Happy New Year to all of you, our friends and family! We hope you had a joy-filled Holiday Season! It has sadly been too long since we’ve updated this blog and so much has happened. So here is an overview of our 2011 (since April). We've included some snapshots (click to enlarge them), but if you want to view even more, exciting photos, see the end of this posting.
Since this year is near the middle of our term commitment with MCC here in Labrador, we were fortunate to have an extended home leave this summer, which was a special chance to be with family, both past and present. After a few days with Kerry’s parents in Indiana, we packed our backpacks (one containing Idonea :) for a EuroRail loop through Europe to visit some of our “family” there. Our first stop was in Spain to visit our friends Laura and Michele Njiki and their daughter Sophia, with the added bonus that our time coincided with the feria festival adorned with incredibly decorative lights and flamenco dresses. 
Our journey then took us through northern Italy—stopping by the sea cliff villages of Cinque Terre and the ever popular Venice—and then on to Croatia where the karst waterfalls of Krka National Park were a highlight. A beautiful, winding mountainous bus ride took us to Sarejevo, Bosnia, where some Grad School colleagues were serving with MCC. Then we turned northward, stopping at the cliffside castle in Bled, Slovenia, a visit to Munich, Germany, Dachau concentration camp, and a lovely couple days with a family in Mainz that we met here in Labrador. Finally, we traveled through Denmark to arrive in Norway to spend a number of days with Jen’s Norwegian "sister," Hilde, and her husband Espen and family. 
Our travels then took us to the USA, starting with Kerry’s brother, Lelyn, in DC, Jen’s relatives in Landis Homes, Pennsylvania, and our many dear friends in Harrisonburg, VA and Pittsburgh, PA. The train then dropped us off in Kansas where Kerry’s extended family was able to meet Idonea for the first time and she was able to enjoy the farm on the prairies. We then celebrated Kerry’s Parent’s 40th Anniversary at a nice B&B in Nebraska followed by a stop at Kerry’s birthplace in Freeman, South Dakota. Finally they dropped us off in Kalona, Iowa, where we spent the remaining time with Jen’s family, including many afternoons on the back porch with Idonea’s great-grandma, Jeanette Yoder. Kerry was able to get his model train “fix” there as he helped Bruce and Karen install a garden train in their backyard. 
We think all that train travel developed Idonea’s balance because by the last weeks of our trip she had begun walking almost faultlessly on her own. By now she is running around full steam, playing and dancing with such joy that you can’t help but smile and dance along. She is learning new words everyday and making up some of her own. She loves to tell elaborate stories, some of the words we even recognise :) She is so much fun and a true blessing!
We continue to enjoy the beauty of Labrador and continue to feel more at home here each year. This summer we started a new flock of chickens. Along with our friend Walt, we shipped in some heritage breed chicks (Barred Rock, Columbia, and Wyandotte for those chicken folks who are curious) from a farmer in New Brunswick. Idonea frequently enjoys visiting and feeding the “ahh ahhs,” and one of the cockerels became an excellent Christmas Dinner.
Our work with MCC continues to be filled with rich variety and meaningful relationships, as all of our work is alongside local partners. Just a few of the highlights this year include:
• Voicing social and cultural concerns in a presentation to the federal environmental assessment panel of the proposed Lower Churchill River Hydroelectric project.
• Supporting the construction of a new Women’s Centre with a thrift store and supported housing for women with multiple and complex needs, which is nearing completion.
In August, an MCC Canada communications team visited us here in Labrador—you might have seen stories about the work of MCC Newfoundland and Labrador in various Mennonite publications. We also traveled with them to visit partners in St. John’s and then took a few days with our friends, the Mortin-Ninomiya family, to explore the Avalon Peninsula on Newfoundland.
In November, the MCC Aboriginal Neighbours network gathered in British Columbia so we were able to travel to the opposite end of the continent. We took a few days before to explore the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island, as well as visit our friends Rick and Johanna in Victoria, whose daughter, Linnea, is the same age as Idonea. The incredibly immense maple, cedar and hemlock trees of the temperate rainforests were truly inspiring—such a striking contrast from our slow-growing short trees of Labrador. The following week we had meetings in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which allowed us a few days in between to drive up and see our friends in Cranberry Portage, where we were living before Labrador. Both the Saner and Harvey parents also made journeys up to Winnipeg so we could celebrate US Thanksgiving and an early Christmas together.
In short, 2011 was a year of re-connecting and re-experiencing the joys of friendships near and far! After all that travel, we were glad to spend December here in Labrador where we’ve had the start of a beautiful, snowy winter. May your winters also be blessed with warm homes and happy memories! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!
Love, Kerry, Jen and Idonea
We have lots more photos from our travels that you can view at Picasa Web Albums. If we saw you this year, you are likely in photo. You can browse the folders or click on any of the links below to view that set of photos.
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