Summer!

Wow! It has been awhile since I’ve updated. I have been soo busy recently that I hardly had time to do my online work. A couple days ago ‘Suvose’ itself came and bestowed guilt upon me, leaving me with no choice. So I decided I will write about the summer.
I will start with the wedding in July. One of our girls got married to Huxley, Alberta, around Red Deer. I have to say it was a beautiful wedding, I was soo happy to have been given the chance to see one of my friends start a lifelong dream!
After the wedding something terrible happened to me. I did not know what was happening to me, I wasn’t really here for 5 full weeks. Maybe it might have been a blessing, because soo many people have told me that what happened has changed their life for the better. I definitely know it changed mine. I have God to thank for everything.
Then there is all the garden work. We have been soo busy. Canning is a number one priority in the summer. We also have two markets a week, and each market is soo immensely big that it takes us two days to prepare one! We work from 8am until 6pm preparing everything. Personally I think its such a pleasure working with all the ladies and girls, I must say I never took a single day for granted.
During the time we worked in the garden we also made lots of sausage, baked bread, buns, hamburger buns, hotdog buns, and many different kinds of pies to sell. These doings have bestowed much joy and delight upon me, while working. That’s the best thing about living in a colony, the togetherness with everyone.
After supper we also found time to reward ourselves with the diversion of hitting the pool in town. We got to go there about three times a week. All our little girls were satisfied that they had the advantage of learning top swim on those days. I must say their dives were getting pretty amazing too!
This week I was cooking with Glenda and my Aunt Mary Ann. It was a great week, we had soo many great laughs.
The guys are also combining, we have been richly blessed with a beautifull harvest this year. Again I say, I can’t thank our good Lord enough!
Next week we are butchering turkeys, oh and I’m gonna go see my massage therapist, yup I need it!

A Very Boring Day!

Have you ever been bored? Soo bored you would practically do anything to kill time?
Outside the sun is scorching every bit of unshaded surface, but yet the kids are having fun building little villages and towns in their sandboxes. I long to join them as I imagine what all the places they’ve built could be. Is that a department store, where a mother is walking out tired from the heat, and sighing as she tugs her three year old along who wanted that candy push pop, but was hyper enough?
The children laugh and giggle with glee under their fancy sun hats as they haul water to dump into their little lake they’ve build. I look on with envy as I realize the quietness of my house, where only the air conditioner let’s itself be known how hard it’s working to keep everything cool. Hmmmph.
I silently give my ear a cold word for having to get infected at such an inconvenient time. As if it’s the ears fault huh. I watch as the yellow finches eat from my little bird feeder, only pausing occationally to look about and sing a song of thankfulness. “Your most welcome!” I reply back, and smile.
My laptop is laying on the floor reminding me I have yet to beat Richard and Glenda in Bouncing Balls on Facebook. Ha! I think, whoever’s idea of playing that game all day must be joking. I’ve also made myself a dress today, one which I really wasn’t in need of, but anything to keep myself busy.
I wish I could be at the Dairy, helping my mum separate milk, and make cottage cheese. Suddenly a bunch of little angels come running through our front door asking for slush to beat the heat. I smile and tell them they have made my day, as I fill up their small cups with the ice flavoured beverage. They hug me, and joyously chorus a song of thanks as they flutter through the door again, just like those little birdies. Kids are awesome! I wish sometimes we adults would have the minds of children, see the perspective in their way. Won’t that be wonderful?
Well, I think, enough of the self pity, and outside to visit the flowers!  It’s been a whole day since I’ve seen my lilies and 1 inch Dahilas peek out of the ground. Well the lilies are more like 12inches. I want to check out my Glads too. I can hardly wait to see my whole flower garden in full bloom, it’s gonna be soo awesome!
So as you can see anyone who takes their dear sweet time to write such a blog must be realllly bored! Haha! Oh well, if anyone takes their time to actually read it, I guess it shows it wasn't really a waste of time! :)
Have a wonderful gut(good) day! 

An Angel.

Yesterday I was at a funeral. It was the funeral of a child.
Victoria was 2 years old when she passed away, she suffered from a breathing condition which I am unable to remember. I recall this small child as always being cheerful, and giving away the cutest smiles. The last few weeks she was in and out of the hospital with pneumonia and infection on her lungs, as these children are easily apt to catch any of these illnesses. Last Thursday, April 22nd, Victoria was taken to Saskatoon with the Air Ambulance, a couple days later she died peacefully with her parents looking on tenderly.
I did not make it to both the wakes, but the day of the funeral, April 26th, I had to go to. As I entered the house where the little girl was, I saw it was filled with many people who were singing to honour the child in God’s name.
I immediately walked over to Victoria’s parents and gave them both a long hug and told them that the little girl was an angel now. I told them I had no way of knowing how they felt, but I did know that a part of them was in heaven now, and that they should feel blessed by God. Jesus was taking care of their little girl now, and she was not suffering anymore. They should feel happy that God chose them to be the parents of Victoria this little while. They will surely be rewarded in heaven for taking care of this tender being so deligently and patiently.
As I proceeded to look at Victoria I saw how perfect and beautiful she was. She was like a porceline doll, every part of her was soo angelic. It was the prettiest sight I has ever seen. I thought to myself, that if one doesn’t believe in angels one look at this picture will definitely change their minds.
I touched her hands and expected that kind of rubbery feeling that a dead person’s skin has. But they were soo soft and felt realistic. If a person did not know any better they would think Victoria was only sleeping. I felt tears tease my eyes as they were about to spill while I admired this undescribable view.
This, I thought is a perfect Angel!

Branding

Branding...
Its always such a big event at our place. Everyone is there to help out or just watch to see what's going on.
This morning when they said it was Branding day, I decided I wasn't gonna join this year. After dinner though, I could not hold myself back, I had to go down there. Jordan, my older brother came home to get me, and a few minutes later there I was!
All the kids were there, a few girls, a couple moms, and of course all the guys. Instantly three cameras were dropped into my hands and I was told to photograph every little detain (nothing new, since I do it every year).
After awhile of some closeups of this and that, I decided I was going to brand too. I went over to my Uncle David and said, "I wanna help!" He gave me a hot iron with 'P' on it, and I did a couple calves. I figured that part wasn't as cruel as taking away the prarie oysters :P
There are various jobs at branding. Injecting the cows and calves with whatever, tagging, taking away the horns....
Year after year the guys always wrestle, there are usually no ropes involved. Two guys would just sneak up behind a calf, grab it, and hold it down until it was time to let go again.
This year however they roped the calves, t was much easier and not as tiring as usual. A bunch of english neighbors came to help us out. They do it every year, it almost seems like tradition :)
After awhile of branding I realized I had burned a hole into my dress, it was a new one by the way. It was then I needed another job, well I didn`t need it I wanted it. So I grabbed a tagger and started tagging.
I couldn`t help but notice as my sister bypassed me a couple times with the royal delicasy that everyone was so crazy about. Yes, I`m talking about the prarie oysters. I`ve eaten a few too in my lifetime, and as much as I don`t want to admit it, they acually taste good :P
Branding is a very fun and tiring day, so after supper everyone gathers at the ranch for a feast of steaks, hamburgers, salads, the royal delicasy and stuff. I didn`t go however because I realized I had been away from my auntie too long whom I was supposed to be taking care of, since she just had a knee opertion :P
So despite the hole in my dress my very muddy keen shoes (from chasing calves and flooring the gator through mudding lakes) it was one of the best brandings ever!

Why is the Ressurection of Jesus Christ Important?

The resurrection of Jesus is important for several reasons. First, it witnesses to the immense power of God Himself. To believe in the resurrection is to believe in God. If God exists, and if He created the universe and has power over it, He has power to raise the dead. If He does not have such power, He is not a God worthy of our faith and worship. Only He who created life can resurrect it after death, only He can reverse the hideousness that is death itself, and only He can remove the sting that is death and the victory that is the grave’s (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death.

Second, the resurrection of Jesus is a testimony to the resurrection of human beings, which is a basic tenet of the Christian faith. Unlike all other religions, Christianity alone possesses a founder who transcends death and who promises that His followers will do the same. All other religions were founded by men and prophets whose end was the grave. As Christians, we take comfort in the fact that our God became man, died for our sins, and was resurrected the third day. The grave could not hold Him. He lives, and He sits today at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul explains in detail the importance of the resurrection of Christ. Some in Corinth did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and in this chapter Paul gives six disastrous consequences if there were no resurrection: 1) preaching Christ would be senseless (v. 14); 2) faith in Christ would be useless (v. 14); 3) all the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars (v. 15); 4) no one would be redeemed from sin (v. 17); 5) all former believers would have perished (v.18); and 6) Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth (v. 19). But Christ indeed has risen from the dead and “has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 20), assuring that we will follow Him in resurrection.

The inspired Word of God guarantees the believer's resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ for His Body (the Church) at the Rapture. Such hope and assurance results in a great song of triumph as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

How do these concluding verses relate to the importance of the resurrection? Paul answers, “...you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (v. 58). He reminds us that because we know we will be resurrected to new life, we can suffer persecution and danger for Christ’s sake (vv. 29-31), just as He did. We can follow the example of the thousands of martyrs through history who gladly traded their earthly lives for everlasting life via the resurrection.

The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scripture. And, He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who remain and are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important to salvation? It demonstrated that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It proves that God has the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees that those who believe in Christ will not remain dead, but will be resurrected unto eternal life. That is our blessed hope!

Happy Easter! :)

Christus der Herr in Garten Ging!

Christus der Herr in garten ging
Sein bitteres leiden dar amphing
Das Ihn Sen houpt von blut shweis nas
Da trouet laub und grienes gras

Da kamen dir falshen Juden gegangen
Sie thaten den Herren in garten fangen
Sie thaten ihn geiseln und auch kronen
Sein Heiliges Houpt auch sehr versonen

Sie fuhrten ihn ins richter house
Mit sharfen streichen wieder herous
Sie hingen ihn an einer kreuz
Maria beweinte dieses leid

Das macht der falshen Juden zorn
Sie shlugen Jesus mit sharfen dorn
Sie shlugen Ihn in einer stund
Mehr als den gar funf tiefe wund

Maria kam under das kreuz gegangen
Sie sach ihr liebes Kind dort hangen
An einer kreuz war ihr nicht lieb
Maria war ihr herz betriebt

Da kam ein blinder Jud gegangen
Der trug ein spies an seiner stangen
Kam mit der selber voller louf
Stach Jesus Seine seita auf

Ein Schwert durch Maria's Seele ging
Sie sprach O weh mein Liebes Kind
O weh mein's herzen's trost allda
Mein Kind mus ich verlassen gar

Johannes du liebster junger mein
Las dir meine mutter befohlen sein
Nin sie und fuhr sie weit davon
Das sie nicht shau meine marter an

Ach Herr das will ich gerne thun
Ich will sie fuhren weit davon
Ich will sie trosten also wohl
Wie ein kind seine mutter trosten soll

Nun buck dich boum und buck dich ast
Mein kind hat weder ruh noch rast
Nun buck dich laub und grunes gras
Last euch zu herzen gehen das

Die hohen boum die bogen sich
Die starken felsen zerrissen sich
Die sonn verlor auch ihren shein
Die vogel verliesen ihr rufen und shreien

Nun merket auf ihr frau und man
Wer dieses liedlein singen kan
Der sings des tages nur ein mal
Sein seel wird kommen ins Himmelsaal!

Why did Jesus curse the fig tree?

I love Sundays, somehow I have no problem getting up on these mornings. Maybe it's because it's a holy day.
I get out of bed, draw the blinds and smile as the sun greets me. This morning I can't wait to get outside. The day is soo beautiful, and it smells soo beautiful, like spring, or even better it smells like God!
My aunts are cooking this week, so I make an effort to go to the kitchen and help them. As I walk to the kitchen, I notice the grass is already going green, and tulips are blooming.
Today I have great intentions of going to church, I smile within myself as this thought paints my mind.
In the kitchen my aunt tells me I have to stay home from church and help them prepare for dinner, of course I say yes.
During church I listen on the speaker phone as the senior minister reads from [Marc 11:1-11] it's about how Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, soo humble.
As he reads further the part about Jesus cursing the fig tree captures my mind. So why did He curse it, even if he knew it was not the season for figs?
First, in looking at the general chronological setting of the passage, we see that it happened during the week before His crucifixion. Jesus had entered Jerusalem a day earlier amidst the praise and worship of the Jewish people who were looking to Him as the King/Messiah who was going to deliver them from Roman occupation (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11). Now, the next day, Jesus is again on His way to Jerusalem from where He was staying in Bethany. On His way, both Matthew and Mark record that He was hungry and saw a fig tree in the distance that had leaves on it (Mark 11:13). Upon coming to the tree expecting to find something to eat Jesus instead discovered that the fig tree had no fruit on it and cursed the tree saying, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” (Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:14). Matthew records the cursing and the withering of the fig tree all in one account and includes it after the account of Jesus cleansing the Temple of the moneychangers. Mark explains that it actually took place over two days with Jesus cursing the fig tree the first day on the way to cleanse the Temple, and the disciples seeing the tree withered on the second day when they were again going to Jerusalem from Bethany (Mark 11:12-14 and Mark 11:19-20). Of course upon seeing the tree “withered from the roots up,” the disciples were amazed as that would have normally taken several weeks.

Having reviewed the general chronological setting of the story, we can begin to answer some of many questions that are often asked of it. First of all is the question: Why did Jesus curse the fig tree if it was not the right season for figs? The answer to this question can be determined by studying the characteristics of fig trees. By doing that we learn that the fruit of the fig tree generally appears before the leaves and because the fruit is green it sort of blends in with the leaves right up until it is almost ripe. Therefore, when Jesus and His disciples saw from a distance that the tree had leaves, they would have expected it to also have fruit on it even though it was earlier in the season than what would be normal for a fig tree to be bearing fruit. Also, from studying about the way fig trees grow in Israel we learn that each tree would often produce two to three crops of figs each season. There would be an early crop in the spring followed by one or two later crops. In some parts of the area, depending on climate and conditions, it was also possible that a tree might produce fruit ten out of twelve months. This also explains why Jesus and His disciples would be looking for fruit on the fig tree even if it was not in the main growing season. The fact that the tree already had leaves on it even though it was at a higher elevation around Jerusalem, and therefore would have been outside of the normal season for figs, would have seemed to be a good indication that there would also be fruit on it.

As to what the significance of this passage is and what it means, the answer to that is again found in the chronological setting and in understanding how a fig tree is often used symbolically to represent Israel in the Scriptures. First of all, chronologically, Jesus had just arrived at Jerusalem amidst great fanfare and great expectations, but then proceeds to cleanse the Temple and curse the barren fig tree. Both had important significance as to the spiritual condition of Israel. With His cleansing of the Temple and His criticism of the worship that was going on there (Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17), Jesus was effectively denouncing Israel’s worship of God. With the cursing of the fig tree He was symbolically denouncing Israel as a nation and in a sense even denouncing unfruitful “Christians.” (That is people who profess to be Christian but have no evidence of a relationship with Christ).

The presence of a fruitful fig tree was considered to be a symbol of blessing and prosperity for the nation of Israel. Likewise, the absence or death of a fig tree would symbolize judgment and rejection. Symbolically, the fig tree represented the spiritual deadness of Israel, who while very religious outwardly with all the sacrifices and ceremonies, were spiritually barren because of their sins. By cleansing the Temple and cursing the fig tree, causing it to whither and die, Jesus was pronouncing His coming judgment of Israel and demonstrating His power to carry it out. It also teaches the principle that religious profession and observance is not enough to guarantee salvation, unless there is the fruit of genuine salvation evidence in the life of the person. James would later echo this truth when he wrote that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). The lesson of the fig tree is that we should bear spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), not just give an appearance of religiosity. God judges fruitlessness, and expects that those who have a relationship with Him will “bear much fruit” (John 15:5-8).
This was my satzel in Sunday school today! :)