"And don't worry about breakfast for us," Walter and I had conveyed our wishes to Cathy.  But she insisted on coffee and some pastries and fruit.  Carroll and Cathy were up and waiting for us as we made our way to the breakfast table.  The coffee tasted great and I put a few small items on my plate. We had a nice visit - watching the clock as Cathy had an appointment in Sussex at 10 o'clock.  

We packed our bags and again carried a few gifts that they insisted on giving us.  Carroll is an amazing artist and paints on canvas, antlers and wood slices from fallen trees.  We took the small Christmas scenes and candle holders, wondering how we would fit everything in our luggage!

Our next visit would be lots of fun!  Jane Ness lives in Sussex, so our trip was only about 20 minutes to her place.  It was grey and cloudy.  Small droplets of rain dotted our windshield.  We pulled into the guest parking near Jane's address.  Before we arrived on her doorstep, Jane had swung the door open and greeted us exuberantly!  "Come on in!  Welcome, Selkes!"  She embraced us in huge bear hugs and then let us in her small one-bedroom apartment suite.

Jane had completed the candidate training that our new missionaries take when they join NCEM last spring.  She had explored missions back in the mid-1980's, participating in the Northern Missionary Training Camp in La Loche, SK.  Then after that summer, she volunteered at Arrowhead Native Bible Centre for many years.  Her journey took her to work with children and she also took in foster kids.  After struggling with some health issues, Jane was finally able to pursue her dream of being a missionary.  So she applied to serve part time with NCEM, her heart being burdened for the First Nation community of Big Cove in New Brunswick.  

We had built a bond with Jane during the missionary training weeks and she was beyond excited to have us in her home.  She served us an amazing brunch of steak and potatoes, homemade biscuits and slices of tomato, plus coffee that could raise the dead! When I couldn't eat another bite, she brought out cinnamon buns!  We said we would enjoy them more later on so we moved into her cozy living room with our coffees to relax.

It was great to talk about the people we knew in common, and then find out more about her next trip planned for Big Cove.  We had a special time, especially as we closed our visit with prayer.  

As we left Jane's - with armfuls of Christmas ornaments she had leftover from the craft sale at Arrowhead - the rain had turned to mist.  We drove away with Jane waving goodbye through her front room window, tears flowing even though she smiled. It would be a few months until we saw each other again.

The drive back to Cumberland Bay was quiet as Walter and I processed the last couple of interactions with the Hills and Jane.  We had supper plans at the Strouts that evening, our last full day in the Maritimes.  First, we stopped at the camp to unload our luggage. Then we drove the ten minutes to Kevin and Marcia's place.  Their home was nicely decorated for Christmas and the smell of something tasty filled the house.  

The Strouts had just acquired a new puppy and their two teen aged sons were busy keeping track of the wiggling little thing!  (They also have two daughters who are away at college.)  So the six of us had an entertaining time watching the puppy's antics and making small talk.

Supper was a delicious turkey pot pie and butternut squash.  So good!  I actually turned down dessert as we had done nothing active all day to wear off the big meals we had consumed.  It was good to visit with the Strouts and reminisce about the week they spent in Regina with us ten or more years ago.  As part of their missionary training, they could choose a week on wilderness trails or a week in an urban trails program.  They chose Regina and we hosted their family along with some others in learning about urban ministry and inner city outreach.

By 9 o'clock, we were about done in.  We said our good-byes and felt we had learned a lot about their ministry and their family.  God had surely blessed us with faithful and diligent workers.

Needless to say, we were exhausted and still had some sorting to do of our clothes and souvenirs.  But that could wait until the morning!  We crashed hard, thankful we didn't need an alarm to wake us.