Day 28 of our journey...

We are still in the Wisconsin area.  Our days are filling up with visits and presentations at churches and homes.  We do feel so blessed by the wonderful hospitality we received wherever we go.  It truly is a way of experiencing the bond we share as the Body of Christ.  We are meeting a lot of new people along the way.  Howard has been able to present several cross cultural communications workshops in the area.  We believe that it can be a blessing to those who are considering going on a cross cultural short term missions trip.  The responses we have received so far have been positive and we pray that God may use the insights shared for the advancement of His Kingdom.

Last weekend we had a great time with our family here.  Howard had the privilege of baptizing Grace Annika last Sunday.  She celebrated her first birthday this week as well.  It has been good to spend time with our 4 grandchildren in this area.  We play games, do puzzles together, teach knitting and carving soap.  It is a fun part of being grandparents.  We will have several opportunities in the next couple of weeks to spend time with them in between our meetings.  We feel blessed to have this time to invest in their lives.

The weather here in Wisconsin has turned cooler after some pretty warm weeks.  Fall is in the air.  We don't mind it though.  It makes sleeping in our camper a lot nicer and we have a heater in case it turns really cold.  The truck is running fine now and having the camper proofs to be good too.  Having our own quarters is nice and convenient wherever we go.

We thank God for His grace which is sufficient for each day.  May you also experience this wonderful grace.

Grace Be With You All - by Michael Card.

Day 17 of the journey...

We crossed the border on Saturday August 27^th – day 7 of our journey.  We were the only ones there and waited for a couple of minutes before they moved the cones and motioned us to move forward.  After the usual questioning and checking our passports we were invited to come inside so Jannie could get her visa stamp and pay the usual fee in order for her to enter the USA, since she still has a Dutch passport. 

We drove through some beautiful country in Minnesota and passed a town named Karlstad that boasts to be the Moose Capital of the North.

We noticed that the muffler was starting to sound louder and louder.  Howard crept underneath to find that there was a hole rusted through near the catalytic converter.  Not a good place for an easy fix L.  Our TomTom directed us over a couple of gravel roads to our next destination, which was even worse since the tailpipe was barely hanging on.  We didn’t want it to rip off and cause more damage.  After a couple of tense moments we made it to our destination.  We were grateful for Howard’s uncle who put us in touch with his friends who was able to fix the muffler/tailpipe issue.  No more worries there.

The visits with friends and family have been most enjoyable.  Good talks and great fellowship and never enough time to cover it all.  But we are so grateful that God is giving us this opportunity to meet people face to face.  Howard was able to put on a cross cultural workshop for a small group at a church in the Minneapolis area. 

We have been so blessed by the wonderful hospitality of people wherever we have visited.  Our truck camper has been a great blessing to us, since it allows us to park our ‘home’ on wheels just about anywhere.  We also sleep better because we sleep in the same bed every night. 

On day 11 (Wednesday, Aug 31^st) we entered the state of Wisconsin.  We continue to marvel at the beauty of the landscapes.  Traveled along the Mississippi river and had some great views of rolling landscapes.  Passed another town named Tilden WI which is located halfway between the Equator and the North Pole.  (we thought that Trivia enthusiasts among you might like to know)  Spent time visiting friends we hadn’t seen for many years and enjoyed our fellowship with them all.  The weather turned muggy and warm, so we were very glad to have the AC working in our truck.

God protected us during a violent thunderstorm one morning while parked at a campground near Castle Rock lake.  We could hear the smaller branches hitting our truck and camper while we were having breakfast.  It was very dark that morning and the thunder and lightening seemed to be right on top of us.  It wasn’t until we left the campground and were heading on our way that we realized the severity of the storm when whole trees were uprooted and blocked roadways.  Thanks to the hardworking tree crews who were busy cutting up the roadblocks, we were able to continue our journey without much delay. 

We found Howard’s grandparents farm in northern Wisconsin.  It is no longer in the family and has been radically changed.  But the area was still very familiar to him where he spent many of his childhood summer vacations.  Found the gravesites of grandparents on both sides of Howard’s family.

On Sunday, Day 15, we visited and shared about our work at a church in the Milwaukee area.  We were encouraged by the preaching and the fellowship among believers.  We were able to share with a group of people after the service and answer the questions they asked.  Later that day we traveled on to see our kids and grandkids who live in Wisconsin.  It is wonderful to see our growing family and spend time to get to know them better.  We hope to visit with them in between our visits with churches and friends. 

It is now day 17 of the journey.  We hope to connect with as many people as possible in this time we are here.  Our itinerary is filling up, but we still have room to fit in a visit here and there.  Thank you for continuing to keep us in your prayers.

on the road...

Howard next to a dinosaur leg bone

Jannie with stegosaurus at the Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller

We are finally in a place where we have internet access.  So far our trip has gone well, but not without some glitches.  We left on Saturday and took several days to get to staff conference.  Did some sightseeing along the way and enjoyed the ever changing landscapes across the many kilometers/miles.  On Sunday however we encountered car trouble.  We were several kilometers outside of a town when we heard a clanking noise in the engine...not good :(...then the gauges went haywire and the check all gauges warning light came on. The alternator had quit and power steering went to zero.  The engine temperature sky rocketed.  We knew we had to stop quickly, but needed to find a place that would be open for business, since it was Sunday and no garage would be open.  We made it to a Canadian Tire parking lot and as soon as we stopped we could hear the coolant boiling!  We thanked God for getting us safely to this spot and prayed that Howard would be able to fix the problem.  We opened the hood and lo and behold the serpentine belt had come off the pulleys and was tangled into the fan blades.  He carefully removed it and then discovered that one of the belt tensioner pulley had seized up.  They had the parts at the store and after the engine cooled down, Howard was able to fix it and we were on the road again.  We thank God for His protection during those last kilometres and getting us to the right place to get things fixed.

the serpentine belt was all twisted

God blessed and Howard was able to fix it

On Tuesday we made it to the staff conference at a Bible Camp northeast of Regina, Saskatchewan. It was a very windy day when we arrived, but since then the weather was quite nice during the day and cool at night.  It was good to see many of the staff there and renew our friendships again.   We had excellent speakers and were challenged and encouraged to continue in God's Kingdom work.

Today we left right after breakfast to make some headway towards Minnesota.  We made it to an RV park just south of Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Having the camper has been wonderful.  We are able to make lunches along at rest stops and cook dinners once we get to a campground.  Tomorrow we hope to cross the border into the States.  

Thanks for praying as we cover the many kilometres/miles on this trip.

good news...

It's almost here.  Today we will be packing up the truck camper and take care of the last details in and around the house.  It will be good when we leave the driveway to head out east.  No more lists to check.  We can finally relax and try to enjoy the journey ahead.  We are looking forward to having a couple of extra days before staff conference to do a bit of sight seeing and stopping at points of interest along the way.  After our busy summer we both need it.

This last week we have been working hard on getting things prepared.  All that in between a couple of unexpected doctors and dentist appointments.   A couple of weeks ago part of my tooth broke off, so I called the dentist right away.  He was on vacation and wouldn't be back until this week.  The voice mail stated that I could see the dentist on call in an emergency.  If I chose this option I would need to pay $150 up front plus the cost of the treatment.  Since it wasn't an emergency I decided that I could wait until my own dentist would be back.  I was hoping that it wouldn't take more than one visit.  Usually they book the first consultation to let you know what the damages are going to be and then the follow up visit for the treatment.  I arrived a half hour early for my appointment and the waiting room was already filling up with people at that early hour of the morning.  Oh boy this may take two appointments, I thought.  I explained that I would be leaving at the end of this week on an extended trip.  I was very happy when he said that he could take care of it in this one appointment.  That was good news to hear.

Next we checked our medications and realized that we needed some refills to get us through the 3 months.  When I called the pharmacy they told us that we needed to see the doctor before we could get the refills.  Great, more time out of our already busy week.  When I called the doctors' office they were able to fit us both in that afternoon since the doctor was leaving on his vacation too!  We actually had a very pleasant visit with the doctor.  Before he wrote out the prescriptions he thought it good to check our blood pressure.  Howard passed with flying colors.  I wasn't so lucky :(...blood pressure was pretty high.  But then we have been under a bit of stress.  Nevertheless, it's something to keep in check.  So the BP monitor will be coming along on our trip.

Yesterday we had to drive to Kelowna.  Another day out of our already busy week.  But this was my scheduled 3-month check-up at the cancer clinic.  No blood work or other tests were needed for this appointment.  Just a chat with the clinical trial nurse and a physical check-up with my oncologist.  Praise God all is looking very well.  She was quite pleased that I looked well and that there doesn't seem to be any recurrence of the cancer.  What a wonderful answer to prayer.  I see her again after we return from our trip in November and after that I won't have to come back for six months!  Oh and they checked my blood pressure there and it was within the normal range :)!  That's good news.

Thank you all for praying, we are truly blessed to continue our journey together.

still here...

In about a week we hope to take off on our trip to the States.  Traveling first to Saskatchewan, where we will spend four days at our mission family conference..  We always look forward to visiting with our mission family.  It feels like family because we share in the same work and we understand the joys and sorrows of ministry.  It is a good time to connect with leadership and hear what God is doing in the mission.   Of course we are regularly updated by e-mails about the latest news, but it cannot replace the face to face time with people.  It will be a good kick-off to our furlough travels.

We hope to be able to keep this blog going during travels.  However it may be a bit more intermittent depending on the availability of internet as we travel along the way.  We have contacted many of the churches and people in the States where we will be traveling.  Our itinerary is printed and a lot of dates are already set and confirmed.  This time around we learned to schedule our "down time" in between meetings.  Driving the truck camper should give us the option to pull over and rest on long travel days.  We hope to camp along the way at campgrounds, in people's driveways and in church parking lots.  Our camper will be our "home on wheels" for the next 3 months.

Today Howard is preaching while the pastor is away on sabbatical leave.  I am playing and singing on the music team.  It will be a busy morning, our last service with our church family here before we leave.  Later in the day we invited some friends out for a barbeque at our place.  We are looking forward to our Sabbath rest before we commence with the travel preparations once again on Monday.

May God bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you and give you His peace now and always.

getting ready for the big trip...

    We are now two weeks away from leaving on our furlough.  No this is not a vacation or a leave of absence, or a sabbatical leave.  If you look it up in a dictionary you get the following explanation: 1) Military . a vacation or leave of absence granted to an enlisted person 2) a usually temporary layoff from work 3) a temporary leave of absence authorized for a prisoner from a penitentiary.
    We haven't joined the military, so NO we're not on a vacation.  We are still very much employed and are not laid off.  And we have not been imprisoned, for those of you who were wondering about that last statement :)!
     Our furlough is a time to connect with our team of prayer partners and supporters.  It is a privilege to be able to make this long trip back east and to meet and greet the many people on our team who make it possible for us to do what God has called us to do here among the First Nations communities.  And yes we do plan to take some time off in between meetings to visit with our girls and their families.  We now have 8 grandchildren in the USA.
    We have been busy with the necessary things in preparation for this trip.  We hope to drive our truck with camper across the many miles (kilometers) of Canada and the USA.  Howard has been busy getting the truck ready, you know oil changes, checking fluid levels, getting that cracked windshield replaced (in order to avoid a ticket once we cross the border), putting air in the spare tire just in case.
    I have been helping with a kids reading program on the reserve in the last week.  The program will continue until the end of next week.  In the afternoons and evenings my time is taken up by finishing sewing projects and getting organized for the trip.
    We will have a family staying in our home while we are away, so that means that the house needs to be cleaned and some things will need to be temporarily packed away.  "Think of it as spring cleaning" I happily told my dear hubby.  Howard didn't seem too excited about that idea and furthermore he stated that it wasn't spring!  Okay, he's got a point.  But we're still going to have to clean.
    Yesterday we split another half a cord of wood in preparation for winter.  We've got this incredible woodsplitter.  No I am not referring to my husband, although he is pretty incredible and  wonderful.  This woodsplitting machine helps a great deal.  So while he split, I stacked.  We make a pretty good team I think :)!
    Well there is more to be done, so I had better get back to work.  By the way when you read this, please pray for us.  

a busy week...

We are back from our trip to the Lillooet area.  It is about a 3.5 hours drive west of here.  On Sunday we went to the Christian Native Fellowship and were overjoyed to see a young couple and their four kids there.  The young man had participated in the kids outreach we did that summer 13 years ago.  And the young mom remembered us from Bush Camp.  She recognized herself in the pictures as we looked through the photo album of our summer missions experience. It was fun to recall the memories as we talked.  He shared how he had been involved with alcohol and drugs over the years, and how it affected his relationship with his family.  He realized that he needed to change and just a few months ago decided to turn his life over to Jesus.  What a wonderful transformation has taken place in this family's life.  Pray for this young couple and their four young children (God knows who they are) as they feel quite alone as Christians on the small reserve where they live.  Many of the community, especially their peers, are trying to lure them back into their old lifestyle.  It is a battle that we continue to see around us.  "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)  

one of the elders working on the native flute

one of the young gals who attended our kids outreach 13 years ago

our truck camper

The weather was quite hot and we decided to head to the Pavilion reserve for the night, since we remembered that it usually was much cooler there.  So many memories flooded our minds as we drove onto the reserve.  We parked at the fire hall.  It was the same building where we lived for a summer with 3 of our 4 kids, who were teenagers at the time.  The maintenance guy we met that summer came to open up the hall, so we would have access to the bathroom.  The next morning Howard busied himself to get ready for the flute making workshop with two of the band members.  It was a wonderful time of re-connecting with old friends.  We sat around and talked and listened to stories as they were making their flutes.  As I stopped by one of the homes to visit, I was greeted with big long hugs from the two women who were there.  “We were just talking about you last week!” they both said.  How interesting, since they didn’t know we were coming.  There has been a lot of turmoil on this reserve in the last years, and it has affected many of the families. Pray for a revival in these communities.  The enemy has had a hold on this area for so long and we can see it in the brokenness in people’s lives.  

happy with the results after a two day workshop

We got back on Wednesday late afternoon when we got the message on our voicemail that there was going to be a funeral the next day for a young woman who had died from a drug overdose.  When we called, the parents asked if we could say some prayers with the family at the funeral. 

Early the next day we met with the family.  The young woman who died was only 35 years old.  Her children were raised by her parents, since she was unable to do so herself due to the abuse of drugs and alcohol in her life.  Last summer she tried to move back home and change her life, but she would often go back to the big city and be drawn back into the drugs again.  Her father said that this last time that she left for the city, he somehow knew that she probably would return in a pine box.  He said, “Talking to her about the drug abuse was like talking to that telephone pole” as he pointed out his window.  She was his baby girl and he was broken and angry at the same time.  Angry at the grip these drugs had on her on so many other people. Angry at those who sell the drugs to young kids.  He then asked if Howard would share about the dangers of drugs in his talk at the funeral.  We then realized that they were asking us to officiate and help lead the service.  We had about a half an hour to put together a message and some songs that we would share.  God gave the grace and peace needed to manoeuvre through some stressful and difficult family dynamics as people gathered to say their last goodbyes.  Several people shared briefly about her life and offer words of condolences to family and friends.  The casket was removed for cremation and family and friends gathered to share a meal.  As usual there was lots of food, and more kept coming throughout the meal.  All were invited to come back in the morning to the graveyard to bury her ashes. We were pretty tired at the end of that long intense day.

The next morning we arrived early at the house, but the truck was gone.  Afraid that we may have missed them we walked in the house we noticed that the parents had gone, but everyone else was still asleep.  A young man who had tended the fire all night was sound asleep on the couch oblivious to our presence the TV that was still on.  About 10 minutes later the parents arrived.  They had to take care of some things in town.  We chatted briefly and they asked us to meet them at the cemetery a little later.  Another car arrived about the same time we did at the cemetery.  We found the spot where they wanted to bury the ashes.  It was right on her mother’s grave.  I noticed that the mother was only 40 when she died.  The gravesite needed more dirt in order to bury the ashes, so someone brought a wheelbarrow and a couple of shovels and the few of us who were there helped to get the site ready.  It was hot in the sun and the mosquitoes were plentiful. Little by little more people showed and then the dad spoke briefly and asked Howard to pray while they buried her ashes.  A chief spoke on behalf of the band and then people said their last goodbyes and went on their way home.   

We were exhausted when we got home and were glad for a little time of peace and quiet.