A connection to my Canadian home...

So yesterday, we had a short-term mission team through J.Lynn's.

This is not unusual. We often have groups that come through for lunch or to have drinks and a place to meet.

 

The team was from Bethel School of Ministry in Redding, CA. The former manager here at J.Lynn's goes to that church so she made sure they planned to have lunch with us here.

 

With 24 people, that was lots of pizza, bagel sandwiches and drinks... and a birthday cake for one of the team members. Always fun is the women here at J.Lynn's giving a robust rendition of Happy Birthday in Kinyarwanda.

 

So a couple of fun things for me...

 

I'm taking drinks orders at the counter and across the room a young guy in his 20's, flings his arms wide open and says 'I here you're Canadian!' 'Well, yes I am... and where you from?' 'Vancouver but moved to Winnipeg a number of years ago as my dads a pastor there... just about to head back there after 2 years in California.'

 

Awhile later as I'm checking on everything a woman leans over and says to me ... 'Where in Ontario are you from?'

 

Now when I get that question, I always answer , 'Just out of Toronto.' I never know what one knows about Canada and well, thinking most can connect with Toronto. She says back to me... 'No where in ON?' My next answer is usually always Kitchener-Waterloo, but I hesitated and she says, 'I'm from Guelph.'

 

'No way! Get out!!'
(As a side note, when I relayed this happening to my family later... the kids totally mocked me out the rest of the night with this expression...sigh!)

 

And then she says... 'You wouldn't happen to know Jim and Bonnie Tice?'

 

Ha... do I!! YES!! They were with International Teams when I started in 1995...

 

Turns out Ann and Bonnie are good friends, she was on the hiring committee when they were first hired on in some churches in Guelph, she was on a short-term mission team that I facilitated through IT for them... etc. etc. 

 

Made my day.

 

Not only was she Canadian but it was like a piece of home. And so random...

 

Blows my mind how God orchestrates lives to weave lives together. We never know where someone is going to turn up in our lives again or who will come across our life journey with connections to the past... and then we move forward together in life. What a blessing.

 

Before they left, Anne and two others sought me out and asked if they could pray for me. Not many people offer to do that in my life here. I'm usually the one praying for others. Needless to say it was a great blessing to be prayed and prophesied over... totally affirming for me in the midst of all going on in life and moving J.Lynn's forward.

 

I know that God goes ahead of me and that God is pleased. May I continue to be faithful.

Myself and Anne