Emmaus Correspondence Courses

We are so excited to be a part of the Emmaus Correspondence School ministry here in Canada! The Lord is doing amazing things through these courses.

Please check the website at www.emmauscorrespondenceschool.ca

Moving

Hi,

Just a very quick note to let you know that the Lord has provided a house for us! We were up north this week and found a place that would be suitable, so an offer was made and accepted. The closing date for the sale of our present home, and the purchase of the new one, is Aug 19.

It is located in Englehart, North Eastern Ontario, about 6 1/2 hours from Peterborough. We will provide an address, etc, at a later stage.

Thank you so much for praying for us during this transition time - we really appreciate it. Our Heavenly Father certainly has once again answered prayer! He is faithful!

God Bless,
Peter & Dorothy & family

Quick updtae

"Therefore, know that the Lord our God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him" (Due 7:9)

How grateful we are to belong to the One who is the Lord God Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth and to enjoy His faithful blessing, protection and guidance! It is so comforting to not be alone as we have to find our way in the "maze" of this world. We have One greater & wiser than ourselves to give direction and help. He forgives our past sins & failures, comforts us in all our present tests & trials, and gives us strong hope for the future.

A quick update
We are trying to sell our house in Peterborough at present, and hope the Lord sends along a suitable buyer soon. Please do pray concerning this need. We have had a number of people looking, but no offers yet. Because it is a larger-than-normal house it is a little more difficult to sell. Once our house sells we will finalise plans for relocating up north. We have made a couple of trips up to visit various Assemblies in northern Ontario in the area of New Liskeard to Timmins. We have also been looking at properties. Everything we have seen so far would require extensive renovations and/or additions. We do need a good size place to accommodate all of us! We will keep looking & praying.

WHEN we move will basically depend on the Lord sending a buyer for our present house.Our hope is that we can be settled up north by the end of August, Lord willing. But of course we do not know for sure, and will continue to wait on the Lord and trust His wise leading for the right place and timing.

My health continues to improve and I can really feel that the surgery has made a difference. Pain levels are quite manageable now, and it is only occasionally that I need pain medication. The surgeon has reiterated that my lower back will always be a limiting factor in my life and I do need to be careful not to overdo it with heavy lifting, etc. (The large fusion means that the pivot point in my back is the L2 vertebrate which is smaller & weaker than the larger L5 and L4 which are the pivot point in a normal back.) But overall there is a big improvement, and I am pleased with the outcome of the surgery.

I am still under the surgeon's care until June, at which time I hope to resume work and a more normal schedule, if I get the "all clear" from the surgeon. Until then I am in physiotherapy and on "light duty".

Dorothy and children are all well, for which we give thanks to the Lord for His kindness & grace.

Thank you for standing with us in prayer and practical support. It is much appreciated.
God bless.
Fellow pilgrims on the narrow road.
Peter & Dorothy Kerr & family

News regarding the future

Thank you for praying - the Lord still answers prayer!! I am doing so much better now, and thank the Lord for the progress. I see the surgeon again on March 1st for a check-up and will get the MRI results then, too.

Now our big news:-

After much prayer, investigation, "knocking on doors", and waiting on the Lord, we have come to the decision to leave Peterborough after 16 years, and relocate to the "North country" in order to minister among the Assemblies in the New Liskeard to Timmins area.

We feel a sense of peace about this decision and believe it to be of the Lord.

We have prayed much in the words of Ex 33:15 ... "If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not hence" ...

We are not sure of our time-line yet. It will depend on how soon the Lord brings a buyer for our home.

We would appreciate your prayers as we make this transition.

Further Tests

I saw the surgeon on Jan 4 for my first post-op check-up. He had no advice as to why the left leg has had weakness, pain, etc. He asked for an MRI and nerve conduction tests to be done, and then to see him again on March 1 st.

However, when I received the MRI appointment notification in the mail, I was informed it would only be on March 29th !! So I prayed that the Lord would open a way for it to be sooner.

I phoned the surgeon's office and asked if they were aware how long I was going to have to wait for the MRI. The next day I received a call from the MRI unit at Toronto Western Hospital saying they has a "cancellation" for Wed Jan 26 at 8.15 am !! [God does answer the request of even one of His children in need! Praise the Lord!] One of our neighbours very kindly will take me down in their camper, so I can lie down on the journey. I am still struggling to be able to sit for a long period of time.

Still no word yet on when the other tests will be done.

Overall, I am making good progress and am very pleased with the way things are going. I am so thankful to the Lord for His kindness and compassion toward us.

Happy New Year!

We pray that you will have a happy New Year, and be greatly blessed by the Lord this year as you "take His yoke upon you, learn of Him", and grow closer to Him.

How wide and marvellous is the mercy and grace of God to love this world and its people's, and to provide the Way, the Truth and the Life for all who are weary & heavy laden, and will come unto Him in simple faith & trust!

"To all who received Him and beleived on His Name, gave He the right to become the children of God" (John 1:12)

He truly is the Comforter and Sustainer of all those who call upon Him in faith, recognizing their complete dependency upon Him and need of Him who loved us & gave Himself for us, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

This year, may we each one experience peace, joy & contentment in who He is and what He has done.

To God be the Glory!

Good and ....

The last couple of weeks have been good ... and not so good!

I am still "house-bound" and have not left home since returning from surgery. Stairs are still very difficult; most times Dorothy & Kendall have to help me go up the stairs at bedtime; sometimes it is just less painful to crawl up the stairs. Sitting is still just about impossible.

I have had to go on a walker because of "trouble" with the left leg; at random times there is such a terrible shooting pain that it "draws up" and I can put no weight on it at all. It caused a few "near falls" - hence the need for the walker as "insurance" that I do not fall. For much of the day I don't feel like I really need it, but then suddenly the leg gives way and it is good to have the walker to grab hold of and keep me up.

This has of course been disappointing, but then again it is only 5 weeks since surgery - early days yet. The surgeon warned me it was going to be a "long haul" on the road to recovery, so I guess I just need to be a "patient patient"!! He said it takes 6 to 8 weeks just for the internal swelling & bruising to subside, before real progress can start to be made.

Heidi, Sam & Chelsea are battling a virus of some kind this week, with fever, sore throat, etc. Probably everyone will get it within a few days!! (Share n' share alike!)

I have been enjoying spending significant time with the family. I do Kendall & Tim's Bible lessons with them, some grade 10 Geography with Kendall, Algebra with Kendall & Tim, grade 1 English with Bethany ... I am enjoying my lessons & learning a lot!! Heidi is writing a story and I am helping edit it; she is up to chapter five so far! We have all played lots of Scrabble, Boggle, etc. Chelsea gives many snuggles! In between their lessons & chores, Leanne, Heidi & Sam provide beautiful background music on the piano.

Kendall & I are doing a "small engines" course via correspondence which has been most interesting. Kendall has a real aptitude for mechanical things.

The few inches of snowfall last night look so beautiful outside! (Especially since this winter I will not be shovelling snow!!) Its a winter wonderland blanketed in white - its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

I remember the words to an old song I learned when I was a new Christian:

"I thank God for the mountains,

And I thank Him for the valleys,

I thank Him for the trials He's brought me through,

For if I never had a problem, I wouldn't know that He could solve them,

I wouldn't know what faith in God could do."

"Through it all, Through it all,

I've learned to trust in Jesus,

and I've learned to trust in God.

Through it all, Through it all,

I've learned to depend upon His Word."

Thank you again for upholding us in prayer. It is much appreciated.