As you know, I'm trying to plan a wedding from the other side of the world. One of the stresses has been that I can't help out with the looking for a place to rent, for once we're married. On top of this, I will still be studying, so will not have an income to contribute. This makes it even harder to find somewhere affordable to live. God has just provided us with a lovely place to live in an amazing location for free! This relieves us of so much stress. God is amazing, and so are generous people. This more than answers our prayers. God really does bless us with more than we dreamt to ask for. Praise God!

God is amazing! He has provided me with great friends here. One has shown me many of the sights and we've gone on some wonderful bike rides. My guitar playing is progressing too. Another invited me to dinner the other night and provided a huge meal. I mentioned in our conversation that I needed to go shopping for winter boots but felt they were pretty expensive, given I won't be here for long. She told me to wait, and when she returned, she had some brand new, white, winter boots that she gave to me. Her sister had bought them for her as a present but they didn't fit. They fit me perfectly. Her generosity in everything amazes me. God provides!

Being in a place where I know no one can get a bit lonely. Everyone was keen to show me around at first, but after a month, I feel like a limpet, piggybacking on other lives, not living my own. I got my family back home to pray that I would find a friend or some friends who weren't just kindly letting me tag along. That evening I met a lovely girl who's friends are all getting married and she feels like they don't have as much time for her anymore. She'd been praying that God would provide her with a new friend so she didn't feel so lonely. It turns out we live only a couple of streets from each other! We plan to go out for a cuppa regularly and play guitar together. She's even talking of inviting me round for traditional Colombian food. God provides!

He's also provided me with a friend who loves art. We are meeting up weekly to paint and do bible study together. Its lovely having time to get back into art and music again, and even nicer to have companionship.

God has placed me in a wonderful household that regularly has multiple exchange students from around the world living with them. I thought how amazingly blessed I was playing Spanish cards with a guy from Spain, two girls from the Czech Republic and a Chinese Canadian last night. Its great being surrounded by people who are visitors like me, and locals who are willing to show me around. Please pray God will provide me with lasting friendships and a church with a strong sense of community. I miss bumping into people I know when I walk up to the shops.

Also, please pray that my bank card would work. I can pay on my visa debit but I can't get money out from the ATM and I've run out of loose change. I think its just a delay problem, and luckily I don't yet need cash, I can use visa in most places. Thanks for all your support.

God sorted out the visa issue fantastically. Thanks for all your prayer. Mum flew all the way to Sydney to apply for my work permit, only to be told that I do not count as a co-op student so there was no point applying for a work permit because I didn't have, and couldn't get a Labour Market Opinion number. I then applied for a working holiday program permit, but there was no time to get it approved, and my police check was out of date. So, I arrived in Vancouver without a permit, and two hours until my next flight. I applied in the airport for a work permit despite the lack of an LMO, and having been told that work permits were rarely approved at Port of Entry. After waiting for hours, they gave me a work permit! I missed my next flight but the lady at the baggage check-in kindly put me on the last available seat of the next flight to Toronto, which only arrived an hour and a half later than the original plan. God is good!

With all these visa issues, I guess all I can do is leave them in God's hands. He's called me to Canada so I'm sure he is capable of getting me there. I'm excited to see where he leads. I look again to his words in Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
In James 1:2-4 he says:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
God can use all situations for good so  I will trust him and stop freaking out about not having a work permit.