Safe and Sound in Owen Sound...

Hugo and I, without our brood, flew from Abbotsford to Kitchener today and then drove from there to Owen Sound. It was an interesting drive in the dark on the somewhat snowy roads but we made it safely! It is great to see the folks again and catch up!

Kodiak...

MAF is sending one of our new kodiak aircraft to help out in Haiti. Avgas supply is an issue there and the Kodiak can just carry more stuff and people. There's a little news story about it here
If you click here you can follow the path of the airplane as it makes its way to Haiti.

Check out an interview with MAF pilot Jason Krul of B.C. who was in Haiti during the earthquake here

MAF in Haiti

You can read more about what MAF is doing to help in Haiti here
There's a family from BC that is with MAF in Haiti (they have been evacuated) and you can read about their experiences here

School Skating...

Yes, that is Mikah skating with a boy.... Yikes!! She doesn't even know his name! He's in a grade above her... SSSHHHH don't tell her I posted this shot... It's the only decent one I got of her skating...

Bits and Bites....

It has been a while since my last post. There's just not nearly as much excitement in our lives here in Canada as there is in Papua. Maybe that's a good thing...

Good news from Papua. Our long-awaited Kodiak landed safely the other day after a long flight across the ocean:

This is very exciting for our program. This aircraft can carry more people than the Cessna 206 but use a lot of the shorter strips that the Cessna Caravan can't use and it uses jet-fuel instead of the hard to get a hold of and super expensive avgas.

Things I'm enjoying about Canada: (In no particular order)

not havng to make bread/buns

buying pork that's nicely cut into chops and all packaged up and sometimes even already seasoned! I could never bring myself to buy a pig leg (skin, fat and all) from the guys that would come to my door with one in a wheel barrow haphazardly covered with banana leaves in a futile attempt to keep the flies off.

Milk!

Shopping... as my credit card bill will confirm... there is so incredibly much available here!!!

Big pails of ice cream...

Caramilk bars...

Wednesday morning Bible study with the ladies

Hamburgers! Being able to borrow a bbq has been such a lovely blessing!

Things I am missing: (in no particular order...)

pineapple

feely truly warm to the very core

friends

being outside in the sun

playing hockey

yellow rice with chicken (nasi kuning bungkus) wrapped up in paper-yummy!

Things I am not missing:

meeting drunk guys on the road

the noise

Buying chicken at the market

rotten eggs

dealing with people asking for money

Things the kids have commented on or noticed/observed:

Brynnie to me: `Why does it always rain here

Yesterday the older kids saw the aftermath of a serious accident and the subsequent arrival of emergency vehicles - ambulance and firetruck.... the only time I ever saw a firetruck not parked at the fire department in Sentani, was when they were using the firetruck to water the flowers in the median on the main road... As we drive quite slowly in Sentani, there are rarely major car accidents.

** MAF has been working in Haiti for a long time. The houses and walls around the base sustained damage in the quake making personal safety a real concern. The women and children were to be evacuated and 4 pilots were going to remain behind to help out with the relief efforts. Please continue to remember the people of Haiti and those helping them in your prayers.

First day of school!

Here is Marc, very proud on his first day of kindergarten!

The kids are still adjusting to the long bus ride that takes them to school each day and then the subsequent long ride home. It is also odd to get up to go to school when it is still dark outside...

We are still cold, but we are adjusting to life in Canada. It will take some time. Everything about life here is different in comparison to life in Papua. In the meantime, we are having fun enjoying the things we love about Canada.

Bits and Bites....

Wishing you all a blessed New Year! May you continue to find joy in God's presence each and every day!
We are settling in here. There's no real routine yet however, as school has yet to begin. It feels as though each day has involved at least one sort of shopping trip.... However, there is a light appearing at the end of the proverbial tunnel. We are all clothed in season-appropriate clothing and managing to keep warm.
The cooler temperatures have definitely curbed the children's desire to play in the outdoors. This morning however, in anticipation of the arrival of cousins to play with, they are requesting to go to the park. Progress is being made. We'll have to see how long we last at the park though...
We are enjoying reconnecting with family and friends and eating foods that we haven't had for the past 3.5 years. Like sausage and waffles for breakfast.... strawberry yogurt.... sour cream and nacho chips... waffle cones... bbq'ed pork chops... fresh milk... etc... etc...
One thing I have observed about Canada and maybe more specifically this area of Canada, is that there is such a diverse mix of people calling this beautiful country home. In Value Village I met a young woman from the Philipines who has lived here for one year. In front of me at the Sears check-out was a family from South America. The majority of the cashiers at the local Superstore are from Pakistan or India. The woman in the men's clothing store is of Japanese background. I'm not sure where the girl working in Mark's Workwearhouse was from but I think her name sounded Greek and she had a unique accent. A nearby church just sponsored a family from Ethiopia. The wonderful effect this melting pot has is that no one need feel different. We're all different! In Papua we are the minority, and are often stared at and watched. I love that I can go to the store here and no one looks at me twice. No one's looking in my cart to see what I'm purchasing or watching the cashier punch it all in to see how high the total will be.
We miss Papua. We miss our friends, we miss eating fresh pineapple; I even miss the smallness. In just a week and a half we have already driven over 400 kilometers! I miss feeling really really warm. I don't really miss all the people coming to the door yet. In the week and a half that we've been here, we've had people come to the door maybe 4 times and they were all expected. That would be one morning in Papua!
I miss being able to walk to church and passing by the locals in their colourful dress on their way to church and greeting the folks I know. I am enjoying sitting on comfortable benches and listening to sermons in my mother tongue along with singing and actually knowing what I am singing. The language of song is often quite different than the spoken language.