A Visit With Anayeli

Today we were able to go and visit our sponsor girl, Anayeli, and her brother, Alberto. What a treat! We went to the school, but she had already left, so we started the trek to her house. Along the way, she spotted us from another road and yelled that they would meet us. What an awesome surprise.
We have sponsored Anayeli for 5 years now and I have to say it has been one of the most impacting decisions, short of accepting the Lord, we have ever made. We have watched this little, angry, hurting girl of 6 grow up to become a beautiful, happy, loving young lady of 11. When we first

sponsored her, our visits were very quiet - she didn't talk much and we didn't have much Spanish. Today, it was hard to get a word in edge-wise, as Anayeli jabbered on about what was happening in her life.
Although their home is pretty humble - wood slats and a dirt floor - they take very good care of what they have. Over the years they have been able to add on a small kitchen and a pila (outdoor sink area). They also now have an outhouse, which is a huge improvement! More importantly, although, is the growth we see in them, spiritually. It really is quite amazing.
There is no dad in the picture and Alberto has taken a real like for Rocky. He just wants to be held by him and play with him. It is great to watch. Rocky hoisted him up on his shoulders and ran down the path with Alberto grinning ear to ear! What a delight-both for Alberto and for Rocky!
Today, Anayeli's mom wasn't home, so she went straight to work preparing a lunch for her brother. What a good sister! She made eggs and tortillas and made sure he ate all his food. She also made us a drink and served it herself.
Anayeli and Alberto just got a new little puppy - Scott (actually "Escot" as they pronounce it). They gave the puppy a bath so he would be super clean for us and we all enjoyed playing with him.
If you have ever wondered if sponsoring a child really makes a difference in the life of that child and their family, I want you to know that it does. We have had the honour of seeing first hand how our sponsorship has impacted this entire family and it really is priceless. It doesn't matter what organization you go through - do your research and choose the one that is right for you - they are, for the most part, all doing an amazing job. The most important thing is to do it. Don't sit back and say, "Well, maybe next year when we are more financially stable," or, "What if I do it for a while and cannot continue." These are nothing more than excuses. When it comes to living out the love of Christ, Nike was right...Just do it! Investing in a child is investing in the Kingdom and God has blessed us so that we in turn can bless others. Be a part of that exchange - sponsor a child today!

2 Corinthians 9:6 - 11 Sowing Generously
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously...God is able to make all grace about to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will about in every good work...Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Blessings,
Karren

Days 18, 19 & 20

It is actually hard to remember when we left Kamloops; it feels as though we have been travelling around for a very long time. Yet, it has only been 20 days. It is funny how a person can actually get used to living out of a car and suitcase.
Well, on Sunday we travelled from Copan Ruinas, Honduras to Chiquimulilla, Guatemala. This time our border experience was amazingly easy. All our paper work was in order and we breezed through in about 15 minutes without having to pay a thing! Yipee!
Rocky decided we should take a route we had never travelled on before, and I was a little unsure if this was a good idea. I googled the route (what did we ever do before the internet?) and it showed the same route Rocky wanted to take, so away we went. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The road was actually in great condition and it was a very enjoyable day.
We arrived in Chiquimulilla around 3:30pm and met our hosts, Matt and Kerry from Fe Viva. We hadn't actually planned, originally, to visit Fe Viva, but about a month before we left on this vision trip, we had coffee with our pastor and his wife. They had met the founders of Fe Viva - Kim and Lynne Weeler - on a writer's cruise, and they strongly encouraged us to stop in and see this ministry. So, we did.
Once again, we were amazed at how the Lord is working throughout the world. This ministry is quite varied and yet had a strong feeling of community. They are involved in the following: hosting teams; they have a children's home; they have a Bible school for Guatemalans, training pastors; they have a Missionary Training school, training North Americans to go out onto the field; they have a dance school; they also have Village of Faith, a housing complex for families in crisis/transition; they have a ministry for prostitutes and one for alcoholics called House of Refuge; and they are involved in prison ministry. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a smattering of what they are all involved in.
At their heart is the desire to impact the community for Christ. We were able to spend the night at their complex and had the chance to speak with a number of the full-time missionaries about their roles as well as how they thought we could fit in.
Incredible! As we shared a communial supper, we learned that we knew many people in common. One family visiting was from Saskatchewan and knew Doug Wiebe, a man I used to teach with at KCS. The compound managers, Matt and Kerry, are friends with Joshi & Myrna Mukli! My parents are good friends with Joshi's parents and Joshi and I knew each other as kids. The couple in charge of teams new Harry and Mary McCullough - well my nephew married Mary's grand-daughter, Christa! What a small world! We enjoyed an evening of visiting and sharing and it was a big blessing.
Then, on Monday mid-morning, we left for San Cristobal Verapaz and Arryn! We arrived around 5:30pm and were able to hang out at the youth center with her and then enjoyed Churrascos at the park! Yummy!
The founders of the ministry she works with - Cross Commission - opened up their home to us and so we are able to spend a week here with Arryn. We are so thankful for this time. We hope to connect with Les and Rita Peters, as well as some others involved in Impact Ministries, while we are here.
Tonight, they are having their weekly Bible study at the youth center, so that is where we are going. We are hoping to connect with Hector, Arryn's fiance, tonight as well.
Then, next week, we will be off to visit Mano Con Mano, about 20 minutes outside of the capital. This will be the last ministry that we will be visiting before flying home on the 10th of March.
Thank you for your continued prayers. We have, many times, known without a shadow of a doubt that we are being covered by the prayers of the saints. It really is pretty amazing.
Anyway, I am off to the youth center to see Arryn.
Blessings,
Karren

Days 15, 16, &17!

Well, hello! It feels like it has been forever since I have blogged. We have been without internet for the past few days and although we did make a valient effort to blog, we were not able to connect. It feels as though a lot has happened since I last posted. Most of all, I suppose, we are just continually amazed at how faithful and wonderful our God is. Everyday, He is providing for us in ways we couldn't even imagine. More than ever, we know we are blessed to be children of the King and we truly are in the palm of His hand.

To date, we have put on over 8,000 kms and crossed through 4 different countries in only 17 days. What a journey! It has not been without its hiccups, but overall, it has been such an amazing experience.

On Thursday, February 23rd, we left Florence Mayerle's home and met up with Mark and Heidi Merrit from Loma de Luz Hospital. We spent about an hour with them at a local coffee/donut shop - not quite up to Tim Horton's standard, but not bad. We made arrangements with them to travel out to Belfate the following day and we proceeded to the beach to sleep/rest/relax for the day. It is crazy how tiring driving can be. We really were quite exhausted, and because our border crossings have not been super arduous, we had a day we could spend outside of the car. Hip hip horray!

For $40 we rented a Cabana - like a little cottage - right on the ocean at a place called Helen's just outside of La Ceiba. It was awesome. We spent hours just floating in the ocean, riding the waves and allowing the salt water to wash away our tiredness.

Then, Friday morning, Rocky and I left Hope behind to do homework...yah, right...and we set out for Belfate and Loma de Luz. We drove about 20 minutes down the road and turned off onto a gravel road. 40 minutes later, we arrived at Loma de Luz. Our hosts, Heidi and Mark, were waiting for us and we were given the grand tour. I am not sure what we expected, but we were certainly overwhelmed at the size of this ministry!

Again, we had the opportunity to meet with the founders, Jeff and Rosanne McKenney, and hear first hand how the ministry started and what their current needs are and what their dreams for the future are. We were really impressed with this couples heart and vision. We also met with others involved in the hospital, administration, maintenance, school, and children's home. Each one shared with us how they came to Loma de Luz and what it was like to work with this ministry.

Certainly, we could see how we could be used here, as the work is plentiful.

As we continue to process all we are seeing, hearing, and sensing in the Spirit, please pray with us, that God would confirm to us where He wants us to go.

So far, both ministries we have visited are doing a wonderful work, and we can clearly see how we could fit in and serve. We expect the same will be true of those we visit in Guatemala.

We really just want to know if it is the ministry that God has for us. We want to be in His will.

Blessings,

Karren, Rocky and Hopw

Day 14

Day 14; Wow! We have been on the road for 14 days.

Today, we drove to La Ceiba, Honduras. The road between San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba was amazing! What a treat. For the past couple of days we have been driving some pretty crazy roads, so the smooth, virtually pot hole free road was a real treat!

We met up with Florence from Adventure in Missions at the Pizza Hut on the far side of town.

La Ceiba is a town of about 150,000. The industry of the area is a mix of tourism and fruit/produce export.

One of the main crops here is palm oil. The highways are lined with fields of hundreds of African palms. They pick the pods which are full of kernels and send them off to be pressed to remove the oil. This oil is exported. There are also fields of bananas, pineapples and cocoa trees. It is a lush and clearly fertile land. La Ceiba is right on the Gulf of Honduras and really is a beautiful place. The temperature today was around 31 degrees celcius and it was a "cool" day.

We left La Ceiba with Florence and two other women she works with for the 20 minute drive out to El Cacao, the village where the ministry is located. This is a village of about 1,500, where Adventure in Missions has a medical clinic and a housing complex. The ministry has a part-time Honduran doctor and dentist that work in

the clinic each week and a full time nurse practitioner who runs the clinic. Not only do they work out of this village, but they go around the area holding clinics in communities who need medical attention.

The village is right on the coast and there is a large lagoon area and mangrove forest where the locals fish.

There is a public school right beside the ministry and they actively partner with the school, offering English classes and doing children's ministry when they have teams. One thing the ministry would like to do is host more teams, but they need help in order to do that. They are also hoping to start a vocational school so that the young men in the community can learn a trade and find work. Unemployment is a real problem here. They are involved in many different areas in this community, from building houses, clean water projects, prison ministry,pastoral support and home visitation.

There is much work to be done here, but the labourers are few. That is why we came to see this project first hand.

Three Countries in Two Days!

Day 12 and 13...the adventure contines!
Yesterday we left Mexico and entered Guatemala. We left the hotel at 7am, anticipating a bit of a challenge/delay at the border. Well, we were not disappointed. We met a "Tramitador" at the gas station just before the border. A Tramitador is a proffession in Guatemala. These guys help people navigate the red tap and get through transactions for a fee. I negotiated with him for abit and then we agreed upon a fee for his services. He really was a big help. Without him, we would not have been able to find the place to get our $200 "promise to leave Mexico with the car" fee reimbursed. As it was, we had to drive 45 km back into Tapachula to find the only customs agent where this could take place. He was also a huge help in knowing where to go to get all the documents we needed, having things translated and notorized. Sadly, although, he also sold us a permit for all of Central America that was not a real permit. It cost us the $200 he helped us get refunded and isn't worth the paper it is written on. Oh well..we are learning. At least we broke even.
Before we left on this trip, we had heard all of these horror stories about getting into Mexico and driving in Mexico. Some people we talked to thought we were crazy to drive through Mexico. To be honest, our Mexican experience was incredible. The customs agents were helpful and patient and we did not have to go from one office to another to get things done. We also didn't stand in line after line to get things done and we didn't get ripped off. The roads in Mexico, for the most part, were great! The gas stations were amazing and they all had great bathrooms with toilet paper and running water! Wow!
We really didn't start experiencing any problems until we hit Guatemala and Honduras. Now I use the word problems, but that is too strong a word. I think we just really felt we were in Central America when we arrived at the border between Mexico and Guatemala. From start to finish, it took us 4 hours to process into Guatemala, and that was with help! It wasn't that things were not going well - that was normal.
We spent last night in Antigua and enjoyed being in familiar territory for a night. Then this morning, we left Antigua, Guatemala, for Honduras. We arrived at the border at 12:30 and it wasn't until 3:20 that we finally pulled out of the Customs and Immigration office on the Honduras side. Yikes! That meant another day where we were going to be driving at night. We drove to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. We didn't arrive at our hotel until 8:30pm - a very long and tiring day.
This trip has been teaching us many things. First, I think we are learning to be patient with others and not worry about walking into the unkown. At every corner we have felt the Lord guiding and directing us. Even when we have gotten turned around, the Lord sends someone our way to help. Like tonight. We had reservations at a hotel that we couldn't find. It was dark and we were super tired. We stopped at a gas station and I couldn't wrap my head around the directions we were given. Finally, we asked the guard to call us a taxi. He hesitated because he felt it might not be safe for us. Well, when the taxi arrive, the guy driving was a Christian and he lead us to the hotel. When I tried to pay him, he said, no, we were lost and he was happy to help. I paid him anyway and thanked him - what a blessing! Talk about the Lord being right there.
We have also learned to be patient with ourselves and with each other. We have spent 13 days in a small vehicle and even at night we are all in the same room. There is no down time or time apart. The miracle is that we are still all on speaking terms. In fact we are laughing and enjoying each other's company.
Most of all, however, we are learning that God is faithful. When He calls you to a task - in our case to go - He is there with you every step of the way. There have been moments when I am stressed and feeling overwhelmed (like tonight) but I think about His Word and meditate on the truthes I know about my God and my heart is quieted. That peace that passes understanding really is ours for the asking.
Tomorrow - Day 14 - we are meeting Florence from Adventure in Missions in La Ceiba, Honduras. We are asking the Lord to guide our steps and speak to us regarding where He would hve us invest our lives. If you'd be willing to pray with us, we would be ever so thankful!
Blessings,
Karren, Rocky (our fearless driver) and Hope

Day 10 & 11

Day 10 - Saturday, February 18th. Today we travelled 550km from Tuxpam to Acayucan. It took quite a while as there was much construction on the road. We did manage to arrive in Acayucan during daylight hours, although, PTL, so that was good. We landed up staying right off of the central plaza in a local hotel - Hotel Arco. It was only $40 for the night and it included our breakfast. You've gotta love that! The hotel didn`t have an elevator, although and we were on the 3rd floor. The poor guy who insisted on carrying up all our bags, the cooler, and all our other stuff. It must have been 30+ celcius plus 90% humidity! Needless to say, he was a sweaty mess after that!
The tolls we paid yesterday made up for what we saved on the hotel. We paid a total of 8 tolls and 472pesos ($38). That was a little crazy. One toll, which cost $10 was for a 5 minute drive! Oh well. The car ran great and we had a good day. Hope and I ended the day swimming a few laps under the stars. It was a great way to cool off before hitting the sack.
Day 11 - Sunday, February 19th. We put on 569km today and made it to our preferred destination - Tapachula - right on the border with Guatemala. We were not sure if we were going to experience tolls and crazy roads like yesterday, so we were not certain we'd make it to Tapachula. When we started out this morning, it was pouring rain and really slow going. There was a lot of construction on the roads and we had to wait numerous times as traffic was only using one lane of the highway. Then, after the first 2 hours, things opened up. The rain stopped and the roads widened and off we went. We did have one casualty today - an iguana. Over the past few days we have seen many roadside tragedies - dogs, cats, horses, cows, snakes, and iguanas - but we had not been the cause of one of these until today. This very cool looking iguana began to cross the road and then froze. Rocky steered the car to miss it, and then at the last moment, it decided to turn and run...right under our tire! Oooops!
We also passed through some pretty different landscapes today. From hot and humid tropical rain forest to dry dessert. As we drove out of a mountain pass, we came across an open field of windmills - hundreds upon hundreds of windmills, just like we saw in California. These things tower more than 60 feet high with these huge arms turning in the wind. It really is quite a sight to see.
We also had our first and only inspection today. Throughout this trip we have not had to show our passports or any of our paper work. Although there have been many army and police check points, we have been waved through each one. Today, we were stopped and had to get out of the car. They didn`t want to see any papers, but they did check the car. We thing they were looking for drugs and weapons. All was good and in a few minutes we were on our way again. I suppose the trip wouln`t have been complete without at least one check like this.
Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we are going to hit the border and make our way into Guatemala. Prayerfully, things will go smoothly as we are needing to make our way through Guatemala and into Honduras in 2 days.
Thanks for your prayers and thoughtful words of encouragement. We are so blessed!
Blessings,
Karren

Day Nine...What A Day!

Day nine...wow, what a day!
Everything started out amazing. We left the hotel in McAllen, Texas by 7:20am - 20 minutes behind what we had targeted, but not bad. We entered Mexico without having to show our passports or any of the papers we had so carefully completed the other day. We were so worried that we would have a hard time, but it was no trouble at all. Thank you, Lord!
The first part of our drive was also without incident. The roads were great, the traffic was light and the scenery was wonderful. Tommy - the other man in my life - lead us through all of the twists and turns without any trouble (Tommy is our TomTom GPS). We have really come to like Tommy and speak to him along our way rather regularly. If someone were to listen in, they would begin to wonder as to the status of our sanity!
Anyway, as the day progressed, the roads narrowed and became just like what we were accustom to in Guatemala. Rocky was having a blast. We had originally thought we would drive from McAllen, Texas to Tampico, Mexico, but we arrived in Tampico at 2:30, so we thought we would push through to Tuxpam. No problem - 3 more hours and plenty of daylight left...right? We were feeling so encouraged and confident. The border was no problem, the roads were no problem, even our Spanish was working effectively. Wow, could it get any better?
Well, 2 hours into our 3 hour extention, the traffic started to get yucky. The road was narrow and it was tough to pass, so everyone was going slow. Add to that the numerous and seemingly pointless speedbumps, and it was pretty tough to get above 60 km/hr. Rocky was constantly shiftin up and down, up and down. Then, suddenly, the clutch started acting up. Rocky would push it in to shift gears and it wouldn't release. He had to reach down and pull it out with his hand. Oh no!!!!
As we looked up, we saw on our right a mechanic shop - a lean-to with some cars half pulled apart - so we pulled in. The three mechanics all started working away and pulling things off of the car! After about 45 minutes, the main mechanic said he had to go check to see if he could find two new pieces - something in the clutch pump. He hopped in his car and drove off, leaving us standing there, watching the time tick away.
15 minutes later he returned and said he needed 720 pesos to pay for the new parts and he had to hurry because the shop was closing. We hadn't had a chance to get to a bank yet and only had the pesos I took out in Kamloops. I scrounged together all we had, gave it to Rocky, and he got in the car with the mechanic and drove away to get the parts we needed, leaving Hope and I behind with the car. Two and a half hours later we paid him 300 pesos for his labour and pulled out to complete our journey to Tuxpam. The entire bill was under $100...and, it was almost exactly the amount of pesos we had!
Although we didn't see this later part of the day as a blessing at first, hindsight is truly 20/20. At the very moment the clutch stopped working there was a mechanic shop on the side of the otherwise deserted road. Then, in the middle of nowhere, the mechanic can find parts for a '98 Nissan Pathfinder! Another miracle! We had enough pesos on hand to pay for the part and the labour. Incredible!
Well, now it was 8:30pm and we really didn't have any choice but to continue in the dark as there were no real towns in between where we were and Tuxpam. So, off we went. Driving in the dark - the one thing all the guide books say not to do! When we arrived in Tuxpam, there were two ways to get into town. We chose the wrong way - surprise! By now it is 9:30pm, we haven't had any supper and we are all very tired and a little edgy. We tried three times to get directions, but what was so clear to those willing to help us, was "claro con chocolate" to us (clear as chocolate)! So, we finally flagged down a taxi and paid him to lead us to the nearest North American style hotel. He took us to the Holiday Inn. It was so fancy from the outside I was worried how much it was going to cost. I told Rocky that we were going to stay no matter the cost because we couldn't go any further - he wasn't sure he agreed. When I went in to book a room, I was shocked! The room and breakfast for three for $87! Thank you, Lord!
Day nine had its ups and downs, but through it all, we felt the hand of the Lord guiding and directing us and we truly feel so blessed!
Karren, Rocky and Hope

Day Eight

Well, day eight is coming to a close. The car was at the mechanics today and he couldn't find anything wrong with the clutch. He changed the transmission oil and he put in a synthetic additive to help lubricate things better, but he said he couldn't determine why it sometimes makes a strange noise. He didn't think it was serious, so on we go. We managed to do some laundry today and Hope did some school work...finally!
Tomorrow morning - early I hope - we will set out for the border. All our paperwork is done, so all we need to do is drive across. They will probably want to search the car, but that should be it.
We are hoping to get to Tampico by mid-afternoon, but we are uncertain how good the roads will be. We think it will probably take us three days to drive across Mexico to the Guatemala border on the west coast. We could probably do it in less time, but it is tough to find centers large enough to be sure they will have safe lodging.
We have been enjoying our time together and aren't driving each other too crazy...yet! PTL! We are also feeling peace about our journey, which is huge! We are thankful for all of the prayers that are being offered on our behalf and can feel the coverage with every move we make. We are amazed at how good God is!
Until tomorrow...blessings!
Karren

Day Seven Comes to a Close.

This afternoon, we arrived in McAllen, Texas and set to work to get all our paperwork done to cross into/through Mexico. We had heard it could take anywhere between 2 and 4 days to get it all together, so we were preparing ourselves for a tough go.
Our experience, although, was incredible and enjoyable - thank you, Lord!
First, we drove around looking for a hotel and found one for $60/night including a full breakfast and mid-day snacks and drinks. Wow! Then, right on our hotel's parking lot there was an insurance company, so we were able to buy our vehicle insurance for Mexico right there. The lady who helped us, gave us great information about what we all needed to do and where to go. We felt very encouraged after speaking with her.
So, off we went over the International Toll Bridge to the Mexican border to secure our personal tourist visas and the temporary vehicle permit for a transmigrant (someone travelling through Mexico to another location).
It took us a bit to figure out where we were to park, but from the moment we entered the Customs and Immigration office, we were treated so well! Within the building were four distinct service centers: one for the tourist papers; one for the vehicle papers; one for photocopying everything in triplicate; and one to pay all the fees. The man who helped us was amazing. He was so nice and helpful that the process we were dreading was actually very enjoyable. We were able to practice our Spanish as no one spoke English. We were joking and teasing and before we knew it, we had everything done.
We drove back to the hotel, so Hope could get some school work done, and Rocky took the vehicle into a mechanic to get some advice about the noise the clutch makes occassionally. He has decided that we should have it looked at so, tomorrow morning the car is going into the shop for the day. It means we will be behind one day, but we were expecting to lose a day getting our paperwork done and that went so smoothly, we now had time to check out the clutch. God provides in miraculous ways!
Thanks for praying and walking along with us as we journey. We can feel the covering of your prayers and are seeing how the Lord is making a way for us at every turn.
Blessings,
Karren

Day Six and First Half of Day Seven

Yesterday we had our longest driving day - 1168km! We made it from Lordsburg, New Mexico to the south side of San Antonio, Texas. It was a good day to push ahead, as we wanted to get into McAllen early. We are now just having lunch at our hotel in McAllen, Texas and are going to head out to see about what all we need to take care of in order to cross into Mexico. I will update our progress later tonight, but if you read this blog, please pray for favour as we try to get our paper work in order and possibly have a mechanic look at the vehicle.
Blessings,
Karren

Day Four and Five!

Hope had her first Disneyland experience on day four! We got up early and hit the parks (Disneyland and California Adventure Land) at 8am. We didn't get back to the hotel until 10:30pm! We tried to hit all of the major rides and were able to take in a parade at Disney, crazy light and water show at California Adventure Land and the fire works at Disney. It was a good day. That is Hope on California Screamer in the second row with the pink arm!
It was tough to get up the following morning - we were all a little sore, not to mention tired. But we did get up and hit the road. We managed to travel 1000 km! We breezed right through Arizona and are spending the night in New Mexico. We are now a day and a half from the Mexican border where we are going to cross.

Thanks to those of you who were praying for the car situation. It ran excellent today - no funny clutch sounds! PTL!
As we were driving two days ago through California, we drove through field after field of fruit trees, as far as the eye could see. Today, we came across a section of highway where there were windmills as far as the eye could see! It was crazy! The desert area was vast and barren, but it was cool to see they were using the landscape to their advantage and generating a eco-friendly energy source. Then as we continued to

towards the edge of Arizona, we drove through the Texas Canyon and came across these amazing outcropping of rocks. Absolutely beautiful! It is incredible to see the variety of landscapes the Lord has created for our enjoyment!

Well, time to get some rest. Thank you for continuing to check into the blog and following along on our journey. Keep praying - we need the covering of the prayers of the righteous!
Blessings - Rocky, Karren and Hope!

Day Three

Today felt like a really long day to me - 946 km. I think the "sitting in a car" thing is starting to take a toll on me. I am not much for car travel and, well, today was just long. Hope slept for some of the day, as evidenced by the photo! Awe, she even has her teddy bear along!

Through most of the trip, both sides of the road were lined with fruit trees or grapes. There were many signs reading, "Dust Bowl caused by Congress." From what we learned, the government has serverely limited the water available to the farmers for irrigation and as a result, many farmers have lost their crops. The areas were there was no irrigation, the land was like sand and the weeds that were growing were silvery white - completely dried out. In BC, we really do take water for granted. We have so much clean, good water. We are truly blessed!

The vehicle is running well except the clutch is making some weird noises every now and then. Rocky is thinking we may have to have someone look at it. I think that is causing him a bit of stress, so if you could pray about that - the clutch and the stress - we would sure appreciate it.

This afternoon, around 5pm, we arrived in Anaheim. We checked into the hotel and went to Downtown Disney to look around. This is Hope's first time at Disneyland and she is pretty excited to see it. We had supper and then stayed to watch the fireworks.

Tomorrow morning we will be at the gate ready to go by 8am and she is hoping to put in a full day! We will have to see how much stamina we have!

Blessings,

Karren

Day Two

Yes...we did it! Today we logged in 930km! It was a good day. We left Tacoma at 7:15am after an incredible complimentary breakfast. We crossed into Oregon 2 hours later and by 2:30 we were in California. What a beautiful drive. The mountainous area between lower Oregon and northern California is just breathtaking.

We did have one casualty today - Rocky broke off the rear view mirror. Thankfully, as we drove by Yreka, California, he spotted a Napa Auto Parts store, so we pulled in and made a quick repair. Hope has decided that it is dangerous to have Rocky in the passenger seat because he breaks things!

Tonight we are in Redding. We found a Thai restaurant and enjoyed some amazing food. Now we are catching up on emails and, of course, blogging.

Tomorrow will be another long day. Please pray that the car will continue to run well for us.

Blessings,

Karren

Vision Trip: Day One!

Well, here we are...on the road. We have been talking about, praying about, and planning this Vision Trip for some time now and it feels good to finally be on our way. Today was only a half day, as we didn't leave Kamloops until noon. It was a good way to "ease" into the journey. We travelled 500 km to Tacoma, Washington.

Praying for a good night's rest, as tomorrow, we begin the real trip and are planning to travel 900 km. This will be our average (between 900km and 1000km) per day while we are in the USA. Once we hit Mexico, we anticipate things slowing down some.

When we went to Vancouver for Missions Fest, we bought a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder for this trip. It cost us $4000. We had set aside $2000 from savings and donations we had received earlier, but we weren't sure how we were going to pay for the rest. When we got home, we put Rocky's truck on Kijiji and it sold right away for...you guessed it...$2000. God really is quite incredible, isn't He? The vehicle is running well, it was very comfortable and it was the perfect size for all of our stuff! God knew exactly what we needed and He provided so perfectly!

We sure appreciate your prayers as we journey along. We are so blessed!

Rocky, Karren and Hope