Its been a long time since we've given an update! When one finds oneself in the backcountry of Gimli, with a million things to do, no internet, one finds out quickly that some things get left behind!
For those who are not caught up where our crazy roller coaster ride has taken us, here is the short version! We moved to Alberta 3 years ago to work at a kids camp for inner city kids from Edmonton. We fell in love with the ministry, the scenery, and the community. When Covid hit we, got laid off permanently and ask to leave our staff housing. Since then, we have been met with constant challenges, to name a few: looking for a job, looking for a new home amidst a pandemic, buying a home cross provincially that we had never seen, moving our family in and out of several temporary living situations, and trying to connect into a new community whilst socializing is prohibited.
Through it all, we testify to the Lord's faithfulness to us. He has been leading us and providing for us in simply stunning ways. Yet even still we still find ourselves constantly battling our doubts, fears, resentments, and the ever present monster called stress. Of this we are certain; the Lord is working hard at refining us! We must be an extra stubborn case. How does one describe what it is like to follow the Lord? He leads us through gentle promptings and shocking upheavals. Here we are. As the hurricane settles, we find ourselves at Gimli Bible Camp, where in January we join the team as assistant director. Gimli Bible Camp specifically targets kids from homes that are 'unreached'. Lots of inner city winnipeg kids, foster kids, etc.
We have purchased a property about 12 minutes from camp, a house built in Winnipeg in the 30's which was then moved to Gimli and added onto in the 80's. The house has lots of character, and needs a lot of work! As our family says at times like these; Hokey Fritz! We have dubbed our property 'Rise Again Ranch', because we know the Lord is in the business of redeeming everything he gets his hands on! So we've been working extremely hard at making this a place where we can help people find redemption in the Lord. We are excited about the opportunities of using our property for ministry for the camp, specifically getting a horse program going!
Shortly after we arrived in Gimli we heard such a timely message at our local church:
Nehemiah 4:6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
How many of us have unfinished projects in our lives? I'm guessing most of us do!! Its easy to start something, motivation is high, the attitude is good, but then we can hit bumps along the way and can settle for 80 even 90 percent completion, which can be a lot better then not having started it at all, right?! As the story goes on in Nehemiah, enemies start to come against them, and the strength of the laborers starts to fade as they try to complete a seemingly impossible task of rebuilding a city wall. They do not quit building, regardless of the many attempts of various enemies to try to stop them. They trust in the Lord and work through the hardships, eventually completing the work. The Lords plan and purposes will always prevail!
3 years ago, God introduced us as a family to camp ministry, and we loved it with all our heart. This last year has been really tough as we continue to face small and big problems, but we see God leading us to continue serving Him in Camp Ministry. It is comforting to know that God is our personal Father, he brings us comfort in so much discomfort, he provides for us with things look bleak, he is our strength when our own energy is gone!
One of our next challenges coming up is to finish raising our missionary support for the job here at Gimli Bible Camp. We were expecting the task to look a lot different than what it does right now being in the midst of a lockdown. Again we are pushed to trust in the Lord that he will provide what we need. If you would like to become a monthly, semi annually, or a one time supporter, please let us know. We would be very blessed for you to partner with us as we discover what good works God has prepared in advance for us in Manitoba's Interlake region.
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