Ucluelet

Sarah and I are sitting in a very quiet house in Ucluelet overlooking the water, waiting for the showers to end and the promised sun to come out at noon. I might go surfing this afternoon, though the surf forecast is not as good as it was, so I might not. I am supposed to be resting, and I am at least relaxing. But I find myself mostly thinking: about all of you (John, you scared us - a lot - the other night, and it just goes to show how much we all love you!); about Danny on some tiny island in the Philippines and Ben fussing with cars in Victoria; about the summer and fall ahead and all the uncertainties inherent in new seasons; about life and what I'm doing with it; about God and what he's doing with me. Lots of stuff.

And now, just to keep things interesting, we are getting another DOG! Aargh! Why does God make them so cute?! This one he is obviously placing in our laps, like a well-meaning Great Uncle might do. And though we are aware that puppies are harder to take care of than babies (well, maybe not), I bet this is just what we need right now. So here he is, since some of you asked. Or this may be his twin sister, but they look the same right now. He will arrive about June 20th, just about the time I will get much busier, so Sarah will be the one to spend the most time with him. We are hoping that Keeah, our current almost-14-year-old lab, will approve. We are getting many suggestions on what to name him. What do you think? Keep in mind that whatever you name a dog you have to be willing to yell at the top of your lungs out your back door at ten o'clock at night. I am not yelling, "Fufu! Fufu, come boy!"

I LOVE reading what you write here, the K7 newsfeed on Facebook, the occasional phone calls, emails and even real letters (thank you, Katie!), and seeing Bob, Ellie and Rivera here at Qwanoes. We just love hearing from and about you, and seeing the grace of God active in your lives. There is a great deal of satisfaction when the seedlings you nurtured in the greenhouse so obviously take root and flourish in the yard. "I planted the seed, Kristie watered it, Justin applied fertilizer and Marissa did the weeding, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor she who waters nor he who fertilizes nor she who weeds is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters and the one who fertilizes and the one who weeds have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field... (1 Corinthians 3, with creativity).

So now what? Paul goes on to say,

"You are... God's building. By the grace God has given me, we laid a foundation as expert builders, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light."

Bob is not the only Builder. You too are building on the Jesus foundation we laid over this past year. You are building on this foundation with the lives of the people God gives you this summer - family, friends, strangers, fellow-workers, campers, whoever - and people out there are building on you. Be careful how you build! I have learned over the years that all I have to offer is wood, hay and straw, which in the end just gets burned up, and that God has all the gold, silver and precious stones. Trust him to supply, often in the nick of time, or in ways unexpected, or suddenly with an abundance that overwhelms and excites you. Remain in him and you will bear much fruit, fruit that will last (John 15).

Miss you all. Talk with you soon.