Catching Up

It has been a bit since I posted... sorry, we've been busy.

Let's see, the quick review...

1. Left Toronto August 11 and drove 4 days, arrived August 15.
2. Had a gracious welcome at the Sakatcheway Anishinabe School and were led to our new home.
3. Tiny little 3 bedroom apartment in a one level 4-plex. Photos coming on LK's Flickr when we are online at home.
4. Spent two days (hardest two days of my life- including delivering babies) getting a semblance of order to life.
5. Started work August 18 with a friendly staff who welcomed me warmly.
6. Am now starting to loose the "I miss..." and "I want to go home." phrases from our vocabulary. There are moments though when it would be really nice to be able to walk down to the grocery store.
7. Fiona and I start school tomorrow!

We are currently waiting for our dial-up software to come in the mail (which is only delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays) so we can update from home. I am madly typing this after-hours to keep y'all in the loop. Besides I missed my journalings quite a bit while we have been in upheaval.

More later.

Step Out of the Boat

This morning's sermon was aimed right at my heart. Amazing how that happens right when you need rebuke or encouragement.

Matthew 14:22-34: Jesus walks on water and Peter jumps out of the boat to do the same. The sermon focussed on Peter and his response to Christ. It was the first time I have ever identified with a disciple. It felt a bit odd.

From the passage there are three questions to answer:

1. What is your boat?
2. What is your storm?
3. What are the conditions that enable us to walk on water?

Walking on water can be defined as putting ourselves in a situation where we are bound to fail unless the Lord is with us. Well, that sounded pretty familiary to me. In fact it sounded like my jump in April.

I thought of myself and what LK and I have struggled with this past six months as we stepped out of our boat and are tentatively taking steps towards Christ on the water. I thought of friends who are in their boats right now, perhaps they are being prepared to step out and God is laying the groundwork.

I have a new perspective on our six years here in TO after today. They were a 'boat' time of rich fellowship, learning and growth. They also prepared us for this time. What an amazing God that He lays out the days of my life in such loving detail.

So I sit here on our last night in the city and I am happy more than sad. I am looking forward more than back, and I am thankful for six wonderful years with amazing people who I dearly love.

I may not be posting the rest of the week... we leave tomorrow and don't arrive at our new home until Friday. If I can find Internet access along the way I'll stay in touch, but be patient I'll be back!

Vacation

I love camping. We just got back (well two days ago) from a week and a half of time outdoors with family.

The first week was spent at Inverhuron Provincial Park with the Kaldeways. We had a few days of complete relaxation, and all of us loved the beach. I recommend the park for people with smaller children. It is a small park with a beautiful beach. The sites are very gravelly though, so it was a bit hard on Jo as he was just starting to take tentative steps before we left.

Now he is triumphantly marching about the apartment like he owns the place. Within a few hours back at home, he had started to practice walking in earnest. Now he crows with pride at each successful trip. LK and I just grin at each other like fools as we watch him gain confidence with each step. Kids are really awesome!

The second part of our trip was to Little Clam to visit the Dixes. We had a great time and really enjoyed being part of the cheering section for the canoe races in the regatta. Next year we hope to participate. Of course no visit to LC is complete without some excitement, and we had a bear visit on our last night. He was looking for a snack and tore a hole in the Muskoka room to get at Dad's red wiggler composting farm, which he dragged to tear open right beside Sarah and Nolan's tent. We adults in the tents were all lying awake listening and praying that he would be content with the compost and worms. He was.

Now we have a few short days before starting off on our grand adventure. We are packing madly and trying to organize those last details (and the ensuing kinks). Currently I am trying to figure out how to get a phone hooked up through Bell without having an exact street address. So we may not have a phone number for a few days after the move. However, we can be contacted via email still (I hope) and you can leave comments here for us. As soon as we get the details sorted out we will share with all our loved ones.