Our first day off ..... and certainly well deserved

Friends and family,

The words that will soon flow out of these keys will do little justice to this new world that we have been immersed in. I will do my best to describe what a typical day is like and all the crazy adventures that we have already had. Thanks for all the comments that people have provided it is a great way for us to feel connected.

The best way to start off is to tell you about the things that we have already done. Wilderness first aid and safety is behind us. Following that we divided into two different groups, primarily based on kayaking skills. Jason and I were on different groups. Somebody recently asked if Jason was the best kayaker. Jason and I had a similar response - laughter because many individuals in the group are pretty experienced in white water activities. One of the guys has been in rafts and kayaks since he was four years old. We both certainly have so much to learn and we've already gained some amazing insights. Each group spent two days kayaking and then two days rafting. Both of us found rafting awkward at first because they glide so much and they are like big tanks compared to kayaks. I worked hard on my roll and it feels much more natural but still haven't figured out how it works while being flipped upside down bobbing around on waves.

This past weekend we went out to Esprit's lunch spot, this is also the location of the last rapid on the Middle Channel of the Ottawa River. We completed out swift water rescue course, where we learned rope systems and what to do when accidents happen in white water. The highlight was the scenario/night search. I'll have to describe what that is and how it works on another post.

Canoeing was the first time Jason and I were together. After I spent a few hours stressed out trying to learn canoe strokes and how to ferry a canoe whileJason graciously tried to be patient with me, we both independetly decided it was better not to learn brand new ideas while we are in the same boat. At least we figured that out early on :0)

So there are a few new things to get you started. I know it isn't quite what I promised but I do hope that you learned something new. I'll try to write again soon. Friday we take a school bus 12 hrs. North, to the mighty Rupert River where we do a 7 day canoe trip in 5 days. Rumour has it that a group may even be portaging 21 km (a 7 km portage, in two trips) in a day. We'll need lots of prays over those days!!

Hope you are all well. Remember that we love to hear how things are so tell us about what's been going on because that isn't the norm for us anymore.