Quebec and Maritimes!

Wow, so much has happened since last post.

Last post we had just left the Hounsome home. On May. 15th we traveled to the Peters home near Aylmer. They have 9 kids and live on a farm. We did a concert in Aylmer on Friday night, May 15th. We were thrilled to see Elizabeth Heikoop (our cousin) at the concert! There was such a great spirit that night and we really appreciated the opportunity to minister in that area.

Visiting with Elizabeth and Nellie Heikoop after the concert:


The Peters showed us around the area the following day. It was neat to meet some Amish and see how they lived. We observed and participated in the busy asparagus harvest at the Peter's farm, too. They still make the most amazing whole wheat, organic tortilla's ever.

Grading asparagus with the Peters:


Eating some hot tamales :)

An Amish furniture store.. Really cool:

Sunday (May 17th) afternoon we traveled to Virgil, Ont. The place where the concert was held was filled with so many young families. We met some really neat people there. One of the families there were from Pennsylvania, the McMichaels, and they invited us to come to their area and do a concert there on our way home through the states.

Monday (May. 18th) we were able to travel around the Niagara area. It was awesome to explore Niagara-On-The-Lake and see the Niagara falls again. We also enjoyed the opportunity to get a lot of walking in that day...over 7 miles..

Mom and Dad by Niagara Falls:
The fam:


In the evening we traveled to the Mansfield home near Niagara. They have 3 children, 2 of which were adopted. It was really neat to hear their testimonies of how they were able to adopt their kids and how God has worked in the children.

Campfire with the Mansfields:
Johnny-Mike with a hat a little too heavy for his head:
The Mansfield family:


Tuesday (19th) we traveled all the way to Deux Montagnes (Two Montains) in the suburbs of Montreal to an AGC Church there. We stayed the night in the church and did a concert there the next day. The folks there were so warm and appreciative as they said they rarely get to hear English groups. Mom also loved the opportunity to connect and visit with Christine, a dear friend. It really felt like a foreign country with french exclusively on every sign. :)
Thursday (21st) we traveled from Montreal to Quebec City. It was so fascinating to walk through old Quebec along the St. Lawrence and see all the amazing history. In the evening we stayed at a People's Church near Quebec City.

In old Quebec City:



A lot of cool old shops around...



Friday (22nd) We traveled from Quebec City to Grand Falls, New Brunswick where we stayed in a hotel. It was so nice to see English again!
Saturday (23rd) we traveled to Geary, NB. We arrived there in the afternoon and set up our equipment for the morning service concert. We were billeted out that night. Jeremiah and I were billeted out to the Smith family and had a great time with them. All the rumors about how friendly the maritimers are is definitely true!
Sunday 24th we did a concert in the morning at the Geary Baptist Church. Wow, incredibly responsive folks! So much energy. The pastor and his wife there are really genuine, funny people. We attended their grad banquet late afternoon, singing a couple of songs, and Jesse spoke and I shared my testimony. At 7 pm we were back at the church for a full house and another very energetic crowd. A great new friend, James, from another church who was at that concert invited us back for a concert in their church later in June.

Singing in Geary (photo courtest of Ashley Smith):


Monday (25th) morning we left Geary and all our new friends to travel to the Marlowe and Rosalind Wood family on Prince Edward Island. We crossed over the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick over to Prince Edward Island that afternoon. PEI is one of the most beautiful places in the world. So amazing. That evening we had a great time of fellowship with the Wood family and stayed at their home that night. They recently moved from B.C. and have a beautiful home and acreage! They are sure creative and industrious.

The Wood Family:

Eating with the Wood family :D :



Tuesday (26th) morning we left the Wood family and spent most of the day exploring the Island. We found a really cool secluded beach with the red rocks and cliffs. In the evening we headed to a cottage that the Robinson family had offered for our family to use. The Robinsons live about 1/4 mile from the cottage. They were really giving people. We had a turkey supper with them that night.

Wednesday we were able to explore more of the island. We visited Lucy Maud Montgomery's museum which was in her uncles home where she lived part time. I was able to sit in the same chair she did when she wrote, "Anne Of Green Gables"..Yea, pretty cool, I know. :)

Amy, Hannah and Emz by "Green Gables":


We also visited "Green Gables" and another really cool beach. Jeremiah, Joseph and Josh were even crazy enough to do some swimming. I pretty much freaked out from the cold water when it hit my ankles.

Some beach shots by the Atlantic Ocean on PEI:


Playing Frisbee:
Crazy kid (Jer) in the ice waters:

Joel filming for documentary:



We had a concert in Charlottetown that night at the Christian Reform Church. After the concert we were able to meet the Petroffsky ("Sky") family. They have a really neat music ministry and it was really refreshing to fellowship with them.

Thursday, in the morning we went to a wharf with the Robinsons and bought several (about 25) lobster directly from the fishermen. It's so much cheaper that way. It was really cool to see them bring the lobsters in.

Seeing the lobsters come in on the wharf:




Afterwards we headed out to visit some new friends, the Goehrings, that we had met at the concert the night before.

Visiting with the Goehrings:



Following that visit we went to the Sky home. They have an amazing home. They played some music for us there and did some Irish dancing. It was really cool! They really have a heart for the Lord and it we left really refreshed.

The Sky family doing us some music!


With the Sky's on top of their amazing home/bed and breakfast:

They have an awesome view of PEI:


That evening we headed over to the Robinson home again to have a huge lobster meal. It was the first time I had ever had lobster and I actually really enjoyed it. The Robinsons had a birthday cake for mom, too. :) Dad took Mom out for a special birthday dinner later that evening in Charlottetown while we continued to fellowship with the Robinsons.

Boiling lobster at the Robinsons:




They gave mom a birthday cake :) :

Friday was Mom's birthday! We had to leave first thing in the morning as we needed to reach the Ferry on time. It was hard to leave PEI. We had such an amazing time there! We took a ferry ride from PEI to Nova Scotia. That was a really cool experience for all of us!

On the ferry:


Once over to Nova Scotia we went to the Habermehl home. We did a concert in Dartmouth, NS that night at the Northbrook Bible Chapel. Jesse gave a talk on purity before the concert. It was a small church but it was full and at least half were young people. It is so great to hear how God is working in people's lives and hearing Dwight and Kristen's (our hosts) story was no exception.

Mrs. Habermehl giving mom a birthday cake that she made:


The Habermehl family:



Saturday we left the Habermahl home and traveled to the Halifax, NS where mom and dad reunited with their old Bible school friends, Larry and Karen Levy. Larry pastors a Vineyard church there. We set up our equipment that night in their church and were billeted out. Joel, Jer, Joseph and I were billeted out to Glen and Peggy Lucas' home. We stayed up with them that night and watched, "Faith Like Potatoes" for the first time.

Emily with Chelsea Nisbett, a talented musician from Halifax:

Glen and Peggy Lucas with their grand kids:


Visiting in the Levy home. The guy closest to the camera (Daniel) giving Joel some djembe tips. He also gave us a really nice roadie case!:


Sunday morning we did a concert at the Vineyard church. They were a very responsive crowd.

Concert in Halifax at the Vineyard church:



In the afternoon, Levy, Karen and their daughter Michelle took us to Peggy's Cove. It's a really awesome place.

Pictures from Peggy's Cove:


Judah with his new sailor hat!:


Amy and Hannah with their new friend, Michelle Levy:


Larry and Karen Levy:




Amy and Emz in the souvenir shop:



Monday morning we left our respective billets and headed to downtown Halifax to see the "Atlantic Maritime Museum". It was a fabulous experience. We were able to see several artifacts and historic notes about the Halifax Explosion, the Titanic and several other notable historic happenings.

In the Maritime Museum:


Hannah and Emily in a parking lot in St. John, NB.


We are staying with a family in St. Stephen, NB right now and have a concert tonight in Bayside, NB. Thanks AGAIN to all those who are praying!

In Christ,

Josiah