Work for Widows

May 17, 2011 / edebock / 2 Comments

We had a fabulous ladies retreat at the church this weekend. Our guest speaker, Jodi Faith, is in her own words “a living sign and wonder”. She has an amazing testimony and in addition to being a dynamic speaker, she’s an international recording artist. She’s also an ambassador for Work for Widows, a humanitarian organization that offers hope for a brighter future to widowed and abandoned women in Sri Lanka.

In the aftermath of the massive tsunami that devastated much of Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004, Canadian, Pamela Porodo, who was semi-retired and living in that country with her husband, Jerry, was introduced to a young woman at one of the camps for displaced people. Six months pregnant, this beautiful 21-year-old had lost her mother, father, husband and three year old child. Without hope for a future, she was taking medicine from other survivors and hoarding it so that she would have enough to kill herself. Pam managed to talk her into giving up the bag of medication. In return, she visited a local bead shop and brought her all the requirements to begin making jewelry and Work for Widows was born. Within days, there were 14 women in the program and today there are over 120. Over 350 children being raised by mothers and grandmothers are in school today because of the income it provides. $60 a month, the price of two or three pieces of jewelry, is enough to support one of these women and their children for a month! WFW has recently been asked to move into Haiti and is in the process of doing so.

If there’s one thing that most women love to do, it’s shop so we were delighted to have Jodi bring a suitcase full of jewelry to the retreat to sell! We poured over the colourful array with delight and most of us went away with at least one piece. Each necklace, bracelet or pair of earrings came with a tag carrying the name, photograph, signature and brief description of the woman who made it. After pondering several pieces and trying a few on, I finally made my selection. Unlike most of the other pieces, my beautiful necklace had two tags. When I asked Jodi why, she told me about Pieces for Peace, a special project of WFW.

I literally got goose bumps as Jodi explained that Pieces for Peace brings ladies from rival factions within Sri Lanka together to work on single pieces of jewelry. Both the Canadian High Commissioner and the Swiss Ambassador have recognized the Pieces for Peace program as a truly successful peace-building mission. One half of my necklace was made by Kanthi from Matara in southern Sri Lanka and the other by Meeramohaideen in Ampara in the north. By creating jewelry together and writing to each other on a weekly basis, these women, one Tamil and one Singalese, have learned that though civil war raged between their peoples for more than 25 years, they can work together in harmony. Kanthi uses the proceeds of her jewelry to care for her parents while Meeramohaideen, who was abandoned by her husband when she was three months pregnant, uses hers to support herself and her 13 year old daughter.

At $40, mine was one of the most expensive items on the table but it cost far less than similar items that I’ve seen shown in fashion magazines and it was a small price to pay to contribute toward the well-being of two women! I firmly believe that empowering women in a society that traditionally discriminates against them helps not only the individuals involved but also their families and their communities.

I love the tiny hand that dangles from the clasp of my necklace. It reminds me that this unique piece of jewelry was hand made. Not only will the necklace remind me of a great weekend spent with my daughter, my sister and the women of my church but each time I put it on, I’ll also remember the hands that made it and pray for Kanthi and Meeramohaideen.

20 000 hits!

May 13, 2011 / edebock / 2 Comments

Sometime last evening Following Augustine was looked at for the 20 000th time. 20 000! Wow! I can’t help feeling both humbled and amazed to know that that many people have read what I’ve written.

Unless people leave comments, I can’t tell who’s stopped by but I do see how many visit each day. I know that I have several faithful readers who visit regularly. Most of them are friends and family but there are also a few that I’ve never met.

I’m completely amazed by which blog posts attract the greatest number of readers. Recently, Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout has probably been the most popular! In addition to seeing how many people look at the blog, I can see what search terms have led them to it. I can’t imagine why so many people are searching things like gold ring in pig’s snout and pig nose ring! I thought it was a pretty obscure thing to write about!

I started blogging in December 2007 as a way of sharing our year in Japan with friends and family but I’ve always loved writing and when that first year came to an end, I decided to keep the blog going indefinitely. Though I still use it to chronicle our travels, it has branched out to include other aspects of my life including grandchildren, fitness, farming, hobbies and even an occasional book review. As we prepare for our upcoming missions trip, it’s also beginning to reflect more of my spiritual life. I suppose in a sense, it’s become a record of what my retirement looks like.

If I had one wish where my blog is concerned, it would be that more people would leave comments. I love hearing your opinions and cherish the opportunity for dialogue. Though I didn’t at first, I now make a point of responding to comments. Since I linked the blog to Facebook, some people leave comments there which is fine but I prefer that they be left on the blog itself as they’re more permanent that way. So, please leave a comment, a question or even a suggestion for a future post.

Anyway, a genuine thank you for stopping by today. You are much more than a number to me!

Love through me

May 12, 2011 / edebock / Leave a comment

In church on Sunday morning, Richard and I did a presentation about our upcoming missions trip to Saipan. When we were done, we invited the congregation to join us in singing two verses of an old chorus.

Love through me, love through me;
O Lord, love through me.
Somewhere somebody needs your love today.
O Lord, love through me.

Speak through me, speak through me;
O Lord, speak through me.
Make your Word upon my lips a flame today.
O Lord, speak through me.

There are other verses but these two could really be the theme of our mission. Ever since Sunday, they’ve been stuck in my head. I’m not much of a singer but I’ve been belting them out over and over again while I’ve been alone on the tractor! I guess I’m getting just a little bit excited about what the Lord has in store for us!

Richard just started seeding today but I’ve already put in lots of hours out at the farm. I spent two days cultivating fields that were in summer fallow last year. That was a new experience for me but an easy one as the cultivator is pulled by the same tractor that I’ve used for several springs to pull the harrow/packer. The cultivator is much easier to maneuver though as it’s only 35 feet wide instead of 50.

I don’t usually run the harrow/packer until after the seed is in the ground but because last year’s crop was so heavy, there’s a lot more straw in the fields than usual. I’ve been out with the harrow to break it up and scatter it before the seeding is done. I put in several hours today and would still be out there but we had a breakdown and some welding needs to be done before I can continue.

As much as I love being out at the farm, I’m not minding the extra time at home today as our annual ladies retreat begins tomorrow and I have a number of things to do to get ready. It’s always a wonderful weekend and this year my prayer is that God will use it to continue preparing me for his work in Saipan.

Here’s a few rustic scenes from the farm:

Living out of a suitcase

May 5, 2011May 8, 2011 / edebock / 2 Comments

Though I still love the title, Following Augustine, I might have called this blog Living Out of a Suitcase since its original intent was to chronicle our travels and it still serves that purpose from time to time.

This week I read an article about a young man who spent six weeks travelling around the world without any luggage. None at all! He took nothing with him that wouldn’t fit into his pockets. I like to travel light but I’m afraid I couldn’t quite manage that! When we leave home, we have several suitcases to choose from but we decided to buy yet another one when we were in Calgary last weekend.

When we fly, we rarely take as much luggage as we’re allowed. In fact, we moved to Japan for an entire year with less than the full amount that the airline would have permitted. We did purchase one enormous suitcase for that trip though; one that probably won’t be used again. Shortly after we bought it, the airlines reduced the maximum allowable weight per bag from 70 lb (32 kg) to 50 lb (23 kg). Filling that enormous bag while keeping its weight under 50 lb was a major challenge. I don’t think they even make suitcases that big anymore. It’s so large that I could almost pack myself in it! Hmm… I’ll definitely have to remember that idea for future games of hide-and-seek with the grandchildren!

where's Gram?

Our most interesting and innovative piece of luggage is the two piece Mountain Equipment Coop backpack that Richard received from his school staff as a retirement gift. Attached together, the two multi pocketed bags are big enough that they have to fly as checked baggage but when separated, the larger wheeled pack and the smaller detachable day pack can travel as carry ons. They were absolutely perfect for short trips within Japan and also wandered Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia with us.

this + this

= this

We bought this set as an early retirement gift to ourselves when we made our first trip to Japan in 2005. They replaced the old soft sided suitcases that we’d been using for many years; some since my university days. Those ones didn’t have wheels which have to be the best addition to suitcase technology yet. The smaller one can go as either checked baggage or carry on and it’s great for overnight trips. The larger one serves us well when we’re away from home for several days. Together they don’t give us quite enough space for longer trips like our upcoming two month sojourn to Saipan though.

On our recent six week trip to Japan, we took the set of two and the MEC backpack but that proved a bit awkward. Two people trying to push, pull or carry three pieces of luggage through crowded airports and on and off trains is just too difficult. Though the airlines permit international travellers to check two bags each, we’ve decided that the best rule of thumb is one person, one bag. That’s why we went shopping for yet another one similar in size to the larger one shown above.

We may not be willing or able to travel the world with nothing but what we can fit in our pockets but I’m completely confident that with one good sized suitcase each and a small carry on to hold a few essentials to tide us over if those suitcases don’t arrive at our destination at the same time as we do, we could travel indefinitely.

26 no shows!

May 4, 2011 / edebock / Leave a comment

After waiting more than a month, I finally saw a physiotherapist today. He was brought in to supplement the regular clinic staff for a week in an attempt to clear the backlog as the waiting list had become much too long. According to a sign above the receptionist’s desk reminding patients to phone and cancel if they’re unable to keep their appointments, over the past month there have been 26 no shows! 26! That’s more than one a day! What is the matter with people? How much effort does it take to pick up the phone and make a simple call and what has happened to common courtesy? Surely 26 people didn’t forget that they had appointments! Had they bothered to call and cancel, 26 of us who were waiting could have received treatment sooner.

My appointment went well. After a thorough evaluation that included using a protractor device to measure my range of motion, the therapist assured me that I still have plenty of strength in my arms. That was definitely good news! He agreed, however, that the range of movement in my shoulders is quite limited and went through a series of exercises with me that are designed to increase flexibility in those joints. Several of them involve using a wand. In the clinic, he had me use a cane but any straight rod would do. At home, a broomstick would work well but I’m using my old golf putter instead. After all, one of the reasons for wanting to get my shoulders back in shape as quickly as possible is the fact that the golf course opened this week! We haven’t been out yet but I’m hoping that I can still swing a club. Of course, if 26 people had bothered to cancel their appointments, I would have been doing these exercises sooner and my chances would have been a lot better! Grrr…

Three & one!

May 1, 2011May 2, 2011 / edebock / 2 Comments

Where does the time go? Could it be that it was already three years ago that the phone rang in our hotel room in Nikko, Japan and we learned that we were grandparents? What an exciting moment that was! Andrew David Richard Graham had been born to our daughter, Melaina, and her husband, Aaron.

Almost exactly two years later, Drew’s baby sister, Jami-Lee Marie, entered the world making shared birthday parties a definite possibility. This time, instead of being half way around the world, I was in the delivery room! Another amazing memory!

Melaina is no stranger to joint birthday parties. For several years, she and her brother, Nathan, just eleven months younger than her, shared their parties. They had the same friends and until they were old enough to want sleepovers, it made perfect sense. We usually held the party close to Melaina’s birthday at the end of August because we were often away from home for Nathan’s in July. He turned six in the Yukon, seven on PEI, and nine in California.

Jami-Lee’s birthday was on Thursday and Drew’s is today. We had their party yesterday. Uncle Nathan came down from Edmonton, their other grandma was here as were their Auntie Dani and her family and several friends from their church. Drew was especially delighted with his Thomas the Tank Engine cake.

Trains are Drew’s passion these days. I’ve had to learn the names of all his engines; Thomas, James, Spencer, and Percy. We added Henry to the collection yesterday. Each day while we’re here, we lay out his wooden tracks and spend lots of time playing trains. I also have a special folder of train photos on my laptop just for Drew. In spite of his phonological disorder, his speech is improving steadily and he has no problem asking to look at the train pictures. He even knows exactly which icon to point to on my desktop!

Jami-Lee is walking now and climbing, climbing, climbing! She’s definitely her mother’s daughter in that respect. I remember finding Melaina perched in various spots where little ones ought not to be and she’s the child who escaped serious injury when she climbed the drawers of her dresser and it fell over on her! Jami was a bit overwhelmed by the number of people crowded into her small livingroom and spent much of the party on my lap. What a lucky Gram I am! She loved opening gifts and was especially thrilled by the toy piano her mommy and daddy gave her. Perhaps she’s also inherited Melaina’s musical talent. Only time will tell.

Saipan FAQ

April 25, 2011April 25, 2011 / edebock / 2 Comments

Richard and I will be doing a presentation about our upcoming mission trip to Saipan in church on May 8th. Since I’ve been busy organizing information for that, I decided that I’d also use it to answer some of our most frequently asked questions here. As we haven’t actually been to Saipan yet, all of this is information that I’ve gathered from other websites.

Where is Saipan?

Saipan is the capital as well as the largest and most populated of the 15 tiny islands that make up the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands which stretches 400 miles along the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. It’s 15 degrees north of the equator and is located 120 miles north of Guam and due east of the northernmost island of the Philippines. It’s about a three and a half hour flight from Tokyo.

How big is it?

Saipan is about 12.5 miles long & 5.5 miles wide with a total land area of about 46.5 square miles. I was astonished to discover that it would fit into our county almost 34 times! It is surrounded by approximately 54 miles of coastline with about 14 miles of beach.

What’s the weather like?

Saipan is a tropical island with a warm humid climate. It holds the Guiness World Record for the most consistent temperature with the average difference between day and night being greater than the difference between summer and winter! The average temperature year-round is 27C and the year is basically divided into the wet season from July to November and the dry season from December to June.

What languages are spoken on Saipan?

There are three official languages; English, Chamorro and Carolinian but many other languages are also spoken. Because Saipan is an American territory, English is the language of business, schools and the church.

When Richard and I volunteered for short term missions, we anticipated that language would prevent us from being able to do the kind of ministry that we’ll be doing on Saipan. We expected to end up in a country where we didn’t speak the language and where we’d be asked to do the kinds of tasks that would free up the resident missionaries to minister to the local people. God clearly had a different plan and we’re very excited to be a part of it.

What’s the population?

The most recent census figure that I could find is over ten years old. It gives the population as approximately 62 000 people but that may have changed significantly by now. If so, I suspect that it’s lower as the downturn in the economy has seriously affected Saipan’s tourist trade. In addition to the indigenous population, many other cultures & nationalities are represented on Saipan including Americans, Filipinos, Koreans, Chinese, Thai & Japanese.

What is the main religion of Saipan?

The majority of the island’s population is Roman Catholic but many other faiths are also represented.

Do you have any other questions? If so, I’ll try to answer them now and if I can’t, perhaps they’ll give me ideas to blog about while we’re there!

Will we know one another in heaven?

April 18, 2011April 23, 2012 / edebock / 2 Comments

My friend, Louis, and I have the greatest conversations. We call them our combine talks because many of them take place during harvest season as we cross the golden fields together. I can talk with him about almost anything but often our deepest discussions centre on our faith. More than once Louis has asked me whether we’ll know one another in heaven. I am absolutely, totally convinced that we will. I don’t know what we’ll look like or how we’ll recognize each other but I have no doubt that we will. Louis is a little less certain.

Once, not simply because I like being right but also because I’d really like Louis to have the same confidence and peace of mind about the subject as I have, I searched the scriptures for evidence that I was right. I have to admit that I couldn’t find as clear an answer as I would have liked. The best I could come up with was 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see but a poor reflection; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.“ I realize that this probably refers to us knowing and being known by Christ but I hope it also means that we will know one another.

I also discovered that King David shared my thoughts on the matter. 2 Samuel 12:22-23 says, “After the death of his son, David answered “While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” Like me, David clearly expected to know his child when he got to heaven.

I recently read a fascinating new book, “Heaven is for Real” by Todd Burpo. It’s the astounding story of a little boy who emerges from emergency surgery with remarkable stories of a visit to heaven. I’m as skeptical as the next person when I hear stories of near death and out of body experiences but this one is simple, heart warming and surprisingly biblical. Before I finished reading it, I knew that Louis had to read it too. He’s not much of a reader but he finished it in less than two days! Once he got started, he said, he couldn’t put it down.

According to the book, we will indeed know one another. It also answers another question that I’ve long wondered about. What happens to children when they go to heaven? As I see it, there are three possibilities. Either they remain children forever, an option that doesn’t sound very satisfactory to me; they’re instantly full grown when they enter heaven which doesn’t seem fair either; or they enter as a child and continue to grow up just as they would have here. In “Heaven is for Real” Colton Burpo meets his miscarried sister who no one had ever told him about. She isn’t a baby, certainly not a preemie, she’s older than he is. Clearly, she’s growing up in heaven!

Our Janina left us when she was five. I’ve always known that I would see her again. I look forward to the day when I cross over to the other side and a beautiful young woman greets me with “Hi, Mom!”

Janina at age 5

Winter pays another visit

April 14, 2011April 14, 2011 / edebock / Leave a comment

Just when we dared to think that spring had finally come, winter decided to pay us another visit. Patches of snow were gradually melting away but today our world is white again! A storm blew in this morning bringing a blanket of sloppy wet snow.

The gophers have been out for the past couple of weeks and the geese are back. I’d heard tell of robins too but I didn’t see my first one until today. The poor thing looked completely bewildered! I’ve seen pussy willows on my recent walks and my friend Kim found crocuses blooming in her yard. No wonder we thought it was finally spring!

Fortunately, my walking videos arrived in yesterday’s mail as the forecast is calling for more of the white stuff and I’ll probably be back on the treadmill for the next little while.

Though we’re surrounded by snow again, I seem to be experiencing a thawing of a different sort. I’m still waiting to see a physiotherapist about my frozen shoulders but the stretching that I’ve been doing on my own seems to be paying off. They’re not as sore as they were awhile ago and I’m definitely able to sleep more comfortably. I’m pretty sure that my range of motion has increased a bit too.

Here in Alberta, a storm like today’s isn’t really unusual in mid April. In fact, we’ve seen them as late as early May. The winter’s snow is usually long gone before these spring storms hit though. This year we’re beginning to wonder if we’ll ever see the end of it! I do know that Richard and I won’t be cold forever though. We purchased plane tickets today and will leave for Saipan on the 20th of June! At just 15 degrees north of the equator, it enjoys warm tropical weather all year round. I can hardly wait!

My WordPress 5k walk

April 8, 2011April 8, 2011 / edebock / Leave a comment

When WordPress invited bloggers around the world to join 80 staffers in 62 cities and take part in a 5k run/walk anytime during the week of April 4 to 10, I decided I was in! It was simple. No getting sponsors and raising funds; just getting out and getting some exercise then blogging about it. The idea obviously caught many people’s fancy as bloggers from across the US, Canada, Europe and Australia began to respond. It truly became a worldwide phenomenon as others from Islamabad, Indonesia and India joined in.

I decided to do my walk this afternoon. I knew that 5 kilometres or 3.1 miles wouldn’t be particularly challenging as I walk at least half that far several times a week. After saying hello to the pigeon that has taken to sunning itself at the edge of our driveway the past couple of days, I headed north and out of town. It was a chilly +4C but the big Alberta sky was blue. With the sun on my shoulders and the wind at my back, the first leg of my walk was marvellous.

I passed by the golf course where the greens have recently been cleared of snow and covered with grow tarps and daydreamed about the upcoming golf season. Some years the course opens as early as mid April but it will clearly be awhile before we swing a club this year!

Hole #3 - Sedgewick Golf Course

The walking trail is still mostly covered by snow so I walked along the edge of the road. As I looked out across the snow-covered fields, I wondered how long it will be before we’re out on the land seeding this year’s crop.

When I first planned today’s route, I intended to walk down to the shore of Sedgewick Lake but when I realized that the road into the park wouldn’t have been cleared, I chose a different route. Turning around at the park entrance, I headed back toward town. Walking into the chilly wind wasn’t as pleasant. I was glad I’d decided to wear a hat but I began to wish that it covered my ears! As I entered town and heard the school bell ring, however, I was reminded how lucky I was to be out in the sunshine, wind or no wind. I enjoyed my days in the classroom but oh, how much more I’m loving retirement!

After walking to the centre of town, I turned left at the second 4-way stop. There are exactly two of them in Sedgewick! I stopped at the post office to pick up the mail and, as people in small towns are prone to do, I stood on the steps for 15 or 20 minutes chatting with a friend I hadn’t seen for quite awhile. From there, it was a short walk back home again. Along the way, I looked for signs of spring and was delighted to find a few.