Teaching the Jacksons

So, this was our tiny predicament: Colin and I would be in La Ronge for less than two months, but still wanted to work and put away more money for the mission field. And we also needed something to fill up our time with- being unproductive has never suited me and I knew that I wouldn't survive off of just reading books on the Jackson's window bench, or forming some sort of routine where I watch certain tv programs at certain times, go take a walk, and then come home and make dinner, and then watch some more tv. That just would not happen. We would both need something to put our hands to.

I should mention though, that preparing for our wedding, along with preparing for Mozambique was a lot of work. And preparing for Mozambique is still a lot of work- but God is making everything fall into place and providing the finances for us to go.

But still, Colin and I could not sit still. And who would ever want to live at their parent's house and sit around all day like free-loaders. Not you and not us, either. So, we got the only job that didn't require a commitment from us, and it did not even require certification. . .we are substitute teachers!

When the morning bell rings at Churchill Community Highschool, we become Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Jackson. To every young person between the grades of 7 to 12, we represent a sort of vacation-time. Their eyes light up when they walk into their classroom and see our unfamiliar selves sitting at their teacher's desk.

From this point on, they love to pretend that they are a different person as we call out the attendance, they love to turn up their i-pods during silent reading,have more social time than they would ever normally get away with, and to call us "Michael Jackson" or inform us that there is a song about "Ms. Jackson".

But I really don't mind these things at all. All last week, I substituted for an English teacher who teaches grade 11's and 12's. The first day, they tested me to see what they could get away with. But by Wednesday things were running very smoothly. Their teacher is a very organized, helpful sort of person, and she left a complete layout of work for them to complete. Unfortunately, this left very little room for my own creativity or imaginiation. But I took every opportunity I could to share things about myself and to go over different literacy terms with them that related to their assignments. Other than that, all I could really do was read my novel "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd, which I was deeply involved in and even found myself in it, as the protagonist is a young, quirky girl without a mother.

That week, I also enjoyed attending assemblies, signing permission forms, writing my new married name and notes for the students on the blackboard, and letting them get away with little things like wearing their hats, eating during class (because I did, too), and leaving a few minutes early for lunch. The only things that I didn't enjoy were speaking firmly to a few students, assigning them work to do that I knew was boring and painfully uninteractive, and moving uncooperative students to seats away from their friends. But My ears would perk up a little bit when I would hear a student refer to me as a "cool substitute" or just simply say "have a nice day, Mrs. Jackson", "have a good lunch, Mrs. Jackson"- but I would never admit that to them. I was a good, balanced mixture of firmness and leniency.

And as I continue to substitute teach, I even pretend that I could have been someone who went to teacher's college. Before my next class, I spend my time pouring over their assignments and textbooks, highlighting definitions to possibly go over with them, and basically try to get a jist of what they are learning. This way, I can discuss literacy terms, the right cerebrum and left cerebrum of the brain-anything. It's refreshing to relearn the things that I've forgotten since highschool. I only hope that the information doesn't slip out as I spend my spares flipping through Calvin and Hobbes books in the school library.

As Colin and I walk to school hand in hand, and then skip home at 3:15 pm after the final bell- we would both have to agree that it's the perfect job for us right now. Though, it does put a sort of hunger inside of me to continue my schooling. (I refrained from telling the students that I'm actually a university drop-out.) And then I think, I'm glad that Colin and are still only 21 years old and that it's not too late to further our studies by getting a degree in Business or Theology to compliment our gospel work.

So, that it was the Jacksons are up to these days. We are dressing up like teachers and secretly trying to be the "cool substitues" that students hope for. But our near trip to Mozambique is always playing out in the backs of our minds. We are very eager to leave the luxuries of North America for awhile and learn how to reach a different culture with the gospel. This excitement would account for our daydreaming and fidgety behaviour as we watch the students sit and complete their work, waiting for the bell to ring.

Our Backyard Wedding (September 6th, 2008)

Now that my head has stopped spinning, the last big event is over, the guests are gone, and we're almost ready for Mozambique. . .I can sit and blog.

First of all, our wedding was amazing. I probably only say it that way because it was my own wedding. Kind of the way a mother would say that her baby is the most beautiful that she has ever seen. But an outsider. .well, an outsider may have pointed out that it rained on and off all day, that my hair was nothing extraordinary (because after a disastrous visit to a local salon, I resorted to doing it myself), the weather was cold enough so that we couldn't use the tents and chairs that we had worked so hard to set up- with icicle lights dangling in the corners and handmade centerpieces at each table, and top it all off- the clasp on the back of my dress broke.

But if you ask me or Colin, or a member of our families how everything went, we would all agree that it was simply beautiful. And that it was beautiful because it was simple.

As I walked down the aisle, the sun was out, but it was raining just a little bit. My dad calmly told me that it was "just a sun shower" when were standing out of sight, waiting to go down the aisle. When I reached the deck, where Colin, the pastor, and the rest of the wedding party was waiting, it was raining a little bit harder. We kept going with the service, and I felt relieved when I looked out towards our guests and saw them putting away umbrellas. The sun had come back out to shine lightly on our faces as Colin and I recited our own vows. After we said our heartfelt and handwritten vows of love, faithfulness and a life of adventures for Jesus, Colin grabbed a black guitar and cowboy hat to sing "Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash. His performance was quirky, sweet, and cute- everything that Colin is. Our guests absolutely loved it and I think that it made the ceremony very memorable. At the end of the ceremony, Colin and I prayed before our guests and then proceeded into a receiving line so that we can warmly welcome all of our friends and family.

After this, we jumped into our decorated cars and went through the town honking our horns, until we reached the Nut Point Campground to take pictures on the rocks. Unfortunately it started to rain again- but our photographer was so prepared! She brought umbrellas and a big tarp to keep us from getting wet. After we got all of the important shots with the wedding party, we decided that Colin and I would do the rest of our photo session after our honeymoon- when it wasn't raining outside. It was during that photo session that we poised in a white canoe with fishing rods, ran down scenic trails, and strolled across the beach off of Lac La Ronge.

When we returned to the Jackson household, I wasn't surprised to see that Anita (Colin's mom) thought that it would be best to hold the reception inside the house rather than under our big tent in the backyard. I really didn't mind this one bit. I honestly never really liked the idea of having to sit at a head table and be the center of attention. I felt more comfortable mingling around the house among our guests while we feasted on a completely homemade meal, cooked by Grandma Tassie. After Colin and I cut the wedding cake (a beautiful carrot cake that Anita made, complete with the white bells wedding topper from her and George's wedding), we made our toasts. Jenny did such an amazing job- painting a picture to our guests of funny moments between her and I, along with how Colin and I met when I picked something out of his teeth at Bible College. There were so many funny stories and heartfelt words, and it felt so cozy and special with everyone gathered around the kitchen table. My dad also said a great speech, and I was looking forward to it because he loves public speaking. And towards the end, Colin shared our vision- that we would be going to Mozambique in about a month to attend missionary school, and then continue to do gospel work for the rest of our lives. He presented Jesus as he really is: our gracious Saviour, not a religious figure who condemns.

Anyway, it was a beautiful evening and I don't think that I would have changed a thing about it. I love the fact that Colin and I handmade our guestbook, wedding favours (oatmeal chocolate chip cookies on a stick), and money box. And I have always wanted to get married in a backyard, and Anita has always dreamed of one of her three sons getting married in the backyard, as well.
People say that a woman can never be fully prepared for her big day, and yet it's the most memorable day of her life. But I hope that this just marks the beginning of a memorable life for Colin and I.

Only 7 Days Away!

I can't believe that I haven't blogged in 2 months! So much has happened in only 2 months: a surprise bridal shower, our farewell to stephen, alex, and chantal, a visit to Windsor (my hometown) and then a 3 day road trip to La Ronge, Saskatoon. Well. .I guess that's not really a whole lot, but doing all that in the midst of planning our wedding has definitely kept our hands full.

So now in La Ronge, I'm adjusting to small town life, being unemployed, and living with a new family. But the Jackson's are interesting and loveable people- and there's barely a dull moment- much like my own family.

And Finally our wedding is only one week away! I can't believe that couples are normally engaged for up to a year or more. These four months have seemed like an eternity for us. But we've also cherished this sweet time that we won't ever get back again.

Right now, I have a rash on my face from a new moisturizer I had been using. .but other than that- things are looking great. The weather is supposed to be beautiful for our backyard wedding, Colin is practicing a song, and my family and friends will be arriving next week to join us on one of the most important days of our lives.

Jesus has been sooo amazing to us. I almost can't believe what great deals we've gotten while planning the wedding, along with the number of people who have offered to help and contribute to our wedding day. Colin's mom and his grandma are preparing all of our food, including the wedding cake. And Colin's brother (a pastry chef) is decorating the cake for us. We've gotten professional photography for almost nothing, and a wedding dress for an amazing price ($80!), and a friend of the family who is making the flower arrangements. Colin and I have also added our own special touches so far by making the favours, guest book, and money box.

And we've also been making arrangements to go to the missions school in Mozambique. We got accepted about a week ago and are very excited for this new adventure.

So these have been busy times, but ones that we wouldn't trade for anything!

Our First Family Outing!

I've always said, "I love a challenge!" But I really didn't have much to say when I found out that 5-year old Alexandra (Alex), broke her arm when another child pushed her off of a swingset.
Colin and I have sort of an adopted family that we take out swimming every week. There's 5-year old Alex, her 7-year old brother Steven, and their 10-year old friend Chantel. Stephen and Alex are blonde and mischevious, and Chantel's got a cute edge to her, as she helps mediate between the 2 siblings.
But anyway, my jaw dropped at the thought of poor Alex having a broken arm for possibly all summer. And of course our weekly outings to the YMCA pool have been put to a stop, because Alex can't get her cast wet. So this has given us the opportunity to think outside the box. What are some free activities that we can take them to, that don't involve water? After a bit of brainstorming my eyes lit up and I announced (to myself) "Happy Rolph's- we'll take the kids to Happy Rolph's!"
Happy Rolph's is an outdoor petting zoo in St.Catharines. The fact that it's free and open until dusk, makes it a great option a simple summer outing. They have pens with cows, horses, llamas, bunnies, guinea pigs, goats, pigs, etc. Happy Rolph's also has a park, a sheltered pond with swans and ducks in it, and a path along the shores of Lake Ontario. It couldn't be anymore perfect sounding- and I had a great time a year ago when I went there with some young families from my church.
But this time, as I naively divvied up my collection of end pieces (from my loaves of bread) to our kids, I forgot that our friendly critters at Happy Rolph's are just food driven animals, after all.
I was trying hard not to scream as a big, white goose over 4-feet tall, came at me with his beak wide open, and his tongue hanging out. I desperately threw the bread in my hands to Colin, as the big goose moved onto Alex, towering over her, and staring her down. Finally the big goose scurried over to Colin, and leaned up against Colin's leg like a dog, and his long beak pointed up towards the bread in his hands.Colin reminded me a lot of my dad in that moment, as my dad is also pretty fearless around the quirkiest petting zoo animals. But my sweet thoughts of my fiance were suddenly interrupted as a hungry duck grabbed onto my skirt with his beak. As I began to shriek more and the animals began to surround us a little bit more, the kids began to get scared of the animals as well. The geese and ducks were hissing and fighting for bread- and Colin and I decided that it was probably time to move on.
So after Steven, Alex, and Chantel harrassed a mother swan and her little chicks, Colin and I dragged them away to the path leading down to the pond. What a beautiful pond it was, where all of the birds were far,far,far away. This didn't hold anyone's attention too long, so we ventured off to the park.
There was nothing like swinging high on swings on a warm summer evening with the girls, or getting to watch Colin coax Steven out of a tree (while feeling tempted to climb, himself).
When we had first arrived at Happy Rolph's, I was a bit dissappointed when I realized that I hadn't brought any change with me to feed the animals. All along the animals pens there's machines that dispense pellets for 25 cents. But then I realized that feeding the ducks was quite the experience for the kids after all. And I also realized that the kids would want to come back again since they didn't really get to feed all of the animals this time.
As we headed back to Colin's car, we walked past all of the pens again to pet the animals and wash our hands at the hand washing station. And it was a beautiful thing as the kids voiced chimed "can we come back next week?" And Colin and I knew that we had a plan for at least another week. Other than that, we'll have to cross pools and splash pads off the list, as we get really creative. . .
And if you have any ideas, please let me know!

I'm dreaming of Camp. .

I'll admit it. .I'm living a bit vicariously through my sister Jenny right now. As I read her and Josh's updates about their experiences at Double H ranch in NY- I wish that I was there!! Double H ranch is a camp for critically ill children, 6-16 years old. At this camp, the staff strives and succeeds at giving kids the opportunity to have a summer camp experience and do things that they never thought that they would ever do before. For example, they had a special "inspiration week" for children on respirators, and they took them on horse carriage rides, swimming, etc. And all I can do as I read Jenny's accounts at camp is sigh and occasionally blurt out "I want to go!" or "I wish that I was there".
So Last night, I told Colin that I wanted to go and must go to Double H Ranch next summer. As we were standing in the home where Colin boards at,Julie, homeowner and former Double H camp counselor's eyes got as big as frisbees. She told me before that there are two things she would never trade for the world: her salvation, and her time at Double H Ranch. And as soon as I told Colin about the opportunities there are to talk to the kids one-on-one about Jesus, he was all for it.
So now, we have somewhat of a one year plan: Mozambique from October-December and camp from June-August. Sure, there's some gaps to fill in still- but that just makes life exciting!
But of course I should mention that I don't regret staying here in St Catharines at all. It's a good summer for me to work full-time and make money for the mission field. Plus, I wouldn't be able to plan for our wedding if I was at camp. However, at the same time, I despise the idea of people putting their lives on hold, to plan some ritzy wedding extravaganza. So, sometimes I have to remind myself of what's here in St Catharines like: Colin and I taking our "adopted" brothers and sisters on outings every week, our ministry at Scott Manor, kids connection,visiting my dad and friends in Windsor, Colin's brother Joe- in Toronto, my friends at Tim Hortons. . .stuff like that. And Colin and I will have the summer experience for sure, as we're in an arms reach of beaches, hiking trails, watermelon on sale,Toronto, Yard saling. But we don't want to just live for ourselves-we want to make an impact somewhere!
And we don't need to leave town to make an impact. So we will make the most of our time while we are. Colin and I have such an opportunity to reach out to a handful of families that we are already involved with. I would never want to take that forgranted- ever. So, here's to summer and here's to plenty of sand, plenty of sunscreen, a handful of kids who love us- and absolutely making the most of it.

The Roaches May have Won- But I've Got the Victory!

I knew for sure that I was ready to flee from my fixer-upper apartment forever when I spotted the first cockroach scurrying across the counter. Actually. .I'm not really sure what kind of bug they were. They were skinny, black and liked to travel in packs. I could not understand why we would possibly have all of these roaches in our kitchen all of a sudden. We weren't leaving food out and had been there for a year without a trace of bugs. Unless you count that giant swarm of fruit flies that one time. .but anyway- our new guests came totally unexpected!
Oh, how I remember waking up early for work, and having senses a bit blurred and my sense of alertness a bit off from being groggy. I would jump and shriek at anything small or black, thinking it was one of roaches. And many times- it was a roach! Whether I opened the silverware drawer, reached for a bowl, or placed my hand on the counter- sure enough our creepy crawly friends would already be invading that area. I'll never forget the time when Colin and I were sitting down to have dinner and a roach-friend suddenly and unexpectedly ran out from underneath my plate. Shocked, I ran away from the kitchen table screaming. But Colin whacked him with my plastic flipper and then killed another one that he dumped out my cooking pan. However, killing the roaches seemed pointless. There were so many of them- babies, teenagers, adults, seniors- and they were all shapes and sizes. And there definitely weren't going anywhere. I remember one time- I killed one and left it on the counter as an example to the rest. But that didn't work. Instead, the population seemed to double until they occupied every drawer and cupboard. How I was constantly cleaning and cleaning that month!
So, needless to say, I was more than thrilled to fly out of my Vine Towers nest and into my new home. I was ready to throw my hands up in the air and tell the roaches that they could have that shabby place if they wanted it so badly. And
Now, I live in the downstairs in-law suite of the Cormier family. I absolutely love my new home! It's just like living in my own house. I have my privacy, yet I am close enough to a family to have that cozy kind of feeling and the options of playing in the barkyard with the kids and picking flowers from the garden. And best of all- no bugs! So yes, the roaches invaded my home, took over my things, ate my food and made a fool out of me on many occasions. .but it's plain to see that in my place with cable tv, air conditioning, and a double sink in the kitchen. .I have all the victory:)

A Day in Wonderland

Despite the forecast for thunderstorms, Colin and I decided to take our chances. We were too desperate for some fresh air, waterslides, and the kinds of thrills that only rollercoasters can give you. So, we ignored the 70% chance of rain as we packed our lunches and headed out bright and early- ready for a day of excitement, together.

As we drove to Maple the sun was shining and our hopes were high. Once we arrived at the theme park, we spent some time wandering around- trying to take in the new scenery around us. I hadn't been to an amusement park in about 5 years, Colin hadn't been to one in 10 years- and we had both never been to Canada's Wonderland before. I could hear the distant screams of people being turned and dipped by various rides and I could smell that deep fried smell that every carnival and amusement park seems to have. All around us were families, couples, and friends adorned in summer gear. None of us knew each other- but we all had one thing in common: we all knew that the weather would be unpredictable, but thought it was worth it.

We started off by going on the Vortex- a rollercoaster that didn't look too intimidating. In line, I was nervous and Colin was just fine. But on the actual ride, I was pretty calm (as calm as you can be on a rollercoaster) but Colin looked stunned lol. Next, we went on The Bat- a rollercoaster that takes you upside down once, and then upside down again, backwards. I absolutely loved this ride and wanted to go on it again. .but Colin felt a bit sick.

So, we decided to take advantage of the sunny water and hit the water park. After realizing that my debit card must have flown out of my board short pocket, (most likely while being shot upside down on The Bat) we were without a locker. So we took our chances and stashed my cheap flip flops and Colin's nice new sandals in a bush.

After we were through with the waterslides and wavepool, we returned to the bush only to find out that my sandals were stolen. The thief had left one sandal behind and I desperately waved it in the air saying, "I would have gladly traded you!" But five minutes later, Colin and I were trekking across the park, back to the car. My feet were getting pretty hot on the pavement, and Colin ended up giving me a piggy back ride through the parking lot. When we got to the car, I put on my Nike Shox as Colin discovered that our sunblock had melted in the sun.

But we were out of the sun for awhile, as we ate a buffet dinner at the market place. After dinner, we decided to take on some more rollercoasters. We especially wanted to go on the two wooden ones. However, as we waited in line to go on the Top Gun, the clouds started to get dark, and suddenly, this morning's forecast came back to haunt us. As it started to rain a little bit, our rollercoaster was still in operation. But just as we were next in line, the thunder the lightening started, and our ride was "temporarily shut down". Pretty soon, it was pouring outside and our chances of riding the Top Gun on that unpredictable Sunday were not looking good. Declaring defeat, Colin and I started to head back to the parking lot in the pouring rain, along with the rest of the Wonderland visitors. Cries of disappointment and aggravation filled the air as people held purses over their heads and scurred in soaking shoes, from the water streaming down the pavement. But Colin and I laughed and ran (like people in love do) through the cold rain, until we reached his car. Amused by the sudden end to our day, and the fact the weather won after all, we drove home, pointing out the distant bolts of lightening on the way.

So, even though our day was interesting- we both had a really good time. I just couldn't get over the fact that we went to Canada's Wonderland and only went on two rollercoasters!