Day 2: paging nurse epperly?

Morning came too quickly as we packed up and enjoyed a breakfast at Tim Hortons, famous for their donuts and excellent coffee (which was already desperately needed). We drove another hour and a half to Port Alberni to catch the boat that would take us to Copper Island. Gratefully, neither myself nor anyone else got sick on either boat. The sun was out, the ride was beautiful and I enjoying laying out on the bow of the boat with several other gals for a bit.

We unloaded on Copper Island and immediately began preparing for dinner. The team unloaded the rest of the gear and settled into assignments for the better half of the afternoon.

Partway into making spaghetti for dinner, one of our college-aged leaders came stumbling into the dining room, looking for first aid. Trying not to look panicked, I thought “Are we in charge of first aid too?”. We found the first aid backpack but by this point, J. had taken his shoe off, revealing a blood soaked sock. He pulled the sock off to show us that his big toenail had come completely off. Did I mention we were having spaghetti for dinner? I got him to lay down on the floor since he was turning an eerie shade of white. After covering the toe with wet paper towels, and helping his calm down, we realized that there were no nurses or doctors present. Fortunately, the director did the sanitizing and bandaging. I’m pleased to announce that no one passed out and his toe is healing just fine -no broken bones or infection.
I will admit that neither Lloyd nor myself ate the marinara sauce for dinner –couldn’t quite stomach it.

The day ended with a bonfire and wonderful worship by several of the high schoolers.

Day 1: portland to parksville

When I decided to come on this missions trip, I was asked if I would work in the kitchen with another gal preparing all the meals for our group of 25. I love to cook so this seemed like a good fit for me. My work began a couple of days before leaving Portland since we were responsible for purchasing and packaging into coolers all the food that we would be needing. I think I was already sore from shuffling storage bins full of food around in the trailer before we ever departed.

Our first day began early enough to finish packing and be at the church by 6am. Those of you who know us well know that means really early! We travelled through Washington and caught a ferry in Port Angeles, headed for Victoria. I had the pleasure of riding with my good friend Katie and her son, Foster in their car while Lloyd rode in the 15 passenger van with all the kids.

Victoria is a beautiful city and we had a couple of hours to roam around. We hope to go back some day to really explore and soak it all in. Our team continued traveling most of the day and finally settled in a church in the town of Parksville for the night. I think I passed out at about midnight while others played mafia late into the night.

back in the USA

We are safely back home and adjusting back to our daily routines. We had a wonderful time working hard and connecting with the local First Nation's kids. I am still processing my experience and will give a daily recap soon. I just wanted to thank you all once again for this incredible opportunity. Your prayer support was so evident in this trip. The picture above is of Copper Island's boat that carried us from Port Alberni to Copper Island. This was also my view each day from the kitchen.

and we're off

An enormous thank you to those who have helped make this trip possible for us. We are very grateful that all the loose ends have come together. We will probably not have internet/phone service for the majority of our trip so I thought I would leave a loose schedule for you.
Sun -Travel day by van & ferry. Border crossing.
Mon -Travel day by boat. Half work day.
Tues -Work day
Wed -Work day
Thurs -Work day
Fri -Travel day by boat & van to Reservation. Evening program on Res.
Sat -Program on Res.
Sun -Program on Res.
Mon -Debrief.
Tues -Travel day by ferry & boat. Border crossing. (I start summer class this night at 6:30 and need to be back on time).

Here's how you can pray specifically:
1. That we all travel safe, no illnesses, or vehicle problems. We need to make good time to catch the ferry.
2. For unity among the team, adults & students.
3. Softened hearts to the work God has called us to.

I will try to post updates if I am able to. Otherwise, look for a word from us on Wed. the 25th.
Happy Father's day to you father's out there!

Alicia & Lloyd

It's official! We're going to Canada!

If you've made your way to this site, it probably means you've received a newsletter from us in the past week or so.
Thank you for stopping by and checking in on our progress! We are indeed heading to Canada in a little less than a week and the excitement is beginning to set in. We have started making lists; packing lists, shopping lists, last minute to-do list...etc.

We are pleased and extremely humbled to report that we have received nearly all of our support. When I begin to feel overwhelmed, God surprises us with these blessing from very unexpected places. We are both so excited to see what surprise he has next.

Thank you for joining us on this journey! I will do my best to keep this site updated this week as we prepare to leave.

With Anticipation,
The Epperly's

Praise:
1. Our finances are coming together much faster than anticipated.
2. We are joining an excited, strong team.

Prayer:
1. Ability to clearly focus on finishing things at home before we leave, specifically school finals.
2. Remain healthy during these next busy weeks with travel and work, especially for Lloyd's back.