Friday, August 29, 2008

Sherbrooke and beyond

I wanted to post a quick blog though we are up to our eyeballs in boxes to let everyone know we arrived in Canada without a hitch ( I mean our car's hitch was still attached as was the trailer but there were no delays, hang ups or other catastrophes on the way).

Some highlights of our travels:
Ian knows how to swim (don't worry it was a swimming pool teaching not falling out of car into lake or anything)
The car made it.
Customs was a breeze as no searching of our trailer was done and it only took about 45min for the canadian border patrol to complete paperwork
There were kind folks here to help us unpack and especially the Christiansons ( learning french on their way to Hati) exposed us to great kindness
The trailer was returned today without any problems

Some ongoing issues
Adjustments-traveling across Quebec made some culture shock it home (yes I know its only Canada but still the traffic patterns, the knowledge you are not a citizen and in Quebec the uncertainty that people can or are willing to speak English will wear on you

Isabelle is going to school in kindergarten in a french day/ english day pattern. She is nervously excited

Ian is in 3rd grade ( you might lift his teacher up in prayer)

Daycare for Caleb ( there is a possibility Anna could do class in am and I in pm and thereby avoid a 3rd party daycare)

My seeking monthly employment in the States

Anna and I adjusting to the new environs and different expectations.

More to come later with picts of the apt.

Thanks for praying

Monday, August 25, 2008

So far so good

Ok, another magnificent seven quote coming up.
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view) i could not find the clip on youtube.
The scene is where Yul Brynner's character and Steve McQueen's character go to get a elderly man to come to the village to stay safe. He declines but then asks how the preparations and training of the villagers are doing. Steve McQueen replies with a story....."There was a man in El Paso once who fell off a 3 story building. People on each floor heard him say as he fell...so far so good" Steve then looks at the elderly man and says "So far so good".
The picture above is like that. This is our car loaded down hauling a trailer on our way to Canada. We left this am and are now in Staunton VA. Lowell, I tried to channel your packing capabilities but came far short.

We swing by a former church in baltimore before spending the night with an aunt and uncle of mine in PA. The next day we go watertown ny and then cross the border to Sherbrooke QC on Thursday. Then its returning the trailer, registering kids for school and unpacking.

Also during this time we had the opportunity to speak at the church my parents are a part of and so that was a blessing as well........

Continue to pray for us as I am stressed out about the load on the car, the kids are very tired of staying in hotels and sitting in the car all day, Anna and i are stressing about the kids in school,and getting across the border.......the list could go on but the fact remains that God is sovereign, rich in mercy and able to handle our mistakes. That makes me happy.

Continue to pray for us we covet that.

thanks

Sunday, August 17, 2008

3000mi down 2000 mi to go...


We are in the midst of our travels from MT to QC and we appreciate your prayers.
The trip from MT to my parent's house went well and we made it in 5 days and we took about 1/2 day to spend at a water park in OH.


We then unloaded our stuff at my parent's property and a spent a day relaxing. We then loaded our car back up for a trip to Fayetteville NC to see Kathleen and her mom (and mom's boyfriend). They are in the process of moving to CO where the boyfriend will be posted. We were happy to see Kathleen and her mom and see that they are getting a long well. We are concerned of course about a lot of issues. Please continue to keep Loi (the mom) Kathleen, and Chris (the boyfriend) in your prayers as they transition to a new place and that they would seek God.

From there we went to the Chattanooga area to be with Anna's family .
On Tuesday we go to Lewisport Ky to see Anna's grandmother and from there back to my parent's house to load up a trailer and to speak at a church. We then will go to Quebec from there.

we do have our papers for immigration to Canada and Ian's should be coming soon.
We still do not have daycare for Caleb lined up.
We still need to firm up our plans until we get to Canada.

Our family is each dealing with our transitions in different ways.
I have twinges of panic such as " I have no job, I have no income, will all the stuff fit in the trailer, will the pilot haul the trailer? I should be doing more stuff, what can I do" etc.
Ian and Isabelle and Anna all are doing pretty well with stuff, Anna is mostly exhausted from packing and driving. Caleb is having a hard time though. He keeps saying "I want to go home", "I want to sleep in my own bed' and so I think he may be having some issues.

thanks again for all of you for praying. I still plan on finishing the "sender/supporter" series, so hang in there.

Stephen

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

7 & 12

I am doing a couple of things to shake you up a bit here tonight. First i named the post title in numbers. This is not because we've converted to Kabbala so squash those rumors right now but because those numbers have a lesson for me. The second is I am posting a video clip in our post.
Let me know how it goes.

The 7 comes from the movie The Magnificent Seven is an adaptation of another movie. This movie was the springboard for a lot of seventies movie stars but that is not the point. The point specifically here is that there are a lot of good scenes that I like. The set up is as follows. A poor Mexican village is terrorized by a bandit who robs there coffers on a routine basis. The villagers seek guns to help them fight off said bandit. They meet Yul Brynner's character (who is a hired gunman) and find out that hiring men is cheaper than buying guns..... in the ensuing conversation this takes place:



That sentiment has been running through my mind a lot this week (in Anna's as well but she would not frame it in terms of a bald-headed gunfighter....after 11 years of marriage I'm still not sure why:)) as we say goodbye to friends and family here in MT and as we prepare to move to Quebec. We are being offered a lot.

This intensified yesterday as we met and worshiped with the Cut Bank Community Bible Church yesterday. It was especially encouraging to be prayed over and "Sent Out" from there and to hear the encouragement of the folks there.

The 12 comes in as a boy who is a little older than Ian comes up and gives us a dozen eggs. "They're collector eggs" he told me proudly and he wanted to give them to me. This young man actually has a thriving business in farm fresh eggs and he was giving what he could. He gave cheerfully and not in expectation of anything in return and those eggs are incredibly appreciated.


I often marvel at the freshness and sincerity of nonadults as opposed to adults and I praise God for that. I confess that in the past week as we increased our business that a degree of self importance creeped into my attitude and my actions and God used that dozen to remind me all gifts are from Him and without Him, without Love we really are nothing.


Continue to pray for us as we load up on 8/5, move out on 8/6 and hope to be in Bismarck ND on 8/7, on the other side of the Twin Cities on 8/8 and then on from there.


Thanks to all of you who have given us encouragement and prayers a long the way.


Stephen