photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2004

photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2004

cHOcoLaTE miLk iS SO gOoD

I just had a really big glass of it, and I am one hundred percent sure that chocolate milk is indeed very good for you...and oh-so-tasty.

So it's been a few days since I've posted anything again (except for a few pics from sunday). So what happened this weekend?

Let's see...friday I got a new book in the mail. I ordered it from Gospel For Asia. It's called "Against The Wind" by K.P Yohannan. I bought it 'cause the picture on the front caught my attention, and the caption read "finishing well in a world of compromise". Turns out that the book is based on the Apostle Paul's letters to Timothy, which happen to be two of my favorite books in the Bible. I read the first chapter friday night, and I can tell this is gonna be a really good book. Here's a little chunk where he talk about how God is looking for a few good men...a few people who resist the compromise and complacency that so easily imprison us:

"If God were searching among us today, would He find in you the kind of person He is looking for? Well, God is searching amond us today, searching for the one amond His people who will make the choice to seek him and conform his life to His principles, following Him regardless of what kind of compromise or complacency may surround. God is not looking for the majority who claim to be His, but for those authentic few, who, by their character, demonstrate that they are His and that they follow Him above all else. Unfortunately, I fear that many withing the Body of Christ may be passed by in search for men and women like this. - From "Against The Wind" by K.P Yohannan GFA Books. Copyright 2004. www.gfa.org

Hey, wasn't friday night when we had that little blizzard too? Man, that was a blast. Ah yes...it's all starting to come back now...friday is a long time ago already. Stacey and I spent some time practicing for a coffee house this weekend. It's at the Winkler Bible Camp for college and career aged folk. Should be fun. After practicing with Stace, I went to pick up Liane from work. By then the roads were getting pretty nasty. There was a fair bit of snow, and it was blowing pretty badly. On the way to Reinfeld, there were times we nearly had to come to a stop, 'cause you couldn't see anything but blowing snow. The roads in Reinfeld were particularly deep, but we made it to her place ok. Of course I had to get stuck right in front of her parents house. The snow was deep, and we were going to walk from the end of the street, but it was really cold and windy, so I tried to make it through one last drift before their driveway. Just barely got stuck. Liane's father gave me a hand shovelling, and we had it out in four or five minutes. Good times.

Saturday was a full day too. Liane came over in the morning, and we baked a cake which we would later take to Cat and Nandice's for supper. Just before lunch we went to Ike's place to check out his car. Liane's looking for some wheels, and I knew Ike had been trying to sell it for a while. It's a '91 Accord EXI. It looks like it's in pretty decent shape, and I felt pretty good about it, 'cause I know Ike takes care of his vehicles. And it's got a sun roof! So she's gonna buy it. Yee haw. Now I can't wait for summer. SO after that we went to Winnipeg. Spent a few hours bumming around St. Vital, and then went to see my friends Mark & Jobina. They were the directors at Beaver Creek Bible Camp, and Mark also runs 8 Hours of Howardville. Turned out Mark was at a job interview, so we never got to see him. Had a blast playing with Riker though. And we got to meet the newest member of their family, two month old Trinity. She is absolutely adorable. We must have done something to tick her off though, 'cause she wasn't very happy while we were there. Apparently she had been all smiles a short time earlier. I got to hold her for a while, but she cried, so I gave her to Liane to see if she could do any better :) She kept crying. Later, while Jobina was making some supper, Trinity was sitting in her seat still crying up a storm, so Liane gave it another go. This time she was quiet! I was pretty impressed. Then we had to leave, so Liane put Trinity down, and she started screaming again. He he.

Well, from there we went to Nat and Candice's place for supper. The food was great, and it was really good to see them again. We played Monopoly, and I had the biggest come-from-behind win ever. Liane says she just let me win so I wouldn't cry in front of everyone. Whatever!
Hmmm...it's already 11:30, so I'm gonna try and finish this up quickly. I am rather tired.

Sunday was awesome. We had a wonderful communion service at church. I think I could right another whole post just on that...maybe I will yet. After church Liane invited me to her parents place for lunch. First we went to my parents place to drop off their car. We went in to say 'hi' and get my keys, but as we left they were like"where are you going?". Earlier in the week my mom had mentioned inviting us over for lunch sometime, and I had said sunday worked for me. But she wasn't in church that morning, and when I asked dad where she was, he never mentioned lunch. I assumed she was sick, and that if she had made lunch, he would have at least mentioned it. So now I was stuck...I had accepted two invitations for lunch. Normally this would not be a problem...eat at one place, and then head to the second. But I could tell that wouldn't be acceptable. So I put on my thinking cap, and came up with a plan to save my butt. I asked Liane's parents to come to my parents place for lunch! It all worked out ok in the end, I think.

After lunch the college and career group went to Lumgair's to do some hiking. It had to be the most beautiful day possible in a month like January. Hiking was great. Jumping off a snow bank onto what appeared to be a huge drift but in actuality was more like ice was not so great. I ran and jumped as far as I could, landing maybe 10 feet forward and 8 feet down, but I was expecting nice soft landing. I landed smack on my butt, and it hurt somethin' fierce. My neck was super sore today, and I think my torso must have been 3 inches shorter after that. The rest of the time was great though. Had to be there. Ordered pizza for supper, and then watched a movie at Keith and Stacey's. I believe it was called The Rundown. Pretty funny movie. Hilariously fake. Good times.

Had the day off today. Spent 2 hours trying to figure out why my bath tub and toilet in one bathroom won't drain. At all. Sucks. Don't want to call a plumber. Can' believe the lines could be frozen...they were fine during all that minus 40 stuff, and now when it's minus one they freeze up? Can't be. Anywhoos, Liane's parents came over to my place for supper today. Liane helped me make supper. It was pretty good if I do say so myself. Leftovers will be even better. It was good having her parents over, but it was pretty tough communicating with them. I could understand some of what they were saying, and Liane translated a lot, but it's not quite the same. But they're trying to learn english, and I'm trying to learn german (although not very diligently I must confess), so things can only get better.

My eyes are refusing to stay open any more. So I must leave before I can not find my way back to my bedroom. Good night.

Weekend highlights recap to come shortly...
photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2004

"Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless." - Ecclesiastes 11:9&10
photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2004

"His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise, rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden." Habakkuk 3:3&4
photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2004