Dessert with Grandpa

It was with heavy hearts that we returned from our visit with Grandpa and Grandma tonight. Heavy in that we can see that Grandpa is slipping away. Tonight we saw just how much he has deteriorated since our family gathering last Sunday. We love him so much and it is so hard to watch it all happening bit by bit. We shared dessert together - we had our evening devotions with Grandpa and Grandma. Our precious ones all around. Grandpa prayed. He struggled to get the words out and Grandma helped him to finish his sentences. He prayed to His Maker. We all sat somewhat stunned to hear him struggle to put thoughts together. When he finished praying he apologised "Sorry that I wasn't very articulate!" Oh, Dad, if only you knew that we love you so much - we hate to see it all disappearing for you but we know you are in God's hands. We can only thank our Lord for these precious memories of late - that He has been gracious to let us have some pre-warning before things became too difficult... too difficult to communicate. We don't know how long we have Dad Campbell but things seem to have begun to deteriorate quickly of late.

Mum Campbell has served Dad so faithfully - she is just continuing to spoil him, to love him and
spoil him some more. She knows she must be strong. She realises just how many things she must begin to learn - how to operate the video camera/dvd player, learn the banking procedures, how to operate other technical things... and she picks it up so quickly. Her love for Dad is so evident and so precious. Tonight Dad burst into a little verse from some romantic song and Mum's face lit up. He would have continued only he couldn't remember the rest of the words.

Dad and Mum love others so much and so they have had numerous (that is an understatement!) phone calls each day to see how they are. You mean so much to so many Dad!

We are the next generation - so touched by your Godly example, Dad. I have so much to thank you for in the way you trained your sons. And Lord, that we too may train our children to pass on a foundation of Godliness for the generations after them.

We love you Dad.

Moments to record

Owen
When I tucked Owen into bed tonight and asked if he wanted a kiss he said "no.... cake." He was requesting the little nursery rhym "Pat-a-cake." I couldn't resist catching the moment on video. Enjoy.




Joshua
Yesterday Joshua was learning about recounts. We read through John 10 in our morning Bible reading and so this passage is the subject of the recount. This was quite a crammed lesson - and the first time on video - so it was quite a challenge! We know you were nervous, Joshua... you did a good job though and managed to keep going - so proud of you, our boy! Great job explaining with duplo, too!

Well done Bubble Gum!
(This video snippet is a bit longer - not sure, maybe 5 min?)

Crafty things

Here are a few craft projects (photos on request of my lil' sister) I have been working on over the last few months. Please feel free to skip over the details if it really isn't your thing.

I particularly enjoyed working on craft projects in the evening while David was away.

A handbag for a birthday girl:

A picture for the bedroom wall (I actually just printed out a black and white picture then coloured it lightly with pencil shavings, added a few shiny sticker jewels (can't see in photo) and had a framing shop make the matting. The black curly bit was just a rub - 0n transfer.) The frame previously had a rather hideous oil painting in it. I also made a couple of toille cushions for our bedroom (our doona cover and cushions finally gave in after 10 years of wear and tear...so bedroom needed some attention)

A couple of 'revamped' grubby t-shirts for Owen. I decided to use some bleach and alphabet stickers to add some words to a t-shirt. The bus shirt I made by cutting a stencil from contact paper (if you know Owen - he just loves song "Wheels on the Bus").

Some outdoor muck around slippers for Rosa... and so far they seem to stay on her very fast little feet! Ok...they are a bit 60's -ish but they actually work!

party time

We packed the kids in the car and headed to Warwick today for a birthday party. It was a party for a very sweet little girl who just turned three. And what do three year olds get up to? - well she seemed to be enjoying herself just playing with friends, eating little pink cupcakes, playing on the park play things and made a little 'camp fire' with Joshua. She was happy and smiling most of the time - just soaking up all the love and attention that three year olds love.

Here is the little sweety-pie:

We are always touched by the hospitality

of this beautiful family. So nice to catch up again!

And Daddy - so nice to have you here with your little munchkins again!

Geometric extravaganza

Today we indulged in a little geometric extravaganza. Joshua has been learning about polygons, 2D and 3D shapes so we decided to make one. This one definitely needed both hands on deck (and we had 6 pages of net shapes to cut out - much to Joshua's disgust). After much folding, a bit of problem solving (on the part of Mum - the net shape is quite complicated (especially when you forgot to write all the matching up numbers on the back of the shapes:( ). Anyway it worked out (with a huge supply of sticky tape). I think both Joshua and I now have a new appreciation for the making of soccer balls (and those poor Chinese people in sweat shops making them!) Joshua tells me it took 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons in total!

Now Joshua, don't even think of it!

puny teeny weenies

Daniel 4:35

He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven

and the people of the earth.

No one can hold back His hand or say to Him:

"What have you done?"

Tonight at dinner David was sharing with us a story he read from the news. Astronomers have calculated that in the year 2035 a huge asteroid will come close to the earth (closer than our moon, at any rate). You can probably imagine just how the mind of a seven year old begins to tick over - wondering just how devestating the impact, wondering just how big such a thing is, and if indeed he would survive!

How absolutely reasurring that as for all things relating to the peoples of the earth, God is in control - completely (and how timely this Bible verse we have been learning with Josh)!

and...

what makes it even more amazing is that he would take an interest in us and our puny little problems/issues!

Here are a few of my little 'issues'... they are the most precious ones of all - only the last couple of days I have had so many soiled nappies/pants, wet beds and runny noses.... Some days it seems that there is only a few minutes to breath between nappy changes!

family

Family. Noise. Fellowship. Food. We enjoyed all of it last night. We all came together at Dad and Mum's house. We were all keen to see Dad, to enjoy the precious time we have with him. Dad seemed to enjoy himself. He was even able to play the keyboard for us which was just beautiful. He played some requests from the children, Jesus loves the Little children, This little light of mine, and Bananas in Pyjamas! I particularly enjoyed hearing Dad and Mum together singing/playing, Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
We love you Dad
We love you so much!



...and the things of earth will grown strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!

Most

David ordered a short film called 'Most' (pronounced with a short o - means bridge in Czech)

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=13a4a045cd290bc2ae2d

after seeing the film in CZ. We watched it together tonight. It is a beautiful film, made from the illustration of a loving father who looses his only son on a drawbridge in order to save the passengers in an oncoming train. It speaks of the sacrifice God made for us. What struck me the most is the fact that the passengers on the train were oblivious (apart from one) to the sacrifice the father had made. His precious, sweet, loving little boy had been crushed so that they could live. It was his only option if he was to save the people aboard the train. They remained unaware, sitting on the train - engaged in the pleasures of their own lives... The film really presented so many different facets of the ultimate sacrifice. I thought it was really well done...

Here is one comment on the back cover:
"Conveys its allegorical themes of sacrifice and redemption with formidable power and not a speck of preachiness or sentiment" Chicago Tribune

Dad Campbell

Life is precious. I am more convinced of that than ever. God has surrounded each one of us with people who love us, who care for us and who are there. David's father is in a hospital not far from us. Last Thursday he was sitting at his dining table with Mum. They were chatting away. Part way through his sentence Dad started having trouble... he couldn't manage to get out the words he was wanting to say. So unlike Dad. Mum let him struggle to say what he wanted but noticed something was quite wrong. She had trouble getting in contact with a couple of doctors and in the end called for an ambulance. Doctors suspected a lesion on the brain. The doctors have now concluded that he has melanoma cancer (second stage) in his brain (9 tumors - one the size of a fist) as well as in his abdomen and lungs. We have all been in shock. Dad is surprisingly doing ok - says he is in no pain and can communicate though does have trouble with putting his words together to answer more difficult questions. Dad is so precious to each of us. From our human perspective we all so desperately feel we need him here. The Lord knows and it is so painful to hear the doctors say he has months/possibly weeks to live. We grieve.

David returned from the Czech Republic today. He has been to visit his Dad. So thankful that he can be here again.

We rest in the fact that Dad Campbell loves the Lord. He is not fretting, though of course it must pain him to see his love ones watching - knowing that they are likely to loose him soon.

We trust you Lord, knowing that you are aquainted with grief and suffering.

Help us through this time, we pray.
Amen

My other half on the other half of the world

My beloved, who is on the other side of the world has been teaching english (some English classes are run at the airport and some in highschool or evening classes), sorting our belongings in the Smith's attic (we still have loads of boxes up there from four years ago when we were living in CZ) and catching up with some of our dear friends. There are still a few believers in the church who we remember but of course there are new folks too. Sometimes over time it is sad to see a few that are either discouraged in their faith or seem to have no faith at all. We continue to pray for the church in Kladno - for those that have remained strong and for those who are following the world. One young man we knew has grown in his faith and was actually the interpreter for David when he preached last Sunday. We praise the Lord for His outworking!