New Year's Word

Resolutions, Smesolutions...yep! That's about how I feel about those little pesky things. I'll make this short & sweet for 2 reasons: 1) It's just about lunch time out here at the Hatch Ranch in Memphis, Tx where I've been spending the last week hanging out with the Hatches and anticipating my husbands' first deer of the year. 2) I'm not in a long-winded talking mood.

I have this fantastic friend who is "older & wiser" (got that all you Sound of music fans?)...I digress, & every single year she prays for the Lord to give her a NEW Word to follow for the following year. It could be precisely one word or one scripture to lead her on a new journey with Him for the next year. I completely forgot about this treasured tradition until I had the pleasure of having breakfast with her last week. I began to pray the same thing immediately that day and everyday that followed. On Wednesday morning, December 30th, He swiftly answered me. I was surprised and humbled by the brilliant clarity of His answer. I have been studying Isaiah for the past month or so and this is exactly where He spoke to me in order to lead me to the ultimate answer to my prayer, Ephesians 1:17. Read it and enjoy. Have a blessed new year and keep in mind there is more than enough time to pray this same prayer for yourself.

SEA

O Glorious Day!

I know blogs are not all the same, some like to write about different happenings in their lives and some like to blog about food they create. I love all of these and follow a variety! Every time I sit down to write, I always want what I write to be profound and rich so that anyone who reads will be inspired and changed by the time they come to the end. That's a great feeling and experience to be had in your heart after you hear something really challenging or read a book that causes you to look deep inside your heart for the push to be different. That push for me has always come at different seasons of my life for different reasons. God has used everything from trials to excitement caused by inner desires to get me to move from where I am to where He wants me to be. The most powerful influence I hold in my soul is Jesus Himself. Just take one moment to look at His 33 years of life and the way He loved, saw people, talked to them as if they mattered...because they SO did to Him. He came for a powerful purpose, to seek and save the lost. He has to do this on a daily basis with me as my heart is so often dark and full of selfishness & sin. Reading this morning in Isaiah has beckoned my heart to re-evaluate how I see my salvation. Do I really know the full weight of what He has done for me? Do I understand the distance and time Jesus crossed to will me to know Him and believe in who He says He is? He wills us to know Him, this is fully and completely a gift of grace (Grace is such a beautiful word to me, I think it will stick with me my whole life...more on that in a later in life blog). Isaiah 4:2 stuck out to me the most:

"In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel."

The Branch, namely Jesus, will come back and I can't imagine what it will be like...like a thief in the night I suppose?! Will He be pleased with how I've lived or am presently living if He came now? Loving those around us that don't necessarily live life the way we do or believe it should be lived is hard, but good for us. It constantly reminds me that I am only in the knowledge of the grace and love of Christ because He has sovereignly willed it, that's it! I am no better than the man I saw last night outside the neighborhood library smoking pot and then inhaling a burger & fries shortly after...absolutely no better. He just isn't fully aware of the freedom he can have in his life if he were to turn his heart over to the One who came to save him. This is our lot, our goal, our mission if we choose to accept it on this earth. More and more I feel the flaming eyes of Jesus Himself looking deep into my soul, turning up the flame of His heart towards the lost...waiting patiently for me to surrender what I want for what He wants. He wants sheep. He wants lost, broken and hurting sheep. He is the Good Shepherd, why would He not? I realize I am going to eat these words again and again in the future but I'm so tired of reading books and listening to inspiring sermons to live like Jesus, being stoked about doing it...only to never put my hand to the plow in order to make it a reality. I think we are all so guilty of this in so many ways.

Approaching Christmas, I do think of "little 10 LB baby Jesus" lying in a manger, sweet and cuddly as He might've been. However, I do not see Him as a humorous, one-liner conversation I want to laugh about with my friends. I see Him as a fierce and loving warrior who was, is and always will be. He chose to come and bring light into the darkness...and I am forever thankful He did. I want to continue this legacy in my life in a very real and lasting way. When I pass away and this body is no more, I want what people know about me to be that I loved like Jesus. And that it was evident.

"And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,

'Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.'"

-Revelation 4:8

Merry Christmas this season and may Christ come to be your all in all.

Love,

The Allens

More pics!!!

The hubs attempting surgery on our Pigpen snowman so he didn't fall over & become no more...



I stand by my man! :)



A woodpecker hard at work, allowed me within close range



The aftermath of a snow angel...



God's glory shining through

As white as snow

First things first, some snowy pictures for your viewing pleasure :)








If you know my husband, you would definitely be aware of his vast love for snow! Needless to say, as we awoke in the twilight hours yesterday to a winter wonderland, it didn't take him long at all to snuggle up in his warmest clothing & jet outside to be apart of it all. Yes, I like snow, but if given a choice, I'd rather be in the warm sunshine any day of the week in my tank, shorts & flip-flops! God knew all this while dreaming up our life together, He planned it that way even! Jason's love for snow has given me a new found appreciation for cold weather & winter gear. When he gave me the choice of investing in a new dress last summer or sweet hiking boots, it was a tough call for this Texas gal! The hiking boots definitely won out & I am so glad they did...what in the WORLD would I do with a dumb summer dress up here? I laugh just thinking about it. You will too when you view all of our glorious winter snow pics. We even made a snow man, whose face was not quite as white as snow due to all the debris he cont'd to pick up as we were making him. Thus the name, Pigpen! He also inspired us to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas!" yesterday when we returned home. Even the kiddos on this holiday classic became aware of the true meaning behind Christmas thanks to a shepherd named Linus & Luke 2. If you've never seen this classic monologue or just need to be reminded of it's greatness, please watch below. Courtesy of YouTube & Charles M. Shultz. Love, J&S

She's stolen my heart...

These are just some snippets of what it's like to be 3 years old again...I have to say that it's taken me weeks to enjoy all the nuances that she brings. But at last I am getting there, and I know my life is filled with all the more JOY because of this little cutie patootie! :) Enjoy the cuteness...feel free to narrate with each photo!

The remnants of 1 happy girl :)...well, 2 including me!

Objects of ComPassion

Here are some shots of the Fall season here, we've loved every second of it! :)

As a previous Sociology/Psychology major in my undergrad studies, words absolutely intrigue me to the point of wanting to research their meaning, root origin and of course, now that I am the wife of a pastor in the making, the greek meaning as well. The word that God has been bringing back to my heart again and again ever since I was a little girl, is the word compassion. The original greek writing of this word looks like this: σπλαγχνίζομαι. The definition explains the literal meaning to be moved in the inward parts. For some of you who are faint of heart, bible talk says to be moved within your bowels! He he! The first time I read that I was like, ooooooooooooh, like when I was super nervous before cheering at a pep rally or singing in church...moved in my bowels? Well...not exactly! It's that feeling you get when you see some injustice happening to a small child or maybe even an animal. Maybe when your best friend calls you to tell you about some trial they're walking through at the moment, and because you love this friend so deeply, it's like time stops and you are now in the same room as this person feeling exactly what they are feeling.

For some, this feeling of compassion is next to impossible to experience. The thought of crying because someone else is hurting escapes any thought in your mind. This is not to say you are a mean or cold hearted person. It just means compassion does not come as naturally to you as it does to others. For those of you that embrace compassion so easily, do not fret on our brothers and sisters that don't necessarily overflow with this gift. Want to know why? There are days when compassion takes me over in such an overwhelming way, I can get stuck in that feeling all day long and become no longer able to focus on anything else going on in my day. I become paralyzed because of the helplessness I feel to fix what ever circumstance brought me to tears of compassion. Compassion can also be used so deceitfully as as a way to manipulate emotions that don't need to be opened up at that time or place. This is also a discipline I know God has been leading me to for years. I have to say, He has used my marriage to show me how much the gift of mercy I have can be used for good AND if not controlled, for evil. Jeremiah 17:9-10 explains very clearly the message behind what I am trying to say, "The heart is deceitful than all else, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind..." You're probably familiar with an old saying that goes something like this, "Follow your heart and it will lead you." I used to listen to this and lived my life accordingly, not anymore. Sometimes my heart is telling me to push an issue that needs to be dropped, immediately! Other times my heart is telling me to hold onto something or someone that God is definitely commanding me to let go of, for my own good. There are times when my heart is aligned with the Spirit of the Lord inside of me to direct me towards wisdom and this is a great thing. Compassion is a great thing, when used for eternal purposes not personal gain. We are objects of compassion to the Lord, always. He has also promised that when we are walking closely with him, He will also make us objects of compassion to even our worst enemies! (I Kings 8:50) This truth stopped my heart in it's tracks this morning and I've been meditating on it ever since. I am so overwhelmed by the might and power our God holds in His hands and even more so the unending compassion and mercy He floods out of His heart each new day. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Jason & I are so excited to be here in Vancouver at this time in life, so expectant of what He is planning for us here. We couldn't feel or believe more that HE has called us here for such a time as this. Thanks to all for your prayers and phone calls, your prayers are like gold to us and so very precious to the Lord. We love you so much and look forward to hugging your necks at Christmas, Lord willing.

SEA

Pinnacle of Vancouver

Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by. I Kings 19:11

Sarah and I went hiking on a trail called the Grouse Grind. It's a pretty intense hike, but well worth the views. The mountain is called Grouse Mountain, where you can snow ski in the winter. It is the highest point in Vancouver at 3,700 feet. It was a bit of a overcast day, but if you look in the background of the picture you can see Vancouver West in the foreground, ships sitting in the harbor area, and the Point Grey Peninsula in background. Point Grey is where the University of British Columbia is located, with Regent College nestled in the midst of UBC's campus.

For those of you who like numbers here's the scoop on the Grouse Grind:

Length:	2.9 kilometres (1.8 miles)
Elevation Gain:	853 metres (2,800 feet) - Base: 274 metres above sea level (900 feet) - Summit: 1,127 metres (3,700 feet) - Total Stairs: 2,830
Statistics:	Annually, over 100,000 people hike the Grind™.
Average Time:	On average it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike. For novice hikers, up to two hours is recommended.
Participants:	Hikers range in age from 7 to 90, with an equal male/female split.

Seriously, look at the statistics above, because what I am about to confess is shameful! It took Sarah and I 1 hr, 50 mins to complete the hike. Granted, we had some minor issues like migraines and sprained ankles, but nonetheless were able to endeavor on such a feat. Well, initially we were surprised because this turned out to be a more intense hike than we had planned. We almost turned back. Right about that time, we saw a 5 year old hiking up the mountain!!! It was so easy a 5 year old could do it....mind you, a Canadian 5 year old. These Canadians are outdoor, fitness gurus. Then, we saw 2 women in heels hiking the trail. Finally, as if the nail had not been hammered in the coffin already, we saw a father carrying his baby on his back hiking up the trail and reach the summit. What were we thinking? When we finally reached the pinnacle, we learned that the record time to hike the mountain for that day was 25 minutes. Who are these people? I couldn't have driven up the mountain that quickly. Needless to say, we will be conquering that mountain again, but in a more respectable time.

When you come visit, come with your outdoor prowess up to par, because this is the best view in all of Vancouver, but there's only 2 ways to reach the summit. One: you can pay $55 per person to take the cable car up. Two: you can hike for free, and take a $10 cable car ride down. On many levels, option 2 is the only realistic option for us, so if you want to see the best view in Vancouver, come prepared to shame some 5 year olds!

Happy Friday!

In grace and truth,

JS

Take My World Apart

I like to play jokes around the house with Sarah and sing the cheesiest, silliest, and sometimes most obscure songs that I can think of in attempts to make her smile. Recent hits include Blue (as in I have a blue house with a blue window) by Eiffel 65, Kiss From A Rose by Seal, I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly (back when he was safe and fun for the whole family haha), etc… Well tonight the song that popped into my head was “A Whole New World” from the Aladdin soundtrack. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the words to most of these songs, so I end up making most of them up, again in attempt to make her laugh. It gets pretty silly around here folks. Stephanie and Caleb, I think you can both appreciate these moments at their finest. I seemed to love to torture you two the most with them. I love to try to get the song stuck in my victim’s mind for long periods of time as well. I figure if this ridiculous song is stuck in my head, then I might as well have company, right? So, tonight in attempt to please my audience I belted out my finest Aladdin rendition serenely whispering, “Don’t you dare close your eyes”. It’s good, cheap fun folks. You should give it a try sometime….or all the time!

I was searching my music collection the actual Aladdin song and came across an old favorite, from which this post owes its title, “World Apart” by Jars of Clay. On a side note, I have a massive music collection, so embarrassingly, it is not uncommon for incredibly bizarre songs to grace my library…which reminds me of that song, “How Bizarre!” By the way, I hate you Kiss FM for that one.

Ahem! Back to the topic at hand, I stumbled across World Apart and it took me back to a great old memory. I remember when I first received this album. My mom bought it for me when I was in 6^th or 7^th grade along with Dave Matthews Band Under the Table and Dreaming album. It was through one of those mail in offers, where you send in postage and they send you 10 cds for the total shipping costs of $5. It was so cool because my mom somehow knew that I would appreciate both of these albums and I don’t think that she formally knew what I was listening to in those days. As in, I hadn’t sat down and said, “Mom, I really like Dave Matthews Band and Jars of Clay. I would like their album.” She just took it upon herself to order these albums for me. She was spot on, too! As you know, I love DMB and Jars of Clay is still an oldie, but goodie. All this to say, that it brings a smile to my heart to know that my mom thought of me and encouraged me just by buying some great music as a gift for me. That’s so cool. That was so many years ago, but its still a fond memory. It reminds me of so many other times that my parents did something great for me without me asking. The memories are too many to even begin to mention. Don’t you love it when you just come home and have some amazing surprise waiting for you? Sometimes, as in this case, it was something that I loved but didn’t even know I would have liked.

My relationship with the LORD is more and more like this memory these days. He often has little surprises waiting for me…things I didn’t know I would love. Just as a child, I can often be ungrateful and completely miss it. On good days, I have eyes to see it and receive it with abundant gratitude.

Man, life is good. Praise the one risen Son of God! Our names are written on his heart.

Foreign Concepts: A land of uncommon courtesy

There are so many pedestrians and bicyclists here that automobile drivers stop whenever people are trying to cross the street. It has blown me away and almost caused a couple of wrecks for me. On a four lane road with a median, if a pedestrian is on the opposite side of the road, walking across the street, traffic on the other side of the median STOPS in order to allow the person to safely cross the street. In other words, before the person has even reached your side of the road, traffic will stop. Seriously. It’s like a scene from an early 20^th century film. I would not be surprised to see an adolescent helping an elderly woman across the street. It has almost caused me to slam into the back of cars in front of me, because back home crossing a neighborhood street is synonymous with attempting to walk across Central Expressway. It’s cross at your own risk and you’re insane if you think a car is stopping for you. I hate that I find myself initially resentful towards the drivers in front of me in their courtesy. Then, I feel convicted because I do not want my bitter spirit to affect others around me. Certainly, as with anything new, there are likes and dislikes. This is a great thing that Vancouver has going for it. Bitterness and negativity is contagious. If you don’t believe me just look at Numbers 11. It sets off a wave of grumbling, complaining and negativity that goes on for at least 10 more chapters that I have read so far and it ends up costing Israel the lives of about 15,000 of their people. I used to think that negativity was infectious and harmful, but now I realized how naïve that was. It is far more detrimental than that and its consequences are death.

My love

This beauty was taken from one of our many escapades in the beautiful city of Vancouver! :) This was a great day we spent riding or bikes with some new friends down by Fraser River this summer. I love it so much because it captures the raw-ness of my burly man and the first of many shots within our little eden up here in Canada. I guess I want to give a little shout out to the one who stole my heart many moons ago...well, not that long, but you catch my drift right?! I think I will cry the day he ever shaves this beard and chops these long locks, both of which I have fallen in love with! It's true, being married definitely has it's challenges, but oh, how I love him so and the many memories we've made in this place. I look forward to so many more and I am blessed and thankful to the Lord Almighty for picking us up and planting us here. These years are gifts and I hope to treasure each one thoroughly! I love you J, you are where my home is and I stand amazed at what our God is doing in your heart each new day.

<3,

SEA

what we do

When Sarah and I started looking for a place to live in Vancouver, we hoped to find a place that was comparable in size to our quaint apartment back in Texas. This is rather ironic because I spend the MAJORITY of my existence in a 9x11 room reading books! I have always wanted to read more books and now I certainly have that privilege, even that responsibility. I imagine that in 3 years I will probably read as many books as I've read in my entire lifetime. So far the Regent experience has been pretty amazing. I am thrilled and privileged to pursue a life that I'm so passionate about. The summer term is unique, because you sign up for 3 credit hours that are compacted into 2 weeks. So you have class everyday for 2.5 hours for 2 weeks straight, then you have an additional 6 weeks to read and write an essay. The best part is that for the summer term, professors come from amazing institutions to teach: King's College, Yale, Oxford, Duke, and all kinds of other cool places.

The major news is still the same....we are looking for jobs. So although Canada is very familiar in many respects, it is still a foreign country and we are sojourners. As such, we are foreigners even though our home country is just 31 miles away. It is a challenge to find a job because we stick out as non-Canadians and we can't really hide it because all of our work experience shows we are recent transfers from Texas. Sarah is starting to get a lot of job interviews, so that is definitely an encouragement. Please continue to pray that we would find jobs soon. The LORD is amazing and knew that we would be in this situation, so things have been fine financially for us. Jehovah Jireh in all things.

In the meantime, Sarah has taken up a new hobby and become an amazing chef, or is it chefette? We don't eat out much, but honestly there's not much to miss right now....well, except for Vancouver has amazing sushi for cheap, cheap. 2 people could stuff their faces to the point where they would regret it for $20!

If Sarah's cooking was a stock, I'd be a majority shareholder. We've had anything from homemade blueberry muffins with a sugary crumble topping to the ultimate cheeseburger to homemade mexican rice and beans. Our kitchen is like Jack in the Box and Burger King combined--you can have it your way and it's made to order. Needless to say, we've had to start excercising more. What's more is that our entire kitchen counter space is only 24" by 24". I can't imagine what we could have with a normal sized kitchen. I've eaten better food at home in the past 2 months than I've had at most restaurants. Now, I know that is a huge statement...but, seriously judge for yourself. Sarah's cooking is the talk of town...or, at least the talk of this basement suite.

Well, this is the perfect city for that, too. We live 5 houses down from this huge forest with hiking, biking, and running trails. The forest runs along the edge of the beach here. So you can ride from our house to the beach and do some bald eagle watching or some people watching....but just not at Wreck Beach (that's the local clothing optional beach). And trust me, it is a wreck to see. Vancouver is surrounded by mountains as well. This is the first place we've been where you can sit at the beach, eat an ice cream (cookies n cream in a waffle cone in case you're wondering), watch a sunset, and see snow capped mountains at the same time. It's pretty unrealistic. I wish we could capture the brilliance in pictures, but it's like telling this incredible story only to realize halfway through that 'you just had to be there.' So, we will try to get some picture of it, but honestly...you just have to be here. So come visit people!

I'm going to start a little section here about things that you wouldn't expect to be different, but they are. I'll leave you with this section:

FOREIGN LAND

When we first signed up for a bank account here we thought it would be a pretty simple transition. We walked into a local bank and it was like jumping into a time machine and going back to 1990. Canadian banks do not have a combined debit card and ATM card. So you have a separate ATM card and another card for checking debits. There's no such thing as a check card that does debit, ATM withdrawals, and credit (Visa or Mastercard logo). Most of these cards don't even have your name on them. They are really generic cards...they look like the fake cards you get in the mail that come with credit card offers. Also you are limited in the number of transactions you can have per month. Most banks limit you to 10 transactions and then you have to pay for each additional transaction. Also, you still have to pay for checks here. Finally, if you want a credit card then is an entirely different concept here. If you want a $2,000 credit limit, then you are required to put $2,000 cash on hold with the bank until you surrender the credit card. That's not a credit card at all...that's a collateral card.

Hope all you kids are doing well. Write us and let us know how you are...we long to hear from you!!! We love you, we miss you.

Hallelujahs in the morning, hallelujahs in the night...I will wait for you

J&S

He moves Mountains & Trees

It's been a few weeks since I've posted and I haven't really taken any recent pics of us here. I tried to capture some of the eagles we spotted again the other day but they were too far away to do them justice. I found this picture among many that I took on our road trip up to Canada through different U.S. states. This one in particular was in between Colorado Springs and Vail, Co on our way to Moab, Utah to see the Arches National Park. Apparently, this road was closed, not just due to the giant tree you see in the middle, but mainly because miles ahead of where we were it was LITERALLY closed. The weather was getting crazy cold and windy and wasn't plannin on getting any better. As we pull up to this monstrosity in the road with our monstrosity Penske, we know we've hit a crossroads in our trip. Do we, a) attempt to move the tree ourselves? b) wait for super nice mountain men to saw it into pieces? or c) take it as a divine intervention from the Lord that this was, in fact, not the way we needed to drive in order to make it to Utah safely. God used this kind man who stumbled upon us to make it very clear that continuing in the direction we were going would not only cause a HUGE dent in our time, but also place us in a very dangerous situation. In the picture you see Jason grabbing the "bull by the horns" attempting to move it out of the way. God had a different plan as the kind man quickly pulled up to give us the news. We waited as another truck full of ready to service workers sawed the giant tree in different pieces as they quickly removed the debris from the road. We felt the hand of the Lord mightily on our journey and when I look at this picture I remember and meditate on His goodness. What memory can you recall to remember His goodness in your life...when you least expected it?

Love, S&J

Let Freedom Ring!

Talk about all the bald eagles we see up here...yowza! We spotted our first one while biking along a local beach called "Wreck Beach." Amidst stopping on the side of the road, we were entertained for a few minutes with what seemed to be a man and woman on a first date perhaps, he playing the guitar, while she listened intently. LAME! So, of course we were overjoyed to be distracted by the overwhelming beauty of wildlife within just a few feet of us. Being outside is a way of life here, not many couch potatoes or laziness to speak of. Sunny days here around 20 degrees celsius (around 70 fahrenheit) are reasons to put on your outdoor clothes and shake the dust off your bike, running shoes, frisbee, whatever! Vancouver is a pretty active city and has definitely caused us to go back to a time when being outside until the street lights came on was the rule and not the exception! Remember that time people?? I do! So, since Jason & I could not be in the actual US of A to celebrate our independence, we did it right here in our living room for all of 5 minutes it took to for Jason to take a break from studying and pose alongside me with his pearly whites. I in my red and white, he in his blue, we wanted to send our best to our loved ones back home and wish you a fantastic 4th of July! (ps. Did you know Canadians don't call cook-outs, cook-outs? They call them Barbeque's whether there's bbq on the grill or not...this has also taken us a back) We love ya'll and wish you were here. :)

<3 S&J

Sarah's 1st Canadian Birthday!!!

Hey you guuuuuuuuuuuys! This is a pic we took after a wonderful day at the park tossing the frisbee and visiting with friends to celebrate my 28th birthday! It was so much fun. We wanted to give you a quick update along with introducing you to some new faces in our lives up here in Canadaland! We are still doing well, adjusting to life and weather with each new day. Jason has just finished up his second course of the summer and already busy reading (this is a full time job folks!) and a little over halfway done with his first paper. He is working diligently day in and day out to start out strong and diving into seminary life really well, if I do say so myself! We are becoming more involved with a local church plant here so some of the faces you see below are involved as well. Jason & I count ourselves extremely blessed to be chosen to use our giftings and abilities to bring the Light of the world into this city. There is so much to write about the spiritual darkness here and plagues me considering the absolute thrill of the Gospel that surrounds it in the mountains and beauty.

"God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars."

~Martin Luther

All this to say, we see Him everywhere and the movements of His Spirit have been going on long before we set foot on Canadian ground. We pray to be apart of this movement in order to point others back to the Creator of all. Here is a truth He wrote on my heart this week about being here and present in what He is doing.

"If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him." - John 12:26

First, we have Carisa & Rob Willems. This sweet couple have been married a little over 2 years now and are from Abbotsford, BC, which is just an hour or so southeast of Vancouver. They ventured up to Vancouver in order for Rob to pursue his undergrad @ UBC in mechanical engineering. We met these lovelies at a local place of worship down the street called "Westside church". They were holding a beach cook out in honor of 4 baptisms within their church body as well as offering a gathering for folks to meet. Jason kindly asked them if they wanted to share our picnic blanket set-up with us and they obliged. We ended up spending the day with them at the beach and then off to a game of Regent soccer. The boys sweated it out for a few hours and the girls laid it out on the picnic blanket to soak in the 70 degree sunny weather. :) Yes, Texans, you can be jealous. Please meet the Robinsons! These smiling faces are (L to R) Lyndsey, Victor & Brooklyn. Carson had made his way over to the car already so I'll post a solo pic of him below. They are also new to the Vancouver area after moving all the way up from Mississippi. They have made their trek to Canada in order to assist in thecrossings as well full time. They have a 3 year old son named Carson and an 8 month old daughter named Brooklyn. We have really enjoyed getting to know them so far. :)This would be Carson Robinson. Cute as a button!
The newlywed couple you see above are Jonny & Melissa (Mel) Lochhead. Jonny is from Scotland and Mel is from around the Greater Vancouver area. They met at Regent college a year or so back and then fell in love and married. They have their first wedding anniversary coming up in August. Presently, they are involved at their church here locally and plan on partnering with the rest of us in planting "thecrossings" church. They are a lovely couple, and lots of fun to be around. :)

Hope you enjoyed these wonderful faces as much as we have, God is blessing us with community more by the day and we couldn't be more thrilled to be here! Please keep us in your prayers as I am still searching for a suitable job so we can take care of ourselves while J is in school and helping out with this church. We believe richly in the power of prayer and know that He will use you to bring to fruition His will for us here in Vancouver. We love you guys and hope some of you can make it up to see this promised land of milk & honey!

~The Allens

The Arches

On our journey to Vancouver, we stopped at several places along the way. One of them was the infamous "Arches National Park" in Moab, Utah! There were so many beautiful arches that we didn't have time to visit all of them, however, the ones we did see we tried our best to capture on camera. Remarkable! This arch you see to your left was called the "Delicate Arch". Others had clever names such as "the 3 gossips" and "great wall of China". It's always a tricky ordeal to carry a tripod amidst hiking so that when you finally do find a sweet spot to capture yourselves AND the sight, you can. Jason & I absolutely recommend to make it out here and check it out, especially if you're driving through. It went from hot and dusty the day we arrived, to cold and sleeting by the time we started hiking inside the park. Never the less, it was a great day and a wonderful experience.

On a different note, it's a sunny, 65 degree weather day for us in Vancouver (oh yes, be jealous Texans). When it's nice, it's absolutely gorgeous. Totally makes putting up with those gloomy, rainy days well worth it. You definitely do NOT take the nice days here for granted. We have learned to be so thankful and feel so blessed when the sun shines down upon us. I find myself thanking Jesus over and over throughout the day for such fantastic sunshine! :) As far as job hunting goes, we're still on the prowl. Pray for us as we ask the Lord to lead us to positions He desires us to be in. We only want to bring glory to His Name in whatever we do. (Colossians 3:23-24) We love our landlords and could not have asked for more generous people to live under. They have offered everything from their car, garage, food to what ever we need. From what we have heard, this is not typical for landlords here. We are truly blessed! Tonight, we're using their grill to barbecue some chicken, excited about that!!!

We love & miss each and every one of you and ask for your continued prayers and support. Please keep us updated on all the happenings of your lives as well. Let us know how we can be praying for you specifically, we would love to do it!

To the moon & back,

S&J

Greetings

This blog been a long time coming, yes I know, but we're here at last. We think this would be the easiest way to get a quick update with what's going on with us. We hope you'll stop in often and leave us your questions, comments, and thoughts.

Here's a pictorial shout out to the place we love so much! Taken at the UT v OU game in 2008.

There's definitely more to come later. We have a ton to share, but I just wanted to get this first entry posted to start. More to come weekly....hopefully!

Rockin Vancouver

JS