Car vs. Bus

We are getting along just fine without a car thank you very much! Mom just wrote and said she sold the old Buick, so now you see Sissy and I travelling around town in our red "limousine". It's quite easy to get around town on the bus system here. And more economical than a car! So don't cry for me Argentina.

Bike Hike

We had such a great Sunday! The worship service was so good this morning. And the attendance was great this morning. We had many terrific conversations with people.
The weather was also perfect. After lunch Sissy and João and I decided on a bike ride. We were having so much fun, we decided to head over to the Quebec side. We rode around behind the museum of civilization. We crossed back over into Ontario and tried to ride behind Parliament Hill, but discovered it was closed (after riding down a big incline!). So we went back to Quebec and came home the way we went. (I won't mention getting lost on Ottawa River Pathway on the Ontario side...)
It was a terrific little outing that lasted 3 hours. We all felt great when we got home - just a little sweaty and anxious to take showers. But I notice everyone was pretty quiet this evening. I think we will sleep well. We are all looking forward to a wonderful week. God was so good to us this week, answering our prayers in such good ways, that we know this week will be exciting as well as we discover the wonderful ways He cares for us.

Spring has done sprung

It looks like Spring is here in Ottawa. We are so thrilled. It's warmed up nicely and for the first time in our four years here, we really feel like we are having a real spring - a gradual warming. It's bright and sunny and we just love it. Little green things are poking up out of the ground. The day Sissy arrived, my mini-crocus appeared (white). Then over the weekend the purple ones came up. That's a sure sign of spring to me. Isn't she lovely?

We had a great weekend, enjoying the terrific weather. Sissy and her father went out biking on Saturday. She and I biked to a birthday party on Sunday. We did have to stop a few times, due to our very serious crisis - we couldn't stop laughing, making it hard to breathe and ride the bike.
We are SO enjoying having her here. She started classes on Friday and we were pleased that she has a native speaker as a teacher (a Canadian). She took a placement test and placed in the Beginner 3 level - together with people who have been in the country a long time. It's a challenge for her, but she'll do fine. Everyone wanted to talk with her on Sunday and it was a little overwhelming, but that's just what she needs. We are trying to speak English at lunchtime at least.
All else is going well in our corner of the world. Hope yours is too.

She's he-e-e-e-r-e!

Today Sissy arrived from Brazil. Not on schedule, but the important part is that she is here. She arrived in Toronto early this morning and had to go through immigration there. When she didn't answer all the questions to their satisfaction, she had to get into a line for the one translator for all the Brazilians and Argentinians. She waited and waited. She missed her plane and the next one as well. Fortunately there are planes every hour from Toronto to Ottawa. There was no problem on her side, because as soon as she got out, there was a desk and someone waited on her in Portuguese and re-checked the luggage and rescheduled her flight and even told her where to go to catch the plane.
In the meantime, however, we had no idea of what was happening since we had gotten to the airport early. So, I came home with Barry and left João at the airport. That way, if she arrived someone would be there. And if she called, someone would be home. I got home and got on the phone to Air Canada and discovered she was due to arrive at 11:00. (They wouldn't tell me at the airport because of privacy laws. But they did on the phone - Go figure!!!) When João called from the airport, I said: "She arriving now" and he said "No, she's here!" I then called Anne who gladly drove me back out to the airport (even with a terrible cold!) and there Sissy was. I jumped out of the car and gave her a big hug. I hardly waited for the car to slow down. There wasn't time to catch it on film, so we gave it a posed shot. See how happy we are?