Tour 2011

16 November 2011

We are in Mexico! (a bit late)

Jim Mexico, Practical matters, Prayer and Praise 1

In Sunday we were in Arizona, planning to cross the border the following day. We were meeting someone to cross with Monday afternoon.

But Sunday evening we received an email – their vehicle had broken down. So the plans began to change.

From there on in, in phone calls and emails, plans changed . . . and changed . . . and changed again . . . and again . . . and yet again!

Our friends were very gracious (very) and eventually things were organized.

In the end, instead of going Monday, we ended up going Tuesday. Now, this cost us an extra night in a hotel. But it was a nice hotel to get stuck in. And more notable, I was sick Monday – very sick (migraine attack). So it did remind us that God is in control of these things. Crossing the border Monday would have been pretty difficult for me in the shape I was in!

On Tuesday our friend came with another friend (who had a reliable vehicle) and we met them and then crossed the border.

Once again I should report – since so many of you were praying – this was the smoothest crossing into Mexico ever. In fact, all our border crossings this trip have been super-smooth.

The biggest hitch came when I simply forgot a couple of documents in the van and had to run back to get them. No big deal. We had nothing searched, paid no duty on anything . . . and a couple of times when we were sure we would have to stop (for inspections, customs, etc), we were able to roll right on through. The officials we talked to were friendly and in good moods. We even met some people while we waited in line in various places – even a couple of Saskatchewanionians.

So – here we are! Safe and sound in the Sonora desert, in the city of Hermosillo, as of yesterday.

The only change now is that, instead of staying here two nights, we’re heading out today.

Oh, and more good news – our friends were able to repair their vehicle. 🙂

So there’s lots of driving in Mexico yet to come! So we’d better get on with it. Thanks again to those who have been praying – God has been good! And if you want to pray as we continue to travel, that would be great! 🙂

12 November 2011

In Arizona

Jim Family, Practical matters, Prayer and Praise 0

Tonight we stop – and we’ll be enjoying a day of rest from driving tomorrow – not too far from the US/MX border. It’s our second day in Arizona.

Can you believe it though – we’re not even done 60% of our trip south yet! Yes, Mexico is another BIG country.

In fact, it’s even longer to go when you consider that we’re just stopping home then heading out for a team retreat and then a conference. So we really don’t get home – really home – until the 26th of November

We were able to stop mid-trip today to get a headlight replaced, so that’s one repair out of the way. And we finished our drive a little earlier today – and we’re REALLY looking forward to actually getting a little sleep!

Thanks for your prayers. We’re more than half-way home!

Nathanael in the snow this morning.
The freezing temperatures have followed us
up until this afternoon!

11 November 2011

Details of the Damage Day 3

Jim Practical matters, Prayer and Praise 0

So, the damage from our little mishap with the deer on Wednesday comes to about $1700. Now, if you know much about these things, you know that’s nothin’.

On the other hand, with thousands in unexpected expenses in 2011, it doesn’t feel like nothin’. But the good news is there doesn’t seem to be major engine or body damage.

The driver’s door was jammed shut, but the mechanic was able to do a temporary fix, and wrench things into place. So – joy! I can now get out without climbing on the other seats! 🙂

Some body work will need to be done, and a new headlight. Amazingly enough, the bulb still works, although the one headlight was smashed.

We had also discovered soon before driving down that our trailer tires were on their last legs, so we got them switched and headed out – quite late – on Day 3 of the drive down.

We’ve arrived- quite late- at our destination. Good night!

10 November 2011

What is the Bible? (podcast)

Jim Audio Blogs, Devotional and Bible, Ministry glimpses, Podcasts 1

This is a recording of the sermon I preached at Cremona Country Fellowship in Cremona, Alberta, Canada. If you’re wondering what exactly the Bible is, in a nutshell, have a listen. 🙂

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9 November 2011

Oh Deer! Depressing Drama during Drive Day 2!

Jim Practical matters, Prayer and Praise 2

Actually, everything went very smoothly today except for one thing. You guessed it – we hit a deer.

The good news is (and actually there was a lot of good news today) that we were just leaving a town and driving slow. And, of course, when I saw the deer, I drove slower and slower.

As I was driving slower and slower, the deer was trying to decide if it should stop (good choice), turn (pretty good choice), or go out in front of the van (bad choice). It chose unwisely.

So we hit it on the drivers’ side. But we’re all fine – as I said, I was going pretty slowly at this point.

The deer? Well, it lived and got away. I’m afraid we weren’t able to find out just how badly off it was.

The van? Well, we were able to keep driving all the way to our hotel. But some repairs are going to be needed. A headlight was smashed, and just how extensive the body damage is we’re not sure.

We’re hoping to take it in tomorrow and have it checked out, so we would appreciate your prayers that we can get it checked out and dealt with in a timely fashion.

The good news? Well, you already read some of it, didn’t you? Everyone is fine, the kids are in bed, and we’re thankful that the Lord protected us. We also had a very uneventful border crossing today, and the rest of the trip went quickly and smoothly.

What happens next? Well, it depends on what the mechanics say, if we can find any tomorrow. We’ll be playing it by ear.

What can I say? Another day in the life . . .

8 November 2011

The Dull Drama of Driving Down

Jim Practical matters, Prayer and Praise 1

Oh, sure, sometimes we have some interesting adventures driving to and from Mexico. But a lot of the things we have to worry about just aren’t that interesting.

For example, since we’re driving from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan down to Arizona, we suddenly realized we had a problem. Prince Albert supposedly has a low of -8C (18F) today. It’s going to be up to 24C (75F) in Phoenix this week. That means that things left in the van and trailer will both freeze – and melt.

So we had to rearrange some things – make boxes for things that couldn’t freeze, boxes for things that couldn’t melt, and boxes of things that couldn’t melt or freeze.

How silly is that.

Of course we’re thinking of what paperwork we need for two different border crossings. And we have to have clothes handy for warm and cool weather. We need to have places to stop, places to eat, and we need to make sure we can do laundry during the trip and get enough rest to survive.

Of course our new van has its own quirks. We have discovered that we have no air conditioning. Usually not a problem in more moderate Ixtapaluca, but every once in a while…

But unlike our old van, we don’t have to worry about the loud whistling noise it makes when we get up to highway speed (we stuck a wad of paper in the window to cut down on the noise). We don’t have to worry about the rear view mirror falling off when we go over a bump. Every door opens without having to do a special yank-and-dance. We don’t have a whole bunch of warning lights on the dash – in fact, at the moment, we don’t have any! The CD player even works – imagine!

We would appreciate your prayers as we travel down – we’ll settle for dull drama, and not the more exciting kind, this time. Seriously, we’ve had more than enough excitement lately.

Tomorrow is our first border crossing, and Lord willing Monday we’ll be in Mexico. A long way to go – but we’re well on our way.

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