...and here we are in July!

People, get your running shoes on because we’re gonna run again…so try to keep up. Well, after we returned from Esperanza, we left for New Mexico on the 12th. Our missionary intern couldn’t go with us so he stayed in Port, which was fine because we had someone holding down the fort and he has been very involved in the church. We left on a Tuesday and made it to Cortez, Colorado on Wednesday evening. There, we ran out of money and gas so we began calling around. It’s been a tough couple of months, and we basically headed home trusting God to provide. Although we receive an income from our District, it’s enough to cover our basic needs (housing, food, utilities, etc.) with not much for anything else. So along with attending graduations, our other purpose for this trip was to begin raising some monthly support. Soooo…after finally getting some money wired to us, we made it to Albuquerque at 1:00 am on Thursday morning.

Once we got to Albuquerque, we rested for a day then Friday, we drove to Ramah for the high school graduation. Several of our teens from our former church were graduating, and we wanted to be there for them. It was good to see everyone, but we couldn’t stay long and had to drive back to Albq that same night. The next morning, we were up early for our daughter-in-law’s college graduation from the University of New Mexico. It was great having family members join us for this special day. Much kudos goes out to Herman’s brother and wife and his niece and her family. When we were driving from Canada, Gabriel called us very excited because his uncle and aunt had volunteered to provide the meal for the graduation reception. They bought the food and Herman’s niece and her man (who is from Mexico) cooked us some authentic Mexican food. Ohhhh my goodness! It was soooo good! and we had lots of leftovers afterwards. We were so thankful! The next day, Sunday, we had to drive to Gallup to speak at the Nazarene church. We had a good time after church eating with the pastor and his wife at Earl’s! Now, what is better than eating at Earl’s on a Sunday afternoon. All that eating over the weekend…we probably gained 10 pounds, but it was all good.

Finally, we could take it easy for a couple of days. We met with a friend of ours from Calvary Chapel. We explained that we were looking for a church or organization that would work with us in providing tax-deductible receipting for donations and he told us about an organization called Shepherd’s Staff right there in Albuquerque so we contacted them, filled out paperwork, and were approved! Praise God! It was not a same-day process but took about a month, but we are so glad. So now, if people wish to donate to the ministry God has given us, they can send their money or do it online. We have included the information to the right. This was a big load off our minds because we have been looking for something like this for a year.

Then it was on to another high school graduation in Tuba City, AZ so early Friday morning we drove out for Herman’s nephew’s graduation. It was cool seeing Rez people all over, and especially to see all the female graduates in their Native dress so we took lots of pictures…of people we didn’t know. About the same time, our oldest son had to leave on his final mission trip to Montana. This was the third and final mission trip that is required for the School of Ministry. It was strange traveling without our children although we were in New Mexico and Arizona, but they had to work and our youngest son began his second trimester of school. We are still adjusting to this “empty nest” syndrome. The weather was great during this whole time; Herman had been dreading the hot weather but it was cloudy and even rained a couple of times. It was cool just hearing the thunder and seeing the lightning again. In Canada, it may rain a lot, but thunder and lightning is very rare. The little things we take for granted, huh? (or ehh?)

After the reception, we headed for Dilkon. Yay! Finally home! Sunday morning, we drove to Round Cedar Nazarene Church where we had an awesome time with the people there. Oh, it was good being among our own Navajo believers. We had a great time sitting around talking after the service, and of course, we were the last ones to leave. While talking one day with our Port Alberni youth pastor’s wife, Cynthia said they talked about how they missed the fellowship of their own Christian people (the youth pastor and his wife are from Abbotsford). Yeah, we have the Southside church family, but it’s not the same as home. They talked about missing the fellowship of visiting and hanging out at church families' homes and spending time together. So when we would return home, we soaked it up like sponges. Some of you may know what we mean by that.

When we left the church, which was out in the middle of nowhere, we turned our cell phones on and began receiving text messages. We learned that Cynthia’s aunt’s husband had been killed that morning in a freak accident when he was rounding up cattle. He was thrown from his horse and dragged. So for the next couple days, we were busy with family meetings culminating with the funeral on Wednesday morning in Gallup, NM. Although it was a sad occasion, we were able to see many family members. The evening before the funeral, we attended a preschool graduation for Cynthia’s niece. The children were soo cute as they sang songs in Navajo and English. One child even welcomed everyone in Navajo. We were surprised at the number of people we knew that were there—even several of our Navajo pastors. Once the graduation was over, we dropped off Cynthia’s parents in Dilkon and drove to Pine Hill that night and the next morning, drove in from there to Gallup for the funeral. So we experienced a wide range of emotions during this trip. After the funeral, we had to rush back to Albuquerque for a meeting with the director of Shepherd’s Staff.

After spending the rest of the week with our children, on Saturday, we drove BACK to Arizona AGAIN (trust me, we’re used to this) because we were speaking at Cynthia’s childhood church, which her parents still attend (Leupp Presbyterian Church). The children provided the music for the morning service. It was encouraging to see the next generation being trained in their roles in the church. It brought back memories for Cynthia as she remembered being a part of the choirs and teaching Sunday School. After the service, we ate in Winslow with Cynthia’s aunts, uncles, cousins, brother, and other relatives then returned to Albuquerque. We returned to Pine Hill once again on Wednesday to pick up medication refills and other things and got a chance to visit several people. We even got a bag of pinons from the Ellsworth family so the trip was totally worth it. The next day, Thursday, we attended our son’s graduation ceremony from the School of Ministry. We are very proud of him and have seen tremendous growth in his knowledge and walk with the Lord. Because he wants to continue his biblical studies, he and his wife are planning to attend Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, Colorado this August. He is also answering the call to missions and hopes to join us in the future. We are seeing the fulfillment of God’s Word when it says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

The following week, we began preparations to return to Canada. This time, our two older sons and daughter-in-law are traveling back to Canada with us. Because our son and his wife are moving to Colorado when they return to the States, we had to pack and store their things. In addition, our two younger boys and their cousin are moving to a smaller apartment so we began boxing up their things also. In the midst of all this, we learned that our middle son’s passport was sent back to the Passport agency so after finally contacting a live person, we gave them instructions to mail it to Canada ahead of us because we needed to leave for Canada. Finally, on Tuesday, June 9, we drove out towards Arizona. We were able to stop in Sun Valley for the annual church convention and finally arrived in Dilkon that night. Once again, we were low on finances so we had to wait for funds to arrive before we drove out from Dilkon on Thursday the 11th and made it to Ogden, Utah that night. We returned to Port Alberni on Saturday, June 13th after spending the night in Seattle. Oh, it was good to be home again!

TO BE CONTINUED…

Why Is It That Time Flies When You're Having Fun??

If there's one thing we have learned over the years, it is that you will meet people with whom you will instantly connect, and it's like you have known one another for ages. Since we've been here in Canada, we have met a family like that here on the Island, then this weekend, we met another person like that. It's amazing how God brings just the right people into our lives at just the right time. It helps us to imagine a little of what heaven is going to be like. Not only do we see our Jesus face to face, but we have our Christian brothers and sisters for all eternity. Now that's worth living "a day past forever."


We are setting up plans for the summer. Although they may not go entirely according to plan, at least we have a general idea. We are hoping our kids will be with us as we head into summer. We have been invited to provide the music for our Nazarene District Sunday School Convention here on the Island the middle of June. We will also work with the Campbell River Native Fellowship in reaching out to their Native community. Along with this, we hope to spend a week or two at the summer camp in Esperanza and possibly Copper Island in July. So it looks like it's going to be a busy summer, and we pray that God's will be done.

Herman continues to visit people at the hospital and in Port Alberni. Cynthia is done teaching her preschoolers for AWANA for the year, but her and John (our intern) continue to assist our church youth pastor with the teens. John is enjoying his time with the youth, and the boys have really taken to him. He is happy that they have accepted him, so he's getting to know everyone very well.

We will be leaving for the states this Tuesday morning and hope to be in Arizona or New Mexico on Thursday evening. Pray for us as we travel. We know the next three weeks are going to be busy and will fly by, but hey, time flies when you're having fun, which is why eternity won't even feel like an eternity.

Well, Guess We Should Write Another Blog.... :(

Well, we have been busy since our last blog. Herman visits the local hospital as a chaplain, leads the Port Alberni Native Fellowship, and speaks here and there for various events. Cynthia continues to teach her AWANA Cubbies (preschoolers), helps the youth pastor, and occasionally teaches Children's Church on Sunday mornings. During the middle of February, we were invited to teach two classes on Cross Cultural Ministries in Duncan, which is a little over an hour south of us. The Korean pastor of the Native church there recently invited and is housing 7-8 Korean missionary interns in his home. For two months, they are trained followed by three months of ministry on the Island. All are learning English so it is a learning experience for everyone. So on February 20 and March 6, Herman taught a class.

On February 28, Cynthia and five other women from Southside Community Church drove to Bellingham, Washington for a Women's Retreat. They had a great time traveling together and being with other women from the Canada Pacific District. Their speaker spoke about her and her husband's journey through West Nile disease. It's hard to imagine how a tiny mosquito could inflict so much suffering. It was cool to see how this lady was able to maintain her sense of humor as she stood by her husband through his sickness, hospitalization, and recovery. It wasn't easy. Overall, the women had a great time being with one another.

Then on March 2, Cynthia received word that her 19-year-old nephew had a stroke. As her family came together, prayers were offered from all over for her nephew. Cynthia flew back to Arizona to be with family and stayed out there for three weeks. God heard our prayers, and on March 15, two weeks after his stroke, he was released from the hospital. Praise the Lord! Please continue to pray that he will give his life completely to God. He has gone through so much and is running from God although he knows the Truth; he was raised in a Christian home. On April 13, it has been three years since his mom died in a car accident. We all miss her still very much.

During the time Cynthia was in the States, she was able to spend time with family and even traveled to Colorado with our son and his wife to visit the Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs. Our son has decided that he will attend NBC this fall, and we are all excited. His wife will be graduating from the University of New Mexico this May so it is an exciting time because she will be the first college graduate from her mother's side of the family. We're very proud of her. While Cynthia was in the States, Herman kept busy visiting people, performed his first funeral, and spoke at Campbell River Native Fellowship, where he was offered a pastorate position. This group has been without a pastor since their young pastor and his wife returned to school. If we do accept this offer, we will need to move to Campbell River, but until we are very clear on this new direction, we will be helping them twice a month.

On April 1, Herman celebrated his birthday, and for his birthday gift, we welcomed a Korean missionary intern into our home. He will be staying with us to the end of June as he works alongside us. It has been interesting so far because his English is very limited. We have to get used to speaking in clear, simple sentences. In the meantime, he has already jumped right in with what we are doing by playing the drums for Sunday morning worship, helping with the Thursday evening AWANA, as well as Friday evening's youth activities. Although he cannot go with Herman to the hospital, they are still able to visit people in Port Alberni. Taking in someone from another country is not new to us. When we lived in Ramah, New Mexico, we had young people from Mexico and Germany stay with us for a month to six months at a time. We also had two young ladies from California and Washington stay with us for the summer at different times. So once again, we are starting up this tradition now that we are in Canada. We hope to see more of this in the future.

Another thing that we are so excited about is on April 6, we received our Visitor Registration extensions and to top it off, it was approved for THREE YEARS! Oh, that was totally awesome. We were not even expecting that until next month because the Immigration website had posted information saying they were very, very backlogged. Yet here it was, so the next day, we were able to re-apply for our health insurance, which had expired with our Visitor Registration in January. Once again, God showed us that He is in control. As one person emailed to us, "God has no problems with government red tape and paperwork." Amen!

So that's what we have been up to for the last two months. Can you believe it's already the middle of April??!! Next month, we will drive back to the States for graduations, and we are looking forward to it.

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him." Nahum 1:7

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just think...a week ago we were in New Mexico/Arizona. It seems like forever ago. We had a good time out there. When we flew back in to Victoria, we had to go through Customs, and we passed through with no problems. In fact, the Border Agents were very friendly and even seemed excited for us when we told them we were ministers serving as missionaries. There was a young man who processed our papers. Normally, the Border Agents are very formal, very stoic, but the three people who viewed our papers were very friendly and cheerful. So praise the Lord for that, it was cool.

Since then, we were invited out to Campbell River again for Sunday service. We had a good service with about 25 people in attendance. Monday was our 24-year Anniversary so we had lunch with some friends...lol. Victoria and Aaron Wells were in town from Esperanza/Courtenay so we ate with them and just talked about various happenings around the Island. Thursday is AWANA night at the church so Cynthia taught her little preschool class. She says that her two young students are getting into learning new songs and are even memorizing their verses. Her dream is to one day have the children sing and say their verses before a small audience. Then Friday we were asked if we could fill in for the church youth pastor since they were going to be out of town. So using the theme of Valentine's Day, we spent an evening with 13 preteens. All we can say is....AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! We survived! It was neat that all of them were First Nations kids and they attend every week so this is a good ministry for the church. But our youth pastor and his wife definitely will need our prayers. Herman continues to minister at the hospital and spent some time with a lady who is in need of a liver transplant. Please pray for her health and her spiritual need for our Savior.

Yup, today is Valentine's Day and we have no money to eat out, but we do have each other, a roof over our heads, food in the cupboard (marinated chicken...mmm), and a nice sunny day. AND March Madness is just around the corner, so we can't complain. God is still good. So Happy Valentine's Day, Everybody!

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!...Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us." 1 John 3:1; 4:11-12

O What A Jesus!

Wow, what an awesome time we had at the Mid-Year Convention in Phoenix, AZ. It was so good to be among all the Native Christian believers and worship together. We were excited just seeing all our fellow ministers again. Herman gave two powerful messages Friday morning and evening. He based his sermons on forgiveness and the life of Joseph and his brothers. Cynthia finished off on Saturday morning with a message from Acts 9:15-19. We heard some awesome testimonies from three young men and how God has changed their lives and has brought them through trials and suffering. It was cool seeing young people who had been healed although they shouldn't even be alive. God is definitely in control. Early Saturday morning, we had breakfast with all the ministers on the district. It was a good time of fellowship and catching up with what others are doing.

Once we left Phoenix, we headed north to the Rez to watch Herman's nephew play basketball. It was an exciting game. Sunday morning, we attended church in Dilkon. We had fun representing our teams for the Super Bowl. We then left for Albuquerque where we joined our sons and Cynthia's sister and others for the Super Bowl. What a good game! So all in all, we definitely had a Super Weekend. We were encouraged and completely enjoyed our time even if it was short.

The Spirit Is Willing...Just Wish The Body Would Keep Up

After all our Nov-Dec activities, this month has been a resting period. It doesn't mean we just sat around...well, most of the time...but there were still things that happened that were pretty cool. After spending 2-1/2 weeks with us, our two boys returned to New Mexico. Even though they might have been bored, we liked having them around...we might even invite them back again.

As we rested, we also came together several times with our church family here at Southside. It's awesome how the leaders are so open to God's leading and willing to serve no matter what the devil may throw at us. During board meetings, leadership training, pastors' meetings, and pot blessings, the pastors and board members continued to seek God and His will for the church. During the Oasis Leadership Training, we talked about discipleship--how is God being revealed in us and are people becoming Christlike as a result of our lives? This is a hard question. It seems that it's so much easier to point our finger at other people and how they don't measure up, but ohhh we don't like those three fingers that are pointing back at us (point your finger and you'll see the three fingers curling back towards you). It was so cool to see people who are still focused on what God wants and were willing to be a part by giving themselves. It's always exciting to see people saying "Yes!" to Jesus. The devil is still there, trying to take the focus away from God; of course he doesn't want people to become more like Christ but he's already lost the entire war. It's all about Jesus, not what we want. There is encouragement in Philippians 3:13-16, where it says "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained." Our God believes in us; we are His creation, His vessels...it is only by the grace of God that we can even be called children of God. What an awesome message to share with others. To be a disciple of the King of Kings! So our challenge this year is, Who are you discipling? and Who is discipling you? It goes hand in hand.

Next week we'll be flying back to the States (yes, again) to speak at the Southwest Native American District Mid-Year Convention. We've also been asked to teach a class or two on cross-cultural ministry and Biblical Theology for the Korean pastor in Duncan. He is training several people that he has recruited to come alongside him as he proclaims the Word of God to the First Nations people as well as to those who need to hear the Word. Pretty cool stuff. Cynthia also begins her spring semester online classes and has volunteered to teach preschoolers for the church's children's ministry program (AWANA). We continue to also help with children's church. So the year is already getting off the ground. Pray for us as we face obstacles--health issues, finances, and now immigration status. It's not always easy but we are here for a reason.

We have been here a year, and for Herman, over a year. During that time, we were given Visitor Status as ordained clergy. That authorization was good for a year so we had to apply for an extension. We mailed off our application for extension last week, and we ask that you pray with us that all will go according to the will of God. If the immigration office does not approve our application, we have to leave Canada. So yeah, it's that serious. The need for strong, stable Christian leaders and pastors is so great. Just as scripture says, "the harvest is ripe, but the workers are few." There is still so much that can be done. As much as we continue to miss family and friends at times and face our obstacles, we truly believe that we do need to be here. So pray that our application for visitor status will be approved without any problems.

Oh, one last thing...we ate all our pinon nuts...anybody out there still have any?? AND WE HAD CLEAR SKIES AND THE SUN FOR 3-4 DAYS!!!! It was so cool we had to videotape it....now how sad is that! Tried to upload it but it wouldn't do it. Out our front window is the mountains and on our east side is Mt. Arrowsmith, to the west were more mountains...it was nice.

A Recap of the Year 2008

January. The first day of 2008 found us in Dilkon, AZ for the New Year’s Eve/Day youth activities at Native Christian Fellowship (NCF). Our singing group provided the music as NCF opened its doors to the Dilkon community for fun and worship. This was a break from last-minute preparations for our oldest son’s wedding that Saturday, January 5th. After spending a couple of days in San Diego for their honeymoon, he and his wife joined us in Phoenix, AZ for the annual Cross Style Conference with Dr. Stephen Manley, Dr. John Juneman, Jeremiah Bolich, and Mark Strickland. The end of January found the both of us driving to Vancouver Island to find a place to live as we began final preparations for our move. Unfortunately, we did not find anything we were interested in at that time and returned to New Mexico.

February. The first Sunday of February, our family attended church in Dilkon then on February 9th (our wedding anniversary), we began packing like there was no tomorrow. What kicked off the frenzy was Herman’s brother calling us at 8 am informing us he would be at our house in 15 minutes to begin loading up our stuff (we were still in bed). For the next 3 days, we packed and packed. If it wasn’t for the help of Herman’s brother, Cynthia’s sister and brother and their family, some of the Ramah young people (big kudos to Genio & Levi), we would not have pulled it off. It was totally crazy! We arrived in Port Alberni on Thursday, February 14. The rest of the month was spent unpacking; visiting the Native Christian Fellowship in Campbell River; and having our first meeting in preparation for the Aboriginal Conference in July. We are so grateful for the help of everyone during our moving process—there are soo many people to thank.

March. We were now settled into our new home. During the Cross Style Conference in January, we had reunited with John Juneman. He mentioned that he would be speaking in Issaquah, Washington so he decided to pay us a visit on the Island. While he was on the Island, he spoke at the Esquimalt and Southside Community churches. It was a great time of fellowship and hearing the Word of God as only Cross Style can bring out the Word. All too soon, John flew back to Tennessee. Then our children flew in for their Spring Breaks so they spent the latter half of the month with us. We were able to attend a symposium in Ladysmith, a service at Campbell River Native Christian Fellowship, participate in a Maundatum-Sader dinner, attend a community Good Friday service in Port Alberni, and Herman assisted in baptizing several children on Easter Sunday. After our children flew back to the States, we visited Duncan Native Fellowship on the last Sunday of the month. This church is pastored by a Korean pastor and is half Korean and half First Nations; we have made many new friends here and always enjoy visiting the people.

April. During the last week of March and this month, we began the Port Alberni Native Fellowship. Although we are a small group, it is a start. Because of the historical traumas, we find that the First Nations people are still very hesitant when it comes to Christianity. It will take time to re-establish that trust and to build relationships, but we still find “God-moments” when we have crossed paths with individuals and just spent time talking about various things. Inevitably, the question about why we are on the Island comes up and this gives us the opportunity to tell about why we are here and all that God has done in our lives. And the people are truly interested and amazed when they hear that we have been pastors for 12 years. It’s just an awesome privilege being a part of God’s plan. During the middle part of the month, we traveled back to the States for Cynthia’s brother’s wedding (the last of the three weddings in Cynthia’s family in a year). Our youngest son was also scheduled for surgery, but it was postponed to May so we returned to Port Alberni.

May. After returning from the States, we continued plans for the Aboriginal Conference in July. We were invited to Esperanza, located towards the northern part of the Island. Esperanza is a counseling center for individuals and families, offers crisis and substance abuse intervention, and provides summer camps for children, youth, and families. Herman was invited as a speaker for the family counseling session. As he shared his testimony about his own dad, God ministered to the hearts of the people there. It’s just so sad to see how satan has bound up the spirit of the First Nations people. The sin that so easily entangles. But we still enjoyed being there with the families and spending time with Ivan and Victoria Wells. The last week of the month was spent returning to the States for our son’s surgery. It was a major surgery that involved restructuring of the jaw bones; although it was painful, the doctors were pleased with the results. We thank God that all went well.

June. Herman returned to Canada soon after our son’s surgery while Cynthia stayed but due to the death of Herman’s uncle, he had to drive back the following week. The Navajo Nation also lost a well-known pastor and evangelist during this same time, Rev. Joseph H. Curley. We were glad that we were able to attend both funerals. But due to the upcoming Aboriginal Conference, we returned to the Island as soon as possible and also to attend our first Canada Pacific District Assembly as ordained ministers. Cynthia also began online classes with Eastern New Mexico University for her Masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education so that kept her busy. Soon after we moved to Port, we become acquainted with an elderly First Nations man who served as a minister to the First Nations people back in the 70’s. As he would recall how he came to know the Lord and how a revival movement swept through the Island during those times, he would have tears in his eyes. He continually prays for the First Nations people and that they will return to following the Lord.

July. Before the start of the Aboriginal Conference, Herman spoke for an evening service on the tiny island of Ahousaht. As we traveled by water taxi, we had quite an adventure when we came across an elk swimming across the bay. Then when we arrived in Ahousaht, we were greeted by the Robinson Family and a team of Asian young people. The young people were leaving so after goodbyes were said, we spent time visiting with the Robinsons before service began. After the service, we returned to Port Alberni to begin the Aboriginal Conference. We had over 80 people attend during the 2-1/2 days, and even had special visitors from Arizona, Orrin and Esther Frejo. We served as speakers and Ivan Wells also lead one of the Talking Circles. Our children helped lead the singing along with the Tribe of Judah. We were thankful that our district superintendent, Rev. Earl Woods, was able to attend and for the help and support of the people of Southside Community and Esquimalt Church of the Nazarene. After the Conference, our oldest son and his wife flew back to New Mexico, and our two younger sons joined us as we traveled to Esperanza, where we were invited to be speakers for the Teen Camp. The week after this camp, we helped at another teen camp on Copper Island, which is located on the southern end of the island. The final week of July was spent relaxing so we drove to Duncan to watch the Paddle to Cowichan canoes come in.

August. Our family decided to watch the North American Indigenous Games in Cowichan so we parked our trailer at Cowichan Valley Nazarene Church and attended the Alive Inside Concert Festival on Saturday, the Dogpatch Family Camp hosted by the Nazarene District and the Parade of Nations on Sunday, then watched the Games the rest of the week. It was awesome meeting people from Arizona and the States and watching the games. Once we returned to Port, our sons returned to New Mexico, and Cynthia helped as a teacher for the Southside Community VBS during the middle of the month. The following week on the 20th and 21st, we attended evening services at the First Nations Family Camp at Nanoose Bay and met other First Nations believers. It was good to see so many young people at this camp. During one of the services, all Native pastors were called forward and we prayed for the young people as they came forward and handed off batons to them signifying the “passing of the torch.” It was a powerful way to end the summer.

September. This month, our focus returned to our Wednesday evening Native Fellowship group. We were able to contact people who attended the Aboriginal Conference and some of them came. Although the group is still small, we continue to meet and invite others. Herman also began volunteering at the local hospital and met more First Nations people there. After all the activities of the past months, we were able to relax, go fishing, and enjoy the nice September sunshine. At the end of the month, Herman attended the Nazarene District Men’s Retreat at Nanoose Bay. For the first time, there were several First Nations participants from Ahousaht. The men enjoyed time together and the sessions were just what was needed.

October. Our Native Fellowship group continued to meet although attendance was sporadic. One family came once and did not return, but we would cross paths in town with them so we remained in contact. During a visit to their home, the father gave Herman an art piece he had made that symbolized what God had shown him about how Jesus is the missing piece of the puzzle of our lives. It was amazing how he captured this in his art. So slowly but surely, the message is getting through. On the 9th, we were able to share at a Retired Pastors’ Luncheon. We had a great time being with these pastors. They may be “retired,” but these pastors are still very much involved in the work of God. We also attended a Christian concert (Passion World Tour) in Vancouver where we saw thousands of university students praising God. It was such an awesome sight. One of these days, we pray that we will see a multitude of our First Nations young people come together in praise to our God. Cynthia also began volunteering at the church to help with the children so she was able to attend an AWANA Conference in Vancouver. Then both of us attended the District Pastors’ ProD Day in Abbotsford.

November. We volunteered to help Southside church with children’s church so both of us taught one Sunday this month. It was nice; we had not done this in a while so it was different. Then while helping a church member, Herman came across a house for rent. After meeting with the owners, we decided to take it so once again we began packing. It was tough but we managed to get our stuff into the house before we left for the States for Thanksgiving. Cynthia flew back ahead of Herman to attend our son’s first ever presentation at a youth leadership workshop in Flagstaff, AZ. This began a whirlwind of activities for the next four weeks—traveling back and forth between Arizona and New Mexico.

December. While in AZ and NM, we were invited to speak at six churches about what God is doing among the First Nations people. Cynthia also paid a much needed visit to the doctors due to worsening pain and inflammation in her hands and joints since October. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and was prescribed six different medications. Within two days, all pain and inflammation disappeared. Praise the Lord! Our prayers were answered again when Cynthia’s dad was taken by ambulance to the hospital and recovered quickly from a severe infection. While we were in Albuquerque, we were interviewed by one of our son’s bible school teachers for a Christian news service. It reminded us of how we began mission work in the first place. A person may wonder if one person can make a difference but we can testify that because of the influence of one man during a work and witness project, we became involved in serving others. God has put so many people in our lives that have been such a support to us as we made this move to Canada—from helping us pack, move, giving of their own personal things, providing financial support, checking up on us, spending time with us, to just believing in us. We cannot thank you enough but as Paul wrote many times, “we always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.” We serve a mighty God who will never leave us nor forsake us. O what a Jesus!