ. We will make every effort to bring and share hope with those that we meet. We plan to invite. We plan to redeem. We plan to act like fools; crazy enough to tell more people that God loves them and they can live in the newness that He has promised. We will provide food, shelter and company. We will listen, bandage and be cared for. We will move with God. We will provide services that smell like Jesus. God willing." - Al

bless the children

This will probably always be my favourite picture of Rustle. It was taken the first time Ron and I visited the building. Al was cooking up some crazy scheme of an idea, but who can know with Al when he is "thinking out loud" and when he is serious? I've begun to suspect he's serious about this one. The ground has thawed, the rainbow remnants of some child's creativity have probably been swept away by now, but what I will always think of when I see this picture, is the hope that emerges as the sadness of past joys melts into the grace of future possibilities. Here's to Rustle, and to all those working and waiting for this brand new child of Next to be born. God bless the children. All of us.

welcome to Canada!

Introducing our friend, Vincent, who has come all the way from France to do volunteer work for the church here in Ontario! Ron and I met Vincent's family when we were on Sabbatical a few years ago, and last Saturday we went to the airport in Montreal to bring Vincent back to Kingston with us. He will work for Next (Rustle) until the end of July, then move to Ottawa to work for Ecclesiax for the month of August. Here we are on our way from Montreal to Kingston. Vincent was in remarkably high spirits, especially considering lack of sleep and lost baggage! Here we are taking a few moments to enjoy the view at the very place that we used to stop with our four very young children on our many drives between Montreal and London. A great place to stretch the legs and enjoy a magnificent view!

men will be boys

Seigniory Park. Ron's shovel actually worked. Jon's horse too.

after my own heart!

Michaela's first pony ride, and I got to be there for it! Those of you who know me well, know that riding horses is the one thing I loved to do when I was young. Michaela LOVED her first experience of riding, and she even got to ride on the very pony she had selected as her favourite during the long and patient wait in line. Ron and I went to Montreal last Friday afternoon and stayed until early Saturday afternoon visiting with Cara and Jonathan and Michaela. One of the highlights of our time there was going to Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue for a stroll on the boardwalk, and fun at the playground. Bring back memories, jcmc?

one life...

... made it

life and death

This is a nest that a robin built above the light fixture at our back (front?) door, right near the "Welcome Friends" sign that my friend Bev gave me one year for my birthday. Obviously this robin considered that its new family might find a safe and friendly welcome at Grandma and Grandpa's house. However. I don't think I'll ever find out what happened, but one day when I came out of the house, I saw that one of the eggs had fallen and shattered, and the little life inside was still moving. Not for long. The next day, another egg was down. Nevertheless. One egg remained in the nest. One life made it.

Durango

Durango, this is for you. You know who you are. We love you.

Heidi-dog the honourary

In case anyone was wondering what is meant by an "honourary" grandchild (see list at right), this is your answer. Heidi. According to her Mommies, she is Beautiful. However, I have on numerous occasions heard these very same Mommies refer to her behaviour as "monstrous". Still, she means well (usually), and she is affectionate to a fault and always excited to see her "Grandma" when she comes to Grandma and Grandpa's house - so who can resist a big heart like that? (Ron, don't answer that - it's a rhetorical question.) And if you look into her eyes, you will see that she just wants to be loved. And fed. And let out to chase the squirrels. And let in again. And let out again. And...

freshest from heaven

And now for the most recent arrival - ta-da! Jamie Ruth, just 6 and a half weeks old (in this picture, she was just 3 weeks old). Sweet and beautiful. What a delight to get to see her and hold her while she was still so brand-new. She may be far away across an ocean, but she is really very close to us, her loveliness a treasure to our hearts. Jamie, we look forward to your very first visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house. One day, though we don't yet know when, you will come here and you will meet all those cousins of yours, and won't that be fun! And maybe you can take a walk in the woods like Micah, and help Grandpa light the fire, and then settle down in Grandpa's lap for a cuddle with your favourite teddy. Maybe it will be Big Bird - "peekaboo"! Or maybe not... (but that's another story, ask Josh and Heather).

hugs and cuddles

This is a hilarious picture. And so sweet. This is Elizabeth Jean, 2 years old. She is Micah's little sister, so she also gets to come to Grandma and Grandpa's house, whenever. AND I get to babysit her just about every Tuesday, while her Mommy works. We have lots of fun. The funny thing about this picture is how Grandpa is holding Elizabeth, Elizabeth holding "Teddy" and Teddy holding "Babby"! I don't think I'd noticed Babby in the picture until just now! Elizabeth is so attached to Teddy. Once we had to rescue Teddy, who had been left behind at their church. Grandpa didn't want to go into the church to get Teddy, so I had to do it, and I must admit that even I felt a little embarrassed walking out of the church with a teddy bear in my arms!

Michaela Joy of our hearts

One of the things that the grandkids all love (well, Jamie's still just a little young yet) is helping Grandpa light the fire in the fireplace. Here is Michaela helping Grandpa (I am taking a picture from the dining room side of our two-sided fireplace). Michaela Joy (3 years old next month) lives in Montreal, so we don't get to see her nearly as much as we want to. But when Michaela comes to visit us, we get to spend days at a time with her, and we all have a wonder-filled time! On Michaela's last visit - in May - she actually wanted to explore in the lake. A wee bit brisk, to say the least! And of course someone had to go in with her. So Cara was elected. But she didn't seem to mind - especially when she found a snake, a very fun-exciting moment for us all (really).

the guys

Now for the fun part. Meet the grandkids. I love taking photos of Ron with the grandkids, so that is how I will introduce each of them to you. Our very first grandchild and only grandson - Micah Willem - 3 years old. He lives in Kingston, so he gets to come to Grandma and Grandpa's house whenever. We like that. A lot. Micah used to hate going for walks, but that all changed one day - and now he loves to go walking in the woods, and if there is a difficult route to take (over hill, over dale) he will want to take it. Here he is admiring Grandpa's strength in picking up a whole tree!

the lake

And if you turn around and look the other way, this is what you see. We live on one of two bays at the north end of our lake. There are a number of homes and cottages on the bays, but most of the lake is surrounded by a conservation area, so it is a quiet and beautiful lake. Another dream that has been fulfilled by living here, is Ron's dream to be able to come home from work on hot summer days and head right to the lake for a dip. He likes to swim right across the bay and back. Then, after supper, he enjoys going fishing and catching bass. This summer his goal is to begin catching lake trout. As for me, I love to sit by the water, listen to the loons and chickadees, and re-lax!

the house

Since this blog is called Grandma and Grandpa's House, I thought it would be fitting to have this as my very first solo effort at posting on my blog (Josh helped me with my first two posts). When Ron and I were in France on sabbatical three years ago, we dreamed of the kind of house we'd try to find when we got back to Canada. A house in the country, on a lake, where the grandkids could swim and fish and canoe and climb trees and look at the stars and find bugs under rocks in the woods and explore nature to their hearts' content. This is exactly what we found, and we hope that the grandkids will always love to come to Grandma and Grandpa's House in the woods, by the lake, under the stars.