Jaime. Travels. Photography. Fundraiser.

Jaime is an amazing wedding photographer. She is originally from BC, Canada. She now lives in California with her husband Will. Jaime is as beautiful and inspiring as her pictures are!
Please visit her web site to take a look!

A few years ago Jaime was on a Trans-Siberian Road adventure with her friend Allison. A common friend of ours connected us so that the girls could stay with me in Mongolia where I was living at the time. I fell in love with Jaime's beautiful, inspired and inspiring pictures. I made a promise to myself that if at all possible, if I ever were to get married, this would be the person I'd love to be there to take pictures for us...

Jaime wasn't able to be there for our wedding because she was a Middle-Eastern adventure with her husband... While in Jordan, Jaime got thrown off a camel and broke her pelvis. It was painful time and there was a lot of virtual hugs and real time prayers going for Jaime... Praise the Lord she is on the mend! God's hand has been upon this beautiful couple and now their family is growing as Jaime and Will are going to become parents in September!

My dream of Jaime's photography being involved in our wedding is coming true in quite an unexpected way.  Jaime's donating her skills and time to raise funds for our medical bill... All I can say, girl you are amazing. We're humbled and touched. Hope we can exchange some BIG Russian-Canadian hugs some time soon!

We've survived the Winter

We've survived the winter. Winter of incredible blessings and deep losses. 

We got married. It was a day when our dreams came true.

We got broken.  I sustained 12 breaks in both legs.

We got broke. Our insurance dropped us with a year income medical bill. 

We got heart broken. Tim's Dad and my Grandpa who raised me lost their battle to cancer.

 

It has been hard and definitely not the way we would have chosen to start our married life.  The Lord has showered us with the blessings of His love and peace. We have held on to Him and each other, surrounded by loving family, friends and church family. We've felt His love shielding us from the heavy weight of the medical debt and physical pain, giving us strength for each day. 

 

There have been ups and downs. We had to keep going. Giving up emotionally would've cost us too much time and energy.  But also how could we?! Having Jesus on our side and having the hope in Him, knowing that my body will be healed, we've been thankful... 

If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  ^{(Romans 8)} 

Spring is coming!!

Spring is Coming!...  
(Steven Curtis Chapman)
We planted the seed 
while the tears of our grief
soaked the ground  
The sky lost its sun, 
and the world lost its green
to lifeless brown 
Now the chilling wind 
has turned the earth hard as stone 
And silently seed rise beneath ice and snow
And my heart's heavy now  
But I'm not letting go of this hope I have 
that tells me  

Spring is coming, 
Spring is coming 
And all we've been hoping 
and longing for 
soon will appear  
Spring is coming, Spring is coming 
It won't be long now, it's just about here
 
Hear the birds start to sing  
Feel the life in the breeze  
Watch the ice melt away  
The kids are coming out to play
Feel the sun on your skin  
Growing strong and warm again 
Watch the ground: there's something moving  
Something is breaking through  
New life is breaking through

Spring is coming, Spring is coming 
Out of these ashes, beauty will rise
And all we've been hoping and longing for soon will appear  
Sorrow will be turned to joy
Spring is coming, Spring is coming  
All we hoped for soon will appear
It won't be long now, it's just about here  
Out of the dark clouds, beauty will shine
All above in heaven, rejoice
Spring is coming soon
Spring is coming soon

Papa

You welcomed me

into your home and your heart

you gave me the love of a father.

The tears I shed as a fatherless child

have been wiped away.

You're my Papa.

I miss you so much, Dad!--your beautiful smile,

your wisdom, your patience, your presence.

My Heavenly Dad walked me down the aisle

And you gave me the best wedding present:

You shared your heart

and you gave me your hug

you cheered for us from your chair.

And when a week later

we were wounded and struck

you came all the way, you were there.

The present of you being there for me

I cherish... You're far and so near.

You're Home and you're whole.

On your Home coming party

I'll be there for you in my chair.

Dad- safely Home...

Right through the final hours before going Home, he continued loving, caring for and serving: his wife Mary, sons Matthew, Nathan, Timothy (Galina), and daughters Amy Jo, and Marita along with many others, most specially his brother Clifford (Teri) Smith, their children Thomas, Danny and Sarah, and the underprivileged children he serves in Mexico. Many knew him as professor or colleague during his 29 years teaching at Algonquin College. Almost everyone knew him as a teacher of God's word whether at home, college, in children's programs, with his church family or wherever God allowed him to be each day. He was a father to many more than his birth children... a mentor, instructor, traveller, canoeist, hiker, , , lover of God's creation, lover of people and most of all a lover of God his Father. Harold will be lovingly remembered and missed dearly by the countless people Jesus touched through Him both in Ottawa where he lived and in many other places and even nations. His greatest desire was to see God his Perfect Father glorified through his every word and action, to communicate God’s grace and forgiveness of sins and desire that all would ‘Taste and see that the Lord IS good!’ and ‘Trust in Him’.
Harold Smith ..safely Home with Jesus on February 20th, 2013, after 33 faithful years of marriage, victoriously facing cancer twice, raising 5 children, and persevering courageously through 3 years of leukaemia. 

Post from October. /Homeless and Happy. Leaving and cleaving./

Summer in Siberia has come and gone. This short cold summer felt so long because once again Tim and I didn't know when we would see each other again. As I was waiting for my visa I had a chance to spend some quality time with my grandparents in a little village type community on an island where people come to their “dacha” - summer houses and spend the summer tending their vegetable gardens, visiting each other, making wonderful hearty meals and drinking countless cups of tea during the day. It was beautiful. 

On the last day of the summer my visa was ready, and the time to say goodbye came. I took another month to have a closure. Intentional goodbyes with my family and friends. As we were saying our goodbyes, Grandpa cried, Grandma cried, Mom cried, my sister cried. And I cried, too. Those were tears of love for each other and sadness of separation. I left home five years ago, but this time it was different- I was crossing the ocean, for the first time, and I was going to get married.

I am thankful to God for my family. Imperfect and somewhat broken family. A family that stayed together in the face of so many difficulties in our lives. I am thankful... As I was leaving Russia I felt it so strongly that I was “homeless” in a good kind of way- having a home in the hearts of so many dear people-- in Russia, Thailand and Ukraine, but at the same time being detached from a certain place.

And as I arrived in Canada on October, 1, I found a home in the heart of a man who had been faithfully waiting for me. And again, I am thankful...

Dad

Tim's family is coming together in a very special way right now as well. His dad has had cancer for about 3 years, and God has miraculously given him strength and endurance to keep pushing on and encouraging so many around him. In the last few weeks it has seemed more and more likely that treatment is not working to abate the advance of cancer and with a flare up of symptoms in the last few days his physical strength is waning. Please continue to pray for his heart and testimony that God would continue to encourage others through him as he himself is encouraged by his Father!

our honeymoon suite #4

Technically, our honeymoon never really ended. So each new location we stay in as a couple we count to be our honeymoon suite. We were blessed to have a private room in the hospital. As a great exception we were given a mattress for Tim to sleep on. I would wake up in the middle of the night asking for some pain killers and watch my husband sleep on the floor at my bed side, thankful for this wonderful man. I know it would have been so much harder to be going through this on my own.
We are now convalescing with Tim's family and taking it one day at time. There will be a long road to recovery, with lots of work but we have each other and we have our Lord Jesus and incredible friends and family!
We are praying and waiting on God for our future, especially our plans to get back to the work with youth we started in Nova Scotia. Our little cabin is awaiting us as are the contacts we have made there and the family with whom we plan to live and work. We believe that God is forging something much greater in our lives right now through which He will work in the lives of people and especially children wherever He sends us.

Here we are on a Valentine's Day Dinner prepared and served for us by two special friends :)  Many thanks to you guys ;)

The rescue (continuation of the previous post)

Tim We called for help with no response from the disappearing snowmobiles. Though we were the only ones on the lake, we knew right away that we were not alone. We both are SURE that God was with us, spared our lives, Galina from more serious injuries, that He has been present and active every moment since. We prayed to, cried to and thanked God our Loving Father over and over that night, from the lake. Then when help incredibly arrived from the Auberge we thanked Him again under the loving and caring hands of the staff. 

Galina  A couple came a few minutes later. I knew that God had sent them so I asked “Who are you?” They said that they were staying on the lake.  “We just got married last week”.  “ Oh wonderful,-- said the lady with a slight French accent.--  We've been married for forty years... it's very good!” We heard a snowmobile approaching from the resort side and I begged for them to make sure it wouldn't hit me. But it was a “good snowmobile” and it brought a toboggan.  I don't quite remember how they put me into it because any movement caused excruciating pain. Tim got in by my side holding my knees that I couldn't straighten.  

The view of the Auberge from the top

The snowmobile gave us a fun ride to the office of the Resort where a lady in short black jacket was waiting for us, she called 911. Her name was Deborah. I just remember thinking that she was very beautiful and had a very soft voice.   People around came into motion.  I was only listening to Tim and Deborah's voices. Someone brought  lots of towels to cushion my knee since Tim had to get out. Four snowmobilers (who were not even supposed to be at work at such a late hour!!) lifted the toboggan ever so gently and brought me inside, into the warmth... Deborah asked me some questions, turned out I still remembered my name and the husband's, if I knew my ABC's and if could count to ten (I remember hesitating if I should ask her what language she wanted me to count in but decided it wasn't a good  time to be smart).

Firefighters arrived first and examined me, one of them was holding my hand and was constantly telling me to “concentrate on respiration”. When ambulance arrived the room was full of big men who were trying to help me, I saw that some of them had tears in their eyes.  My Tim was always at my side talking to me.

I just wished to go blank right there in that toboggan but the ambulance was ready to transfer me into a stretcher. When they moved me again, it felt then my mind exploded...  In the ambulance the lady started cutting my clothes. I couldn't care less, even when the air got filled with dawn feathers from my jacket. I closed my eyes and felt scissors going through each layer of my nice sport clothes Tim had gotten for me so that we could enjoy Canadian winter together... Finally we were in the hospital... They gave me lots of heated sheets and started treating me.  We knew we were safe.

Tim  While in the emergency room, Galina  through tears was thanking God for our lives, forgiving the snowmobile drivers, pouring out her love for Jesus and people on everyone listening and greatly encouraging me, her husband of one week.

We have been immensely blessed that week by the outpouring of loving care from the community in St Hippolyte and St Jerome. We are grateful for all the personal, skillful and loving help the hospital and resort staff have been providing us. We want to acknowledge that we are thankful the Lord for allowing us to experience His love and presence in a way we never have before. After successful surgery on multiple fractures in both her legs, Galina is recovering well. There were no other injuries, and we expect a full recovery, but it will be a while.

We do hope that the snowmobile drivers will be identified for 3 reasons: we want to meet them and tell them personally that we forgive them and that God loves them – Galina expressed this desire in the emergency room; we also want to ensure the safety of others enjoying God’s creation in this community; and we do not want the drivers to live with the weight of guilt. We want the drivers to know, especially if they were young people, that God loves them, we love them and that though all of our decisions have consequences and justice does come, God offers forgiveness and freedom, as do we.

We send our love to all those praying for us – Thanks! For the prayers!

BIG Russian Canadian hugs,
Tim & Galina 

Snowmobile accident

We have seen God’s power and love at work in our lives this past week more clearly than ever before in our lives. We were married on January 19th in Ottawa. Our wedding was more than what we could wish for, with our dreams come true as we made promises to each other and shared our first kiss. It was so worth waiting for.  We had a blast.  We had waited for each other and our honeymoon was to be very special – we chose to come to a beautiful cabin resort on Lac Morency in Quebec. The resort, area and town were more than we could have asked God for and we were thanking Him and the wonderful staff of the Auberge all week. We didn’t know we would be thanking Our Father God, the Auberge owner Francois and his staff in a much deeper way the next Sunday night!

Tim  That night we crossed the frozen  lake Morency and enjoyed a walk around the town, we stopped for an hour in a quiet church, and bought a few groceries. Then we headed back across the lake to make dinner in our suite. My wife and I truly feel that angels were present that night, and are sure that God was with us...

Lake Morency

Galina ...We were chatting about our plans for the future when we heard a roaring sound behind us. We looked back and saw two snowmobiles coming from the other side of the lake. We stopped. Although there was plenty of space all over the lake we didn't know which way the snowmobiles would go, it was a full moon night and the lights form the resort were not too far making our bright red jackets visible in the dark.... The first snowmobile hit my pole. We looked at the other one hoping he would swirl around... at that moment I realized that it was coming straight at me, its light shining bright into my eyes, the loud roaring getting closer and finally hitting me, the sound and feeling of it stuck with me and still makes me flinch...

Tim found me about 20 feet away, my skies snapped off my ski boots. I opened my eyes at the sound of Tim's voice... My body was on fire and I was afraid that the worst thing had happened – that my back was broken... That's when I felt that I could wiggle my toes... move my shoulders and feel my hips... My legs! They felt like rubber, I felt the pain but I couldn't feel my legs.

Tim called for the snowmobilers to stop but they didn't. We were all alone on the lake, so close to the resort and yet so far.  Tim started calling for help... and praying... I was looking at the clear starry sky, the trees on the shore of the lake, feeling how I had no control over my life, and peace came over me. I was shaking because of the shock and the cold, still fully with it.  I heard Tim say that the help was coming... He was right there, my precious husband of one week who made me feel so loved and special and there he was fighting for me... “Tim I feel I'm going to pass out soon... Don't forget to take my contacts out...”  I so wished that God would let me just pass out to not feel the pain. But as the time was passing my mind was still there, so I said to God “If you need be to be awake, please give me strength to go through this because it's too much...”