Thanks so much for your continued prayer. It makes such a difference! Here’s some things you can be praying about:
Grace has been quite busy lately chasing after two very active kids.
Potty training has been an adventure. Between May and August, Aris usually did No. 2 in her pull-ups, usually about 15 minutes after we put her to bed. I was beginning to fear that using the potty would never happen. But the tide changed this fall. She’s now fully trained — even at night. Aside from a couple of wet beds, we’ve had no accidents in almost a month!
Zane has been growing and learning lots too. He’s become quite a
climber, and is getting into everything! Several times, Grace has found him sitting on top of our 5-foot high entertainment unit. He also seems to be fascinated with technology. It’s a wonder he hasn’t wiped out our computer yet! Recently, he managed to partially disassemble the bathroom scale. We still haven’t found some missing parts. Perhaps he’s destined for a technical field of some sort.
Zane has also been learning lots of other stuff too. He’s talking more, and we’re even starting to understand him! He has also learned to take his shirt off. While it’s exciting to see him develop, it is frustrating to see him come down the stairs with no shirt when we’re trying to hurry out the door.
Aris’s fall has been a stretching one. One of her grandmothers was quite sick, in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Aris had a really hard time with that. She’s been praying faithfully for her grandma though, and has seen those prayers answered. It’s been exciting to see her deepening interest and understanding in spiritual things.
Both kids have discipline issues ranging from tempers to trouble sharing to making messes. After seeing the kids for a few hours some days, I’m amazed Grace is still sane. She may be dealing with stuff that’s universal to motherhood, but I still think she’s amazing.
A lot has happened since our last letter, and finances are no exception. As our family has grown, our needs have grown too. With a larger living space has come increased financial needs. And through it all, God has been 
Since our last letter, several individuals have joined our support team. Together, they’re giving another $280/month. And we’re receiving almost $300 more a month from churches. Since I started this faith journey, I have always been able to pay the bills. God is still the great provider! Thanks for your part in that!
Going forward, the needs continue to grow. Would you prayerfully consider helping to meet these needs?
We know God will continue to guide us in where He wants us to be. And where He calls, He always provides. Thanks so much for being part of His provision!
Hmmm...that's a good question! Well, lots has happened in the last couple of months.
The coolest thing is that I haven't had any depressive episodes since June! Yay! It has been so good to have energy and to be more normal. However, I'm having to learn how to break depressive thought patterns. The last couple of months have definitely been an adventure, but it's been awesome to see God's healing power at work in my life.
We moved in September to a lovely townhouse, and we are so happy here. It has been nice to have a proper kitchen as well as a bathtub, and lots more space. I have been busy in my kitchen making all sorts of goodies. The pumpkin cheesecake was my personal favourite:)
Friends of ours live across the courtyard from us, and I babysit their children on Fridays. Aris does not like sharing, but she is enjoying playing pretend with Bianca. Although conflict is an inevitable and unpleasant part of the job, I am really enjoying being a part of Callum and Bianca's life. Fridays have become a very fun, crazy day for me that I look forward to. It's nice to help support us and feel like I'm actually contributing while helping my friend out.
Since we moved, I now have a garden to play in which is both a lot of fun and work. Currently, it doesn't look like much since I started with a bare patch, but I've been getting plants from my mother's garden (and her neighbor's) and we'll see what happens.
I am so enjoying being normal! blessings, Gracie :)
As part of our youth ministry, we’re mentoring a couple of the older kids. This past week, we talked with them about spending time with God.
It was not only a good challenge for them, but for me as well. From the time I was their age till I had kids, I was quite faithful in spending time with God every morning. But small children have a way of disrupting any semblance of routine. But can I challenge the teens we’re working with to spend time with God when I find it hard at times to do so myself?
Or perhaps that’s the point. Being Christ’s Disciples is something we’re all working at together. And sometimes, working at it together makes all the difference.
International Teams Canada hosts the “Ride for Refugees” every year. This event raises money to support the work we do with Refugees in Canada and around the world.
This year, we had over 140 riders who have raised $73,000 so far.
For the first time, I decided to ride. What an experience it was! As I haven’t ridden in about 8 years, and haven’t gotten much exercise recently, I decided to “just” do 25K this year.
Unfortunately, we had abnormally cold weather this year, and had a snow storm during the ride! What an experience that was. I finished up with cold hands & feet, and a sore rear, but I made it! And I know that what I suffered through is nothing compared to the refugees I was able to help.
Thanks to those who sponsored me!
For the last couple of years, Grace and I have been working with the “Xtreme Youth” (grades 6-8) that go to our church and our parent church. (Our church is still too small to have it’s own youth group).
Our kick-off for the year was attending a big camping weekend called Jr. Pitch. It included a great speaker, music, fun activities, and over 900 kids! We had lots of fun, and didn’t get too wet!
This year, we’re going through a video series with the kids every week, and spend lots of time in smaller groups discussing ideas raised by the video. It’s been cool to see the kids begin to think about their faith, and how it relates to the world around them.
Please pray for us as we continue to invest in the lives of these kids. We need wisdom, patience, and lots of energy!
In our last newsletter, we told you all about how we were hoping to move. Well guess what? We did! In September, we moved into to a small townhouse in Waterloo.
It’s a 15 minute drive from the office, closer to our parents, and in a nice community. We have several friends living in our complex, beautiful surroundings and space for the kids to play.
We’ve been enjoying a real kitchen, a small office in the laundry room for myself, space to entertain, and a price that’s within our reach.
What a blessing this is for us. Thanks so much for praying for us as we looked for a new place.
Please pray for us as we get to know our new neighbors, and that God would be glorified in our time here.
It’s been quite a while since the last newsletter, hasn’t it? I’ve been busy developing various resources that are helping IT Canada to be more effective in it’s Mission.
I’ve set up a site that brings news from many of our missionaries around the world. This provides a great place for those interested in what International Teams is doing to read about the latest happenings from the perspective of our missionaries. Check out news.iteams.ca from time to time. There’s some great reading there. You can even add it to your RSS reader or Yahoo Home Page.
We’ve also launched our new web site. You can check it out at www.iteams.ca .
Another big project we’ve been working on here is a replacement for our antiquated electronic communications systems. The first step was to replace our email server with a free service that seems to be working much better, and with very little administration on our part. And the less time we spend maintaining servers, the more we have to do more useful things!
Between all of this, I’ve also worked on other projects including our annual Ride For Refugees, and assisting other teams in the field.
It’s been exciting to see how my knowledge and abilities have been used to help IT Canada be more effective. Thanks so much for your part in making this possible!
