Guatemala trip: March 3rd

We have successfully navigated the journey to Kamloops, where we arrived at 6:45 p.m. last night. We did not encounter any difficulties along the way; the only dismay was the rise in gas prices which remained consistent all the way. It was such a blessing to have an extra pair of eyes and hands in the back seat of the van! Laine has been such a blessing; we have all really enjoyed her company.
In preparation for the long trip, Steve and Pete Knowles wired an inverter from the battery, making a "kitchen" behind the driver seat in the van. We have a slow cooker and a coffee maker in the kitchen and a borrowed plug in cooler to keep our groceries cold. We saved 8.10 on day 1 just on coffee, not to mention the Timbits we'd have likely bought if we'd gone through the drive-thru.
It was exciting to cook our first dinner in the slow cooker and by the time we got to 100 Mile House, the chili was starting to smell delicious! We had dinner with Steve's family at Brent and Bonnie Bylsma's house. (We missed Erin and Malaki who were getting ready for Malaki's trip to participate in the B.C. Winter Olympics in Terrace.) After the overwhelming introductions to 5 families and all of the children, Laine fit right in to the big family gathering. I think that she must have had some practice growing up in a large family!
On the agenda for today, Cole has an Occupational Therapy appointment and an IEP ( Individual Education Plan) meeting to help us stay on track while we are away. We need to find a pair of soccer cleats for Daniel, one of the boys from Joy Filled Homes who has Cerebral Palsy, who loves to play soccer. The rest of the day we will be enjoying more family. Steve has gone with Dad to his Eye Specialist appointment while Laine and I visit Mom and catch up on our Blogging and Facebooking.
Tomorrow morning we will head further south, crossing the border into the U.S. and travelling to southern Washington. We will be staying overnight with friends, providing that Steve actually gets around to calling them before we show up on their doorstep!
Please pray for travelling safety and mechanical stability of the van. If you are an ambitious prayer, you can also join us in praying that the van has a miraculous reduction in fuel consumption for the duration of this trip! As always, we need prayer for wisdom in following God's leading and for our health as Steve, Autumn and Zeke are still coughing quite a bit.
Blessings to you all!

Bylsma Chili
2lbs. ground beef
1 med. onion
1 red or green pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chick peas
1 can mixed beans
1 lg. can tomato sauce
chili powder, cumin and tandoori

Brown the meat and add the onion and pepper. Add drained tomatoes and drained, rinsed beans and chick peas. Add tomato sauce and spice to taste. * the secret to great chili is in the spice. More is always better! I use a fairly even amout of all three spices and a tsp. of brown sugar gives the chili a friendly disposition. Put in the slow cooker on low for 5 hrs. Garnish with sour cream and serve with affection!