ADJUSTING chapter 136

It took some time to get used to commuting, but I did. The board decided that we would move to the house in Vancouver near Boundary Road on the boarder of Burnaby in a place called Champlain Heights. It would be a straight shot down Kingsway and not nearly as far. But that was about four months off.

I often had lunch with Al. If we went out is was usually to Captain Cooks or White Spot. When we brought a lunch we would eat in the kitchen with Bert and Kay. Mr. Brooks always went home when he did not have a luncheon appointment. Al and I had those as well, but most people did not work downtown.

The Port Coquitlam house. We usually entered the
house from the back where there was room to park
and stairs to climb.

Della became more relaxed about our borrowed home and began inviting people for Sunday dinner like we had always done in our first church. We would get to know people this way and it was easier to have them to our place than take two small children to their home. Della was an incredible cook and hostess. Meals were always terrific, so it was a surprise when we arrived home one Sunday with guests in tow and the smell of roast beef in the oven did not enter our noses as we opened the door. Della was in a panic and rushed up stairs to see what was wrong leaving two children at the bottom of the stairs with me trying to figure out what was wrong. The timer did not start the oven. After turning some burners on she realized we did not have a stove. We checked everything, the plugs, the breaker. The stove was dead. There was no meal ready and we were not going to be cooking anything that day. Worse yet for my wife the hostess, we had nothing to serve. I told her to greet our guests and I rushed out to Kentucky Fried Chicken for a meal in a bucket. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it filled the bill. To top it off, Rodney said he liked it. He never said he liked the roast beef. He got to hold the chicken leg in his hands. Fun!

We did have trouble with Rodney at church within our first month there. As we headed to his Sunday school class one morning, he announced in very strong terms that he did not want to go. Oh great, what now? He could put up a fight when we wanted too. We were headed to a temper tantrum. One of the teachers met us at the door and put it in perspective. Apparently another little boy bit him the Sunday before. For him, going to church meant he was going to be bitten. While we wished we have known that the week before so some preparation would have been worked on, Della decided to stay with him and “protect him.” It never happened again and he and the boy became playmates.

Wednesday night was prayer meeting and everyone met together and then broke up into smaller prayer groups. I met with the youth. I had a consistent group of 4-6. Usually in attendance were Heidi, Paul McConnell, Jim and Dale Klassen, and some others from time to time. I thought youth group was going to be tough to get a group together. We usually met at the church but eventually began meeting in a few different homes. I guess if you lived in the greater Vancouver area you took travel for granted.

I began working promoting LIFE conference in Green Lakes, Wisconsin. I knew it might be hard sell. It was the following summer and we began picking away at it ten months in advance. I didn’t know what the plan was yet, but it was clear several of the group were going to need financial help. A few expressed interest and we talked with them about fund raising possibilities. I don’t remember who suggested it, but collecting bottles and newspapers to sell, came up. While it was a good idea, it would be a pile of work. Pop bottles were 2ç each other bottles were 2¢ and paper — I don’t remember what they were paying. Maybe $5-$7 a ton It wasn’t much. This would take time. Not just the kid’s time, but mine. When would we do this, where would we do this, who would do it and how would we figure out what kind of help each kid would get? I needed to think about that idea and talk it over with Della. She would be part of my decision making process.

All other bottles 2¢

Pop bottles were sold for 2¢ each

Paper sold by the ton, but where would we store it until we got a ton?