Ethan is “fwee” years old today!
Your happy little heart makes us smile each day and you are a joy to have in our family. Happy birthday little buddy! Mommy and daddy love you lots.
Ethan trying to hold up three fingers.
Fwee!
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Monthly Archives: October 2011
Out for a bike ride
Ministry Update :: October 20, 2011
In the last 6 months we have done the photography for the covers of two upcoming books. One book is written and is being field tested now, the other is only outlined and will hopefully be written within a few years. I had the privilege of being a part of the team to get these photographs.
On our team we had a few people helping out with wardrobe and makeup; poor Steve who stood in as a model while we tried angles and lighting; a director; and me, who did lighting and photography.
The first photo shoot involved creating a scene of Paul the Apostle in his older years retelling the story of his experience on the road to Damascus. For this we had a gentleman named John drive four hours to come to our studio where he sat very patiently as we placed him in a period costume and began taking pictures.
The transformation begins..
Fine tuning lighting and wardrobe
Taking the shot.
Earlier this month, we reassembled our team to create another cover. This photo shoot had a different gentleman named John, who came down from Wetaskiwin to stand in as Peter the Apostle.
Jessica applying makeup to simulate sores on wrists and ankles from chains.
Both of these gentlemen did a fantastic job as models and we really enjoyed working with each of them. It is not easy to do this kind of thing, especially under heavy clothes with all my lights on them. I look forward to the day when we can present them with a finished book with their photo on the cover!
The straw and everything we had on the white paper background ruined the first 10 feet of the roll. After I cut off the dirty part of the paper, Steve asked me what we should do with a 12×10″ piece of paper…
Leaves
Fall is here and so are the clean up chores. Some chores just seem to attract kids and fun, and raking leaves is one of those chores.
Ethan and I went out one day to rake up leaves. We had assembled a large pile of leaves when the girls discovered what we were up to and came outside with their giggles to join us.
Ministry Update :: October 12, 2011
It was a very, very busy three and a half weeks!
Naomi and I (along with the kids) are finally settling back into routines after being away for 24 days. Originally, the trip was supposed to be three separate trips, but they all got thrown into one, monster journey. Three different purposes also meant a lot more luggage! Occasionally someone would call it vacation… that always made me laugh.
September 2-12:
We flew to New Brunswick, my old stomping grounds, for my sister’s wedding and to visit family, friends, supporters. I also spoke at three churches. This time was too short to do all we wanted and to visit everyone, but we were thankful for the chance to do what we could in a short period.
September 12-16:
I traveled to Ontario where I met up with some of our other staff to video tape a testimonial video. The video records the salvation story of Michael, who was introduced to his Saviour through a Bible study using The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus.
The video crew
During this time, Naomi and the kids stayed in New Brunswick, taking a bit more time to slow down and visit with family.
September 16-18:
Our family reunited at the Toronto airport and we had a fun weekend of visiting friends in Stouffville, Ontario and a Ratcliff family reunion. We also had a chance to attend a supporting church in the area.
September 18-26:
Off to Owen Sound, Ontario to help teach a worldview evangelism seminar at the Word of Life Bible Institute where Naomi and I used to work. It was a very busy week of teaching, but we also got to visit many friends in the area and give an update at the church we attended when we had lived there.
Some feedback from the students:
“[the evangelism seminar] has taught me some great techniques for sharing the Gospel, and has shown me the importance of laying a good foundation with the Old Testament so people understand why Christ had to die. The visual aids are also a great idea in terms of clarifying things, especially for visual learners.”
“The study helped me connect concepts with a better understanding than I had before. It also gave me a better foundation for my belief by helping me make those connections. I may not be very good at expressing my faith in words, but the study has helped me to give structure to how I share it.”
“This has been very beneficial to me! I have learned a lot that I didn’t know before. I think I could now help answer unbeievers questions about God, life and death, and life after death! With being a fairly new believer, I found this super informative!”
“It has shown me a really good way to share the Gospel with those who doubt the Christian faith.”
September 26: Home!
After all our travels, the kids (and us) were very happy to finally be home. Adelaine went straight to her room and grabbed up some stuffed animals on her bed and just kept saying “I love this place! I love this place!” Ellie said that even though she often wishes she could live in different places, it really was special to come home. Ethan went right for his trains.
Overall the kids did well on the trip, but they were very tired (and so were we!). A big thank you to those who hosted us and helped us along the way. Though it was hectic, it was a blessing to fellowship with other believers and visit friends and family.
Life doesn’t slow down now that we are back. Ellie and Adelaine are now getting going in school, and I have a ton of video to capture and edit!