James & Carolanne

Dear Friends,

We have made it safely back to Quesnel from P2C Staff Conference! I wrote in the previous Global Daily entry that I would try to publish an update on how it went once we had returned.

Though we had a few bumps on the journey that I'll share about below, the conference actually went really well. It was great to see friends and co-workers in-person again and to hear more about what our organization is hoping to do in the next several years.

I was glad to to be reassured that at our core, the focus of Power to Change is still all about evangelism. This hasn't changed in the 26 years I've been there and continues to be central to our message. We seek to fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20.

How we do that varies across the organization from ministry to ministry. In our Digital Strategies team we have traditionally focused on one-to-one mentoring, where we work to connect trained Christian volunteers with seekers coming from our websites for the purpose of leading them closer to Jesus.

In the next few years we hope to expand that model to also include a more community focused strategy. We want to create communities of people led by Christian volunteers for the purpose of growing together closer to Jesus. We are still refining what that will look like on a practical level, but it will likely include: 1) making more efficient use of existing social media platforms as well as 2) developing new software to allow our current mentor volunteers more flexibility and freedom to develop their own communities.

Bumps On The Road

This year Staff Conference was held in Hamilton, Ontario. Our travel plan was to drive down to the Fraser Valley on Saturday and then fly out from Vancouver to Hamilton on Monday. Carolanne's knee had been bothering her a bit over the previous few weeks, and she had been treating it with ice packs from time to time. On Thursday evening it suddenly got a lot worse, to the point where she couldn't walk or climb the 3 steps into our house. We headed into the emergency room here in Quesnel and after an 8 hour wait, blood work and an x-ray were done and the doctor determined that she probably didn't have a blood clot. But just in case he scheduled her for an ultrasound the next day, saying he would call if anything worrisome showed up.

At this point we were unsure whether we should postpone driving down to the Fraser Valley, (an 8'ish hour drive) not knowing what the ultrasound would turn up. By Saturday morning we still hadn't heard anything and so made the decision to continue with our trip. I was able to find some crutches for her at the local re-use center and so the kids and I packed the car and we headed out.

As it turns out, traveling with someone who has an injury may be my new favourite way to travel! heh, I'm kidding of course, but I do have to say, people were SUPER helpful throughout our whole trip. We informed the airline that we needed special assistance for the flight, since Carolanne couldn't walk far, even with the crutch. This resulted in a staff person meeting us at the curb at Vancouver airport with a wheelchair, whisking us to the front of the line to check in, and then wheeling her around the airport, thru security, and all the way to our gate. Then when it was boarding time, we were first in line and given extra time to get our things loaded and seated. Airport staff wheeled her all the way to the plane's door. It was amazing, though it did seem appropriate to tip the staff. In Hamilton the process was equally helpful. We were some of the last to de-plane, but then were met at the door by another staff person and wheelchair who delivered us to the departure area where we caught an Uber to the campus.

Family Vacation

Our plan for this trip had been to take a few extra days after the conference to visit Niagara Falls as a family. We also wanted to see what else was available to visit or see in the area. After conference we rented a car and checked in to a very cosy AirBnb. Saturday we drove down to Niagara taking the long way through the small town of Niagara-On-The-Lake and then following the river down to the falls.

Standing on the edge and seeing the falls rush over from a fairly flat bay/river into the much lower gorge was really a cool experience. It was impressive to see the massive scale of it all, especially when looking down on the tour boats filled with people that looked so tiny in comparison. We had originally planned to take in some of the attractions, but due to the threat of rain, Carolanne's knee as well as the overwhelming busyness of it all, I think we were all glad to simply observe from the walkway above.

The next day we decided to visit the African Lion Safari that we had heard was nearby. What a cool experience that was! We didn't really know what to expect but had heard that visitors could actually drive through in their own car. (we weren't sure if this would be a good idea in the rental)

As it turned out, we were able to drive slowly through almost 9 kilometers of wide-open large animal enclosures with lions, baboons, giraffes, zebras, various deer and even bison wandering around the fields surrounding our car. (thankfully the rental wasn't harmed :)) It was a terrific zoo experience, especially with Carolanne not being able to walk far. We had giraffes walk right beside the car and bison cross the road just a couple feet in front of us. We watched as baboons took rides on a few other vehicles, to be eventually removed by the park staff at the gate before entering the next enclosure.

All things considered, it turned out to be a very nice conference and vacation. Today Carolanne's knee seems to be feeling much better and she's able to pretty much function normally again. We're still not sure what the medical cause was, but perhaps God just wanted us to be forced to slow down and enjoy the ride and scenery a bit more.

Thank you to those of you who prayed for and supported us in this adventure.

Until next time,
James W.