Hugs of Love

Ever since living with my parents when we arrived here in Toronto, we've been blessed. However, it's been very interesting, amusing, and even trying for us also in many ways. This is mostly due to my mother having Alzheimers. She has been forgetting many things including us, facts, and what she's saying. Sometimes she'll express the same concern over and over such as tripping over the cable that the computer is hooked up to, or one of the kids not in bed yet. But, what stands out the most to us who sometimes sleep later than she does, is how frequently she comes out of her bedroom to say "goodnight". She'll kiss and hug, say "goodnight", then go back to her room. A little while later, she'll do the same thing again. This sometimes goes on anywhere from 6 to 12 times at night. I, Linda, regretfully admit that by the second week of our stay, I was beginning to get tired of the repetitiveness and interruptions of the nightly routine. Thankfully, the Lord made me remember that my mother wasn't really affectionate to me when I was growing up. She became a lot more expressive when she got older but we then went to the mission field and have been there for close to 11 years. That meant I've missed out on being able to give, nor receive love from her in an intimate way (kissing and hugging). Now that she's saying "goodnight" many times each night, I get to receive in an intimate way each time, whatever affection she wants to give me. I realise that we were unknowingly making up for all the lost times that we couldn't hug because of distance and other reasons. Each hug and kiss she gives me each night (be it the 6th or the 8th) is filled with the same sincerity, warmth, and love as the first one. I am grateful to receive massive doses of her affection each night in lieu of all those times she couldn't give them. Thank you, Lord!

Random Act of Kindness

As we joined the line-up to buy tickets to get in the museum today, we (our 4 sons Evan, Eric, Eli, and Ethan, and their two cousins JJ and Jaime) were all quite surprised when an Asian man handed Eli a bunch of tickets and told him to use it today. While we crowded around to examine what they were, the man nodded to me, Linda, and gave a quick wave before he exited the building.

Upon closer inspection, we saw that they were entrance tickets for the museum. There were two for kids (perfect for Ethan and Jaime), two for Youth (Eric and Eli used them), four Adult tickets (for Eng, myself, Evan, and JJ), and a Student ticket. How on earth did that man pick us to give the tickets to? How did he know how many we needed? How could the timing have been so perfect that as we're walking in, he's walking out? Could he have been an angel? The number of tickets were certainly sufficient for all of us to get in the museum for free. Fact is, we even had an extra one which we then turned around and gave to another equally surprised random person.

We can only attribute the amazing blessing of savings to the Lord. With the tickets was a stub showing how much the man paid for them, $79.50. Thank you Lord for providing for us in such a random way. Nothing is too difficult for you!

The Old and the New

For the last two years, we have been praying for a newer vehicle to replace our 'black beauty'. Contrary to her name, what Black Beauty lacks in looks, she makes up for in her determination to run. She's almost 20 years old but she still drives well. Of late, we replaced her radiator but other than that, she's still hanging in there. If only her doors would lock, her windows would open, her A/C would run well, her lights would function, etc., etc. Alas, slowly her body parts are showing its age. She also reflects how we believed the Lord would provide for us when we got her almost 4 years ago. We felt she was what we deserved.

Along comes Tiger (shown below with Ethan), our new vehicle. We thank the Lord for her. She was the vehicle of friends who are moving on to China. Now we are awed at the remarkable differences between the two. We thank the Lord for His provision. Since we trusted that He could provide for us without our input on what we deserved, this is what we received. What a God. We are grateful not just for this new addition but for His changing us.

Pulsifers

In the picture from left to right are Lindsay, Leslie, Eli, Ethan, Evan, Murphy, Eric, Chris, Eng, Craig, Lib, and Lani.


Since April 10, my sister Lib and her family have been living here in Thailand. They came to work as Short-Term Mission workers at a home for adopted children and to visit with us at the beginning and tail end of their stay. It's wonderful to actually be able to phone someone and it isn't long distance and costing money. It's amazing to actually have relatives here. My children have cousins(!) and we've actually been able to get together on Sundays at church and afterwards. We've been able to 'hang out' and spend time together. With four of our sons and 5 of theirs (1 son and 4 girls), they didn't always get along but for the most part, it was so much fun to have them here. We are grateful for the Lord's goodness. This week-end is the last time we'll have the opportunity to spend time together as they leave the Tuesday following. We'll be so sad to see them go but we choose to be more grateful that they were able to come. What a blessing from the Lord to make it happen. Thank you, Father!

The Yanguangs

For the past week, we've been praying for the Yanguangs of Yunnan, China. There are 0.35 million of them with 0.14% Christians. Workers are currently there. Let's pray for them to be effective and that the Yanguang believers would know how to share about their faith. Thank you and bless you.

Moving On

There comes a time in everyone’s life when one must pack up, pick up, and move on. For missionaries this is a more common occurrence, but nevertheless an event that takes a lot of effort, both physically and emotionally.



Recently we have been informed that the rent on our house is being raised. Significantly enough for it to be too much for the house we are currently staying in, with it being unfurnished, etc. This being the case we are looking to come back after the summer (save for myself, of course) and, after a month, moving into another house.



There are quite a few specifications that we would like to make for our new house, one of the most important being that it needs four bedrooms. Our current house has four, and the house right next to us, which has the same structure, is vacant. However the room I sleep in is the kitchen in that house, and is in that way unsuitable.



Please pray for us to find a house, as we will have to move soon after returning to the country. There are a lot of things we are asking God for in this new house, and we know He will provide well for all of them. Pray mostly for easy transition, as all things are possible through Him.

The Wenma

The Unreached People Group for this week is the Wenma. The Wenma live in the Chinese province of Yunnan, and number 150,000. They are being worked with. However, only 0.14% of them are believers. Please join us in prayer for the Wenma, and for them to accept and love God's word.