I recently had the privilege of going on my first international speaking trip…all the way to Canada! I spoke at a church in Surrey, which is just outside of Vancouver, BC. We had a Saturday evening service, with participants from several area churches. It was fun doing a more casual, conversational presentation. A group from one of the churches had recently gotten back from Colombia, where they learned all about the Master’s Plan, which is what we use in our church plants. So that was a cool connection! Sunday was a typical morning, where I got to speak to the folks at Legacy Church about Extreme and had a chance to get to know some of the congregation. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll have a 40/40 from the Vancouver area!
A fun and unique aspect about this trip was that I got to see several old friends. I stayed with my friend Robyn, who was one of my college roommates, on the way up and back. While in Vancouver, I got to stay with my friend Kadee, who was also an old college roomie. On Sunday afternoon, I met up with one of teens from Indonesia, Nadia. I briefly saw my friend Kari when I crashed at her place last minute on my way back. I loved reminiscing and getting caught up with all four of these friends.
Kadee and her family took me to Steveston Village, which is the filming site of Storybrooke, the town in one of my favorite TV shows, Once Upon a Time. We got to visit some of the shops featured in the show and just enjoy the cute little tourist town. And thankfully we were outside while it was actually sunny! (windy, but not raining-yay!)
The drive up to Canada was smooth sailing, but on the way back, I had a couple of adventures, or maybe mis-adventures. While driving over Snoqualmie Pass, the heavy rain turned into a light snow, which turned into a heavy snow. Thankfully, I still had my chains in my trunk. I put them on for the first time since moving away from Hume Lake, about 9 years ago. But it came back to me! The drive was very slow, and parts of it were very dark. God kept me safe throughout the drive, and it makes me even more grateful to have so many people praying for me.
The second adventure was less perilous but more frustrating. When I was in Baker City, only two hours away from Nampa, the freeway shut down! Apparently there was a big wreck with hazardous material. There was no way to get over the pass. I waited for hours (eating, shopping, and working at two different coffee shops), hoping it would open, but I ended up having to stay the night.
The next day I finally made it home, and that night I was very happy to sleep in my own bed! I would say my first international speaking trip was a success, and I look forward to seeing the fruit that comes from it.
I forgot to take any pictures at the church. You’ll just have to trust me that this was not just a fun trip-haha!
carrie the traveler 