The Nephew's Birthday

He's 12!!

It's hard to believe.

My first nephew.

The first one to be spoiled LOVED! :) 

I saw him before he was 24 hours old......and I immediately fell in love with him. 

His bright bright eyes. His long fingers. His tiny little nose. His unique ear--that is now totally normal. :) 

I stayed with my sister for week after he was born. Just to spoil him--because my sister said "she didn't need any help!!" Whatever. I didn't care how it was said, just so long I got to hold him. :) 

I remember him as the long, skinny baby screaming at his mother and I as we tried to get "just one cute photo"....{okay, so it really was more like 50!}....*sidenote: After many many photos, he is turning into quite the pro at posing for photos! I'm proud of him. :)

Now he's growing up. Actually he's been grown up for quite awhile now. He always was a mature kid. 

And then life made him grow up faster than I would have liked to see. 

But he's a sweet kid!! :)

Compassionate. A perfect big brother---always looking out for and protecting his little sisters. Generous. Kind. Creative. Smart. Funny. A soccer player. A warrior for Jesus.

I love my nephew!! :)

We continued on with the tradition of letting the birthday person decorate the cake. 

The little sisters were kept preoccupied with decorating cupcakes.

This made for less arguments over who got to be in charge of decorating the cake....and for less hands trying to all decorate a 9x13 cake at once! ;-)

In keeping with Dutch tradition, the kitchen was decorated the night before the big day...after the birthday boy went to bed. A birthday banner was hung. And balloons were decorated and hung. 

All by his adoring sisters. :)

{A special thanks to the dear friend who started this tradition! You are remembered! And missed!!!}

The finished cake. 

A soccer/football field :)

The best part...in the eyes of all little birthday people....the gifts :)

Opening a gift from his little sister...of things taken from her collection of "special things".

[What a generous girl she is!!]

Happy Birthday!! 

May God give you strength, grace and His peace as you face the coming year!

Communion

communion

kəˈmjuːnjən

noun

1. 1.

   the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially on a mental or spiritual level.
2. 2.

   the service of Christian worship at which bread and wine are consecrated and shared.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Ever since 2010, every time I partake in a Communion service my mind goes back to Nepal.

   That gorgeous country of beautiful mountains and terraced rice fields.

   And l.o.n.g. swinging bridges!!! :-)

In my mind I go back over that long BUMPY truck ride up the mountain to that tiny little apartment.

The one room apartment that serves as a kitchen, a dining room, a bedroom for 3 single missionaries, a church, and a meeting house.

 I picture the rice mats spread over the dirt floor. 

I feel the texture of the manure painted walls.

 I smell the smells of Nepal.

I miss that place.

The memories made there weren't all pleasant. 

But we look back on them now with fondness. 

It was a GOOD trip. :)

One of my favourite memories of those 10 short days was worshiping with my Nepalese brothers and sisters in Christ. I love being in a worship service where Christ is glorified in more than one language!

The faith of these Christians challenged me.

It still does today!

One of the highlights was being able to partake in a Communion service with the local church.

It was slightly different than the Communion service I attended last Sunday.

But the Presence of God was definately in that tiny one room apartment!

I will not forget the eagerness on the faces of all who came to that service....they were so eager to learn something new about Jesus!

The singing......

The crackers.....

The silver cup with the "wine"....

The seats of honour.....

Watching with interest at the way they drank from the cup.....wish I could learn that so I wouldn't have to  touch the cup that everyone else did. But, pretty sure that I would drop the crystal goblet for sure then!!

Wonder if in Bible times they ground their wheat/corn into flour in things similiar to what we saw cemented into the porches of the Nepalese houses??

 The chickens that attempted to see "if there was room for just one more inside the house"....

Oh the memories! :-)