SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JULY 12 &13

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JULY 12 & 13:

            A short, easy drive to Banff from Mt. Kidd – about an hour.  Our campground looks very familiar from last year, but much more crowded!  Virtually every site (321 total) is taken.  So, as you’re driving down the campground interior road on the way to your site, it looks very crowded.  However, the way they have the sites terraced lends more privacy that you would first think.   

     Got set up very easily, and rested a while.  Then drove into town.  Man, looks like New York City.  Culture shock, after having been in such (relatively) secluded places for almost 3 weeks now.  As gorgeous as the surroundings are, and as charming as the town is, I can surely see why Rob & Karen haven’t paid a visit here for about 15 years.  But we’ll make the most of our stay here.

     Karen had recommended a place called Earl’s as a good place for burgers, salads, and other casual fare.   It was right across from the Visitors Center, where paid a visit, so went there for an early dinner.  Both of our burgers were excellent, if high in price.  And even at 4:00, the place was crowded and noisy.  Can’t imagine it at 7:00!

     Then spent an hour or so at the grocery store.  A real grocery store – with fresh meat and produce!!  Even though everything was sky high, still felt that we were in the Promised Land.

     Very, very warm today – I’d even say hot.  So we turned on the  A/C at bedtime.

     Got up Sunday to go to the little Presbyterian church in town we’d attended last fall.  As he did last time, the pastor asked folks in the congregation to identify where they were from.  The young couple behind us were from visiting from China!  After the service, we turned around and chatted a little with them (they’re on a 4-week holiday travelling across Canada), and then spontaneously invited them to share dinner with us tonight. 

     So the afternoon was devoted to more R & R.  I had a hard time falling asleep last night, so easily dozed in the sunshine just outside our RV.

     Soon it was time to start getting things ready for dinner. Prepared zucchini/pepper/onion kabobs, roasted potatoes, and a salad to go along with the ribs Bill was going to baste & grill. 

     Our new Chinese acquaintances drove up right on time.  They are tenting in the next campground over.  We had a wonderful time with them.  He (“Jackie” is his adopted Western name) learned some English while at University.  His wife  (“Snow” is her Chinese name translated into English) has only learned it from him.  So neither is anywhere near fluent, but they try very hard, and we were able to communicate just fine.  They live in a city near Shanghai.   They are both Christian believers – she grew up in a 3^rd generation believing family; he heard the gospel from a friend while at University. He left a career in chemical engineering to attend seminary and be a Bible teacher at their church in China.  It’s classified as a “home church,” even though it has about 300 members, because it’s not officially licensed by the government.  But it’s certainly not underground or secret.  There’s very little of that any more in today’s China.  We asked them a lot about what conditions were like for Christians there today . . . and, while the official teaching in Chinese govt-run schools is that there is no God,  the government generally allows the free practice of religion these days.  As Jackie says, the gov’t isn’t happy with how robustly Christianity has taken hold in the past couple of decades, but neither do they try to extinguish & persecute it any more.  I’m sure that has a lot to do with the enormous opening up of trade and cross-cultural business exchanges within the last couple of decades.  So it would seem that God is using the current economic/cultural climate to open up inroads into His kingdom in that part of the world. 

     Jackie has 3 more years at seminary – I believe the Malaysian Baptist Seminary??  Sometimes he attends on campus there in Malaysia; sometimes they send professors to China.   After graduation,  he would like to work full-time as a lead pastor and/or a “missionary” to people groups in China who need to hear the gospel (e.g., Muslims).  Snow teaches kindergarten, and also is a dancer – that explains her tiny size!  She teaches some dance classes at their church. Pretty amazing, since that’s a relatively new thing here in the States.   Makes me nostalgic for Sunrise’s Soul Steppers and Bethany’s dancing days.    

     They are a precious couple.  They are brave and adventuresome   It’s a daunting journey to take off for a different continent where you only haltingly speak the language, to plan an itinerary, and and to camp for 4 weeks in a tent!  (They’ve done the same thing in parts of Europe.)  I’m so glad the Spirit moved us to ask them over to dinner!  They obviously enjoyed it – ate a lot, and expressed much appreciation.  We will keep in touch with this new brother & sister in the Faith.  One of the unexpected blessings we’ve gotten on these long trips is getting glimpses of how Almighty God is working all over the world, building His kingdom person by person, faith community by faith community.  It was a taste of heaven when all four of us sang 2 or 3 familiar hymns around the picnic table – same tune, different words, one heart and spirit.  

                                                                                            

 

         Very warm again today, but perfect in the shade and when we eat.  After the sun goes down, gets considerably cooler so that you need a light jacket.   But if the RV’s been closed up during the day, is still very warm inside – hence the need for A/C at night to sleep.