Home sweet home!
Hello all!!
I am home, safe and sound, back in Vancouver after the last few months (and especially last 2 weeks) of a million sights, sounds, and experiences out East. As if seeing New York wasn't a big enough treat at the end of my Montreal/Trois-Pistoles experiences, I had a chance to reconnect with my friends from Project & Solin Hall back in Montreal, stop by Toronto to hang out with family there, see Niagara Falls with some friends from Project, and even connect with friends I'd gone to Tanzania with 2 years ago. Every moment of it was awesome!! Merci beaucoup, Seigneur!! (Thank you, Lord!)
Still unpacking and settling in back home, I'm still processing all that God's done and is continuing to do in my life and in the lives of everyone we've met and shared the summer with in Montreal, and for me, in Trois-Pistoles too. And without a doubt, He's done a LOT!
I look forward to sharing some thoughts to wrap up my summertime experiences as I wrap my head around some of it myself =) ... but for now, just a little hello again to let you know I'm home! and I'll be in touch (in person and here on my blog!) again soon!! =)
little update from the BIG town!
Hello from the Big Apple, New York!! It's been a bit of a change of scenery (and pace of life) from little Trois-Pistoles to New York City! Jenny and I have been here in Manhattan since Sunday night to explore this "Capital of the World"! And that it is... it's HUGE! I got to see the two things I really wanted to see - the Statue of Liberty and the U.N. Headquarters, among other fun things... Times Square, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Wall Street. And the World Trade Centre site too... I never would've thought that I'd ever be here to see all these big famous landmarks, but here I am! We were thinking of seeing a Broadway musical while we're here too, but it's costs way too much! haha... thats okay though, I've seen more than my share of very cool things this summer, and still have lots of fun ahead when we get back to Montreal and Toronto... and finally back to Vancouver in about a week! =)
NYC in pictures...
Crazy city!! Times Square area
(We weren't really THAT close...!)
The 8th Great Wonder of the World... the gigantic Empire State Building!
The World Trade Center site
Outside the United Nations Headquarters... with all 192 member country flags.
Did you know that inside it's actually international property, not U.S. property?
Inside the U.N. General Assembly chamber, where all the countries
meet to discuss the most important issues of the day...
if you've seen The Interpreter, this might look familiar!
Just 2 days!
Wow, 5 weeks have come and gone soooo quickly! On one hand, I've done so much, seen so much, learned so much immersed in this little French town on the St Lawrence River that it feels like I've lived here for a year or two! But on the other hand, I wrote a final exam today for my French course and I'm going to be leaving in just 2 more days! But I think the timing is just about right... I've enjoyed a lot of things about being here - the nature, the french - but there are some quirks about living in a small town that are just starting to lose its novelty.
I feel like there's still much "unfinished business" here spiritually... but theres also lots to praise God for here in Trois Pistoles. Our prayer group grew from 2 to 9, we learned to really praise and pray in a new language, and we saw prayers answered and God's work in us and in the lives of those we prayed for. One of the girls in our prayer group has been talking with another student, since the beginning of the program, who mocks God constantly, but somehow can't stop talking about Him. He's been asking lots of questions in the last couple weeks, and Vivien had a chance to share the whole gospel with him on the weekend, along with 3 of his friends. Another girl, after the first couple weeks, decided not only to pray daily with our afternoon prayer group, but also start a prayer group where she's living with her housemates. Another girl in our group had had a big conflict with another student here, and had it not been for the support and prayer of the group she would not have been able to handle it in a Godly manner. We've all been blessed and grateful by each other's support, and I know for me, I've really been encouraged by our time in prayer together! Keep praying for me and for all of us to use the time we have left wisely and boldly, and for God to do mighty things that we can't even imagine (or maybe have the opportunity to see) in the next 2 days!!
I wanted to post some more pictures and share some more stories, but the computer lab closes in just 2 minutes so I have to go for now!
What's next?? I'm leaving Trois-Pistoles this Friday night, and will be in Montreal on Saturday morning... Saturday night, I'm headed to New York with Jenny from Montreal Project for a visit for a few days, back in Montreal on the 10th, heading to Toronto on the 13th, and finally back to Vancouver on the 17th!! I'm not sure exactly when, but I'll be in touch again soon! =)
