We are so grateful for...

Angela Yablonski who works tirelessly on Project Zimbabwe, we are so excited to be meeting up with her and the team from Vernon in Zimbabwe in May!!

Our kids teachers at Beairsto, Mme. Labrie and Mr. Paquot as well as their new online teacher Jane Higgins from V-Learning. Their support and dedication to making this work is amazing and so appreciated.

All the staff at Ministry of Forests (where I work) who have shown so much kindness, especially in the last couple months! Thanks for all the hugs on my last day.

Our friends at Vernon Alliance Church, what a blessing to have the love and prayers of so many who share in our faith. A special thank you to Carmen & Amy who do a phenomenal job each week leading our kids, in a fun way, to learn about God and teaching them life skills!!  Later we learned that VAC kids prayed for us often which we are sure it was their prayers that kept us safe!

Oliver at OUTDOOR EXPOSURE, many thanks for the deal on my back pack and for providing excellent customer service. Please remember to support this local small business when making any purchases for your outdoor experience. They are great!

Dr. Clark and all the ladies who work with him for caring about dental hygiene in Zimbabwe. Your donation of toothbrushes, floss and toothpaste is fantastic!

Marina at the Indoor Soccer Centre, she ROCKS! Because of her we have collected and sent over 1000 soccer jerseys to Africa.  She continues to support this project by collecting soccer gear all year for delivery to Zimbabwe.

Becki Ott, is a godsend, she has gone above and beyond helping me prepare to lead 'sunday school' for the children in Zimbabwe. Angela tells me to expect up to 600 kids (not all at once, thankfully) and Becki has donated everything we need to make salvation bracelets, booklets and has spent time sharing with me what she knows about kid's ministry. God Bless you Becki.

Brenda at INSTANT REPLAY SPORTS in Vernon. She is so willing to help out, providing what she can towards Jersey's For Africa project. From soccer cleats & shin guards to Hockey duffle bags required to ship the many donations to Zimbabwe she truly is an awesome person and local small business owner. Thanks again Brenda!

My son Landon, who at 10 years old wrote a 10,000+ word novel called Spirit Wolf. It has become so popular that we decided to start selling them with half the proceeds going to Jerseys For Africa. He has inspired many with his book signings, book readings at various library's throughout the Okanagan Valley. We are so proud of him!

and how could we ever thank Sherry (Red) Guenther?! She is the most talented artist we know and was so kind to agree to paint a wolf for the cover of Landon's book. It looks amazing! Her faith in God is inspiring and the kids with Youth Ministries at Vernon Alliance love her. If you are ever in the need of some great artwork ie. murals, paintings etc. she is your woman :-)

Mike at Sun Valley Sports for finding a supplier willing to sell us soccer shorts at a discounted price!

This next person is an Angel on earth, she is always ready to help out any way she can including cleaning, packing, and anything I ask her to do. She's offered to tackle my 'To Do' list when I am stressed about it and is even willing to give every penny she has to help pay for our trip. She does all this with a smile and a giving attitude and her loving heart is made of pure gold. Who is this incredible person you ask? TIANNA COLVIN, my daughter!

Aunt Cindy from Denver Colorado and Joy & Michael living in London. Their generosity to our kids is unbelievable, how blessed are we to have them as our extended family!

We have so many people to thank for offering their support either financially or with donations of supplies for our missions work. A special mention goes to GAP of Vernon Alliance Church, Silver Star Rotary Club, friends Bonnie Luttmerding, Deb Nadeau, Sharmay Taylor, Auntie Elsie & Uncle Mario and everyone who purchased a copy of Landon's book Spirit Wolf.

Bernie, Karen, Matthias, & Emilia, a family of four who just returned from a year travelling around the world and agreed to meet with us to share their experiences and advice! It was their blog which inspired me to write our own.

Tammy Andreotti, thanks to her we have a wonderful family living in our house. God brought us together and I know in my heart we will be life long friends.

A BIG thank you to Dave from down the street.....he has been helping JC get our house ready since the summer, designed and helped to build shelves for storage.  He took JC under his wing and all the while creating a special friendship. He is in our prayers as he is home recovering from a very bad car accident he and his wife Pat were in a week before we left Vernon.  He's a fighter and an inspiration so we know he will fully recover no matter how difficult the next few months will be!!

Our last week in Vernon was very hectic, although we were able to accomplish all our packing, got the house ready, and took care of last minute trip details thanks to our wonderful friends and family who had us over for dinner....many thanks to the Andreotti's, Al & Linda, Huber's, VandeSande's, Dad & Suzanne, Mom Zupp, & Frank & Leona and of course our final meal at Dad & Mom Colvin's!! We really appreciated the dinner's while our life was too crazy to cook for ourselves. Also, the lunches I shared with my friends(Deb, Twi, Cynthia, Audreen & Bonnie, Debbie, & Barb) was so special to me, a BIG thank you to Audreen and Bonnie for treating me. On our last day what would we have done without the help from our great friends/neighbors Mark & Debbie. Moving a couch, queen size mattress and entertainment centre down the stairs and into our basement was no easy task but with Mark's muscles and Deb's navigational skills it got done!

Without my Mom helping us pack up and clean our kitchen I think I would still be there doing it!!! She was such a blessing, thanks Mom!!

Landon & Tianna's friends are so WONDERFUL, a big thank you to Jodi (Shaelyn's Mom) for hosting a surprise going away party for Tianna with all her friends there! She felt so special to be given a party of her very own! and to Landon's classmates and his teacher who managed to throw a surprise party for him during English class on his last day of school. The cards are so special, we love all of you! And upon returning home Alison (Jamie's Mom) surprised Tianna with a Welcome Home Party!

The bond I share with my sister Charlene was made even stronger through packing and cleaning.....what would I do without her?! She is so organized but I think I'm rubbing off on her since I heard her say "good enough" several times:-) I'll miss ya sis!!

and finally all our family and friends, who even if they think we are crazy, have given us their support and well wishes.