Wednesday 25 April 2012

One Week Ago

It's hard to believe that a week has gone by since our move to Grand Cayman.  Many things have changed in our lives in that short period of time.  We don't drive on the right hand side of the road anymore and whoever is driving doesn't sit on the left side of the car anymore.  We turn the water heater on only when we need it and the dryer door opens up horizontally rather than vertically.  The currency we deal in has dimes that look the size of our nickels and nickels that look the size of our dimes.  


One week ago we lived with lights on all over the house, washed half-loads of laundry and ran the A/C as cool as we wanted at very little expense.  Now we are challenging ourselves to wash the dishes and the laundry, take a shower, clean and cool the house using much less water and electricity than we ever did before.  We have also changed from living in a home we purchased, have become landlords ourselves and now live in someone else's investment.


One week ago our two boys were begging for a pet lizard, iguana or snake.  Now they have a multitude of those critters at their disposal in various colours, shapes and sizes.  Centipedes before were stepped on because they were found inside our home and they grossed me out. Now they are whacked very aggressively, inside or outside, with whatever large object you can quickly get your hands on because besides being gross they are much larger and known to pinch!


Grocery stores here are very similar to those with which we are familiar, except of course the prices!  Cost-u-Less is perhaps the best place to shop - it is very similar to Costco other than there are no membership fees and it is missing the Wii section (as noted by Robert).  Other than that it will still Cost-u-More!!  Eggs in the Caymans are very cheap and we are becoming experts at hunting for those "manager's special" or "reduced for quick sale" stickers.  Menu planning is quickly becoming a new hobby of mine, which is ironic because I have procrastinated in that area of organization for a long time!


One other thing that has changed is that we are having more heart-to-heart chats with our children and their bear hugs seem to be more frequent and perhaps even a little more intense!  


As I look back over this one short week I would have never imagined that so many changes could take place!  So many of our adjustments are positive as we are learning to conserve, share and appreciate things in ways we never thought possible.  In some ways we are being forced to make changes we would have never been willing to submit to previously.  God has an amazing way of accomplishing His work in our lives and, if necessary, will take us to whatever corner of the world He deems best in order to mold us to be more like Him.











Sunday 22 April 2012

Heart surgery

We have had a fantastic week since arriving here on Tuesday, yet you can't put a price on the blessings received from worshiping with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ even if most of them are still strangers at this point.  The worship music was just that...very worshipful and there was lots of it!!  And once again I was reminded as loudly as a clash of thunder, that God's timing is perfect.  

The Sunday School class Jay and I attended was a video series on a book by Ted Tripp called "Shepherding a Child's Heart".  I have previously read this book and felt that this would be a great class to attend since I was familiar with the subjects to be discussed. One thing I didn't already know was that God had planned a long time ago that I should be in that class today and hear the charge that this speaker was giving to his viewers.  

Mr. Tripp shared an illustration of a parent/child interaction where he could have very easily used my name as the mom involved and would have accurately described an encounter with myself and one of our boys as recent as a week ago.  

I was rebuked that all too often I am focused on my agenda for the day or the moment and not on the hearts of the precious lives God has entrusted to my care.  Sometimes fixing a child's behaviour seems the simplest course of action, but unfortunately, the simplest thing for me isn't always the best for my children and can have long term repercussions on their hearts.  

More soul searching thoughts on my blog today...I guess that probably tends to happen when we're sticking to our budget and not running around spending money in order to occupy our time!  Maybe, no change that to I'm POSITIVE, that this is all part of God' great design in bringing us down here!  

Thursday 19 April 2012

Simple can be hard sometimes!!

In my last post I made reference to not having a credit card to purchase snacks for the boys on the plane.  Living without credit cards is a conscious albeit somewhat radical choice that Jay and I have made on our journey to debt-free living.  Like many people in today's society we have fallen prey to society's pressure to conform to a certain standard of living.  However, at the same time we have, by example, taught our children that purchases can always be made regardless of the balance in the bank account.  


Our move to the Cayman Islands will undoubtedly involve challenging budgeting adventures in addition to the many others we will encounter.  This island, like anywhere else is full of so many opportunities to spend, spend, spend!!!  And our children are no less capable of innocently pressuring us to blow our budget than when we lived in Canada!  The task of juggling our Canadian account and responsibilities there, coupled with expenses and two different currencies in the Caymans can seem daunting at times.   


The simple thing to do would be to cave in and apply for credit privileges here but in our choice for a simpler life that would make things more difficult.  In terms of budgeting we would of course follow the expected guidelines of paying the balance off monthly and that in itself is fairly simple.  However, I am convinced that it would become very difficult to exemplify to our boys how scripture promises that their Heavenly Father will supply all their needs and how constant prayer is so essential in the Christian walk.  


As Christian parents, Jay and I have an opportunity and responsibility in life, no matter where we live, to show to our children through our lives, right down to the last penny, that our God truly does care about us and will provide.  Hard as it may be for us to accept, maybe He won't provide everything according to the material list that WE have created. But He never has and never will go against His word to simply "supply all our needs according to His riches in glory." 

Wednesday 18 April 2012

"I can see the gravity down there Mommy!"

Our trip to the Caymans yesterday was incredibly uneventful for which I am very thankful!  The day started at 5:00am as the boys and I packed up the van that was so graciously loaned to us, picked up Grandma and Papa and headed to the airport.  The van was packed so tightly with luggage that there was just barely enough room for the passengers.  


We arrived at the airport in good time, transferred the luggage to carts, took pictures with Grandma and Papa and with many mixed emotions, said our good-byes.  Next stop, baggage claim - the true test of whether the luggage scale we had purchased was accurate or not.  So in line we get - but wait...Callum has to go to the washroom all of a sudden...yikes!!!  You can well imagine us with six large suitcases on two separate carts, one carry-on bag one personal item each.  Thank goodness the bathroom was not too far away, but I was still very concerned that if we started to move this grand entourage, we might not make it in time!  And of course, at the airport, leaving baggage unattended is a big no-no, so I explained our situation to the lady directing traffic at our baggage claim area and she was okay with Robert minding the luggage while Callum and I took care of business!  Thank you Lord!!  Robert is not the type to worry in the least in a situation like that and also would never wander off so as I expected he was still standing in the exact same spot when we returned.  


Before we boarded the plane we had so much to carry already, I thought it would be a nice treat to buy the boys a snack on-board rather  than in the airport.  However, one thing I wasn't aware of is that on West Jet flights, they take credit cards only for snack purchases, etc.  And we have made the choice to no longer use credit cards....hmmm!!  The stewardess was very thoughtful and donated two cheese and cracker platters to our cause that were left over!  I am so glad that God thinks about the little things!  


The flight was a lot of fun with quite a bit of turbulence, which I don't mind and the boys hardly even noticed. They both watched TV the whole time and although I'm usually not one to allow my children four hours of TV at a time, Callum never left his seat the whole flight and they both were incredibly well behaved.  Robert started out in the window seat and they switched about half way through the flight.  The Callum quote of the day was when he looked out the window and said "I can see the gravity down there, Mommy!" 


We landed on time and were greeted by Jay and a "welcome home" sign.  Callum was so excited to see daddy that he tripped as he was running, but no tears and no blood.  Robert was so excited to see daddy that he left his luggage cart parked right in front of the doors!  Needless to say the boys were ecstatic to see their daddy after a long month apart.  


A pastor from the church Jay has been attending was very kind to meet us at the airport as well with his van to help move us in and the pastor's wife stopped by later with spaghetti and meat balls for our first dinner here in our new home!  We took the kids to the beach for a while and just as the sand here sticks like glue, the boys were equally hard to pull away from the water when it was time to leave.  


While the boys were playing and swimming, I sat in a lounge chair, thoroughly enjoyed the sunset and reflected on the goodness of my Heavenly Father to us throughout the day.  We have so much to be thankful for, not the least of which is gravity, and that little naive comment of Callum's has reminded me how great and powerful my God truly is!  



Monday 16 April 2012

One More Sleep

It's unbelievable how time can fly by so fast and yet stand so still!  It seems like such a long time ago since I received a text from Jay that I thought was just a big joke - "how would you feel about relocating to the Caribbean"?  That was the middle of January and here we are already in the middle of April with only one more sleep until the boys and I step on that plane to take us to our new home, new friends, new culture, new just about everything. One more sleep until our friends and family at home will be missed, loved and appreciated like never before.  One more sleep until we as parents have an incredible responsibility yet equally wonderful opportunity to share with our boys in an adventure guided by our Heavenly Father that will have a profound impact on their lives.  

Robert and Callum are extremely excited even just to fly on a plane!  Robert and I flew together a few years ago and he was almost bursting with excitement the whole time the plane was moving, so I can't wait to hear that unique giggle again.  I think if he could just get in a plane and repeatedly take off and land all day he would be thrilled to pieces!  Callum on the other hand, has never flown before and for those who know Callum even just a little know that he has "no sit in his bum" - I'm hoping that he will surprise me and keep that character trait a secret from all the airline staff!  

Homeschooling has taken on a completely different "curriculum" these past few months.  The boys have learned about material things and how unimportant they are, a lesson that I think never ends!  Callum has enjoyed the countdown so much he doesn't realize he's also been learning subtraction!  They have learned how to paint and clean up paint spills, wash dishes, floors, windows, and walls.  They have learned how to make their beds in a hurry and how to make sure the house is ready for "show-time."  

One thing I have learned as a homeschooling mom is that I am learning more than the kids!  Recently, I have learned how patient God is and how impatient I can be sometimes. I catch myself saying "God's timing is always perfect" quite regularly and even though I know that truth deep in my heart, I have learned I can be quite reluctant to simply rest in His arms and be at peace with that perfect timing!  How often do I look back and praise God for His perfect timing in the past and yet find it so hard to praise Him for His perfect timing yet to come!  

Psalm 121:3 says, "He who watches over you will not slumber, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep".  So here we are... with ONE more sleep...when God is NOT sleeping, but is lovingly keeping watch over us, protecting, preparing and providing.  My God's not dead...He is surely alive!!








Saturday 14 April 2012

BOOK 'EM!!

This first of many blog posts is a story not soon to be forgotten!!  Names have been changed to protect the identity of my children since they are still juveniles!!

I found out on Thursday that I had to go to Richmond Hill to get a police check to bring to the Cayman Islands with me.  Robert came into the house to report that Callum had hit him in the face with his lightsaber (crime #1).  A few minutes later Callum came crying (he's the actor in the family), and reported that Robert had hit him in the back with his lightsaber (crime #2).  

So with both boys standing in front of me, I quickly packed up my things, grabbed my keys and said very firmly "alright boys, the ONLY place to deal with this is the police station...get IN the car...NOW!"  Of course the boys wondered why we had to go to the police station.  I told them I've had it and I needed to see how the police would handle this situation and I wasn't sure if they would need to spend a night in jail or not.  Robert thought about things for a little while then said "Mommy, how old do you have to be to go to jail?"  

The ride was fairly quiet most of the way and the silence was broken only once in a while with a few questions from Robert about whether I was REALLY taking them to the police station.  Callum had fallen asleep, unfortunately for Robert who was eagerly trying to apologize to his younger brother for his criminal behaviour!  

We arrived at the police station just a few minutes before they closed, so I hurriedly grabbed Callum out of his seat and firmly said "Come Robert, into the police station we go".   We were greeted by an officer who sensed my rushed demeanor and with a concerned voice said, "What happened?" I said, "Sir, these two boys have been fighting with their lightsabers and hitting each other.  Robert and Callum, GO SIT DOWN OVER THERE."  Then I whispered to the officer that I was really here for a police check for myself and he directed me to the next window, where I completed the appropriate form, paid the lady and sat down to wait.  Oh my, the wait must have been somewhat terrifying for the boys because I sat with a very serious face and just kept saying "well I just don't know what they'll say or how they will want to handle this one"!! 

Police check done and we started toward the door.  I purposefully tried to catch the eye of the officer who initially greeted us on our way in and sure enough, he looked our way, stretched his long arm out over the counter and pointed straight at the boys and gave them a small lecture about treating each other with respect and definitely not hitting each other.  He took extra care to single out Callum and said "right buddy?" to which Callum replied "yup, and we don't hit back"!!

The ride home was quite a bit different.  Robert of course had figured out fairly early on that I was trying to scare them, but he did say "I was a little bit on the cautious side, JUST in case!!"