far too long

as you might guess, we've been a little bit busy of late -- hence the absence of a blog post. but we've enjoyed some big goings-on. here are some of the highlights:

we had our first international student visitor from abroad -- the first of many, we hope. e from singapore came and spent just over two weeks with us. he was a very good sport, helping out around the house and joining us for a variety of ministry activities. in between, he got to see a bit of seattle, sampled the local cuisine, and took some time away from the normal hustle-and-bustle of life to pursue time with God. he also found time to join facebook while he was here and tallied over 60 friends in just a few days -- a very popular guy, that e! we miss having him. we took a million photos while he was here, but for some reason, i don't seem to have any of them! if i locate a few, i'll post them here.

b formally graduated from high school -- fourth in her class -- and took home some impressive awards, including the rotary club's 'service above self' award and the quebec lieutenant governor's award. our family and a number of close friends were able to join b at her ceremony on 28 october, loudly cheering her (and several of her friends) at every opportunity. later that evening, about 15 friends joined us at fu lam buffet to celebrate.

during our brief visit to montreal, we were able to see a number of friends. highlights included a visit with the international student ministry volunteers and student leaders (they've got 3 small groups meeting weekly for Bible study and are gathering monthly for an all-group potluck), staying with good friends l and r (we were stuffed with lots and lots of delicious food), and being surprised by students and volunteers from the international student ministry (about 20 of them, who dropped in for lunch all the way out on the west island)!

the following weekend, m and i celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. as i said in a recent prayer letter, that's really a testimony to the faithfulness of many committed friends -- and to the God who works miracles. those of you who know us well know that such a statement is not false humility. it is a clear-eyed recognition of reality, a cause for joyful gratitude, and a reminder that our hope is not in romantic feelings or even in steady commitment, but in the Powerful One who works on behalf of those who wait for him.

in church plant news, we have begun meeting weekly with our launch team, to pursue God in his Word and begin laying the groundwork for the new congregation. this is a great group of people, and we are excited at the prospect of God forming us into the core of a new church. there are many hurdles to clear, and we've faced our share of spiritual warfare; last night's blackout in the middle of our meeting was only the latest episode, but a humorous one. please pray for us as we seek God together in his Word, and begin setting pen to paper as we begin making plans.