Western Canada Tour: Week 5

Week five is one for the books! We spent most of the past week in BC, and since several services got canceled, we had a few unexpected blessings from Jesus! One of them being an evening spent bowling. Dad of course won in the end but I was happy to win the first round :)

When things just don't go right you take on different methods of bowling.

:: A classic bowling shoes photo ::

:: The brake shoes on the bus were completely worn down and we needed to pick up a part for it an hour away before bringing it to the garage to have it fixed... while we were there we realized we were only 12 minutes from the west coast so we spent several hours walking around the town, seeing all the fishing boats, witnessing a movie being shot, touring an old fish cannery, and seeing all the cute shops along the way! ::

:: can I say "amen" to that? ;) ::

:: the following day we sat in the garage for hours and hours while these men worked on the tires ::

:: Sometimes it takes a crowd to figure out an Algebra problem ::

(notice the table of card making stuff set up in the back? Mom made 60 birthday cards for the widows while we were parked there!)

:: Between this time we had a few prison services again in the Abbotsford/Chilliwack area so we don't have any photos of that. Thursday evening we met up with Gospel Echoes' group called Crossroads and had a really fun chat time in Timmy's! Such a blast it was! ::

:: Friday, after a service in prison, we made our way to Alberta. When we got to the mountains we came upon sudden, thick fog and decided to park early and drive the rest on Saturday. By Saturday around noon we had made it to Banff, AB and stopped just long enough to have lunch and stretch our legs a bit. The parking lots were so full that we had a hard time finding a spot, but it worked out eventually. The weather was beautiful but just cold enough that the packed snow in the parking lots was as slippery as can be, so Ty put blocks in front of the wheels so that we wouldn't take out any vehicles in the process! When time came to leave we had a whole episode of trying to get the blocks out (apparently they had helped a lot) and leaving the very crammed parking lot. ::

:: We got to Lethbridge, AB by Saturday evening and have been spending some wonderful time with cousins since then! It's so good to see familiar faces and people that feel like home when you're with them... and I'm blessed to call them family! ::

Thank you all so much for praying for us in the past week and encouraging us, it's had some really difficult challenges but we've been loved beyond measure!






"Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue, only a moment. Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy." 
Proverbs 12:19-20

Western Canada Tour: Week 4

Wow! How are we already done with week four?! It's absolutely flying by! 

This past week found us traveling in the Rockies for hours on end, stranded in a snowstorm, and singing in several Correctional Institutions here in Beautiful British Columbia.

I do apologize, but I don't have a lot of photos except that I can spam you with tons of beautiful scenery :)

On Thursday of last week we left Vanderhoof, BC and started our trek over to Abbotsford. By lunch time we found ourselves in a very real winter wonderland, so we stopped at the nearest rest stop for a little refreshment time. I felt really sorry for Dad seeing he had to drive carefully and try to keep us on the road! The roads were very icey and covered in snow...

Getting in a little walking/snowball fighting done :)

Selah thought it was the best thing ever!

We gathered fresh snow and made snow ice cream for a little treat. 

By suppertime the road we were traveling on was closed due to the weather and too many serious accidents, so we ended up staying in Merritt, BC over night. Because of all that, we had to cancel the prison service that was supposed to be on Friday morning.

It was amazing as we drove through the Rockies... the weather slowly changed over to beautiful autumn colors and clear roads as we got closer to Chilliwack. 

Friday we spent some time thrift shopping and getting some exercise. Being in the Bible belt of Canada we spotted a lot of great books and I wasn't disappointed at all at the fact that I got 11 books under the price of one new one!

Friday-Saturday night we got a hotel room just so we could plug in the bus because the batteries are needing to be replaced, and we apparently know nobody out here! Then, during the day we got a lot of office work done, cleaned the bus, Ty and Loni did school work, and we went out to eat for supper.

Sunday at noon we went to prison #1 of the day, had an hour-long service there, then the chaplain took us in his car to prison #2 where he is also the chaplain. They were both such good times with the men there... they were very respectful and hospitable. Turns out the Institutions around here have a reputation of being infested by bunnies and now i have witnessed it with my own eyes. There were bunnies all over the place!

Prison #3 was a ladies institution. Some of the ladies had made bannock "timbits" and another sweat treat that we enjoyed with them after the service.

Today is our day off so we are again getting office stuff done!

This past week has had so many unexpected twists and turns to our schedule, but i keep being reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:18; "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." I'm halfway through one of the books I got on Friday called "Great Attitudes" by Charles Swindoll, and I realize again that there isn't much in life that you have as much control over as your attitude. I want to make sure that I keep mine pleasant!

"Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things."

Philippians 4:8