on the road

our time in roswell was a lot of fun, even if it didn’t go according to schedule. because of a mix up with the church schedule, we ended up getting out to the ufo museum late. but what a fascinating place — as much for the people it attracts (and their reactions to what they see) as for the actual exhibits. our own family came away with a variety of theories about what really happened in roswell, though we all believe that it was more than a crashed weather balloon, and that the government is covering it up. ironically, we just missed the big ufo festival, which happens in a few days! afterwards, we did a bit of souvenir shopping, then ate lunch in the cover-up café, where we were welcomed warmly and ably served. the food was pretty good too, so if you’re ever passing through roswell…

the fun was only beginning, however. after our late start, we got on the road later than planned — in the hot part of the day (about 100f/38c). we were tooling along without a care, north on highway 285 toward interstate 40, when suddenly the van lost power entirely; i was hitting the accelerator, but the engine just seemed dead. i guided it over to the shoulder, but was slightly dismayed. we were well outside of roswell, and still 61 miles from interstate 40; i wasn’t sure how long it would take for help to arrive, and it was a bit warm to be stuck on the side of the road with no air conditioning. thankfully, friends d and c from the lighthouse had outfitted us with a cell phone, and we had reception in the spot where we broke down (not true maybe 10 minutes earlier), so i called aaa to ask for help.

while we were waiting for the tow truck, m suggested that we pray (yeah, i hadn’t really done that — duh). and afterward, she asked me to start the van. it started up, and it was clear that we would be able to drive again. so after a quick call to aaa to cancel the tow truck, we got on the road again, full of praise and thanksgiving. but 20 miles down the road, we broke down again, just outside of a little community called vaughn, which was apparently shut down for sunday. not a great option for getting help. we prayed again, and fired up the van, which started again. after a brief discussion on why God answers some prayers so quickly, while others seem to take longer, we had a longish worship time. as m prayed during that time, it’s ridiculous that it takes a broken down van to get us to seek God earnestly!

this time, the ‘repair’ seemed to hold, and we drove quite a ways without incident. while we were refueling, i found an internet connection and sent off a quick prayer request to our e-mail prayer partners to let them know what was going on. then outside of albuquerque, we ran into a huge traffic jam in the middle of the desert. seriously. to this moment, i still don’t understand why there was so much traffic. part of the problem was road work that had reduced the freeway to a single lane, and we had seen a sign earlier that there was an accident out that way earlier in the day. but i did not expect to be stuck in traffic for 90 minutes, covering a scant 16 miles. many (wiser?) drivers had pulled off the side of the road to wait it out, but we trudged onward, hoping in vain that the jam would clear up sooner rather than later. i had hoped to have us in flagstaff by about 10:30pm, given our late start, but as i type this, we are headed for a 2am arrival [note: we arrived half an hour after that, but it was actually 1:30am in arizona, which is in the mountain time zone (same as roswell), but does not observe daylight savings — an 11 hour trip that was supposed to be just over 7 1/2]. that’s a bit of a bummer, but i’m just glad that the van is running. at least it’s cooler to drive at this time of night. ☺

tomorrow, we will likely sleep in a bit (given the late arrival), then head out to the grand canyon. even after all of those years of living in california, this will be our first look at it. temperatures inside the canyon will prevent us from going down inside, but we will tour the rim and get a good look from there.

i will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

from where shall my help come?
my help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
he will not allow your foot to slip;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
behold, he who keeps israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
the LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
the sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
the lord will protect you from all evil;
he will keep your soul.
the LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forever.
psalm 121

with eager feet

yesterday, we made our way from mobile to my hometown of richardson, tx (a suburb of dallas). along the way, we got a chance to visit the hometown of m’s maternal grandfather (ville platte, la); we had lunch at soileau’s, an acadian restaurant (there's a french canadian connection) in nearby opelousas, where m had a huge fried shrimp po-boy (and it was supposedly only half a sandwich!). afterward, the sky turned very dark and ominous. we drove through heavy rain and lightning, being reduced to 30 mph for a good while. my prayer life got very intense for about two hours or so!

but at dusk, we did make it in safely to richardson, where we caught up with mr. c and old neighbors mr. and mrs. b, out in front of the house where i grew up. for whatever reason, we didn’t go inside, and so got eaten up by mosquitoes! when mr. c’s son d (a childhood friend) arrived with his family, we went out to another cajun spot, razzoo’s, where we enjoyed a fabulous dinner. the food was great, but for me, the real treat was a chance to catch up with d and meet his wife and kids. we talked about our lives, our kids' exploits, and our spiritual journeys — just a fantastic evening. later, we toured mr. c’s house, which is full of amazing photos he took himself, as well as an incredible number of awards, trophies, and other memorabilia that he’s collected in his storied life.

today, we are making our way to roswell, nm (of ufo fame), through central and west texas. the weather is cooperating so far — a blessing given that there has been a ton of rain in these parts, leading to devastating floods and loss of life. president bush and texas governor rick perry have declared much of the state a disaster zone, with rain still forecast for most of the next week and the ground already saturated. we are seeing some evidence of flooding, but where we are traveling, most of it has receded for now.we expect to be in roswell in the early evening, then get out early tomorrow to see the ufo museum before we head to flagstaff, our outpost for visiting the grand canyon. afterward, it’s back down to los angeles, where we’ll drop of m’s mom and visit with her family. b and i hope to take in a pro soccer game as well, over at the home depot center (the soccer stadium, not the home improvement store!), after all of us celebrate the 4th of july together — something our family hasn't really done for the past three years, while we were living in quebec.

this part of the trip (from richardson to los angeles) is the most treacherous leg. we’re going through country with a small population and relatively little traffic, where cell phone reception is spotty (i have no reception at all as i type this), and where temperatures can be blistering (as high as 120F/50C). traveling mercies take on a very concrete and immediate meaning for us now, and we’d appreciate your prayers.

the girls reminded me today that we are now at the halfway point of this adventure and overall, we are having a good trip. our stays have been far too brief, and we have wished we could stay longer to visit with family and friends or to explore the various cities we've stopped in. the van is crowded with five (m's mom is joining us from the dc area to los angeles), and the road is long, so you can imagine that we get pretty tired (and in my case, sore) by the end of a day. we've been battling some mundane health issues as well, which doesn't help. sometimes, we get a bit grumpy with one another. but on the whole, i think it's been a remarkably peaceful and pleasant time.

a long road trip is a good time to reflect on the big transition in our lives. i'm grateful for the time to consider what God is doing, as we make our way, incrementally, from where he took us to where he is taking us now.

the road goes ever on and on,
down from the door where it began.
now far ahead the road has gone,
and i must follow, if i can,
pursuing it with eager feet,
until it joins some larger way,
where many paths and errands meet.
and whither then?
i cannot say

bilbo baggins (from j.r.r. tolkien's lord of the rings)

straight on 'til morning

after we left atlanta (almost three hours late because i overslept, and the two people who were up at 5:30am thought i needed the rest; i probably did), we made our way to pensacola, where we spent a few hours on a beautiful white sand beach at the perdido key state park. it was a shorter stay than planned, but i was there long enough to take off my shirt and shoes — a major test of my reaction to the sun — and happily, was able to play in the gulf for hours with no significant problems. (there was a very fast reaction [redness, no hives or itching] around my collarbone after i took off my shirt, but it dissipated after i put on some 60spf sunscreen.) it was exhilarating to be able enjoy the sun and the water, something i thought i'd never get to do again, and i found myself full of praise and having an extended time of worship while i was splashing around out there. m and the girls agreed that perdido key was one of the highlights of our trip so far.

after that, we hurried on to mobile, where we've spent the past 28 hours with m's father's family — what a delightful (though far too brief) time! life is different here, a fact of which we are constantly reminded, in everything from accents to food choices (everything is delicious, but fried in bacon grease!) to real estate prices. we've enjoyed visiting with family we haven't seen in nearly a decade; in some ways, it's as if we'd never left; everyone is so familiar and friendly. the passage of time is marked primarily by the growth of everyone's children (used-to-be little girls and boys are now bigger than we are!) and by a number of folks who have moved or passed on.

tomorrow, we head through mississippi (my mom's home state), then louisiana (with a planned visit to opelousas, hometown of m's maternal grandfather), and on to richardson, texas where we'll spend the night (with mr. c, our across the street neighbor during my growing up years and a supporter of our ministry for quite some time). God willing, we'll get in around dinner time, then leave very early the next morning.

we'll traverse central and west texas (dodging rain and floods along the way) and find our way out to roswell, nm. yes, that roswell. we picked that spot for two reasons. one is that it's a good midpoint en route to the grand canyon; the other is that the truth is out there…

the long way around

some of you are probably aware that we are in the midst of what i am calling 'the mother of all roadtrips' — a 20-day odyssey from montreal, down the east coast of the u.s., across the american south, then up the west coast to washington state where we'll hopefully move into our new home. as i've told a number of people, it's a sort of parable of our lives. there is a straight, logical, efficient way to get to the pacific northwest. and there is a longer, more circuitous, more complicated, and perhaps dangerous way to go, but it's more interesting. guess which way God generally leads us?

predictably, we were packing until the last minute. after our goodbye party, we went home and packed until we had used every box in the house. of course by then, it was about 4am. even so, we climbed out of bed at 5:30, and were on the road by about 6:45. the roads were strangely quiet, and we exited both the island and the country without much fanfare.

that day, we stopped off in cambridge for an all-too-brief lunch with german friend (and former mcgill international student) m. we had hoped to meet up with my m's cousin j, but after a couple of unfortunate miscommunications, we simply weren't able to connect. that was sad, given that we probably won't be in that part of the country again for a good while.

after lunch, we made our way to flushing, ny (where we stayed in the hospitable queens christian alliance church), a subway ride from manhattan. the next day, we enjoyed the metropolitan museum of art, lunch from a hot dog vendor, a brief visit to central park (where b and i threw the frisbee), delicious italian ice, and the broadway production of mary poppins.

then it was on to the dc area, where we visited with m's sister's family. we celebrated n's birthday on our first full day there — can she really be 15? — by spending the afternoon in the national gallery of art (with lunch from a hot dog vendor outside the smithsonian complex and a couple of sorbets, including a lemon-basil concoction that m enjoyed, but the girls thought tasted like hair conditioner!). on the home front, we enjoyed cousins l and s, hanging with uncle p and aunt l, and worshipping at their church, gateway community church. the service was fine, but what really stood out to me was what a caring and supporting community of faith they have been for l and p. they really have some wonderful friends there.

yesterday, we drove all day, through the shenandoah valley and the blue ridge and allegheny mountains, to atlanta. other than the scenery from the van, we didn't get to see a lot (it's too long of a drive to stop often), but we experienced one of the worst thunderstorms we've ever been in (not a small statement, having lived in montreal) when we were passing through south carolina — a huge downpour, accompanied by truly frightening thunder, lightning, and hail, in spite of the fact that it was about 90F!

today, we went out to the martin luther king jr. national historic site (reflections on that in a future post), then ate lunch over at the morehouse campus with the hope of visiting spelman. but when we got there, we were turned away because of major construction; that was a bit of a letdown. later, we joined friends s and l, who treated us to a delicious southern meal at the iconic mary mac's tea room. afterwards, we took a driving tour of downtown atlanta, taking in, among other things, the fountain of rings in centennial olympic park.

tomorrow, we head to the gulf coast — first, to the beach in pensacola, then on to visit with m's father's family in mobile. we'll post more (hopefully including a photo or two) when we get a chance.

sweet sorrow

on tuesday night, we had our last hurrah in montreal — an informal get-together of friends who joined us over at fu lam, a chinese buffet where the seafood, the gratitude, and the hugs were flowing freely.

that wonderful group of people represented everything that we love about montreal — a wide range of nationalities, cultures, ages, and spiritual stories, and together with that, the overwhelming faithfulness of God. there were people from at least 14 countries, students from both ministries we've been overseeing, cmds and inter-varsity's international student ministry (including christian students who will be ministry leaders next year and not-yet-christian student friends), and church friends from a number of churches that we've been connected with (including a committed prayer partner of m's). there was one friend, still exploring her spiritual journey, whom b and i met at a computer store. there was a student friend we met while ministering over at dawson college after the shootings this past fall. a number of our ism volunteers came out, along with a couple of the inter-varsity staff and their spouses — all good friends and committed ministry partners. we've loved and prayed for them all, cried with some, tried to help them resolve conflicts, and done our best to point them to Jesus. leaving is hard.

but the mood of the evening was joyful; it was a little bit like a wedding reception. there was lots of chatter, people getting to know one another, tons of food, not a few tears. at one point, the international students presented us with a book of photos and personal notes — a kind of yearbook to commemorate our time together; that was a highlight. we were asked to pose for lots of photos, group hugged, prayed for, blessed, given gifts, and in many other ways, lavishly loved and appreciated.

we didn't leave until after the restaurant had closed. and as we stood outside the door, we lingered with our friends for a long time. they didn't seem to want to go, and i know we didn't. there is something beautiful about being together with people you love, and something awful about being separated from them, even if it's only temporary. instead of goodbye, the french say au revoir, which means "until we see each other again." we are still praying, still hoping, that we will see every one of those people again — most especially in eternity. oh what a sound we'll make!

even now upon the earth there's a glimpse of all to come
many people with one voice, harmony of many tongues
we will all confess your name, you will be our only praise
all the nations with one voice, all the people with one God
and what a song we'll sing upon that day

(from matt redman's "there is a louder shout to come")