slumber party

our house has no heat right now. it's getting fixed today, but we were without heat over the weekend and it was FREEZING. so saturday night, all four of us plus coco and the guinea pig slept in the master bedroom and turned on the fireplace. pongo had to stay downstairs b/c he sheds too much, but we gave him a sweater. i can't remember the last time my whole family slept in the same room other than at a hotel. it was kinda fun, except char kept stealing the blankets.

three decades ago...

...a band was formed. made up of a group of men who loved music and simply wanted to serve God through it, they are still going strong today. "the channels" started off as just a band, performing at local churches and leading worship at teens conference. they recorded cds and did a couple of stints on chinese christian television. as their reputation grew, they began to travel extensively to other cities to perform, became involved in promise keepers for chinese canadians and began to do overseas missions. since its humble beginnings, band members have come and gone, and one was even lost to cancer. but these men have seen God's grace and faithfulness, and they are still fully committed to the ministry He has called them to.

this weekend is the channels' 30th anniversary celebration. they will be leading worship, performing and sharing about their ministry experiences on friday and saturday night at toronto chinese community church. it's jointly a fundraiser for showers of blessing evangelistic ministry, so tickets are $15 that can be purchased ahead of time or at the door. if you're in toronto this weekend, think about coming out and supporting these ministries. you'll come away touched and encouraged by the amazing things God has been doing through them.

Blessed

I have been handed a job on a silver platter. A current co-worker at the Youth Job Centre referred me to an autism service and since I “came so highly recommended”, I was essentially given the job before my 5 minute interview even started. I am now going to be working as an Instructor Therapist for children who have autism. It’s what I do now (with the little boy that I tutor) but in a team with other therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists. I am so so so so blessed. It’s very much related to what I want to do in the long-run, I get to work for a great organization and I can totally see how God has forged this path for me. I’m going to have to remember that and hold it close to my heart because I already know that there will be bad days when I won’t want to do it anymore. But I think this is where I’m supposed to be for the next year or so and I’m excited about what I get to see and learn and do.

I still haven’t heard from the other job that I had an interview for. It’s really weird. There was a position at the Canadian Hearing Society as a Community Employment Development Worker and I really wanted it. Out of the 7 jobs I applied for in mid-August, I wanted this one the most, but I thought chances were slim that I’d be contacted for an interview. Much to my surprise, I was called 6 weeks later to come in and meet them, but after the interview I never heard from them again. Was my interview that bad? : P When I didn’t hear from them by the day they said they would call, I called them and since they weren’t there, I left a message. They never returned my call. It’s common courtesy to call regardless of the hiring decision, so I was a little disappointed by their lack of follow-up. And even though the position was in Waterloo, I would have relocated at the drop of a hat. But the Instructor Therapy position is most relevant, given that I want to go into Speech-Language Pathology. So everything has definitely worked out for the best. Never doubt God’s plan or timing.

did anyone catch the beginning of the leafs opener yesterday? right before the national anthem, the announcer said one of the corniest things i’ve ever heard in my entire life:

“the passion that unites us all…the passion that unites friends…the passion that unites strangers…the passion that unites families…” gimme a break…

some other things i did yesterday:

- cleaned up pongo’s diarrhea
- found and played from an old amy grant Christmas songbook
- watched "dodgeball"
- went to mitchell’s to look for dramatic musical material
- read chapter 13 of my textbook

today’s to-do list:

- view on-line lecture
- watch "the day after tomorrow"
- change the guinea pig’s shavings
- read chapter 4

i’m looking forward to thanksgiving! it’s my second favourite holiday after Christmas. there’s something about autumn that really gets me—the brilliant colours, the crisp air (just cool enough to wear a sweater), the family gatherings, the apple-picking, going to sherkston—i love it all!