A new job in Canada!!

Recently I accepted a job offer at Lighthouse Christian Academy in Sylvan Lake, Alberta as their art and music teacher for k-12.  From the moment I heard about the opportunity I knew it was destined to be. I am very excited to be a part of an amazing school and community.  

I am currently living and working in Virginia in the States, but come September '08 I will be in Alberta, Canada (pending work permit acceptance). For those of you who talk to God, ask Him to grant me favor so that my work permit will be accepted and accepted on time...Alberta Labour Market Opinions take a while. Thank you for your prayers! 

The community of Sylvan Lake is approximately 30 minutes from Olds where Brandon is living and studying. This is much better! Upwards of a million people visit this small town each year, as it is a vacation destination. 

If you're not actually reading this blog and just looking at the pretty pictures... no, I'm not going to be a life guard or marathon skater, I'm going to be a teacher, and no, this is not Brandon and I in the photo.

Sylvan Lake is a small town just outside of Red Deer and it's situated between the big cities of Calgary and Edmonton. For those of you who who live in the States and don't even know where Alberta is, check out the map above. 

Music and art Lessons are already brewing in my head. I'm excited to sew into the lives of Sylvan Lake children and youth, igniting passion in them for art, music and passion for the Creator of the Universe! 

Being close to Brandon, journeying everyday life together in the same local, and getting to hear about his day in person and not on the phone makes my heart glad most of all. Thoughts of swimming and skating on Sylvan Lake are bringing smiles to my face. Hiking in the Rockies on weekends and possibly seeing the Northern lights are other adventures I look forward to. 

The Northern Lights above Sylvan Lake

Last but not least, I look forward to many meals at "Glenn's family Restaurant" in Red Deer, where one can get breakfast and fine tea served all day (anyone who knows me, knows that this is a very good thing). 

Light On Folds Unfold...

Chrysanthemum, Piet Mondrian, 1908-1909 A.D.

Nike of Samothrace, 306 B.C.
Pietà, Michelangelo, 1499 A.D.

These are some of my favorite works of art. I realized recently the similarities in some of my favorite works: the light hitting the folds that are sculpted by chisel or chalk, and the figures themselves that fold in contrapposto (the twisting of a figure on its own vertical axis). Their pose is not ridged, but asymmetrical, which reveals life and movement. Even the pedals in the flower exhibit contrapposto as they defy their vertical axis and veins that give them form. If you don't get a revelation of why you like something that's ok too. Without words and without over thinking, just take a look. You may not have words for why you like something, but that's ok. Just take it in. Usually those are the moments that deep understanding comes to us anyways. 

The Beginnings of a Quilt!

I've made pillow quilts before in a textile class in college, but never blanket quilts. So I decided to make a baby quilt as a present for a mother to be, as well as a medium for intercession. This is 1 of the 12 blocks. I don't want to spoil the final presentation, but it will look different when each block connects with the one next to it to create a symmetrical pattern. The style I chose is called "log cabin". It's fairly easy as far as quilts go, and it's perfect for my 1st one.

4/20/08  -- A couple weeks ago I actually scrapped this one and completed a pink a green quilt that looks totally different. Pictures to come...  

Gingerbread House '07

Every year my mom and I make a gingerbread house. In the past we've done houses/structures of all kinds: lighthouse, carousel, manger and regular houses.









This year we made 2 birdhouses in September (the earliest yet). It's my favorite one. It's all edible and all our own design. The birds are sculpted from fondant (+ licorice and almonds). So, enjoy...but you can't enjoy eating it...just enjoy looking at it.

You can see inside!! You'll find Shredded Wheat birds nests with jellybean eggs, watermelon windows with frosting candles that sit in the windowsill, wreaths and a Christmas tree. The brown roof is made from All-Bran cereal mmm.... well at least All-Bran has some function in this world.

Folk Festival

The National Folk Festival came to Richmond for the 3rd and final year. But no worries, it's just moving to Montana for the next 3 years. So, 7 stages and 3 days of music, food and crafts will now be scaled down to the "Richmond Folk Festival" next year. Again no worries. I went Saturday night and instead of listing to bluegrass music legends like Ralph Stanley (my favorite act in yr 1), we heard zydeco, rap, and Latin music. All of which were danceable per late night crowd. So that got me thinking...what is "folk" music if it isn't Ralph Stanley or Simon and Garfunkel. How do you define it? Folk art is usually defined as art created by people who have had no formal training, but whose works are part of an established tradition of style. So, knowing this only confuses me on the matter of folk music.

WHAT IS FOLK MUSIC ANYWAY?

What I found from good ol Google: Folk Music is music that originates among the common people of a nation or region and is spread about or passed down orally...Folk songs are commonly seen as songs that express something about a way of life that exists now or in the past or is about to disappear (or in some cases, to be preserved or somehow revived). However, despite the assembly of an enormous body of work over some two centuries, there is still no certain definition of what folk music (or folklore, or the folk) is....so it's pretty open ended I would say.


WHAT DOES NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO, NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL AND QUILTING HAVE IN COMMON?

Saturday and Sunday I listened to NPR which had live broadcast of the event all weekend. While my political views may differ from those of NPR...they play bluegrass music and live broadcasting of community events! Not everything can be perfectly balanced. And unlike many Christians I do associate with those who's beliefs are different and those who are not "perfectly" balanced. Ok....wow, that's a tangent. So, get this...while I was listening to the folk festival I was....QUILTING!!!! Yes thats right, I've been working on a quilt in my Florida room...I'm a 90 yr old trapped in a 24yr old body. I'm also taking vitamins, watching PBS and going on walks. PS I'll up date you on the quilting at a later date. But it's pretty awesome! ...a reason to check back in with my blog.

Glenn (who now has a blog http://www.ell10tt.blogspot.com/ EEEHHEEMMM!), Brittany, Dan, Dan's friends and I went to the folk festival and....

...admired sand art similar to Tibetan Monk Mandalas that I've heard of...excepts these probably weren't scattered in the river to bring healing energies though the world...or was it?!
Then Brittany tired to bite my head off...while dancing to zydeco music.

...angles played Latin music with the band,

and then stuck around for much needed assistance with Dan's dance moves.

Mexico Misson with Streams Academy

This summer I organized and led a group of 38 youth and adults on a missions trip to Piedras Negras Mexico. We joined World Mission Builders Ken and Yolanda Sessions on their mission base called Mission El Faro "The Lighthouse Mission". We saw the power of God move as lives were forever changed. We ministered at numerous local churches, organized children's outreaches, put on a youth event, performed landscaping jobs, and ultimately helped advance the kingdom of God in Piedras Negras. We had an amazing team of mostly youth, a few adults and 10 Streams Academy interns. The lives of the missionaries were dramatically changed, which is one of the best aspects of this trip.

I painted at two separate church services as a form of worship. Both paintings I ministered the message of the painting to that body and gave it to them as a present. One of them tied into the sermon that I was suppose to give that night, and the other one tied into the sermon that Kelly gave that I didn't even know the topic of, which also tied into the churches motto that we had no idea of. God is so good and faithful at reaching His people. We saw many many people accept Jesus for the first time. Some were people who came to our services or events, but many were the children who came to our outreaches. We put together a party/carnival with games and goodies. We put on programs that taught them about God though creative methods. We did skits, taught them songs, used soccer and other games, pictures, hands on art activities, gave testimonies of the power of God (healing etc), and many many other fun things. A lot of these kids, especially on the second outreach we did, didn't go to church and had never heard about God. At the end of the event the kids came over to me to make a "librito". This is a book that was put together, so that when they sat down I led them though each picture that they were to draw on each page. Every picture taught them an aspect of God. The last picture was to draw what wind looks like to you. I talked to them about how God is like the wind, you can't see the wind, but you know it's there. You can't see it, but you can feel it. God is like that. You can't really see Him, but you can feel Him and you just know He's there. There were other pictures that they drew, but that one was my favorite. Another one was a drawing of two people talking, because you can talk to God like you talk to a friend though what we call prayer. They all connected and in the end they repeated to me what they drew and what it meant, so I was impressed and happy at the effectiveness of my activity. Hopefully when they take their book home with them they will remember who God is and continue to have experiences with Him and continue to seek understanding of who God is.

Like I've said before, all of what we do is about love. Check this out: I've interpreted these first 2 pictures below to represent 1.) the love that we have been given from God, which sometimes WE can't even see (like it's on the top of our head), 2.) we show and give that love to other people, and in result their vision is forever changed. They now see though a lens of love. You could even say that they see though the heart or eyes of God, because they now have the living God INSIDE of them! We give love so that others may see love.






The last night we played Quien es Mas Macho? or "Fear Factor, Mexico". I went with Mrs. Yolanda to the grocery store in Piedras Negras and we picked up some strange Mexican food for the game: dried shrimp, pickled pigs skin (which made Ralph , well ralph...if you catch my drift, as well as Jamie), green cherries, mangos on a stick covered in chile powder, and a few other items. Brave missionaries!

Dreamers and Interpreters

Joseph, Gideon, Daniel, Solomon, Joseph father to Jesus, and Pilate's wife were all visited and instructed by God or angels in their dreams and or interpreted the dreams of others.

Joseph- A dream he had as a boy about himself (his destiny) came to pass in later years. He interpreted the dreams of his prison mates when he was in prison, and then the Pharaoh's dreams. Still considered a prisoner, Joseph gave the Pharaoh instructions out of the interpretation of symbols in the dream and told him to prepare for 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine. Because of his God given discernment Pharaoh "set him over all the land of Egypt"

Gideon- He heard one of his men tell of a dream he had where a loaf of bread tumbled into the enemy's camp and overturned a tent. The loaf of barley represents Gideon because he was a miller by trade. This prophetic dream was fulfilled by Gideon's defeat of the Midianites. Gideon is one of my favorite accounts in the Bible! (Judges 6,7,8)

Solomon- He visited a "high place" called Gibeon, which was a place of worship and slept there. In a dream God asked the king for his hearts desire and Solomon asked for "wisdom". Not selfish things, but an understanding heart to judge and

discern between good and evil. God was pleased with his request and gave it to him. He proved to be wise in his administration and wrote more OT books than any other writer except Moses. We now have Proverbs, which is a collection of wise sayings. God imparts to us in out dreams!

"I sleep, but my heart of awake; it is the voice of my beloved!" (Song of Solomon 5:2)

Daniel- Master dream interpreter! Interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dreams among others, the handwriting of an angel, and survived being thrown into the lion's den. You just have to read it! Another one of my favorite accounts! Ok, so pretty much all of these are my favorite.

Joseph father to Jesus- Ok, if you were the earthly father of the Messiah, the savior of the world, wouldn't you need some encouragement and guidance from God. God gave this to him through dreams. Through a dream God also let him know about Harod's plan to kill his child and told him to flee to Egypt, and again told him when it was safe to go back.

Pilate's wife- She had a dream about Jesus that caused her go to Pilate to prevent the crucifixion.