Troy reporting in: Made it to the UK sometime either today or yesterday.. not really sure what time means anymore. More photos to come as I get the chance to look them over and upload.
In the UK
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Monthly Archives: April 2008
Daddy and His Girls
Troy left for 2 1/2 weeks on a trip to the UK with GoodSeed yesterday – our sixth anniversary. I find myself at home with Ellie and Adelaine and a large void named Troy.
Ellie said something so sweet a couple weeks ago that I thought would be appropriate to share with you now. Troy had just left for work and Ellie looked over at me and very seriously said, “Daddy is a good man. He takes good care of his girls.” I don’t know what brought that on, but she couldn’t have said truer words. I want to share with you a few ways that I’ve seen Troy “take care of his girls” as he prepared for this trip.
In the all the rush and busyness of preparing for this trip, not to mention that the two weeks leading up to his departure were extremely hectic in and of themselves, Troy did his best to try to spend quality time with us. I have always appreciated so much how he loves to get down on the floor and play with the girls and their trains or dolls or to wrestle and tickle them. The girls thrive on his attention and are both adoring “daddy’s girls.”
Troy stayed up late one night to make some audio recordings of him reading Ellie’s favourite story books, so that she can listen to him read them while he’s away. Mommy can’t read “The Cat in the Hat” or “The Shaggy Dog and the Terrible Itch” quite the same way that daddy can.
If you haven’t noticed, I don’t write on this blog very often – actually, pretty much never. But with Troy leaving for a while and desiring to be able to share pictures and special incidences with him, I asked him to show me how to do it. With all his geek knowledge, of course he has to go about it in such a complicated way to get it just right. So he typed up 5 pages of instructions for me, complete with screen captures, and saved it where I can access it easily. He is thoughtful that way.
He also researched before he went what internet connections he’ll have, set up Skype so we can talk while we’re apart, written up a detailed itinerary with phone numbers, addresses and contacts “just in case.”
He has been so excited to go on this trip, and I am excited for him, but we sure do miss him while he’s away!
Your girls love you, Troy! Be safe and hurry home!
"Be Careful!"
Ellie offers helpful advice to the neighbourhood.
Recorded March 5.. back when it was a whole lot warmer than now.
Ministry Update :: April 15, 2008
April and May are very busy months for us around GoodSeed. This past weekend I was involved in representing GoodSeed at a home school conference in Red Deer and had many opportunities to share about our resources for clearly communicating the Gospel. Other events coming up:
April 17-19 :: TERM Seminar – These seminars are for teaching others how to use GS resources in their own ministries. We often have pastors, missionaries, and lay leaders from churches come to learn more about how to share the Gospel. I will be involved in the teaching and helping set up the sessions. This is the first of four that I will be helping with this year. More info: www.goodseed.com/seminar.aspx
April 25-26 :: Last Days Bible Conference – John Cross will be discussing evangelism as one of the three speakers at this two-day Bible conference in Calgary. I have been heavily involved in the creation of the presentations with photography to help communicate Biblical truths. During the conference, I will also be helping video tape the sessions and it will eventually be made into one of our GoodSeed DVDs.
April 27-May 14 :: UK trip – Along with some coworkers, I will be traveling to the UK to help teach another TERM seminar in London. I will also be going up to Edinburgh, Scotland, where I will be interviewing a few people on video. We will be capturing their stories of how they are using GoodSeed resources to share the Gospel and eventually publishing these videos to our website. After these two events, I will be taking a few days vacation to cruise around southern UK. I have never been over there so I am looking forward to getting some photography of some different areas.
Please pray for
- our safety and spiritual impact during all these events
- Naomi and the kids during my time away
Ode to the Potato
Looks like my favorite food group, the potato, may once again take its rightful place as one of the greatest foods. With the rising cost of other staples and growing suspicion of the impact of biofuel crops, the potato may become a staple for many of the hungry people of the world. This wonder food..
..can be grown at almost any elevation or climate: from the barren, frigid slopes of the Andes Mountains to the tropical flatlands of Asia. They require very little water, mature in as little as 50 days, and can yield between two and four times more food per hectare than wheat or rice..
Potatoes are a great source of complex carbohydrates, which release their energy slowly, and — so long as they are not smothered with butter — have only five percent of the fat content of wheat.
They also have one-fourth of the calories of bread and, when boiled, have more protein than corn and nearly twice the calcium, according to the Potato Center. They contain vitamin C, iron, potassium and zinc.
May I say that I love the potato in it’s many forms. Mashed, french fries, chips, hash browns, wedges, stuffed potatoes, potato breakfast cereal (not yet, but I think it is a great idea), potato bread, potato potato, baked potato, red potato, purple potato, they are all my favourites. I remember reading about how potatoes can contribute to weight gain and that they should be reduced in our diets. I couldn’t think of what I would eat each day if I eliminated them! How depressing. I guess I should have some potato chips to cheer me up.
Speaking of potatoes.. I have often faced persecution for a preference of mine regarding potatoes. Most people enjoy ketchup on their fries. Sliced potatoes fried in many different shapes (straight cut, wedges, curly, crinkle, waffle, etc) and all taste good with ketchup. I add one more to that category of ketchup assisted flavoured potatoes: potato chips. Before you run to the washroom to spew, think about it. It is just a thinly sliced potato that has been fried, just like french fries. There is no difference! And stop making that face!
I have met very few people who share this preference, and many who express their utter disgust. One day at lunch my coworkers were berating me for my alternative food-style and telling me that it is gross. During this very conversation, out of the corner of my eye I witnessed one of my attackers dipping his Salt and Vinegar potato chip into his yogurt and taking a bite. He obviously liked it because he then did it again. I’m not going to mention any names (JRC), but I thought it was ironic and welcomed the chance to deflect other’s food borne attacks back at one of my assailants.
For those of you still doubting.. try it.