Today was a full day, as we shared in two different care homes, and then had supper with friends tonight. Since I don’t have time at the moment to do today justice, but I definitely captured it with my camera, I’ll leave you with a few pictures now, and then you can watch for a full post later.
Sarah
At the first home
At the second home.
Tonight at dinner
“I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations” (Psalms 108:3).
“Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary” (Psalms 96:6).
It is amazing how close we are to the Northwest Territories.
Welcome sign
Where we are parked
The Heritage Center, where the conference will be this weekend
Since we’re here early, you might wonder what we’re going to do? Well, tomorrow at 10 a.m. and at 3 p.m., we are scheduled to sing and share testimonies at two older folks’ homes here in town. We are looking forward to it!
Sarah
”For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not” (2 Corinthians 8:12).
A few quotes we’ve heard.
“All roads lead to La Crete.”
“You don’t pass La Crete.”
“I’m from La Crete.” (It seems almost everyone is from there!)
I took this picture as we went through a small town awhile ago. It is probably similar to a community center in the States.
This is not a snow-covered lake but rather just a field. We've seen tons of snow-covered fields today.
We're getting used to seeing bilingual signs: in English and in French.
Peace River
It appears that the ice is breaking up a bit due to the bridge supports.
We are excited to arrive in La Crete late this afternoon!
Sarah for the rest
“By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened” (Job 37:10).
We have felt very welcome in all of the towns we’ve been in so far! Yesterday, in Slave Lake, the conference went great. The pastor at the church was very hospitable, and we were grateful for the use of the facility. We were able to park right next to the building, which made load-in easier. Our coordinators treated us to pizza and ice cream for dinner!
We’ve definitely experienced Canadian Hospitality! The family we stayed with over the weekend actually modified their shop door for us to be able to get in. It was not a small modification. We knew nothing about their work on the door until after we were there, plus they had added a 50 amp plug in the building–talk about thoughtfulness! They also provided us with amazing meals. Then, last night, instead of staying parked at the church, the coordinators found us a place we could stay at that had a plug in. It was a friend of their’s who owned a trucking and logging company! It was a wonderful place to stay, and it allowed our batteries to fully charge.
Dessert time
Setting up!
Jesse trucking books in.
The church
“Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality” (Romans 12:13).
It’s a sunny afternoon, here in Slave Lake. We are delighted to have arrived and see the sun! I guess we’re hitting the thawing season now, as there are large puddles on street corners. Since we’re parked next to a corner, we’ve observed many vehicles hitting the large puddles and a spray of dirty water washes onto their vehicle. We are also going to be in the minority, seeing as we didn’t bring any boots. 
Practicing in the bus
Smile!
Piles of snow along the side of the road.
Since they've had so much snow, there have been many accidents.
Slave Lake
Anna and Mary actually saw a MOOSE today as we drove! It was a very quick sighting, but it was definitely a Mama Moose! Amazing . Although we kept an eye out after that, we didn’t see any more.
We’re looking forward to the conference tonight, and then we’ll be heading to LaCrete tomorrow.
Sarah for the rest
“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalms 118:1).
You might think that all of our weekend conferences are the same, and yes, in content they are, but there are many different variables to each. For example: the church layout of the building, the weather, the acoustics in the sanctuary where we do music, and the people who attend .
Music Friday evening went quite smoothly. It’s always a joy to hear each of my family share a testimony and what the Lord has laid on their hearts to share with the group. After a quick break, Dad and Mom gave Building a Vision.
Saturday dawned cloudy and cold, but we were ready for the day. Generally, we are in the church about 8, putting the final touches on our set up. The guys are responsible for the audio/visual items, and we girls finish up tidying at the book tables and hang signs to the sessions if needed, and talk to families arriving as we’re able. Time flies!
Our hearts were so encouraged by the Lord visibly working in lives. Thank You, Lord Jesus!
It was a fast-paced day, and we had a few issues with our computers/printers at the book tables, which made it a little harder, but the Lord is good.
We look forward to Slave Lake, Tuesday night!
Sarah
“I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope” (Psalms 130:5).
We wanted to let you know of a new addition to our Canadian schedule. We’ve just added Grand Prairie, as a single-evening, a week from tonight, April 4th. Please see this link for more info.
Tomorrow night, we’ll be giving a conference in Slave Lake, and then this weekend, we’re going to LaCrete, in northern Alberta.
I’ll be posting a conference report later, and probably another post on something else as well.
Sarah
“He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend” (Proverbs 22:11).
Sometimes this is made very clear. For example, yesterday, as we were driving from the conference, the overwhelming smell of sewer hit us. We tried to ignore it, but oh no, the smell was very strong. Occasionally, the smell of Febreeze (bathroom fresher) would waft through the front cabin, in an effort to dilute the odor.
What was the cause? Joseph and John figured it out. The windvane on the sewer vent had frozen in the forward position so as we drove it forced air into the sewer tank and fumes into the cabin, which resulted in the awful smell.
Today, John climbed up to the vent to see if it was still frozen and to try to seal it in the correct position. The smell is no longer in the air, so hopefully that won’t happen again, but, since we’re going north, and we’re still in freezing temperatures, it wouldn’t surprise me .
Sarah
“He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved” (Psalms 62:2).
We’ll give a report on the conference later, but it was such a joy to be able to share with the group that came to Edmonton. Ah, what a blessing! But, more on that later.
For now, guess where we are parked? First time we’ve done this: Home Sweet Barn!
Good night. We’re all tired.
Sarah
“Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word” (Psalms 119:114).
The Lord brought another amazing group out tonight, in wintry Edmonton . We were so blessed to be able to share tonight and look forward to tomorrow!
Sarah for the rest
“My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever” (Psalms 145:21).
Here we are at our first Canadian destination for this trip: Edmonton, Alberta! We look forward to a full weekend ahead.
We actually arrived about 1 p.m., after running a few errands. We’re already set up and ready to go. The sun is even shining, but it still feels like we’re in the middle of winter . Thank you for your prayers. We are so grateful!
It feels like we’re pretty far north. But, the assistant pastor here told us that they support missionaries in the Arctic Circle, and Edmonton is just half way between Jacksonville, Florida and the Arctic Circle. How amazing is that?
Sarah for the rest
“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy;
he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).
Our back up camera became so dirty after all our miles of winter driving. So, John came up with the idea to stand on the dumpster to reach the camera to clean it.
Good job, John!
Sarah
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalms 51:7).
When we were on our way to Edmonton, we happened to be about 3 hours from the D family. So they graciously, made the 3 hour trek to Twin Falls so we could share an evening together. We had dinner and devotions, and then we stayed up late talking making the most out of our short time! The next morning we sadly had to leave not knowing what the road conditions were going to be. We had a few minutes of prayer and talking before we left. We had a very blessed time, and we are grateful to the D’s for coming all the way to Twin Falls.
Mr. D. blessed us with a wonderful dinner out! Thank you so much, Mr. D.!
Ah, dessert time! One of the best parts...
Prayer time before we left.
The two Johns.
Waving Good-bye!
In Christ,
Anna
“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalms 34:1)
We had a wonderful day with The Home Church on Sunday. No, it’s not a church that meets in a home, but it’s a wonderful, growing body of believers. The Lord provided for their building debt-free in an amazing way, as documented in their book, Building by Faith. We were blessed to read how, bit-by-bit the Lord provided, and it was built by the members.
Sunday morning, Dad, Mom, John, and Anna spoke to individual Sunday School classes before the morning worship. Then, at the end of the worship service, the five youngest sang and played one song. We had a delicious meal with the pastor and his family after the service, and after a rest, it was time to go again. The evening service started at 6. After a congregational hymn, Joseph, John, Anna, Jesse, and Mary shared through music and testimony. Dad gave an incredible sermon on a lesson from the life of Elijah. It was such a challenge to me personally. We were delighted with the sweet time we had with The Home Church. Thank you for your hospitality, love, and prayer!
Mom at Sunday School
Sunday morning
“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).
I realized I never posted any pictures from the church service we did a week and a half ago. The Lord blessed the service, and we were delighted to be able to share through music, testimony, and preaching. It was a joy to be with a body of believers in Oklahoma. Soon we’ll be posting some pictures from last Sunday in Lodi!
Sarah
“Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints” (2 Corinthians 8:4).
Some might wonder how we exercise on the road. First off, sometimes it is a challenge to fit into our traveling schedule! We have mentioned earlier about how ministry is most important, and on the days that we have to get up early and drive we don’t usually get to “formally” exercise. The Titus2 Fitness pushup and lunge challenge we do whether it’s a busy traveling day or conference day, because it’s easy to fit in at any time!
Last week we were able to exercise many days. Anywhere from out in the boonies of Arizona to beautiful California. We have different workouts that we do, and we try to have as much variety as possible. Some of the exercises might include jump rope, pushups, situps, running, kettlebell swings, ball slams…
Ah, those double-unders are challenging.
At the beginning of the workout we usually stand around and discuss what workout we want to do!
Go Sarah!
Running
Mary doing her lunges for the challenge.
Mom and Dad doing pushups!
I guess, I jumped out of the picture!:-) These are ball slams. Some were wondering what the balls were in the Oklahoma City blog post. They can be used for many exercises, but this one you jump in the air and throw the ball down as hard as you can.
And the final one - a semi-group shot.
In Christ,
Anna
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (I Corinthians 6:19)
Late this afternoon after we had gotten settled into the RV park at Red Deer, a knock was heard on our door, and a man from the RV park asked if we had some extra chains they could use. A large RV with a toad (that means a car they pull behind) had tried to maneuver its way into its place. Sadly, they had run into a snowbank and became stuck. They tried to work their way out, but to no avail. The park management had observed our use of chains that John had used under our tires to help us get parked in the slippery conditions and then to give traction to get back out.
John suited up in his coveralls and went to see if he could help, bringing our second set of chains. After a tree was trimmed (AKA really cut back), John worked to get the chains on, which was no easy feat in the way the RV was stuck.
Stuck.
Not moving.
Putting chains on.
A furry, little observer
To summarize the story, John put the chains on, and then a man showed up in a pickup, and offered to help by giving a pull. So, with the combined effort of the pickup and the chains, the RV was able to back out. It was a cold, wet situation, but John had an incredible attitude.
Finally out
You just never know what might happen next–eh?
Sarah
“And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:37).
“The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord” (Proverbs 21:31).
(The RV Park blog post will be coming soon).
We arrived safely in Red Deer about 3:45 p.m. this afternoon. We opted to stop in Red Deer for the night at an RV park, and since we don’t have much distance left to go to Edmonton, we’ll stay here tomorrow as well, and then drive the final 130 kilometers to Edmonton Friday morning.
Snow definitely is in the area, and it feels like the middle of winter with piles of snow everywhere and fresh snow on the ground. We became slightly stuck after we had parked momentarily to check in. Hot tires melt the snow and give you a nice ice grater for each tires. After Dad got us out we didn’t want it to happen (and worse) when we park for the night. So John’s idea was to park on the chains in case we need to chain up to get out. We did that and then learned that there was only a 30 amp service at that spot. The RV park manager found one last site with 50 amps for us and so we moved. Then John repeated the exercise one more time at the new site. The heat is now on and we are just about to eat.
God bless,
Sarah
A forth-coming blog post: excitement in the RV park (pictures coming soon)–something that just happened…
“Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalms 121:4).
Hooray!
We arrived at the border around 9, parked, and went inside. After Immigrations worked through our passports, we then went to the commercial counter, and I finished our paperwork. That went semi-smoothly, except for having to re-type my form in again after I accidentally deleted it on the kiosk computer. The border agent assured me it’s an old computer . An hour later, we were set and on our way. Thank you for praying!
The drive to the border was a bit treacherous, but since it took us an hour to clear at the border, it allowed the roads time to melt.
We are going to stop for the night in Red Deer, Lord willing.
Sarah for the rest
The road to the border
“For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country” (Hebrews 11:14).
We are preparing to leave. We have about 30 miles to go to the border, and we would appreciate your prayers. First that we are able to get out of the RV park as it snowed an inch or two last night and that on top of the snow/ice makes for little traction and we have a bit of a grade to get out of the park. Also that the border crossing would go smoothly.
It’s a beautiful, snowy morning.
Sarah for the rest
“But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:16).
We have arrived safely in Shelby, Montana! The only explanation for the incredible difference on the weather conditions is you all praying for us. Truly, we have “seen” the results of those prayers. After Dad looked at the Montana DOT current road condition website and forecasts for our route this morning, he said it would take a miracle to arrive at Shelby tonight. We only had that one really bad section that was ice and snow packed, that probably lasted around 30 minutes. We had light snow and wet pavement on occasion where the reported ice had melted off. There were areas with dark clouds with snow falling, but as we came to that place, there was no snow. The forecasted snowfall amounts never happened. We are filled with gratitude to the Lord Jesus for His protection today, and we’re excited we are here.
We plan to cross the border tomorrow–yes, we’ll be leaving our country for two weeks. We will still have internet access, so we’ll keep the blog updated as we travel across the frozen North.
Thank you again for your prayers!
Love,
Sarah for the rest
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him” (Psalms 28:7).
We just went through a significant section that was snow and ice packed, and we’re still over 100 miles outside of Butte. Snow had covered the mountains, frosted the trees, and covered the road. Driving speed was cut down for awhile. It’s not snowing at the moment, but that’ll come as we get closer to the storm.
We’re now on a dry section of road, for which we’re grateful!
Sarah
“For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength” (Job 37:6).
This post is a bit belated, but thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the ITonRamp survey. The responses were most helpful.
One thing we learned is that there is a great interest in an introductory course. After extensive searching for the right curriculum, we discovered something. Or, we discovered a lack of something. There are many entry-level computer books, but none that we found that covered what we felt was important. They were more geared to general computer usage instead of beginning IT. Thus, part of my prep work in bringing ITonRamp to you is writing the curriculum. That is now a work in progress.
Where do things stand now:
- Website is being written
- First round of logo drafts have arrived.
- Business plan is largely done
- A number of A+ books are under review
- Introductory track curriculum is in development.
Wow – nothing of this magnitude launches easily.
Shortly, we will unveil the ITonRamp website and blog. We want that to answer many of the questions we know are out there. As with the fitness challenges (which is ongoing btw at fitness.titus2.com) we don’t want to distract from the message of Titus2′s blog. The goal is to move ITonRamp communications to it and let those interested follow that blog.
Our plans now are for the introductory course to be offered twice over the summer. Course length is looking to be 4-6 weeks. We may offer the more in depth course (A+, the IT technician training) as well over the summer, but for sure at the fall semester. This course will target a standard semester length of 16 weeks.
I would covet your prayers as I reduce my workload. Knowing which clients to keep and which I need to part ways with is hard. I would also appreciate prayer support in the writing and planning that is ongoing.
Nathan
“I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word” (Psalms 119:16).