Over the past week Lorene and I have met some amazing people with equally amazing stories. The one theme that keeps emerging is the importance of relationships. Each person had a different reason for going and serving on these trips, but it’s the relationships with the people they meet abroad that bring them back.

I’ve found it very encouraging that God has led us to start our project in the place where my story began. It has been great catching up with old friends and sharing what God is doing in our lives with the people who took the time to guide and lead me through the early stages of my life in Christ. Because of these particular friends, I can trace back the steps of my life and see how God has used and prepared me for the adventure that stands before me.

It has also been a week of meeting new friends and seeing in a very practical way, the power of the family of God. Through a friend of a friend, a stranger welcomed us in to her home and made us feel like family. Our needs were met beyond all expectations, and then some. The room was warm, the food was excellent and the conversation encouraging. We won’t soon forget it.

We are now on our way to the family cabin just outside of Prince George for a little rest and relaxation and a little cross county skiing. We will be without some comforts of the modern world—namely a wifi connection so we won’t be posting again until we hit Edmonton on March 20th.

Thanks for your prayers.

I have been struggling with what to write on the blog today. I would like to say that our first round of interviews went fantastic, that we are filled with the Holy Spirit, that we are collecting compelling stories of life change and capturing photos that illustrate who these people are.

I would like to tell you that.

What I will tell you instead, is that while the people we have met are incredible, and the stories they have to share are compelling, our whole day yesterday in Kitimat was rushed.

We rushed from interview to interview, not quite having enough time with most of them to really get to the heart of the story I wanted to tell. Justin had challenges with time constraints too, snapping shots instead of really having an opportunity to show who these people are through compelling photographs.

Yet, in spite of our too-busy schedule, what we did gather was encouraging. We met a rough and tumble man whose heart was absolutely broken for the people in Babicora, Mexico. We met a widow whose passion for prayer empowered an entire church to pray for the missions team every single day they were gone. We met a man who built a friendship with a stranger from another land and language through their shared love of music. We met a pastor who has seen enormous growth and change in his church, and a teenager who has affirmed her desire to be a missionary.

I guess it wasn’t such a struggle what to write on the blog today after all. I am encouraged that in spite of our shortcomings, still God wants to use each one of us wherever we are in life.

On another note, Justin and I have now been together 100% of the time since last Sunday when we left Chilliwack, and we are finding that is something new to get used to. Our lives have always been so busy since we’ve been married, this may just be the longest we have spent as a couple withouth interruption when it is not a holiday. Pray for that.

Here I am thinking about what to write in today’s blog, sitting at The Elephant’s Ear Cafe in Terrace where there is free WiFi.