My Country Tis of Thee...

As i write this post, i'm sitting inside the wonderful back patio of our friends the Mativi's, who have graciously lent us their home while they vacation.  It's a perfect place to stop after the many miles to Houston and the many miles yet ahead before we can rest again in our own bed.  The kids also got the chance to not only stretch the legs from the car ride, but also swim till they were content late into the night while fireworks blasted in the peaceful sky.

It's the 4th of July and each blast is intended to remind us of the cannon and muskets firing in our country's struggle for independence.  It's a celebration of the great cost of our liberties that we often take for granted.  

On this holiday, we are reminded that our next 4th of July may be on foreign soil--that's an amazing thought!

This past several days, since our commissioning in Anderson at the NAC, we have been on another trip, deep down south to Houston, Texas.  Along the way, we have been blessed in a reunion with the Mativi family, as well as a stay in Houston with our former RCC Pastor Greg & his wife Shirley.  They now attend the Houston First Church of God where we shared on Sunday morning July 3.  This American holiday weekend was a reminder of the great melting pot that is this country has always been: while we went to worship with First Church, we were introduced to the English speaking, the Spanish speaking, and the Arabic speaking fellowships that make First Church their home!  We stayed in the Arabic speaking service and were blessed by the unique sounds of the oud (pictured) and the completely Arabic service; we were also thankful for the translation headsets that allowed us to understand the prayers and preached word!  After worship, we were able to experience the most diverse potluck dinner we have ever seen--what a wonderful picture as all these nationalities broke various breads together :)  We were blessed by the missional spirit of First Church; we are excited by their partnership and looking forward to how we can be further blessed by these talented and diverse believers sharing in the 3W region in the not too distant future.

To round out our 4th of July, we were also treated to a patriotic Houston Symphony performance at the outdoor Woodland's Pavilion--a real treat that included a fly by from the international space station and the 1812 overture complete with authentic canons firing!

Now it's another night's rest before hitting the road again.  By the time we get home, we will have traveled more than 4500 miles, spanning Toronto to Houston in the past 40 days!  Thank you for your ongoing prayers for our family...