30 Days

Enjoying the 150 year picnic celebration (minus Adam)

30 days ago today, I started my position at Bethel Grove Bible Church. The first 2 weeks were quite disjointed, as none of our possessions had arrived from Port Moody, yet.

Once the stuff arrived, it was much easier to settle in.
I moved 25 boxes of books into my office, which made it feel much nicer.

I've managed to participate on Sunday mornings by doing the pastoral prayer, helping with communion and a few other things. The next 2 Sundays, I teach an adult sunday school AND preach in teh 2nd service as well - so that will be quite busy.

The position and the church are pretty great. I am REALLY enjoying both.
The transition to Ithaca and the U.S. is still happening.
It is challenging trying to do all the little things that need to be done - requires a lot of patience and time.

The children have adjusted extremely well - both Adam and Sophia love their new school. Adam is also playing baseball on a local little league team, and doing quite well.
Sophia will be celebrating her 6th b-day this Saturday with brand new friends from both school and church.
James is quite happy that his Thomas the train set has travelled with him to Ithaca.

Felicia has probably had the most challenging transition. She has left a hectic full time job as an ER nurse. And is now at home most days, as we only have one vehicle - and I often need it to jet around town to meetings.
She also had quite a close group of fellow moms who met regularly for prayer.

In summary, its been a good move, the right move.

Broken Arms and Empty Houses

Smiling kids, empty house.

We arrived in Ithaca on April 2. Before leaving Ithaca, we signed an agreement with the moving company that our stuff would arrive anytime between April 1-10. A few days ago we were told to expect our items to arrive April 11 - 1 day late. We thought no big deal.

Today the company called us to tell us that last night our driver fell off a ladder and broke his arm. They did not clarify why he was on a ladder and not behind the wheel. He underwent surgery today. His need for recovery means that all our stuff is sitting in the back of a moving van in Chicago Illinois, while his arm mends.

So, the moving company requires another driver. The driver they found is in Florida - he must be very special, because Florida is neither close to either Ithaca or Chicago.

We can now expect our stuff sometime between April 15-17.
By then, we will have spent 2 weeks in this sparsely furnished house.
We have a round church table, a few fold out church chairs and a couple of air mattresses ... and that's it.

We were so excited to have our stuff and be able to furnish our home tomorrow. To have those hopes postponed was beyond disappointing. I called the moving company back -they were deciding how to compensate us for this inconvenience.

They told us they could give us $100/day to be used toward hotels and restaurants.
It wasn't clear how that was actually supposed to help us. We want our stuff - after traveling across America, the last thing we want is to see the inside of yet another hotel room or consume another meal in a restaurant.

Instead, we asked if they would compensate us for such luxuries as bedding, towels, pots and pans. I was even bold enough to ask if I could purchase some more formal clothes, so I can attend church with more dignity then my denim jeans can muster up.

I think they'll get back to us tomorrow.

It's been interesting trying to process my emotions.
We do not feel settled in our home that is pretty much completely empty.
We are upset that the moving company couldn't fulfill what we had agreed to.

But, behind it all - there is a driver with a broken arm. He fell of a ladder.
Pretty sure that wasn't intentional.
So, my frustration subsides, as I allow empathy for the courier of my goods to flow through me.

I hope his arm heals soon.
I hope the special driver from Florida can somehow teleport our stuff over faster.
And I hope we remember homes are made through relationships, not the inanimate objects that fill them.
(Although, its easier to relax on a couch, then a metal chair).

The Arrival

Heading to school this AM.

We live on a hill with clear views of 

Cauyga Lake and Cornell University.

We pulled into our rental house 1 week ago today. I haven't been able to blog due to no internet hookup in our home. After several frustrating attempts with Time Warner, we finally have internet and cable (but no tv, as our stuff will not arrive until Thursday).

It is hard to feel settled without any of our familiar belongings. We are living in a house quite a bit smaller from the large comfortable townhouse we had in Port Moody. But, we all seem to have adapted to the change. Our church was kind enough to furnish us with a table and some metal fold out chairs. We also have air mattresses so we don't need to sleep on the floor.

Our kitchen was also FILLED with food. People have been dropping off food and other stuff since we've been here. Someone even dropped off a bunch of brand new toys for the kids. For the first week we have had to survive deprived of internet and television, which is actually possible.

From Thursday-Monday we were at the church everyday (including the kids). Several different meetings and official welcomes to the church. We have connected with quite a few people by now. There are several young families who are really cool and very committed to their faith.

We are also getting oriented to the town of Ithaca. Ithaca is significantly smaller than Vancouver. Vancouver was 2 million, Ithaca is only about 100 000. There are also several cultural differences. Vancouver was very multi-cultural. Ithaca is largely white, with the exception of international students, scholars and faculty at Cornell.

Cornell is a story unto itself. Cornell is a member of the exclusive Ivy League - 8 academic institutions in the North Eastern United States, that carry a reputation of academic excellence and exclusivity. All of these schools are extremely difficult to get into, and are considered some of the best, not only in the States, but in the world. Cornell's acceptance rate for undergrads is only 16%, meaning out of 38 000 applicants, only 6000 were admitted.

What is interesting is that the church I have joined as an associate pastor has a very strong connection with this famed institution. Several faculty, staff and students attend, including some people holding very high administrative positions. Consequently, I am quite nervous about the first time I will have to preach!

We seem to be adjusting well to the big change. But, not having our stuff is making it very difficult to feel settled. I have made it to the office yesterday and today, but for very short spurts, as there always seems something domestic that needs to be done.

The kids will start at their new school on thursday. It seems like quite a good school, boasting a full time nurse, speech therapist and a cafeteria that provides hot lunches. Several of the church family's children attend the school.

Not sure when I'll blog again, but its been fun charting out our journey from Port Moody to Ithaca. It will be interesting to see where our journey within Ithaca will take us.

Day 8 - Cleveland, Ohio

Chicago's John Hancock building at night.

Cleveland rocks.

Actually - Cleveland freezes.

It is soooo freaking cold here!!!! We rolled in quite late, and as has now become our norm, all jumped in the pool.

We spent the morning shopping on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

I told Sophia that I would buy her a doll at American Girl, because I had heard that American Girl was popular - and since Sophia was soon to become a real American Girl, I thought it would be a good way to get her enculturated.

Oh my - I didn't know what I was walking into. For those of you who are unaware, American Girl is a company that sells dolls - these dolls have names and life stories. There are other dolls that are supossed to be made to look like different types of girls - so no matter what you look like, there will be a doll that kind of looks like you - although it appears they have missed the mixed race Indo-Chinese market.

I walked into the place with Sophia and felt like we had entered a girls only Best Buy on Black Friday - there were pint sized girls everywhere, clutching even smaller girl dolls in their arms. There were some girls even DRESSED exactly like their freaky looking dolls.

I didn't realize what I had promised to Sophia. This was not just a doll company, this was a cleverly designed consumerist cult that was quickly making a convert of my dear Sophia.

We hunted around for a suitable doll - we found one she liked, and then I looked at the price tag.
And .... I quickly wondered how I could convince Sophia that it would be way cooler for her to buy a clear plastic rubber ball from Target (at a cost of under 5$). But, it was too late - the trap had been set. Sophia was hooked.

I realized that if I buy this doll, my family would probably have to eat less food this month. But, what could I do? I had promised her. Clearly, I should have done some research before telling my daughter I would buy her a doll that cost the same as my first car (a Datsun B-210 - man that was a sweet ride).

So, I trudged on through the alternate pink universe. We then realized the doll needed clothes. Clothes? I need clothes. Dolls don't NEED anything. So, now, we had to hunt down an outfit for this thing. And man did they have choices - there were snowboarding, lacrosse, soccer, a hippie. There was even a doll in a wheelchair and one with some sort of weird orthodontic retainer covering her head. When will this David Lynch film end?

FINALLY - Sophia picked out some white outfit for her doll. We now queued up with other parents and kids - all of whom looked like they could actually afford to be shopping in this place. When we got up to pay, the cashier asked if I'd like to get the doll's ears pierced.

Now - I don't know what a stroke feels like, but I think I might have had a mini one at this point. Everything got cloudy and I felt like the floor was no longer even. After a couple of seconds, my brain cleared up and tried to take her seriously.

Do I want to get the doll's ears pierced? I place this alongside other questions such as:
Would you like to sign up for our zamboni driver's training course?
and .... Are you sure you're not interested in the time-share options in Fallujah at this time of the year?

I tried to restrain myself and politely said - no. Sophia's ears aren't even pierced!!!

After we bought the doll, and now looked forward to not eating complete meals for the next month, we wandered to the back of the store.

This place had a hair salon for the dolls, which lineup was longer than the lineup to buy stuff.
There was a hospital. Not sure what kind of illnesses stalk dolls.
There was a pet store to buy pets for the dolls.

And there was a cafe.

I hated this place. But, now, I'm pretty sure I'll have to visit another one in the near future - or at least start buying their stuff online.

And all because I love Sophia. I hope she can learn that I can express my love in other (more economical) ways.

From there we roamed around a bit more. Bought some more stuff. I bought a pair of Levi's jeans - ON SALE at Macy's.

Then we started the trek onward.

We drove and drove - the only stop we made was at an outlet mall, somewhere in Indiana. We bought some really cheap stuff and then kept going.

If I have time tomorrow, I might pay a visit to the rock and roll hall of fame which is right across from our hotel.

And then .... and then!!!!

ITHACA!!!!!

The journey will be complete (but the new journey will begin).

Days 6-7 Chicago Illinois

Adam reads his kindle with Lake Michigan and the John Hancock building behind him.

Yesterday we strolled down Michigan Ave. - really the heart of downtown Chicago.
All the shopping is here.

In the afternoon we visited Willis tower (formerly Sears Tower). It is a tall tower that has unique glass floors in one part that allow you to look directly down and feel like you're walking on air. The kids loved it.

We decided to take the subway there which made us appear like we were like the amish in the city, as I couldn't figure out how to buy a ticket. A homeless guy who somehow had a wad of cash on him, helpfully gave me change for a 20 so I could buy the tickets from the machine (you needed exact change). He was muttering incoherently, and the kids just stood there frozen staring at him.

After that we headed home and ordered in some famous Chicago deep dish pizza. It was pretty good, but both Felicia and I felt that it wasn't amazing or anything.

This morning, Easter Sunday, we drove 40 minutes west to South Barrington to visit famed WIllow Creek Community Church. This is one of the largest and certainly the most influential church in North America. I have known of them for over 20 years and greatly appreciated the leadership and preaching of their Sr. Pastor, Bill Hybels.

The church is in a pretty isolated place, sort of in a field. We drove in and were helped by several orange jacketed parking attendants. We walked in and were overwhelmed by the size of the building - we only saw about a quarter of the entire facilities, but it was HUGE.

We headed over to check the kids in for the kids program. All their information was entered into an ipad mini. Some id stickers were printed up. A friendly woman walked with us to each class to drop the  kids off. As we entered each room, the kids info. already showed up on other ipad minis being held by workers in their classrooms! It was very impressive.

After that we headed into the sanctuary which seats 7200 people! We managed to score some seats close to the front. The service began with a 3 violinists playing with shadows profiled on the stage. This was followed by a male voice reading the resurrection account from the Bible. Then a string orchestra played more music.

All of a sudden a group of musicians were on the stage, playing a very upbeat song. The instruments included banjo and mandolin! They sounded absolutely perfect.

Announcements and offering followed.

Then the band came back and led a couple more songs.

And then there was a video presentation of 3 people who gave their testimonies. I have to say the video production was absolutely amazing. There were two women and one men. One woman talked about how she ran from God, and there were clips of her in running gear actually running. The man was a businessman, so there was video of him in his suit sitting at a desk. The last woman was a former Muslim who at one point hated God. So, she was filmed punching a punching bag.

The production was just perfect.

And then Bill Hybels took the stage and delivered the message. This is the second time I have heard him live. He is a captivating communicator.

Several years ago, Willow Creek church introduced a ministry concept known as the "seeker sensitive service". This is where creative elements such as drama were introduced to make seekers more comfortable being in a church service. There was very little Christian jargon. Sermons addressed issues like marriage, parenting or career. The church enjoyed great growth, but received some criticism from some who felt they were watering down the gospel.

Well at some point it is clear that Willow has abandoned parts of that ministry strategy. Hybels' sermon included a prolonged exposition on substitutionary atonement. That has got to be the furthest thing from being seeker sensitive that you can be!

All the elements worked and I felt the gospel was fully preached.

The service from beginning to end was done with such professional attention to detail that it was really quite amazing. Felicia and I had never seen anything even close to it before. We have been to church services that were very much a performance, and have left feeling sort of flat - like we weren't participants, but merely observers. But - at Willow - the production value of the service was over the top perfect, yet Felicia and I were fully engaged as worshippers. We did not feel we were watching a show, even though things fit together so perfectly.

I am not sure why the difference at Willow - but I suspect that a lot of intercessory prayer is poured into each service, which results in such an amazing impact on congregants. Felicia and I both agreed that if we lived in the area we would attend and get involved with Willow Creek.

Ok - now after this beautiful, uplifting service - you won't believe what happens next -
WE COULDN'T FIND OUR CAR IN THE PARKING LOT!!!
There are actually 3 massive parking lots and we were hunting for our car in the wrong one! It was so hilarious, we looked and looked, and finally after some prayer, we found it!
So, if you ever visit Willow, make sure to mark down the lot and row you parked in!

We drove back to the hotel for some nap time. After that we headed over to the Navy Pier, which is listed as a good attraction to visit. To be honest, its pretty underwhelming. There is a mall and food court which aren't that great. But, the walk along Lake Michigan is pretty, and we had fun riding the large ferris wheel.

We walked back to the hotel and Felicia and I both commented on how we could easily live in downtown Chicago. It has such a cool big city buzz to it. And - here's the weird thing - we didn't really want to live in Vancouver again! Chicago's downtown has large swathes of largely residential apartment buildings - whereas Vancouver's downtown has residential, but it is combined with a large number of stores and businesses, making it feel less like a neighborhood. Maybe westend Vancouver could be seen as more residential.

Yep - Chicago is one cool city. Maybe someday we'll end up back in a big metropolis - but for now we have the more peaceful surroundings of Ithaca NY to look forward to!

Cleveland is tomorrow night!

Day 5 - Chicago Illinois

South Dakota.
Minnesota.
Wisconsin.
Illinois.

We drove from SD, through MI and WI and ended up in Illinois in 11 hours.

4 states, 3 kids, 1 minivan, 1 day.

To say I am tired is an understatement.

The landscape and traffic changed dramatically.

Prairie, rolling hills, urban sprawl and finally urban congestion.

The funniest part of today was watching the kids play in the snow in an area that resembles an abandoned industrial park, somewhere in Wisconsin. Despite the sparse surroundings the kids had a lot of fun.

After a lengthy day, make that DAYS of travel - our hotel in Chicago feels like a welcome oasis. The hotel staff had special treats prepared for the kids in our room.  Adam had popcorn and a coke. James and Sophia both had cookies and milk. They prepared a fruit tray for Felicia and I.

It made us feel welcomed once again.

Chicago looks like an interesting city.  We're looking forward to exploring the city tomorrow.

Day 4 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The day began with a visit to the national monument of Mt. Rushmore. The amazing sculpture of American Presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Adam and Sophia have virtually no knowledge of American history. So, it was fun for us to go over each of these Presidents - although my own knowledge of this country's history is limited as well. I'm going to try to read some good history books to get caught up to speed with our new home country.

After a couple of hours there, we had to change the oil in the van because the service light was coming on. We found a locally owned garage where the staff was so friendly and helpful, it reminded me of 1950's era service stations where you would pull up for gas and 4 guys would jump out and go over your whole car.

After that it was back on the road. South Dakota looks remarkably similar to Saskatchewan. One big difference is in the large number of billboards advertising everything from Reptile Gardens to down home cooking. It appears quite odd to see miles of farm land interrupted by these garish ads.

All three of the kids displayed an almost un-natural restraint and well being as we rolled over hundreds of miles, yet once again. We have a long drive tomorrow towards Chicago and we plan on leaving earlier. We are staying the weekend in Chicago and are quite excited to explore the city!

Tonight we are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We are close to both Minneapolis and Iowa, and sort of Nebraska. This is the real heartland of America, the bread basket, the Mid-West. It is not very cosmopolitan. Everyone sort of looks small townish. But, you get a sense that community has not completely evaporated in these small towns and cities. That people still have concern for each other's welfare. That they take care of their own as Bruce Springsteen sings.

This trip through America has shown me that America is bigger that the caricature of ignorance and self absorption that most of the world holds on to.
 America is a mixed bag.
She is eaving behind past ideals forged by religion and civil idealism.
She is remaking herself.
This time of change and transition alarms the traditionalists and excites the progressives.
And into all of this remains the church of Jesus Christ, whose primary mission is neither politics or moralism - but simply the sharing of good news.
Good news that came into fruition during this same week 2000 years ago, and culminated in what Christians remember tomorrow, Good Friday.