Relaxing by the pool....

Ok, well not exactly :) I am resting with my Macbook watching swimming lessons happen in the pool, I am not sure if that counts. Well I was reminded of some good advice that we recieved at our Pre-feild Orientation. We were encouraged to pick a Family verse, that we can hold to and come back to when we are questioning or needing assurance. Our family verse is Psalm 84:4-7
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
they are ever praising you
Blessed are those whose strength is in you
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage
As they pass through the Valley of Baca (or Mexico City)
they make it a place of springs
the autum rains also cover it with pools
they go from strength to strength
until each appear before God in Zion

one of the verses that really stuck out to me was "who have set their hearts on pilgrimage" I completely resonate with that! I feel like we are on a journey, and this is what we have been created for. That it is not a short or easy jaunt but a pilgrimage that may even consume the rest of our lives. But we are commited to the task, we have our hearts set on the goal, and it is to that end that we will move forward, always looking ahead, to where we are called. The next verse says "As they pass through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs". I have claimed this verse to mean, that I will not allow our circumstance to dictate our life. It's up to us to choose or attitudes each and every day, to wake up thankful for another day, ready to give whatever is required of me with a genuine love for the people around me. We have the ability to make any desert into spirings.

How does one Vacation in the Rain?

HHmmm, after we left Calgary we headed for sunny Sun Peaks BC, just north of Kamloops. Sunny they say, but rain came our way! I felt sorry for the kids at one point..look at them, just peering out into the endless rain, wondering if they would ever get out....trust me I was wondering too, haha! Though we were stuck inside most of the better part of 4 days we did manage to have some fun at the lake.....oh that cold lake. Yes, we were determined to get in the lake even in the rain.

It was a nice and relaxing time though as we got a chance to hang out with some family for a few days. This was kind of the pit stop between Calgary and Abbotsford on our trip down to Costa Rica. It really is a nice place to visit though. Yup, you get your fair share of bears and gofers too!

Gone Crabbin'

OK...who likes Crab???? I do I do! Apparently Isabella does too. That same Saturday of our farewell we went to an all you can eat crab restaurant in the Calgary NE. For all you Calgarians, we went to the hotel behind the Shareton on Barlow and 32nd Avenue. All you can eat crab is on Saturday nights and prime rib all you can eat is on Friday nights. So we show up at the restaurant and Carmela didn't really want to try it, but we coaxed her and then could not get her away from them. Then once Isabella got her hands on the creepy crawlies she became an instant master at it. She continually would pull out the ever coveted "pure" unbroken piece of crab.....oh man...I can taste it now. Dipped in melted butter----oh man I feel full now and bloated and don't want crab again for at least 1 day :)

If you ever get the chance to go there....do it! And if you don't like crab....may I ask why....I mean c'mon, look at how fun it is!!!!

Wow...the time has come for us to say good-bye to our wonderful family and friends in Calgary. We have truly been blessed by every single one of you. Last Saturday we had a great time with a surprise (surprise for some...hahaha) farewell party for us at my aunt and uncle's place out in Springbank. It was brutally hot but good to see our friends the one last time. Thank you to all those who could make it and a special thanks to Les and Leslie for allowing everyone to invade your house.

So this concludes our Calgary phase of our preparation journey....3 years has gone by so fast and yet we have so many memories from Cowtown...all of which will last for a very long time.

31 Days till Costa Rica

Wow, the last month has been a whirl wind. We are checking things off our list and each day we are one day closer to Costa Rica! In the last few weeks we have had the privilage of sharing our journey with other churches in our cluster and have met some amazing people who have blessed our journey along the way. Some of which I can't help but mention. Paul and Bev Warnock from Hanna, and Kevin Haugan and Don and Oriel Stewart from Sylvan Lake. We are so encouraged by how they have embrassed us as we begin this journey. We hope that we can be an encouragement to them as well.
Well in our attempt to maintain some normalcy (is that a word) for our children, we took them to The Stampede today, that was a treat! Well 31 days till we land in Costa Rica! We can hardly believe it.

Sandra- The other day I was sitting and thinking over the events of the last month (yes I actually had a minute) and as I was, I clearly saw a pitcure of a large hand and inside of it was my whole little family. I knew in an instant that it was a picture of God's hand around, in, over and behind our lives. I was instantly reassured of His presence and protection and peace surrounding our lives. It was a little jewel that I will hang on to and remember often on my journey to Mexico City.