posted by Robert on 08/22/08
On our second day visiting the Van Essen family in Ontario, Canada, our hospitable hosts took us to see the Gallery on the Lake and enjoy viewing a wide array of magnificent nature artwork.
During our visit I had the opportunity to chat with one artist, Marc Gagnon, who for several years had been the President of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. As we discussed art, he made an emphatic statement that went something like this:
"You cannot fully appreciate
a work of art until you
get to know the artist."
This struck me as being quite profound. I believe it is true on a much deeper level than what was perhaps originally intended.
As we enjoyed several hikes through the great outdoors during the remainder of the day, the fingerprint of the Master Artist was quite evident on His creation. Everywhere we went there were reflections of His beauty, order, and creativity. But these reflections were only visible to those who had eyes to see them.
You cannot fully appreciate creation
until you get to know the Creator.
"The invisible things of [God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead" (Romans 1:20).
3 Comments » | posted in Family News
posted by James on 08/21/08
It is not very often that our whole family is together in the same place at the same time. So, to make the most of this occasion, we decided to take a family vacation to visit the VanEssen family in Ontario, Canada.
Waking at 4:30 in the morning on Friday, August 15, we drove all the way from Salem WV, to Kawartha Lakes ON, a leisurely 13 hour drive. On the way, we stopped for a short time at Lake Erie. Some of us had never traveled along the Great Lakes, so to feel the unceasing lakeside breeze 
and see the vast, unending expanse of water was a new experience. The road-side pullover was not exactly extraordinary in appearance; but with family, it became a very memorable place indeed, especially when we identified a Bald Eagle soaring nearby.
We really didn’t know what to expect when we arrived in Canada. 
Most of us had never been outside the US. We cruised into this “foreign” country with eyes and ears open to taking in the new surroundings. 
Here are some of the things we noticed: First was the traffic! We hit Toronto at rush-hour and experienced first hand the fact that 3/4 of the Canadian population live 
within 90 miles of the US border. We noticed that road signs were in both English and French. It was also strange seeing
signs reading speed limit 100; we quickly learned to translate from miles to kilometers. As we continued north out of the densely populated areas, we began to notice the striking geographical changes. 
The countryside was broad, rolling and forested. Farms and fields were scattered through the coniferous forests. The setting sun reflected off of countless lakes and obscure marshes.
Finally we arrived at our destination at the northeastern tip of Stony Lake where 
the VanEssen’s greeted us with warm, Canadian hospitality. God had pro-tected us on our journey on the first day of our vacation and we were excited to see how the Lord would continue to work in the next few days, for indeed, He did!
4 Comments » | posted in Family News
posted by Jonathan on 08/14/08
We had an amazing, once-in-a-life-time experience come to our little town 
in West Virginia. A group from Florida who raises zoo animals travels around to educate people about animals. It was a Safari on wheels! Esther, David and I decided to go down and spend an evening seeing it. It was small, of course, but it had some rare animals that were fun to see. My favorite part was when they let us take 
our picture with 
a baby lion! We also were able to see a white tiger, black leopard, Bengal tiger, big albino python, kangaroos, a camel, and the rare endangered ring tail lemurs. David and Esther also 
got great chances to draw the animals while I 
took pictures. We were glad that we could see such special parts of God’s wonderfully creation without having to go very far.
Job 12:7 “But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:”
5 Comments » | posted in Family News
On our second day visiting the Van Essen family in Ontario, Canada, our hospitable hosts took us to see the Gallery on the Lake and enjoy viewing a wide array of magnificent nature artwork.
During our visit I had the opportunity to chat with one artist, Marc Gagnon, who for several years had been the President of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. As we discussed art, he made an emphatic statement that went something like this:
