What a Great City....Vancouver

This is my first time to be in Vancouver for any length of time...and I love it! About ten years ago when I was in Washington state on a business trip, friends of mine from Bellingham brought me over the border and drove me through Vancouver...but that little day trip didn't reveal to me the real Vancouver. Being here for the Winter Olympics is like a dream come true. This city reminds me so much of Japan minus the language barrier. It's so similar to Hokkaido in North Japan where I lived for almost 16 years. It's the kind of city that you want to get out in and walk the streets. Wonderful shops! Family-oriented activities. Great food...all kinds. This week I've had Korean, Japanese, Israeli, French, and of course, American food. That's not my purpose for being here but it definitely is a plus. I'm loving it.

Being here for the Olympics means that we walk a lot..all day long. Vancouver is an easy city to get around in. City transportation is not complicated. People ride bikes. Taxis are abundant. Water taxis, small boats, take you across the river from downtown to Granville Island.

The Canadian people are so friendly. They are so proud to host this Winter Olympics. Even though I'm an American and cheering for the USA, it's such a joy to see them rejoice when the Canadian athletes win a medal. They are eager to talk with us...and welcome us and wish us a wonderful stay.

The contrast between this Olympics and the one in Beijing in 2008 is tremendous. We have such freedom to share and witness and talk about God and Jesus and how to become a Christian. We speak to the policemen and security guards who are patroling the streets. Some of them we know by name now and thank them daily for the job they are doing of keeping the city safe. They smile at us and talk with us. This afternoon as I was walking through one of the shopping areas on Granville Island, I saw a Chinese man in a Security Guard uniform. For a moment a twinge of fear made my heart beat faster...remembering the Olympics in China when our rooms were bugged and we were followed around by the Secret Police, having to be very careful who we talked with and shared with and where we went. Nothing like that here in Vancouver.

So, my prayer is that God will give us boldness to talk and share and pray with as many people as possible while we are in this wonderfully receptive country. This is such a multicultured city. Even so, I'm praying that God bring many many Chinese people into our paths here and that we can even share fearlessly and lovingly with them.

Tomorrow I go to my first Olympic event. I will cheer for the USA...and also for Canada, our wonderful northern neighbor. America is blessed.