Read what people from the Northview family have experienced on recent missions trips!

Please keep our short and long term missionaries in your prayers.

Amy Klassen - Cross Canada - August 2011

Thank you Northview for your support of me on the Ignite the Road to Justice Tour! God did some amazing things… here is a brief overview of the tour.

What a crazy whirlwind these past 3 weeks have been on the Ignite the Road to Justice Tour! Our tour was from Vancouver to Toronto in twenty days with many events in churches, parks, and community centres. God definitely put together our team of 10 people: from a 15 year old girl to Miss Canada 2011 to a former Madame overseeing 500 prostituted women at one time! Although we were a diverse group of people, we had ONE goal to fight against human trafficking.

At each event, local organizations participated by hosting a table so that people could take immediate action and get involved in their community. Some amazing organizations we partnered with along the way: International Justice Mission, Free Them, World Vision. It is encouraging to see that we are not alone in this fight. There are many people that are standing up to be a voice for the voiceless.

One evening that touched me deeply was in St. Catharine’s Ontario. We walked the streets late at night with a lady named Deb. Deb was a former prostituted lady who changed her life around after prison. She now runs a drop in centre for ladies that are prostituted. As we walked the streets, the ladies would light up when they saw Deb, and flock around her. It was apparent that the ladies knew Deb loved them and consistently showed it. For me it was a beautiful picture of what ONE life can do to shine brightly to so many others. As we were standing there, a car squealed by with young punks yelling profanities out of their window. Does it get any lower than that? Insults hurled at you… and often objects thrown as the cars drive by.

Now I am pondering the next steps of action that I need to take in my life.  There were many moments when tears streamed down my cheeks for these people that are cast out in our society. Does our heart break for them? My prayer is that my heart would break for the things that break God’s heart. God’s word is clear: he requires us to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with him (Micah 6:8). What are the next steps that I can take?

Amy

 

 

Asia Prayer Team - July 30-August 13, 2011

Asia Prayer Team: (l-r) Ger & Bonnie Moews and Margie Penner & Gary Schroeder

Our team of four from Northview went on a 2-week prayer trip, July 30-August 13, 2011, to a sensitive area in Asia where missionaries from Northview live and work with an unreached people group. They are in the midst of translating the Bible into the native language of these unreached people so that they can read the Bible for themselves. It’s hard work and much support is needed.

So our team came to offer prayer support. Our goal was to participate in worship and intercession on behalf of these people who do not yet know Jesus on their home turf. And so we did. Together with our missionaries as interpreters we traveled for eight days by bus and van on treacherous roads throughout mountainous regions and visited four small towns. In every town we walked the streets and market places, quietly praying and singing in groups of two or three, proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus over each place.

We learned that God’s leading doesn’t always match our planning. Twice we intended to travel up mountains to pray over the high places, and on both occasions our plans were cancelled, once by the weather and once by a broken-down bus unable to leave the city. God was in charge, and so we continued walking the streets and praying, just as we had practiced in Canada. Near the end of our travels two extraordinary events happened when we booked into a guesthouse for a day of rest. Upon waking we discovered that the owners just “happened” to have hired a monk to bless the guesthouse in which we were staying and would be our fellow guest for the duration of our stay. The other event was that that day also “happened” to be the day for the yearly festival to the local mountain god. Knowing that with God nothing is coincidence, we put aside our day of rest and spent the morning praying and worshipping together (during which time the monk poked his head into the room to see who was singing) before hiking up to the temple and praying in the midst of their festival. Our day of rest became one of intercession, making our morning reading of Isaiah 62:6-7 significant as we continued learning about following God’s voice.

This mission’s trip was not a typical mission’s trip. We did not go to build something, feed someone or give away something tangible. We went to pray, and pray only. In an area virtually deprived of the Gospel, lots of prayer and worship are essential as they prepare the way for many to come into God’s kingdom in the time ahead. Going on a praying mission’s trip took lots of listening to God before leaving and even more listening while walking in the towns. But it was an invaluable experience of being directed by God as to where and how to go as well as discovering His heart for this people in particular. It was also an experience we’d highly recommend to everyone.

 

Kristin Carmichael - Thailand - July 1-24, 2011

Dear Northview Community Church,

I just wanted to start off by saying thank you. I had the most amazing trip of my life so far, and I would have never been able to experience this without your help. It truly means a lot to me that you had enough faith in me and believed in me enough to support me. I saw God move in ways I have never seen before, and I grew an immense amount in my relationship with Him.

I have lots to tell you, and it all begins with our training week in Fresno, California—So I’ll start there. We got to Fresno and everyone met, we all gelled immediately. Everyone was super nice, and I ended up being the youngest person on the trip as I turned 17 a week before we left. It was nice though, all the guys took me under their wings and acted as big brothers, and all the girls were still good friends and forgot about the age gap. The team ranged from 17-24. The first night we were in Fresno, it happened to be Canada day, so we celebrated together. There was only 4 Canadians on this trip, two boys (Marcus and Kevin), both from BC as well. Also my best friend Cassidy who attends the same school as me. At training week we had many sessions and worship. As the week progressed I started to feel very sick, I started not holding any of my food down, and ended up loosing 8 pounds in one day. It was around this time when I wasn’t sure what God really wanted for me. I felt like He was telling me to stay back and not go to Thailand. It was very hard for me to want a relationship with Him when out of frustration I didn’t want to pray. I am proud to say that I did continue to pray even when I didn’t want to. On July 4th I had talked on the phone to my dad and he told me that my mom was also very sick, of course I didn’t think much of it at the time I just figured she had the same thing as me, but as time went by she got even worse and ended up in the hospital. At this time it was my lowest low. I was still very sick, hundreds of miles away from my family and not knowing the real condition of my mom. So surprisingly enough, through a lot of crying, I prayed. For the entire week I had contemplated coming home, talked on the phone with my parents many times and wasn’t too sure but I ended up giving myself one last day to be healed.. originally if I was healed the morning of July 6th I would stay (we were flying out to Thailand on July 7th at 4:30am), and if I was still sick I was going to go home, but my heart was in a different place when I woke up. I had made no progress was still very sick but I just couldn’t get myself to decide to go home. This whole day was full of signs from God telling me to stay, “go to Thailand.” I will share a couple. The coach of the boys team came up to me in the practice and said “God is telling me to encourage you to stay, I know you don’t even know my name, or anything about me but I really feel God telling me to make sure you stay,” for me that was amazing that somebody I didn’t even know was encouraging me like that, he told me “don’t let Satan get the best of you, don’t let him tell you that you can’t do this because you can.” That was probably the most encouraging thing I have ever experienced. After practice we were driving back to the dorm rooms and the song “Stronger” by Mendisa came on the radio, if you haven’t heard it the lyrics go something like this… “hold on just a little bit longer, the pain ain’t going to last forever, things can only get better, believe me this is going to make you stronger.” I felt that God put that song on the radio at that time on purpose, I had never heard it until then but I just knew that was God. So when we got back I called my dad and told him I was going to push threw this sickness and go to Thailand still. After a lot of praying, I was healed eventually.. and after even more praying, so was my mom. She was said to be a miracle.

Let’s get into the good stuff now, Thailand!! We arrived super late on the first night and checked into our hotel “Bangkok Christian Guest House.” It was a fairly nice hotel, my room had 3 people and only 2 single beds, so Michelle and I ended up sharing a bed for most of the first week, but that was no big deal at all. The first day we mostly toured around, just trying to get our bodies adjusted to the time change. We went to the “Grande Palace” which is a huge Buddhist temple in Bangkok. It was crazy to see and definitely spoke into our hearts, Thailand has under 1% Christian population. It was a good thing to see but a very dark feeling was inside of us while we were there. After this we went on the “long tail boat ride” which was a lot of fun! We drove by some houses that were built on the water and crooked ,and it really gave us an extra appreciation for what we live in back at home. These houses literally looked like they could fall at any second.
The second day we were there we went to a church, it was the size of a small hut, only one room. The feeling I got while I was there was the most amazing feeling I have ever gotten in my life. My heart was completely warmed by these people. They were all so on fire for God, I found myself getting super emotional, but in a good way.
Another thing that really touched me was the children at the orphanage.  They are all HIV positive and it was heartbreaking to learn that even the teachers at their public school would tell the other children to stay away from them because they are sick.  Surprisingly, these children were so full of love and joy.  We even had a session where they taught us to break dance!  One child that really touched my life was a little girl by the name of Bing Bing.  She is eleven years old and HIV positive and was rescued two years ago from the streets in Thailand.  Her mother is a prostitute who also sold her own daughter.  When she was rescued she had her first doctor’s appointment and, two years later, they have been able to manage her condition.  I am happy to report that she is as healthy as she can be and she is thriving in school.  In fact, she is such an intelligent little girl that many believe she will go on to university and maybe even be a doctor!
These are only a few of the stories that touched me, I could continue to tell them for years on end. I feel so blessed that I have gotten to experience this amazing trip and I can’t thank you enough. I ask that you continue to pray for me as I am only beginning my journey to see where God is going to put me and pray he continues to use me in amazing ways, because I will go wherever for him. Thank you once again for your support and prayer. It truly means the world to me, and evidently to the orphans there as well.

Sincerely,
Kristin Carmichael

 

 

Sola Thailand Team

A team of 8 people from Sola went to Thailand for 2 weeks in May 2011.  Our schedule was packed and we had the opportunity to travel to four different locations.  It truly was a blessing to have Jon Stevens with us – he took such great care of us and managed everything so well.  His positive outlook was a great influence on the team.

Other teams from Northview had gone before us in previous years.  It was very evident that what previous teams had done had left a legacy.  People were proud to show us what Northview had accomplished before.  And we were eagerly welcomed!  It was great for us to see and partner along with:
• Noi and the Ruth Center, the elderly we visited and prayed with in the slums, meeting and working with Jeremy Berlin
• Kids ministry at the Ruth Center
• Arun and Pang in Kanchanaburi
• Ouellettes in Phuket

What a great team we had!  It was such a blessing to minister alongside Kenton Paul, Jared Stork, Joel Reimer, Adriana Raine, Danielle Warmenhoven and Erica Hustak!  They did such a great job with kids’ ministry, always were ready to get their hands dirty and did not hesitate to complete different tasks.  They were also so very patient and encouraging towards each other – very kind and considerate.  Each of them were so unique but worked so well together.  How incredible it was to see God’s love pouring from them to the people they met!

One of the greatest lessons we learned was on prayer.  Ministry opportunities come through prayer.  Every single day we would pray:  for the team, for the people we met, for the ministries we came alongside and for the people we ministered to.  The team learned the importance of prayer and the impact that prayer has.  It was amazing to see God working in each and every one of them.

Take a few moments to look at a video put together of our time in Thailand!  You can view it by clicking here

Dolly Oliech
Director of Young Adult Ministries

 

 

Ladies Mexico Team

A team of 12 ladies flew from Vancouver to Queretaro, Mexico, to the Children of Hope orphanage to bless and show the love of Jesus in a variety of ways to the 80 children (ages 6 to 22) who call this their home.

One day we created a carnival with singing, crafts, games and puppet shows for the younger ones.  The older girls loved the personal touch of motherly love as we all enjoyed a “spa night” and haircuts.

The older boys were in their glory with a soccer game followed by a treasure hunt, which included finding all the items needed to make banana splits.  Ice cream is such a hit!

We put on our paint clothes and spent 2 days cheering up the dining room, girl’s lounge and offices with fresh paint and new curtains.

On one of our three outreach projects, we ministered to mostly single mothers with singing, testimonies, and blessing them with food hampers and used clothing.  They blessed us with a wonderful ethnic breakfast in return!  Very delicious.

One whole day of ministry took us two and a half hours up into the hills to an ethnic Mexican-Indian tribe called the “Otimi”.  They greeted us in their colourful costumes and many smiles.  We shared our testimonies, served the 50-60 children breakfast and did crafts with them.  The adults were blessed with used clothing and blankets that were brought for them from Canada.

We all returned home in good health, having made many friends, having experienced a new culture and yes, having been stretched out of our comfort zone a bit.  Thank you, church, for praying for us!

Doreen Schellenberg (Team Leader)
June 2011

 

 

Northview went to Thailand!

Read some team member’s reports!

Our recent trip to Thailand with the Northview Church team was amazing in so many ways. All 17 of us were challenged by God to dive in head first and totally “go for it”! Having lived in Thailand for 9 years, I was very much aware of the needs we would be facing and also some of the issues the team would need to deal with - the heat, humidity, language barrier, distinct Thai culture, dealing with all levels of poverty etc. But the team met all those challenges head on, and rolled up their sleeves and began blessing those around them. Part of our team went down to Phuket for a week to take care of the missionary kids while their parents attended an MBMSI conference. What a blessing they were! Just to know that they were totally available to hang out with the kids, talk to them, share, minister to their needs while they allowed their parents to fully engage with their conference was awesome! Back in Bangkok, the team worked alongside Noi at the Ruth Center whose primary focus is to minister to the elderly living in the slums in Bangkok. Currently they are working in 10 slums areas near the Ram 2 university campus in the south east corner of the city.

Early on, it became clear that we were not just going to have the opportunity of working with the seniors but with entire families in the various communities as well. While part of our team was very busy working with the kids and the elderly, another part was involved in several key construction projects. In the end, the team was able to pray for many of the elderly as well as pass out over 200 5-kg bags of rice to those we prayed for. Each day the team engaged in several activities with the many of the kids that came from all over the place. We were very busy doing sports activities, coloring, special outings, teaching English and sharing God’s love - the team fell in love with all the kids they met during our time there.

Another highlight was taking 2 separate groups of seniors on special “day trips outside the city. The first group of 40+ went to see a special Thai dance and elephant show followed by a lovely, relaxing lunch down by the oceanside just south of Pattaya about 2 hours south of Bangkok. The second outing saw the team take another group of 30+ elderly to see a crocodile show in Samut Prakan as well as a lovely lunch on the pier overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. The construction team braved all the elements and completed many projects including building/repairing 2 bridges/sidewalks, repairing several roofs, fixing 2 bathrooms, raising a roof on a house, fixing rotten floors in a few homes etc. One of the highlights for the team was to have the opportunity to lead 3 of the seniors to faith in Christ. What a joy it was to see these lives changed with the power of the Gospel!

For me personally, I was constantly amazed by how God kept showing me just how much He cares for “the 1”. Time and time again, the Thai people would comment, “I can’t believe your God would care about me this much to send you people to us when we needed rice…or to fix our leaking roof…or to tell us about Jesus! It was a great reminder for me not to forget that we all need to play our part in doing what God calls us to do. To see the team members fall in love with Thailand and the Thai people was also a real blessing for me as well. Having served there for many years, it was encouraging to know that God still has a plan and purpose for the Thai people and wants desperately to show them His love…but He needs us to go and do His work!

I have such great memories of our trip to Thailand and was so impressed by this Northview team that were so generous and so committed in everything they did. It was so evident to see how their acts of service made such a difference in so many lives in the slums of Bangkok.

Jon Stevens
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Sawadeeka,  Hello… Nov.7 2010 Marlene and I arrived home from 3 ½ weeks in Thailand..with our eyes widely opened …….again.  Our highlight in Phuket was mentoring and looking after missionary kids for 7 days…and as a bonus …I had the privilege of playing guitar (14 times ) with Kevin Bose for a group of MBMSI missionaries . Marlene and I had a good time sharing stories, our hearts and life with the 12 -16 year olds…and hearing about their lives and “growing up” experiences. 

In Bangkok the highlight was rolling up my sleeves….working in the slums .  A real eye opener.  Hundreds and hundreds of homes build on stilts” over top of stagnant water / sewage & who knows what. … “hard labor” working on a home   for a Thai man we called Alex …there were 4 of us pounding in 10 ft concrete poles into the “mire” to create footings for the floor.  Why was that a highlight…because in the end -Alex became a Christian Highlight #2.. Marlene and I created some good friendships with other team members.

Larry & Marlene Siebert
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The Highlight:
Throughout the mission trip I was humbled by the appreciation of others that we served.  By our obedient service to God so many people were blessed.  While ministering in the various programs and projects we witnessed the gratefulness that people experienced.  Whether it was the families in Phuket at the ASRAC conference; the children and elderly in Bangkok; Noi and her staff at the Ruth Center and the families in the slums that received the construction work.  The thanksgiving that people expressed was heartwarming and humbling.  I was blessed!

Seeing God Move:
-Witnessing the benefit of the work that Noi and her staff do through the Ruth Center int eh slum communities of Bangkok.
-Seeing the evidence of the effort the YWAM worker, Jeremy, puts into the young and old in those communities as well.
-Through the missionaries and other Christians living and serving in Thailand.
-By our service, in particular the construction projects, the result of some of the elderly receiving Christ as their Savior.

Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

God Challenged Me:
Emotionally - witnessing the abject poverty of the people in the slum communities.  It is heartbreaking to reailze that they wake up every morning to those conditions.
Spiritually - the reality of Buddhism and the spiritual darkness in Thailand.  To me the odds are so remote that Christianity can gain a stronghold but it is one person at a time coming to Christ and it is not me in control but God.  He can do far more than I can ever imagine.

Lesley Day

 

 

 

Kendra Gerbrandt - Tanzania - June-August, 2010

Tumsifu Yesu Kristo – Let’s Praise Jesus Christ

It is with a joyful heart I write this update.  Our “Canzanian” team is back from the field with amazing stories of God’s goodness.  We have seen communities empowered with health knowledge, leaders passionate about community development, school children inspired to live with dreams and goals, and individuals touched by the love of God.  Our team was in Tanzania for two months, of which one month was spent doing rural health education in mountain villages.  We targeted four villages at the request of Tumaini Health Centre (our Tanzanian organization) and taught the critical issues of: water sanitation and hygiene, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and family planning. 

One village in particular, Nkelei, had an overwhelming positive response.  At the end of the teaching week, the village leaders and elders voluntarily presented us with a plan to implement some health conscious changes in their village.  They were very passionate and dedicated leaders.  It was an inspiration to work with them.  Two other villages were not able to attend the health education (one had a lack of strong leadership, the other was in desperate harvest after last year’s drought), so we adapted our plan and used the resources we had to meet other presenting needs: we taught in nearby primary and secondary schools. 

Over the two months that our multi-national team lived together, played together, worked together, traveled together, slept together, ate together, worshipped together, laughed together, relaxed together, we grew a deep love for one another.  The love we had for one another flowed over to the communities we served in. It was the love of Christ growing in us, that enabled us to serve the four villages with genuine care. 

The other component of our project was sending and receiving a 40-foot shipping container full of necessary medical equipment and supplies from IMED (Food for the Hungry Canada).  After sitting in the Tanzanian port for almost three months, the container finally cleared customs and arrived on our very last day of the program.  There was not enough money to hire a crane to lift the container off the truck once it arrived at our site, so we were privileged to help manually unload the entire contents of the container, manually drop the 40-foot container to the ground, and then re-load the equipment for storage that was not immediately useful to Tumaini Health Centre. 

Education sustainability of our project has two faces.  First is teaching in the villages.  Through our community assessments and discussions with the Tanzanian health authority, we discovered that there is a rural education component set into the infrastructure of Tanzania’s health system.  Unfortunately the health centres and dispensaries we visited are not practising this mandate and the health authority has not been enforcing this requirement.  A constructive meeting with health authorities and health centre administrators encouraged the authorities to seek ways to enable health centres to create these mandated ‘health education committees’, which will serve locally in their respective villages.  The benefit of us having taught in these villages is that villagers are now acutely aware of the need of health education and feel a strong conviction and responsibility to continue educating their communities. We are excited that there is a national solution to the rural health education deficit and are hopeful that both parties (authorities and health centres) will now be active in enabling these local education committees. 

The second aspect of sustainability is the medical equipment dispersed to Tumaini Health Centre, which is foundational to helping the centre upgrade to a hospital.  This is essential not only to serve more patients in the region, but to establish a nursing school so that more nurses can be educated to work in the rural areas. 

We give thanks to God that our brief efforts in Tanzania will have long-term positive effects.  Please continue to pray for me as I now transition into work at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital as a RN.  A different population-base than my recent work in Tanzania, but sick and hurting people are always vulnerable, and I need God’s strength not just to be knowledgeable, but to bring peace in the midst of patient’s struggles. 

Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith   ~  Galatians 6:9-10

Mungu akubariki – God bless you

Kendra Gerbrandt
October 2010

 

Albert Janzen - Mexico - November ‘09-July ‘10

During my nine months in Mexico from November ‘09 to July ‘10 God shaped my life in enduring ways while living and working at an orphanage called Dulce Refugio in the city of Aguascalientes [pop. 1 million] in the central highlands about 12 hrs inland from Puerta Vallarta. I became part of a very large Mexican family of children of all ages and their care givers of whom I was one when I took my turn at looking after the teen age boys whom I often took on caminar [a walk] to a nearby soccer field where they would face off against any local talent that was there that day. I will never forget those exciting games where my boys did me proud with their sportsmanship. One time the other side had two supporters sitting on the structure above our goal harassing our portero [goalie], but he took it in stride and the game went on. Only once did I have to beak up a fight. I also took them with me to several professional games to cheer on the local team, Necaxa. They begged for the chance to come to my house just to hang out. God gave me the joy of spending some of His pesos in my pocket to pay for Futbol game tickets and treats when we went for walks. I always thought God could easily replace those pesos and right then I had the chance to be generous. I helped where I could in construction related tasks of several buildings going up at Dulce Refugio. Otherwise I did a lot of site clean up and it was always interesting for me to be able to try exchange a greeting or just a smile with passers by.  That is the first step to a more meaningful contact. What I have learned that this ministry is more difficult than it appears and there is far more than meets the eye in shepherding these young lives and I really wish I could have done more to make a difference.

It was a great experience for me to get to know many of the people in the immediate community that I lived in. One family in particular adopted me into their hearts and lives which was apparent by their acceptance and openness. I often visited with Taide y Esparanza Flores and their son Abraham at their Tienda y Carniceria [grocery/butcher shop] late into the evening being part of their lives as customers came and left as I was able to observe the life of a very ordinary Mexican neighborhood. No movie could ever replicate that experience. They knew I wanted to be with them and heir response was always out of proportion to anything I was giving. I never lost out in giving.  I was invited to join them on several memorable excursions to other cities. Taide, the owner, who is Jewish, became a close friend to me and we had a number of very good exchanges on matters of faith which convinced me that he is a Christ follower. Without question, Taide has left an indelible impression on how to do friendship.

I taught my Catholic neighbours Juan y Luz Carmen, and teen children, Ebely y Tonio, English for several months Monday nights which was such an enjoyable time for both me and them. Really, it was a lot of fun with a lot of good natured humor going both ways. One day the Luz asked me very seriously what my religion was and I said ‘Cristiano’ and was able to assure her that there were no barriers to our friendship. There was perceptible relief on her face. Lessons were loosely scheduled for 9 pm but often started much later and could last past midnite. It depended on them. I was often rewarded with a hot dish of food brought to my door the next day. They were also the ones who helped me plant various small shrubs in front of my house which won me the respect of the neighborhood. I wish that I could have continued this friendship. There is far more than this that I could say about the many daily contacts I made with people of all walks of life which has given me remarkable insights into the every day lives of ordinary Mexicans living in a lower working class neighborhood of a large city. I feel like I have been able to get ‘under the skin’ of Mexico which was only made possible by the warmth of this hospitable culture.

For the last three months I became involved part time teaching English in a private Catholic school in the city center, Colegio Viallalba, and I was overwhelmed by the appreciation that I received from the teachers, students and parents of this upper class school. This was my first attempt ever at classroom teaching and I would never have thought it possible that I could be so greatly rewarded for the little that I did in giving my time for free with conversational English. They would gladly welcome me back and I wish I could. Very truly it is far more blessed to give than to receive.

Before I went to Mexico I had a desire to get to know Mexican people by teaching English on the side and God has answered this prayer far beyond my expectations.

My church, Capilla Calvario, also was a tremendous blessing to me in spite of my poor Spanish. These dear people went out of their way to demonstrate their care and acceptance in ways that warm my heart every time that I remember.  There were Thursday night and a Sunday morning services which I attended as often as possible.  The pastor Mario played performer level lead guitar in the worship combo and then got behind the pulpit to preach a solidly biblical exegetical message while the congregation seated on lawn chairs sipped frappachinos that were served during an intermission.  Knowing Spanish better certainly would have helped but I learned that spiritual unity definitely is not dependent on language.  I thank God for being able to experience and verify this truth with my participation in this local body of believers.

This report would not be complete without a mention of how much I enjoyed travelling the streets of this large city on my bicycle.  Yes, I did once get hit by a truck, but I managed to stay on my feet! I even went on a solo 56 km bike ride to Colvillo, another smaller city, over a small mountain range. My adventures on bicycle would warrant their own chapter.

I thank God so much for this opportunity to serve and learn, for good health and protection, but most of all for all the people whose lives have touched mine both in the orphanage and in the community. Those connections are such a meaningful treasure that I will always cherish and I pray for a time when I can return to pick up where I have left off.

I would be happy to speak to small groups or individuals if there is interest in understanding the opportunities and blessings of giving your time without cost to enrich the lives of others in service to God.

With sincerest appreciation for the support, interest, and prayers from my church!

~Albert Janzen~
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Chris Hurst - Mexico - March 2010

Hi folks,

Wow, it’s cold here! Ice on the car this morning - I’m back in Canada and in the Wycliffe office again, wondering if my time in Tatahuicapan was real!

Hey, it was a wonderful trip. So many good things to look back on, even the home going of two saintly friends. I’ll give a quick summary:

1. We made some progress on translation: two chapters of Revelation and three of Matthew are now ready for the consultant.
2. Vision and planning took a leap ahead after Hilario attended a week long course and came back enthusiastic. He is aiming to promote the use of the translation in four churches in his town.
3. We visited three schools and the local education head office: directors are giving us letters endorsing our Literacy materials. These letters will be forwarded to a government agency with a new request for printing 2,000 copies.
4. Our internet connection was working fine when I left.
5. I’m thankful for some neat times of fellowship and prayer with Esteban, Plácido and Hilario.

I had hoped to get right through Matthew, but instead we chose to focus on the kind of thing that I can only do when I’m there, such as making sure the Internet was working and visiting local schools and churches.  I managed to visit three churches and made good contact with a pastor I had not met before. He invited me to speak ( I chose the beatitudes in Nahuatl) and was very keen to accept books and recording in his language.

A really interesting observation was made by Plácido as we talked about why and when Spanish or Nahuatl can be used in a church; it varies among congregations. In one church Nahuatl is acceptable if the speaker is on the same level as the congregation, but as soon as he steps up onto the platform, he will switch to Spanish. That is not true of a daughter church of the same denomination where folks can use Nahuatl from the platform. (This is a fun example of diglossia [see Wikipedia].) Plácido is now thinking of how he can encourage the first church in a change toward using Nahuatl from the platform, especially since at a recent regional meeting one of the topics was “every tribe and tongue”. Plácido had been sent to that meeting as a representative of his congregation; he turned to his colleague and said “That’s US! That’s Nahuatl.” So now he feels he has official backing in his church for promoting the use of Nahuatl, which is still the heart language of most people.

Hilario is a regional coordinator for the National Union of Indigenous (Bible) Translators and as such was asked to attend a workshop on planning methodology. Several other Mexican Christian organizations were present making it a very worthwhile experience for Hilario. He came back to us with much clearer ideas on how our vision should be expressed and how we should be planning to move toward its fulfilment. At the core is that Aztecs can benefit from the Word of God in their language and that this results in a closer relationship with God and a greater ability to understand and fulfill His purposes. Hilario also sees that he, Esteban and Plácido need to take more initiative - I interpret that as Chris should decrease! Amen.

I’m really pleased with what the team has accomplished among the schools in sharing the Literacy method (COMELE). We visited three schools. At the first one the director was visibly emotional when he talked about how valuable the book was and how well it serves his teachers.

At the next school we happened to be in a classroom when the president of the parents’ association came in and he heard us talking with the teacher about writing the language.  He was keen that the children were being taught to write and he said “We can speak Nahuatl, but we don’t know how to read and write. Do you have books?” So that was the perfect moment for Plácido to show him a copy of COMELE and ask him if he’d sign a letter requesting publication of more copies of the book.

We are requesting these letters to support a new application to the National Commission for Indigenous Development for them to produce more books. When I left we had verbal agreement from five directors or higher level officials to write such letters and I had seen the first one arrive! It would be such a reward to Plácido, Esteban and Hilario if this came through and of potential benefit to 6000 children. We are praying for our PR rep, Ana Ibel, in the capital city who will be handling this proposal.

You’ll find a few new pictures at http://choforohurst1953.blogspot.com/

Yours in Christ,
Chris for Elaine too

 

Blair Kesteven - New Orleans - February 2010

Hi Everyone!

I’m back from New Orleans and I want to thank you all for making my trip possible! Without your prayers and financial support I never would have been able to go. 

My team arrived in New Orleans Sunday morning (Feb. 21) a little bleary-eyed after a red-eye from Seattle, via Dallas.  We got settled in and oriented that day, then we began our work in the community the following day.  We partnered with Urban Impact Ministries, who fed and housed us in “The Yellow House,” a big old house with offices in the front and dormitories in the back for teams like mine.  Urban Impact is closely affiliated with Castle Rock Community Church, where we spent some of our time getting filled with the word and helping with children’s ministries.

We did a lot of scraping, sanding, painting, staining, and numerous other renovation activities for people in the various neighborhoods of New Orleans.  We also helped other organizations get facilities ready for additional reconstruction teams.  In addition, we were able to connect with children in the community through an interactive program developed by Urban Impact called “Challenge Circle” which combines healthy competition with biblical teaching.  Prayer walks through devastated neighborhoods were an encouraging and challenging experience too; we would pray for and with anyone we came in contact with on the street.

Highlights from my trip include playing football with the neighborhood kids, drilling holes to construct metal bunk beds until my arms and chest ached and creating relationships with my team-members and the staff of Urban Impact.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in New Orleans, but more importantly I was stretched and forced to see things a new light.  With the entire city as a metaphor, God taught me that the process of renewal is never complete, especially in my life.  My team, most of whom did not know each other before the trip, became much closer through working together and sharing our testimonies.  Our leader, Emily Kuenzi, did an amazing job of coordinating us and building the team dynamic.

Thanks again for your support and please continue to pray for New Orleans as there is still so much to be done in that city.

With Christ’s love,

Blair Kesteven

 

Randy & Lorri Sawatsky - Hunger Response Intl’ trip to Guatemala

January 2010 Lorri and Randy Sawatsky traveled to the high mountainous regions of Comentancio and Todos Santos in Guatemala to visit one of the 2010 Rice Raiser Campaign Global Projects - http://www.riceraiser.org. The Rice Raiser is partnering with CAUSE Canada - http://www.cause.ca on a Women’s Empowerment Project called “The Business of Women and Food” 

Waking early, we traveled high into the mountains, above the cloud line. Arriving at our first destination we waited patiently for a herd of sheep to go by before stepping out of the vehicle onto the frost covered ground.  Following the well worn foot path we came to the literacy instructor’s home. We found her sitting outside on a dung hill warming herself in the early morning sunshine in front of her cow shed. Looking very concerned she showed us the 20 registration forms she held in her hand. These were signed with x’s as signatures from women who did not yet know how to sign their names. They were applications for literacy classes that would commence the following week.

The Instructor was distraught because the forms were required to be registered at a government office on that very day, but she couldn’t take the half day to walk them there because her mother had just died. Funeral preparations needed to be made.  Happy to be of assistance, we took the forms for her. As I surveyed my surroundings, I couldn’t help but be amazed that we were all living in the same time period - yes it is the year 2010 both in these Guatemala mountains and back at home in Abbotsford and yet it seemed like we had just stepped back in time by 100 years or so. The place where the literacy classes were being held was in a 8 x 16 plastic enclosed addition attached to the home of the literacy instructor. Currently it held corn that had just been harvested (by hand) and was now drying. Here, approximately 20 Mam speaking women, (many with babies strapped to their backs) would come to learn Spanish; eventually achieving a grade six level of education. Imagine the excitement of being an adult and learning how to write your name for the first time!

The homes were not heated, there was no plumbing, nor did many have electricity and I began to grasp the difficulties that the people in this region face. They are food insecure, subsisting on anything they can manage to grow on their small plots of land. There are no employment opportunities around them in these mountains so the men have to leave for months at a time to work on coffee or cotton plantations where they are paid very minimal for their hard and long days of labour. The women and children are left here in the mountains to fend for themselves.

They weave all their own clothing on small portable looms seen hanging from the rafters of their homes. The colours are rich and patterns are vibrant. The traditional clothing is worn all the time and is distinct to each people group. The women do all they can to provide for their children, including selling their weaving, their vegetables and animals that they raise at the weekly market in town.  They also work (with their children) in wealthy land owner’s fields growing the most amazing crops of vegetables, for very little pay. Incredibly and sadly, they cannot access the food for personal use because it is all destined for export to rich countries.

This project that Hunger Response International is partnering in through the Rice Raiser Campaign is to educate the women of this region, (only 14% can read and write) provide them with business training and offer micro loans which the women co-sign for each other. The response is wonderful. There are even group microloans for women to work together in a nursery growing trees. Typically independent minded, these women are learning and working together and they are loving it! They are investing in themselves while they support each other.

Much pride is displayed as they tell of the pig they purchased with their first small loan and having raised it, sold it at a profit! After repaying the loan, there is money to buy food to feed their family and they’ve learned to keep a portion of the profit aside for reinvestment. They can also re-apply for a second loan and so on. The exciting thing about this project is that all the money that we’re able to raise for it will be matched by the Canadian International Development Agency at a rate of $3 to $1!!

Visit http://www.riceraiser.org for more info!

 

Lisa Hiebert - Olympic Week

As the world’s best athletes are striving for gold Athletes in Action spent the last week engaging with people and suggesting that we should be living for More Than Gold!  I had the privilege of being on a team of 7 other AIA staff and students.  Our week started with staff training on February 13th.  Doug Polluck, author of “God Space” was our guest speaker and he proposed to us that evangelism is simply cherishing Jesus publically.  He suggested to us that people are desperate for spiritual conversations; the problem is that as Christians we are not engaging people.  He said we need to genuinely want to hear people’s stories, which means we need to listen and then ask great questions.  We were also spoken to by the President of Power to Change, Leonard Buhler, who spoke to us about the book “Soul Cravings” and how we could use that to get people thinking about what their soul actually craves.

This was a great send off to what we were doing during the week.  The team I was on partnered with Richmond Baptist Church.  During the day we went into downtown Vancouver and in the evenings went to the church where they had big screen events and Mini-Olympics for kids.  The world truly is in Vancouver.  I met people from Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and many more.  While in Vancouver we asked the Holy Spirit to guide us to the people he wanted us to talk to.  One member of our team saw a guy sitting by himself and so went over to talk to him.  The conversation lasted 4 hours!  In that time he was able to hear his story and that led into sharing the Gospel.  We ended up all meeting him and one of our team members offered him a place to stay.  This guy David was so touched.  Myself and another teammate got to talk to some young adults and just asked them a bit about their experiences with the church.  The conversation led to the point where they were quite intrigued to read the “Soul Cravings” book and so we gave them each one.

The Mini-Olympics were a lot of fun for me because it was like summer camp.  The majority of the kids we had were not from the church which was awesome!  Part of our goal for the week was to help the church connect with their surrounding community.  During the time the kids participated in our version of Winter Olympic events.  Half way through the time we had Coach’s Corner where we shared that God loves them, God has a plan for their life, God helps us overcome obstacles, our world is broken, and that through a relationship with Jesus they can be made whole.  By the end of the week we had 3 kids that wanted to accept Jesus!  On Friday we held a basketball night for the college and career and I led a sharing time about what do we crave?  After that I had a great conversation with a UBC student named Miggy.  He believed that he could deal with God later because he was young and when you’re young you should party.  We dialogued for a while and told him that I thought he would really enjoy reading “Soul Cravings.”  He took the book and said that he would read it.

The Lord glorified His name this week and taught me so much.  The only reason Miggy took the book from me was because he could tell that I genuinely cared about him and wanted to see his life go somewhere.  As many of you know I worked at Tim Hortons for over 5 years and during those years after hearing complaint after complaint from people it tainted my view of people.  This week God broke that down and he showed me his love for people and therefore my love for people.  It’s only been a few days but this is has been so freeing!  It seems like such a simple thing to engage in conversation with people but the effects that we saw this week from doing that made us each ask ourselves why we don’t do that all the time.  Everywhere we go there are people who need to have a conversation with Jesus and the crazy thing is that because Christ is in us every time we talk to someone they should be having a conversation with Jesus.  This is so exciting!

I want to thank each and every one of you for prayers this week and your financial support.  We all have our roles in the body of Christ and to see people being faithful to them is really inspiring.  It is truly a privilege to be sent out by you to proclaim the Kingdom of God.  If you would like to hear more about our Olympic time I would love to share with you.

By His Grace,
Lisa

 

Rudy & Lois Thiessen - February, 2010

Cameron, Louisiana—Respond, Rebuild, Restore (MDS moto) A fun place to be—I’m on the lst morning break this week—yahoo!

Picture:  This view of some of the pilings where 65 apartments once stood on is what we see many times a day from our motor home door.  What a reminder of loss and hurt.  One client we are building for lost 2 homes—one to Rita and the next to Ike, but said it was not as bad as losing their son in an accident and a grand daughter of 14 to Leukemia.

Mon:  We did a HUGE grocery shop today for the week, for 18 short termers and 8 of us—a tiring day from 5:15 am - 8:00 pm with 2 hours driving to Lake Charles to shop and a one hour break at 2:30 - 3:30 - very tiring. We didn’t sleep too well with a wind and rain storm shaking the trailer last night. I thought maybe MDS would have to rescue us. 

Wed: The weather is always windy and cold (which keeps the mosquitoes away they say)—0 last night.  We didn’t sleep much.  We are not very far away from the Gulf of Mexico and lots of oil rigs drilling off shore.  I’m enjoying my cooking in the kitchen with Cora Loewen from Winnipeg.  Rudy is enjoying leading a crew of 6 at the framing stage of a house that Brian and Cherie and 3 children will move into.  They also lost 2 homes or Rita and the next, a year later to Ike. 

You could pray that we’ll be able to get some needed sleep while our trailer rocks in the wind and rain.  Thanks so much.
Love, blessings and prayers, Lois (and Rudy out working)

 

Phil and Judy Bergen & Team - Guatemala - November, 2009

November 11th, 2009, 23 people embarked on an adventure to Guatemala.  One of the highlights was providing an early Christmas for the families of 7 of the migrant farm workers in the Fraser Valley.  What happens when these families arrive at a restaurant, a place none of them have ever been, to meet people they have never met, and have no idea what is going to happen.  They came in their very best attire with wonder on their faces.  One family did not walk up the driveway until we went to meet them as the mom was scared of the unknown.  We enjoyed a wonderful buffet.  The staff of the restaurant wondered why these people were there with a group of white people.  We explained to the matre’d and the hostess that we worked with the fathers and husbands of these women and wanted to give them a special Christmas.  They thanked us for working with “their people”.  Following lunch we went outside and sat on the grass.  The team had packaged a gift for each child a month earlier and had prayed for that child.  Many of the children did not open their gift but “oohed and awed” as they peeked inside the gift bag.  The moms were also given gifts and food.  We brought 100 pairs of flip flops and 70 pairs of shoes and many knitted hats for the children and it looked like a sale at Wal-Mart as the moms picked out the sizes that would fit their child.
Bartolo, one of the workers who was home, thanked the group and the Bakerview Spanish church for being there for him and helping him strengthen his faith in Christ.  Tearful good byes ended our afternoon. 

“How did you know that I did not have any food in the house?”...was the greeting we got after we handed a mom 10 lbs of rice, beans, maize flour and 1/2 a gallon of oil, in the village of El Gorrion.  We had worked there in May with the children and built a cistern and bio sand water filters. We gave each of the 60 households food, prayed with those who wanted prayer and gave the kids balloons and laughed with them.  Many of the children just wanted to be hugged and have you hold their hand. We also built a house for Marta Lidia, a widow with four children. It was great to see her excitement as the house began to take shape.  While building her house a group of 8 highway workers stopped by to see what was happening.  When they were told we were from Canada and we build homes for widows, single moms, the poor of the poor, they wanted to know how they qualify.  Philip and some of the team went to their village and realized that they are the poor of the poor. January, 2010, we will be providing micro-financing so that they can purchase land to provide for their families.  In Tululche’ we ministered to the 100 kids in VBS, 75 men and women in the form of Bible studies, personal testimonies and worship. The theme for the children was “No Fear” and the focus was on the story of Moses.  We had the Antigua Exotic, a refuge for reptiles and amphinians, come to VBS and show the children the animals as well as inform them as to which of them was dangerous.  This was a great illustration of Moses’ and the Plagues.  We also taught the children at Casa Angelina orphanage the same VBS, worked in construction and in the medical clinic, lots of paintingand brought supplies in the form of Gleaners soup and applie pieces.

Bless you and have a great 2010. 

Phil and Judy Bergen
http://www.loveguat.blogspot.com
If you are intereted in going on a trip with the Bergens to Guatemala, please see http://www.northview.org/index.php/missions/curent_upcoming_missions_trips/

 

David McLauren & Team - India - November 2009

After 25 hours of flying time we arrived in Hyderabad, India - John Willems, Bill and Lindy Benjamin, Candice Hazenberg and our fearless leader David McLauren. The Shamshabad (Hyderabad) airport was not what we expected of a country with such widespread poverty. It is a clean, new, beautiful up-to-date international airport. We spent the first two nights at the Shamshabad Bible College guest house and quickly learned the Telugu word for enough, which was of the utmost importance, due to the fact that the hospitality of the people is utterly amazing, and we would have continued to be fed beyond capacity.

We then we drove to Deveraconda where we began our Nov 6-16th campaign ministry. After our orientation and meeting our other wonderful team members and translators, we were off to the villages, some that had never before been reached by the good news of Jesus Christ. God’s presence was amazing and continues to leave us in awe as we had the privilege of spreading the gospel.

The morning meetings where we shared our highlights from the previous day were wonderful. The stories of God’s grace encouraged and emboldened us. One elderly man who accepted Jesus as his Saviour had previously been a practicing witch doctor in that village. Another lady said she would be disowned and thrown out of her home if her family found out about her salvation. She decided not to tell them but she knew that if they did find out, the value of her salvation far surpassed her existence here on earth. A baby who had been listless and not eating for several days was healthy and happy by the follow-up visit.

We spent Sundays visiting and speaking at local churches with the pastors who were part of the campaign. It was very impressive how content people can be in very humble circumstances. Although a very different existence than the one we may lead, the people in the poorest villages were proud to show us their homes, bring out what they had for chairs, talk about their lives, families and means of survival.

Most people were eager to learn and accept Jesus, but there were also those that were not. Even in those homes we were often asked to pray for the sick. It was wonderful to speak in the name of Jesus in homes with pictures of other gods hanging on the wall to plant seeds that may take time to grow, knowing that we were perhaps the first to share the light of Jesus Christ into these people’s lives and homes.

This was a trip of challenges, stretching, growing and learning as much for us as the people visited. We breathed different air, tasted new foods, and were sometimes surprised we survived driving through the cities and villages. Those of the team who had not seen people in such circumstances before will have a new appreciation for our lives and families at home. We consider it a privilege to have eaten, prayed, laughed, and cried with the people of India. 

 

Frank and Esther Martens - Member Care and Encouragement Trip - July 26 to September 7, 2009

Our Purpose: To visit and encourage our missionaries serving in Latin America with MBMSI (Mennonite Brethren Missions and Services International) and the churches and leaders in Montevideo, Uruguay where we served as church planters with MBMSI from 1975-1987.

Cities/Countries/Missionaries Visited:
• Montevideo, Uruguay
• Lima, Peru (Jose & Esperanza Prada)
• Trujillo, Peru (Lianna Klassen)
• Piura, Peru (Otto & Lydia Funk)
• Guadalajara, Mexico (Sandra Plett, Jen Schmidt, Trevor & Joan Goddard)
• Oaxaca, Mexico (Robert & Annie Thiessen)
• Panama (Einer & Girlesa Zuluaga)

During this 6-week trip, we took off from airports 20 separate times and experienced climates ranging from freezing temperatures (in Uruguay) to sweltering heat (in Panama). 

Our Daily Activities:
We stayed with or near each missionary family, accompanied them in their daily life and ministry, listened to their stories, struggles, challenges and joys and celebrated with them the goodness of God in building His church through their faithful service. 

Highlights:
• Our time in Uruguay was incredibly rewarding as we met so many of the people and visited the churches we had known in the past. We were moved to tears by the reception we received and the evidence of God’s faithfulness in their lives, that of their children, and in those that have come to Jesus through their witness.
• Our visits with our missionaries were very exciting. We came away with an increased respect for them, the work they do, the sacrifices they make, the new people groups being reached with the gospel, the innovative approaches being implemented to mentor leaders and establish churches that are healthy, independent and self supporting.
• It was particularly exciting to make trips into the interior of southern Mexico and to the jungle of Panama and witness frontier missionary endeavors and the excellent work being built there upon the foundation of our pioneer missionaries of the past.
Several Surprises:
• We had intended to visit our missionaries in the Chaco of Paraguay (Melvin & Gudrin Warkentin) but were turned back at the airport in Asuncion for lack of a Visa. We had not been made aware of this new requirement. However, this apparent setback led to positive results. After changing our flight schedule, we now had time for several additional strategic visits in Montevideo, Uruguay and an additional stop in Trujillo, Peru to visit with the missionary we would otherwise have missed. Both experiences were of great blessing to us and to our hosts. 
• An unwelcomed surprise was spending 20 hours in the Mexico City airport after a severe storm shut down the place.

Answered Prayers:
• Many of you had promised to pray for us daily and this filled us with an incredible peace, assurance, and confidence to meet the many uncertainties and challenges we faced on a daily basis.
• The Lord kept us safe, healthy, and energized. 
• Apparent difficulties gave us additional opportunities to minister.
• Our Spanish language came back after 22 years and we had freedom to converse and present messages and testimonies when requested. 
• It was an amazing and rewarding adventure and we sensed that the purposes of our trip were realized.

What’s Next?
• Currently we are involved in weekly mentoring sessions with missionaries-in-training.
• Frank will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico in October for 10 days as part of a DMI (Discipleship Making International) team to serve alongside our churches there.
• We will continue in our Member Care role here in Abbotsford as needed. 
• Next year’s trip is still in the planning stage – possibly visiting the missionary families in Paraguay and Brazil. 

We are so very grateful for your prayers and financial support that made our first trip possible.  Thank you so much!
Frank and Esther Martens

Daniel Fama - Tanzania, Africa - Summer 2009

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121: 1-2.
Hamjambo (Greetings)! This is an update on the Trinity Western missions team I led to Tanga, Tanzania for two months this summer. All the Trinity Western team members are back home now, but each one will tell you that their interest in this initiative and the Tanzanian people is not over. Two of our team’s main goals were to build a strong partnership with the Diocese of Tanga and other Christians, and to accomplish a community assessment in order to identify how Trinity Western can continue to do effective development and ministry in Tanga. The truth discovered is that we couldn’t be more impressed with our partners, both for their