Hugaxat wil luut'aayy. Although Erica Greenham didn’t know the words, she understood their meaning. Damian Azak was on bended knee, holding a ring. She said yes.

Two Lives

Erica is from Twillingate, N.L., a small coastal town.

“It’s just cliffs and ocean and wind,” she says.

She remembers her childhood as magical, with loving parents, lots of outdoor adventures and family and friends around the table. As a sixth-generation member of The Salvation Army, she was involved in many traditional church activities. While studying at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, N.L., she was part of the Army’s student fellowship, where she knew people who had worked at The Salvation Army’s Camp Mountainview in British Columbia.

“I filled out an application because I had never seen a mountain,” she laughs, remembering her motivation for seeking a summer job on the west coast of Canada. She already had another job lined up when she was offered a position at Camp Mountainview.

“It made no sense, but I said yes,” she says.

Damian is from Gitwinksihlkw, a Nisga’a village in the Nass River valley of northwestern British Columbia, where he was raised with the cultural values of Sayt-K'ilim-Goot (of one heart)—the philosophy of the common bowl. He also grew up in The Salvation Army, which is an integral part of the community. As a young adult, he faced the serious consequences of alcohol abuse, but turned his life over to God.

“Since then, I’ve been on a journey with the Creator and Jesus,” he says.

In 2002, Damian accepted a position at Camp Mountainview, and met Erica.

A New Friendship

It wasn’t love at first sight. When they first met, Erica was sick, tired and a little overwhelmed from travelling across the country to work at Camp Mountainview for the summer—and her name was spelled wrong on the welcome sign Damian was holding at the airport.

Still, as they spent time together over the next few months, a friendship started to grow.

“I’ve worked at a lot of different camps over the years, and that summer’s staff stands out as a group that really connected, encouraged and supported each other,” says Erica. “There weren’t any sparks with Damian, but I liked being around him. He was caring and always himself.”

“We were both into hockey,” Damian remembers. “She’s beautiful and just fun to be around.”

When Erica returned to Newfoundland and Labrador at the end of the summer, they stayed in touch.

Home Again

“I think I always knew he was going to be important in my life,” Erica recalls. “We’re very different people, but it didn’t matter—because it always felt like family. It always felt like home.”

A few years later, when Erica decided to return to university for a teaching degree, she chose the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George.

Damian was working in Gitwinksihlkw, but often drove eight hours one way to spend time with Erica and other friends on the weekend.

“It was worth it,” he says, smiling.

Eventually, he asked her on a date. He proposed in 2008, with words in the Nisga’a language: Hugaxat wil luut’aayy (It feels like home to me).

Miraculous Love

After getting married, Erica and Damian lived in Terrace, B.C., for a couple of years, then returned to Camp Mountainview as leaders. Around this time, they started struggling with infertility.

“It was a difficult time in our lives,” says Erica. “I always wanted to be a mom. There were years of medical interventions and lots of heartbreak and frustration. Then we moved jobs and communities again. It was just struggle after struggle.”

Erica admits there were times when she was angry with God, especially when she saw children in harm’s way.

“I knew children and families where things weren’t great—and I thought, How is this OK, God?” she says. “What God said to me was, You care for what I’ve entrusted to you. So, whether it’s kids at camp or kids I work with in the community, I care for them and love them as best I can, as God calls me to. I trust the rest of it to God, believing that He loves children more than I do.”

In 2013, they moved to Gitwinksihlkw to lead the Salvation Army church. Soon after, Tory came into their lives and, later, Judy.

“When there were children in ourextended family who needed a home,they came to live with us,” says Erica. “Tory calls us Auntie and Biip (uncle). Judy calls us Mom and Dad. When I look at our two girls, having them in our lives is miraculous.”

Good Out of the Bad

In 2021, Damian was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, in his left leg. They spent five weeks in Prince George, along with many trips to Vancouver, for treatment and surgeries. For a year afterward, he needed a walker.

Says Erica, “When you’re not sure if your partner is going to live, or how long they’re going to live … I know it’s cliché, but it made me realize how precious life is, and to just cherish every moment.”

During this time, one of the things that sustained her was getting out on the land to connect with God.

“Things I prayed for, I saw answered,” she says. “I felt God’s presence the whole way.”

Damian has now been cancer-free for three years. As he looks back on his life, he sees God at work.

“Cancer is not a blessing, but being in Prince George meant we were able to spend time with Judy before bringing her home,” he says. “God is in every part of my life, bringing good out of bad.”

Steadfast Love

Erica describes Damian as the greatest gift of her life.

“I wouldn’t be who I’m supposed to be without him,” she says. “He’s taught me a lot about love.

“Scripture tells us that God doesn’t change, love doesn’t change—and Damian exemplifies that. Through everything—job difficulties, infertility, cancer—as well as all the good things, such as our girls coming into our lives, no matter what’s going on, his love remains steadfast.

“It’s just home.”

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