Happy New Year! - A Year in Review

So 2005 is coming to an end and I thought I would be a good idea to reflect on the past year and consider the things that God has allowed me to experience, things He’s taught me and all the fun stuff in between.
So here goes….
Well, the year began well as I headed into my last semester in my undergraduate degree of Kineseology. I have to say that I enjoyed my 4th year of university the best. Maybe it was because I knew I would have accomplished a degree at the end of it, but I think it was mostly because of all the great friendships I formed. I remember specifically praying that I would make my last year of university purposeful in establishing relationships with some specific people. I wanted to be intentional about developing relationships with some friends whom I could invest in and be explicit about my faith with. God was amazing in answering my prayers and allowed me the opportunity to share what it means to be a Christian to several of my friends over my last semester. He opened up doors that I never expected and began to build up this confidence in me that I never knew I had. I had the opportunity once again to be a teaching assistant for a 2nd year human physiology course. I enjoyed this experience a lot as it required me to keep up on my physiology as well as give me great teaching and marking experience. A few of my great friends from my program were also T.A.-ing this course with me so this allowed another opportunity for me to connect with them.

Since I had sent in all my applications for teachers college in December 2004, the beginning of the year had me eagerly anticipating the direction of my next school year. The past year I had been anticipating and expecting and to attend the Universtiy of Wollongong in Australia, but when it came time to apply, I felt that I should apply to Brock’s teachers college as well to provide myself with the option of staying home for school. As it turned out, I was accepted to Brock before I found out about Australia and decided that was where I would go. Looking back now, I know God’s hand was directing that whole process.
During my reading week in February, I was able to take a trip with my dear friend Kathy Warkentin to Calgary to visit our friend Jen Lockyer. Jen had moved out there the previous September and we had yet to see her place and all the stuff she was involved in. We had a great time just seeing her life out there, doing a bit of touristy stuff together and of course, hanging out with a certain family that she now calls her own!
I finished my KIN courses at the end of April and started my summer job again at the University of Guelph’s horticulture research station here in Vineland. I know…big title, but not really that big of a job! That was my third summer working there although this past year, I had a more specific job working for a researcher doing data collection, research set-up and stuff like that. We did work mostly on cherries, apples, pears and some peaches. Working in horticulture has always been an interest to me and living in the Niagara fruit belt, it’s quite a common job around here. I really just loved being able to work outside all summer and doing a job completely different than what I focus on the rest of the year. The spring also brought my brother Jason home from India for the entire summer.

In May, Kathy and I took another trip together, but this time to a much warmer destination….sunny San Diego. My good friend from high school, Cara Pauls, also came with us to stay with my aunt and uncle for a week. They were gracious in allowing us to stay at their place and enjoy a week of fun in the sun. We had talked about going for a couple years, and so it was exciting to actually do it. For Cara and I, we justified it as a ‘graduation present’ to ourselves!

June brought a couple graduations in our family. My youngest brother Jeff graduated from high school as well as my graduation from Brock. It was kind of a surreal experience for me that my little brother was done school….well, and I guess that I was done university too (at least most of it). When I started at Brock, Jeff was just starting grade nine. My how the years fly by!



I had an amazing summer with friends and family. Having all 3 of us kids in the house for an entire summer hadn’t happened in many years and so it took a bit of adjusting to living together again.
My bother Jason and I are part of a small group together with some of our mutual friends and so we all spent a lot of time together meeting every other week for bible study and then the weeks in between, playing beach volleyball down by the lake. I also had the opportunity to lead the worship with my brother during our church’s vacation bible school. I love that God has given my brother and I the ability to work together in that ministry.

Although we have different styles and abilities, we have learned to work with each other over the years and serve God together through our music. One highlight of the summer was going up north to a friends cottage with our bible study group. There were 11 of us all together and we just had an amazing time together. God really blessed the dynamics of our group and allowed us to grow and encourage each other a lot that summer.

I ended off my summer heading up to Camp Crossroads in the Ontario Muskoka’s. This is the church camp that I grew up attending. I have always wanted to work on staff there but just never did and so this year I decided was the year. Together with my friend Cara, and 2 other guy friends from highschool, we served for a week as camp counselors during youth week. It was so great to be back up there and remember what it was like being a camper. It was also my brother Jeff’s last year as a camper and so being the older sister, I was sure to keep clear of any potential embarrassing situations for him. Secretly, I think he liked having me there!!

September brought a lot of changes in our family as Jeff headed off to bible school on Thetis Island and Jason, expecting to head back out to India to serve at the bible school there, was not allowed a VISA and was forced to stay in Canada. Instead, he headed out to Thetis as well and worked on staff there for the fall. Jason is still waiting on the Visa process and will head out to India as soon as it comes through. It was weird thinking about how our family has changed in the last 6 years. I never would have imagined that when I attended bible school in 1999, six years later BOTH of brothers would be there together.
Having so much fun together with my brothers over the summer, it was hard for me to have both of them gone at once. It took some adjusting to the suddenly quiet household and being home with just my parents. I always thought it was suppose to be the youngest sibling who was left at home with their parents, not the OLDEST! Oh well, its only for a time. I love my parents dearly and looking back now it was some good quality ‘down-time’ for us together. I guess I better psyche myself up for another semester of it starting next week! Both of my parents are doing well. My dad’s company, Brook-Lite Homes, continues to do well. I am happy for him that he has made some changes in his work routine and provided himself with more down time at home and with my mom. My mom continues to be a great stay-at-home mom, but is quite involved in worship ministry at our church as well as playing piano for our old elementary schools’ play “The Sound of Music”. My dad and I also continue to be involved in our worship ministry at our church.
I started teachers college at Brock in September as well. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since I knew this would be a totally different year than any of my previous years at Brock. So far, its been a really great experience. Much of the year is focused on personal reflection and growth actually which is a huge shift from academic based assignments my past four years. Our classes consist of teaching theory, education psychology and law classes as well as content courses like math, science, art and music. When I’m done in May, I will be qualified to teach from kindergarten up to grade 6.
In October, one of my best friends, Jen Lockyer, was married to Steve Frentz out in Calgary. Jen and I have been through a lot together over the past years and so it was such an awesome experience to walk through life with her to her big day. Steve is such a wonderful guy and a wonderful husband for Jen. I look forward to making memories with them together and seeing how God uses them.
For the month of November, I was on my teaching block placement working in a grade 2 classroom. Sometimes it was hard for me to believe that I was actually in that position. Who am I, I thought, to be teaching these impressionable, innocent little kids? It was a humbling and hugely rewarding experience. The teacher I worked with was extremely helpful and a great encouragement to me as a teacher. The children I had were so great and eager to learn. I heard many times though, that they were an exceptional class I should be prepared for a totally different experience in the ‘real world’ of teaching’. Unfortunately, behavioral problems and learning disabilities are so much more prevalent in our society today and so I realized that teaching is almost all about classroom management and very little to do with actually lessons times. I hope to steer into teaching music actually, something I didn’t actually think about up until this year. Hopefully this would help in getting a job more quickly.

Another new experience for me this fall has been a new person in my life. Brad and I started dating in October and have been totally enjoying getting to know each other better since. We actually have known each other for quite some time now since we went to high school together, but I guess God just had his timing in the whole thing and didn’t bring us together until now. Brad works as an aviation mechanical engineer and has many skills and talents. He is a wonderful man and I completely love his company. It’s been so great discovering so much of our similarities and yet huge differences. We are seeking God in our relationship and desire his best for our lives. I hope that I can write more about him as time goes by.
And so here we are at Christmas 2005. What an amazing year! I am truly thankful to God for his huge blessings in my life. I often stand in complete wonder at how much God gives us and yet how little we do with it sometimes. I’ve learned a lot this year about the responsibilities we have as Christians to serve and give to others who do not have so much, and I don’t just mean material blessings, but the gift of true life. More and more I feel God softening my heart to those all around me who do not even know what true living is all about. God has such amazing plans for our lives and most of the time, in ways that we don’t expect. He wants to transform us, change our hearts, change our thinking, change our actions and through us, change other peoples’ lives…..and not because we deserve any of it, but because He loves us so much. I pray that this will be my focus for the coming year. A song by Casting Crowns called “Who Am I” has actually been a huge part of my thinking this past year. I absolutely love that song, not only because it’s a great song musically, but it totally puts things back into perspective for me. It reminds of me of who I am in relation to God; not only of who God wants me to be, but who I am that God would do all He has done for me. (Sorry, that was a bit wordy, but I think it makes sense.) I wish I could figure out how to attach that song in my blog!
So congratulations on making it to the end of my letter! It’s really hard to condense a year into a letter and I know I have left out many things. But I hope that through my ramblings, you will be encouraged. Sitting down and reflecting is a great experience….and not just at the end of a year. And so, I wish you all an incredible new year as you seek God’s purposes in your life.
Love, Christine