We (Perry and Ewa) met in Texas at a University of the Nations Print Production School in 1993. Perry is a Canadian, and had been living and working in Texas for 3 years at the time, on staff with Last Days Ministries. Ewa is Polish, and up until that time had been living in Warsaw and working with the Polish Baptist Union. After finishing school, we began a long distance relationship which led to our marriage in early fall 1994.
Warsaw 1994-1995
After getting married, we worked for the Polish Baptist Union in Warsaw, Poland for a year. Our plan was to stay in Poland and start a family there, but one visit to the Canadian embassy changed that. As a result, we put plans in motion to immigrate Ewa to Canada.
Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada 1995-1997
Perry had to go to Canada by himself and become a ‘sponsor’ to facilitate Ewa’s immigration. The Canadian government required Perry to be financially responsible for Ewa—so he found a job in Slave Lake working at an oriented strand board plant (OSB board—like plywood). Ewa and Perry were separated for 8 months while the immigration process was finalized. In May 1996, Ewa landed in Calgary and became a landed immigrant.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 1997-2001
To make a long story shorter, God provided a house and work in Edmonton in April 1997. Perry was now working printing newspapers on a 17 unit Goss Community press (we’d run up to 6 webs at a time for you fellows who are into printing). Ewa’s parents came to visit us on two different occasions while we were in Edmonton — once for 3 months, a second time for 5 months. Also during this tenure, our little cutie, Kornelia, was born in late October, 1998.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada 2001—present
We couldn’t see Perry printing the rest of his life. So we sold our house in Edmonton, and moved to Calgary where Perry went to school for a intensive, 9 month post graduate school in Information Technology. What a learning experience, and we don’t just mean the school. God had some interesting plans for us during this time. When Perry graduated (Oct. 2001), the IT market had slumped. He was looking for work for months. It was a very challenging time for us as a family. Erik, our little buddy, was born in late April, 2002. God has been faithful to us! Perry found work and got some great experience. He just moved to another company here in Calgary in January, 2003 and the whole trial seems much more worth it now. We are currently looking to buy a house here in Calgary.
