A Family Wedding

One of the reasons we return to the United States and Canada from Haiti every four years on furlough is to take time to get reacquainted with family. It is true that we are blessed with lots of ways to communicate with our families by phone and e-mail. Skype allows us to talk and even see them on occasion. But there is nothing spending some face-to-face time with those we call our family.

I had a chance to travel to British Columbia last weekend to attend a family wedding on Saltspring Island. Sadly Heather and the kids could not come but I had a chance to spend time with my parents, brother and other relatives in our extended family. British Columbia is a long way from Florida but it was worth the trip. On the segment from Tampa to Dallas a man on the flight had a heart attack. We diverted to New Orleans where the paramedics met the aircraft. He was OK but our flight was delayed into Dallas. Missed my connection and then the rebooked flight to Vancouver had a mechanical issue.

Saltspring Island is the largest island off Vancouver Island. The bus from the Vancouver airport took me to the ferry for the crossing. There is much beautiful scenery to enjoy and lots of wildlife to see. A pod of killer whales passed alongside the ferry on the crossing. One more ferry to Fulford Harbour and I arrived just in time for toasts at the rehearsal dinner.

The wedding itself was a real delight. My cousin Camille married the love of her life Alex. The ceremony took place on the grounds of the nursery and farm my Aunt and Uncle own. We sat on hay bales during the outdoor ceremony. The weather was perfect and we ate and fellowshipped under in the greenhouse my brother Nigel built for the nursery. There were lots of new folks to meet including several of Alex's relatives who made the journey from India. My Uncle Hans from Australia was also on-hand.

Another delight of the visit besides great breakfast conversation with the my parents at the Bed & Breakfast we stayed at, was seeing my Oma for the first time in several years. My grandmother will turn 97 this November. While she can no longer walk her joy in the Lord is evident. Heather and the kids had recorded a video greeting that I was able to play for her. Knowing she is praying for us is a great encouragement to us in the work God has called us to.

And finally, just a quick note on the blog. I realize I have not been as consistent with blog posts since returning to the US in June. Part of my problem has been in converting my daily computing to a MacBook I lost my favorite blog publishing software. If anyone has any suggestion on offline publishing software for Mac that works with Blogger I am open to suggestions. You can also keep up with our travels on Facebook and Twitter.