Today we went out to Duncan because their pastor is in Korea for two weeks. Herman spoke for the morning service. It was so encouraging to see more people in their congregation. Half are Asian and half are First Nations. We have visited this small church several times, so we know the people. During the summer Indigenous Games, some of the church people helped families from our Navajo Rez with lodging and even meals. Herman spoke on Isaiah 57:14-15 and how God may be a holy God but yet reaches out to those who are lowly in spirit and who are broken. And because of that whatever obstacle may be in the way, whether it be alcohol or drugs or low self-esteem or thinking you are nothing, God can remove those obstacles and lift you out with Him. Afterward, we had a time of fellowship and had some goooood food.

We are soo looking forward to going back to the States. WE WANT MUTTON!!! It's going to be fun just being with family again. Gabriel, our oldest son, informed us that there will be a youth leadership workshop on Saturday the 22nd and he's going to be one of the presenters. That was awesome news. He will be presenting on How to Study the Bible. We were so thrilled because if you know Gabriel at all, he's like his dad. Quiet (in public), hardly says anything (in public), and doesn't like drawing attention to himself (in public). Yet here he is, presenting a workshop! It just reminded us of the day he was born and we dedicated him back to God. In the Bible, it tells us to "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it" (Prov. 22:6). We are seeing the fruits of a lifetime of training. So Boz, if you're reading this, mom and dad are praying for you and are just bustin' at the seams. Don't be surprised to see a cheering section of crazy Paddocks...we're just everywhere.

There's so many stories to tell just from these past 9 months. We want to tell about the elderly Christian man that we've had luncheons with, the two brothers and their families that we have met in Ahousaht, the family from Esperanza, the congregation from Campbell River, our pastors from Southside who are as crazy as we are, fishing buddies, First Nations people we have met on the ferry boats and in the hospital and through God-moments. God is at work, and He is in control.

But right now, we are looking forward to mutton....

Wow, today (Thursday) the sun was out all day with nary a cloud in the sky. Of course, all the lawn mowers started up. We are learning that sunny days are not too common so when it comes, everyone takes advantage of it by doing outdoor work. But for us, we were busy sorting, packing, and cleaning. We are hoping to begin moving stuff to the other house by next weekend so hopefully things work out. Our current place was nice, very modern and clean, but we wanted a house since we came mainly because of the space. We are moving but we're still going to be in Port.

As of November 14 or 15, we will have been in Port Alberni nine months. It's been quite a journey; we have met so many people already, a lot of cool people. The ministry is slow, but that's fine with us. We just want to get to know the area, the people, and the cultures. Non-Native people sometimes assume that all Natives (Native American if you're from the States, First Nations if you're from Canada) are the same, but this is not true. The cultures and the languages are very different, so we have been learning quite a lot about our First Nations "relatives".

Overall, we have had to make several adjustments--food, currency rates, weather, but we made it to nine months and we intend to be here for quite awhile. Our God is good, and He takes care of us and provides for us. Sure, we have our days when we miss family and friends, deal with health issues, or even confront the attack of the evil one but we know we are where we need to be. Our life is to live for God.

"I desire to do Your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8

We are new at this blogging stuff and will have more stuff up in a while. Cynthia is studying for a big exam this week so until she gets done, this is more or less on hold. In the meantime, we submitted a 30-days' notice to our landlords informing them that we will be moving out this month. So yup, we're moving. More on that later...so please standby...