faithrunner

That was Kim's quote as we saw the second pod of Orca Whales off the coast of Vancouver Island yesterday afternoon. We spent 3 hours with the crew (Brad and Liz pictured) from Prince of Whales and discovered why people get so fired up at seeing these creatures in their natural habitat and are not fans of keeping them in captivity. Other than their magnificent presence, Kim likes the fact that the children stay with their mothers for life! Yes, even males will go off and mate then come home to their mothers. A bit strange from my perspective, but she thought is was cool. Here's a pic Kim took, check out the blog and pics from our trip yesterday. Yes, we saw those whales and what they did yesterday. (They had telephoto lenses and real cameras.) The crew knows the whales by their markings and habits, and we felt like we were riding out to their hometown and being introduced to their neighbors. We came home to a dinner near the Inner Harbour and shopping. A good day. Off to a G...

Made it up about 0600 local time to run Dallas Road along the ocean this morning . Here's the live webcam from the path. While I was waking up and getting ready to run, I read again in Brennan Manning's Abba's Child . Bob, the counselor guy at Sonscape , gave a copy to Kim, but I have been reading it off and on since then. I love Manning's stuff because while I am not a recovering alcoholic, I am a recovering religion- holic like him. (Baptists and Catholics have more in common than you think when it comes to "keeping the rules" as the basis of our acceptance of God's love and of each other and love of ourselves.) This morning I read, "We give glory to God simply by being ourselves." (2002, 52) His statement followed Henri Nouwen's encouragement to a friend, "My only desire is to make these words reverberate in every corner of your being--'You are the Beloved.'" Our true self is the one God declares loved by His Son, Je...

Today was a travel day, and we made it to Victoria, Canada . Thanks to Tammy D who got us to the plane on time, we made our destination even after we were held up at the port of entry because Kim had no proof of citizenship. Seems what gets you on the plane from the USA to Canada is not adequate to let you into the country, but the border officer finally was satisfied after some questions, and he sent us through. (I hope Kim can get home ;-) The ferry ride to Vancouver Island and Victoria was spectacular! No whale sightings, but the coastline was beautiful and the weather is awesome. We are staying at the Gatsby Mansion Inn , a 19th century home turned into a hotel. The rooms are snug, but have great personality. Here are pictures of Kim in our room, me on the porch eating dinner (scallops and salmon, chocolate tart for desert), a picture of the front of the hotel, and the view from the porch toward the harbor. Wonderful! Kim and I had an hour plus dinner and conversation and wante...

What do Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico have in common? Two are destinations of members of the Wilkes family and one is the place of service for the Baker family. Let me connect everyone for you. Summer left this morning for Costa Rica with a team from Pine Cove where she is on staff for the summer. She will work a church about 45 minutes outside of Liberia called El Buen Pastor (The Good Shepherd). The church is located in a smaller town (La Fortuna ) near a volcano and in a forest . The team will work with Christian Camping International Latin America to train the people to use the camping experience to help people trust Jesus. She'll be back at Pine Cove in about ten days. Please pray for her as she serves the children and alongside her Christian brothers and sisters there. Kim and I head out tomorrow on the next leg of our wonderful adventure given to us by Legacy Church . We are headed to Vancouver, British Columbia , for some tourist-type activities over the weekend and t...

I had a great weekend with my parents at their place outside Grapeland, TX . They live on about 90 acres, and I always enjoy going to rest and catch up on what's happening in their lives. My oldest sister, LaVona, and my baby sister, Barbara, were there. Barbara's husband and daughter and her husband were there with the newest great grand child, Madeline. We had a blast (the kind you have at a farm--feeding cows, homemade ice cream and games, running the dogs, extended mealtimes, and dial-up Internet service), and I did rest. Something about being home that let's you relax like no place else. Kim and Summer made it down for less than 24 hours. Summer only gets that much time on weekends between groups that come to Pine Cove. By the way, she got her passport after Kim drove to Waco yesterday to meet the FedEx guy and Summer drove from Tyler to get it from her. Quite an odyssey. Summer leaves tomorrow for Costa Rica and her mission camp there. (I'll let you know the de...