The "Grand" Adventure to China (Grandpa & Grandson)

Missionaries should never share their stories, their pictures and their experiences with children present in the audience.  It has a lasting impact.  For me, it was the film recounting the lives of 5 men who lost their lives to primitive tribes in Ecuador.  I was very young, probably less than 10 years old, but "Wow!", what an impact.  Those 5 young men were martyred in January, 1956.  News travelled around the globe and soon there was a book, then a film produced that has since impacted many lives for the kingdom of God.  The most recent film of the events is now recorded in "End of the Spear".

I think I was in Grade 5 or 6, when a friend and began planning our first missions trip to Papua, New Guinea.  We spent time in our little Gideon New Testaments, memorizing Scripture in case our Bibles were confiscated.  So sure that we were destined to become missionaries that we spent hours designing our own helicopter, which when the plans were done, including a VW engine for a motor, looked like a flying outhouse.  With a dire lack of engineering and aeronautical training, the contraption would never have left the ground, however, the seed had been firmly planted.

Since those early years, I've been priveleged to mingle with people of many nations.  Now that I'm a grandfather, it is my desire to see each of my grandchildren experience "another world", and travel with them to share life and experience different  cultures. 

Dreams do come true.  I did get to Papua in Indonesia with my oldest grandson who was 14.  What a trip!  But I'll have to tell that story later.  Prior to his trip, my wife, Diane, and I took our oldest granddaughter, Jordyn, to Colima, Mexico and the Hogar de Amor orphanage.  Of course, she had to prepare a presentation for her class at school about her experience, so others got to make the journey vicariously through her.

Now, on May 14th, I'm on my way with my second grandson to China.  We leave Logan Lake at 6 a.m. for Kamloops to catch a flight to Vancouver and connect with a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong.  We are in the final throes of packing, trying to travel as light as possible.  We have one big suitcase packed with gifts for friends and 5 small quilts for the Bethel Blind Orphanage in Beijing.  We will try to post as often as possible if you want to come along for the trip.  Pray for us, we'll sure need it!