Hello and greetings from Thunder Bay!
The team has arrived from Toronto and we have done LOTS already! Our team is 15 people right now - Bethany will join us Monday (Cornerstone has outreach sunday night in Toronto). Flights were out of Billy Bishop Airport and it was all smooth sailing! So thankful that first stage was nice and easy.
When we arrived we picked up our rental cars. We were a bit delayed because they had to get one of our cars from a different location. Not a big deal. The airport was so quiet it did not matter! Dodge Durango to seat 8, Ford Explorer to seat 6, and a VW Jetta for another 5 - if needed. A bit tight for luggage but it'll be fine once we store our bags at the Cove.
First stop - Walmart! We had ordered bedding for use in the cabins, including comforters and pillows. These will be left for future teams at the Cove. Oh wait.. we need lunch. Yes by now it was 2pm. So first stop was actually Burger King! If you've been with us before, it's the one next to the Walmart on the way to the Cove. Then Walmart... and of course the urge to buy some snacks was strong. Fortunately we don't need to worry about buying foods for the week. We did need bug spray and sunscreen.
OK so it's a little later than I originally thought it would be. That is okay. We were not in a rush but we did want to get settled. So off to The Cove! You quickly realize how dependent you are on cellular data when you lose the signal and your map cuts off and you have no idea where to go! Good thing for offline maps! Those who didn't just had to follow. But we made it!
Arrival at the Cove was met with a wonderful greeting from Bonita! We have arrived! The sun was shining and it's about 26C.
Some have asked about the wildfires in Northern Ontario - did you know that thousands have been evacuated and are in Thunder Bay - but more are being moved to other areas like Barrie, Toronto, Niagara Falls and more. So Northwind got a call from one of the Reserves being evacuated. At this time they weren't being evacuated but they wanted support up there. So instead of an evacuation they are being supported there. Northwind has been called to support in the community. Mental health support, counselling and more. Can you imagine living across the lake and seeing the forest burning around you. I'd be worried and afraid about it stretching out and burning around the lake or jumping across the lake on the winds to the forest around. But they can't get evacuated as there are either not enough planes or the timing did not work out. It is hard to understand the logistics around this but this is their reality. So Northwind is sending a team of 5 people for support to go. Bonita has packed 3 large bins to bring to support. Games, snacks, foods, prizes and more. It was a game of Tetris to pack as much as we could for her. It was good timing that we arrived when we did so that she had the help to pack and arrange. She will be leaving tomorrow to fly out from 7am. Pray for to be able to bring all those bins on the plane! This is a small plane and so if it's full they might not be able to carry the luggage or baggage. You pack an essential bag.. and if the other bags are able to be loaded they will... or they will come later.
People are tired. It's time for sleep. Pray for the team for unity, health and good spirits. Energy for the work - tomorrow we will go to church in the morning, have Safe People and Places training, and then serve at The Gathering.
I am thankful that the team is getting along well, we are here ready to serve and are able to do so!
Good night!
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