Jul 22, 2011

Something new about trains

You know, I lived in Winnipeg for the past two years and spent a considerable amount of time watching trains, waiting for them to clear (especially with one particular sessionmate...you know who you are lol) and looking for ways to avoid them. However, it wasn't until I moved here to Fernie that I realized how often a train blows their horn. I just didn't hear it that much in Winnipeg, or maybe it didn't blow that much in Winnipeg.

In Fernie it's a different matter though and I hear it many times throughout the day. It hasn't really bothered me although I already know to watch my timing in church so I am prepared to pause when it passes through. I learned, when querying why it blows here, that the train conductor's blow the horn/whistle as a warning and safety precaution to try to prevent collisions with vehicles, people etc...

Admittedly it's very possible that it'll drive me nuts from time to time as I spend more days listening to it but on the whole I think it's a great sound, and even though it's not distinctive to the mountains it does strike me as fitting for this mountain community. As is the picture it creates winding down the tracks here.

What a breathtaking community - including the train whistle.

Jul 15, 2011

Journey & Arrival

Well, I've arrived safe and sound in Fernie after a wonderful drive through Manitoba and Alberta as well as touching into B.C. where I am now located. It was a great experience and a nice opportunity for me to simply chill out and enjoy our beautiful country. Romans 3 sticks with me a lot as I think of Paul writing that God is obvious to us because of what we see every single day. I know that for me personally I was so staggered by the creation that is here and knowing that it represents only a small portion of the beauty around the world. I thank God for the beauty that I was able to experience on my drive and for the beauty that surrounds me here in the rocky mountains so that I am always able to be reminded of His presence.

It's been almost a week since I have arrived in Fernie and how the time has flown. It's been a time of getting to know each other and the corps and I am still very excited about my first appointment. It's busy of course but that is to be expected and I like being on the go. The weather here is amazing even as I sit here and listen to the rain pattering outside.

My installation service was last week and was a lot of fun and very lively. It has been a couple of weeks of firsts and I know I have even more ahead of me. One thing that isn't a first is knowing that God is and will be there every step of the way.