Oh, Canada !

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

When I am weak, then I am strong."

-2 Corinthians 12:9-10

We made it !

It has now been two days since our arrival in the beautiful (and COLD) land of Quebec, and David and I are already feeling the joy and excitement of installing ourselves here for the coming years ! We had one minor luggage issue during our travel, but otherwise we had A seamless voyage across the Atlantic. upon arrival, we requested a two-year missions visa, which =praise the Lord- was granted without a problem ! All of our luggage arrived with us, and that night we crashed on a bed in the Ardoin basement feeling extremely tired but very, very happy.

The next day we jumped right into action with King's Kids Joliette. We joined the weekly staff meeting and ministry preparation, participated in the staff prayer and worship time, and then joined in ministry with local children.

David and I Had an incredibly warm welcome from the entire team, and were blessed to receive a laundry basket full of food, cleaning supplies, and other things to help us start our life in Canada ! We already knew that the staff here were incredible, but it has been wonderful to finally BE here and spend more time with them !

We have begun our hunt for an apartment and are excited at the prospects ! Our heart is to have a place where we can be available, involved (that is to say, not far away from the city), welcoming, and where we feel truly at home. It's also important to stay within our budget, and so these are the criteria with which we approach our search. We rejoice to finally have a place to call our own where we can settle in, develop our relationship, and welcome others.

The Principles of Child and Youth Ministry (PCYM) school starts just one week from Monday, and there are still details to work out and things to arrange. David has joined Michael in directing the school, while I have taken my place as "staff-Student," meaning that I will participate as a student in the school but will also have staff responsibilities to some extent. We are looking forward to welcoming the other students and starting the school !

I find myself tired each evening - something I attribute to an intense mix of emotions, the craziness of the past few weeks, physical fatigue from jet lag, and French-language immersion. Everything is new, and learning so much at one time is challenging. In the midst of all the novelty and change, David and I are learning how to rely on the Lord for our strength -- on our own we may survive, but with God we can thrive !

Prayer requests:

-Wisdom and direction in our search for housing

-Grace with preparation for the PCYM

-The ability for David and I to continue building our marriage in the midst of a transition