Ponder this...

Home... for a couple days

It's great to be with my family!  After 17 days away I was starting to go into withdrawal!  It was so good to see Rebecca at the airport - she is so beautiful to me! It's amazing how capably and happily she handled our children without me! I owe her big time!

I'm now trying to get my internal clock back on Canada track - not much luck so far!  I slept about 4 hours yesterday - didn't eat much supper then woke up and had a massive breakfast! The kids loved the gifts I picked up for them. Mareesa has not taken off the Indian dress I gave her and Aiden and Jesse have been wearing their soccer jerseys (Ronaldinho and Ibrahimovic) every day - we've been watching youtube highlights to acquaint them with the names on their shirts.

Rebecca and I are scrambling today to get ready to fly to Regina tomorrow for the weekend celebration of our 20 year High School Reunion. It will be great to see some people that we haven't for 20 years!  Sunday I'll speak at the morning service and then we will rush home to rescue our sister's from our 4 children! Thanks in advance to Malcolm/Suzanne and Heather and Angela for teaming up to make this weekend possible! Rebecca and I will be praying for you!

I've uploaded some photo's and videos of my trip here and here. I'll get some more up next week.

Here's one I snapped in the Bangkok airport on the way home.

The rain has come!

After about 5 months of dry dusty weather the winds started to howl and now the rain is coming in Guwahati! It is indeed a blessed relief. For me, it is a relief from dust and hot weather, for many others it holds the possibility of saving crops and financial relief. Today was the final day for the students of the Bread of Life Institute. The students came from all across Northeast India and Myanmar. They spent the last several months in daily study of the Scriptures and various other life-skills. It was a pleasure to see the bonds of friendship and the transformation of their language skills and faith development. Truly an encouraging example of the power of small group of people committed to learning together. With the rain comes many power and internet outages, so I am typing this with much uncertainty that it will be published! Tomorrow I will head up the hill to the city of Shillong. I was born in Shillong and am feeling quite moved and eager to see again the place of my birth. I wonder, am I going home in someway when I go there? Is there a part of me that resonates louder when I am in that city? The answer is yes, it is quite moving, but I don't really understand it. Just like so many things!

Shopping Hong Kong

Spent the last few hours wandering Hong Kong streets checking out the various spots Harmony said would make a good tourist experience.  Lots and lots and lots of shopping opportunities!  And I didn't buy a thing! It's a beautiful day and I'm loving not wearing a jacket. I took a taxi, a bus, the subway and did a lot of walking.  My first general impression is a good one! A lot like India except a lot cleaner streets, fewer wild animals and horns and pushy people. There is a Macdonalds on most corners as well as a 7-11. Had a tasty breakfast of some kind of food and a wonderful cup of coffee at another little shop. Right now my internal clock is messing me up, my sinus cold is in full gear and so I'll try to have a short nap before Harmony comes back and we head off to the Hong Kong peack.

This is shot of the school Harmony teaches at.

Lots of shops to choose from.  Yes, you can even go to Tom Lee's Music.

16 hours in a plane later...

Cathy Pacific 839 used an older plane that flew me safely to Honk Kong yesterday.  I was jammed in a seat near the window (always make sure you get the aisle so you can get up when you want to) next to a very kind and large man. The on-flight video was too blurry to watch anything on, but fortunately (?) I was surrounded by about 30 people from the Punjab and they provided the entertainment, or at least helped pass some of the time!  Their activity centered around a very old gentleman who was quite confused and upset by the idea of riding in a plane for a long period of time (can't say I blame him for that). At random moments throughout our flight he would get up and rather quickly attempt to make his way to either the front of the plane or the back. Apparently he believed that he was on a bus and kept yelling for the driver to stop or he would jump out! This is where the other family members would grab him and in loud voices, while stroking his beard and rubbing his back they would attempt to force him back to his chair.  It seemed to become kind of game after awhile - an amusing, sad, funny, loud kind of game!

I'm at Harmony's 32nd floor apartment and she is off to teach today so I am left with a few hours to roam Hong Kong.  Tomorrow I'll head off to the camp and the conference will begin.

Had a nice skype chat with Rebecca and the kids and now it's time to explore...

Let the airtime begin

I'm waiting at the Calgary airport for my flight to Vancouver - enjoying free wifi. I was able to spend a few minutes at Oak Park this morning - long enough to be prayed for by my Elders.  I'm so thankful for the Church community that we are a part of!  I love our commitment to spreading the Message globally - I don't know of any other churches are size that gives as much or sends as many people to help others around the world!  It's a natural thing to have our staff go serve in other places and I love that!

Not looking forward to the many hours in the air from Vancouver to Hong Kong!  I've got a laptop, the latest Tom Cain novel and several of my wife's fresh cinnamon buns - I think I'll be fine!

Back to waiting and people watching...

Time to fly!

This Sunday I'll be taking off on a three week trip that will include Vancouver, Hong Kong, Kolkata, Guwahati and Regina!  I'll be joining my friend John in Hong Kong to speak at a conference put on by Harmony's school and then doing some teaching at Bread of Life Centre in India where my Mom and Dad serve and then conclude my travels by attending my 20 year High School Reunion and speaking at Western Christian Colleges Annual Homecoming.  A very full trip! I'm very excited but find myself this week with a bad head cold and a back that hurts no matter how I sit or stand!  Hopefully I can get cleaned up and straightened out before my 16 hour flight!

Lots happening at Oak Park these days!  We had a wonderful family banquet with a hilarious entertainer.  We are about to announce the hiring of new Associate Pastor (I'm very excited about a new teamate) and getting ready for our annual Good Friday Stations of the Cross experience! 

I'm hoping to blog throughout my trip, so check back for updates!

K.T. Norris Lectures

I'm back and in recovery mode from last week's travels to Charlottetown, PEI.  Yes, the land of Anne!    I was the 25th speaker for the annual K.T. Norris lectures and it was one of the most full, fun and exhausting weeks of my ministry life!  I taught at a local church each morning for a couple of hours, spent meal-times and the afternoon's visiting with people and then spoke again at the Confederation Conference Center each evening - that's a lot of talking for a introvert - I think I'll have to be silent for a couple of weeks just to recover!  People came from across the Maritimes and were attentive, encouraging, and just plain enjoyable!  I had a lot of laughs and some great discussions about life, loss, church, mission and Jesus.

I had never been to the Maritimes before and I was very impressed with the culture, the hospitality, the architecture and especially the desire to follow Jesus that so many exemplified. 

I sensed a shift taking place in the Minister's and leaders of several of the congregations.  They are feeling as if it is "time to move on" from the struggles of the past and take steps towards a more positive and missional approach to their ministries and community.  As in most churches, the challenge is change. 

Fred Osburne of Maritime Christian College was my host for the week and he kept me smiling and full of Tim Horton's - what more could I ask for?  That man's stories could be scripts for several episodes of Corner Gas!

I even managed to get in a couple of good squash games with K.T. Norris' son Paul and had a chance to eat seafood, look out at the sea and listen to some great Maritime music.

I've never met so many people who are related to each other!  Talk about connections!  Everyone is a cousin.  You think I'm exaggerating? I am, but just barely!

One night at Tim Horton's after a lecture I was introduced to Dennis and Kathleen who minister with a local Baptist Church - Dennis says, "Hey, I have a relative in Calgary you might you know!"
I'm thinking, "yeah right in a city of million I might know you relative!?" 
"Have you ever run across Jeff Logan and Julie Wells?" 
"Uh, yeah, they live next door!" 
"Awesome, Julie is my niece!"

I learned so much and gained so much - It was a great experience!  Thanks to all who prayed for my travels, wife, kids and talks. 

MCC

We are in day two of the Kenneth T. Norris lectures here in Charlottetown.  What a blast!  Great people, great place!  Here's the current Maritime Christian College facilities.

Charlottetown

I made to Charlottetown late last night.  It's cold and the wind is blowing!  I'm still trying to work out the three hour time change.  Spoke at a local church this morning.  The lectureship starts on Tuesday morning.  I'll upload some pictures tomorrow. 

The BIG news today is here!  Makes me smile and so thankful!!

Edmonton again

My wife has asked me to blog often on this trip so here is attempt #1.

I'm on my way to Charlottetown today and am sitting peacefully in the Edmonton airport awaiting a plane to come in from somewhere so that it can carry me on to Montreal this afternoon.  The big screen says 45 minutes delayed - for now... 

I feel like I've been in this airport a lot.  Since almost all flights to Yellowknife come from Edmonton I've sat in these vinyl green seats many times and waited and waited!  Today I don't mind, the wifi is free, Second Cup is close by and I'm having a conversation with a pleasant Montreal native and understanding about half his words :)  I'm not sure he's getting any of mine!  There, now he has broken out his video camera and has wondered off to video various parts of the airport.

Airport time is unusual.  I never seem to be able to get much work done.  I find it hard to read anything but novels.  I feel a little like a piece of luggage just waiting to moved on!    People watching is interesting for a while, twice already I've thought people were talking to me but they were just using their bluetooth earphones.  One guy said, "hello" and I answered him.  He just looked at me as if I was stupid - I looked at him as if he was stupid, he wasn't, he just looked it.

Back to my novel.