Westhaven Men's Retreat June 11th

It was like taking ice to Eskimos - taking music to Newfoundland. We arrived at this beautiful old church camp retreat centre late on the Friday evening with our trailer full of drums. First we cadged a late dinner from the kitchen staff, then we followed the music to the hall.

All across the front of the hall was a long row of musicians - guitars, fiddles, an accordian, a mandolin, a keyboard, harmonica, more guitars but...no drummers. Before long they had us up adding to the rhythm.

Some of these guys had been coming to this annual retreat for over twenty years. They came from all corners of Newfoundland to be there on the west coast together. A group always travelled from Cape Breton - bringing their latest songs to share and trade.

Bazza said the spirit there reminded him of his visit to Angola. "Must be because this is the closest you can get to Angola in Canada."

It was an amazing weekend. Saturday night that row of performers at the front became a big circle of fifty guys all joining into the Rhythm of Generosity. Music is such a big part of that retreat that it wasn't hard to get everyone joining in and going with the spirit of the drum circle.

Sunday morning communion on the beach was an intimate sharing of these men's love of their Lord and Saviour - the one who sacraficed all - who gives us the courage and strength to make those daily sacrafices - in His service. Each man gave a word of thanks in turn, passed the bread and cup around, and then danced an offering onto our makeshift wooden altar.

What an amazing way to start our tour of Newfoundland. We made friends there that we later connected with back at their home churches - by the time we got there they'd heard about these Dondi drummers with their vanload of percussion on their way...

The Spirit of the West!

Our next stop was a return visit to Red Deer and our friends at Sunnybrook UC. The gathering included students from the aboriginal studies program at the local college, and we were hosted again by our friend Shirley, who graciously opened up her home to us. There were two major church fires in nearby Wetaskiwin last fall when we visited Red Deer, and it was nice to hear how those communities have moved forward in the aftermath.

Another commitment for a Drumathon venue at Sunnybrook, and we head on up the highway to Edmonton to visit with Tom and Kathleen Gilchrist. The Gilchrist family has a long history of service in Angola, and since we first met Tom in October 2009, he has been extraordinarily generous in sharing his knowledge, experiences, and resources in support of the project. This time, it was a list of others from the Angola 'family', dispersed around Canada, but united in their dedication to and love for Angola and the Angolan people. We promised to look up as many as possible, for the experience thus far has been rich - Mary Pyne, Etta Snow, Jim Kirkwood, Francis Wallbridge, Eleanor Knight, Keith Jamieson...

We also received a warm welcome as we 'crashed' the annual spring BBQ at Spirit West UC (OK, we really were invited!), where about 80 people drummed together and shared the story of the Dondi Project - one of the most enthusiastic circles of the tour so far, from a congregation with a long association with Angola. A great time was had by all, and our new friends vowed to keep fund-raising and get into training for the Drumathon on October 1st and 2nd!

Drumheller or Bust??

So we're driving down the highway from Saskatoon to Drumheller, it's a beautiful sunny day, and we're on route to Didsbury to spend the evening with David and Margaret Gilchrist.

Bazza suggests a secondary road, scenic, but devoid of services, and the hapless Abbey North Drummers are clearly more taken by the view then the gas gauge, and the intrepid trio runs out of gas in the proverbial 'middle of nowhere'...

Well, one good thing about the prairies, you can get a cell phone signal out there under the big sky, and after a well-placed phone call, help is on the way from Hanna, AB, while Bazza plays guitar into the side of the trailer, so the wind didn't blow away all the notes!

The upside, once we were on our way again, it meant hitting Drumheller and the Badlands at sunset - simply stunning!!

Runnin' Back to Saskatoon...

On Tuesday, May 11th we arrived in Saskatoon where we spent the night in preparation to meet with Mary Pyne the next day.

We first met Mary on our mini-Western tour last October - Mary served in both Angola and in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) as a nurse, and is also a pilot and social activist, and an inspirational spirit. We shared stories about Dondi and Angola, and strategized about the project and expanded our contact list - still lots of Angolan ex-pats and the extended Angolan 'family' to track down and introduce ourselves to.

We hope to see Mary again at the end of the month in Regina!!

Wheat Kings Rule!

Well, we didn't catch any hockey, but on Sunday, May 9th we had the privilege of being back in Brandon, Manitoba, hosted by our dear friends Harvey and Joyce Douglas.

We split the team for morning worship, with Joe and Christine participating at Central UC and Harvey and Bazza joining forces at Knox UC. Both services were totally energized by the addition of drums, and we were able to promote our drumming event that evening.

The three amigos, Joe, Harvey and Baz, took Christine and Joyce for a lovely Mother's Day brunch, where we met Carol Ann, Brandon native but currently a student of dance in Toronto. Carol Ann is our latest 'enthusiast' for the big Drumathon on October 1st and 2nd, and will be a valuable addition to the Toronto team - we look forward to re-connecting with her in September!

Sunday evening Central UC hosted an information session on the Dondi Project and a community drum circle, attended by about 25 people. We saw some 'old' friends from last fall and made some new ones - Joyce Douglas stepped up to coordinate the Drumathon activities for Central UC, and we expect several other congregations in Brandon will join the festivities.

To top off our visit, Monday, May 10th we held a drum circle with 250 Grade 6-8 students plus teachers and staff at Harrison Middle School. It was a super high energy and fun way to start the week - Harvey has all the pictures from that morning - I'll see if he will share some!!

We have been made to feel most welcome in Brandon, and Harvey and Joyce in particular make you feel like you're 'home'!!

You Mean We're Finally Out Of Ontario??

Friday, May 7th was a travel day, and we finally completed the long journey out of Ontario and took a rest stop in Winnipeg. We had some great events there back there in October, and while we didn't have an appearance this time through, we had an opportunity to catch up on e-mail and photos and the like! We were sad to miss our young friend Sherris Douglas' birthday - we were almost tempted to turn up at the MFRC Day Care and surprise her!!

Maybe next time - Prairies here we come!

In the Land of the Sleeping Giant

Thursday, May 6th took us to Thunder Bay and Trinity UC, where a dozen enthusiastic participants came together for an evening presentation on the Dondi Project and a spirited drumming and rhythm circle. Special thanks to our champion Rev. Randy Boyd, and our overnight hosts, Jack and Janet and Frank. We especially enjoyed having Rev. Lloyd Paul's aunt and uncle, Eve and Ken, join us, even if Lloyd was in absentia. We secured Trinity as a Drumathon location and are hoping to be invited to a Cambrian Conference gathering in Marathon in the fall. Another successful stop!!

North of Superior!

Seems we cleared North Bay just in time to miss a late spring snow storm, and with an event in Elliot Lake postponed until later in the summer, we pushed on through through Rainbow Country and through S.S. Marie and hit Lake Superior just in time for a spectacular sunset at Pancake Bay. Tuesday night found us in Wawa, where we spent the next day provisioning and catching up on correspondence before we entered the 'dark side of the moon' north of Superior, where telecommunications are spotty, but that leaves you free to enjoy the amazing scenery. Thursday morning we head for the lake head and Thunder Bay! This is one beautiful country- and huge!!

North Bay - Gateway to the West??

Monday, May 3rd saw us depart for our first official stop on the Western Canada tour, North Bay, Ontario. Our new friends were delighted to discover their city was now part of the west!!

An enthusiastic, all-ages group of 45 persons came together at Omond Memorial UC to hear about Dondi and the Lutamo School and did some wonderful drumming and making of music. The evenings highlights included the presence of two young Angolan ex-pats, Antonio and his brother, who emigrated to Canada from Angola in 2001, another woman, the daughter of missionaries, who went to school at Dondi, and David and Mathias, some friends we met drumming on the beach in Kingston last summer when we were working (playing!) with the Future Quest gang!

Many thanks to our billet/hosts John & Wanda, Allan & Bonnie, John, Sean & Margaret, and to John Bell for the scrumptious meal! Also to Kim for stepping forward to help animate the Drumathon in Niagara Falls! We discovered John HAS rhythm, and NOBODY can say no to John Bell!!

Special thanks to Rev. Elisabeth Fraser and our main man Tim for putting it all together, and to John for dealing with the trailer lights gremlin!!

Finally, it was a trip down memory lane for Rev. Lloyd Paul, aka Pastor Paulo, who went to school in North Bay and who father was clergy at Omond - they even produced some correspondence from the time Lloyd's dad was helping raise $100,000 for church construction - the fund-raising genes run deep!!!

Some healthy donations to the project and a 'sign-on' for the Drumathon made our visit to North Bay complete - now on to Superior!!

On the 'Drum Road'...

Well, just to add to an already hectic schedule, we accepted an invitation to take the Dondi tour to Hoards Station, near Campbellford, on Sunday, May 3rd, to help the fine folk of Hoards UC celebrate their 138th anniversary as a congregation. After participating in worship and presenting the message of the Dondi Project, we shared a wonderful luncheon and then a drum circle with about 35 participants. It was an honour to have two female elders of the community(96 and 97 years young respectively) drumming and making music - one had her daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter with her - four generations of women from one family - very special!!!
A free-will offering was taken up and we secured their interest as a venue for the Drumathon - all-in-all a very fun and successful outing on the eve of the tour, in a most beautiful part of Ontario!!!

Dancing down the aisles in Bobcaygeon!

What a terrific way to start the tour!

Bazza, Chris & Joe had the congregation totally engaged in the rhythm of generosity.

Reverend Lloyd Paul offered a very biblically solid message about the Easter of new seeds planted in good soil (Matthew 13: 1 - 13). He spoke of the century old friendship between Dondi and the United Church of Canada and of the warm reception he and Bazza received on their journey there last July.

The Angolan people are an inspiration to us here in Canada.
We are suffering from a diminished church. A whole generation is missing.
But if the Angolans can rebuild, then how can we take heart from their example.

The drum beat picked up that message and invited the congregation to dance their offering into the centre of the sanctuary.

Reverend Allan Reeve of Bobcaygeon said "i never thought i'd see the day when this church would be dancing in the aisles".

What a powerful Easter experience!

Western Canada Tour Begins May 3rd

Abbey North Drummers (Bazza, Christine and Joe) depart May 3rd for the western leg of the Dondi Project cross-Canada tour, with their first event in North Bay, Ontario. Watch this blog for their further adventures and tales from the 'Drum Road'...