Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

In one of my blog posts, I commented about the snow, but I have to mention it again.  As we all know, no matter how much we plan, we are at the mercy of the weather.

I made a decision to visit communities in B.C. during February thinking there would be less chance of snow fall given the west coast climate. However, a few days leading up to my visit, it did not look good. There wasn’t much I could do but go.

As the plane neared Terrace, I knew something was wrong since we had been sitting way too long. Just then the pilot informed us that they would circle the airport a little longer to see if there would be a break in the weather to land the plane. Twenty minutes went by.  Another announcement.  We would have to head back to Vancouver and try another flight in hopes the weather would improve. Hence, a day later I finally arrived in Terrace, where it had snowed over two feet!  Seriously?! Luckily, I was able to change my reservation from a front-wheel drive car to a four-wheel drive truck. According to all the locals, this was the most snow in twenty-five years!

Gitanyow Independent School

The purpose of my trip was to make plans for March when ten other people from three different teams will come to visit their communities in the off-season. The purpose of their March trip is to encourage people and plant the seeds of faith.

The highway between Hazelton and Terrace.

Since my plans had changed due to weather on the first day of my trip, I visited someone from Gitanyow now living in Terrace.  That quick visit turned to something much longer and validation for long-term mission work. While visiting with Sharle, I found out her niece Julia was staying with her to attend high school in Terrace. I have known Julia for a long time, since she was about 4 years old. When I would see her at VBS during the summer, our conversations were short. On this visit, we talked more than any of all the other times added together. Julia was very excited to be in a different school and have options in career-oriented classes. She shared how she was helping with “Right to Play”, which assists kids to be more active. But, what surprised me most was Julia still had the book and card that Sherri gave her from three summers ago.

Several years ago, Sherri joined our church group on its mission trip to Gitanyow to cook for the team. Sherri and Julia ended up developing a close friendship. After three years, Sherri was unable to commit. The following year, Sherri sent a devotional book and card apologizing to Julia that she wasn’t able to make it. Julia still has that card and letter. What an impact Sherri had and still has on Julia.

Through relationships, we are more effective in sharing the love of Christ with other people. However, this takes time, patience and prayer. Please pray for people that are like Sherri, who are able to spend time with others sharing the gospel message through relationships like these.

When I travel, I like to use Airbnb as it tends to be cheaper, have more of what I need for a longer stay, and generally are nicer places to stay. I was the first guest at the Airbnb where I stayed at in Terrace. Generally, I make my stays based on reviews of others, but I took a chance. Not only was it a very pleasant Airbnb, but the host was super friendly and invited me to dinner that Saturday. The dinner was tasty and better yet, I was able to meet people from Terrace.

A highlight was meeting Ida. I was asked to play a song for the group. (Note, the only songs I know by heart are kid songs.) So I taught them Fishers of Men by Jerry Davis. After I was done, Ida played another version of fishers of men. Then she taught me a song in Nisga. Nisga is a First Nations near a community where LAMP serves in B.C. Incredible!

While having dinner at my Airbnb was a great time of connecting, God opened doors to build relationships several other times. I shared with different people involved in their communities about the spring trip in March. Each time they knew of another person to contact for getting the word out or another school we could visit. Despite the plans I made, God had a way of determining my steps.