A Year and a Day Ago

A year ago yesterday Jason and I headed off the Uganda and South Sudan with the seven other amazing people who made up our team. We had the most incredible time in both nations and our experiences had a deep impact on each of our lives. Yesterday I was so full of joy thinking of all of it, all the people, all the miracles, all the lessons and I wanted to share something from it with you so here are a few photos I found saved on this computer. I hope their beautiful faces bring you joy and hope. Happy Monday. 

2.5 Years and a little Refinement

So today marks 2.5 years of marriage for us. Note the period. 2.5 not 25. Someday, I doubt I will still have this blog at that point, we will celebrate 25 and that will be epic. We aren’t celebrating half anniversaries but I more so just realized it and felt the need to share. (Sharing the fact as well as a couple of our stunning wedding photos because our friends are amazing photographers.) It has been an amazing 2.5 years. We have backpacked Europe, gone to the worlds youngest nation, and have been to over 20 countries together. It started off in little Antigonish, Nova Scotia and now we call Muizenberg, South Africa home. It has been wild at times and we have spent much of the last year living out of backpacks but we wouldn’t change it for anything. God has been so good and kind and generous to us and we are full of gratitude. 

To be honest the past month or two have been the hardest we have had marriage wise(still good though, don’t fret). So much conflict even over little things. But conflict brings growth and although the stretching has been painful we are already seeing the fruit if it and learning so much more about each other relationally and individually. It’s hard yet full of hope. Something God spoke to me last week during our Bethesda worship time was that even the refinement is an act of worship. Embracing refinement, embracing it with obedience is worship. It’s not easy to lay yourself down but it is the purest of worship. It’s the best. I was so encouraged when He said that. Sometimes you know things but you just need to hear if from God Himself. 

Happy Sunday. 

PS: This is our photographers website: http://jordanmattie.com 

If you are in the Canadian Maritimes check him out. So talented. So good! 

Noordhoek Sunset and the Smokey Haze

 Last Monday night Jason and I took the advice our friends gave us and headed to Noordhoek. Its a town about a 25 minutes drive from us and as you can see the beach there is incredibly beautiful. If you have been hearing any news about Cape Town lately I am sure you have heard about the wild fires that lasted most of this past week. They stretched for miles and most of our mountain is charred and black. All that to say the clouds in the sky in these pictures are not clouds at all but actually smoke. The fires burned on the mountain right behind us as we watched the sun go down on the horizon. It was such a mix of golden light and eerie haze. Beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. Needless to say we will be going back to Noordhoek lots more times and if you come visit I am sure we will take you there too.

Chasing the Sun

On Saturday night I needed to get out of the house and do something even if it was only for a half an hour so Jason lovingly obliged and off we went. It was quite a dreary afternoon in Muizenberg and really cloudy so we decided to chase the sun. Sometimes you just need to find it. We started driving towards Fishhoek because we could see the gold reflecting on the water in that direction and as we rounded the big turn on the road around the mountain there it was. Gold light everywhere. It was beautiful and found us gazing with mouths open. We parked on a random street, jumped out, and started taking pictures. These are the result. The two at the end are from the drive back and show the dreariness on our side of the mountain. The gold is always there you just have to look for it.

Hope your weekend was as beautiful as ours was.