Have you been enjoying your summer so far? For some people, seeing back to school stuff in the stores is exciting (sing with me “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”). And for others, as we start to see colour in the trees, see the days getting shorter and the sun starting to move south again, its not quite as much fun. There is joy to be found in every season, and I hope that you have found some in this summer as well. There is also great comfort in knowing that the God who set the seasons in order is as faithful as the continuity we experience as summer moves into autumn, autumn into winter and winter into spring.
There’s been a lot of coming and going this summer. You’re never sure who will be in church on any given Sunday. People are traveling, enjoying holidays and time away. Fourteen people (high school age and adult) just came back from spending a week in Toronto, in the Jane/Finch area, helping out for the fifth time at Seeds of Hope Day Camp. Truly, they have planted seeds of hope in the children’s lives and we pray that God will bring those seeds to vibrant life in his time.
There’s been coming and going further afield too. Clarence is preparing for a trip to China, to visit home churches and do some teaching.
Lauren is making plans to spend six months in Belize, working with Youth With a Mission. Kim, who spent a number of years with YWAM in Australia, returned home. We were privileged to host Sheila Dykstra, member of Hope Fellowship working in West Africa and Gary and Galya Timmerman, missionaries we support, as they were in Canada for home service and hear how God is working through them in other parts of the world. John and Marian VanderMeer (members at our sister church Zion in Oshawa, whom we also support) will also be home soon and we look forward to hearing how God is working through Wycliffe in Arua.
Does it make you feel a little jealous? Sometimes I am. Not for very long, but sometimes I wonder where I fit in bringing God’s Word to all peoples, as Jesus instructed us to do. Then I remember—my part is to support and to pray for all those who go out in Jesus name. My job is to remind the people of Hope Fellowship that we have missionaries working far away from home. My job is to support financially those who have given their lives to reaching those who do not yet know Jesus and his love and grace for us.
In a chat with Sheila this week, I learned that she is headed to Guinea soon. As an Education Consultant to West Africa, Sheila spends a lot of time traveling. Travel is difficult in West Africa—you can email Sheila and ask her for stories. Sheila’s job is to teach teachers—teaching is not a valued profession in West Africa, and Sheila helps teachers learn to teach children in a loving, Christ-centred manner. It is a particularly difficult job in Guinea as there are few Christian Schools, very little Christian French Curriculum and the country is predominantly Muslim.
So how can we help Sheila as she heads out?
- Evelyn
There’s been a lot of coming and going this summer. You’re never sure who will be in church on any given Sunday. People are traveling, enjoying holidays and time away. Fourteen people (high school age and adult) just came back from spending a week in Toronto, in the Jane/Finch area, helping out for the fifth time at Seeds of Hope Day Camp. Truly, they have planted seeds of hope in the children’s lives and we pray that God will bring those seeds to vibrant life in his time.
There’s been coming and going further afield too. Clarence is preparing for a trip to China, to visit home churches and do some teaching.
Lauren is making plans to spend six months in Belize, working with Youth With a Mission. Kim, who spent a number of years with YWAM in Australia, returned home. We were privileged to host Sheila Dykstra, member of Hope Fellowship working in West Africa and Gary and Galya Timmerman, missionaries we support, as they were in Canada for home service and hear how God is working through them in other parts of the world. John and Marian VanderMeer (members at our sister church Zion in Oshawa, whom we also support) will also be home soon and we look forward to hearing how God is working through Wycliffe in Arua.
Does it make you feel a little jealous? Sometimes I am. Not for very long, but sometimes I wonder where I fit in bringing God’s Word to all peoples, as Jesus instructed us to do. Then I remember—my part is to support and to pray for all those who go out in Jesus name. My job is to remind the people of Hope Fellowship that we have missionaries working far away from home. My job is to support financially those who have given their lives to reaching those who do not yet know Jesus and his love and grace for us.
In a chat with Sheila this week, I learned that she is headed to Guinea soon. As an Education Consultant to West Africa, Sheila spends a lot of time traveling. Travel is difficult in West Africa—you can email Sheila and ask her for stories. Sheila’s job is to teach teachers—teaching is not a valued profession in West Africa, and Sheila helps teachers learn to teach children in a loving, Christ-centred manner. It is a particularly difficult job in Guinea as there are few Christian Schools, very little Christian French Curriculum and the country is predominantly Muslim.
So how can we help Sheila as she heads out?
- Pray for her.
- Stay in touch with her.
- Read her blog (www.sheiladykstra.blogspot.ca) and covenant to pray along with the prayer altars that occur the second Saturday of each month.
- Support her financially. Our deacons have scheduled an offering for Sheila on August 19. It is expensive to have missionaries in the field, and though Sheila is employed by Christian Reformed World Missions, she is asked to raise 60% of her own salary. You can learn all about how that works at www.crcna.org/pages/costbreakdown.cfm.
- Evelyn
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