April 2008 Vancouver etc

April 9th we left Singapore for Vancouver, BC, Canada, where we attended both Joel and Andrea's Grad Shows (an opportunity for them and their classmates to display some of their work and to try to make contact with some potential clients).  We spent most of the next 2 weeks with them (on and off) as well as making contact with some, (not all, sorry!) of our friends and supporters in Abbotsford. (see pictures below)           I'll admit there is always a lot of stress when we come back to Canada / US as we feel guilty for not meeting with everyone.... but honestly, if we were able to visit 3 different people or families each day, we could probably spend half a year in BC alone just visiting.....  We praise God for the special people He has blessed us with over the years who have prayed for and financially supported us. 

April 21st we had a wonderful time of fellowship with a World Team prayer fellowship (they meet in Abbotsford and Chilliwack). What a wonderful group of people; mostly retired missionaries who have spent most of their lives in cultures not their own. We were so blessed by these wonderful people!

March 24 - April 4

March 24 to 28 saw us in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia at a Member Care conference.  Opportunity to meet with many wonderful people who are concerned about the welfare of cross-cultural missionaries.  As the conference brought out, missionaries are perhaps the most misunderstood and under-rated people in the church.  Because they are away from their home church they are often forgotten and left to try to survive on their own in a foreign environment.  Praise God for those who seek to minister to the "sent ones"!  

March 28 to 31: I left the conference early to take a bus back to Singapore on the night of the 27th.  Arriving home at 5:30 AM, I got ready to leave for Batam and Pontianak.  At 7:00 I met with 3 other men from the church and by 8 we were on the ferry to Batam.  Dave Enns met us there.  The flight to Ptk was delayed till 2, so we spent the time getting to know each other better. The whole weekend was great as we helped our brothers from Singapore get to know our brothers from Kalimantan.  Lots of cultural differences to compare. 

March 31st: Back to Batam and to Singapore.  Stopped to visit our good friends Wendy, Linda and Merry (former domestic helpers in Singapore... members of our Indonesian Fellowship) who are now living together in Batam.  Janet came over on the 30th to visit them.  

Now have just a few days to get everything in order... we leave for Canada on April 9th.  Will spend 2 weeks or so in BC, but will not be able to visit even a fraction of our friends there.  Priority will be to spend some time with our children.  Andrea's art show (her graduation from Capilano College) is on the 14th.  Joel's presentation is later in the week.