Thursday, November 16, 2006

A Year in Review

So this is the last day of my 35th year. As I look back on the past year it has been on full of joy and pain. I am always very reflective at this time of year. This year has been one full of joy in that I have found some really good friends and have had some great adventures to places far and wide. But in the same note, of sadness in having to leave them all when I accepted a new call to ministry in Alberta.

Life this spring has been very challenging in both ministry and family life. As most of you know my position was cut at the church I worked at. I have to say it breaks my heart to know that kids that I poured myself into for 5 years are struggleing to keep it going. I know that they are working hard but my prayer is that a currate will be found soon to help and support them. There were also some other crisis situations that came up in the youth ministry that I was dealing with.

At the same time this was happening my family went into crisis mode. My father they found out has had a sersis of mini strokes over the last year. He had one in March that landed him in the hospital. This was a hard time for my family and hard for me being so far away. One good friend would tell me how impressed he was in how I was able to still be functioning with all this going on in my life. My father spent 3 weeks in the hospital and then was sent home with no support for 3 months. Apparently he slipped through the cracks. So my mother had to be caregiver and all that went with that. Some time in the early summer she started to become ill. To the point that one time when she went to the hospital they put anerioxa if her file. She has since moved out of my parents house and is now with my sister in another city. Thankfully they have found out what is wrong and are working on getting her healthy again. My father after 3 months has finally figured out that she is not coming back. It has not been easy.

Now I am not telling you all this for pity or anything but it come up in looking back. It's in looking back that I can see the times that God strongly had me in His hand, even though I thought He was a million miles away.

Thank God that year 35 is over.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I pray that you have a blessed birthday, and that you would continue to allow God to work through you in Red Deer, just as you have in Saint John and Fredericton. You are missed, and yet we know that God has called you to work with a whole new group of young people.

Lord God, I pray that you would work in Bonnie's life in a whole new way this 36th year. I pray that this would truly be the year of the Lord in her life. Amen.

You're awesome Bonnie!

Anonymous said...

Hey Bonnie! Thanks for your comment to my blog. Since I wrote the post about extreme weather things have gotten worse! Tonight it's going to be -20-30 and there's more snow on the way! You've still got us beat though with -42.

I usually do a year-in-review myself each year, although not until New Year's eve. You're right that it does help to look back, then you can see the hand of God and how He helped you to get through the tough times, as well as how you managed to learn and grow through the challenges and the trials.

I pray that your 36th year will be one you will always remember as being full of blessings, peace, joy and love.

Your sister in Christ,
Catherine