I want to share something about your workshop here in Vancouver. (My daughter) Emily has been social networking on a website called “Howrse” which can be accessed from anywhere in the world and she has chatted with girls from the UK to Australia and all over the US. But Maggie was the one that she had the most in common with and she turned out to be from Portland, Oregon which is just across the columbia river.
Their topics of conversation included the Lord of the Rings movies, your books, writing stories and poetry and various others. It was Maggie who told Emily about your workshop. These two had never met in person before that night and we set up a meeting nearby the Lifepoint Church a half hour before you were scheduled to begin your lecture. They hit it off immediately and talked as if they had been friends for years.
When we went over to check out the meeting room, Emily got anxious and had me take her back to the car. As she sat there, she seemed on the brink of asking me to take her home (oh me of little faith!) and missing this chance of a lifetime to hear you speak. Later, she told me that she was looking at the cross on top of the church during this time, asking God for the strength to go in. She also told me that she felt God giving her a spiritual kick in the rear to get out of the car and go inside when out came Maggie.
She was grinning from ear to ear…”He’s here. I can’t believe it!” (Meaning you of course). That broke the ice for good and in we went. As we were walking across the room to find seats, Emily even raised her hand in response to a question from you and volunteered some input! Wow, I was so excited. She continued to interact with you throughout the evening from time to time and it was a wonderful experience for me as we have not been in any social situation having fun for a couple of years.
So Thank you Bryan for coming to Vancouver and for giving of yourself so selflessly even though you were running on empty that night. I can tell you that it meant the world for Emily and I to be with you and Amanda and it was a MAJOR turning point for her.
Since that night, Em has been making steady progress and it feels like we are getting our family back.
God bless you and the work that you are doing. You are an inspiration to Emily and Myself as well. Keep those books coming.