For many of you who do not know, ever since I lived in Vancouver, I have grown to love the nature around me. In my last place, my landlord — a pastor and his family — had a compost bin in his back garden. We would fill the bin with all sorts of rubbish (vegetable clippings, tea leaves, egg shells — I even threw in some pork bones which I later found you are not supposed to do) and, after a few months, it would all turn into this very rich soil (bones included). Aside from the fringe benefits of having stuff to plant with, it was also a means to minimise the amount of waste thrown out for the garbage trucks. Afterall, things that could be composted are usually tightly wrapped in plastic bags and added to landfills – a place where worms, slugs and other friendly critters could not help in the decomposition process. Read the rest of this entry »
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For the first time since getting married, Betty and I have a place of our own to call “home.”
When we first got married, Betty moved into my basement suite underneath the home of a pastor and his family. They were good people but, on a regular basis, we could hear the piano playing next to our bedroom and the ping-pong table being used next to our kitchen.
The next time we moved was when we relocated here to the UK in September of last year. We stayed with good friends in a shared home as “temporary housing.” Honestly, we have been really blessed by good friends and strangers who have opened their places to us to live. But, as a young married couple with a desire to bless others, we thought it would be important to find a more personal “home”. So, this all changed last week.
Here’s a shot of the front (with our Civic parked there) and our back garden (with the new compost bin we got — which, incidentally, is sold at a reduced cost since most municipalities actually subsidise them). Our hope is that we will be able to use this place for God’s glory and, perhaps, entertain angels unaware. If you would like to visit, drop us a line!
Its been 365 days since Betty and I wed. Since the exchange of vows, it has been quite a whirlwind. She changed jobs; I began a PhD. We moved countries and have lived in two homes (Lord-willing, going to a third one at the end of this month). Had the addition of two members to our family — a MacBook and MacBook Pro (what else were you thinking?). We have been homesick, rejoiced at the news of an expectant nephew, mourned the passing of a loved one, surrounded by encouraging friends, faced with major decisions of housing and traveling and weddings to attend or miss, and had much anxiety over exams to come (my first year PhD panel review in June and Betty’s professional certificate exam THIS TUESDAY — prayers appreciated!). Needless to say, in one sense it seems like we have been married for much more than one year. Yet at the same time, I feel as though we are still newlyweds. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: God's creation, Relationships, Wedding
One of the things I absolutely love about England is her countryside, the gentle rolling green hills and the striking occasional tree that stands alone on a slope. Dotted along with white sheep and lambs at this time, and the puffs of white cloud in the blue sky (a rarity sometimes, but I have seen it). Sometimes I wish I can paint because the countryside would be what I’d want to paint. And my photo attempts at capturing the beauty of the countryside just do no justice to the real thing.
So my friend Christina and I went off to the Peak District for two days this week, visiting historic homes like Chatsworth and staying in a quaint village hotel called The Maynard. As we finally made it to our first stop, Chatsworth, we were both quite in awe of the beauty that surrounded us. When we drove upon the estate, we spot this rather large herd of deer! I had never seen so many deer together. It was too bad my camera couldn’t capture them very well, but that truly was a scene of British countryside that I shall not forget easily.
September 1, 2008 is the two year anniversary of my arrival in Vancouver, BC from California as a new student at Regent College. It is also the day I leave Canada, with my bride, to another new country — England. Though considered by many Americans as the “America’s hat” or the “51st state,” I have grown to appreciate this country for its own goodness. As I leave, I leave with many things — the most important, being a love for a place that is not my own. Here are the top 10 things I have learned from my pilgrimage in the True North:
Tags: Canada, God's creation, United Kingdom
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