Cousins

We are having an awesome time in Florida visiting with Justin and Amanda (Aaron's sister) and their girls Ezabella, Penelope and Ceciley. Tristan and Emma love playing with their cousins and have tried tons of new things. Justin gave Tristan the challege of catching a lizard (for a whole dollar!) before we leave on Wednesday-- Tristan caught one in the first hour!

We have been boating, tubing, swimming at the beach and the pool, jet skiing, and tomorrow we are going to try water skiing. Tristan is so excited!

All Wet in Niagara

Family vacation begins! Today we headed south, enjoying the drive through Niagara on the Lake and along the Niagara River to the falls. Along the way we stopped at the Butterfly Conservatory where we were all spellbound by the thousands of friendly and colorful residents. The fun was in coaxing the butterflies to land on us. Tristan's orange t-shirt was obviously very attractive because he was a butterfly magnet.

At the falls we ventured out on the "Maid of the Mist" during a terrific electrical storm. The crashes of thundered definitely added to the drama. As you can see from the picture, we were totally soaked. The kids had an amazing time hanging on to the rail of the top deck being pummeled by rain and mist. We are so privileged to have this opportunity to enjoy God's wonders, from the wings of a butterfly to the raging water. God is good!

Farewell Toronto

It is hard to believe that our time here in Toronto has come to an end; it has gone by so quickly. It has been filled with many hello's and good byes, laughs and tears. Hard as it is to leave we are excited to begin the next leg of our journey. We are leaving today for Niagra Falls to begin a week of vacation and then it is back home to the Maritimes. We miss you, our family and can't wait to see everyone!



The beautiful view from the balcony of our High Park Oasis. Thank you Tasha, for opening your home to us!

Toronto Perspectives

Looking out across the city from the balcony, it appears as if Toronto is a rich green forrest with the towers of high-rises shooting up out of the canopy below.
This week we are staying in an apartment in the heart of Toronto. The kids are enjoying the beautiful green spaces and public pools. So far the city has felt like a jungle (more in relationship to the traffic), but we are beginning to appreciate the diversity and beauty. The city is alive!

On Sunday we worshiped with the Kingsway Baptist Church, and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with Jeff McCarroll who works with Toronto churches in community ministries. After a wonderful time of lemonade on the church lawn, we made our way to his home to enjoy his shaded garden.
Today, we visited "Frontlines" a community ministry in Westin Park. It was not hard for us to draw lines between this work and the community centre our Kenyan friends are serving within. It takes incredible compassion and hard work to stay the course. Erica and I were so impressed by the people God is working through these urban ministries.
It amazes me how communities change so quickly here. The other day I was driving to pick up a few groceries and before I new it I was in Chinatown. From the lofty balcony of our apartment the city appears simple, it takes walking the streets to encounter the complexity. Such it is with the journey of faith!

Birkman Girls

Tomorrow we come to the end of orientation here at CBM. We have shared a wonderful time this week living with the Bannisters, Soucys, and Nachos (fellow gobal field staff with Canadian Baptist Ministries).

Today Erica and I had a session over our "Birkman" analysis. According to our results Erica and I are a perfect complement. We discovered similarities we had never picked up on before and some very critical difference. I never knew that Erica is off the chart "active" -- she needs to be in motion. She on the other hand discovered that although I am very stable that under high stress I have a repressed rebel ready to jump out. (Maybe in my mid-life crisis I'll strike out with a hog and hit the open highway).

Empowered by her birkman, Erica and Suzanna Nacho (another off the chart active) plotting a run to the local sport shoe store for new hiking boots.

Our Happy Day

Aaron and I celebrated our 8th anniversary yesterday. We have been on many adventures throughout these years but we are more and more aware how blessed we are to be taking this journey together.

So we started off our anniversary by breaking a bed! Now we know what you may be thinking but it was completely innocent! We are both a little on the clumsy side. But the rest of the day was injury free and Tristan and Emma were happy that we had to sleep with them last night. Not a very romantic anniversary but filled with lots of love for our whole family.

Africa?

We had a little taste of Africa at the Farmers Market in St. Jacobs!

St. Jacobs

We have just had a wonderful day! We took a day trip with Tim, Diane and Caleb Bannister to St. Jacobs. We were met by Dennis and Brenda Halk who showed us around their beautiful town; we visited a huge farmers market, an ice cream cabouse and had a tour of the Halk's warehouse where they make gloves (and tons of other beautiful things). Aaron cut out his very own piece of leather (which he is very proud of!) and plans to use as a bookmark.

Thank you so much Dennis and Brenda for your hospitality, generosity and for outfitting us with these awesome hats! Thank you for a great day; we'll be sure to post a photo of us modeling your wares once we arrive in Kenya!

Good-byes

We have just completed week one of CBM orientation and we are ready for a relaxing weekend. Last night we went Mexican with the Soucy's and Wolverton's. It was a chance for us to try our hand at navigating through downtown Toronto during rush hour and a wonderful farewell to some great new friends. If you are reading this Wolverton's we hope that you have found a Dairy Queen somewhere along your travels! We miss you already!

We spent today learning about hosting Short Term Missions. So if you want to come, we are ready for you all providing we get there before you!

The Journey Continues

We are so thankful for everyone who has been keeping us in their prayers. We have felt so blessed as we begin this journey with you.

All along the way we have met such amazing people. Over the past week we have been enjoying the wonderful hospitality of the McKerlie family here in Mississauga. Tristan and Emma have fallen in love with their dog Cassie. He waits excitedly for them to return home after each day of orientation to romp around with them.

We have been processing a lot of information with CBM. It is exciting to see so much more of the BIG PICTURE as we prepare for what God has instore for us in Kenya.

We had a wonderful weekend, in Bracebridge, visiting with family and feeding chipmunks right out of our hands! We start orientation tomorrow at the Canadian Baptist Ministries office and Tristan and Emma will begin a new children's program. Thank you all for keeping our family in your prayers.

New Adventures

Tristan and Emma are loving this adventure! They are really awesome. They have adjusted to all these changes so well despite the fact that our lives are so different one day to the next. Abnormal has become our new normal! They have met lots of new friends and have learned a little bit of French, Spanish and Swahili. On top of all our courses, we have visited the Royal Ontario Museum, Black Creek Pioneer Village, Centre Island and during orientation they will visit the Ontario Science Centre. Please keep Emma and Tristan in your prayers as they experience all these new things.

Four Kennys in Toronto

Hello everyone! We have just completed our third week in Toronto, completing a language aquisition course and attending CBM Mission Camp, and we are now enjoying a free week end. Next week we begin a two week orientation at the CBM office in Mississauga. We are learning tons and meeting some really great people. We will keep you all updated as we continue on this journey!