Homecomings

 Homecomings.
 So sweet. Overwhelming. Full of love and blessing. We try to go "home" each Christmas to see how tall the DeHaans are, if the Ludwig girls are dating yet, to cuddle all the newborn babies. At times it is exhausting, but mostly I'm filled with an incredible gratitude and love for all the amazing family and friends we have in Ontario.
  From the first hug from my younger brother at the airport to the rush of nieces and nephews at Hillside Hobby Farms and the joy of worshipping together at the churches we grew up in, every moment is one to savour. I get choked up during some of these moments; a song in church that is so full of meaning, an enveloping hug of a university friend, a realization that life is moving forward here without me-- but in such good ways-- being able to see glimpses of God's amazing faithfulness through generations.
  The sermon at our Sunday evening candlelight service took us through the Biblical story again from the beginning, from Creation and soon after when humanity's first sin separated us from walking with God in the Garden of Eden. Since that time, God had a plan to bring humanity back to Him again. That is ultimately what the Christmas story is about. It is the story of God fulfilling His promise to Adam, Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel, and all the nations of the world to bring us back to Him. Jesus was born in Bethlehem as a baby to bring us back to God and to teach us what His perfect kingdom is like. Christ, in perfect humanity, lived among us. This means He understands the struggles and challenges we face in this world (what a comfort). He was a perfect human, but was sentenced to death. His death bridges the gap that sin created by taking our punishment. Then he rose again from the dead and through Him we will also rise again to live eternally in God's amazing kingdom. This world is not it for those who have faith in Jesus. 
  I can identify with being a wanderer. Feeling uncomfortable and unsettled. It is a good reminder that this is not our final destination. And if I feel overwhelmed by love, blessing, and joy at my Christmas homecoming, I know that the Heavenly Homecoming is going to surpass any expectation I can imagine. I don't think the only thing we will be doing in Heaven is singing, but I do look forward to some "Excelsis Gloria"s and this is how I picture it:
    Bon at the grand piano, Kev and Uncle Wayne VdW on the trumpet, Marcella on the violin with Charles from Whitehorse fiddling alongside. Meanwhile, Colin from Whitehorse and Karina from PEI are on the drums and bongo rocking out with some of my first grade six students from Kibera, Kenya who have rythmn like you've never seen before! My cousin Sarah will be belting out "O Come Oh Come Emmanuel" ("God with us")  with Alicia from Smithville harmonizing as an alto (pumped with me that we'll never ever deal with migraines again!). Emma, Anna, Kristin, and Autumn from PEI will have a quartet outburst of "Hallelujahs" while Alli from Cold Lake, AB runs her fingers up and down the piano or perhaps hangs a masterpiece quilt for all to see. Sienna van der Wier will be there in Opa Moesker's arms and Oma Blom will have a new body that is cancer-free- maybe she'll even go skiing with me through the beauty of the renewed Garden while praising the Lord for all He has made.
   I have no idea what the renewed world is going to be like, but I like to think that all the Christ followers that have touched my life from coast to coast to coast will all be together full of joy, free of pain, and bursting to praise the Lord for all He is and has done. I'm thankful that the emotions that well up within me during these first few days in Ontario can be such a great reminder and even a small taste of the glory, joy, and blessing that are to come at our final and ultimate Homecoming when Christ comes again to reunite us with God and bridge that gap once and for all.

  This is a song that really resonated with me and my prayers this season.


"As with Gladness Men of Old"by William C. Dix, 1837-1898

1. As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold;
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright,
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Evermore be led by Thee!

2. As with joyful steps they sped,
Savior, to Thy lowly bed,
There to bend the knee before
Thee whom heaven and earth adore,
So may we with willing feet
Ever seek Thy mercy-seat!

3. As they offered gifts most rare
At Thy cradle, rude and bare,
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin's alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King!

4. Holy Jesus, every day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And when earthly things are past.
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds Thy glory hide.

5. In the heavenly country bright
Need they no created light;
Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,
Thou its Sun which goes not down.
There forever may we sing
Alleluias to our King!


 Merry Christmas to all!
Looking forward to seeing you at our Heavenly Homecoming!

It was a cold day.

  At one point today, the weather network pinned Whitehorse at -45 with the windchill. Brrr! I'm so thankful that we can plug our car in and for Marcel who heads outside as soon as he gets up to start it. Today I was supply teaching out of town and so I drove in and thankfully nabbed a plug! Usually, as a supply I'm too late for a plug which means I have to sit in my car for 10 minutes at lunch to charge the battery.
  The drive to work was a bumpy one this morning. I've heard of occasions where it gets so cold that your tires turn "square" and so they bump down the road until they've evened out round again. I think that is what happened this morning! The steering wheel and gear shift was also pretty stiff and I knew that "Scout" (our little Nissan Sentra) wanted to stay put, plugged in at home as much as I did. It is also very dark at 7:30 am and often I was blinded by the exhaust smoke of the weary and cold vehicles in front of me as I scaled the Whitehorse hill up to Porter Creek. I've become a very cautious and careful driver around these parts.
  Usually when the temps go below -30 the schools call a "Red Day" which means "indoor recess". The school I was at today has a strategy for lasting through many Red Days in a row. When the recess bell goes, all the students have to either march around the school or run to the back of the school yard and touch the fence before they are allowed back inside. It definitely helps the kids focus for the rest of the afternoon and with putting on and taking off all their "gear" it fills a lot of the recess time that could otherwise be filled with mischief and chaos! However, the school I was at today also gives the students the choice of staying outside in the frigid temps if they so desire and I just happened to be on outdoor duty to supervise the warm-blooded Yukon-bred snow-children. I bundled right up, but I still didn't last the full 30 minutes.
   My lungs were in shock from the cold air, my nostrils were piercing from the cold, my hair became wispy and white, and my eyelids were coated with a layer of hoarfrost that made it feel like I had globbed on double mascara this morning or had fake eyelashes glued to my lids. I wish I could have taken a picture at this point. It is hard to describe, but below are some stolen google images that resemble the occurence.
 

Wispy greys! Maybe that explains Santa Claus' North Pole beard!

 

Okay- a bit of an exaggeration- but you get the idea!
This is what I would look like if I was out in - 40 for a couple hours.

  Slowly, the students began to trickle back inside the school and when I was down to about seven students (after 20 minutes) I herded them back inside. Some of them didn't even have gloves on and their cheeks were getting pretty red (first sign of frostbite, I'm told) and so I think I could legitimately call it a safety hazard for them and me :) It probably was a great idea to send all the kids out for a break though- especially on the second last day of school before Christmas Break!
  
   The Yukon sure is a unique and wild place. It is neat to have all these new experiences and discover another part of Canada and another set of proud Canadians.

Dark Days and Christmas Goodness on the Horizon.

   This will be the darkest week I have ever experienced. The sun literally does not start peeking above the horizon until first recess. And when it does, it just seems to stream below the treeline and then disappear again. Today was indoor recess because the windchill has caused the temps to drop below -30 again so since I'm inside supervising hyper kids (last week of school before Christmas break- just in case you didn't know!) at lunch I miss my only opportunity to get a glimpse of the yellow ball blurred through the clouds. Sometimes, if I drive to school, I have to start the car mid-day and then I get to bask in the yellow glow for ten minutes while I let my vehicle recharge.

   I'm thankful that Marcel and I haven't felt any affects of S.A.D. and that by leading an active lifestyle and taking our Vitamin D supplements we've been enjoying the snow and going for brisk walks (as well as the reward of a hot cocoa upon sucessful return). Friday is the shortest day of the year and in Whitehorse the sun will rise at precisely 10:10 am and set at 3:48 pm. I just noticed by researching this Daylight Hours chart (http://www.timeanddate.com) that each day we were losing less and less time. This also means that each day after Friday we will gain more and more time. I was under the impression that our loss/gain was about five minutes each day, but it looks like it is sequential in pattern, gaining more and more time each day we are further from the 21st of December.

   I have also become grateful that I don't have to be in Whitehorse on the shortest day of the year, Winter Solstice; however, the chart below indicates that this Thursday is only one second longer than Friday. Ha. Well, I'm just glad that after Christmas the days will be getting brighter and brighter!

Rising and setting times for the Sun

			Length of day		Solar noon
Date	Sunrise	Sunset	This day	Difference	Time	Altitude	Distance
							(106 km)
Dec 17, 2012	10:07 AM	3:46 PM	5h 39m 00s	− 48s	12:57 PM	6.0°	147.204
Dec 18, 2012	10:08 AM	3:46 PM	5h 38m 24s	− 35s	12:57 PM	6.0°	147.191
Dec 19, 2012	10:09 AM	3:47 PM	5h 37m 59s	− 24s	12:58 PM	6.0°	147.179
Dec 20, 2012	10:09 AM	3:47 PM	5h 37m 46s	− 12s	12:58 PM	6.0°	147.168
Dec 21, 2012	10:10 AM	3:48 PM	5h 37m 45s	− 01s	12:59 PM	6.0°	147.157
Dec 22, 2012	10:10 AM	3:48 PM	5h 37m 56s	+ 10s	12:59 PM	6.0°	147.147
Dec 23, 2012	10:11 AM	3:49 PM	5h 38m 18s	+ 22s	1:00 PM	6.0°	147.138

   That said, I'm so excited to be going home to Ontario for Christmas!!! There is a new baby niece to meet, lots of family to hug, lots of great food to eat, and beautiful Christmas events and church services to attend. I try not to think too much about going home until its almost close enough to touch... three sleeps until our plane departs is close enough... I'm EXCITED!! My suitcase is open, gifts are wrapped, and soon I will begin my traditional pre-Christmas clean of our apartment so we can come back home to a neat and tidy home and cozy clean bedsheets. But first, our Christmas tour begins with only one free day left on our itinerary that I'm sure will fill up fast. It's going to be a quick, packed full visit of friends, family, and memories. We aren't sure when the next time will be that we are in Ontario so we are going to squeeze every drop of goodness out of it and collapse on the plane ride home.


3 MORE SLEEPS!



Oh- and here is the Toronto Rising/Setting times if you're interested. It doesn't seem like a big difference (3 hours or so), but do you ever feel it!!

Rising and setting times for the Sun

			Length of day		Solar noon
Date	Sunrise	Sunset	This day	Difference	Time	Altitude	Distance
							(106 km)
Dec 18, 2012	7:46 AM	4:42 PM	8h 56m 00s	− 14s	12:14 PM	23.0°	147.191
Dec 19, 2012	7:47 AM	4:43 PM	8h 55m 49s	− 10s	12:15 PM	23.0°	147.179
Dec 20, 2012	7:48 AM	4:43 PM	8h 55m 44s	− 05s	12:15 PM	23.0°	147.168
Dec 21, 2012	7:48 AM	4:44 PM	8h 55m 43s	− 01s	12:16 PM	23.0°	147.157
Dec 22, 2012	7:49 AM	4:44 PM	8h 55m 46s	+ 03s	12:16 PM	23.0°	147.147
Dec 23, 2012	7:49 AM	4:45 PM	8h 55m 54s	+ 08s	12:17 PM	23.0°	147.137
Dec 24, 2012	7:49 AM	4:46 PM	8h 56m 07s	+ 12s	12:17 PM	23.0°	147.129

Today I didn't pick up the phone...

  I have had a couple rough subsituting days lately and with the additional pressure of getting ready to head home for the holidays next week I turned my phone on vibrate last night. Normally, my phone rings between 7 and 7:30 am and Marcel wakes up to me saying "Goodmorning, Amy Vander Wier" in the most polite professional voice I can conjure. Then I hang up and groan...  "working at ______ school today... Time to get up!" Instead, when I heard a familiar buzzing and saw my phone shaking above my dresser, I turned around and snuggled tighter into the down of the warm duvet and whispered "I don't think I'm going to work today, Marcel"...
  Everyone needs a mental health day once and awhile. Today was mine. So instead of getting my sub "game face" on (which it has felt like lately-- classroom management to the max), I revelled in a day of self-indulgence. My perfect morning was spent at a local coffee shop. After dropping Marcel off at work I walked under the moonlight and saw the hope of a morning glow starting to appear behind the mountainscape (9 am). The past few weeks have been in the -30s, but recently the temperature has been on the rise and -17 felt fresh and comfortable to walk through town in. The Christmas lights were still glowing up and down Main street and many of the stores weren't open yet as I made my way to Baked Cafe.


 The aroma of roasting beans welcomed me into the homey feel of the local coffee spot. The soft murmur of morning conversations filled the air as I perused the chalkboard menu. Then, with my bowlful of latte and a white chocolate raspberry scone I headed toward a vacant corner. I curled up on a leather sofa, took my boots off, and pulled out this month's book club pick, "Love Anthony". Time passed slowly as I sipped and read, sipped and read. Finally, the sun began to peek above the horizon and the woman knitting across from me packed up and started her day so I had to assume that business was open in Whitehorse and my Christmas shopping could begin. I packed up my gear that I had spread out all around me and after taking a tour of the beautiful artistic scenes and portraits that hung on the walls, bundled up for a walk toward all of the best boutiques in town.

   I was pleasantly surprised to find a Christmas Market open today! It is called the 12 Days of Christmas Market and it features a number of local artisans. Craft markets are definitely a favourite of mine especially when I can tick some Christmas gifts off my list after visiting one! I also meandered through a few art stores and wandered about the local bookstore. Then I met a friend for lunch, picked up a couple of groceries, and headed home to listen to Christmas music while organizing, cleaning, and trying to complete a crocheted scarf.

  I know I could've used this day to deep clean our new apartment, search for some living room lamps, cook some meals to freeze for a rainy day, or even work... but sometimes we need to choose to slow down, have time to watch the sunrise, enjoy the fresh of the outdoors, dig deep into a new book, say hi to someone you haven't talked to in awhile, and smile at the joy of a self-indulgent day. Mmmmm.... I am feeling deeply satisfied.
  It is 4:14. The sunlight slowly seeped out of our living room as I was writing this blog. It feels like night time and if I didn't have hockey tonight I might have just put on my PJs for an evening of hibernation under our Christmas lights.

SinterKlaas! And some Sports News

 Happy SinterKlaas everyone! (or whatever it is you say in Dutch!) We don't usually do anything too special for SinterKlaas, but we had a few Dutch packages sent to us in late November that inspired us to make it more of an event. Some friends from church also suggested a Dutch potluck and so why not have it on December 5th?! A couple from our church hosted the event in their beautiful basement apartment and 10-12 people trickled in and out to enjoy Nasi Goreng, Croquettes, hot apple cider, and yummy speculaas almond cakes together. It was a really nice distraction from the cold, dark days we've been having lately and a great way to meet a few more people and get to know some of our new friends better. Everyone we meet seems to be very outgoing, hospitable, and easy to get to know. I'm so thankful for that.

  I wish I took a picture of the event, but here is one of the mountain of Dutch goodies we were spoiled with by some relatives back home! Yum!

  In other news, Marcel just got back from a 5 km jog in -32 degree weather! He is CRAZY! This is what he looked like when he returned!

 

I can't see if he is smiling or not! Will he do it again?

  He also got an email this week asking for his vote for the Canadian Press Athletes and Team of the Year! Pretty cool! He gets to vote on who he thinks the all-Canadian athlete/team of the year should be! It is really starting to feel like he is living the life of a sports reporter!

What would you do for something FREE?!

  So we are all moved out of our furnished apartment. This week has flown by and in the midst of teaching four days, I've been the primary "mover" and "cleaner". Due to unforseen circumstances we didn't know if we were going to get our $500 security deposit back from our first apartment. Nonetheless, I scrubbed and polished every baseboard, stove element, knick, and cranny with my awesome Norwex cleaning supplies until everything gleamed in the few hours of sunlight Whitehorse offers. Finally, after removing the last of the moose meat from the fridge and watching one last cable TV show (lacking in our new apartment), I nervously called the landlord down for the big inspection. She was so nonchalant, talking about her weekend plans and making a couple notes on her big clipboard. I just wanted to say: "Look under the cushions! All the popcorn crumbs are gone!" or "Did you notice the sparkly new foil in the oven and under the stove elements?" or "Check out how I folded every sheet and towel in perfect symmetry." But I tried to be cool, crossing my fingers that she would be impressed and write us that $500 cheque back.
   Well, at the end of this tense walk through (for me, not her), she told me that she would tell the owner of the building to cut us a cheque for the full security deposit and I nearly jumped in my excitement. Then I went on to tell her how that would really help us since we are moving to an unfurnished place and need to buy all of life's necessities. Well, don't you know, she just happened to have a leather/microfiber love seat that she was trying to get rid of! Marcel came by with me to take a look at the love seat and we negotiated a price and they even said they would drive the couch over for us if we did all the heavy lifting. And so now this sits in our living room and we are so thankful for a comfy place to rest :)

 

 

 Then our previous landlord told us about a couch her mother had in her basement that was for free!! FREE?! Well, we best take a look at it! We headed over to the address and into the basement of a kind woman who was frying up a bacon brunch. In the dim light, the couch looked pretty decent although I didn't like that it was white. Marcel and I briefly discussed our "thoughts" in front of the kind and generous owner (always awkward) who really just needed to get this large 4-seater couch out of her basement to make room for other do-dads. We took the pillows and cushions and promised we would come back later that afternoon for the couch. After leaving, we discussed some of the dirt on the cushions and thought we probably could steam clean the couch.... and maybe buy some more colourful cushions to brighten it up.... but how could we say no to a FREE couch?! It was in better condition than the ones I'd been seeing at Salvation Army for $75 and up.

 

  Well, not owning a vehicle big enough to transport this couch, we figured we could probably walk it over to our apartment. It was a distance of about one kilometer and one major street crossing. Bundled in our finest, we walked back to fetch this new treasure. After peeling the couch around a corner and up a steep set of stairs we were out in the open. Thankfully, snow in Whitehorse is very dry and clean... none of that slushy stuff of the south. This is an important detail because our white couch took a beating in that short 1 kilometer distance. That short 1 kilometer distance was a marathon to me. The couch soon proved to be awkward to hold, and especially slippery with gloves on. So, we took our gloves off. In - 29 degree weather. With a windchill of -39 degrees. As a married couple we have handled a lot of tribultations together-- driving 12 hour days, camping in chilly weather, coming up with 25 line poems during exam time --- but I think this trumps them all.

 

  I had to drop the couch every 10 steps. It was SOOOOO heavy. And AWKWARD. And my hands were COLLLLD!!! Somehow, Marcel had some kind of super human patience and was filled with encouraging words. It is amazing how when one person is weak, the other can just rev up their engine and be strong! I was thankful for his strength physically, mentally, and emotionally because I was breaking under the pressure. Our apartment felt like it was lightyears away and my whole body was getting cold. Finally, Marcel took more cushions off of the couch and left them on the sidewalk so we could try carrying it at a different angle. This helped. For awhile. Then we got to the road crossing.

 

  I think the entire road crossing I was saying "We can do it! We can do it! We can do it!" trying to motivate myself to push the extra foot.... waiting for Bob the Builder to take my place. Finally, we made it across and I dropped the couch and grabbed for my gloves to warm my hands for the final leg of the journey. We shuffled along to our apartment entryway where Marcel left to retrieve the fallen cushions and I went inside to warm my hands under some warm water. When he arrived back, I'm sure I had some new energy and zeal. We brought the couch in the door, down the short flight of stairs, and arrived at our apartment door. This is where the story gets really sad. After an hour of angle-ing, lifting, squeezing, and strategizing.... the couch didn't fit. BIG SIGH. Oh ya. It still doesn't. After I gave up, Marcel persevered for another 30 minutes to no avail. It now sits by the mailboxes waiting for Salvation Army to pick it up on Monday.

 

    If you didn't know, I can be a bit dramatic. Sorry for the length of this post. I just needed to get it out! And guess what.... I just noticed a FREE Boxspring advertised on Kijiji that would fit great with the guest room mattress we've already acquired. Do you think we could fit it on our roof with some bungees and drive for 20 kilometers??! 

What would YOU do for something F- R- E- E?!

Its ugly anyways, right?!