To The Ends of the Earth

Well, this post has been in my drafts with only a title for MONTHS now....and since it has been, well, months since this happened, I had figured that I had better get this out and published before too much more time passes. Also, as I am writing and publishing these posts from the last few months, the events that I am writing about aren't necessarily in order of my posting them..Ha!

So, the last weekend of August, Anker and I went to my parents' for the last few days of freedom before I went back to work. I will blog more about that later (like maybe in Feb..lol). I wanted to post more about part of the reason WHY we went....:)

If you have been a semi-long time reader of my blog, you might recall my talking about my sister, Vienna going to the Philippines, to do her Midwife course. She was there for 2.5 years, and really loved her time there. She came back March 2017 (you can read about her homecoming here), and since has spent over a year in Canada at our families ranch, working for our bro, hanging out, making pies, and figuring out life :) After A LOT of prayer, etc, she decided to go back there again (in a different area...near Manila), but not primarily to do midwifery (though she hopes to do that eventually), but to minister to a wonderful group of women and children who's lives have been devastated by poverty, abuse, and the sex-trafficking industry. She is working with Safe Refuge International, and loving it.

 She constantly blows me away at her willingness do what the Lord requires of her, go wherever He wants her to go, and to be His hands and feet, and to go to the Ends of the Earth, and to love the unlovable. I love her willingness, and her tender heart for others, and for Jesus. She actually puts me to shame (both in her walk with God, and her adventurous spirit). I am so proud that she has such a spirit of adventure, and that she has chosen this tine of her life to serve God and to serve others. You want to know where I was when I was her age? I was slumming it in Calgary, and working at/in a semi deadens job :) I know that times have changed, and kids are growing up fast (thanks to the internet and social media), but I could no more have been in the Philippines than flown the air!!!

So, on the last Sunday in August, Vienna did her "good bye" speech, and then our church body in Vavenby laid hands on her, and prayed over her. Then, a week later, Mom and I sent her on her way to new (or old) life in the Philippines. Thanks to technology, we talk in at least some form every 24 hours...I think I talk with/to her more now than when she lived two hours away! Well, probably not, but it feels like we do, which is probably a good thing. Even though we are almost 16 years apart, as we grow up, the years' gap matters less :)

Anyway, she does have a blog, and you can view it here. If you feel it in your heart to donate, you may do that on her blog as well. She is essentially a missionary, which means she isn't getting any money for what she does. Thankfully, it is pretty cheap to live (especially where she is) in the Philippines, but any amount of money helps go towards her expenses, etc. Or, if you would like to find out more on where she is (or to donate), you can go to the SR website listed here above.