Happy Birthday, Em!

Today was my daughter's birthday. I bought her a rose and her daddy took her out for lunch. Then later today we had a small family party. These videos are for the grandparents, aunts and uncles. The reason there are two videos is because one gift had arrived in the mail and we put it up and forgot to bring it out at first. Happy Birthday, Em! You're amazing and we love you!!!

God can use Facebook

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Today I met a cousin of mine for the first time. We found each other without even looking for each other because of a mutual friend. My friend posted something on Facebook, to which we both commented. My cousin then made a comment about my maiden name being the same as hers and joked that we must be related. So we began to investigate and realized that her father and mine are first cousins, making us second cousins because we had the same great-grandparents. She "happens" to live only a twenty minute drive or so from where we are staying right now, so we met for lunch. I discovered we have some things in common, our love for Christ, our preference for Coke over Pepsi, both happily married twenty years this summer, teenage daughters, bashful sons, and who knows what else. I am so grateful to have "found" this new friend! I don't believe in coincidences or luck. Nothing that happens to me is a surprise to God, and He is not random. I believe He intended for us to meet. Facebook can be an incredible waste of time if we allow it to be, but it can also be a great tool and a blessing.

Back in the U.S.A.

We're back! We crossed the border into the U.S. on June 30th, our 20th wedding anniversary, and arrived at my sister-in-law's home happy but tired. We left the kids with my in-laws and went to a nearby small town B&B to celebrate our anniversary. In case you think the kids got jilted, their aunt and uncle treated them to laser tag, a movie, shopping, and all the junk food any kid could want. It was good for all of us. We are now in Missouri, packing and working on ministry support. It feels kinda wierd going through the checkout line at the store with enough unscented solid deodorant, vitamins, and tylenol to last a family of five for two years. It does make people stare. It also felt a little wierd the first time we went into a store and everything we heard was in English.  That didn't even happen when we lived in Florida, let alone Québec.

Sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses, so on our way down from Canada, we stopped at Niagara Falls. I had been to see the falls years ago, on my senior trip, and wanted to share it with David and the kids.

Lessons learned

Yesterday we graduated from French language school. It's been a long and challenging ten months. It wasn't only challenging because of the French courses we were taking. This was a year of big changes for all of us. Josh experienced his first year in public school at the same time he experienced his first exposure to another culture. That's really like learning two cultures at once. Emily had to work independently in her studies during my class hours and save the rest for when I came home. Daniel sat through hours and hours of church without understanding what anyone was saying because David and I were required to attend a French church as part of our schooling. I had to balance being out of the home half of each day and having studies and homework of my own with teaching Emily and Daniel and managing our home. David had to balance school with being a husband, father, friend and neighbor. All within a new environment and culture/language. We learned a lot about relationships, priorities, flexibility, and faithfulness. When we first came here, one of my kids didn't believe me when I said that God knows our needs and will provide the relationships we need in Québec. Now that child admits being wrong and not wanting to leave new friends found here. But a lesson was learned, and now there is a confidence that God will take care of us. We are busy packing and cleaning our apartment and squeezing in every spare minute we can with our friends before we go. We'll be here a few more days because Josh has prom this weekend.
We have grown to love the people here. They have been very polite and friendly to us and very patient with our bumbling attempts to speak their language. We like our church and our pastor here very much and were just getting to the point where we understood almost all of the sermons. We have made wonderful friends, not just among our fellow classmates but among local people also. There are some things we won't miss so much: milk that comes in plastic bags instead of jugs, cold weather, having to go to several different stores to get things we need because the grocery stores here don't have built-in pharmacies, make-up aisles, toy aisles, etc.; stores that close at 5pm - the time when most people are finally free to shop. But really those aren't important issues as much as they are inconveniences. I would guess someone from Québec might feel overwhelmed by their first experience in a super Wal-mart, as the Wal-mart here is far from that. We have tried new foods and liked many of them: fresh, real maple syrup, tartinade (a meat pie that is traditionally made for Christmas), Cretons (a meat spread often eaten on toast or crackers), and poutine. Our very first week here we were told that no one has experienced Québec until they have tried poutine. Poutine consists of french fries, with gravy on top, and cheese on top of that. Not just any cheese, though. Fresh cheese curds, usually made that same day, that makes squeaky noises when you chew it. There are many varieties, but that is the basic poutine. Last night, to celebrate that all five of us finished a school year here, we went to Stratos'and had poutine one last time.

Finishing

I finished another quilt! Well, just the top, actually. But that's the hardest part. This one only took about 5-6 years - LOL. I had too many quilt projects going at one time and relocated three times, so this was a project that I started and stopped many times, with a lot of time between each "restart". This is my fourth completed quilt top and it will be the first one I keep for myself. I know I won't need a quilt in Africa, but just having it there to look at will make my house feel like "home" to me, so it is going. And who knows, maybe one day we will purchase a window A/C and if so, I will want a blanket. I love the batik fabrics in this one and since I have worked on it in three states, one province and two countries, it's kind of special to me.

David and I completed our final exams today. We graduate tomorrow! After that, we will be cleaning and packing like crazy and then we'll begin our voyage back to the U.S. Our first stop will be Wisconsin. Then we'll head south. I'd like to write something profound, or even interesting, but I'm tired. Anyway, here's a photo of my not-quite finished quilt.

Photo perspectives

Before I write here, I often review the previous entry so I can sort of pick up where I left off. Since the last time I wrote, we took the kids to Coaticook Gorge, home of the world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge. We are actually going there next week with our language school, but David and I wanted to take the kids on a day when we could take our time and go at our own pace as a family. It was a good thing we did, because Josh's ankle was still sore from his rugby injury and we ended up not completing the entire 3 kilometer trail. We did, however, cross the bridge - twice. Emily and I had to muster up our courage, because we aren't fond of heights, but it was well worth it for the beautiful view from the middle of the bridge. David and I went on a field trip with our French language school to the Village Québécois d'Antan (Quebecois villiage of former days) in Drummondville. There are 52 buildings, all dating back to the 1800's and the very early 1900's. They aren't all from Drummondville originally, some have been moved, but the effect is that you feel as though you have stepped back in time. There were residential homes that showed what life was like for the average family, an apothecary complete with a garden of medicinal herbs, a fromagerie (cheese shop), general store/post office, blacksmith, printer, farm, soap makers, candle makers, car museum, etc. As I was reviewing my previous post and looking through my photos of our excursions, I found it interesting that I had written about treasures. What I treasure emotionally and materially sure did seem to come to light through my photos. Most of my photos were of people I love, such as the one of the kids here, or things that I am very enthusiastic about, such as the antique sewing machines, quilts, and the gardens from the village. I took only a few photos of the antique cars and the other things we saw. My pictures are more than just my life through the lens of my camera, they show my bias, my interests and passions. I wonder then, what picture other people have in their minds when they think of me? Do my children see in their minds a pair of hands preparing a meal or putting a bandage on their skinned knees? Do they see a pair of arms wrapping them in a hug? Do they see a face with an impatient or angry expression, or do they see a warm smile? I want to be a blessing. I want my family and friends to smile when they picture me in their minds. That is my prayer.

Where Our Treasure Is

Every two weeks, the three French classes combine for a field trip. This past Friday our field trip was a treasure hunt, or chasse au trésor, in downtown Sherbrooke. We were divided into teams of three (chosen by the professor), given our instructions, and sent off on our way. We were all to meet at a coffee shop when we finished. I was partnered with two missionary friends who live in my building, Grace and Amy. This was great because we already had a camaraderie and were used to eachother's French (or rather our "Frenglish"). The down side for us was that a number of our tasks involved finding strangers and asking them questions, and none of us felt especially comfortable talking to strangers, in any language. Most of my friends consider me to be friendly and outgoing, and for the most part I am, when I am in a familiar setting. I will talk until you drop if I know you well. But talking to strangers, especially if I have to take the initiative and talk first, is way, way, way out of my comfort zone. However, the old adage that there is strength in numbers is indeed true. My friends and I each took turns speaking with people, helped each other with our French, and encouraged each other. It IS easier to be brave when you know you have someone in your corner rooting for you. It IS easier to do a task when a friend comes along beside you and helps. It IS easier to persevere when you receive an occasional "well done!" My teammates and I shared the same objective and encouraged each other so that we could accomplish our tasks, even if it meant stepping outside of our comfort zones. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 that where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. For Christians, our treasure is Jesus. He should be the One I am most devoted to, most passionate about, and the central focus of my life. My objectives are to know, follow, and glorify Him. Am I willing to step out of my comfort zone for Jesus? Am I encouraging my brothers and sisters in Christ as they follow Him? Our team accomplished our tasks and, surprisingly, reached the coffee shop ahead of the other teams. We had time to take a few photos and visit with the other students as they arrived.

A Great St. Louis Recipe

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I guess I am on a recipe roll. I expressed a desire on Facebook to bake a St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake and received some requests for the recipe. Yes, it did originate in St. Louis, in the 1930's. I have also heard this recipe called "butter chewies", but since it did originate in St. Louis, I prefer to call it by it's proper name. I grew up in St. Louis and while I am proud of my heritage, this recipe is a favorite of mine by its own delicious merit. Cut the pieces small - it is very rich.  It goes great with coffee!

St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract (Vanilla extract can be subsituted but is not as tasty.)
1 box yellow cake mix
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, plus a little extra
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. Melt butter. Empty Cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in butter and one of the eggs. Press mixture into pan. In separate bowl, mix cream cheese, almond extract, 4 cups powdered sugar and remaining two eggs. Beat for three minutes on medium speed. Spread in pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown on top. The cake will be gooey on top, so don't over bake! Allow cake to cool, then dust with more powdered sugar.

Cake! and conversation

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The French Language School we attend is a ministry of Word of Life. In addition, Word of Life operates a number of Bible Schools, including one here at our campus. Most of the Bible School students are recent high school graduates, not much older than Josh. Last Fall when school began, each language school student was paired up with a volunteer Bible School student. We were assigned to meet for an hour a week and read outloud from the French Bible. Our students were assigned to correct our pronunciation and help us to understand what we were reading. This week was our last week of required meetings with our students because they are leaving this weekend on mission trips, then taking a two week break before beginning the summer camp season. I am blessed with a sweet and patient student who wants to continue meeting with me after she returns from her trip in order to practice conversation in French. I wanted to do something to show my gratitude and affection for her, so I made a chocolate cake for her. She loved it, and it was a great pleasure to be able to do something for her. I receive a lot of requests for my recipe, so I will post it below. I love chocolate, but I never used to enjoy chocolate cake. It just didn't taste chocolatey enough for me. I came across this cake recipe somewhere, I can't remember where, and it trumped every other recipe I had ever tried so this one is now the only chocolate cake recipe I use. The frosting recipe came from a dear friend. It's rich, so it is best eaten with coffee, but that's ok because I also love coffee.

Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp EACH baking powder and baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
Heat oven to 350*. Grease and flour two round or one 13x9 inch pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and soda, and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Pour into pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting - makes 2 cups
1/2 cup real butter, softened
2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
Cream butter. Add remaining ingredients and beat to spreading consistency. If it is too thick, add a small amount of milk.

Beginning a New Class

We have gotten our first week of the conversation course finished. Honestly, I'm not sure what I expected. It is very challenging. Our classes are much smaller in number and David and I are no longer in the same class, so we are "on our own". We've been married nearly twenty years, so we draw a lot of strength and confidence just from being near each other. Since July 2008 we have worked together all day, every day, and being apart even for a few hours a day is strange. It takes a lot of mental work to hear something in French, translate it in your head to English, think of an English response, then translate to French and speak it. In some ways I am improving: I am getting braver about trying to speak and trying to use new things I have learned. The downside of that is that I make a lot of mistakes. I know this is the best way to learn, but it is also the best way to embarrass yourself. So I am making a ton of mistakes and embarrassing myself repeatedly, but it's a good thing! lol. We are not allowed to speak English even during the breaks, so sometimes our breaks are really quiet. Sometimes we start out talking but then we reach a point where we don't know how to say the next thought we have so we just sort of stop talking and stare at each other.
Today we visited a church in Sawyerville. It is an English church that has just begun having a service in French three weeks ago. We were there to encourage our friends Grace and Orest as they presented their ministry in French for the first time. After the French church service, we went to the French Sunday School class, followed by the English church service and a potluck lunch. Last week we went out for dinner and a walk downtown with Orest and Grace to celebrate the end of a week of exams. We also took the kids to a favorite park of ours called Johnville Bog and Forest Park. Here are some photos from last week.

I've got sunshine!

Marcia at One Little Pink Rose has honored and humbled me with a blog award. Thank you, Marcia! I'm the one who should be honoring you! Since I can't give Marcia an award she has already received, please check out her blog. It is well worth your time.


The Sunshine Award is traditionally passed on to blogger's who inspire others and show positivity and creativity, so, in that spirit, I chose my nominees from blogs that I visit regularly and are very informative and inspiring to me.
The rules for accepting the award are:

This is what I've done and the nominees should do the same if they choose to:

1) Put the logo within my blog or on my post

2) Pass the award onto 10 fellow bloggers

3) Link the nominees within my post

4) Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog

5) Share the love and link to the person whom you received this award from.
Unfortunately, I don't do a large amount of blog reading, so I don't have ten nominees. Here are my nominees, in no particular order. Please visit their blogs and feel free to encourage them with a comment.
1. Grace and Orest @ Desert Talk
2. Joy @ The Stay-At-Home Missionary
3. Michelle @ She Looketh Well
4. Jules @ On Eagles' Wings
5. Sharon @ I'm A Keeper...And A Teacher
6. Beloved Mama @ Beloved Mama
7. TJ @ TJ's Musing

A Quick Catch-up

Ok. Learning a foreign language when you are an adult with a family to take care of and two kids still homeschooling is a WEE bit time-consuming. And where there is time, there is no energy. SO - I have neglected all of my hobbies, including my blog. We have completed the beginner and intermediate level courses as of two days ago. On Monday, we will begin the conversation course. This course is not quite as intense as the others, so I am hoping to be able to communicate better with my family and friends and maybe even deal with a few photos or do a little quilting. Here is the best rapid-fire catching-up I can give you. In August, on our way from Missouri to Québec, we spent some time with my parents and I gave her the quilt I had been working on for the last five years.


We began school the first week of September. In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is in October, so while our loved ones in the U.S. were observing Columbus Day, we were having our Thanksgiving feast with the other missionary families.

For Christmas, a couple from our church here invited us to spend the day with them. They treated us like family and we had a wonderful time. They can speak English well, but they make us practice our French as much as we can. It is a huge blessing to have friends like them here while we are far from our own families.

In January, we began the intermediate course, what our professor calls "the true French". It was quite a bit more challenging than the beginner course. God blessed us with more friends and more opportunities to practice conversing in French, which seems to be the most difficult part of learning French. Reading and listening skills came more easily.

"Spring break" for us came the first week in March, while it was definitely still winter here. We took a day and drove to Québec city, the capitol. We walked all through Old Québec and toured the parliament building. Québec is the only fortified city in North America.

After exams were over this week, six of the language school students graduated. We have developed close friendships with some of them and are very sad to see them go.

Mira, Myra, My Lord and Me

Ok, I have to write down what happened today because it was so encouraging to me. Since we gave our dog, Mira, to her new owner nine days ago, I have really been missing her. This morning during my prayer time I cried about Mira, sharing with God how much I miss her and how I hoped she was adjusting ok to her new home and wondered if her new owner (Get this, her name is Myra!)was happy about her decision to take Mira. Today was the day we had to drive our stuff for our Africa shipment to Kansas City, so a friend of ours drove up to the house this morning and traded his truck & trailer for our van. He is a physician and a couple minutes later he called and said he'd left his stethoscope in the truck. Josh and I drove it to his office and when I walked in to hand it to the receptionist, I heard "Well, hello, Nancy!" I turned around and there was Myra! So I sat with her for a couple of minutes and she shared that she had been praying for us. Then she said that Mira is just crazy about her, follows her everywhere and wants her attention all the time and that she loves the dog. I had to go, but I gave Myra a big hug and my thanks. I have told my children many times that God cares about animals, that He counts our tears and cares deeply about the things in our hearts. Today was my turn to be reminded. I don't believe in coincidences. God knew what I needed and provided the answer as only He can. Just last Sunday morning our pastor prayed for us and asked God to "just love on the Burtons". I'll have to let him know that God has been doing just that.

Full Speed Ahead

I haven't forgotten to blog, I just haven't had time. We have had our van in the shop again. Old story. Hopefully it will be finished soon. We went camping this past week with some friends of ours. Primitive camping. Bring your own water and dig your own potty camping. We were right on the bank of the Current River. The kids got to play in the water. Our friends have horses and brought them along so we all got to take turns riding horses in some really beautiful country. We had a blast until Friday. Friday morning, David woke up in pain and having trouble breathing. By the time we broke camp and drove four hours to home he was worse. One of our friends with us is a doctor so he checked David out and promptly sent him to the hospital. He has pericarditis, an inflammation in the sac surrounding his heart. We aren't sure if it is viral or if it was brought on by a response to his yellow fever vaccine. He got to come home yesterday and is slowly regaining his strength. The doctor said his heart wasn't damaged and he should be himself again in a few weeks. We are going crazy packing and sorting. Last week we also said goodbye to our dog and turned her over to her new owner. She went to a really sweet lady who I know will be kind to her, but it still hurt all of us to let her go. We miss her. We also celebrated Daniel's 8th birthday. I have pics from the campout but in all the chaos of taking care of David I left my cameras at our friends' house and didn't have it for Daniel's birthday celebration. I used Josh's camera but his flash is broken. If any of them turn out I'll post some later. We are taking some stuff to David's brother's for storage, wrapping up loose ends, packing for Canada, trying to plan a yard sale, and hopefully leaving on Monday, so I'll probably not be blogging for a while. We expect to arrive in Canada on the 24th. We'll have a week to get Josh enrolled in school and get school supplies and learn our way around town before school starts. So, our adventure is going full-speed and about to take a turn in a new direction. We are excited, but there are constant reminders that we can't do this in our own strength. Praise God that we don't have to and aren't supposed to!

My Baby is Growing Up!

Yesterday, Josh turned 16. Today, Josh passed the exam to get a Missouri driver's license. Needless to say, as his mom, I have mixed feelings. I wish he wouldn't grow up quite so quickly! I am proud of him and excited for him. He set a goal, worked for it, and succeeded in reaching that goal. He has passed a milestone in his journey toward adulthood. On the other hand, now he will be driving without the benefit of one of his parents there to catch his mistakes and help him make good judgements. He'll have to rely on what we taught him and learn from experience. Also, it is not insignificant that when I called the insurance company today our rates more than doubled. Ouch! The agent on the phone tried to make me feel better by telling me that the rates would go down again when Josh becomes 25. Since by that time he will be paying his own insurance, I'm happy for him but it gives me little comfort here in the present time. So, any moms out there who understand all these mixed feelings who happen to read this, I would love some empathy.

Finished!

Last Friday, I finished a big project that I have literally been working at off and on for five years. I will eventually post a photo but I can't yet. I can't even say what it is yet, because I plan to give it to someone who happens to read my blog. I just had to write about how excited I am to finally have it finished! What a good feeling!

Yesterday we worshipped at Mt. Auburn Christian Church in Cape Girardeau. We didn't realize until we got there that it was their Sunday to present their vacation Bible school program. What a great service! The kids sang that you don't have to be big, or strong, or smart or great for God to use you. You just have to be willing. It's a very elemental truth, one that most Christians learn early, but one that we often need a refresher in. It is such a joy to see so many seeds of Truth planted in young hearts!

***UPDATE***You can now see my completed quilt project HERE.

Calm and Chaos

We've been busy, busy, busy! We are still speaking to churches, groups, individuals, anyone willing to listen to us, about our ministry with MAF and what God is doing in our lives and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we will be serving. Language school begins soon and we'll be packing up and driving to Canada next month. We are sorting through our stuff and deciding what goes to Canada (very little, thankfully), what goes to Africa, what goes in storage, and what goes AWAY. We have been purchasing things we need and we have a dear friend who is working on planning a shower for us to help with that. We are taking care of legal stuff, insurance, paper work, tying up loose ends. Getting vaccines, helping our dog get to know her future owner, visiting friends and family. You get the idea. I always enjoy my morning cups of coffee, one with God and one with my hubby, and now that peaceful time of day before the chaos begins is even more important to me. This week for a break I scrapped another page. This is an older photo but one I had never scrapped before, and I wanted to get it done for Emily. I hope you like it. I used a kit called Pinkalicious, designed by Kristi Cakebread. You can purchase it at www.scrapbookmax.com .

Cowboy Daniel

One of my favorite web sites is www.scrapbookmax.com . I scrap for a hobby and a couple of years ago I discovered digital scrapbooking. I was skeptical at first, then I decided to try it. Now I am totally hooked. My papers, embellishments, templates, etc, fit neatly into my computer until I am ready to print pages. I can use each paper, pattern, frame, embellishment, etc an unlimited number of times. I can even scrap when I am traveling via my laptop. And clean up is EASY! Overall it is also less expensive, which leaves me more money for my other hobby, quilting. Each week the designers at Scrapbook Max present a challenge that is intended to help you learn more about digital scrapbooking and how to maximize what you can do with your software. I happen to use their software because it is very reasonably priced and user friendly. The challenge last week was to randomly select a photo from our files and scrap it. I landed on this one of Daniel. It was in a file of "undated" photos and I haven't decided yet whether I took this photo in fall 2003 or spring 2004. Other than the missing date, I really liked how this turned out. I used a kit called "All American Cowboy" by Yardbunny.

Wisdom and Words

Proverbs 15:1* (Photo credit: stephen.h2010)

The ladies in our church are going through the Beth Moore studies in the book of Proverbs. This week the topic was "Wisdom With Words". Beth used several passages from Proverbs and from other books of the Bible to show that just as God breathes life through his words, we are made in his image and our words have power. We need to pray for wisdom and use our words to bring life and healing to others. Proverbs 12:18 says "Reckess words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Beth read that verse and questioned how many of us are walking wounded with holes in our hearts because of words that others have spoken to us. When she said that, I sensed God asking me how many people have I cut deeply with my recklessly spoken words. I didn't hear what Beth Moore was saying in the video during the next few minutes because God and I were having a pow-wow. God called to mind something I had said that very day that I needed to repent of and apologize to the person I had spoken to. I am so thankful that God is in the business of changing me. I know that what we say is really a reflection of what is in our hearts. Jesus prayed for believers in the garden that God's love for Him would be in us. "Lord, I want people to know I am yours by the love that comes from my heart, revealed in my words and my actions. Please make me more like your Son, who only spoke what You told Him to, the way you told Him to, and never used words recklessly when He was here on earth. Give me wisdom so that my words will bring life and healing to others." Here are some more verses about wisdom with words:

John 12:49-50
2Cor 4:13
Proverbs 18:21
Proverbs 15:4
Heb. 4:12
Proverbs 18:8
Hebrews 13:15
Proverbs 15:28

Bragging On My Kids

I know it irritates others when a parent talks constantly about their children's accomplishments, how wonderful they are, how smart, how cute, blah blah blah. So, I will try not to go on and on about it, but I am proud of my kids and this past week and a half they have given me reason. Josh and Emily both helped in Vacation Bible School last week. Emily, though, was in the classroom for 2-3 year olds and worked herself weary every night and kept her good attitude. Daniel, my cautious one who doesn't like to try new things, has been learning new games and actively participating in VBS and children's church. Josh took two CLEP tests and passed them both with very decent scores, earning dual high school and college credit in those classes. I didn't get photos of any of those activities, so in honor of Josh's academic progress, I dug out an older scrapbook page and scanned it into the computer. I had to do it in two parts and stitch the photos together, so it may not be the best quality.