The long night is over!

Celebrating the fourth Sunday of Advent

This past weekend, we had a beautiful Advent Service at home and enjoyed a great afternoon with our friends Kerry and Zuri. 

The 21st of December is often the shortest day (and longest night) of the year in the Northern hemisphere, but here on the equator the twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of night are pretty consistent throughout the year. 

Even though we do not have the long nights, so often associated with Canadian Advent, the beauty and significance of candles continue to be an important part of our Advent and Christmas traditions. Candles remind us of God’s presence which banishes darkness and calls us to hope.

On Sunday, we reflected on the story of the disciple Thomas. It is incredible the number of old traditions that use to be celebrated by Christians on December 21st, prior to 1969 this was the Feast Day of Saint Thomas (Now celebrated by Orthodox and Catholic Christians on July 3rd).

Baking wheat for the poor; ringing bells and cracking whips to scare off demons and evil spirits; and, our favourite old tradition, unmarried women jumping over a stool into their beds, throwing their shoes at their bedroom door, and sleeping with their head at the foot of their beds on the longest night of the year (supposedly this would ensure them a dream of their future husband).

Needless to say, we haven’t revised any such medieval or victorian traditions, but it is fun to think about what traditions have faded away and which ones we hold on to and pass on to our children. 

Singing and praying around our advent wreath, we talked about Thomas, his doubts and his great loyalty to Jesus. We especially looked at Thomas’ conversation with Jesus at the Last Supper as he became confused and anxious over Jesus telling the disciples that he was going ahead of them to prepare a place for them (in heaven). Thomas blurts out, "how can we follow you if we don’t know the way?!"

Jesus’ assurance and resurrection appearances are the answer to Thomas fears and doubts. As Jesus says to him: “Because you have seen, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

This is the message that is at the centre of the Christmas story, and of our faith. God has come near and provided a way for all of us to live in the new reality of God’s transforming presence. In the light of Jesus we are able to live a life bigger than ourselves. A life of faith, hope and love. A reality that overcomes and transforms the darkness and brokenness of this world --  Jesus is the way! 

Wishing you all a joy-filled Christmas!

Jamhuri Day

Jamhuri Day 2014

December 12th is an annual holiday for independence in Kenya -- Jamhuri Day.

Kenyan Airforce planes zoom over head, as public celebrations take place around the country. It is a special time as people people remember their independence from Britian in 1963 and their entrance into the commonwealth as a republic in 1964, both events having happened on the twelfth day of December.

For our family, it is a wonderful pre-Christmas celebration with friends who will not be around over actual days of Christmas. Most years, we share the day with others in backyard barbecues or festive dinners.

This year, we had fun with our friend Melanie McKee who will be visiting family over the break. Kerry Jividen and little Zuri also joined in the fun.

Ava playing Santa for Zuri

Ava and Zuri ready for some Christmas dancing!

Emma singing with the Imago Dei Choir

in the Rosslyn Academy Middle School 

Christmas Concert

Thursday night was our last choir concert for the year. It was a great evening of Christmas music preformed by the Middle School bands and choirs.

Our kids are ready to head into their last week of school for 2014. There will be exams, final assignments and of course classroom Christmas parties.

Thank you for praying for our family and ministry.
Merry Christmas!

A Festive Season!

Rosslyn High School Christmas Concert

The festive season has begun as our children are enjoying the Christmas traditions of Rosslyn Academy. 

On Friday evening, Tristan participated in the annual Rosslyn High School Christmas Concert. This was the first year for the High School Band to accompany the Rosslyn Singers and the new High School Concert choir. It was a fun evening with our friends Ken and Wendy Derksen, and Stefan Cherry and two agronomists visiting from Nova Scotia, Bill and Gordon.

Tristan and Katie on their way 

to the High School Banquet

Earlier this evening, we saw Tristan and Katie Gilmer off to the annual high school banquet. It will be a fun night as the high school dressed up for a "Renaissance Masquerade Party”.

Tristan tying on Katie’s corsage 

December is not only a time of banquets and concerts, but also time of giving at Rosslyn Academy. The students from each of Rosslyn’s  three schools raise money for worthwhile charities and ministry programs in Kenya. The students sell t-shirts, sell baked goods, and volunteer in several fundraisers for the community.

Mr. Muniz conducting the Rosslyn Singers 

and High School Orchestra

We are so thankful for the dedicated teacher’s and staff that make Rosslyn such a great school for our family. We are very fortunate to have such wonderful communities like Rosslyn, Rift Valley Academy and the Kigali International Christian School for our Canadian Baptist Ministries colleagues. 

It is a gift to have these communities of faith that journey through the years with our families. It is wonderful to have the privilege of connecting with so many people of such diverse faith and cultural backgrounds, but united in their love of Christ and his world.

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”

Nairobi Christmas Fair at the Race Course

Earlier today, we had a great time at another Nairobi Christmas tradition -- the annual "Race Course Christmas Fair in Nairobi."  Emma, and her friend Raelyn Burr, joined Erica and I for the beautiful morning of Christmas shopping and yummy goodies. "Race Course" has become a tradition for our family, and over the years we have had the joy of bringing many friends and CBM team members to this great event.

We hope that what ever your traditions, that you and your family have a joyous season of Advent and celebration of Christmas!

CBM Africa Team: Ken and Wendy Arrive!!!

CBM Africa Team Members meeting in Nairobi

Wayne & Maureen Morgan, Erica & Aaron Kenny, Pauline Kariuki, Stefan Cherry, Laura Muema, Ruth Munyao, and Wendy & Ken Derksen

It is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas here in Nairobi. Not only are we getting some very unseasonably cool evenings, there is a electricity in the air. Christmas vacation is soon approaching! With our children’s final Christmas concerts and final exams soon over, we are looking forward to great family time with our kids and team mates. 

On Tuesday evening, our new colleagues Ken and Wendy Derksen arrived from the great white North! The Derksens will be serving with CBM in Rwanda with our friends Darrell & Laura Lee Bustin, Jonathan & Janice Mills, and Andre Sibomana.

We are very blessed to have this week with the Derksens here in Nairobi where they have been connecting with our Kenyan team, along with getting some field orientation. 

Wendy, Ruth and Pauline

Wendy and Ken will be living in Kigali where they will be working with the Association of Rwandan Baptist Churches (AEBR). It was wonderful to hear each of our colleagues sharing with the Derksens what they enjoy most about serving with CBM. Again and again, people shared about the importance of CBM’s commitment to Integral Mission through mutual partnerships, and the deep satisfaction of seeing God at work in the lives of the people we all work with.

Wayne, Stefan and Ken

Please keep the Derksens in your prayers as they make this transition to life and ministry in Rwanda. We pray that they have a joy-filled first Christmas in Africa!

Laura and Erica

Please also pray for the rest of our team, especially our colleagues in Garissa, North Eastern Province, that are making the difficult journey home this week amid great insecurity. We are specifically remembering our friends Geoffrey and William.

Aaron and Maureen

We are also praying for many of our CBM colleagues who have children travelling to Africa this Christmas to celebrate with their parents. Please keep the Bustin, Mills, and Morgan families in your prayers as they await the arrival of their kids!

Supporting Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Participants in CBM’s 2014 

Guardians of Hope Leadership Conference

Nairobi, Kenya

This past week, we had the joy of facilitating the Guardians of Hope Leadership Conference, commemorating ten years of HIV and AIDs work for Canadian Baptist Ministries and our International Church Partners. It was great to have Faith Holwyn and Brenda Halk join us in introducing the “Groups of Hope” ministry and training GOH leaders, as well as self help group leaders in this powerful approach to spiritual support and growth through times of turmoil, loss and depression.

As the Guardians of Hope, we believe that the best way to support children that are infected or affected by HIV and AIDS is through families. Rather than taking an institutional approach, the GOH encourages families to love and embrace orphans in their communities. The commitment and sacrifice of these caregivers is the backbone of the Guardians of Hope program.

Over the past decade, much of the work of CBM and our partner churches has been to equip and encourage these caregivers through home based care, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, household income strengthening, and food security initiatives. Through local churches, these households also receive pastoral care and support.

SNAP SHOTS

Esperance is the project officer for the Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s (OVC) program serving child-headed households in three areas of Rwanda. In each of these communities, volunteer mentors provide emotional support and assistance to the elder siblings who are providing for their young brothers and sisters. 

Please pray for the OVC project which is helping hundreds of children receive education, and to strengthen their household incomes.

Pastor Anne and Pauline work with the Guardians of Hope program of the Africa Brotherhood Church (ABC). Under their leadership, the GOH project within the ABC has increased its care of orphans and children through regular visitation and day programs that bring child beneficiaries together for prayer, support, and fun. “The children share good meals together during our OVC days,” shared Pauline. “They learn about nutrition, hygiene, and many other things. It is an important time of learning, and for emotional support. We play games, laugh and build relationships. It is an important part of this ministry.”

Maureen and Erica are serving as directors for the 2015 Kamp Tumaini summer camp program for orphans and vulnerable children within the Kenyan Guardians of Hope projects. The camps will bring together Canadian and Kenyan youth volunteers as counsellors and mentors for children infected or affected by HIV and AIDS. Please pray for volunteers willing to commit two weeks of their summer to serve with our team in this important ministry.

Phyllis is the newest member of our team. She serves as the Guardians of Hope project officer with the African Christian Church and Schools (ACC&S), in Kenya.

Please pray for Phyllis as she takes on these new responsibilities with the ACC&S. We are very thankful to have her joining the GOH project team with her background in voluntary testing and counselling. 

Ernestine is the project officer for the Guardians of Hope project of the Baptist Association of Rwanda’s (AEBR). Although the GOH program’s primary emphasis has been caring for the caregivers of orphans, her passion for providing emotional and social support has enhanced the ministry of the GOH in Rwanda. 

Please pray for Ernestine as she travels to remote villages in rural Rwanda where she is strengthening groups of guardians and children. We are excited to see Ernestine to begin to incorporate groups of hope training as part of her ministry.

World AIDS Day - December 1, 2014 and a GOH Update

The theme of the 2014 World AIDS Day is 

“Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free Generation"

As Canadian Baptists, this is our tenth anniversary of the Guardians of Hope (GOH) program, our international response to HIV and AIDS. Since the program began in 2004, thousands of orphans and vulnerable children affected and infected by HIV and AIDS have experienced love and support from families and local churches that believe that faith in Christ calls us to be a part of bringing hope and healing into a broken world.

HIV and AIDS is more than a medical crisis. It is also a social and emotional experience that profoundly affects the lives and futures of millions of people.Over the past thirty years, UNAIDS is estimates that 17 million children have lost one or both parents due to AIDS -- 90 percent of these children live in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In addition, today in Africa 3.4 million children under the age of 15 years are living with HIV.

Over the past few years, AIDS seems to be falling off the radar of world media, but the reality is that the crisis isn’t over. According to a recent report of PEPFAR: "The social effects of HIV and AIDS make the millions of HIV-affected children highly vulnerable, as they are more likely to be victims of abuse, live in institutional care or on the street, and engage in hazardous and/or exploitive labor.” 

These children live with high risk of abuse, school-drop-out, and psychosocial distress. Adolescent girls affected by AIDS orphanhood, for example, are six times more likely of entering prostitution than peers in healthy families.

Erica introducing Faith Holwyn and Brenda Halk 

in the opening session of the CBM 

Guardians of Hope Leadership Conference 

The response of Canadian Baptist Ministries and our Church partners in Kenya, Rwanda, Angola and India has been to help families and caregivers enfold HIV and AIDS orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). Much of the past decades ministry has been to support and help thousands of these caregivers as they love, protect and nurture OVC in their communities. 

It is now widely recognized by government and non-governmental agencies that this approach works and is in the best interest of children: “Nurturing families are critical to children’s lifelong health and wellbeing, including their prospects for living HIV-free, or positively with HIV”. Families are the first line of support and defines for children.

Along with nutritional support, education support, and household income strengthening, the Guardians of Hope program has been helping churches invest in caregivers themselves. 

This year, as we mark our tenth anniversary of the Guardians of Hope, Canadian Baptist Ministries is introducing new initiatives to strengthen the spiritual, emotional, and social support of the Guardians and the children they are caring for.

This week, Guardians of Hope leaders from across our African partners, have been training on the “Groups of Hope” approach, an Eight Session program that helps people walk with God through times of distress and anxiety. Author and facilitator Faith Holwyn has been with us the past few days training our team on facilitating groups of hope sessions within the Guardians of Hope projects. We believe this will be a valuable tool in deepening faith and healing among caregivers and children alike.

 Faith and Brenda facilitating a Groups of Hope Session

In addition to the "Group of Hope" initiative, we are excited to launch Kamp Tumaini (Camp Hope). The first four camps will be in August 2015. 

This initiative is training Kenyan youth mentors to serve as peer counsellors and support to GOH children within our two Kenyan partners, the Africa Brotherhood Church and African Christian Church and Schools.

The camps themselves will be a fun time of learning together and supporting one another as Canadian and Kenyan volunteers serve GOH Kids in a Summer Camp environment.

We have had a good response from volunteers in Canada who are registering for the first camps, but there are still a few more vacancies for 2015. Anyone can still apply in the next few weeks!

We are in special need of a few good men to volunteer as camp counsellors in Kenya for 14 days next August.

Come to Kamp!

Phyllis and Patrick

We are very excited to be welcoming a new member to the Guardians of Hope leadership: Phyllis Wambui has just begun as the new project officer with the African Christian Church and Schools (ACC&S) Guardians of Hope project. Phyllis will be coordinating the ministry of the GOH throughout the nine regions of her church. 

Physllis follows our good friend Patrick Maina who has been serving with the ACC&S GOH since we became a part of the program five years ago. Patrick is now taking on some new hats with ACC&S food security projects with CBM and Canada Food Grains Bank in Kenya.

Faith Holwyn reading from the Groups of Hope leader’s manual

You can learn more about the “Groups of Hope”

Approach through the website

CBM/ACC&S Urban Ministry: John Njihia

John Njihia, Project Officer

CBM/ACC&S Urban Ministry Program

Over the past year, our colleagues Wayne and Maureen Morgan have been launching an urban ministry self help group program in the Dandora and Mali Saba areas of Nairobi, Kenya. This is a joint project of the African Christian Church and Schools (ACC&S) and Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM).

Earlier this week, we sat down with John under a tree and asked him about the work in which he is giving leadership. Here is a part of that conversation:

“Currently we are implementing the project, helping the community come up with self help groups as a way of empowering people politically, economically and socially. So since we started early in 2014,  we have been able to form twelve groups... 

Within the groups we always encourage them to carry out weekly savings, even 20 Kenyan Shillings a person each week, that is about twenty-five cents in Canada. So they meet, they save and then they can borrow from the savings. We practice what is commonly called in Kenya “Table Banking”: You don’t take your money to the bank, you save and loan to the members.

We have many challenges introducing this new kind of project in the community. Creating linkages with local institutions and government has not been very successful yet. Helping groups manage  small loans is also a challenge...

We are working in an informal settlement, widely known as a “slum”. Within the slum we have a lot of thugs, drug dealers, and at times they disrupt our meetings or harass people. I would appreciate the prayers of Canadian Baptists and anyone interested in this ministry. Prayers for protection and God’s strength to keep me going!”

You can learn more about the ACC&S and CBM Urban Ministry Project on the "Morgans in Kenya” blog and you can learn more about the ministry of CBM in Africa and around the world on our website at www.cbmin.org 

CBM Africa Team: Brenda Halk

Erica and Brenda Halk at Heart Lodge, Nairobi

This was a very special weekend, as we celebrated ten-years since Erica first visited Kenya with past CBM General Secretary, Gary Nelson, and a short term mission team that assisted in the Kenyan Certificate  of Ministry (CMin) course in Urban Ministry. 

We had several friends on that team, including: Brenda Halk, Lois Mitchell, Andrew Myers, Barbara Sherwood, Wendy Jones, Jennifer Sanderson, Laurie Barber, Brian Taylor, and Mark Buchanan. 

Together, the team worked with emerging leaders from the Africa Brotherhood Church (ABC) and the Africa Christian Church and Schools (ACC&S) as they learned about the theory and practice of urban ministry. 

An important part of the CMin training was time spent in the urban slum areas of Mathare Valley and Kibera, the two largest slum areas of Nairobi, Kenya. This experience of encountering poverty had a deep and lasting impact upon everyone on the team.

This evening, we dropped Brenda off at Heart Lodge (formerly Heart House) the same guesthouse where Erica and Brenda stayed ten years ago. Tomorrow, leaders from across the African Guardians of Hope program of Canadian Baptist Ministries will arrive and take part in a leadership conference that Erica and I will be facilitating with guest instructors Brenda Halk and Faith Holwyn, the author of the "Groups of Hope” program.

2014 is also the celebration of ten-years of the Guardians of Hope (GOH) program, CBM’s international response to HIV and AIDS. Over the past decade thousands of AIDs orphans and vulnerable children have been helped through the intervention of local church churches within the GOH program in Kenya, Rwanda, Angola, and India.

We are very excited to be introducing two new initiatives into the GOH on this anniversary year, namely: the "groups of hope" support program for caregivers, and the "Kamp Tumaini" program for orphans and vulnerable children.

Beth and Brenda at the ACC&S Bible School

During that trip back in 2004, Mark Buchanan had prophetically declared that one of the group would return to serve in Kenya. Little did he know that two year’s later our family would arrive in Nairobi in 2006, and, ten years later, a second member of that team would return as a staff member of CBM. 

Earlier this year, Brenda Halk joined Canadian Baptist Ministries as a strategic associate focused on women’s initiatives and business. 

Since beginning her new role with CBM, Brenda has had two visits to Kenya where she is helping Erica and I assess current women’s initiatives and economic development initiatives within our community development projects.

Meeting with the ACC&S Executive, Thika

Aaron, Erica, Jeremiah Ngumo Kiguru (General Secretary), Luka Kuria Wachira (Vice Moderator), Wayne and Maureen Morgan, Brenda, Joseph Maina Macharia (Moderator), Julius Kimani Kinuthia (Deputy General Secretary), and Elijah Wainaina Karanu (National Treasurer).

Earlier in the week, we had an opportunity to meet with the leadership of the African Christian Church and Schools. It was wonderful to see Julius Kimani as a member of the ACC&S executive leadership: Julius had been a student within the CMin cohort that Erica and Brenda were a part of in 2004.

It was a blessing to learn about all that God is doing among the people of the ACC&S.

Wayne and Maureen Morgan with 

ACC&S Moderator Joseph Maina Macharia

Our team mates Wayne and Maureen Morgan are embedded CBM global field staff with the ACC&S. The Morgans have been very involved in the leadership of the ACC&S urban ministry program in Nairobi. In addition, Wayne teaches at the ACC&S Bible School and Maureen coordinated short term missions in Kenya.

Erica and Jeremiah

Beth and Aaron

Ester and Brenda

Brenda’s experience in mobilizing women’s initiatives and her leadership with CBM as past board president, and past president of Canadian Baptist Women brings perspective to our African partners.

It was great to meet with Ester, the leader of the ACC&S national Women in Action program.

Erica and Brenda meeting with Eastleigh SHG Leaders

at our home in Nairobi, Kenya

Please uphold Brenda and our CBM Africa Team as we serve our church partners in fulfilling God’s great mission. We pray that the Church in Africa will continue to grow in its understanding and response to the serious concerns facing women throughout the world.

Ava the Brave!

A v a

Ava is having a great year in second grade. She is loving her teacher, Miss Idsardi, and having great fun after school in dance class with Miss Lane. Ava is growing up so quickly. She loves reading and is quite the storyteller.

This past weekend started off with Ava’s Elementary School Fall Concert at Rosslyn Academy. It was a wonderful evening of “Thanksgiving" as the elementary school music classes sang and played songs of gratitude and praise. Being an American-based school, Rosslyn celebrates "American Thanksgiving" each November. This was the first year that the annual fall concert focused on Thanksgiving, in the past it was a Christmas theme. Mrs. Grafe, the elementary music teacher, did an outstanding job as she led the children through beautiful songs, poems and drama on the theme of thankfulness. The concert ended with a beautiful “Shukrani Medley” in Kiswahili. 

Ava and Emma on the way to Mistletoe Market 

On Saturday, we took all three of our children to Mistletoe Market with our colleague Brenda Halk. Mistletoe is an annual flee market and craft sale held by Rosslyn Academy’s PTF. Always a lot of fun. This year was one of the few that was actually sunny -- November is rainy season in Kenya. 

Ava found a traditional Kenyan bow and arrow at the market

She is a natural!

Shukrani -- A Kenyan Thanksgiving

November 21, 2014

We are so proud of our little girl. She sang and danced throughout her concert and even played the xylophone. As we celebrate Thanksgiving with our friends and fellow Rosslyn parents, we are deeply thankful for our family.

The Whole Church Bringing the Whole Gospel for the Whole World

Crossing Paths

 Canadian Baptist Ministries’ Executive Director, Sam Chaise,

 preaching at the Africa Brotherhood Church, Starehe, Nairobi

This past week, we had the pleasure of hosting our friends and colleagues Sam and Cindie Chaise, who travelled to Kenya to participate in the Bridge program with our Garissa Church partners. Over the weekend, Sam and Cindie had time to connect with our team mates Wayne and Maureen Morgan, and join Archbishop Timothy Ndambuki for a worship service and fellowship time in Nairobi.

Over the past month, our paths continue to cross with many of our Canadian Baptist family. It is encouraging to hear how God is at work among our fellow church partners in the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

The Chaises had spent several days with our Middle East team based in Beirut, Lebanon, prior to arriving in Nairobi. Today there are now 30 local churches within the Lebanese Baptist Union that are  working together in meeting the overwhelming needs of the Syrian refugee crisis. Since the war broke out in Syria, the refugee numbers in Lebanon has ballooned to almost 2,000,000, that is one third of the entire country’s population.

Please join us in praying for the Lebanese Baptist Churches as they with CBM are on the front lines of refugee support within their country.

 Members of the Starehe ABC Church sharing tea with our 

friends Nancy Wagner, Val Fenn, and Cindie Chaise

Back in Africa, we had some nostalgia this week as our friend and CBM Strategic Associate, Brenda Halk arrived. She and Erica will be spending the next week looking at our women’s initiates in Kenya as well as economic empowerment components of our self help group projects.

In 2004, Brenda and Erica made their first trips to Africa together as they were participants in the CBM Certificate of Ministry program with Gary Nelson. Beyond frequent stops at Java House, the group spent most of their time between the ABC Starehe Church and the slums areas of Nairobi. It just so happened that on Sunday, we spent the day at the Starehe Church with Sam and Cindie Chaise.

The ABC, or Africa Brotherhood Church, is our second national church partner in Kenya. For almost 35 years, Canadian Baptist Ministries has been serving in partnership with the ABC in the areas of education, theological training, community health, and sustainable development.

It was amazing on Sunday to witness the change within is ABC urban church. Since moving to Kenya in 2006, Erica and I have worshipped at Starehe on a number of occasions, but none since 2009. At that time the church services were completely in Kiswahili. We had not anticipated how, in the past few years, the church has completely embraced English. Everything from the five choirs to the scripture reading and prayers,.. even the hymnal was in English which is being used by the young and the old alike.

It was also great to see how every part of the congregation participated in the service, from children with tambourines to youth with guitars and contemporary chorus music.

One highlight was seeing the traditional choirs sing and dance. Whether with instruments or with stamping feet, it was a community of praise!

Sam Chaise making friendly with a couple of warthogs

We are very thankful for Sam and Cindie, for their leadership and their support. After a whirl wind visit, the Chaises returned to Canada on Monday evening. Over the years, Sam has been encouraging us, and our team, in our efforts to strengthen Integral Mission within local churches. Since Sam began his role as CBM executive director in 2010, we have seen major shifts within Africa.

You can read Sam’s regular reflections about Christian life and witness in his blog “Cut to the Chaise”.

Erica and Val visiting the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

Also visiting this week was our friend and CBM board member, Val Fenn, from Penticton, British Columbia. Val had hosted Erica and Tristan this past June when they were participating in a Baptist Women’s conference where Erica had been speaking about the Guardians of Hope HIV and AIDS ministry in Africa.

Val stopped in to stay with our family for a few days after having volunteered with CBM in Rwanda as part of a short term missions group working with women’s support groups from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Enjoying Ethiopian Night with the Chaises and the Kennys

We want to thank you for reading our blog and for your continued prayers and support. May God bless you this week, and may your path lead you into wonderful and unexpected conversations and encounters.