Last Day in Abbotsford

Today we went to church with Leni and Benno.

Since Leni works at the church, she has to be there at 9 am to open up.  Church didn't start until 10:30, which gave us time to go shopping at the good old Co-Op.

There was a family lunch with yummy steak.  Check out Freddy's beard!

Gisela stopped by and dropped off Anton's rocks.  Spoiled little brother!

Day Trip to Birch Bay, USA

Today, Anton"s sister Gisela and hubby Rudy picked us up and we took a day trip to the States in their motor home.

It was a short trip just over the border to a small oceanside town.  We parked the motor home in an RV park right beside their friends Hans and Ingrid and surprised them.  We had met the Krugers before when we did the Panama Canal trip together in 2009.  Out of the 6 of us, these 5 were born in Brazil.  Frankie was odd person out.

We took a walk down the beach, it had interesting rocks.  Anton picked some to take home to put around the pond, but forgot them in the motor home.  Oops.

Teddy came too.

We had lunch outside on the picnic table. This is Anton and Teddy.

Back to Canada to Gisela's place for supper. This is Anton's niece Angela, hubby Chris, and kids Nora, Oliver, and Hudson.

The Mennonite Museum

The Abbotsford Mennonite Museum was established in 2011 to preserve and document the history of Mennonites who came to British Columbia from Russia and Prussia/Poland.  We learned a bit about Mennonite history.  Most people know about Martin Luther in Germany rising up against the Catholic church in the 1500's. 

Simultaneously, Ulrich Zwingli led a similar revolution in Switzerland, but some of his followers felt he didn't go far enough.  One of the main points of contention was that they felt baptism should be reserved for adults.  Thus they became known as "Anabaptists".

The Zurich Council reacted harshly against the Anabaptists.  Those who wished to be baptized as adults were put to death by drowning.  Ironic!

Menno Simons was a Catholic priest who became an Anabaptist.  So many people liked his teachings that many Anabaptists called themselves "Mennonites".

Mennonites from Switzerland, Belgium, and Germany made their way to Poland in the 16th and 17th centuries.  Based on the name Epp, Anton's branch likely came from Germany.

We know Anton's parents were born in Russia where the Mennonites were granted exemption from military duty under the czars.  When the czars were overthrown, mass colonies of Mennonites left Russia, mostly to settle in Brazil and Mexico.  Brazil is where Anton's parents met and where Anton was born.  The family moved to Canada in 1968.

Anton's niece Jennifer works at the Mennonite Museum.

In the afternoon, we had lunch with Gisela and Rudy, then we went to a walk-in clinic (fast and easy) and Frankie got lots of drugs for her sinus infections.  Anton visited with Gisela and Frankie rested at Leni's house.  Here is Leni watering her gardens.

Vancouver Aquarium

It was a LONG drive to downtown Vancouver.  Anton's niece Jennifer and her boyfriend Rob took the day off work and took us to the Vancouver Aquarium.  Bucket list!

The Vancouver Aquarium is located in Stanley Park and was opened in 1956.  It is home to over 70,000 animals!  They are the largest aquarium in Canada.  For being non-profit, they were a bit pricey at $38 each.

The indoor tanks were amazing.

We went to "Meet the Penquin".  Hope the Penguin walked around and then when she was done, she followed her trainer into the elevator.

Besides the indoor tanks, they also had outdoor sea lions, otters, and dolphins.

In order to leave the parking lot, you have to drive ALL the way around Stanley Park.  Bonus for us!

Another amazing dinner at Leni"s.  With family.