Monthly Archives: July 2010

It has been hard to find time to process photos and post them on Flikr but I intend to get some new ones up there from the past few days.  We have gone to a new place each day.  Each day a new set of sights but also a new round of visits with old friends.

Yesterday was strictly sightseeing in Brugge, often called the Venice of the North.

We had a guide of the best sort – one of the fathers from this house that has taken many groups to Brugge. 

He has served as a missionary in Japan for years. Now he is retired spending his time helping to drive sick fathers to the hospital, take care of the daily prayer and help to  show visitors like us around.  He was a great guide and we had lots of fun. 

Today we spent up in Antwerp.  Met some more friends – Barb and Steve Swanson.  Barb was with us for awhile in the Congo and now is serving with the Mosaics project with marginalized peoples in Europe and Steve is the pastor of the English speaking International Church in Antwerp.

The photo is, by the way, not the international church.  They haven’t been around enough centuries!  This is the Cathedral in which there is presently an amazing display of the old masters.  Many of the paintings by Reubens are part of the permanent art that hangs in the church.

We walked and saw sights, ate lunch together, stopped to buy chocolates, people watched and talked.  It was a great day.  There were street musicians busking and we stopped to watch this group.  They had the most interesting instruments.

Now, I have a few tasks to do before turning in for the night.  Tomorrow we meet another friend and see yet another city.  Then we will be off for England on Friday.

Time is passing too quickly.

Today was the 40th Anniversary of our marriage.  It was quite a day of celebration.  You might wonder about spending a wedding anniversary with a bunch of celibate missionaries.  But we are just a bit crazy anyway from those years in the Congo I guess.

This morning they said a special prayer for us during the mass, went out of their way to recognize our big day at every opportunity and just have been so great to be with.  We even had a special dessert presented to everyone on the occasion – so beautiful to look at that it was almost too good to eat.  Plus special bottles of wine- including a white wine for me who is allergic to red.

This afternoon we walked over to the neighboring convent to meet another Congo friend and she welcomed us with open arms and then presented us with a bottle of Brandy.  While we were sitting there along came another sister who had been in our part of the Congo and she recounted how she had come to see me to have a tooth removed and then we had invited her to our home for lunch.

It was a day of amazing memories.  Fellowship so sweet like heaven!

This morning came early – the alarms were set for 3:30 and we did wake up!  In fact it is very hard to sleep at all worrying about sleeping through the alarm, in spite of the very comfortable borrowed bed. (Thanks Shaun and Renelle) We picked David up and left for the airport at about 4:10.  Poor David. 

Got to the airport and checked our bags.  Then I sat down and opened my backpack and saw the little video camera.  Instantly I realized that our other cameras were still in the back seat of the car.  So David got to run to the airport twice.  As Leo said, he has high maintenance parents. 

Anyway, here we are in Toronto already waiting in the lounge for our next flight which does not leave till this afternoon.  This is one time I really appreciate Leo’s purchase that gives us access to this space.  He travels enough to make use of it regularly – me about twice a year.  It is nice on a day like this.

Oh yeah, I would wager that Saskatoon has the most vicious mosquitoes in the world.  There is water everywhere around the city – perfect breeding grounds.  Even the doors to the airport failed to keep them out.  But I don’t think they were allowed past security.  Maybe there was enough fresh blood to suck on the hapless folks standing in line to check in.