The Other Side of July

Hello Friends and Family,

Kevin and I are pleased to be in the swing of summertime fun and frivolity after what seemed like the 'miry clay' prelude to the season.

For those of you that have been following, you will know that the past two months have not been smooth sailing due to a sprinkle of different things. However July has come and is on it's way out with a glorious 'Hallelujah!', as God has blessed us with a GOOD month. Not to say there hasn't been hiccups along the way but Kevin and I have both been excited to see the fruit of our labor emerge in July. We have overcome successfully, trials and challenges that before would have seemed monstrous. I have a greater sense of peace, strength and security within myself and with my husband and because of this am increasingly empowered to be myself and face life with courage, rather than fear.

Still in the throws of waiting for my Permanent Residency to clear, I am now unable to work until I get my status, which has been a tough pill to swallow! But, Kev and others keep reminding me it's for a short time and truly a time where I can sink my teeth into finishing our documentary, so desperately overdue in our minds.

So that is indeed on my schedule for the next few weeks, as well as being a spectacular wife and supporting my husband by holding up dry-wall for a current job. I know, it's astounding, and I didn't even break a sweat.

Adding to the excitement this month was a visit from the African Children's Choir to the Life Center, our local church. Kevin and I were among a bunch of families who volunteered to host the 21 children and their chaperones. We had Uncle Tony, a Kenyan native and Jonah and Rogers from Uganda, come and stay with us for two nights while performing in Vancouver. This particular choir is touring North America, and is the 35th African Children's Choir to go abroad. What an honour it was to hear them sing, it reminded Kev and I so much of Africa, and suddenly our hearts were full of love for the brothers and sisters we met in Mozambique, Tanzania and South Africa two years ago. We treated the kids and Uncle Tony to a Canadian pancake breakfast cook-up and they enteratined us with their supernatural drumming abilities (on floors, tables, anything!), and Uncle Tony taught Kevin how to play "Stand By Me" on the guitar. God truly puts special people in your path for many reasons and Uncle Tony was one of them. We talked for hours, once the kids were asleep, about his heart for mentoring young men in his nation and how it paralleled with ours. We shared stories of working in the media and the possibilities of uniting forces in the future, bridging nations, building relationships and so forth. It was unbelievably cool!

In the midst of all this Kev and I nabbed a quick 5 days away together to go camping and visit some dear friends, play in the lake and unwind. It was the raw, earthy experience we'd been needing to offer our souls and minds some quiet and rejuvenation. I came back sun-soaked and ready to begin all over again the daily grind we call home in Vancouver.

A surprise visit from the parents in Victoria, blessed us as they passed through on the way to a vacation in the Interior. Kev got to play them his first song on the guitar by U2! And Rax got an abundant smothering from Grandma...spoiled cat.

Angelica is doing astoundingly better fighting Leukaemia, and is powering through chemotherapy. Her hair has fallen out now, but the family made sure she was definitely not alone in this decision, as Mom, sister Xani, brother Josiah and one set of grandparents and two aunties have shaved their head also! Before the Culley Shaving Party began however, I finally got to take Xani, shopping for her birthday and boy did we score some sweet deals! Woot!

Kev and I have also convinced Suseh our worship leader at church and brilliant musician to teach us an instrument every Tuesday morning. The past 4 weeks have been guitar and Kev has blown us away with his au natural abilities. Now we're on to drums, which I can boast comes a little more fluently than guitar for me! And lets just say in ten years Kev and I may be famous in our very own band...yup, "The Friesees". Boom chuk boom chuk boom chuk. Just don't hold your breath too long!

There is also a whisper in the wind of the Friesen's moving east to go to school to become Pastors, listen closely in the weeks to come as more may be revealed.

Also, check out our Flikr Photostream for more monthly pics....you'll get to see Kev making his first pizza dough from scratch!