It is now Tuesday. I have been back in my old home town for four days. And I have been having a wonderful time.
Sunday I was sharing at my first church here in Prince George. I was wonderful to see long time friends and meet new ones, especially the two young people who came to inquire about serving over seas. My heart sang!
And being able to sing again in the church sanctuary where I sang so many years ago. What a blessing.
I was introduced to a local painter not long after my arrival here and on Sunday we shared conversation over lunch. My friend and I had opportunity to look at many of her works. They are quite wonderful. God has given her an amazing talent and she is using it to honour God.
But all the while here, I have been cold. I am glad that I brought with me a long sleeved sweater and a jacket. Both have been put to good use. It has been 89F in Manila this past week. How I wish it were the same here.
O well, I am content in all things. 1 Tim 6. I am content in the cool weather! Amen!
Blessings.....
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Back Home Again
I am now in Prince George, BC. My first Canadian home after immigrating to the country in 1974. I moved away from PG to Kamloops, BC in 1989.
It was here that I taught special needs and elementary classes.
It was here that I was a member of a musical group called Spinning Wheel.
It was here that I was involved in the local live theatre group.
It was here that I met and married Peter.
It was here that I lost a baby.
It was here that I came to know the Saviour, Jesus.
With all these memories and more flooding through my brain yesterday afternoon, I arrived in the city known as the hub of the north.
It has always been difficult for me to return here to the city. Almost every corner of the city holds a memory. Both wonderful and not so wonderful. It is the same this time too.
The wonderful include:
14 1/2 years of teaching
Being involved with the singing group and meeting my friend and singing partner of many years, Errol.
The long list of friends.
Learing to cross country ski, show shoe and build snowmen.
Being on stage in local productions at the theatre.
Our fun wedding.
Coming to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and growing with the family at the local church.
The not so wonderful, well, suffice it to say there were many.
They are all here. Both the good and the not so good.
This weekend I will be back with the family that taught me about Jesus. Who let me share with them the songs I wrote on Sundays. Who helped me grow in my faith with the loving Father. Who cried with me and loved me through the tough times.
There have been three pastors since I was last here and many of the people I knew here have left, and many new members have come. But the character of the church remains the same. A love for God, a prayerful heart and a willingness to share with others. Not a bad foundation to have in one's walk with the Lord. To these people here in Prince George I say thank you.
In three weeks I will travel further north to Dawson Creek, Goodlow, and Hudson's Hope, BC. Then in to Alberta to Fairview, Eaglesham, Sexsmith, and Grand Prairie. I don't think that I have been in the Peace River area before when it is summer time. I am looking forward to seeing the fields in their summer green and the trees along the river in all their summer splendor.
Please pray for good meetings in each of the churches that I will visit and good times with friends and supporters I wll see along the way.
Blessings,
Barbara
Post Prayers:
1. journey mercies as i travel the highways
2. good weather. so far the roads have been very good.
3. that the finances for Mustard Seed will be met.
4. good results from tests i had at the doctor's office this past week.
It was here that I taught special needs and elementary classes.
It was here that I was a member of a musical group called Spinning Wheel.
It was here that I was involved in the local live theatre group.
It was here that I met and married Peter.
It was here that I lost a baby.
It was here that I came to know the Saviour, Jesus.
With all these memories and more flooding through my brain yesterday afternoon, I arrived in the city known as the hub of the north.
It has always been difficult for me to return here to the city. Almost every corner of the city holds a memory. Both wonderful and not so wonderful. It is the same this time too.
The wonderful include:
14 1/2 years of teaching
Being involved with the singing group and meeting my friend and singing partner of many years, Errol.
The long list of friends.
Learing to cross country ski, show shoe and build snowmen.
Being on stage in local productions at the theatre.
Our fun wedding.
Coming to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and growing with the family at the local church.
The not so wonderful, well, suffice it to say there were many.
They are all here. Both the good and the not so good.
This weekend I will be back with the family that taught me about Jesus. Who let me share with them the songs I wrote on Sundays. Who helped me grow in my faith with the loving Father. Who cried with me and loved me through the tough times.
There have been three pastors since I was last here and many of the people I knew here have left, and many new members have come. But the character of the church remains the same. A love for God, a prayerful heart and a willingness to share with others. Not a bad foundation to have in one's walk with the Lord. To these people here in Prince George I say thank you.
In three weeks I will travel further north to Dawson Creek, Goodlow, and Hudson's Hope, BC. Then in to Alberta to Fairview, Eaglesham, Sexsmith, and Grand Prairie. I don't think that I have been in the Peace River area before when it is summer time. I am looking forward to seeing the fields in their summer green and the trees along the river in all their summer splendor.
Please pray for good meetings in each of the churches that I will visit and good times with friends and supporters I wll see along the way.
Blessings,
Barbara
Post Prayers:
1. journey mercies as i travel the highways
2. good weather. so far the roads have been very good.
3. that the finances for Mustard Seed will be met.
4. good results from tests i had at the doctor's office this past week.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Back in BC
Well, I'm back in BC. Last week I traveled to Calgary and surrounding area, visiting with friends, supporters and the staff at the Canada ACTION office in Calgary.
Although the weather fluctuated between SNOW, rain and sun, and experiences were varied (like almost hitting a second deer near Trochu, AB, and staying in a hotel where a possible murder occurred), the time there was wonderful.
I was able to meet with the staff at the ACTION Canada office and share with them the ministry of Mustard Seed. ACTION's missionary Ron Homenuke was also at the office. He has been on furlough since April and it was great to hear what his home time has been like. In Red Deer I stayed with ACTION missionaries, Martin and Lorna Scholz. They also served in the Philippines. We were able to have long chats and catch up with the goings on in our lives and also shared a very cold saturday morning at the Farmer's Market in Red Deer.
While in Three Hills, I met with a bride to be and was filled in on the details of her wedding at the end of this August. I have known this young woman since she was two years old and it will be a joy for me to attend the wedding in a few weeks.
I'm home for just three days and then off to the northern parts of BC and Alberta. I know that it will be a great time seeing friends and visiting in churches. Please check the travel schedule listed on the right side of this blog. Come and see me when I am in your area!
Please continue to pray for journey mercies and for the ministry of Mustard Seed and its needed budget for Batch 4.
Blessings,
Barbara
Although the weather fluctuated between SNOW, rain and sun, and experiences were varied (like almost hitting a second deer near Trochu, AB, and staying in a hotel where a possible murder occurred), the time there was wonderful.
I was able to meet with the staff at the ACTION Canada office and share with them the ministry of Mustard Seed. ACTION's missionary Ron Homenuke was also at the office. He has been on furlough since April and it was great to hear what his home time has been like. In Red Deer I stayed with ACTION missionaries, Martin and Lorna Scholz. They also served in the Philippines. We were able to have long chats and catch up with the goings on in our lives and also shared a very cold saturday morning at the Farmer's Market in Red Deer.
While in Three Hills, I met with a bride to be and was filled in on the details of her wedding at the end of this August. I have known this young woman since she was two years old and it will be a joy for me to attend the wedding in a few weeks.
I'm home for just three days and then off to the northern parts of BC and Alberta. I know that it will be a great time seeing friends and visiting in churches. Please check the travel schedule listed on the right side of this blog. Come and see me when I am in your area!
Please continue to pray for journey mercies and for the ministry of Mustard Seed and its needed budget for Batch 4.
Blessings,
Barbara
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
It happened again!
I left for Calgary on Monday morning with cloudy skies in the Kamloops area. Most of the day the weather was on and off rain. In the Golden,BC area, there were many sections of road construction. This is very usual in this part of BC.
Something very exciting happened in Golden when I stopped for gas. One of the other travelers who was purchasing gasoline for his vehicle was wearing a sweatshirt made out of the same material that our students at Mustard Seed used in the classroom. It came from the sewing factory that supplies us with material! How about that!
I arrived in Canmore around 4:30 pm and began looking for a place to stay. The weather was pouring rain and I was hoping to stay at the motel at which I had stayed on my travels in the past. But there were no rooms available. Hmmm.
So I began to check other motels in the town. Full as well! I discovered later that there was a huge conference going on at Banff this week. Canmore is close to Banff and was being used for housing for the conference. I finally did find a place to stay.
Yesterday morning I headed into Calgary. The rain was pouring and also windy. Not far out of Canmore, the rain turned into snow. Snow!!! Big white wet flakes of the cold stuff!!
In the afternoon I spent time with friends in Red Deer, Alberta. This morning I met with the people at the ACTION office in Calgary. It was a wonderful time of sharing with the staff of ACTION about the ministry of Mustard Seed.
This weekend I head back to Kamloops. please pray for journey mercies for the trip.
Next week, I head to Northern BC!
Blessings,
Barbara
Something very exciting happened in Golden when I stopped for gas. One of the other travelers who was purchasing gasoline for his vehicle was wearing a sweatshirt made out of the same material that our students at Mustard Seed used in the classroom. It came from the sewing factory that supplies us with material! How about that!
I arrived in Canmore around 4:30 pm and began looking for a place to stay. The weather was pouring rain and I was hoping to stay at the motel at which I had stayed on my travels in the past. But there were no rooms available. Hmmm.
So I began to check other motels in the town. Full as well! I discovered later that there was a huge conference going on at Banff this week. Canmore is close to Banff and was being used for housing for the conference. I finally did find a place to stay.
Yesterday morning I headed into Calgary. The rain was pouring and also windy. Not far out of Canmore, the rain turned into snow. Snow!!! Big white wet flakes of the cold stuff!!
In the afternoon I spent time with friends in Red Deer, Alberta. This morning I met with the people at the ACTION office in Calgary. It was a wonderful time of sharing with the staff of ACTION about the ministry of Mustard Seed.
This weekend I head back to Kamloops. please pray for journey mercies for the trip.
Next week, I head to Northern BC!
Blessings,
Barbara
Monday, June 9, 2008
No...It can't be!
This morning, Monday, I packed up the Malibu and headed off towards Calgary. The weather has been on and off rain for the last week. Wet...I left this in the Philippines! Or so I thought.
Traveling the transCanada hwy went well. A stop in Salmon Arm for gas and a CR break, a stop in Revelstoke to purchase a drink, a stop in Golden for lunch. The weather was on and off rain as I climbed up into the Rocky Mountains. The mountains got higher and their tops got whiter. At Rogers Pass I stopped to take photos of the gorgous scenery. I do miss the peaks!
I climbed higher and the rain came more often. It was not too farther from the pass that I noticed specks in the air. Little, tiny, white specks in the air! Unbelieveable! They are little specks of snow! Not enough to stick and not enough to stay on the ground but enough to say, It's snow!!!!!
At 4:30 pm I arrived in Canmore. But I was discouraged soon enough. Most of the motels had already turned on the No Vacancy sign. After driving by 5 motels I did find one on the edge of town. It is where I am writing this.
Tomorrow, Red Deer. At least tomorrow night Iwill be with friends!
Traveling the transCanada hwy went well. A stop in Salmon Arm for gas and a CR break, a stop in Revelstoke to purchase a drink, a stop in Golden for lunch. The weather was on and off rain as I climbed up into the Rocky Mountains. The mountains got higher and their tops got whiter. At Rogers Pass I stopped to take photos of the gorgous scenery. I do miss the peaks!
I climbed higher and the rain came more often. It was not too farther from the pass that I noticed specks in the air. Little, tiny, white specks in the air! Unbelieveable! They are little specks of snow! Not enough to stick and not enough to stay on the ground but enough to say, It's snow!!!!!
At 4:30 pm I arrived in Canmore. But I was discouraged soon enough. Most of the motels had already turned on the No Vacancy sign. After driving by 5 motels I did find one on the edge of town. It is where I am writing this.
Tomorrow, Red Deer. At least tomorrow night Iwill be with friends!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Tie A Knot, Say A Prayer...
This past week has been busy and wonderful. On Monday I joined the ladies from my home church in Kamloops for lunch at a local restaurant. On Friday morning, my friend, Mary, and I went to Salmon Arm, BC to visit the quilt show being held there. What gorgeous quilts were being displayed! I was able to purchase material for the next two quilts that I will make. Saturday morning I reconnected with a friend that I haven't seen for almost 9 years!
On Thursday morning I traveled to Merritt, BC and joined the quilting group that meets there each week. This group is different from other quilting groups that I have met. This group of women form a local chapter of the national group, Prayers and Squares. The purpose of the group is two fold. They make and give a quilt to someone who is going through a rough time - an illness, a surgery, a difficulty. But more importantly they pray for the person. The quilt is tied but the knots are left unfinished. On Sunday morning the quilt is brought to the church and placed on a table in the lobby. A letter is placed with the quilt stating who it is for, and what the prayer requests are for the person. People come, tie a knot and say a prayer. Each knot represents a prayer prayed for that person. What a wonderful ministry! The leader of the group shared that last year the group averaged making a one quilt each week. That's 52 quilts last year. That hundreds of prayers offered up for the 52 people who received the quilts. Amen and amen!
It is Sunday as I write this. I am off to bed soon, getting needed rest. Tomorrow morning I travel to Alberta to meet at the ACTION office and with friends and supporters in Red Deer, Three Hills, and Calgary. I know that it will be another busy week.
Post Prayers:
1) For safety as I travel this week.
2) That I will rest well tonight.
Thank you for your prayers!
On Thursday morning I traveled to Merritt, BC and joined the quilting group that meets there each week. This group is different from other quilting groups that I have met. This group of women form a local chapter of the national group, Prayers and Squares. The purpose of the group is two fold. They make and give a quilt to someone who is going through a rough time - an illness, a surgery, a difficulty. But more importantly they pray for the person. The quilt is tied but the knots are left unfinished. On Sunday morning the quilt is brought to the church and placed on a table in the lobby. A letter is placed with the quilt stating who it is for, and what the prayer requests are for the person. People come, tie a knot and say a prayer. Each knot represents a prayer prayed for that person. What a wonderful ministry! The leader of the group shared that last year the group averaged making a one quilt each week. That's 52 quilts last year. That hundreds of prayers offered up for the 52 people who received the quilts. Amen and amen!
It is Sunday as I write this. I am off to bed soon, getting needed rest. Tomorrow morning I travel to Alberta to meet at the ACTION office and with friends and supporters in Red Deer, Three Hills, and Calgary. I know that it will be another busy week.
Post Prayers:
1) For safety as I travel this week.
2) That I will rest well tonight.
Thank you for your prayers!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Well, now I KNOW that I'm back in Canada!
My few days back in Canada have been full already! Purchasing a vehicle, finding a laptop to carry with me, and opening a cell phone account. I have again all the technology I need to head off on my travels.
The joy so far has been the sharing i have done with friends and supporters. A former workmate, the missions committee from my church in Kamloops, the ladies from KEFC over lunch last Monday, and at an evening care group on Sunday. In just these few short days I have been encouraged to hear what God is doing in the lives of these people that I haven't visited with for two years - prayers answered, faith deepened and faith challenged. I now wear a wrist band to remind myself to pray for Payton and his fight against leukemia.
And I have been challenged as well in my own walk with the Lord. The trials that have brushed many lives over the last two years. And how God has been faithful in everyone of these situations.
As well as all the visits and reconnections made so far, I have finally, I think, come to realize that I am back in Canada. It all came together yesterday when the young male deer flashed into my sight and my lane on the highway as I traveled home. The brakes were activated and my breath gasped as I narrowly missed hitting him. As I finished my journey home, thanking God that the new vehicle I was driving wasnt damaged, I realized that I really was back home in Canada and not still in the Philippines.
As I drove I made my list -"You know you are back in Canada when.." Here are the ones I wrote yesterday.
1) You know you are back in Canada when the animal that runs in front of your vehicle is a deer and not a cow or goat.
2) ...when you realize that it is self-serve at the gas station and not full serve after sitting for 10 minutes.
3) ...when you realize that you haven't used the car horn yet. (Does the car even have one??)
4)...because it's not Jollibee on every corner but Tim Horton''s coffee.
I'm sure I will find other examples to add to the list as I settle in over the next weeks.
I will be sharing in Merritt, BC this Sunday and then travel East to Calgary this next week.
Thank you for praying.
Blessings,
Barbara
Post Praises:
1) That I didn't hit the deer that crossed in front of me. I was traveling 80km. It would have been a mess!
Post Prayers:
1) For safe travels as I begin this weekend
The joy so far has been the sharing i have done with friends and supporters. A former workmate, the missions committee from my church in Kamloops, the ladies from KEFC over lunch last Monday, and at an evening care group on Sunday. In just these few short days I have been encouraged to hear what God is doing in the lives of these people that I haven't visited with for two years - prayers answered, faith deepened and faith challenged. I now wear a wrist band to remind myself to pray for Payton and his fight against leukemia.
And I have been challenged as well in my own walk with the Lord. The trials that have brushed many lives over the last two years. And how God has been faithful in everyone of these situations.
As well as all the visits and reconnections made so far, I have finally, I think, come to realize that I am back in Canada. It all came together yesterday when the young male deer flashed into my sight and my lane on the highway as I traveled home. The brakes were activated and my breath gasped as I narrowly missed hitting him. As I finished my journey home, thanking God that the new vehicle I was driving wasnt damaged, I realized that I really was back home in Canada and not still in the Philippines.
As I drove I made my list -"You know you are back in Canada when.." Here are the ones I wrote yesterday.
1) You know you are back in Canada when the animal that runs in front of your vehicle is a deer and not a cow or goat.
2) ...when you realize that it is self-serve at the gas station and not full serve after sitting for 10 minutes.
3) ...when you realize that you haven't used the car horn yet. (Does the car even have one??)
4)...because it's not Jollibee on every corner but Tim Horton''s coffee.
I'm sure I will find other examples to add to the list as I settle in over the next weeks.
I will be sharing in Merritt, BC this Sunday and then travel East to Calgary this next week.
Thank you for praying.
Blessings,
Barbara
Post Praises:
1) That I didn't hit the deer that crossed in front of me. I was traveling 80km. It would have been a mess!
Post Prayers:
1) For safe travels as I begin this weekend
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