A Wild West Adventure

Introduction...

Shane and Kristy Davis are missionaries in Alberta, Canada.  They have been serving the Lord there for 4 years.  They have 4 children. 

Colton - 9

Emma - 6

Marshall - 5

Isabella - 3

You can follow Kristy Davis and her family on her blog, the 

Canadian Chronicles.

Kristy writes....

We began our "Wild West Adventure" 4 years ago!  The Lord called us to Alberta, Canada; and after 18 months of deputation, we packed up and drove across North America.  For approximately 18 months, the Lord led us to work along-side a veteran, Canadian pastor that started Victory Baptist Church 30 years ago.  This was a wonderful time spent learning Canadian culture and making new friends that would encourage us along the way.  In turn, that church helped us start Hinton Baptist Church in September of 2008. The church is now almost 3 years old.

Hinton is a town of 10,000 people located at the base of the Canadian Rockies.  There are lots of fun activities to do in Hinton, some of which include hiking, canoeing, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, and winter activities including ice-skating on an area lake, hockey, sledding(even with dogs), skiing, curling, and much more.   Now you see why this "city-girl" calls it our "Wild-West Adventure"! The main industries are oil, natural gas, mining, and a pulp mill; therefore, our town is very wealthy financially, however they do not have the Lord.  Most people are not interested in spiritual things, and spend their energy, time and money on the cares of this world.  

Since coming to Canada, the Lord has worked many things in my heart; one of which is to think of serving the Lord as an adventure.  Each day holds new experiences, and sometimes obstacles(like driving in the snow).  I can look at it one of two ways.... I can be sad, discouraged, and downcast or I can enjoy the life, full of adventure, that the Lord has given me.  I can be like Paul, in Philippians 4:11, and say "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.(even in a snowy one)"  I often miss my family, but the Lord draws my heart back to Matthew 19:29-30 "And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundred fold now in this time... AND in the world to come eternal life."  What a blessing to get to move to Canada for the "gospel's sake"!  With the American dollar so low, we live each day by faith... that's an adventure in itself!  How comforting to know, "... your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Matthew. 6:32b.

Now, I'm not the only one with such an adventuresome life.  If you look closely, you can find adventure too... in the small things.  You know, like when the 2 year old unrolls the WHOLE roll of toilet paper again, or when you are running late to church because "someone" locked your keys in the car.  What about that adventure of being able to go on visitation... never know what you'll face at that next door.   How about... after giving your tithe, offering, and missions commitment to the Lord, just sitting back and watching the adventure unfold, as the Lord miraculously provides. You may ask...Do you always succeed?  No way, I'm normal.  However, each day I must ask the Lord to help me take every thought captive.  I need His help to do the daily mundane activities "as unto the Lord", and for the "gospels sake".  This cannot be done in my strength; only as I am following Christ.  Dear friends, please pray that the Lord will help me to be what He wants me to be.
It is exciting to serve the Lord and live for Him!

Be sure to visit Canadian Chronicles to see more of our exciting life since coming to Alberta.

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 KIdZ kOrNEr

There are many wild animals here in the Canadian Rockies.   Bear, moose, deer, elk, big-horn sheep, mountain goats, and many other kinds of animals roam, sometimes even coming into our town.  My children have enjoyed seeing all the wildlife, and learning how God made them to survive.  My boys like to go hunting with dad, and the girls help me cook the healthy meat that the boys bring home.  This saves us lots of money, as the meat in the grocery store is very expensive.

About a block from our home is a special place that we like to go called the "Beaver Boardwalk".  It is a wooden walkway built among the wetlands and around a lake. Below is a picture of the beaver hut that has been there for over 20 years.  The beavers enter their lodge through an underwater entrance... neat eh?(that's Canadian talk)

Some interesting facts about beavers:

 

1) They are the largest member of the rodent family in Canada.

2) It is the Canadian national animal, and is on our 5 cent piece (nickel).

3) Each beaver colony consists of a Mommy and Daddy beaver, and their children from the previous two years.

 4) Only family members are allowed in the colony, all strange beavers get chased away.

5) Their front teeth grow continuously and are orange!

6) They are herbivores.... that means they eat plants.

7) They have a third eyelid that works like goggles under the water.

8) If you see it's tail while it is swimming, it is not a beaver, but a muskrat (which often shares the pond habitat).

9) To warn other beavers of danger, they slap their tail on the water.

10) They are second only to humans, in their ability to change an environment.  They don't stop until the work is done!

Now..... Go see what else you can learn about our national animal, and share it with us in the comments section below!!!

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