They That Wait...

In a culture where being busy is equated with productivity, waiting hardly seems to be a fruitful activity. For those of us who have an 'A Type' personality, waiting is almost like torture as we sit, stand, pause and DO NOTHING until outside circumstances come together so that we can reach the top of our mountain.

This past month has been a time of waiting. I didn't intend on it being that way. I envisioned being on the phone, making appointments, meeting people, adding partners, securing office space, etc, etc. It was SUPPOSED to be a month of achievement, goal reaching and meeting targets. So I started, making calls, sending emails and generally trying to make things happen and then I made the stunning discovery that none of that was getting me any nearer to what I knew had to be done. People were on vacation, in summer mode and generally just chilling out. I felt like I was spitting in the wind ... so I began to wait. I bought some books that I'd been looking forward to reading for some time and devoured them. I spent time with the kids. I prayed. I walked the dog and kept walking with God.

Unknown to me, God had been busy doing His part on His time and in His way. Out of nowhere, people I've never met began to sow financially into the ministry. Speaking opportunities began to present themselves, simple 'get to know you' lunch meetings became catalysts to partnerships, friendships and alliances. We have a great opportunity for a fantastic office space that goes beyond anything that I could have dared to ask, think or imagine! It even provides a view of the park, has a coffee shop across the street and is within walking distance of our house and the Legislature. Anything that I had looked at or considered earlier pales in comparison to what this space will be. It's not official yet, but my Father is working out the details and I'm looking forward to moving in. Even if it's not in that place, He has the perfect space picked out for us.

I've come to see something else connected to waiting. There have been many people who have prayed, dreamed and waited for years to see something like what God has called us to do. They have plowed the way and laid down their lives and waited. I spoke with one man who was in tears as he told me that he had prayed for the government and for MLA's until he became so discouraged that he had simply given up. He and many like him have waited while God was doing what was unseen and preparing it all for such a time as this.

I'm discovering that waiting is an art. It's not about doing nothing and being irresponsible. It's about trusting and resting and staying focused while our Father in heaven is working out the details in our lives.

Being still....

Zoe and I went to the beach yesterday. She explored, swam and 'fetched'. I took the opportunity to listen to the waves on the gravel and I began to think about how many waves had rolled over those small round stones and how much they had changed over the centuries. The waves came in different sizes and with varying intensity and they all ended at the same place and in the process sifted through the hundreds of thousands of stones until the rough edges were knocked off and they roll through each other as the waves recede to the ocean.

I love the ocean and the lessons I learn there. It's a place where I have always been able to hear the voice of God and see something that reminds me that He is at work in me and on my behalf. I'm in a place I've never been in my life. Launching a ministry and growing a partnership base requires a level of faith and trust that is something new to me. The temptation on days when it's slow and there aren't a lot of people available to talk to is to take matters into my own hands and do 'something' and yet taking matters into my own hands is the beginning of walking according to my own wisdom and understanding.

Proverbs tells me that there is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death. One of the most interesting prophetic words that has been shared with me is that there will be days when the wind will blow favorably and fill our sails propelling us forward. There will be other times when there will be no wind and it will seem like we are going no where. The word to us was to 'be still' and know that He is God.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that being still is a challenge for me, but it's one I need to rise to so that I can learn the lesson of trust and obedience.

Learning to rest...

Gopher Hunters Keep the Prairie Safe

Reports from the prairies indicate that the gopher infestation has reached epic proportions. The situation has become so severe that serious measures are being implemented to address the issue. The government has hired two "gopher assasins" to begin immediate extermination of any and all gophers. Their orders are to shoot to kill any and all gophers on sight with the exception of "Gainer" who is generally only seen at Roughrider games.

In order to avoid any confusion about the identity of these highly trained assasins, we are releasing their photos to the public for quick identification and also to demonstrate their immediate success in exterminating the vermin.

Zack "Go Ahead... Make My Day" Schindel

Toothless Tyler Schindel

"The Terminator"

These assasins were trained by their uncle Rodger "is that gunfire I hear?" Gregor, and are skilled professionals. Thanks to their hard work, dedication and commitment, the prairie will remain safe and free.

Thoughts from the beach...

I took Zoe for a walk today. The upside of this move for her is that she gets a swim in the ocean every few days. If we forget, she will put her paw on your leg, look at you with her brown eyes and just push down. Anyway, I got the 'hint' from her this morning and we went to the beach. While we were there, I saw several jellyfish. One on the beach and one in the surf. Jellyfish are interesting. They rely on the tides, currents to get around.

While I didn't see any today, I know that there are salmon in the same waters where Zoe swims. As I watched the jellyfish float in the surf, I couldn't help but think about the strength and determination of the salmon. We used to go observe the Adams River Salmon Run near Kamloops. It's pretty impressive to watch thousands of salmon work their way up the river to lay their eggs especially when you consider the journey that they make in order to do it. It's no easy feat to survive 3 years in the open ocean, escape fishing lures, nets, natural predators and ulitmately swim up the Fraser River, through the Fraser Canyon, Little Shuswap Lake and into the Adams River. It's not the kind of journey that a jellyfish could make.

It occurs to me that life requires us to be more like salmon than jellyfish. There are times and seasons in our lives where it's okay, even necessary to float, but most of the time, getting to where we want to be requires us to swim, work against the current and overcome the challenges that stand between where we are and where we want to be. Keep swimming. You'll get there!

Watergun Commando

One of the things that we didn't consider when we moved is that routines would have to be re-created around our new environment. That's not to say that everything is in chaos, but it's interesting to see how a new place means that we have to discover new ways to do what we've always done. For example, Zack and Tyler just took the dog for a walk so she could run and play. In Kamloops, it was just a matter of throwing a ball in the back yard. Here, it's much different because the yard is too small and the park is a few blocks away. I told you all of that just to say one of the reasons that I haven't posted as often as I'd like to is because of what seem like endless changes in our lives that have resulted in less creative ideas than I usually have.

I saw something today that made me laugh out loud. As I was driving down the street, I noticed a little person (probably about 7) jump out from behind the fence in his townhouse complex and shoot the windshield of the vehicle coming towards me with his supersoaker. After about a 2 second blast, he ducked behind the fence to wait for his next "victim", which in this case just happened to be an unmarked police car. I am NOT making this up... I couldn't stop to observe the consequences of his actions, but I'm guessing that he's not hiding behind the fence any more... unless the policeman had a very good sense of humour or he had VERY fast little legs!

This begs for a pastoral lesson so here are several options for you:
1) Sometimes we play with a spiritual supersoaker and think that it's really something lethal.
2) Know your enemy. Don't take on more than you can handle.
3) Live dangerously... nothing will happen if you don't try something.
4) The element of surprise makes up for a lack of wisdom. (with my tongue firmly in my cheek!)

When the seas roar and foam...

We were at church this morning, visiting with some old friends and getting reaquainted as we start to put down roots in our new city. After the service was over, I visited with an old friend. We haven't seen each other in years and had a few minutes to catch up on different things. Her husband was in a motorcycle accident 6 weeks ago and had recovered so well that he was able to go on a wilderness canoe trip with his friends. She left and I found some new friends to visit.

Shortly after, I noticed a police officer go down a hallway to the pastors office. After a few minutes, the pastor came out and called me into his office. When we got there, he told us that the person who had been in the MC accident, had drowned this morning in a canoe accident. He was on his way to break the news to his wife.

We prayed together and he left to deliver the most difficult news possible. I've spent the last few hours praying and mulling over this sad development of events. There are no easy answers, nor will there ever be any easy answers to this tragedy. Bad things happen to good people, even very good people. Death hurts. It stings and it messes up plans and lives... Death is rarely a welcome visitor.

As you read this, perhaps you could take a few minutes to pray for Gloria, Mark, Vince and their sister. They have lost a fantastic husband and father. Also pray for Pastor Funk as he ministers to the family and the church as they deal with this very significant loss. Bernie was a board member and leader in the church and this is a significant loss in every way.

What an amazing woman.

I got this from my friend Mark Hawkes who is a prof at Summit Pacific College.

I have been working on a sermon for this Sunday, looking at the perspective of Naomi and how she approached the events in her life. While I have been working on Naomi’s perspective God has also been opening my mind to Ruth’s. Man I do love the God I’m serving (ok most of the time!!). This amazing story follows a family from Bethlehem during a period of total moral chaos and confusion. Ruth is about the sovereign work of God in the lives of unassuming, humble people. Out of the gloom, decadence and moral crises comes this refreshing, wholesome love story. In it God is actually working out his blessing in and through this family. However, if one looks in the wrong place it will be missed. This reminds me that so often I look in the wrong place and miss what God is doing.What was it about Naomi’s boy that attracted Ruth in the first place? He was a foreigner and refugee from Bethlehem. He wasn’t rich and he didn’t have a sweet ride! Ruth marries and within a few years, she is left a a widow with no child. She must have wondered if she had made a mistake marrying into this family, especially when her father-in-law and brother-in-law also die. What is that? What would I be thinking? What did these three women talk, how did they explain all their husbands dieing so close together? What were the neighbours thinking and saying? Wouldn’t they possible be thinking the gods have cursed them; there must be something wrong with these women? How can they all be barren, and all their husbands die?When Ruth’s mother-in-law wants to return to Bethlehem, Ruth makes the decision to go with her. What was Ruth thinking? Did she not have any family in Moab? Would she not have questioned a God who would let three men in the same family die, leaving only widows? She must have had many questions. Did she not understand that in moving to Bethlehem she would most likely remain a childless widow? She was still a young widowed woman with no child of her own. Did she wonder if God was displeased with her? Did she wonder what this God of hers was doing? The questions must have raced through her mind. As I read this story, I’m amazed at the situation of this young woman. What was God thinking???Naomi returns to Bethlehem with Ruth, and yet Naomi states “she went out full and came back empty”. How did this make Ruth feel? Ruth must have had great fear and apprehension as she went out to work in the fields. A stranger and a foreigner to boot. How did she just happen to find a field that Boaz owned? How did she choose it (rock, paper, scissors), how did God lead her there? Boaz must have been watching Ruth, he inquired about her, he takes a liking to her, because she is industrious (hard work does pay off) she must have had some looks also. What went through her head when she is given so much food, and she is invited to eat with Boaz? I wondered if she though about Boaz at all? Boaz was a land owner, why was he not already married? Was there something wrong with him; was he too picky, maybe he was not good looking? I don’t know, but he wasn’t married, which does not fit the normality of the day. What had God permitted in his life that would place him in this place at this time? Did he wonder what God was doing.I wonder what went through Ruth’s mind when Naomi told her to go to the threshing floor, find Boaz and at night "uncover his feet" and lie down at his feet. Would you do that if your mother-in-law asked you to, I think NOT!! Had they talked about Boaz before? Did Ruth even like him, he was much older so the text tells us; "The LORD bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor” I wonder if she entertained the thought, what if he doesn’t accept the proposal. What then, would she be the brunt of the jokes, would they call her a desperate woman? I can’t imagine her thoughts and fears as she waits at the threshing floor for all to fall asleep. Then she sneaks through the darkness to where she saw Boaz lie down for the night. She then lies down at his feet thinking “this could turn out really bad. “This God I serve already took my first husband; it couldn’t get any worse, could it?”Boaz awakes and lets her know that he accepts her proposal and wants to marry her. I’m sure she was filled with excitement!! And then the incredible!! Boaz tells her there is another man who has first choice!! FIRST CHOICE, am I a piece of meat that can be bartered on? Boaz tells Ruth to stay the night and in the morning go home and wait until the matter is settled. Wait, wait for what? Did she sleep that night? I know I would not be sleeping at all. I’m sure Ruth must have been thinking, “Naomi when I get home I’m going to kill you. What did I get myself into!!” Can it get any worse??? You bet!! There is the real possibility that she will have to marry this other man, and she doesn’t even know him. Her first husband died, now the man she proposed to, her next possible husband must follow some stupid law which would see her marrying someone else. That has to suck!! If I was in that situation, how would I be waiting?? How would you be waiting?? I think I would take off back to Moab!! This God of Israel sure knows how to screw things up!! Try and tell Ruth that YHWH is working things out, go ahead I dare you!!Boaz does the right thing and he and Ruth marry and they live happily ever after. I almost feel the tears welling up in my eyes. NOT!! A son is born to Boaz and Ruth and the women bless Naomi. Now I’m sure Ruth thought, these people are crazy, they praising Naomi. “The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! The women living there said, "Naomi has a son." And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Ruth knows she gave birth to this son, and yet the son becomes Naomi’s. We see God working through a person for the good of someone else. And yet that working is not always easy. What did Ruth think? This was her first child and it was a boy!!The events of Ruth happened "in the days when the judges ruled" (1:1). People did what was right in their own eyes. This woman puts me to shame! How did she do what she did? Naomi blames God for the bad things, and then praises him for the good things. We are not told what Ruth thought or said, but she is the one who shines in this story. I have read this story many times, and this is the first time I have really tried to look at it through the eyes and perspective of Ruth. This pagan woman has great faith, and when Israel is doing what is right in their own eyes, Ruth is doing what is right in God’s eyes. Oh God help me to do what is right in Your eyes, regardless of what is going on around me, regardless of what others are doing. And if there are painful events in my life that you design to bless someone else, help me to do what is right in Your eyes regardless of my perception.

Home Again

We arrived home late on Saturday night from our nearly 3 week vacation. It was a bit strange veering west at Olympia towards Port Angeles rather than heading north towards Kamloops, but I guess that's a bit understandable after 13 years. After taking a few days to clear out the cobwebs from the long drive home, I'm looking forward to tomorrow as the ministry will become a "full time" focus at that point. In reality it's been a full time focus for a long time, it's just that I'll begin to draw a modest salary starting on the 1st that will allow me to focus exclusively on the ministry rather than on 2 or 3 other things to keep body and soul together. We've got a long way to go until it's a liveable salary, but it's a start and gives us the opportunity to work exclusively on growing the ministry.

I've learned a lot about "faith declarations" over the past year. It's interesting how our words determine our future. I distinctly remember saying I wanted "x" dollars in the ministry account before I would begin to draw a salary. It's extremely interesting that we have exactly "X" amount of dollars in our account. I wish I had chosen a higher number, but our next goal is to be fully funded by October 1st. That leaves a significant amount of ground to cover, but we will get there by God's help and strength.

Our friends Sandro and Cindy (and their "brady bunch") are visiting us for a few days. We are so glad to have them here. We've known Sandro for a long time but only met Cindy a year ago. She's fantastic and we feel like we've known her forever. The kids are watching vacation video which is sort of like vacation slides only faster.

Finally, I should say that I've joined facebook which explains my lack of posting. I'll try and do better on here because it's important to keep this fresh and relevant. However, if you are on facebook, feel free to contact me there too.

Have a good one!!

Let's go surfin' now...

Sorry for the long gap, but we are on vacation and so it's been more challenging to write. We left a day early (yay!!) on our surprise laden vacation. We are in Southern California, although the boys only thought we were going to Seattle. We were able to get as far as central Oregon before we told them that we were really going to Disneyland. The response was better than we anticipated. Tyler was screaming because he was so excited. It's probably a good thing that we told them in the van, rather than inside a building...

We are having a great time staying with family in a fantastic location. We spent Saturday night in Anaheim and went to see the Angels and Rangers. On Sunday we visited Angeles Temple and saw Delerious in concert. Delerious was a bonus, as we were planning to be there anyway. Angeles Temple is having a tremendous impact on Los Angeles and God is doing incredible things there.

We came to San Diego on Sunday afternoon and will be here through Friday when we will return to Anaheim and meet some friends from Kamloops. This is the next big surprise for the boys as they don't know that some of the friends will be meeting them at Disneyland.

We're not sure about our plans for today. We may hang around the pool here or we may go to the beach or we may take Britt to a mall or we .... (you get the idea...)

We'll keep you posted.

Tim

It's a Beautiful Day ... the sequel

I've added a new post under "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" but it shows for July 1 instead of July 8. Click back to see the latest post.

Oops..

Tim

Happy Dominion Day!

What we now call Canada Day, used to be called Dominion Day. Dominion Day had it's roots in the naming of the Canadian Confederation when Premier Tilley suggested to the 1866 Conference of Confederation that Canada be called the "Dominion of Canada" based on Ps. 72:8 "And he shall have dominion also from sea to sea". The conference endorsed his recommendation and sent it to Queen Victoria for her approval. On July 1st, 1867, she proclaimed the Dominion of Canada into existence. It's really incredible to think that her royal proclamation endorsed what God had spoken before the foundations of the earth were laid.

Ps. 72:8 is actually Canada's official motto. I can't help but smile when I think that our forefathers embraced a prophetic declaration of the coming kingdom of Jesus as the phrase that would identify our nation. Admittedly, not a lot of people see the verse for what it is, but the reality of God's word is that He watches over it to perform it whether people believe it or not. He is God and His word does not return empty. It always produces the harvest that He intended. His purpose and plan for Canada will be accomplished. He will have dominion from sea to sea and our nation will be an source and symbol of hope, restoration and blessing for the nations of the earth.

If you've been following the blog, you'll know that we've just moved from Kamloops to Victoria in order to more fully and effectively fulfill God's call on our lives. We literally live 3 blocks from the sea in 3 directions. Now that we are settling in and the bulk of the unpacking has been completed, part of my daily routine will be to prayer walk around the Legislature on a daily basis and pray that His will would be done on here on earth as it is in heaven. Because government is bigger than just the Legislative precinct, I may expand my walk to cover a different ministry headquarters each day as well. What do you think??

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

So here it is the "new 'hood" post. We are living in a very interesting and unique part of Victoria. There are so many things to see and do and .... all of it is within walking distance. After 13 years in the near desert climate of Kamloops we now live 3 or less blocks from the ocean in 3 directions.

Three blocks to the south takes us to Ogden Point and the Dallas Rd. waterfront.

Three blocks to the west is Fisherman's Wharf which continues to be where the fishing boats come and go and then sell their catches to commerical suppliers and the public as well. Our kids don't eat seafood yet (born and raised in Cattle country) will do that to you, but Barb and I like it, even though we haven't had the opportunity to buy something fresh yet.

Three blocks to the North takes us to the heart of the tourist district. There are lots of hotels and the Inner Harbour that has buskers, performers and artisans sharing their skills and work. Everyone loves to go down and see what's happening in the Inner Harbour. Tyler has even participated in a busker show as a helper. He even made $5 so I guess that makes him a professional.

If you travel due East from our house, you'll go right past the Legislature and eventually find Beacon Hill Park.

For an urban area, there are some things that I find very interesting. There's plenty of green space near us (several parks within a 3 block radius) and more dogs than I ever encountered in Kamloops. It seems 1 out of 3 people has a dog here. Given that lots are small, that means a lot of walking on leash because you can't let your dog roam in Victoria.

Anyway... that's all for now. I'll post some of Britt's pictures later this week.

Tim

Road Trip

We are digging our way out of the boxes, so I thought I'd give you a quick update on the move, etc. The move went remarkably well. I left Kamloops at 7:30 in the YEW HAUL with Zoe on the front seat. I had Country 103 on the radio just because it seemed like the kind of music you should listen to when you drive a truck. We got to Merrit in about 1hr and Zoe was whining and needed a break. (I just realized it might have been the music...) Anyway, we pulled over and she sniffed the sagebrush, left a mark to let everyone know she had been there.

We got back in the truck and by the time we near the toll booth she was whining again and I needed a break. I guess she thought if it was okay for me to sing, it should be okay for her to make some noise too. Much to her delight we found a stick and played fetch for 20 minutes. We got back in the truck, got our motor running and headed out on the highway. This was the part of the highway that I looked forward to and worried about all at the same time. If you've never driven the Coquihalla, it's a pretty steep highway from the toll booth to Hope. While I've always thought it would be kind of fun to use a "run away" lane, when I was actually driving a large truck with a full load, I decided that slower is safer. The weather was fantastic when we went through, but a day later there was a freak blizzard at the summit. Glad it came the day after...

We got to Hope safely and I found another country station that was playing "Hillbilly Delux". Again, it all seemed appropriate driving a UHAUL. We stopped in Abbotsford for fuel and shortly after we were "On the Road Again" bound for the ferry. At 12:30 I heard a traffic report that the 1:00 PM sailing was filled and that the next boat went at 3:00. I arrived at the terminal at 12:40 to a nearly empty parking lot (only 25% filled) and got a ticket on the 1:00 PM sailing.

With the help of some fantastic family and friends, we had the truck unloaded in about 90 minutes. And then the work of unpacking began. You know, we left here 13 years ago and thought the move was a lot of work. We had know idea how much work this was going to be. I actually thought that if we planned well, we could have the truck loaded in a few hours, completely forgetting that 3 kids and 19 years of marriage combines to create a magnetic force for all kinds of clutter. The best I've found thus far is a box containing cards wishing us well as we moved to Kamloops. Yup.. unopened for 13 years. It was like a time capsule.. So much for "clutter management".

Anyway, I'll give you the scoop on the new 'hood tomorrow.

Tim

Bye, Bye Kamloops - Thanks for the memories

The big truck in our driveway and a sold sign on the front lawn combined with the papers we signed today all point to the fact that we are going, going, going .... gone in less than 36 hours. The memories of this city will stay with us for a long time. We came here as a family of 3 and leave as a family of 5 plus a dog. Our boys were born here. Brittany is moving back to the city of her birth. The sunset was magnificent tonight. We will only see one more as residents of the city. It was as though the sky was painted.

Tomorrow we will say our final goodbyes to our friends and neighbours. We have been blessed with some amazing people around us. We prayed for good neighbours and God gave us the best! We will miss the Young's, Beveridge's, Frenkel's, etc, etc. Even the people we share the back fence with who we've never seen or spoken to will be missed. They always threw the ball back into our yard!

We came here with dreams, some of which were realized some that weren't. We leave with some disappointments and regrets, but these are the threads of our lives that contribute to the magnificent fabric that God is weaving into our lives to create the masterpiece that He envisioned for us in the beginning.

We are leaving 13 years to the week we came here very different than the way we came. We are older, wiser and changed because of our time here. My head is greyer and there is less hair than before. My head is smaller and my heart is certainly softer than it was at different points along the journey.

We are moving towards something fresh and new. It's a vision and dream that we have carried for years. It is so out of the ordinary, but at the same time so real and tangible. What we saw by faith, first in our hearts, then in a living room in Victoria and then through countless "God moments" is now becoming reality. I never cease to be amazed at how God makes something out of nothing and how He is gracious enough to include me in His plans. Thanks God!

So... tomorrow is the end of one chapter (maybe even a series of chapters...) and the beginning of a new one. This one was written in heaven before God said "Let there be" and one that will be completed on His terms and timeline. Thanks for praying, believing, sowing and standing with us. I'll post again from our Pacific Island home.

Tim

Our New House

We've made a quick trip to Victoria so Barb could see the house and the boys could get a sense of their new "hood". Driving from the ferry to the house was very interesting. I was being plagued with thoughts of "Have I done the right thing?" "What if she doesn't like it?" and "Have we lost our minds?" The house is actually smaller than I thought, but will work just fine with some creativity and adjustments. We did some minor work on the yard today as it is a gardeners paradise/nightmare all at the same time. I'll post some pictures after we are moved in and settled.

So, we are all good with the house and the only family members that haven't seen it are Britt and Zoe. This morning we went for a walk to the Ocean at 7, for a drive at 10 and now Barb and the boys are at "Seeing is Believing" while I mooch an internet connection and catch up on a few things.

I'm preaching at Burnaby Chinese Pentecostal this Sunday and then sharing at our home church one more time before we leave town. We are so blessed to have been a part of Bible Truth for this past 18 months. This time has prepared us in faith and fellowship to take a step that is beyond anything we've ever done before.

Pray for us, this is a long leap...

Tim

The Flood that Didn't Come

If the experts were correct, the Fraser Valley would be experiencing a flood as I write this. But because God intervened, people are able to sleep in their own beds, live in their own homes and carry on with their lives, without the hassles and headaches of a flood. God is good!

Some will attribute this to luck, good fortune and cooperative weather. At the end of the day, it's only God who could manage this and He did it in response to our prayers and to demonstrate His care and concern for people and the MLA's who asked us to take up the challenge. We have seen the first of many miracles as God is very interested in making himself known in our great province and nation.

"Before the nations, He has bared his mighty arm."

Thanks for standing with us!

Anything Can Happen

The combination of the hot weekend and rain in the Interior yesterday has raised concernes about a potential flooding throughout the province. In the natural, flooding appears inevitable. However, our God in heaven is not limited and governed by the laws of nature. So, this week I'm asking you to pray along with people from across the province asking the Lord to hold back a flood and allow for a spring runoff without damage to property and people.

You may live far away from a potential flood zone, but ten's of thousands of people in our province will be dramatically affected if the river spills it's banks, particularly in Prince George and the Fraser Valley. We need a miracle and miracles still happen.

It's time to pray!!

He Supplieth Every Need!!

There's a song that we've been singing at our house for the last few months that has the following lyrics:

"It's a big, big house with lots and lots of rooms". God knows what he's doing and He has heard answered our prayers in style. In an ideal world, we'd like to live in downtown Victoria within a few blocks of the Legislature, but the houses and yards are quite small and the costs are quite high. Last night I received a call from an owner of a house that I had looked at on Tuesday morning. It's either 2200 or 2400 square feet, 5 bdrms, 4 bathrooms on 1.3 acres in the country. The lot borders on a nature preserve. There's lots of room for everyone (including the dog!) This will be a wonderful home for the next year as we find our feet and get re-established in Victoria.

I didn't fall asleep until well past 1 AM because I was just so excited about the events of the past 2 days. God has been so good to us. In 30 (counting today) days we will be living in Victoria and I won't be spending nearly as much time at the Vancouver airport waiting for flights. I'm at the airport as I write this. I made a surprising discovery yesterday... what I thought was a 5:40 PM flight was actually a 5:40 AM flight. I was up at 4:25 this morning...

From a ministry perspective, the past 2 days have been awesome. I am starting to be introduced as "the Chaplain". It's strange and exciting at the same time. God continues to open doors of favor and opporunity. There's more than I can tell on here because I'm committed to protecting the privacy of MLA's but I can tell you I was thrilled to be able to pray with an MLA in his office about some specific challenges that he shared with me.

Last night we went out for Chilean food (very good!!) An MLA from the Fraser Valley was there and we discussed the impending flood threat. Apparently there's not enough water in the Fraser because of the slow melt. The heat from the Interior will change that somewhat, but the river SHALL NOT flood!

Looking forward to getting home, seeing Barb and having a nap.

Miracle House Needed!

A few days ago, I said I would share what's happening in our lives as we prepare for the move, so here's the latest:

1. Our house is sold. The subjects came off on Friday afternoon and the sold sign is up. It's exciting, surreal and unsettling all at the same time.

2. We are looking for a place to live. This sounds like no big deal until you realize that the rental market in Victoria is basically 0% and that the real estate market is white hot and most stuff is gone before it hits MLS.

3. The good news is that I am heading to Victoria tomorrow to spend the week at the Legislature and to house hunt. The bad news is I'm going to househunt without Barb. :-(
Call us crazy but that's the way this is playing out.

4. We need a miracle house. A place where we can keep our dog, that's affordable (you wouldn't believe the cost of renting in Victoria) or an unbelievable deal. We want to live in the James Bay/Fernwood area for several good reasons that are mostly connected to the proximity to the Legislature. It needs to be in a good area for our kids and it needs to be "pet friendly" because our dog is part of the family. Dogs grow on you and she would be VERY missed! Some of you might be laughing, but "you have not because you ask not".

5. We need a miracle house in the next 5 days. It's important to get this nailed down so that there's some stability for our kids over the next month as we start packing up their stuff and putting it in boxes.

Thanks for standing with us. Let us know you're praying.

Tim
4.

Saturday Surprise

Our boys are in a ball tournament this weekend, so I let them sleep in and did their paper route this morning. Zoe (our Lab) hasn't had a good walk for a few days so I decided to take her with me "off leash". At 5:30 AM, what could the harm be??

She bounded out of the house and down the street as she loves to explore, sniff and dart through yards, bushes and gardens. Every so often I'd call her back, she'd walk beside me and all seemed well. As we approached our first stop, she was ahead of me, sniffing through the bushes at a nearby house. I wasn't really paying attention as it was "pre-coffee" but I did notice her go into the bushes.

What happened next was a sight to behold... there was a flurry of activity followed by a mad dash because Zoe had found a cat. Because the cat was the same color as she it, it looked as though Zoe had been thrown backward out of the bushes. What happened was the cat darted out the back and she was scrambling to catch it. The cat streaked across the yard and parking lot with Zoe in hot pursuit. There was no barking, just full out speed. The cat bolted up the nearest tree which would have been fine except that it was full of crows who started squawking and protesting. At the point, the cat is about 10 feet up in the tree, hanging on for dear life while Zoe is jumping up at it.

I called her away and we finished Tyler's route. As we walked back past the tree again, I noticed the cat still up the tree with the crows squawking away.

Do cats come down from trees or do you have to call the fire department?