September
Journaling
1. Chiro and massage. Back to in-person
prayer meeting.
2. First trip to Costco in some time.
Also got a haircut.
3. Getting ready to go to London tomorrow.
Our daughter is coming here from Ottawa.
4. Went to London. Great to see family
again, especially my cousin with lung cancer who is doing so well; even her
voice is back to normal and they told her it wouldn’t do that. Also the kids
learned to swim. They were in the pool the whole day. COVID week 76 but no
church today since we’re out of town.
5. Driving back home. I’ll post some
pictures.
6. Our daughter went back to Ottawa. The
last day of my husband’s summer vacation. Writing and recording my podcasts; Bible
Companion Series by P.H. Thompson. At 187 already; all of Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus and Job, and most of Numbers.
7. First day of grade one for Benny and
JK for Robin. My daughter is so excited to have just one kid at home. Robin is
in just three days a week. They’re still in private Christian school. They
considered public school but just couldn’t do it. So we’re helping with costs
because it matters to us, too. We did the same with our kids. You spend your
money on things that matter to you.
8. Going to Hamilton to help out, also
to pick up my mom who is returning from London. She stayed a few extra days.
They are bringing her there; Hamilton is the halfway point.
9. Back to Women’s Bible Study in person and
online.
10. Writing day.
11. My husband is at a men’s church
retreat. Things are opening up again. Watching 9-11 documentaries.
12. COVID week 77. We had a guest
speaker since the Pastor is at the retreat.
13. Voted early in the federal election.
We’ll see if it makes a difference or if Trudeau will get back in again. He’s
threatened to remove the charitable status of crisis pregnancy centres stating
they are giving misleading information. But that is a misrepresentation, as the
CCCC makes sure they are a legitimate charity teaching facts. It’s the groups
like Planned Parenthood that ignore science, tell the woman their baby is just
a clump of cells while they sell off their organs. He claims to be pro-choice
but he is taking away the choice for a woman to keep her baby and get the
support only provided in those places.
14. My mom was saved today! But so many times when I would bring it up she’d put up a
wall or say she’s been thinking about it. Her health isn’t good and I’ve been
fearing one day going downstairs and it would be too late. It’s been a burden
on my heart for some time. I speak Finnish but I don’t know Bible words so I’ve
been looking them up so I’d be able to pray with her in her heart language.
Then I’ve been praying for an opportunity and finally on Tuesday morning I
showed her Psalm 90:10 in Finnish and we were talking about death and I told
her how amazing it is to know your sins are forgiven and you don’t need to fear
death. Then I said, “You said you’ve thought about it before. What’s holding
you back? Do you feel too good to be saved, or too bad, or you don’t you know
what to say?” She said she had a lot of guilt. I told her God already knows but
everything can be forgiven.
I even challenged her to try it and see. If God
doesn’t forgive her she can dismiss it but He will because He’s real. Then we
prayed. Afterwards she asked why God
would send His Son to die. I told her John 3:16 because He loved the world and
Romans 6:23 it’s a gift. Then I told her
I could read the Bible with her daily and explain it and answer any questions.
She liked that.
But I still couldn’t believe it was real and
thought in the morning she’d say she didn’t mean it. But instead she said she
cried every time she thought of it. I said it’s ok to feel things. You don’t
have to be a stoic Finn. She told Gary she still had a hard time forgiving
herself. It’s amazing that we can pray
and still be surprised when God answers prayer. It encourages me to keep
praying for others because as long as there’s life there’s hope.
15. I shared about my mom’s conversion
with the church at prayer meeting online. Such things are encouragements to
everyone with unsaved loved ones.
16. I still can’t believe I’m reading
the Bible with my mom at her request. We read John 8 and Luke 15. I never
thought this would happen. Such little faith.
17. Our granddaughter started her
gymnastics classes. My husband and I started a seminary class on Christian
Foundations. I’m auditing it because I took it for credit thirty years ago when
I was pregnant with my first daughter. It was very different then, now it’s an
intro to systematic theology. My husband is taking it for credit.
18. My grandson (6), lost his first
tooth. He has started soccer lessons.
19. COVID week 78. We’re back to
in-person evening services after 18 months.
20. Writing day.
21. Pain clinic for back injections.
22. Spending the day in Hamilton with
the grandkids; well 2/3 are home today.
23. Our daughter came home from Ottawa
because she’s in a wedding.
24. Semi-annual mammogram. Not as
painful as usual, mostly because of iodine tablets.
25. Reading and writing; no arithmetic.
26. Dropped our daughter off to catch a
train back to Ottawa. COVID week 79. Excellent preaching.
27. Planting some tulip bulbs for
spring.
28. Dropping off some diapers for
missionaries who just had a new baby.
29. We’ll be hosting Thanksgiving dinner
this year; 24 people. Beginning to plan my menu. Went to church in person for
prayer meeting.
30. Today is the first official Day for
Truth and Reconciliation, which they’ve made into an official holiday. Also
going in to teach Bible Study in person.
