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Welcome!
We are so glad that you're here. This site is a window into our lives as we attempt to live and learn. Our blogs below are critical reflections on the world around us as we try to find out what truly is real. Please keep us in your daily prayers. Thanks for taking interest!
Mike and Sarah
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Current News (The Critical Realist) 
Leaving OMS... Starting Alliston
5/25/2010 10:35:08 PM by Michael
Hello All,
Below is our last update as missionaries with OMS... Next week we will be starting with Grace Baptist Church in Alliston, Ontario, Canada.
Spring Time and Life Now
4/28/2010 12:17:39 AM by Michael
I haven't written in ages. I haven't had much to report. We are still journeying in transition and I haven't wanted to tell you all the many different possibilities that haven't worked out. That to say, we are so thankful to those of you who tracked us down to ask how things are going in these past months. I have failed to reach out of the doldrums, out of the muddy pit, to pen much from the desk, but you have continued to love us from a distance. Thanks again...
Gabriel is doing as well as possible. He continues to be cancer free so far and we are praising God for that everyday. His hair has grown back, darker now, not so bleach blonde. Simon is strong. He has grown like a weed. If I could only bottle and market his energy. Maylah says "dada" and "moma" and "hIIiii". She is propping herself up and standing really well.
As for our ministry situation, please be praying for our time with a church in our area. I am officially candidating to be the lead pastor and will know their decision by May 16th. It is scary and exciting to think that this might be our ministry in the future (scary for the move into a different kind of leadership position, not because the people are ugly or anything). LOL... Please be praying for us... We are really excited and hope to minister soon.
As spring arrived a few weeks ago, I was reminded of new life once again. I was also reminded how living a new life is so much better than living the normal deadness I see all around me - and sometimes holding me. Following after Jesus, really trying to be like Him, valuing what He valued, avoiding what He avoided, hoping in what He promised, living transformed so much that other people get transformed because of you, is like spring to winter. It is like heat to ice. It is like sun to cloudiness. It is like flood waters to small streams. It is the most amazing feeling on earth.
As we will all go through times of winter, may we find spring again through transformed living. May we warm from the cold by loving a neighbour. May we be flooded out of the pit by seeing Christ work in someone through our words to them. May we pierce through the darkest tragedy with light of lights by giving water in the name of Jesus - literally.
Gabriel's Minor Surgery Went Very Well
2/10/2010 7:29:46 AM by Michael
Hello all,
This is a little late, but Gabriel had surgery on January 26th. The procedure removed his port, which was a device used to give him meds. Gabriel went through the operation quickly and his recovery has been completely pain and complication free. He literally has not mentioned pain or discomfort once. He woke up from the operation grumpy and hungry, but after we got some food in him and he played with the sick kids clown he was happy and normal.
Gabriel continues to be all clear!
12/15/2009 9:13:25 PM by Michael
Gabriel continues to be all clear!
We took Gabriel for tests yesterday at Sick Kids.
They looked at his blood to see if the Alpha Fetoprotien count is normal. It is. This means that are no microscopic cancer cells making it.
They looked at the operation sites to see if they are still clear of growths. They are. This means there is no visible cancer growing.
They tested his urine and blood to observe his kidney functions, which were down a little. His kidneys are now filtering just fine.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. We are really thankful for todays report and hopeful for many more to come.
These months continue to be some what uncomfortable. We have moments of joy and moments of despair. We have memories of Africa, memories of our niece Isabel, memories of our ministry at Emmanuel, memories of the hospital, and no real direction.
Yesterday, Hebrews 12 helped me gain some perspective.
Hebrews 12:11 says, "No training seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet..."
May we all have stronger knees in the midst of our troubles. May we all make it through the training camp. May we make it through the times of strain to be made faithful and obedient to the Father of Heaven.
Gabriel Remains Cancer Free
11/18/2009 1:05:18 PM by Michael
Based on our November tests, Gabriel remains cancer free!
It is great! Gabriel is returning to be a normal three year old boy who plays with his brother and sister, loves animals, and has hair. ;0)
Sarah had him out the other day and an older woman stated that we were cruel to give him such a short hair cut. After Sarah explained, the women didn't miss a beat... "well its good to see him up and about." We had a good laugh when Sarah told me. He has hair! What a joy!
Over the next year, we will watch Gabriel closely. He will be tested about every two months. He will continue to have blood tests, hearing tests, heart tests, and kidney tests. As well, he still has to have his port removed. This will probably happen early in the new year.
In the past month, I've been going back to Matthew 6:25 a lot. I don't think reflecting would be the right word to describe what I've been doing, but I've been going back to read it. We are currently serving with OMS International out of the Hamilton office. The board and staff of OMS Canada are wonderful and gracious. At the same time, our supporting churches have given us time to find a pastoral position. However, the continued unknowns cause stress on both us. We hate to admit it, but we worry about the future. That is why I've been going back to Matthew 6:25:
Jesus said, âTherefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear... Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ...Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
I know that I am not alone with my battles of worry... I know that we are certainly not alone with our battles against bad health and work instability... May we all not loose sleep, hair, or precious living over worrying about tomorrow. We really can't even add an hour to life. May we all learn to trust Jesus' words knowing that God values each person He created.
Gabriel is in the Hospital receiving anti-biotics
9/2/2009 11:13:52 AM by Michael
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
2 Cor. 1:3-5
There is something about pain that wakens you. Most of us like to live in the academy don’t we? I am envisioning the stone and solid-wood hallways of Harvard Divinity School. We love to linger in the classroom where theory can be debated, but reality not felt. However, some people have never had these privileges to sit and read and theorize. Those are the ones of this world who grew up working the fields of the farm or the working the streets of Maputo. Those are the ones who have fought the wars or fought for the basic staples of life. I am envisioning my friends’ home an hour outside of Maputo where there is no water or electricity. It was built by their own hands in two weeks with block and tin roofing. It has two rooms combined to be the size of two small bedrooms. They will travel two hours in old vans and through terrible traffic to work each day. They will return home to walk for water and to cook in the dark - sometimes in blistering heat. These people don’t care what theories we have about poverty; they live poverty. They know how the world works because they live in it with all of its ugliness. We watch them; not the academics.
There is something about pain that wakens you to the real world. We spend so much time trying to buffer our lives with comfort and luxury. We spend so much time sipping the wine, ingesting the food, and impressing the guests. We hate the battle; we avoid the battle. We hate pain, we avoid the pain. Yet, there is something pain that wakens us out of the fake and into the real life.
It is mysterious and profound that Jesus didn’t avoid pain. He didn’t like it, but Jesus redeems all of those who believe because he suffered for them. The verbs that describe Jesus’ pain on the cross are words like wounded (to be bitten or ravished by dogs), crushed (like an orange in a juicer press), and lashed (flogged with a whip many times). Because he suffered, we are comforted in the hope of a future different eternal life that will be free our current pain. At the same time then, as we suffer through life with comfort and hope, we have the power to comfort others who are suffering. We can lead them in real life, through real suffering, because we know what it is like to suffer and to be really comforted.
I am in the hospital again. I arrived home from thirty hours of traveling from Africa with little sleep. Sarah strongly held the family together while I was away, but now Gabriel has a fever and he is neutropenic, which means his body can’t fight any sickness. So we will be here for two days until at least Friday for anti-biotic treatment.
Over the past few months I have struggled with numbness. I had slipped back into the habits of buffering and denying. I stopped embracing our pain and I was getting angry at the Father for his will, but on the beaches of Xai Xai, three hours north of Maputo, right after hearing about Gabriel’s mild hearing loss, I realized that this pain is what God has called us to right now. These difficulties are what God has planned for us so that we might really find comfort in Jesus.
May we all be woken by our pains into the real world. May we decide to spend our lives fighting in the trenches of the bloody battle, rather than in the hollow halls of the fearful. May we each embrace our pain and find real hope to lead others to real hope.
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
2 Cor. 1:3-5
Gabriel's Counts are Normal
7/4/2009 10:53:29 AM by Michael
Dear Friends,
I am happy to report that Gabriel's alpha-feto protien count is 4. It was 900,000 when we arrived at Sick Kids. Now it is 4! This is right in the middle of a normal person's range. This is a great sign that the cancer has been removed completely from Gabe's body.
We still have one more round of chemo therapy to complete at the end of July. This will be the end of our treatment protecol. If all stays calm until then, Lord willing, we will enter the maintenance phase of Gabriel's treatment in August.
As I think about the past month, with all of the mixed news, some good, some terrible, dealing with gain and loss, life and death, healing and sickness, I have been reminded that there isn't anything more important than the good news of Jesus. Jesus offers forgiveness for all our failures. Jesus offers life after death. Jesus offers an eternal future. This really is good news. We mourn differently. We look ahead to a life and death with hope.
Please keep praying for Gabriel to continue to heal. Please pray for our family - especially for Mark and Sue, Joss and Theo - as we miss our Isabel with hope to see her in the future.
Isabel Katharine Warren 1994-2009
7/4/2009 10:02:18 AM by Michael
I haven't written since the day of Maylah's birth. I planned to write shortly after that day in order to attach a picture and give you the meaning of Maylah's name, but after that weekend we received tragic news that our niece, Isabel, had suddenly passed away.
Isabel left us to be with the Lord on June 16th, 2009. The past two weeks have been very tough and busy. As a family, we've been together down in Burlington and Rockwood, we've attended three different ceremonies, and we've mourned privately. Thank you for your prayers and support. Below, I would like to share some words of tribute that express our family's love for her.
Dear Isabel,
Psalm 127:3-5 says, “Children are gifts of moment by moment goodness set aside especially for us from God.” It says God tucks them away and presents them to us just at the time we need them like “silver coins as our reward.” Solomon, the most wise man to live before Christ, described children as a source of strength from God, “like arrows in the hands of a warrior.” Looking into their eyes, rubbing their foreheads, being held by their embraces brings us the needed emotion and reloading and recharging to face the battles of the world. Proverbs 17:6 says, “A grandchild is a crown to family.” When we are with them, they make us look kingly and queenly. With them in our presence, people see us as royalty.
Isabel, you were a gift of moment by moment goodness set aside especially for us. As a young untamed princess, I can remember the many days when you would give one of us “the look.” The look would normally come right after you received an instruction. You would pause... you would calculate the distance between yourself and the object of your rebellion... you would smirk, just so we knew it wasn’t personal... then the race was on. Countless times your desire for fun and your ambition for challenge would come together and result in a chase or two or three. Whether it was staying in the pool too long, being the last one we could get into bed, or challenging yourself to see how long you could pout for without smiling, you were always a formidable opponent and your antics brought smiles to our faces as you enjoyed the fun and challenge.
As you grew older you never lost “the look.” The difference was what came next. For me, the look was always given as a precursor or an introduction to one of your great stories. Isabel, you and your stories were silver coins of treasure tucked away just for us. Your stories were often designed to honour someone or to make us laugh. You had many voices and many characters. Other girls your age write sad stories; but your stories always reflected your desire to be involved with people's lives and your happiness in their happiness. You were so people driven. I remember the many moments when we were on our family holidays, in some resort hotel room, and the adults would walk into the kids room and you would have the rest of the nieces and nephews just laughing in pain by a silly rambling or all of a sudden everyone would become quiet as if you trying to get away with a more sinister tale. You were always up for a challenge and for some fun. You were mischievous, quirky, dramatic, dramatic, dramatic, always daring and involved. We loved your stories and we love the stories that you created in our presence by your boldness and your sweetness.
Stories like the crazy, European, childhood, nakedness at Carter’s beach... Like playtime and fitting in with the rough housing boys... Stories like swimming in the ocean when no other sane person would break the ice... Stories like lobster races on the kitchen floor... Stories like the rockin roller coaster one... or the tower of terror... Stories of your friends... Stories of your diving... Stories of your brothers.... Like the long snorkel-swims with your mom and dad in Turks... Your new clothes... The stories you told to Simon and Gabriel, and the playtime memories you made with them... Countless pictures of you and Amanda... Countless smiles with family... Your face light up when you work making up a story. You held us spellbound when you were telling one and awestruck when we were together constructing one with you.
Isabel, as you grew to be a young lady; you also grew to be affectionate, respectful, and encouraging. Your hugs truly were like arrows in our quiver. They were ammunition for reserve strength or advancement shots at the world in our defence. You were supportive, sensitive, and thoughtful. You sought after quality and quantity time. You were loyal. To mom, it seemed to me, you were a great daughter and a close friend. Even as recent as last Saturday, you talked about the close friendship you had with your mom and how you cherished it. To dad, it seemed to me, he was always your target to find in a room. When you sought him and found, you blossomed like a flower in his arms. You were taking his advice about diving with purpose and investing your time for the future. To older brother, it seemed to me, that he was always the twinkle in your eye. I remember this one picture from Nova Scotia, you just beamed at him and you were always happy to be with him. To younger brother, it seemed to me, he was always the softest spot in your heart. As you grew older, you cared for him, played with him, and loved him. You were trying to shine as an example for him. To the rest of us, you were an uplifting and joyful cousin or niece or grandchild. You wanted to be with family and he made choices to make sure that you were with family. We enjoyed your strength, your time, and your laughter.
Isabel, we want you back. Words on page cannot describe your beauty, but in short, precisely, you were our crown. When we were with you, you made us men feel kingly. When we were with you, you made the ladies feel like queens. You were jewels. You were gold. You were your grand parents’ pride; and your aunts’ and uncles’ and cousins’ talking point. You were your parent’s only and irreplaceable precious girl; and your brothers’ favourite person to be with. We love you. We miss you.
Baby!!! Baby!!! Baby!!! Girl!!!!!!!!
6/11/2009 11:06:09 AM by Michael
Maylah Nicole Thiessen
7lbs 9ozs
2:39 am, June 11 2009,
We had an exciting night. Simon and Gabriel are now older brothers to a sparkling baby girl. Maylah.
Sarah had light, moderate, and consistant labour from 10:00 to 12:00. Things slowed down after that and we went to bed. At 2:00am Sarah was woken up by two strong contractions. We moved quickly. We were at the hospital at 2:15am. Maylah was born 20 minutes later.
Sarah doesn't mess around. She is very well. I am going to pick her up now. Needless to say, the boys are very excited to say baby sister.
Love to all. Thanks for your prayers. I will tell you what Maylah means next time. Now, we are looking forward to two weeks of family time before Gabe goes for another round of treatment. Yah!
I am having trouble uploading a picture right now. Go to Mike Sarah Thiessen in Facebook and photos are there.
Also I will email a photo when I am home.
The Good Long Journey
6/10/2009 7:43:25 AM by Michael
Hello all. This is just a short update about Gabriel. We are home from the hospital now after his fourth round of chemo. He is doing well. Our first day was a long day of pokes and waiting. Gabriel did very well.
Gabriel's alpha-feto count is 32, which is amazing. That's why the journey is good. Gabriel is doing really well.
However, the journey is still long. Sarah and I are finding it hard to focus on much. We feel so up in the air that it's hard really BE anywhere.
God has been teaching me the meaning of "I desire mercy, not sacrifice. Acknowledgment rather than [ritual]." As I am looking for work and we can't regularly be anywhere, we have been forced to really find Jesus and follow Jesus as we journey. I can't do anything that makes me feel good or might make me think that I'm earning something. I can only obey Him when He is speaking to me about the real personal things.
I think this is the meaning of mercy instead of ritual. I have had embrace his mercy without faking it for anyone else to see.
I quess that's what happens during the long journeys, we don't have crowd around us to watch us do ritual in the temple. We just have to walk in the dry dust to get to the top of the hill. We just have to sleep on the side of the ride, with our scrolls of the gospel in hand, and keep getting up each new morning.
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