We had a really busy but wonderful trip to the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia in early October. The primary focus of the trip was to reconnect with churches and acquaintances there. Many have been supporting our work with Bible translation for quite a few years, so we wanted to have a chance to share face to face in the closing months of the Ikizu and Zanaki translation projects and celebrate all that God has done. We also wanted to share about our plans with the International Association for Refugees as we continue to build our support base. Additional priorities for the trip were to connect with family members we don't see very often and find some enjoyable activities for our three children. We flew into Seattle and covered many miles in a borrowed vehicle as we started in Olympia, went north through the Seattle area and into British Columbia, then finished in the northwest corner of Oregon. The weather was wonderful (warm and dry the entire time!), but we did have to put up with a lot of wildfire smoke which sadly kept us from seeing some of the large Cascade mountains we love so much.
Olympia is an important area to both of us. Misha (aka Michelle) was raised there. For me, the length of time living there was significantly shorter, but it is where we met and were married. During a Sunday morning worship service, it struck me that I was at an important landmark of remembrance similar in some ways to those we read about in the Bible. I was reflecting back on all of the things I was working through while attending that church back in 2008 and 2009, facing several big life changes. Wow, God has brought me through a lot and been so good to me! While in the Olympia area, we enjoyed several short hikes in the woods, a stop at Tumwater Falls where we literally got tired of spotting the large salmon, and an afternoon of exploration around the capitol.
Our time in the Seattle area was brief. One highlight was sharing with a group of Highline College students at their weekly Cru meeting. It was fun to share about our life journey with young people who are almost all at critical turning points in their journey. It was also encouraging to witness their enthusiasm for Christian life despite the challenges around them.
Misha and I both feel that British Columbia is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, even though we've only seen southern portions of it. Despite the smoke, we had some amazing hikes, encouraging visits, fun food in Vancouver, and a busy Sunday morning sharing in all three services at one of our favorite churches.
Our last major stop, Oregon, was an important chance to connect with some of my family. We had dinner with my dad; we spent a day in Portland with my mom, who is a medical missionary in Sierra Leone but was back in Oregon for two months; and we spent a day in Cannon Beach with one of my sisters and a portion of her "growing up" family. Our kids didn't leave the beach all day, soaking up every bit of their first chance to experience endless sand and waves.
Now we are home again, and the fall colors are incredible. I think they might be the best we have experienced in our eight years of Pennsylvania life.
Thank you to every person we met with during our trip. We genuinely enjoyed and appreciated every single visit.
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