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Archdeacon Nancy has completed her adventurous drive north to Wemindji, a Cree town of 1600 people on James Bay, QC, where she will spend the month of August ministering in the parish of St. John the Baptist.

The first day, she travelled with her faithful dog/co-pilot, Farley, as far as Matagami, QC, where northern hospitality included a bug zapper in the hotel room! The second day, despite the GPS sending her down some unpaved logging roads, brought her finally to the rectory in Wemindji.

The majority of the drive was on the Billy Diamond Highway, the 620 km long remote wilderness highway that runs from Matagami to Radisson with no cell service, very little traffic, and only one gas station at kilometre 381. “It is very strange to drive for the entire day without a cell signal, but there was something kind of lovely about that, too,” Nancy wrote. The Wemindji Road into town was a further 97 kms of unpaved highway.

The scenery was breathtaking throughout the entire trip, and Nancy sent back some beautiful photos for our weekly newsletter. As she said in her letter, at times she was surrounded by miles and miles of lush green boreal forest; at other times, in her own words, “There were so many gorgeous rivers that required that we stop and take a look, resulting in a longer than expected drive, thanks to the beauty that surrounded us.”

But despite the distractions of the rugged terrain and at times desolate scenery, she and Farley arrived in Wemindji in good shape and good spirits. We give thanks to the Lord, Nancy’s constant travelling companion, and we look forward to hearing more about her adventures and the blessings she encounters along the way.