Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow!!! Thank you so much for praying and keeping tabs on us! You just don't know what that means to us, but thank you!!

Just a warning: This is a really long post. Really long.

Well, let me start off by saying that the preaching was FANTASTIC!!! Every message spoke to my heart, and the Lord used Pastor Sullivant in a great way! I had never met neither Pastor Sullivant nor his lovely wife, Brenda. But can I say, what a godly couple!! He is pastor of their church, Pembina Valley Baptist Church, in Winkler, Manitoba, as well as president of their college. They are down to earth, but their love for the Lord as well as their commitment to His service is very obvious!

I had met Pastor Pennell maybe once or twice before, but never his wife. Another godly couple!! They have laboured in the church that they started back in the 70's, and they are doing a fantastic job there in Barrie. Not only do they have a ministry there, but they have also sent out many people from their church to be missionaries, pastors, etc. They have a REAL love for missions. The whole week I kept telling people that I felt very spoiled. Then I got to thinking that the word "spoiled" just doesn't sound good. I think that term is the redneck coming out in me:). Now I realize what I mean by being spoiled: BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!!!! That's what I felt like the whole week!!!

Wednesday: We got to the church and set up our display, then drove over to the motel where Alan checked us in. He had to go and check out the room (this is somewhat significant, and I will tell you more about that later). There he found a beautiful fruit basket, a book by Terri Chappell, and an envelope with instructions as to what was planned for the week, as well as a love offering and something to help us with our meals. You would think that that was enough, right?! Not according to Heritage!! The room was phenomenal! Not only did everyone have a place to sleep, but there was a place for 4 suitcases, a backpack, and ALL of our shoes (that is a big order!). And then, there was a ton of space for walking around! It was wonderful! After unloading, we went to supper and then on to church. Mrs. Pennell and her daughter-in-law Janell worked very hard, and we went to the Pennell's home for refreshments afterwards.

Thursday: Alan and Austin had the privilege of going to the school and speaking to the high schoolers. Then came back and picked us up and we went back to the church for lunch and then once school resumed, we were able to speak to another class of students about Togo. That was fun! I was impressed by their questions. When that was done, because it was miserable outside, we just decided to go back to the hotel and take it easy, ordered pizza for supper, and watched the Jays play. John MacDonald played, YAY! We went to church, and then after service, we went to the Pennell's house for refreshments.

Friday: We slep in that day, and took our time getting ready. We kind of had a late breakfast down in the lobby, and we were able to have a fantastic visit with the Ruby family who were also in the conference. Each missionary family took their turn going out for supper with the Pennells and the Sullivants, and this was our night. We had a terrific time of fellowship with them! After the service, was teen night, so we joined the teens downstairs, where we would just have some time getting to know them. We have a wonderful time, and had the opportunity to share with some of them about Togo, and we got to know them by asking them questions. Pizza was served...it was a good thing I had a Caesar salad for supper:)

Saturday: The men had the opportunity to go to the Classic car show in Toronto, and then on their way back, they stopped in at the Bass Pro Shop. They left at 9:30 and got back around 3:30. As for the ladies, we were REALLY blessed! At every service during the conference, an offering was taken. This offering was used to divide between the missionary wives and Mrs. Sullivant. Mrs. Pennell first drove us to the house where the girls would be lovingly taken care of and have a great time while the moms were gone. Then she took us to lunch which was really good! Then she drove us to the mall, where we each went our own way, and then we would meet back at a certain time. Now, those of you who really know me, you know that I am just NOT a shopper, unless: it is Value Village, it is for the children, or it is for a gift for someone else. But this time, I had a B.L.A.S.T.! Janelle and I went together, and I have to say, I think I many have met my twin. We like the same style of clothes and shoes. The fellowship was sweet, and she really knows what she is doing!! There were some really great sales, and I was able to pick up a couple of things for the children. I looked for something for Alan, and I really wanted to get him a tie, but we don't see eye to eye on tie fashion (he has a MUCH better eye for it than I do), so I didn't get him anything, sorry, honey:(. For supper, we were invited to some one's house, where we had some great fellowship and some pizza with their family, which includes a REALLY LARGE dog! When we got home, I was able to use the hotel laundry facilities, but there was only one set. I think it took around 3 hours to get it done. So, I crawled into bed at midnight, happily knowing that the family would be nice and clean for Sunday!!

Since this post is so long, and there is still more, I think I will cut it off for now and use a different post tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day,

Psalm 113:1,2

Love,

Ida