We're in Seattle!

Thursday was "graduation" day for the girls as it was their last school day - and to celebrate we got surprise them with the news that we are going to Disneyland!  They were excited.  The next day, Friday morning, we made our way back into civilization after feeling quite secluded at Esperanza.  We had a wonderful drive back to Victoria - I wish pictures could do it justice, but you just can't capture what we were able to see.

On Saturday morning we had a chance to visit with a family that has planted an MB church in the last few months in an area of Victoria called "James Bay".  We had a great breakfast, visit and prayer time with them.  They are attempting to adopt four siblings under the age of six, and should know by the fall whether it's going to work out - pray for them!  The rest of the day was spent chilaxing in the inner harbour area, heading over to fisherman's wharf and visiting a petting zoo.

Feeding the ducks at Beacon Hill Park

  

Cooking Spaghetti on a burner on the 3rd flr Window Ledge at our Hotel!

Sunday we took a ferry from Sidney through the San Juan Islands over to Anacortes, WA - wow, what an awesome tour on the water we had through some beautiful Islands! (again pictures don't cut it) We hit fairly heavy traffic on the way into Seattle, I'm assuming people coming back on the weekend, but we're here and ready to explore the city tomorrow.  So begins the third leg of our journey.

Last Days at Esperanza

It's our last week at Esperanza - we're heading out on Friday to Victoria where we'll connect with a MB church planter on Saturday.  On Sunday we leave the Island and have decided to spend a couple of days in Seattle before heading down the coast!  

We've been welcomed here at Esperanza but to be honest, I don't think we have really felt like we connected with people on a deeper relational level.  It's interesting to be the guest and pick up on what makes you feel like you belong or not in a new community.  I think part of it was that we never really shared much of our story with people here, or at least they've never asked very many questions about us.  Either way we've decided to invite a few different people over to our place for meals and be more pro-active.  We've connected with Arttu - he's a 37 year old Finnish backpacker making his way up to Anchorage.  He quit his job, sold everything and is basically living day by day (he says he was a contestant on The Apprentice in Finland!).  He has been here for about four days, and is definitely searching spiritually.  He was baptized in Tofino last week, but I'm not sure if he completely understands who Jesus really is.  We've had him over to our place a couple of times and have been able to share our story and who Jesus is to us - you can pray that he would continue to grow in his relationship with Jesus.  He is divorced and I think Father's Day was kind of hard for him. We've also invited Emily over, she's nineteen years old and has been living here for 3 years - her parents divorced when she was four and she has been able to come to a place of healing and forgiveness only recently. 

There has been a work group of about 30 young people here from Portland for the last few days and they've been splitting wood and doing some electrical projects.  We just enjoyed a potluck meal with the group and Esperanza staff, so we got to chat with them more and learn about Portland!  They're here until Saturday. 

I'm just about finished reading "Missional Renaissance" by Reggie McNeal - it was something our board went through, but I hadn't read it completely yet.  A great practical book to change the "scorecard" on what we measure success by as a church.  I'm beginning to really reflect on this identity as a believer to be "sent".  Here's a quote that caught my attention:

"The missional church is made up of missionaries...they live their lives with the idea that they are on a mission trip.  On mission trips, people focus on the the work of God around them, alert to the Spirit's prompting, usually serving people in tangible ways, often in ways that involve some sacrifice or even discomfort.  Life on mission is more intentional and more integrated.  While the concerns of life (family, work, leisure) are pursued, they are part of a larger story being played out for the missionary.  This story does not require a round-the-world excursion to discover or to pursue.  Mission is not something "out there"; it is the defining quality of how missionary life is lived."  So I'm asking myself, how does my lifestyle reflect this idea of being sent as a missionary?  What does it look like for me while I'm on sabbatical and not being a "pastor"?  What does it look like to be a misional family and not separate work and home life, and simply be sharing Christ as intentional blessing agents for the kingdom of God?  Good stuff...

Julia and I are reading through Gary Chapman's book, Four Seasons of Marriage - it's generated good discussion for us as we get close to celebrating sixteen years of marriage!    

 

 

Beauty of God's Creation

Everyday we thank God for this experience, we feel so blessed to have this special time as a family, it has been so good for us.  We've done some neat hikes as a family the past few days, including one that crosses a ravine by using a log and rope "railings".  The stunning beauty of God's creation has been overwhelming.  It reminds me of the beauty of God himself.  God could have created an ugly world, but because He is creative and beautiful and wondrous, his creation reflects that!

It's so beautiful here!

Pretty much the biggest rose I've ever seen

With the men now gone from the retreat, I went back to working on various projects around Esperanza.  The latest is building a frame to put a cedar shake skirting around the bottom of one of the buildings.  I spent half a day ripping 2x4's (literally 2 x 4 cedar - I can't imagine how expensive this wood would be back home).  I've also decided to leave the home we're living in, in better condition than when we got it (I don't think this home gets used very much?), so we're cleaning up around the place.

We've now all seen a seal, and I even managed to come face to face with one when it came up one of the pier holes by the floating dock!  We've also enjoyed watching eagles soaring around and trying to catch fish in front of  our place.  The girls tried out the water today - yep, still cold.  

We took a trip into Tahsis again and went bowling, (Julia destroyed me) swimming, and ice cream cones for supper!

Restaurant in Tahsis

Dog at Esperanza got a bone stuck around it's lower jaw!

It's Raining, it's Pouring

Well, we've had a few rain days which is to be expected but I think we're feeling a little cooped up inside.  We've watched a few sessions in the "Life" series (produced by BBC Planet Earth) and I'm starting to remember the names of the characters in "My Little Pony" so it's time to get out again!  It's mostly Julia and I getting a little bored, the girls are having a blast, and once again (like she did in Mexico) Nevae is saying that she doesn't want to leave.  We haven't spent as much time outdoors as we liked, but here is Nevae and Keziah conquering part of the climbing wall.

The last couple of days Esperanza has hosted a native men's retreat.  This was a rental group with the purpose of the retreat being to help the men heal from the scars of the residential school system (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Indian_residential_school_system).  Julia and I helped out in the kitchen, serving and cleaning up.  Esperanza, as a Christian organization, hoped this is a way to help build bridges and heal negative stereotypes many of the native people have of Christians and "the church".  I think they had a good time and we've prayed that God would this experience to soften hearts.  A work group from Portland soon arrives.  I'm hoping we can get out to do some fishing shortly once it quits raining!

God continues to speak into me the truth that Christ lives within me...

"Christ in me" means something quite different from the weight of an impossible ideal..."Christ in me" means Christ mean Christ bearing me along from within, Christ the motive power that carries me on, Christ giving my whole life a wonderful poise and lift, and turning every burden into wings...not as something you have to bear but as something by which you are borne." - James S. Stewart

We were meant to house the fullness of God - He transforms us, changes our name from sinner to saint!

I'd definitely encourage you to read through the book "the good and beautiful God" by James Bryan Smith.

Trip to Tahsis

On Saturday we took a trip into Tahsis to do something different.  It's a small community that used to be up around 2,000 people until the mill closed down quite a few years ago and now it's 200-300 people left.  We went to two of the three restaurants in town, one great, the second one we decided to order ice cream after looking at the menu (ice cream was great though!), and the third restaurant was a part of the grocery/liquor store!  We had a great afternoon bowling, swimming in the pool, and just goofing around in the town.  We need to go back at least once more to check out the "free store" and visit the town dump to see bears.

Jellyfish!

We touched our first live starfish - prickly

I beat Julia by 5 points

Salmon Berries - quite good

The girls have done great sharing a room! 

Hot Dog Roast!

I've been reflecting on the book of Ephesians quite a bit during my sabbatical - in an earlier post, I listed all the things Christ has done for me, which I'll list again:

• blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ
• chose us to be holy and blameless
• predestined us to be adopted as his sons
• redemption through his blood 
• forgiveness of sins
• made known to us the mystery of his will
• marked in him with a seal the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance
• made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions
• God’s workmanship
• brought near to God through the blood of Christ
• access to the Father
• no longer foreigners and aliens

In light of what Christ has done for us, this is how we should live:

• humble and gentle
• patient and bearing with another in love
• make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
• speak the truth in love
• put off our old selves and put on the new
• put off falsehood
• do not let the sun go down while you are still angry
• steal no longer but work
• do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths
• get rid off bitterness, range and anger, brawling and slander
• be kind and compassionate
• forgive one another
• live a life of love
• no sexual immorality or greed
• make the most of every opportunity
• do not get drunk on wine
• sing and make music in you heart to the Lord
• always give thanks to God the father
• submit to one another

What a list!  Again I am struck by the realization that it is only through Christ living in me that I could begin to live like that - when I surrender to him, a joy-filled abundant life is mine in return.

Relax, you're on the Island now

It's been interesting talking to people here as they reflect on what life is like living in an isolated community that is focused on mission.  I think the common thread seems to be this adjustment to "lifestyle" and moving away from the dichotomy of home and work; many of the families here also have young children so it can make life full and busy, as they learn to live where they also work, and work where they also have their homes.  I had a couple of really interesting conversations with Steiner who used to be a pastor in Norway, for the "state" church - a very different way of church structure and governance when the government is paying your salary!

Some of the staff hanging out at the fire

I've been reading another book by Hugh Halter,"And" and like his other work, continues to challenge my thinking and give creativity and inspiration on how to reengage culture as an incarnational community and spend more energy and time being like missionaries rather than the consumeristic model many of our churches have become.  I've also been reading "the good and beautiful God" by James B. Smith - a great look at who our God is and how much of our behaviour and life is based on who we think God to be, the premise is to know and love the God Jesus does.

The work I've been doing at Esperanza reminds me of working back on the farm, except instead of maintaining combine or tractor engines, you're working on a boat; and instead of cleaning up old grain in the bottom of a hopper, you're scraping barnacles off a boat!  I've enjoyed the diversity of projects
and hopping back on tractors to do some work around the yard.  Tomorrow I'm going to wire in some outlets in a storage shed, and move some gravel around.

Julia has become teacher for the girls and every morning they do some school work - it seems to be working out very well and not too much complaining.  

The scenery continues to amaze us and remind us of the beauty and creativity of our great God.  I don't think we anticipated the rainforest like atmosphere - there are just so many things growing!  There are so many flowers, ferns, berries, huge towering trees - some are up to four or five feet in diameter.  In terms of animal life, we met mama and baby bear twice earlier this week, but we haven't seen them again for a couple of days.  We've also seen sea otters, fish, starfish, sea gulls, and we were fortunate enough to see some porpoises (type of dolphin) swim by one morning.  After a few days of great weather, it's drizzling outside as I write this, so we just got the fire started in the wood stove.

 

Monday - back to work

Esperanza was originally started by a missionary working for the "shantyman" organization realized there was a tremendous amount of medical need on the west coast of the Island and invited a Christian doctor from Sask. to come and eventually they built a hospital and school up here, ran Bible Studies, etc. (1930s-1940s) Once the hospital was no longer needed because of improved road access, Esperanza become a place of healing in a different kind of way!  Families have come to receive counselling and care in a retreat like atmosphere - many come to help them get away from addictions and abuse.  Churches and organizations use it for a place to hold retreats and in the summer they have camp programs for kids, teens, and families.  

There are approximately six families serving here on staff and connecting with nearby communities.  Esperanza also runs a fuel dock and store for commercial fisherman.  The grounds are quite large with three lodges, 10-12 homes, many cabins, two dining hall like facilities, green house, and probably more I don't know about!  They have their own electric dam with back up diesel generators and use satellite for phone/internet.  We have already heard some heart wrenching stories of kids in broken homes and the difficult choices that lay ahead for those about to graduate from high school and are contemplating life away from their family and community.

Today I did some work helping clean up some brush and getting a site ready for construction on a shower/bathroom facility and Julia did some school work with the girls.

Location of Esperanza on West Coast of the Island

Fresh prawns (jumbo shrimp)

Our home for June
(We've already had one black bear visit us)

Lodges & Work Shed

Secondary Dock