New Year's Eve

There were so many people at the house for New Year's Eve, everyone is related to someone in some way, and I gave up trying to work out all the connections. We had a huge yummy feast and played some group games. 

I started to miss everyone at home so retreated to my room for a bit, but when I came out again a group were getting ready to sing some praise songs in the music room. We all sat around in a circle while a bunch of the guys played music (the babies joined in), and we sung from old hymn books. We did that up until midnight, which was a really great way to spend the last few minutes of 2013. 

Suddenly at 2 minutes to midnight Anita called out "Everyone get your shoes on, let's go out the front!" Everyone started grabbing noisemakers, trumpets, drums. I didn't have time to get my coat on, just my shoes so I couldn't get great pictures as I was shivering so much! But at midnight all of a sudden everyone started making as much noise as possible and ran down the street making noise. Apparently this is what you do at midnight in Canada on New Year's Eve :). 

Happy New Year everyone! 2013 was especially crazy, so many changes for me! A new church, a new job, a new flatmate, a trip overseas, new discoveries about myself, dreams becoming reality. God taught me time and time again how in control He is, and that His ways are perfect. That He has a plan and to trust Him in every step. Even when things didn't make sense I clung to His word, and kept striving to do His will. 

For the first time in many, many years I look forward to the coming year with real joy and hope. Not just a vague possible hope, but a real genuine hope. I know partly it is because of a certain someone waiting for me when I come home in a few weeks :) . But it is also because I trust a God who is so much bigger than I can ever imagine. Who is always there when I struggle and when life is beautiful, who I know loves me no matter what, whose plans are perfect even if they don't make sense to me, who has planned everything in my life to make me more like Him and to use me to draw others to Him. 

2014, I am so ready!