We have Moved!

We've Moved!

2007-09-13T11:08:00.001-07:00

You can do 1 of two things our new address is www.ntm.org/jim_abbott/ or you can still use www.theabbottjabber.com. So please update for Internet Browser and enjoy our new Site!!

Jim, Joy, Arika and Baby

Kickin' Off

2007-08-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well it is official, we are starting our Partnership Development time. Starting with our home church, Bethel, here in Jackson, MI. We are supposed to share in a combine Sunday School the first week in October. We are taking any and every opportunity to share this ministry that the Lord has laid on our heart. We also have our "invitation" to the field of Indonesia which is sent with a letter from our Pastor to Sanford, FL (NTM's Hq). From there once our School bill is Paid (which is at $1500! as soon as our check makes it to Durham, ON....) We will be accepted to the Field of Indonesia! WOW it is all coming together and we are SO thankful that our God is the one getting us there!

The Hot Air Balloon "Glow" at the Hot Air Jubilee

In other News... :) We have a new member to the Family.... :) No no no Not our little one, Wes and Jodi Had a Son TODAY. Landon Wesley Chadek weighed 8.6 lbs and 22in long!!! Congratz Guys! We are praying for you and Arika is SOO excited to have a new cousin and close by too!

OH yah. Our landlord told us that we will have internet in late sept. But in the mean time we are working on keeping you more up to date on the latest Jabber... :) And we've thrown a few Pics in for free.

Still Alive....

2007-08-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Well we are still alive in case you were worried. I (Jim) have been busy working with my Dad. This has been a HUGE blessing to get to spend time with him and be able to help him. Joy is busy with Arika, and keeping the baby in her belly fed. He likes to eat and grow. We hope to have Internet at our house in the next two weeks. We will keep you posted.

We love our new place. God has been so good, This place has Lots of windows (Joy and Arika love this!). The owners are in the process of fixing up the place. New windows, roof, siding, etc. It is really nice. Oh and did we mention a DISHWASHER!! Its so awesome to see how God provides for our needs and even some desires that really are just wants that He loves to give us.

Thank you all for your prayers and Support over the last months. We truly are encouraged by you all. We are currently getting all of our Literature, Video's and Whatnot all ready to share. As far as that goes we are sharing at our Church in Sept. and hope to make that the Kick-off of our official Partnership development time. Please pray for us in this. That God would be the one to raise the prayer partners and supports we need to see the Gospel shared around the world. It is our desire to purely share what God has put on our hearts to do. It is Him that will be faithful to get us where He has led us.

We are in His hands,
The 4 of us

PS Pictures and some changes to come soon. Keep checking back.. :-)

We've moved!

2007-07-27T07:45:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody,
Just a really quick post! On Tuesday night we moved into an apartment! We are so excited to see how the Lord has porvided for us to rent the apartment. The couple we are renting it from are the sweetest people. It is such a nice set up. We are still settling in, as Jim is working with his dad in he days, and I can only get so much done with munchkin and lifting with being pregnant. (My belly keeps getting in the way!)
Please pray for Jim's family. Grandma Kibbey is in the hospital, and his dad is having some health issues along with some other things that are going on. So please keep Jim and Brenda in your prayers.
Also, we found out that I have placenta previa. Which means the placenta grew at the bottom of my uterus and is covering my cervix. Worst case senario is a C section. I'm not worried just concerned. My dr. said the placenta moves 90 precent of the time. So, I will have another ultrasound at 31-32 weeks to see if it has moved. It's not that I am worried about a c-section, I just want to be prepared for it if I'm going to have one. So we thank you for your prayers, and until next time,
Joy for the 4 of us!
If you would like our new address please email us and we'll get it to you!
P.S. Arika is very excited about her new house!

hihavinababyitsaboy

2007-07-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well if you read that right then you know the "results" of the Ultrasound last week! Its a BOY! We did the hard part and now we need you help! We cant agree on name... We need suggestions so leave us a comment and let us know what you think.

In other news we checked out the apt we hope to rent and LOVED it. We are a little over a mile closer into town that we were before and in a very good location for all we will need over the next year as we raise support and head to Indonesia!!

Well thats our update for now. Hopefully we can get a Internet Connection soon so we can keep you all up to date more often!

Jim for us 4

Praise...baby shower...wedding!

2007-06-29T11:26:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody,
It is nice to actually have time while we are in town to sit down and make a post!
Arika's testing went well! She did really good. The only time she was upset is when the dr. said to keep putting more contrast in so she would pee. She said it hurt! But other then that she did awesome! She is now in the clear! She is free from the bladder reflux. We are so excited and praising the Lord.

My appointment went well. I am now 19 weeks and my due date is November 25th! Around Thanksgiving. So I will definitely feel like I have I turkey in my belly! My ultrasound is one week from today!! We are hoping to find out what we are having. So we will do our best to keep you updated.
I had the opportunity to go to my sister's baby shower! She is having her first! It was so much fun to be their for her! So here is a picture of her and one of me with a good friend of the family!

On the same day we had a wedding to go to. This is Rolf and Amber. Jim's cousin was married on Sat last week! WE say Congratulations! We are so excited for them!!
I hope to have some pictures to show you of me and how big I have gotten so far in this pregnancy!
Thanks again for all your prayers!
Joy

Wondering...Where in the world are they?

2007-06-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody, Okay so it has been awhile. We are now back in Michigan. We got in last night! And are off and running with errands that have to be done!
At this time we are living with Jim's parents. We do have an apartment lined up that should be ready sometime in July, as well as some furniture we would need, We ask that you pray with us as we wait and seek the Lord's direction, as financially we don't have the income to rent the apartment.
PRAISE the Lord our school bill is down! We only have about $2000 left to pay.
We thank you all for your prayers and support it means so much to us!

Oh and also, we don't have internet at Jim's parents so we will most likely only be able to get on about once a week to make posts and check email. We are going to work very hard at keeping you all updated!

And really quick since I'm not sure when I'll get to post again.
We would like to share with you that we are expecting our second little one at the end of November! I am now 17 weeks! And have a Doctor's appointment on the 22nd of this month.

Another prayer request is for Arika as she adjust to a different schedule, and she has some testing she needs to have done, like a follow up from when she was born, they weren't able to do the testing in Canada, so she goes in on the 19th, Please pray as we try to explain to her what will happen. they will be using a catheter to put contrast in her bladder to see if she still has bladder reflux and then turn her on the table to check and see if it will go into her kidneys. So please pray for her and Jim as I will not be allowed in the room while they do this, do to being pregnant!
Thanks agains so much, we love you all
Joy for the 4 of us!

Kids do and say the darnedest things!

2007-05-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Our Munchkin sure does! Monday, afternoon, early evening, Arika was riding her tricycle, we were outside with her talking to our neighbors. She's riding on the side walk and all the sudden I look up and she has pushed off the sidewalk, put her feet in the air and is riding down a little hill, but little did she realize or think about(she's only 2!)Arika's view as she heads down the hill!

View of hill from the side.

that there is the top of a brick wall that drops straight down, four feet. I see her start going, I yell for Jim and start running to get to her, I know that there was absolutely no way for me to get to her in time. Her front tire hits the the top of the brick wall, she goes flying over the handle bars, and the bike goes after her, and this point I am at the wall, on my way down around it.

Where I ran down around! And the wall she went flying from!

I hear screaming. At least that is a good sign, she's breathing, and conscious. We both get down there, I was afraid to move her, thinking maybe she hurt her neck or broke a bone, but she stood up and went right to Jim. We carried her inside. She said the only thing that hurt was the upper right side of her forehead. She didn't even get a goose egg or anything, just a couple little scratches, and a grass stain! Later we saw that she bit her tongue a little bit. But praise the Lord she is fine!Just to give you an idea of how high the wall is. I'm 5' 2", and as you can see that is quite a fall!

After it was all over, I broke down crying. Jim had Arika come in and he has her tell me, "mommy, I sorry"
me "it's okay honey, you didn't do it on purpose"
Arika "why mommy sad?"
Me "you scared mommy, I thought you were going to get hurt really bad"
Arika "I okay mommy, I okay."
Let's just say that helped cheer me up. She is so stinking cute!
Again, we Praise the Lord that she is okay and has no other injuries!
Joy for the 4 us!

munchkin!

2007-05-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, Arika got her hair cut. She looks adorable,(course that might be a bias opinion) I mentioned it to her one day and she got all excited about getting it cut, so I thought, let's go for it. Easier to wash, brush,take care of, and cooler for her for the summer!
So here are the pictures!

an Encore... :)

2007-04-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

Well she did it again, Here it is SleepY beauty!

Jim for the 4 of us

Work, work, work, and ....

2007-04-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

Us inside the restaurant! standing in front of the old vault!

We have pretty much been going non stop the last couple of weeks, with cultural investigations (in our live practicum that is going on), papers, etc.
So after much work, and more work, my wonderful husband took me out for dinner!
We went to a local Chinese restaurant that was established around the 1930's. It use to be an old bank, then there was a fire, and then it was turned into a Chinese restaurant, called Young's Garden. The old vault from the bank is still in there and used as a storage room. The tables and benches are still the original ones that were put in. We stared off our meal with delicious egg rolls. We then had Szechuan Style Beef, which was brought out ona a sizzling skillet! And a huge plate of chicken fried rice. The food was very, very, good. And since we hadn't really had any good chinese food in the last year and a half it was a nice treat.

Our Room!We had sparkling juice waiting for us along with many other wonderful goodies to eat!

We then went to a bed and breakfast that one of the couples her on staff own and run. One of their ministries is allowing students and staff to come out for a night. It was our first time staying and a B&B! We absolutly loved it. It was so relaxing. On arrival we were served rhubarb and peach crisp with ice cream. It was very good.

WE had the whole downstairs to ourselves. Our friend Melissa kept Arika. It was so nice to not have our daughter to put to bed or get up in the morning. We love her and missed her, but enjoyed our time.

In the morning the table was filled with delicous food. Fresh fruit, homemade granola, banana muffins, sourcream coffeecake, and them we were given 3 buckwheat pancakes, sausage patties, and eggs! VERY,VERY GOOD. We thank STEVE and Mary for their wonderful hospitality. We had a very nice visit with them after breakfast. Thanks so much.
If any of you want a great opportunity to get away, I know it is far for most of you.
It is called, Country Road Bed and Breakfast. It is open on the weeknds. If you are interested let us know and we'll get you some info.
Also a wonderful thanks to my husband who put the weekend together. Thank you! I love you SO much!
Joy

A post on Peanut!

2007-04-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

Our Baby..

Well April 5th was Arika's big day. She turned the BIG 2. It is amazing to me to look back and see how much she has grown! We have been blessed with ( biased I know) greatest kid ever. And shes Cute to boot. Anyway I just wanted to share some of her special day with all who were unable to come.

Jim and Joy

Ps. You can check out the rest of the Pics HERE

Mom's are so wonderful!

2007-04-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

To a mom who has always been there, to encourage me, pray with me and have a part in my life.
Mom, you have always been there to help me. To teach me to learn from my mistakes. That when the going gets tough to look to the Lord and keep going. Thank you for not only being my mom but also my friend. We love and miss you bunches!
Happy Birthday to a wonderful Mom and Nanny!
Hope you have a great day!
Joy for the 3 of us!

March Break!

2007-03-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a little slow, now that we are almost half way through another week after our break. (does that even make since?) And I'm just now making a post!I had a wonderful opportunity to visit my sister's in Michigan. My oldest sister Tina and her family head to Southeast Asia in like a month and she was up to visit my sister Jodi. So I had a wonderful opportunity to go and see them for a couple of days! I got to surprise her! The Meyers were nice enough to let me ride down to Jackson with them and back!! I was gone for 4 days! My wonderful, dear husband kept Arika, who is still potty training! He is such a good Dad! I am so glad that He is my husband and the father of my daughter!
I also had the wonderful opportunity to visit some friends that are on staff at the Bible school in jackson. I got to eat lunch with Chris and Denise. ( they did our wedding ceremony.) I enjoyed my chat with them. And got to see some other friendly faces as well.
When I got back from the trip, Jim and I spent some time working on a presentation for Indonesia

New Touches

2007-03-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

Well I thought that since our newest newsletter is coming out soon that I would give every the opportunity to receive it. So if you'd like to get it you can! We will be using this for a monthly email update as well for those who really want to keep tabs on us. So if you already get our newsletter via snail mail you may still want to sign up for continual jabber! You can sign up here our in the sidebar under Links.

Join the Jabber!

Email:

Jim~

A cold Snap and Videos..

2007-03-06T04:33:00.000-08:00

Well I just had to post this morning with a picture of the weather current in Durham. I woke up this morning by going outside to shovel. The instant I opened the door I was frozen! The high for today is only is a whopping -15' C (6 F for those metericly challanged :) Brrr.

In other news some of our fellow students where able to make a trip to the Bible Schools over this last week and encourage them to continue on with NTM. Well they made some pretty cool Video's that show "life in Durham...".Check them out.

Jim

What do I do?

2007-03-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

We started potty training Arika last week. She is doing very well. She now tells us when she has to go! we are still working on going right away! She says she has to go but she'll sit there for 20 mins and still not go! I know it's normal. She has stayed dry for a while! We are very proud of our little munchkin! For only potty training for a few days she is doing GREAT!
But the other night we had her in the bathtub and she said she had to go. but we just assumed it was another one of the games she plays. Jim was with her waiting for me to come wash her. When all the sudden I hear Jim say. She pooped in the tub! AHHHH~ and not just a turd or two, but a turd and a bunch of (how do I describe this?) loose poop! so there were lots of floaties. This was ALOT of poop! Then the door bell rings! haha! I'm trying to calm her down and get her dressed and ready for bed. It was a friend that wanted to download a movie off of our video camera he had borrowed. Which was fine just not at the best moment. So needless to say she was not happy. I think it has scared her for life. She used to love getting baths and would play for a half hour or more. Now she doesn't even want to get in. It is like fighting tooth and nail just to get her in! Let alone get her washed! I knew this day would come, (poop in the tub) but I was hoping it wouldn't be such a mess. Sorry if I grossed any of you out, but hey I'm the one who had to clean it up! Yuck!
I don't really want to do that one again any time soon.
If you have any ideas on how to get her to enjoy baths again let me know! I'd love to hear it!
Joy

MINE!

2007-02-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

Arika has learned the word that all parents dread! MINE! Or another way she says it is "my cheese", "my water", etc, You get the idea. So after about a week of getting really frustrated, Arika getting put in timeout and getting in trouble... we didn't know what to do! They had even written it on her sheets from childcare.
So one day Jim was walking Arika home from Nursery, when they walked by the car and you guessed it, Arika says, "my car!" It was at that point we realized that she wasn't saying it from a MINE perspective, but that she was realizing what belonged to her!
So we were really glad to finally get that figured out!
Then we decided to try and get her to say "Arika's" instead of "My" for example "Arika's water". So, we worked on it one morning while we were getting ready. We asked her to get her boots on so we could go. And again she said "My Boots" and Jim corrected her and the next thing we we hear is MY ARIKA! Kids you gotta love em! We had a good laugh over that one! So needless to say we haven't heard it too much more!

Great Video!

2007-02-21T16:11:00.001-08:00

Hey all

This a Video of Brad Buser, the man that the Lord used in my life to bring me/us into NTM. Ben and Ruth posted it yesterday on there blog and Its Really good! If you can at least watch the first 8 mins. and come back for the rest later if you can. REALLY GOOD and it may just change Your life!

Jim

What's all this?

2007-02-16T04:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, So we have been getting a decent amount of snow since we returned from break in January. But is has just been here or there maybe a couple inches at a time. So we had about 1 to 2 feet of snow on the ground. UNTIL.....

This shows how much we got just last night!

This morning! Jim was on Snow crew this morning. ( the guys on his crew take turns.)
He went out and was gone for a couple of hours shoveling over a foot of snow with Norm that we got last night! I tried to get some good pictures. Hopefully you can see how much there is!

Here our some of our neighbors on their way to school. Shows you how much we have!

A beautiful shot of God's creation!

We all hope you have a wonderful day!
Staying warm,
the Abbott's

Meatball Sub?

2007-02-13T05:31:00.000-08:00

This weekend we made some meatball subs. MMMMMMmmmmmmmmm. Were they good.
Munchkin enjoyed them very much as you can see...
That's all for now.
We'll post more soon.
The Abbott's

Kids and Cats

2007-02-04T09:51:00.000-08:00

Allie is the brown one, Alex is the white one

While we were staying at my sister's house, Arika fell in love with my sister's 2 cats. Allie and Alex. She still asks about them every once in awhile. Any cat she sees now is Allie!
You just have to go read my sister Jodi's blog. She made 2 posts about them. They are too funny.

Here are some pictures of what Alex would let Arika do to him. Any time they came upstairs from the basement she would chase them non stop! I guess the cats got their exercise for a couple of weeks. Hahahaha...
Arika trying to pick him up!!

Alex makes such a good pillow!

Enjoy.
The Abbott's

A post

2007-01-31T19:18:00.000-08:00

HEY!

Well here it is. Im sure all of you are wondering whats going on are they dead? Nope alive and well. Its been a long time since I made a post so im not sure I remember how... Just kidding. We have been going hard at Phonemics (the study of making an alphabet) and Phonetics II (the study of Speech sounds). It has been a blast learning how the work of a Tribal Church plant is done. Next on the Class list is Grammar (a hard subject...). Well I just wanted to let you all know we are living and looking forward to filling you in more.. I need to go to sleep....

Jim

Henry Ford Museum

2007-01-18T04:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I wasn't sure what to post and I couldn't find our cord for downloading our pictures! But I found some of us when we went to the Henry Ford Museum with Jim's brother and His family as well as anther nephew. We had a total blast that day and are glad we had the opportunity to spend the day with them! Here are some pictures for you!This is Jim and His brother Rob in front of the bus that Rosa Parks road on. She was arrested because she was black and wouldn't give up her seat to a white guy.

Here's Derek, Robbie, and Julia by some of the trains.

They had a fun spot to build cars and test them out. As you can see all the kids had fun!
(Iris is behind me, she's Rob's wife. She is so much fun!)

These are just a few, I hope you enjoyed!
Love you all,
Joy

Happy Birthday Andrew!

2007-01-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

We want to wish our nephew Andrew a very Happy Birthday.
We hope you had a wonderful day! We wish we could be there with you to celebrate! You are getting so grown up! Seven years old! Time sure does fly! We remember when you were about 3 years old and we all went out to Wendy's to eat and your mom said you could have one sip of Diet Coke, so you only had one sip, but it was a really, really long one! You drank so long your eyes started to water! We had to tell you to stop so you would breath!
We Love you Andrew
Happy Birthday!
Love,
Uncle Jim, Aunt Joy, and your cousin Arika

Back to Canadia!

2007-01-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

Well we made it. It was VERY snowy the last few miles but we made it home safe. The last week was a rough one. Little Arika was sick with a fever and very much not herself. Unfortunately wanted to spend some time with other Family and Friends but thought it best to let Munchkin rest. Im glad to say that she is feeling much better know. Classes started on monday but we didnt make it home until Tues. around 7:00pm because of a doctor's apt for Arika. More to come... Im feeling a bit feverish myself. We love you all and were so thankful for the time we did get to spend with you! And for those we didn't get to see we still love you and wished we could have seen you!

Nighty Night
Jim for the three of us

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T19:47:00.000-08:00

Well weve been at my parents all day so we werent able make a post earlier. Here are some candid shots of the day.

Jim

20 Months or years?

2006-12-05T04:39:00.000-08:00

Well today our little munchkin in 20 months old 4 more till 2 years going on 4 i think. She is such a awesome blessing to us. She is talking NON STOP ( no comments :) and loves to do everything she can without asking "hewp peas". And what fun it is to be out with all our friends around here and realizing that the parental teaching goes both ways! We ask them for "hewp peas" or "waash". And of course what would a post be without some candid shots of the little one!

Notice the good "Cheeese" in every picture. Doesn't matter just point the camera at her and click.... Cheeese....
We love you Peanut!
Mommy and Daddy.

Well HE did it again.

2006-12-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

I got a call this afternoon wondering how life was and all that, One of those nice chatty phone calls from loved ones back home. Well I mentioned the Car thing and they IMMEDIATELY they wanted to know how much it would cost to get it fixed. So I found out and they are going to cover the cost of repairs!

Our God is so Good!
Jim

The Car Woes

2006-12-04T09:38:00.000-08:00

Well its happened again...
An there it sits.. I went to the doctors today and on my trip the Cars serpentine belt ( fan belt) broke. It broke because the water pump froze (its been going bad). The reason I am letting you all know is merely so you will pray. We are in the same circumstances as last time, We are not sure whether or not to fix it or replace it. As it stands we don't have the capability to do either. All that to say, will you please pray with us as we seek the Lord in the need of our transportation. We know that God is faithful and we know that He knows what we need and what He is going to do.

Thank you all for your prayers and we will keep you updated.
Jim, Joy, and Arika

Feliz Complanos!

2006-11-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of our Language helper and classmate, Key Zu! She is from Chihuahua, Mexico.
One day for a culture even we had a birthday party! It was a lot of fun! We got to play pin the tail on the donkey, play a game sorta like bingo, and eat cake!
I (Joy) got to be the birthday girl. I got to find out first hand what it is like to be the birthday girl!
When you are done blowing out the candles on the cake all the kids chant or sing a song telling you to BITE the cake, literally the actual cake. Then they all push your face into the cake! So needless to say I found that out the fun way. We had a totally blast.

Key Zu is a very fun language helper and friend.

We love you Key Zu.
Joy

I am a Slacker!

2006-11-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

I know I know... I need to get on the ball and keep you all posted as to the jabber that is our lives. Now that we are in our "Live CLA" , I only have 1.5 hours of PTC ( practical training class, or Work detail for the old school NTMer's) each day instead of 3.5 . I wanted to share with you what I have been getting to do! I was approached by my old neighbor Joan, She asked if I would be interested in helping in the Academy with the 5th and 6th grade class. She said "she has a really big class" and she needed help grading and helping with various other things from 8:30 to 10:00. So I said i would try it (very nervous about the "big" class thing, not thinking that there are 50 kind in ALL of the school). You see to me growing up in the public school system a "really big class" is 30+ kids. Thats why i was nervous. But it turns out there were a whole 7! Not to mention they are the 7 greatest kids on the campus! ( thats my biased opinion!) So here they are.

Hard at work!

Elijah, Kara, Mariah, Nathan (5th Grade)
Micheal, Micheal, and Titus (6th Grade)
And Mrs. Siddall!

Have you gotten the Idea that I LOVE my new PTC?

Jim

How long has it been?

2006-11-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd give ya a cute picture!
I'll try and post some more later!

I've heard from a few of you that it seems like forever since we made our last post! It sure seems like it! We are in the middle of our Live CLA (Culture & Language Acquisition) Practicum. This is the time that we get to put into practice what we have been learning since we got here a year and a half ago. We have a session for 2 hours everyday Mon - Fri with our language helper, who happens to be one of our classmates as well. She is From Mexico! We have a lot of fun. But it is also a lot of work to plan for our sessions, file them in a program called CLAWARE, and also review them. Jim puts in about an 8 our day and mine is usually about a 4-6 hour day. We also have Arika during this time, except during our session and about other our of the day. One of the other moms and I switch back and for with the girls! So we have been extremely busy!
We are doing well and are enjoying this opportunity! We thank you all for your prayers and for being patient with us as it took us a while to make a post!
Joy for the 3 of us!

A Weekend Away.. And a Wedding.. And Sharing

2006-11-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

Well we got to have a weekend away from the 2nd year madness. It was not really relaxing but it was really fun! We Stayed at my Grandma and Grandpa Holly's house, It was great to get to see them for at least a little while and share their great grandaughter with them. Saturday morning we got Arika a Snow outfit that so she can stay warm this winter (Hopefully playing with her cousins on daddy's side at Christmas!). We then met up with Wes and Jodi at Tim Hortons none the less! It was Wes's Birthday so they were with there friends Beth and Andy (Beth is one of our more regular readers HI BETH!!). That after noon We had the honor of going to my Cousin Josh's Wedding to Danielle Pierce. Congrats Guys!

My Parents where there aswell so they had a chance to get to hang out with their grandaughter! They never really want to see me anymore.. ya know... On Sunday we have the oppertunity to visit Grace Bible Church, a church that has set up a "special fund" for us to be able to give supporters a tax recipet until we are in NTM, we where able to share a little on whats going on in our lives today and Thank them. This is the Church that paid our Hospital Bill last year for Arika. We again Appreciate SO much that they are and were willing to pray and trust God on our behalf!

Happy Birthday WES and NOAH (Jims Nephew!)

TRICK or TREAT?

2006-11-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

Last night was a blast Arika was too cute!
We were able to just go around on campus here to about 25 houses.

Arika was totally amazed that she could knock on a door and they would give her Candy or goodies!! At first she wasn't sure, especially when they were in costume , but then they would ask her if she wanted candy and she was right there ready to grab it ( a little scary).
So can you tell what Arika is dressed as? If you would like to guess what she is, you can leave your guesses as a comment.

Arika also learned her first trick!
She learned how to squirt a water bottle!
Her is some video!
Enjoy!
Love you all,
Joy

Happy Birthday!

2006-10-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Today is my sister Tina's birthday. Tina one one of my best friends. Growing up she was a wonderful older sister. (Most of the Time...hehe). (Sorry, I can't think of any stories right now.)We have a lot of wonderful, fun Memories. Tina, thank you for taking the time to be a wonderful sister! I miss you so much! I hope your day as a very Happy Birhtday for you.
Love,
Joy Marie

Sleepy Head

2006-10-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

Our Little munchkin was a sleepy head today!
She has only done this a few times, but it is so much fun to watch!
We hope you enjoy!
Love Jim and Joy

Thanksgiving

2006-10-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you who don't know the Weekend of Oct 9th is Canadian Thanksgiving. Jim's parents decided to come and visit. We had a great time just being together. Arika especially loved it just for all the attention! Heres a glimse of our weekend.

Jim

God is so good!

2006-10-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my dad went in to have surgery on his voice for a temporay fix. They are hoping that this procedure will work until his voice kicks back in permenatly. Insurance kicked in and is payin for the surgery. I thank the Lord for this. The procedure went well. He is not able to talk for 48 hours and has to take it easy and not talk a lot or loud for about a week. Thank you all for your prayers. He is very excited to be able to talk again!
We love you all.
Dad, I love you and I'm excited that you'll have your voice back!
Joy

SHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

2006-09-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Don't tell, Mommy and Daddy that I snuck out so I could get all my fans a update!! HeHe. I wanted you to hear from me. I'm almost one and a haf. I think mommy and daddy have a hard time keeping up with me, (but don't tell them! Hehe!) I'm always on the go. I'm getting very big. I am now in a size 6 shew, and wear size 18 month pants, and 24 -2T dresses and shirts. I don't get to go outside and play as much as I would like to, cause mommy keeps saying that it is too cold out. Whatever that meens. The trees are all different colors now. Well, I better go before I get caught.
All my love,
ARIKA ;-)

Ladies Day Out!

2006-09-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is Kay Zue and Briell, they are in my class for phonetics. They are good encouragers.

I had a blast on Saturday. We had a ladies day out. We went and saw some falls in the local area, and went on a hike for about 20 min to a place called old Baldie! I had a fun time taking pictures! (I think I found a new hobbie! It is a lot of fun and relaxing.) I was watching a couple of the other ladies and getting ideas of what to take! It was a beautiful day! As you can see in some of the pictures, the leaves are already starting to change. Enjoy the pics.
Joy

A Tribute

2006-09-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is a Tribute to my Grandpa Kibbey. He passed away in the Spring of '02

Grandpa's Favorite thing to eat was Corn on the Cob. (well any corn for that matter)
His favorite saying was "the only thing better that corn is, MORE CORN!"
I can hear his Great laugh now Ha hahahahaha.

Jim

Our Big Girl!

2006-09-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

When we got back to our house here in Canada after summer break, we decided to take the "crib" and turn it into a "toddler" bed. (Don't worry it was convertable, I didnt make any adjustments) Since then every night in our new house Our Big Girl has slept in her Big Girl bed. To our amazement she hasn't fallen out but once, the second night. We did put a rolled up quilt next to the opening so she has something kind of keeping her in. It blows my mind to look at how big she is getting, Next thing I know some boy will want to have a "conversation" with me. Ahh, what happened to time (did it speed up for you to?). Well any way the post is all about our Big Girl so on to the next topic.

She has gotten so big that she needed hair cut number 2! One of the new students Erika came and cut Arika's hair for us. She did a great job and kept Arika on here lap the whole time. What a blessing to be able to have others in the Body of Christ who can meet needs. God is SO Good!
Thanks Erika!

My Big Girl!

Jim

Phonetics 501

2006-09-06T04:45:00.000-07:00

Classes begain yesterday. We jumped right in and started learn lots of new sounds and the phonetic symbol that goes with it. Also we learn about how we, and every other language in the world use the same mouth (essentially) to make different tones and sounds thus making our languages diverse. What a great God we serve in that when He confused the languages he still made a way that we can learn in order to reach those who are lost in a Christless eternity. We also learned about all the different points in our mouths that we use to make these different sounds. Here is a study sheet, your test will be given on friday.
This is a little different than the one we got in class but it will do the trick.

Jim for the three of us.

A new Look

2006-09-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Well I just wanted to shake things up a bit and make the blog a little different
Hope you like it. More to come on our first week in class (orientation) and this up coming first week in Phonetics.

Jim

Video Tour of JungleCamp as pormised...

2006-08-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well its only a month and a half late but here it is the JC virtual tour.

Jim

A weekend at the Races!

2006-08-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

I had the oppertunity to go to Varney Motor Speedway this past Saturday. I went with Matt (our former neighbor) and Jake one of our classmates, John and Nathan Meyers and The VanderMulens Guys. I had a blast! It is just a small 1/4 mile paved oval track about 10 min. from the campus. Weve been talking about going since last semester and finally we made it reality. It was the Normal hometome races with all the street stock and modified race cars except one thing... They have what they call trains. I've never seen this but I had to get some Video for you. They take 3 cars and chain them together to race around the track. The kicker is that the Front one has the motor and steering, the center can steer and the rear on has only brakes and steering. And this is what you get...

Jim

Ah, a day at the Beach!

2006-08-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, we took the day to go to lake Huron and enjoy the Beach. We had a GREAT time! Arika loves the water. The wave's would come in and she would run out. It was so funny. We spent the whole day driving around looking at houses and playing on the beach. We got some pictures, though they don't give you the real beauty of the beach.

And to top it all off we found the house we want to retiere in, It only costs $885,000 on the lake! What a steal! As soon as we find $885,000 we will let you know and you can come visit! Sound good? Here it is

And heres the view!

In our dreams
Jim for the 3 of us...

A Telephone?

2006-08-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

As most of you know by now we have been moved to a new home on Campus. It is a LOT farther from the community phone than where we were before. We got a Phone number that you can call and it will ring here in Canada. Now you wondering why I said that. Well the number is a US telephone number based in Michigan. The funny part is it will ring here in Canada on our Computer. But it is in NO way a out of Country phone number. I know this is a lot of word to discribe it but i want to make sure that everyone knows they can call us WITHOUT any other charges besides normal state to state long-distance. The number is (517) 639-0345. Again if you want to connect with us now you can call us on this number and we will get the call in Canada...

Isn't Technology Cool!

Jim

(517) 639-0345

About Time for a new post don't ya think!

2006-08-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well It has been a short but fun summer for us. We spent 2.5 weeks in Michigan with Joy's Sister Jodi and her Husband Wes. It was a great time, We got to spend time with both sides of My Family as well as time with Wes and Jodi. Joy's Birthday was the 16th of July and She decided to get her hair cut What do you think?

I like it! Anyway our time away... We went swimming

Camping with one of Joy's Roomates from Bible School.

And Just spent time with the Fam!

Thanks for your Prays and Support over the Summer, we will keep you posted on the happenings of our next year here at NTMC. Including a Video Tour of our Jungle Camp house and even Our NEW house on Campus. Its huge! And very comfy.

Jim 4 us all
(No that is not the number in our family its just for fun DAD! :-)

Fun with the Fam!

2006-07-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody,
Sorry it's been so long since we made a post. We have been having a wonderful time with friends and family! We arrived back in Jackson on Friday the 21st. Then left on Sat for Jim's Grandparents to spend some time with the family! Most of the time was spent at the park for the memorial softball tournament for Jim's cousing Ronnie who passed away 3 years ago. Arika loved being outside all day! As you can see!! She enjoyed her time with Great Grandpa and Grandma!
Here are some pictures for you!We've also enjoyed our time with some friends!
Joy for the 3 of us.

Our God is so GOOD!

2006-07-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord, my dad's MRI was negative!!! YEAHHHH! Meaning that he doesn't have cancer or a mass!! It does mean that he has a virus. Which if he hasn't gotten his voice back within the next 5-6 months there is a procedure that they can do to fix it permanetly!!! Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts as my family has gone through this time!
Please continue to pray for my dad as he continues to go without a voice.

Joy For the 3 of us

Please Pray!

2006-07-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

While we were in Jungle camp I got a phone message from my mom that my dad had lost his voice. He had been having problems for the last few months with it, but on June 24th he couldn't speak more then a whisper and still can't. He had an MRI a week ago, and they are getting the results today. I should find out sometime tomorrow what the results are.(cause of the time difference.)
My oldest sister Tina is going to be meeting my parents at the doctor's office.
This time has been very difficult for my family and it is an unknown future. They said that the possibiliites are cancer or a mass, or it could even be a virus, but that could last anywhere for 6 to 12 months. With my dad being a pastor we have no idea how this will affect his ministry.
But I do know that God is in total control and that He will use this for his glory!
Thanks for your prayers, we'll keep you posted.
Joy for the 3 of us!

ahh, almost done!

2006-07-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,
a quick update. We are out of our old house and into our new!! YEAh! Of course I still have all the organinzing and finding places for things to do, but it is nice to know it is all here!
When we move we are required to clean our previous houses, very very thoroughly(sp?) Someone has offerd to have us pay someone to clean our old apartment! PRAISE THE LORD! It would have taken me like over 2 days with Arika!

Talk at you later.
Joy for the 3 of us!

Were Back!!!

2006-07-16T05:18:00.000-07:00

We are home!! Well Sort of. We are out of Jungle Camp and Back down to the Campus below however all of our stuff is in complete disary! Why, you ask? Well we got word in Jungle Camp that we would be moving up to the Newer Student housing recently vacated by the last 2nd year class. So We are in the midst of moving from our jungle camp house down to our old house and now to our new house. (Is there enough houses in there for you?) What a weekend. I will post more on all the months events later but just to wet your whistle I have a few pictures. Keep Scrolling down, and there will be more to come. We even have a video tour!

Our Love.

The Moving Crew

Pictures!

2006-07-16T05:13:00.000-07:00

Pictures!

2006-07-16T05:08:00.000-07:00

Last one!

2006-06-17T04:32:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody,
Just a small post for ya, I do have to say the these last 2 weeks have been very stressful, emotional (for me!) and exhuasting days! But lots of fun as well! We are glad to finally be moving up!!
We got our house enclosed with plastic yesterday. (sorry no pictures, Was a very busy day.) Our house is not done, but it is liveable. Jim and I were able to go out on a date last night for a few hours. Thanks Cliff, Avie, Matt, and Joanie for watching Arika! We got home, went to bed around 8:30 and got up at midnight to pack and start hauling all our stuff up to jungle camp! It is now 7:30am and we still have a few loads. Thanks to John Meyers for helping us hall all our stuff up there! Jake, and Jacob as well! Thanks so much! We are required to be up there by 5 pm. If we forget anything we are out of luck!!
We love you all!!
We'll post again in July!
Until then,
Joy for the 3 of us!

A Truck? and Our Munchkin

2006-06-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well we have some very exciting news. As many of you know we have been have a few car troubles over the past few months. As we asked you to pray with us on what to do God has been listening! (as if you didnt know :) We have been givin a 1993 Ford F150 with 90000 miles! It is in great condition and very well taken care of (we know the owners). At this point the only problem (not really a problem) is its in Arizona. Yes that means no RUST! (I think thats a first for me...) We don't have to go pick it up which is great but it is going to cost approx. $700 or so in gas and lodging. Plus a ticket home for whoever brings it up. So we hope again that you will pray with us in this that we all can see how the Lord will supply!
Pretty nice Truck Huh!

And lastly before I give up our blogging for a month.... Our Munchkin the monkey we up in Jugle camp with us today and she decsided she wanted to help daddy put up some plastic. You think you know where this is going... Well I turn around and she is 2 rungs up on our ladder heading for a third! She made it to ALL by herself. Here ya go..

PS. Just in case you didn't have it yet. Our Address durning Jungle Camp.

Jim and Joy (Arika too!) Abbott
Box 707
Durham, ON, Canada
N0G 1R0

Have a GREAT month!

Jungle Camp Almost there!

2006-06-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Only Friday left to work on getting our houses built. Saturday we move up. I have some pics of the house, though its hard to get a good shot of a whole house in the middle of the woods... We have been doing really good our house is ready inside as far as livable. The Plastic is on 3 sides and we have one more to go! We wish we could have updated more often to keep you all posted on whats going on but it is a LOT of work from 7 to 9ish every day. I already feel like we live up there. Well anyway I will leave some pictures and we will talk to all of you in a month. (other than snail mail :)

Our Sink

Our Benches

Our Bed
Our Stove

With a few home' y touches
And Finally closing it in More pictures to come in july when we get home. Until then We love you all and thank you for being a part of out lives and ministry.
Jim Joy and Arika too!

Jungle Camp Update!

2006-06-12T05:26:00.000-07:00

This picture of Arika was on Thursday, we had a major down pour aslong with Hail!! We stayed pretty dry, but it got pretty cold, Here is a picture of Arika trying to keep warm!!

I'm hoping this post will make since. We have had some very long days. Not only physically but mentally as well. Okay here it goes. Our house is all framed in, The frame for our bed is up, and the frame for our benches are done! On the last post I made and posted a picture of the 4 post and asked you to guess what it was for! Thanks for guessing Stacey!! It is actually for my stove!! We made a cradle for our stove and Jim made it last semester. ( a barrel, cans, etc. It's on a previous post. I'd link it but have no clue how to do that one!) So now I am working on claying it!! We literally are going to use a stove made out of a barrel, wood, and Clay!! The upright can is for my hot water, and the one on it's side is our oven! And the fire is on the little door on the front! It has taken a lot of time to make, and it has been pretty chilly up in The woods, so lets just say not an easy task! I hope to finish it today. Her are some pictures of my progress!!

And of the other things that are done!!
Jim isn't here today to work on the house. The men went on a 3 day hike. Jim wasn't allowed to got because of his bad knee, but he is driving them there and then he'll be back this afternoon, and then he'll pick them up Wed. Afternoon! I praying for the other women as they don't have their husbands here to help them. Praise the Lord he has allowed Jim to be here for part of the time!
Arika is doing well, She loves playing up in Jungle Camp! She gets totally filthy! But does her best to entertain us and help us out!
It is starting to get pretty stressful since we move up on Sat. WE have to finish packing everything, and finish the house!! Totally crazy!!
Love you all.
Joy for the 3 of us!

First 2 days!

2006-06-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

How Arika entertains herself!!

Okay, are you ready for this? Actually this is going to be short and to the point. Our days have been starting at about 6am and ending at about 8pm. We got our main poles up yester day, and all of our rafters, Today we got the Roof on, which is a group effort. Not only is Jungle camp about planning and preparing but also about teamwork, about 5 guys came and helped Jim put the plastic on for our roofing, then Jim stapled all the sides down. Here are also a few pictures of Arika before Jungle camp, and during buiding!!

Wondering what these 4 poles are for? You'll have to check back to find out!!
Love you all,
Joy for the 3 of us!

Building "Week"

2006-06-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we are aloud to begin building our Jungle Camp Houses!!! It is Finally here. We have two weeks to build the main structure and Most of the inside stuff. It has been a lot of work as Im sure you can tell, being we only posted a couple of times in the last week. These next two weeks are going to be even more busy. You can pray for us as we have been told to expect 12 hour days ( not including breaks) We are very excited about this oppurtunity and we hope to share all of it with you in the summer. We will again not be able to get or send Email for a month startinhg on June 17th - July 17th. If there was a need to get a hold of us you can call the main office of NTMC and they can get a hold of us, but other wise we have snail mail. It does take two weeks for us to get mail sometimes, but we would love to hear from you all. And we hope to send a few letters while we are there aswell. However after Jungle Camp is over we will be in Michigan for 2 weeks or so with ALL of the pictures you can handle (hopefully, as long as we dont have any "technical difficulties) We all so hope to post a few pictures during building week so you can see our progress.

Until the end of Day 1
Jim for the three jungleteers

Happy Birthday to my Wonderful Sister!

2006-06-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

We want to wish my sister a Happy Birthday.
Jodi is an awesome sister. She is one of my best friends, and I don't know what I'd do with out her!
As I sat here wondering what to write, I started thinking about when we were growing up. Jodi and I hated each other. Untill...We moved to North Carolina!! Then we became the best of friends. I followed her to Bible School, and lived with her for one semester. (I don't know how she lived with me:-) she sure put up with a lot!) Jodi, I thank the Lord that you and I now have a wonderful friendship. I miss you so much. Thank you for all the times we have spent together. For the encouragement that you are and for being such an awesome Big sister! I love and miss You. We are look forward to the time we'll get to spend together this summer!
We hope your Birthday is a wonderful day!
Arika sends kisses!
Love ya,
Miss Muffett, Jim, and Little miss muffett

Hotter then Hot!

2006-05-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

We have had a few very hot, and HIGH humidity days. So here are a few pictures of Arika keeping cool!
Enjoy!

Almost There!

2006-05-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody,
Well, we start building for Jungle Camp on MONDAY!! We are very excited! I think that I've gotten most of everything done that is possible, so that I can help Jim out as much as possible.
I canned meat, Made curtains, bench covers, and sheets for Arika's bed. Today I just finished putting together all of my mixes together. (bread, cookies, brownies, tortilla's, biscuits, and pancakes, etc.) I think you get the idea. I measured out all of the ing. that I could so that we won't have to hall a bunch up the hill to Jungle camp on Move up day!!

Arika has been helping!! Or I guess you could say entertaining!!!
Here are some pics of her for you. I'll see if Jim will post a video for you!!
Enjoy,
Joy

This is a picture of Arika and her friend Chloe giving each other a kiss!! The top picture is just a small amount of what's to come during Jungle Camp!! That was just sand!! Not even fine dirt!!

Munchkin Update!

2006-05-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to make this post for those of you who like having the info! Our little munchkin is now in a size 4 shoe! Wears size 18month shirts and dresses, but is still in 12 month pants!! she has mommy's short legs! Poor thing!
I'll try and get some more pictures posted soon! We have some good ones! But I'm not sure where the camera got put!! I hate that! Love you all,
Joy for the 3 of us!

2006-05-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here it is! just kidding, this is not my jungle camp house it is a green house that my friend Norm and I built during the last couple of weeks on PTC (work detail). We put some plastic on today and should be done thursday or friday. It has been a lot of fun to work on and getting great practice for jungle camp!

And for all you die hards out there a little miss muffet...

Jim for all 3

The END Results

2006-05-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Well by overwhelming demand I had to post after Arika's Haircut.

And an encore... Don't worry mom its MUCH smaller...

Oh and it was just a trim... Where you expecting a butch?

The three of us.

Haircut

2006-05-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of ladies on Staff here offer their services to us by cutting hair. I it a wonderful ministry to us and we want to thank them! Tonight Arika took advantage of that service and got her hair trimmed. She did much better that I expected.. Well anyway I took some video of it and thought that some of you Arika Fanatic's out there would love to be apart of this milestone.

Jim for us

JC

2006-05-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Well Tech tips is well under way. We have been learning SO much about batteries, Solar power, even Water Purification for the mission field. It has been very benifical for Jungle Camp coming up in 3 weeks! We are have been making our lighting system for our house and getting the wiring all fugured out. Saturday Joy and I worked on our lot and Got it all leveled off and squared-up. We are ready for building week. We don't actually move up for another 5 weeks on June 17th. That is the point we will lose connection with you all for a month. The only way for us to hear from you during that time (Unless its an Emergency) is through snail mail. We thought we would let you all know this now because it takes 2 weeks for us to get it :) Anyway here is a "Picture of our house " that I made on our computer and the blue print, Along with the three of us working hard to make our lot level and ready to go.

JC2

2006-05-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

2006-05-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well Munchkin is feeding her self (Can you tell?). Recently our little one has begun having FITS when we offer her food. We didn't understand why she went from "eating like daddy" to "I wont eat untill I want to". Frustrated we just put the food on her tray and she picked it up and ate it, NO FUSS. We had been fighting with her for a week or more before we understood what was going on. So we got our her spoon and gave it to her.
I let her tell the story...

Finally Mommy and Daddy are letting me eat my food my way. It takes sooo long to train these parents.. But now that I have control.. This spoon thing is great but i really think that mommy and daddy are holding out on me, aren't they for flinging my food on the floor? I think so... Well Im hungry talk to ya later..

Love you all
Arika

Well I don't know what she told you all but I hope She said how well she is doing eating off her spoon, she doesn't fling her food and eats most of the things that she had spit out before. For some reason it tastes better from her own hand.

Our love
Jim, and Joy

The buzz around campus

2006-05-05T04:58:00.000-07:00

Well, Its getting to be that time of the year. Today is our last Offical day of Class. For the next six weeks we have "Tech Tips", A class that we learn about all the fun techy things we can have and do on the field in remote locations. After that the main event! Jungle Camp!!! 2 weeks of building and then 4 weeks of living in the "bush". Here are a couple of Pictures of our lot, Were we will build our house, which is made with cedar poles, and duct tape to hold it together. Yes Duct tape...

Just as a note for prayer. Our Car again is not doing so well. We would appreciate your prayers as we look to the Lord for wisdom in whether it should be fixed or wether we should look for something different.

Thanks Jim, Joy and Arika

What a Weekend

2006-05-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

Well this last weekend we had the oppertunity to go with so classmates down to the Jackson Bible school. It was VERY quick trip that started around 3am sunday morning and we left tuesday morning at 8am. With one whole day to spend with the staff and mainly the Students to encourage them to go on with the Training with NTM. We took the Chapel time to share about Durham and the Training here. We had some question and answer time around 3pm and coffee social at 7pm. It was a jammed packed day. But something very great and EXCITING happened while we were there. My dad called me on Friday evening after we found out we were going to Jackson for sure and said that FedEx had tried to deliver a package but no one was home. Guess what it was! Our Camera was delivered to their house Monday and they brought it over to the School for us. SO we have pictures!!! This cloudy Picture was taken the night our Camera broke. We had gone to Owens Sound to take pictures at Ingalis Falls (the place we went shortly after getting here), to show you how much water there was gushing over the Rocks we climbed just months before! When we got it the car the Rain POURED so we came home. We hope to get that picture for you sometime though. Oh and one other thing the bill for the camera? It broke one day before we bought it one year before, and Though they do not usually warranty LCD Screens, because it was well taken care of they fixed it no charge! Praise the Lord!

And for all you Arika lovers out there, I couldn't make a post with getting in trouble for not putting cute pictures of our Munchkin on it!
Here ya go..

Kids, gotta love em!

2006-04-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

So the other morning Arika comes out of her room and throws down one of her toys. I look at her and tell her "No, we don't throw toys." Then a few minutes later she does it again. And again I tell her "No! We don't throw toys."
It just so happened that we were in classes that day for Parent child relationships. And we were talking about how kids do what they see not what they hear! Jim and I looked at each other and realized that Arika has seen us "toss" her toys into her room or into her toy box, or seen us "throw something into our room so it is out of the way, or even a dishcloth to each other! What was she doing? Doing what she saw mommy and daddy do! It is so hard to tell your child no when you are doing the same thing!!!

Gotta love em,
Joy

Weddings and Babies are so much fun!

2006-04-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Jeff and Cari Boos (My Cousin Cari) on the Birth of their baby boy Ayden Benjamin Boos. He was Born April 13th. Guys we are SO excited for you. We have been praying for you in this and are Thrilled to see the adorable baby boy God has given you. We know they can be a handful at times but they are SO worth it! Congratz again and also to Grandma Jo, Aunt Crista and, Uncle Chad!

P.S. We like his name too!

Congratulations to Josh and Stacy Vorhees who were married on Saturday, April 22, 2006. Stacy is just like family. She had a part in each of my sister's weddings as well as in ours. We wish we could have been there. We are sorry we missed this special occasion. Stacy you made a gorgeous Bride! Josh, we hope to meet you someday soon. You are an adorable couple! We are excited for you and wish you a lifetime of love. Ephesians 5:21 ...And be subject one to another in the fear of Christ.

We love you all,
Jim, Joy, and Arika

For all Arika Fans

2006-04-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

A Video! We Finally Got it to work!! It will be slow for those with Dial-up Internet connections. The Best is to hit play and pause it right away then let it load all the way.

I forgot the Cake! And a Classic

2006-04-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

More Birthday Pic's

2006-04-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

Anniversaries, Powercords and were Back in action

2006-04-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

Sort of. Well First of all we want to wish Jon and Tina ( Joys oldest Sister and her Husband) a wonderful 7 Years together. Congratz guys! We are so Happy for you! And you have 4 Great Kids to show for it! Sorry it is a day late though. But we have good news. We got our power cord in the mail today. So that means the Abbott Jabber will no longer be silent. (as if i ever stop talking). Here are some Pictures from Arika's first birthday!!!

Were not dead

2006-04-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

Just wanted you to know that we are not dead. Due to Technical difficulties we are still waiting for our parts for the laptop so we have to use the Computer in the Classroom to post and tell you of all the wonderful things that are happening. We are doing great. Arika Had a GREAT birthday. She loved having her own chocolate cake... And dont worry we DO have pictures. They are just on our friend melissa camera. WE will post them ASAP we promise. Arika's would also like to show you her newest toy! Nanna and Papa Gave her a little red wagon for her birthday and she won't stop begging us to take her outside for a ride! She doesn't care rain or shine cold or hot she wants outside! We have not had any word from FujiFilm on our camera yet but we should have it soon! (hopefully) otherwise we might need to get another to show you all that our little munckin' is doing!

We are alive,
Jim Joy and Arika
Those Grandparents sure know there kids!What do ya Think?

Wes and Jodi are 4!!!

2006-04-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys I just couldn't help it. After Arikas 1 year post it just looked so right :)

Congratz on 4 years of married life. I was/am glad to be a part of that day and your life!
We Love you Guys!
Jim, Joy and Arika

Arika Is 1!!!!!!!!

2006-04-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

kklklk,jk. bvbbnbbv

This Means Happy Birthday to me in Arika-eese. She typed that for you all to know that she is 1 year old today. What a Big girl she is getting to be. We even got her to eat off a spoon on her own. I wish we had pictures to share but as you well know, we are still waiting for a camera and laptop parts so they can be fixed. What a bummer to have them both out at the same time especially now! Anyway we can still make sure she knows we love her VERY much!

Happy First Birthday Munchkin!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2006-04-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to a wonderful mother whom we miss very much. We wish we could be there to celebrate with you! We wish we could have sent you these flowers. But since we couldn't, Imagine you got these! You have been a big encouragement to us. Thanks for being a great Mom. Have a very wonderful Birthday.
We love you,
Joy, Jim, and Arika

Northern Exposure

2006-03-30T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well what a week we have been having. First our car broke down ( the altenator died) then the battery the next day! Well we have a temporary battery untill next week when my parents come. So our car is back in action. Next I had a little mishap with a tree branch. I cut a branch that was in a snow bank not realizing it was unter EXTREME tension. It snapped back and got my lip right below my nose ( and we had to share our testimonies that night! :-) Well anyway we may be more spuradic in posting for a few days. Because our Computer power cable broke! HAHAHAHA! what a week Im glad the Lord is in complete control! I would also put up some pictures but the Camera broke too! I am laughing as i write this because it has been one thing after another. Thankfully the Lord have already made provision for each item! What a great God we serve! I would be crying if He wasn't in control. Well I just had to share all that. And just a reminder I am still Laughing so you can too. Oh and if your not laughing yet... Did you see the title of the post today? While learing about teaching indigenous people about communion our teacher yells "theres a moose!" WHAT! We all look out side and saw nothing. So we get up and run to the door. Some saw the moose as it ran right up behind our house! I didn't see it though. Desperate to see a moose I walk over around the corner to the shop and all I saw a VERY large rump as it disapered over a steep inbankment. It turns out this Moose was just taking a stroll through Durham. He went to Tim Hortins for a Mocha and On to our property for a good look at Missionary life! Did a say what a week?

Well thats all for now
Jim for the three of us.

Ps I found a picture of a moose but not ours... If he shows up in the paper though we will let you see him!

Arika

2006-03-27T17:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I've had a request for the website. Can you guess what it is? A special someone requested that I post what size clothes Arika is wearing, shoe size, what she likes, etc.
So here it is.

Right now she is in size 12 month clothes, but most likely only for a few more months.So by the time warm weather comes around she'll be in 18 month clothes.
Right now her shoe size is a 3 wide. And I don't think that her feet are growing very fast. She can't wear the dress shoes. I'm pretty sure she has lymphedema just like mommy(If you don't know what that is feel free to email me.) So pretty much just shoes with a high instep. I think that is the right word.
She loves to listen to music with a beat and dance to it! What a cutie she is!! She also loves to eat and I mean loves to eat!!
I have to tell you this funny story. Jim bought be some choc. cadbury bunny eggs. So I was eating one last night and she did the sign language for please. I told her no and that it was mommy's. Did she stop at that? OH NO! She tried to climb up on the couch and look at me with her big beautiful blue eyes and tried please some more. I picked her up and put her on the couch with me. She did every thing that she possibly could to get to the choc. egg! IT was too funny. Maybe one of those stories where you just have to be there. I don't really know. But when she sees food. She's there!

A Happy Birthday!

2006-03-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

Well Thursday was our youngest Nephew Kolby's Birthday. A whole 3 years old! Its a couple of days late but we wanted to make sure he knew we were thinking of him!

Happy Birthday Kolby!

Love Uncle Jim, Aunt Joy and Arika

Spring Break fun!

2006-03-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

We'll it's spring break. We have had a little well needed rest but have had some things to do. Arika had to get tested for her bladder reflux condition she was born with. We had a doctors apointment on Monday that went well. They scheduled her test on wednesday, and we are waiting for the results. It looks good so far but we apprecitate your prayers as this would mean we would no longer have to give her medicine!

Jim for all 3

My God shall supply all your NEED!

2006-03-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

The Verse "My God shall supply all your need" is having a whole new meaning to us. We know that no matter what, whether we die because of starvation, or even sickness, or don't have the money needed to pay a bill, That Christ has met the only need we really have. Our Sin separated us From God, And Jesus Christ made the Way! That is the truth of this verse, however our great God does not stop there he still give us more!

We wanted to share with you our AWESOME news! If you remember, a few days after Arika was born, she went back into the hospital. Our insurance covered most of the bill, but will still had over $3,000 to pay. This last week we found out that are bill at U of M hospital has been paid in full!! It has been awesome to see how the Lord has provided for us, yet again. At the begining of our first semester someone said, "God has a perfect record of faithfulness, and He is not going to mess it up on you!" What a true statement.
We also found out last week how much money we would be getting back from our taxes and it is enough to pay off the rest of this semester's bill, as well as our needs for jungle camp. Praise the Lord.

So its been a busy week up here, But we have yet more to share with you about how God has supplied for us. If you recall last year in Novemberish, We got word of the things we would need for Langauge School next year. A digital voice recorder was a necessity. Well God laid it on a heart to give for this need. Someone bought 18 Olympus WS320's. The model that was recommended as the best this year. What a God we serve!
Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

In His hands Alone!
Jim Joy and Arika

A little late but still Exciting

2006-03-10T06:22:00.000-08:00

To our dear friends Jerry and Julie. Their Beautiful baby Girl, Jayln, was born Feb. 9, 2006 6:20 P.M. 7 lb 3 oz and 21 in. We are So happy for them and rejoice that Arika and Jayln are going to be within a year of each other. I know Arika can't wait to meet her new friend! As for our Friends here in Canada, Norm and Debra, They are still waiting for little Canaan to make his way into this world. He will be here soon, Hang in there Guys!

Congratz to you all, As proud parents we know how you are feeling!
Our Luv Jim Joy and Arika

** For some reason the pictures wont upload right now, I will try again later today...

Sippy Cup!

2006-03-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

Well, today I gave Arika a new sippy cup, one without handles on it! She is so proud of herself, because she can drink out of it! She carried it around all afternoon!! Her are a few pictures of her and her new sippy cup! Arika is so much fun to have. She is now 11 months old and a character and a half. She loves to dance, Walk everywhere, and make us laugh.

A proud mommy,

Joy

2006-03-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

My little Munchkin that loves
to play on daddys shoulders

Jim

For your Convenience

2006-03-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

We now have a actual .com address for you. All this means is that now when you want to share our site with others you can tell them to type theabbottjabber.com into their browser. The old address still works all this one is, is a link to our site. Hopefully to make it easier to remember!
We have also added a translator for anyone who reads in other languages, as well as a exchange rate converter to our support page. Just little things here and there to make our site more enjoyable for you.

Jim

If you have any other suggestions you can leave a Comment after any post or Email us too!

Bunco Night!

2006-03-04T12:11:00.000-08:00

Joy and I got a date night last night (Friday). All of the 1st and 2nd year staff and students got together to play Bunco. A game where you try and roll 3 dice to get 3 of the same number to win. It was a lot of fun. There were 12 tables with 4 people at each. The 2 winners moved up and the losers stayed at the table. We played for an hour and a half with a half hour intermission between the four rounds we played, for SNACKS! We had a ton of good food to! Joy and I of course took POPCORN. MMMM Good! We all had a really great time and got to get to know each other a little better. Its a yearly event that the staff plan just so we can all get together.

You can see the rest of the pictures in our photo album

2006-02-28T14:56:00.000-08:00

If you ask me to leap
Out of my boat on the crashing waves
If you ask me to go
Preach to a lost world that Jesus saves
I'll go, but I cannot go alone
Cause I know I'm nothing on my own
But the power of Christ in me makes me strong
Makes me strong
Cause when I'm weak
- You make me strong
When I'm blind
- You shine your light on me
Cause I'll never get by living on my own ability
How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that You want me
So I'll stand on Your truth,
and I'll fight with Your strength
Until You bring the victory,
by the power of Christ in me
If you ask me to run
And carry your light in to foreign land
If you ask me to fight
Deliver your people from satans hand
To reach out with Your hands
To learn through Your eyes
To love with the love of a savior
To feel with Your heart
And to think with Your mind
I'd give my last breath for Your glory

Our Life in a song
"In Me" by Casting Crowns

The two are one...

2006-02-26T14:53:00.000-08:00

Saturday the 25th we had the honor to witness our dear friends Sara h an d Derek get Married. We met Sarah in 2000 at NTBI, she was in Jims class there. Joy and Sarah also became good friends and we all had mutual friends. It was a great privilege to witness these two as they begin their new life together and plant a church with NTM Indonesia amongst the Dao (dow) people of West Papua. We are SO excited to see them start this new chapter in their lives. Thanks for letting us be apart of your DAY. We wish you the best and all our love. The Rest of you can get to know them and the Dao people by checking out thier blog in our "blogs we read" list.

P.S. Arika says she loves her "aunt" Sarah

Jim Joy and Arika

Me Sharing?

2006-02-26T11:12:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody,
On Thursday mornings the ladies from MI(1st year) get together and we take turns sharing(1 of us each week) what the Lord has been teaching us. It was my turn on Thursday. So I thought I'd share with you in a nutshell what I shared on. The Lord has been teaching me, that when I am focused on myself instead of on God, how it not only effects my relationship with Him, but also with, Jim, Arika, and my friends.
Time-management is one area. I don't take the time that I should with Arika. I get to "busy", but not really with anything of importance.
With Jim it affects Him feeling appreciated. Also I realized that I am so much of a taker instead of a giver. We are both to give 100%.
With Friends, I tend to be negative instead of being encouraging.
It also affects my weight. I focus on myself and want to eat what I want to eat. And I rely on food for comfort instead of looking to the Lord.
But in all of this, I can't do it. The only way to work on these areas and be able to improve them, is to allow the Lord to work in and through me. I thank the Lord that because I am His child, He has given me everything that I need as it says in Phil. 4 Even the strength to rely on Him. In and of myself I am nobody. But because I am IN CHRIST, I have everything I need. Phil. 4:13 I can do ALL things THROUGH Christ WHO STRENGTHENS me.

So in a nutshell that is what I shared on. The Lord is continuing to work on me in these areas. I am so thankful that the Lord's Grace is sufficient for me.
His Humble Servant,
Joy

ATTACK!

2006-02-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

The men had a great time Wednesday night. We all went to Owen Sound for a Hockey Game and Dinner. It was a Great Game for the other team, but we still had a lot of fun. We ate dinner at "Eastside Mario's" and Italian American Eatery. It's kind of a dressed down Olive Garden...

~Jim

Developing Partnership developers

2006-02-22T05:47:00.000-08:00

During the last 2 days during PTC ( Practical Training Class )Norm and I had the oppertunity to give some pointers on Power Point to the Moseleys. The Moseleys are the Patnership Development Teachers for NTM. They are very energetic and offer wonderful ideas for us to involve you and others in our ministry, and using those connections to minister to you directly. We want to know how to pray for you just as you do for us. It was an excellent week (last week) with them and we want to again Thank them for their Ministry to us!

>--> Jim