NTCP Alberta, Canada

Thank You...and God Bless!

2009-08-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

It doesn't seem possible that our time in Canada has already come to a close. Our last few weeks were packed with preparations for the upcoming events of the fall. We did everything from pick berries for the winter to prepare ads for the tent revival in September. It is so hard to think of leaving. We have come to love the people here and are thrilled to have been able to see what God is doing in Hinton. The Lord has used our time here to teach us so much. One of the greatest things we have learned is the vital necessity of trusting the Lord for every need; whether it be the food we eat or the souls we long to reach with the Gospel. Although not always what we would choose, His timing is always perfect and He will not forsake His own. What a joy to serve a Savior who cares for every burden we bear.

Summer School

Ben and I helped with summer school for Colton and Emma in order to get a head start on the new school year. Teaching preschool was quite a new and exciting adventure-for Ben especiallyWe had a blast and I think the kids really enjoyed it too.

They passed their final reviews with flying colors.

Emma and Marshall showing off their good work!

Neighborhood Garage Sale
We got to help Mrs. Davis with an "end-of-the-summer" garage sale.

We sold nearly everything and met some new contacts for the church as well.

"Freezer-meal Frenzy"

Mrs. Davis, Emma and I spent quite a few days in the kitchen

preparing freezer meals for them to use during the Tent Meetings in September.

We made everything from pizzas to zuuchinni bread and had a great time doing it!

Scrubbin' and Sortin' Saskatoons
We took a whole day and spent it in the bush picking "saskatoons!"
They are small berries that only grow in western Canada, and are especially good in pancakes and tasty treats.

Farewell to friends

The members at Hinton Baptist had a reception for us on our last Sunday.

They suprised us with a beautiful cake, cards, gifts and best wishes for the new school year.

Here we are with the Dickinsons - some of the members of the church.

Teaching the last Sunday School Class

We usually had one other family as well for Sunday School.

I kept nursery in the other corner of the room

and tried not to interrupt the Sunday School Hour :)

A Special Thank You...

It has been a great privilege to serve the Lord in Canada this summer. I pray the things we have seen and truths we have learned will bear eternal reward as the Lord continues to teach us to follow Him. Thank you for keeping up with us this summer, but most of all thank you for bearing us before the Lord in prayer. Nothing that was accomplished would have been possible without the prayers of God's people. It has been wonderful to see Him at work, and to watch as He did what we thought was impossible. Please continue to pray for the Davis family and the work the Lord is doing through the Hinton Baptist Church. Pray that God will send faithful laborers to help in the church and seek souls in Alberta. May the Lord richly bless each one of you as you follow Him.

"...I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

-Matthew 16:18

Hinton Baptist Church VBS Report...

2009-07-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has taken so long to get these posted. We had a bit of a delay in getting the pictures uploaded, but I will try to make up for it and bring you up to date....

Vacation Bible School went very well. We had quite an adventure getting things set up, but with much trial and error, we ended up with a very nice blue tent and convincing winter decor. The kids thought it was the greatest thing ever! We had three families that came every day and two families that visited throughout the week. Several of them were unchurched or looking for a new church. It was neat to see the Lord at work--slowly opening doors for outreach. Ben led the games and I did singing and helped with class rotations. We had children ranging in age from 3 to 11, so we had to get a bit creative!!! On the last day we rented a snow cone machine and bounce house. That went over really well with all of the children. Apparently the snow cones are a bit of a novelty around here...but they fit right in with our "polar" theme.

The Davis kids "chillin' out" in the igloo!

One of our youngest attendees

enjoying snack time!

Craft for Day 1:

Making frames for our stepping stones

(Ben and Bro. Davis had pre-drilled these

with an electric drill)

Craft for Day 2:

Filling frames and adding beads

(More from Day 2)

Craft for Day 3:

Painting the finished product!

More from Day 3...
The park staff took the tables we had been using.
Since we were in a ball field, this was our "plan B" for craft time.

Kellie leading the singing

Pastor Davis taught the Bible Lesson every day

and blew the whistle for class rotations

Ben helping with the memory verse

Game time with part of the "junior class"

(Marshall Davis and Eliana Parton)

Ready and waiting for game time!

This is Kellie and Paul Harness

(he's the children's Sunday School Teacher)

with the older class

Kellie monitoring the Bounce House

for our game time on the last day

"On Guard!!!"

Ben and I made balloon "creations" on the last day

Grape and Orange Snow Cones!

What color is your tongue?????

It was encouraging to watch the Lord bring people, and another reminder that, "...unless the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it..." We have seen time and again that it makes no difference how much you do to prepare, unless the Lord blesses and works, your efforts will always be in vain. I have seen in such a new and vivid way how vital it is to rely on the Lord to move. The blessing comes when we see Him at work, and watch Him do what only He can!

Please Pray for VBS!!!!

2009-07-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

For the past few days we have been working very hard to prepare for the Hinton Baptist Vacation Bible School. VBS began on Wednesday and will go through Friday. Our theme is Polar Extremes--All of me, all out for God. The lessons are about men in the Bible who were extreme in their trust, obedience, and love for God. Ben and I have been helping to get the games, craft, and songs together. Ben will be leading the games, I am helping with the singing, and I think we will all be needed for our exciting craft!!! We are making concrete stepping stones with the kids' hand prints on them. Each day they will complete a different phase: day one they build the frame, day two they pour the concrete into the frames and make handprints (fun!), and day three they decorate!!! I think it will be a blast!

Ben had to pre-assemble every frame to make sure that the pieces fit.

He got off easy; the kids have to use regular screwdrivers!

Very late on the night before, we realized we were going to have to do something more to set the "chill" for polar extremes......a little hard to do when the temps have been going as high as 80! (which is a scorcher around here!!!) We were limited because we are setting up under a tent and we can't leave any of our supplies there. Nonetheless, we finally came up with some cute props that helped to get the point across.

We ran to the world-wide-web

and found some quick-n-easy snowflake patterns

Here's Ben cutting out the "igloo" with his pocketknife.

He gets to use all of the fun tools!

After long hours, Kellie comes up with a pretty convincing igloo.

(It looks even more convincing with cotton "snow" around it!)

We've managed to fill up the days and hours with everything from handing out flyers, to baking cookies, to experimenting with crafts, to making song visuals...and the list goes on!

Thank you so much for keeping up with us, your prayers mean the world to us!!! God is at work here, despite the difficulties! We are praying that He will do what only HE can!

Pray that the Lord will bring children out and that we can reach their families! We had 13 children for our first day. There is much around here to compete with VBS, but we are hoping since most of the school activities and sports events are ending, children will be looking for something to do.

Happy Canada Day!

2009-07-05T22:15:00.001-07:00

Canada Day brought many fun (and chilly) memories for all of us this year! We started the day with the local Canada Day Parade that marched right through the middle of town. (Notice in the pictures the long sleeves and jackets--it was only about 45 degrees (F) on the first of July!!!) It was a bit different from parades back home, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The kids were showered with candy and big waves from the people passing by. After the parade, we made maple leaf sugar cookies and got everything ready for the church-wide picnic that evening. We had a good group come for the cookout and even a few visitors. We ate, played, sang, and had a special time of prayer. It was a fun day, and quite a cultural experience!

Canadian Mounted Police

Making sugar cookies after the parade

(notice the jackets!)

Fellowship...and good food!!!

...the heart of any good Baptist get together

Our hymn-singing and Canada Day Service after the picnic

This is Kellie and a young girl named Alyssa.

She has recently started visiting the church

as a result of door-knocking on Thursdays.

Making New Friends :)

2009-07-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had the wonderful opportunity of getting to spend time with several of the young people from Victory Baptist Church in Edmonton, Alberta. (this is the Davis' sending church in Canada) They came out to Hinton on Friday night and stayed through Saturday night. We spent all day Saturday hiking and exploring at Jasper Park. It was so refreshing to meet other young people with an intense desire to serve the Lord. They are all very actively involved in their home church and several of them are looking to go into the ministry. We gleaned a lot from them about reaching out to Canadians with the Gospel, and spent much time talking about ways we wanted to see the Lord work in our own hearts. It was a very encouraging weekend! They really welcomed us with open arms and made us feel like old friends.

Mountains on the way up to see the glacier

Ben and the "snow creature."

There were giant clumps of snow like this one all over!

The guys climbed the really big ones.

This is Simeon Harness playing "king of the iceberg!"

This ice wall was probably a good 30 to 40 feet high.

We had to hike across snow and ice, that was about 4 inches deep,

to get to the mouth of the cave.

Sitting in the mouth of the ice cave under Angel Glacier!

The ice and snow was melting so fast above us it sounded like rain.

Large rocks fell right in front of us as the snow melted out from under them.

I don't know if we were supposed to be off the trail, but it was really neat!!!

Angel Glacier
This is just the top half of the mountain.
I couldn't get the whole thing in one shot or capture the "huge-ness" of it all.
It was one of the highest things I have ever seen!!!

We followed a trail by this stream to get back to the parking lot.

When we got to the bottom we all refilled our water bottles

with ice cold glacier water from the stream.

Athabasca Falls

The canyon at the base of the falls

The mouth of the river at the end of Athabasca Falls.

Fruit from Bible Clubs

2009-07-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

So sorry it has been a while since we have updated! Things have been a bit crazy lately, and I just haven't had the chance to catch up. Here is the last report from the Bible Clubs and exciting news about follow-up!

The Davis children with our friends who visited

Church and Sunday School today

These are pictures from the last day of Bible Clubs. We ended up with several new children on the last day. It was so neat to watch the Lord work. We were excited to have two of the families visit at Hinton Baptist Church this Sunday--Please pray for them!!! They have been very open and are asking a lot of questions. They said they wanted their children to grow up believing in something and think it would be good for them to be in church.

Pray that they will continue to come to church and that the Lord will soften their hearts to the Gospel!

Kellie teaching the Big Word "Eternal"

Some of our visitors

Group shots are so much fun!

We had children ranging in age from 2 to 10!!!

(that required some creative teaching for sure :) )

Ben using a rope to give an illustration on sin...

...and completely capturing everyone's attention!

Thank you for your prayers!

Please don't stop! Pray that the Lord will open doors with the families He allowed us to reach during Bible Clubs!

Our Lord IS Able!!!

2009-06-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

We have all heard the song...we teach children in Sunday School that God is able to do anything, but what a joy and delight when you personally witness Him breaking through--as only He can!!!

Today we were pleasantly surprised with three new families at Bible Club! There were so many people that we had to go get more snacks. We ended up with eighteen children all together, and only six were from the church...that means eleven visiting children were there! Two of the moms are planning to bring their children and visit the church.

Once again we were grimly threatened with black skies and gusty winds. We could even see rain off in the distance. But we stepped out in faith and set our little blue tent up anyway--driving our stakes in deep and praying God would hold back the downpour. He did. As a matter of fact, we didn't even get a sprinkle until we stepped through the door at the house. Literally as soon as we shut the door, the bottom fell out!!! God is so good. He truly is in control!

Pray for these young families that we will be attempting to follow up. We do not know if they are born again, but they are full of questions and say they will be back.

Be encouraged, as we have been today, that truly NOTHING is impossible with the great God that we serve!!! What a privilege to be called His child. What an honor to serve Him. May His will be accomplished in all that we do!

(pictures will follow soon, I promise!...just haven't had a chance to upload yet)

Wildhorse Lake

2009-06-22T00:14:00.000-07:00

During the summer the Davises try to spend some family time exploring the beautiful outdoors. Last week, we discovered an incredible lake that was only 15 minutes from home!

First impressions of Wildhorse Lake

"Little Christian" and his "burden."

This was another lake that we discovered when we wandered

through the bush down a wild game trail.

Beautiful Ain't Big Enough!!!

2009-06-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we took our first trip to Jasper. I just now downloaded the pictures and thought you might enjoy them. It was absolutely amazing!!! We drove for nearly 30 minutes...straight through the heart of the Rockies. All I can say is the pictures speak for themselves--just not nearly loud enough!!!

Maligne Canyon--over 120 feet deep in places!!!

(sorry, no way to catch that on film...we tried.)

This is what you find when you leave the path to follow wild game trails!

Taking a quick breather on the trail

"Maligne Lake Boathouse"....I guess???...just thought it was pretty.

More Bible Club News

2009-06-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

Bible Club under our home-made "rain-guard"

Thank you for praying for the Bible Clubs. The sky was very clearly threatening to shower us with most untimely blessings, so we resorted to buy a tarp and make a tent to make our Bible Club "weather proof!" It was quite amusing watching Ben and Brother Davis fighting the huge wind gusts to get it set up.

We ended up with three children from the neighborhood and the six children from the church. Two of the visitors were children from the Davis' homeschool group and one girl had seen the fliers and her mom decided to bring her. We were SO excited!!! I used to get excited to see fifteen or twenty children come, but how thrilled we were just to have three! The little girl was hard of hearing and was about eight years old. She and her family are moving in a few weeks in order to enroll her in a school for the deaf, so we won't be able to follow them up about church. The other two visitors were the pastor's kids of another church in Hinton.

We also saw the family from Albania that I wrote about in one of my previous posts. They were just playing in the park both nights that we had the Bible Club. We were able to talk with them for a bit, but unfortunately they are moving soon as well. They left this week end for vacation and will be home in a few months to pack and move to Edson. (about an hour and a half outside of Hinton) She made a special effort to tell us goodbye and thanked me for the long chat we had when they visited the church a few weeks ago. Pray that the Lord will continue to bring them across our path and that we can reach them with the Gospel!

The longer I am here, the more I see that people just don't desire to know the truth. Oh, that God would open their eyes to see the emptiness of the pleasures this world has to offer! Pray that God will make their hearts hungry and cause them to see their great need of Him!

Ben vs. the wind (and the wind is winning!)

The children loved having Bible Club under a tent!

The Davis and Parton children

from Hinton Baptist Church

Ben teaching the lesson of the five loaves and two fishes

Our last two Bible Clubs will be Monday and Tuesday night of this week. Please pray that the Lord will give us good contacts and bring kids out!!!

Bible Club Report....

2009-06-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you for praying. Although it did rain some, it was not enough to rain us out! Brother Davis bought a tarp and we made a "tent" to keep everyone dry. The children thought it was great. We ended up with seven children. Six of them are from the church and one was a friend from the Davis's home school group. It is amazing to me that after running two weeks of newspaper adds and passing out over 1200 flyers there were no other children from the community. I am quickly realizing how differently people here respond to the things of the Lord. Pray that God will soften the hearts of the people and that children will come out today. The weather is much nicer, so I am hoping that will help!

(We did take pictures, but I haven't had time to upload them yet. We will try to have them posted soon!!!)

Quick update and prayer request

2009-06-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

Kellie, Mrs. Davis, and I went out for three hours yesterday putting Bible club flyers in mailboxes and on doorknobs. Praise the Lord, with the help of several church members, we have handed out almost twelve hundred of these flyers in the last three weeks (that is about a third of the town)! Please pray that many children and parents come to hear the gospel. We have no idea how many are coming, so pray also that God would provide the snacks and prizes we will need.

While we were handing out flyers, Kellie pointed me to an older man who was taking a break while mowing his lawn. It was about eighty degrees outside, a real scorcher for western Alberta. She figured that he might not mind if I finished the small lawn for him. Well, I didn't get to help with that, but I ended up talking to him for about half an hour. His name was Larry and he was ninety-two years old (yes, he was mowing his own lawn). He told me that the heat normally would not bother him, but he just got over pneumonia so he was a little weak! I eventually found out that he came to Hinton over seventy years ago in a covered wagon when the town was no more than a trading post for the miners who lived around. He was a fascinating man! Please pray for him though; obviously there were no churches out here when he grew up, and he told me that he did not really hold to any religion other than to do good to those around him. I was not able to share the gospel with him right there, but I am hoping to visit him again with Bro. Davis and possibly start a friendship that will allow us to witness to him.

Oh, by the way, for those Canadians following the blog, we had our first Timmy's after finishing with the door-knocking (Tim Horton's is the national coffee stop). The Ice Capps and Canadian Maple Creme-filled doughnuts were fantastic... I see now why everyone loves this place!

Anyway, please pray for the Bible clubs tomorrow and the next day from six to seven in the evening (that is Mountain Time Zone). We look forward to telling you great things that the Lord has done!

A Word from Ben

2009-06-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

This is a picture Kellie took from the car window as we drove around Maligne Lake down near Jasper. God's creation is so amazing...so much larger than I ever imagined! Sadly, so many people here are blind to the God behind this beauty, please pray that they would be healed by finding Christ, the Light of the world!

I have been able to help with several things around the church and the Davises' house, as well as doing as much door-to-door soul-winning as possible. Only a few people have even listened to the gospel, but many have taken the church packets we have been distributing (they contain invitations to the church and the books of John and Romans in pamphlet form). Pray that God's Word would be read and would bring conviction.

At one door, a college-age girl seemed very closed when I first started talking to her, but she started asking some interesting questions. Finally, I started with creation and worked my way to the cross of Christ. It seemed that she softened as she heard for the first time how Christ died for her, but she told me later that it was all still too much to really believe. She was probably the most interested person I have encountered so far, please pray that God will work in her heart.

We are planning a children's Bible club for the next two Mondays and Tuesdays. There is no way to guess how many will attend or what the age range will be (several teenagers have expressed some interest in the club), so pray that we can be fluid and get the gospel to whoever comes. Also, please pray that many parents will come with their children and hear the gospel.

I cannot thank you enough for your prayers. Please continue to pray that God would use us to help Bro. Davis and to encourage the church members up here.

Reflections on the past few weeks...

2009-06-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

What an amazing three weeks it has been. I guess you can't really prepare for, or anticipate, exactly what the Lord has in store for you when you step out in faith. It has been such a help to be able to see what the next phase of the ministry looks like. We take so much for granted at home. I think you come out of Bible College thinking you are prepared for anything, and somehow, you think it will all be downhill from here. That is the farthest from the truth that it could possibly be!!! I have been amazed at all of the "behind the scenes work" that falls on a new pastor and his family. Dorm life hasn't got anything on the daily life in the ministry. All I have to say is..."Graduates, buckle up and hang on!!!" It definitely won't be slowing down any time soon.

I have loved watching the early stages of a new church plant. Truly it would be impossible if it was not started, and worked through, by faith. As a matter of fact, if there is one thing I have learned while being with the Davises, it is that you can't rest in the Lord's perfect will if you can't trust Him with your all. And believe me, they do!!! From the food they put in their mouth to the souls the Lord brings to the services, they ask in faith believing and waiting to see what He has in store.

If we don't get anything else out of this summer, I think that lesson has been invaluable. It is the key to being content with whatever God allows you to walk through. What a joy it is to know that the One who redeemed my soul cares for the tiny details of my daily life!

A few things to pray about....

1. One of the things that has greatly grieved my heart is the huge need for a youth outreach here in Hinton. Every day and night (sometimes till 3:00am or after!) the streets are filled with children from about the age of 8 to 18, that are just wandering around and getting into trouble. Most of them look very tough, but we have actually found them to be pretty open, and several have sounded interested in Bible clubs. Pray we will have an open door with them. But most importantly, pray that the Lord will provide the needed help to reach them through the church.

2. Right now there is hardly any outside help with the ministry within the church. All duties fall on Pastor Davis and his family. What a blessing it would be to have just one faithful family. They are very much still at the phase of helping people understand the importance of faithful attendance--something I think we take for granted at home. In a church of 500 when one family is not there, it is not a big deal. In a church of 20 when a family doesn't come...a fourth of the congregation is gone! Pray that God will put a desire in the hearts of the people to get involved in His work, and that they will take His Commission personally!!!

3. We have spent the past couple of weeks out with a few of the church members canvasing the area for contacts and trying to get the word out about Bible clubs. We have knocked nearly 1000 doors and still have about 6oo to go by the end of next week. Pray that God will bless our visits and give us good contacts! (most people here will tell you they just don't have time to squeeze God in to their busy schedules)

Thank you for your prayers and for taking the time to keep up with us! God has really challenged my heart, and we are just getting started!

"Baby 101"....continues

2009-06-06T20:25:00.001-07:00

Living in a house with four small children has brought back many fun memories for both of us. Every day I am reminded of something we used to say or do. I remember playing with the baby and being mommy's little helper, but for Ben, a lot of these memories are vague ones. Since he was the baby we played with, he has little recollection of that phase of family life. We both had a feeling this was going to be a new experience for him...and boy were we right! He has done great with it though. He jumped right in to the role of being the latest and greatest climbing tower, baby stroller, book reader, toddler husher, bucking bronco, bottle feeder...(and the list goes on) I think it has been a lot of fun for him. We definitely both have a new appreciation for the many faithful souls (namely our parents) who spent countless hours feeding our imaginations and playing with us!

The Davis children share Ben's love for books.

This seems to be a favorite pass-time for all of them.

My what a pretty...kitty cat?

There were actually cougar warnings in the neighborhood last week.

Imagine opening the back door to find one of those guys in your trash can!!!

"It's crying, how do you make it stop?"

...Ben making do with what he's got to keep baby Bella happy.

Anyone for a hike around the lake?

Don't forget those little legs won't make it without a little help!

After a day of playing together, I think they are going to be fast friends.

They seem to have a better understanding of each other...

...at least, I think they do!

Happy Birthday to Marshall and Isabella

2009-06-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we had a combined birthday party for Marshall (now 3) and Isabella (now 1). I had forgotten what an ordeal it was to get ready for those kiddie parties we used to have! Mrs. Davis and I spent the entire morning making their cakes and preparing the food. By the time we had fed everyone lunch, finished the cakes, cleaned everyone up, and packed our gear, it was time for the party. We had a cookout at one of the big parks in town and had a lot of fun eating and playing with all the kids. There were two other families who joined us to celebrate. Here are a few pics from the big day...

Mrs. Davis is amazing at cake decorating.

She made a Pooh cut out for Marshall and a Pink #1 cut out for Isabella.

Ben's idea of a dish washer!

Since the car has reached maximum capacity,

Ben hiked down the hill with the birthday honoraries.

We couldn't find a tree to hang the pinata on...so Ben worked as a substitute!

Kellie and Emma after cake and koolaid...

...you might be wondering what in the world I have been doing? Mostly trying to capture memorable moments on film, and also helping Mrs. Davis to keep the laundry running, food on the table, house clean, and whatever else comes up that I can help with. It has been a blast, and I can honestly say Ben and I are both learning far more about "family life" than we ever expected!

Welcome to Hinton Baptist Church!

2009-06-05T14:55:00.001-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since you have heard from us. Life gets pretty crazy with four small children, a brand new church, and lots of special events on the weeks calendar! I will try to get y'all up to date...

Last week was our first Sunday at Hinton Baptist Church. The church meets in the Hinton Center, a large building in the community that is used for everything from flea markets to wedding receptions. There are several small rooms and one large reception hall. We use two of the smaller rooms--one for the church meeting and one for Sunday School/Nursery. This week, Ben and I helped out in the Sunday School and sang a special for the morning service. Ben has also been helping with congregational song leading and graphic design. Sunday I "unofficially" started the nursery. We had planned to wait a week, but necessity demanded otherwise! It was a lot of fun! We hope to start a regular rotation next week. Pray that the ladies will be willing to get involved. It is a huge need because several of the families have very small children and our current auditorium is very small!

Welcome to Hinton Baptist Church!

We were surprised this week with visitors from Albania! Their little girl was almost two, and quite a challenge in the nursery!!! I had a lengthy conversation with her mom, Kate as she was very interested in knowing what brought us to Canada for the summer. Pray they will come again. They are inquisitive about the truth and starved for fellowship.

Ben is getting quite an education in "Baby 101" this summer!

Here he is trying to set up the play pen in the nursery as the children look on.

This is Laura from Albania. She was a real go-getter!!!

This is baby Isabella Davis.

She just turned one year old this week.

We are finally here!....

2009-05-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

After an amazing flight and drive up to Hinton, we have finally reached our destination.

For those of you who were worried about the two "Alabamian amateurs" taking their first flight--things went very well. The weather was perfect, all flights were early, and we didn't even get lost in Chicago!!! (much to everyone's amazement I am sure!) By 3:45pm we had our bags loaded in the car and were headed to Hinton.

We have both come to the conclusion that all the wild and wonderful tales we have heard about Canada really are true. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We have only been here a few days and are quickly learning to love the people and the rustic beauty that surrounds us.

There were several things we found that pleasantly surprised us here. It doesn't get dark in Hinton until nearly 11:00pm! I absolutely love it!! The weather is much milder than I expected. Cold temperatures here do not feel as cold because there is no humidity. We usually start the day around 56 degrees (F) and reach 75 to 80 degrees (F) by the afternoon.

The view from the car window driving through the city

Today we went to a provincial park in the area called "Kelley's Bathtub." (don't ask me why) It was absolutely breathtaking. I tried to capture the view on camera, but there really is no way to do it justice. We grilled hotdogs for lunch and walked the trails around the lake. It was so relaxing!

Kelley's Bathtub

This is three of the four Davis children - Colton (6), Marshall (3), and Emma (4).

Ben showing Colton how to start a fire.....to be...or not to be????

This week we are all working on canvasing the area and handing out information packets for the Bible Clubs and special church meetings we will be having this summer. We are trying to knock 500 doors by Saturday if we can. Pray that people will be receptive and will come out and visit us! Also pray for the Bible clubs will will be having in a couple of weeks. (I will let you know more details soon)

Thanks for keeping up with us...and thank you for praying!

We are on our way!!!

2009-05-26T05:47:00.001-07:00

After an incredible week of training, the big day is finally here! We are sitting in the airport in Knoxville, getting ready to board our first flight. Please pray for our safety today. We should arrive in Edmonton around 3:00PM.

I will give a report of training week once we arrive and settle in. Thank you all for your prayer and support!

Training has begun...

2009-05-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

Wow! What an amazing week this has been. We are now on our seventh day of Pioneer Training Camp. I must say, it has far surpassed my wildest expectations. The Lord has done so much in the few days that we have been here. We have been stretched and trained in so many ways. Every day begins with intense physical training followed by sessions on everything from soulwinning to international travel. It is hard to believe we will be heading out in just four more days!

One of the things you learn at Pioneer Camp is EVERYTHING is part of your training. We have been doing things like teaching Bible Clubs, holding special services, camping, cleaning, painting, cooking, - and even strawberry picking!

Please pray for us as we finalize the details for our trip and prepare to head out. I can't wait to see what the Lord has for us this summer.

(I'm sorry I don't have more pictures uploaded yet...we are still working on that. But I promise to have some up soon!)