See what I did there… “LONG Road Home”?

I wish I could take credit for an intentional play on words, but it was out before I was quick enough to even thing of it.

The other part that’s weird about that title is the word “Home”. The lines are beginning to blur. Where’s home. In one way, it’s always going to be Canada but for the time being – and on another level – it’s France. (We even have to buy travel insurance to come to Canada now!)

Let’s talk about the last two weeks… and look ahead to our departure tomorrow.

Simple Pleasures

It’s been two weeks since mom’s wedding and since the purpose of our time home has not been specifically to raise support (not to mention the time was short), we took advantage of the time to re-charge our batteries in simple ways.

Time spent with friends & family has had a prominent place in our schedule.

It involved standing around the kitchen, cranking my grandfather’s old ice cream maker by hand, introducing it to friends. Everybody took a turn and after 45 minutes or so… Voilà, home-made watermelon ice cream.

It involved gathering around an old barn-board table, in a robin’s-egg-blue, shingled cottage on the Belleisle Bay for the simplest of meals, shared with special friends.

It Involved a number of motorcycle rides through Moncton and through the back roads of King’s County.

(What is it about several friends all taking up motorcycle riding in our absence!?) 🙂

Everyone got a try – well, all of the kids that is. Not really my cup of tea nor Liz’s either, but it totally floated the kids’ boat!

It involved stopping for ice cream in the old Sussex Train Station (built by the Intercolonial Railway in 1913) and reminded me of how we’d regularly stop there on drives to Moncton, when I was a child.

It involved reading… I picked up the first Hardy Boys book (The Tower Treasure) at a local thrift store and was through it in a couple of days. I also borrowed a copy of another book I’d been wanting to read, from a local library.

It was good to disconnect a bit… and reconnect in other ways.

HOME… (Saint John)

I love my hometown.

During most of my teenage years, I longed to get out, to see new things. Now I take great pleasure, and find a sense of peace in the familiar: In this case, the beautifully handcrafted doors in the red brick homes that are unmistakably Germain Street.

I love my home church.

Liz & I spent the first 17 years of married life at Mission Point, on Mark Drive.

As I sat there last Sunday night, I thought to myself how nice it was to sit and relax at church (remember, we’re usually involved in everything) and how easy it would be to slip back into this church… enjoying service and being fed spiritually by a great team and a great church family. Just as soon as that thought came, however, another thought followed it.

“They don’t need another licensed minister here. They don’t need another ministry family here… but the believers in Châtellerault do.”

God has us in the right spot at this point in our lives. There is great contentment knowing that you’re in God’s will – where you’re supposed to be.

The Kids Leave First…

We’ll all travel back to France on Sunday, but the kids left the Maritimes first.

Wednesday night marked the first night of North American Youth Congress. Some 37,000 young people from all over the continent descended on downtown St. Louis, Missouri and will turn “The Dome” into a giant church service.

They were able to travel there thanks to the Youth Division’s generosity. Through “Sheaves for Christ” giving, they do many things – one of which is fund airfare for missionary kids, around the world, to come to this incredible event. For kids who are normally flung far & wide across the globe, in a culture different than their own, it’s a really big deal.

On Sunday, they’ll leave St. Louis for Toronto, where we’ll meet them before flying back to France all together.

Leaving first meant that they also were the first to say goodbye to Grandma & Ed. We were able to get a bit more face-time with them this week, but for the kids… Monday was it.

The whole reason for the kids’ stop in Atlantic Canada in the first place, was for their wedding.

That’s the only reason that Liz & I came to North America at all… and that time was drawing to a close.

We loved being with friends. We loved being with the churches in Saint John, Moncton and Shediac. But we came home for mom & Ed.

We’re thankful that God has his hand on their lives

Please keep our travel plans in prayer tomorrow (Sunday).
Much appreciate it!

God bless you & thank you for checking in with us today!