How did you spend the first Sunday of Advent?

We woke up before sunrise, which isn't that difficult in December!  Our hosts were making coffee and rustling in the kitchen.  Walter and I quickly got ourselves up, showered and ready for the day.  

The day before we had driven from Regina to Osler, SK, to have lunch with friends.  After a delicious chicken quesadilla lunch and frozen pumpkin dessert, we reluctantly said goodbye and made our way to the NCEM office outside Prince Albert.

We unloaded 10 boxes of Tribal Trails t-shirts (1,000 t-shirts of every size and colour imaginable) and several pairs of boots donated to the ministry.  We reloaded with some more PR supplies and 6 boxes of Bibles to bring back to Regina. After a quick visit with a couple of staff members who happened to be around, we headed to town again to have supper with friends.  It was so cold up north - 8 degrees Celsius colder than when we left balmy Regina!  It was difficult to leave our friends' warm home after a meal and hot cup of tea.  

Alas, we ventured out in the cold to drive across the city of Prince Albert to another friends' home for the night.  They greeted us with more offers of food and a hot beverage.  We had a wonderful visit and finally excused ourselves to bed at 11 pm.  That's late for old folks like us!

We watched the sun rise as we sat at the breakfast table.  With full bellies and strong coffee to fortify us, Walter and I jumped into the warmed vehicle to drive to Melfort, SK for church.  We had never been to the Free Methodist Church there and wanted to be early.  Between following a snow plow for the first 15 minutes, then dealing with ice and snow patches on the highway, it took over an hour to drive 88 kilometres!  We made it to the church with 15 minutes to spare.  

What a friendly welcome we experienced as we brought in our gear.  The elderly folks were thankful to have us share the Word as they are between pastors.  With about a dozen parishioners in the pews, we sang the familiar Christmas hymns and joined our new friends in their prayer time.  Walter preached Matthew 28 on the Great Commission;  I sang an Advent song I wrote "O Candlelight."  One of the ladies lit the Advent candle and another read Scriptures about the promise of the coming Messiah.  It was a special service as we celebrated the Christian tradition that many others celebrated around the world!  We had never met these believers before, but in Christ, this common practice of Advent bound us together.

The woman who had contacted Walter about preaching offered to take us for lunch.  We enjoyed a delicious meal at Venice House and reluctantly said we needed to hit the road for the 3 hour drive back home.  The pale blue winter sky and white whisps of smoke rising from chimneys made a pretty picture as we journeyed down the number 6 highway.  I saw several mule deer in belly deep snow near a bluff of leafless trees.  The roads were mostly clear and the trip was uneventful.  

Home sweet home as dusk stole over the prairie.