A Blessed Year

Another year has flown by. We have been blessed in so many ways.

Our kids are growing. Aris is one of the brighter kids in her Junior Kindergarten class, and is getting somewhat more balanced at home — she’s learning to obey, and doesn’t throw tantrums so often! Zane is also a bright kid, is talking quite a bit, and is fairly intelligible. He’s climbing everything — nothing is safe in our house!

We’re excited about our third child coming in February. We’ve been blessed with a minivan this fall that will make it possible to fit all 3 kids into the car!

Grace is doing quite well emotionally. (The last pregnancy was pretty rough, as were the months following.) We can pray that she continues to do well. Physically, she’s found the pregnancy rough, so we can keep praying for her in that as well.

We continue to feel blessed with the townhouse we moved into just over a year ago. While far from extravagant, we have space to host a weekly youth group, and a weekly ladies group. We’re a few feet away from a beautiful woods, and have a wonderful view. We’re close to a great school that Aris is now attending.

God has blessed me with some exciting projects to work on this year at International Teams. I’ve been able to help develop resources for several of our ministries that they wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise — resources that have helped them to take their ministries beyond what they could have otherwise.

And through it all, God has continued to provide for our needs. We are so blessed by those friends, family, and churches that support us financially, and in prayer. Thanks so much!

May God richly bless you this Christmas Season.
Steve

What were they thinking?

We've been leading a youth group in our home this fall, and it's been a lot of fun! At the moment, it's usually just guys that come, which makes for a very interesting dynamic. For some reason, the moose has been a recurring theme. We looked at the parable of the soils (Mark 4), and the kids re-told it. One of the retellings somehow involved moose looking for new places to live. For our church's Christmas service, each cell group will be doing something from the Christmas story. Our guys want to have the 3 wise men riding in on moose.

It's been exciting to see the guys get involved. When we started, we had guys that only seemed able to share silly things, and are now taking part in more serious portions of the bible studies. Some that hardly said anything are now taking part. We've even seen the guys curb their insults to each other, and actually think more about what they're saying.

Please continue to pray for these guys, and for wisdom for Grace, Sarah (the other leader) and I, as we seek to lead them well.

Grace's Space

The word "Christmas" brings to mind many different pictures. I see platters of beautifully decorated and oh-so-delicious cookies, beautifully decorated trees in wonderfully decorated (and CLEAN) living rooms, gorgeously wrapped presents and elegant Christmas cards. I love the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. However, these are things that don't happen at my house. My cookies are in containers where children can't get them easily, and I got those from a cookie exchange (mine weren't decorated, but they are yummy!). My tree has been knocked over four times. Or maybe it's been five, I can't really remember...Said tree has been lovingly decorated by my children and then "re-decorated". Although it does have ornaments on it, all non-breakable, it has also housed my son's sock and a toy bat.

My house has a few Christmas decorations, but is far from clean. Presents will be wrapped by my talented husband and set out shortly before the children are allowed out of bed on Christmas morning. As for cards, they just don't happen. I like to tell myself I'm being environmentally responsible:)

In case you can't guess, the word I'm struggling with this Christmas is inadequate. There is a lot that challenges me on a daily basis. I'm not a good housekeeper. I'm learning and getting better, but it's a struggle. Wrapping presents is much too complicated for me. If you've received a present I've wrapped, you know what I'm talking about. Then there are the things that I just have to accept as part of this stage of life. I have small children, who like to touch and get into things. They are more important than a pretty house and tree. But the most challenging are the new limitations.

I have been pregnant before at Christmas, but this is the first Christmas I've been very pregnant. As my belly becomes bigger, there is less that I can do. The things that I love and excel at (shopping and baking) are things that I do not have enough energy to do. Letting go of the few things that I do well challenges my sense of self-worth.

My daughter has been going through a phase where she freaks out and tells us she's a bad person. As we have talked through that many many times, I am reminded what Christmas is about. We are celebrating God's gift to us because we are inadequate. Jesus didn't come to earth just to say hi, or get a feel for what being human is all about. Rather His ultimate purpose has been to meet a need that we cannot fill. No matter how much I try and how good I am, it still isn't good enough for heaven. So right now, as I'm seeing all the ways that I'm failing, I remember that Jesus is my perfection and my completion. And as I turn to Him and ask for His strength, grace, righteousness, etc, He fills me and makes me better than I can be on my own. That's all the Christmas presents I need right there.

Wishing you many blessings,
Grace

Kids Corner

Aris and Zane love Christmas. According to Aris, Christmas is about a little baby named Jesus, who takes care of all the people, and was born in a manger. Zane says that Christmas is about trees with lights. They are excited about presents, parties and trees. Thankfully, both children are just as excited about buying presents for people as they are about getting them.

We have been listening to Christmas music as a family since the first of December. (Although some of us started listening to it a couple weeks earlier, while Daddy was at work:) Their favorite songs are Away in a Manger and Jingle Bells. Aris is very excited about her holiday performance next week at school. At the moment, she is refusing to tell me what songs will be sung at the concert as it is a "surprise".

My children's excitement is a good reminder that Christmas is more than just a very busy time of year. As we answer their questions, we are reminded of the Christmas story so long ago. As we talk about our baby that will be born soon, Aris reminds us of a little tiny baby born in a stable and visited by shepherds. Zane and Aris wish you a merry Christmas!

The Ride is over, but there's still lots to be done

Hello again friends!

I completed the Ride for Refugees this past weekend. I think I must have been crazy -- since I graduated from university 9.5 years ago, I've ridden my bike twice -- in last year's ride, and this year's. This year, At the turn-around point for the 25K route, I was feeling good enough that I decided to keep going. The 50K route was a figure 8 with a 36k loop plus a 14k loop that met at home base. So I did 36K. And that's a pretty bad idea for someone who's not in shape. I shutter to think of what most refugees put themselves through to escape. What I did was nothing in comparison.

But I did make it back. Yay!

Not only did I succeed, but the event also did much better than previous years. Between the 3 locations, we had over 600 riders, and have so far raised over $200,000 that will go to more than 35 different ministries working with Refugees. And we're not done yet -- there's still more donations to be entered into the system (lots of volunteers working hard this week), and more coming in. In fact, you can still be a part of helping us reach our goal of $250,000. Just click on
https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/StartUp.aspx?SID=1655280
and you can give to this cause with your credit card.

Thanks so much for your interest and help!

Steve.

Ride for Refugees: Will you sponsor me?

Greetings Friends,

As many of you know, I've been working with International Teams in getting all sorts of resources together so we can run the Ride for Refugees this year.  I hadn't decided if I'd actually ride though till, well today.  After several people talked about sponsoring me, I figured maybe I should do it!

I'm emailing you to ask for your help. On October 13th, 2007, I'm going to ride in the fourth annual Ride for Refugees. The event goal is $250,000 and I'm looking to raise my fair share of that good goal.

Would you please sponsor me?

There are over 35 million refugees in the world. Many are coming to Canada and they need support as they adjust to our Canadian way of life. Imagine snow for the first time. Imagine if the letters all ran backwards to what you were familiar with. Imagine being alienated from your friends and family? They need our support.

Please help me reach my goal and help these vulnerable people too.

To give, go online to
https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/StartUp.aspx?SID=1655280
Once there you can donate with any credit card to my personal fundraising goal.

Thank you so much

Stephen Van Bruwaene



International Teams Canada is a registered charity in Canada. Our Audited financial statements are available online at CCRA or www.iteams.ca - for more information about the Ride for Refugees, online giving security, International Teams or any other question concerning this event, please contact Brian Carney, Ride Chairman by email at brian.carney@iteams.org or directly at 519-669-8844 (233).

Making a Difference

I’ve been working hard here at International Teams to help our organization be more effective in it’s Mission.

International Teams runs the Ride for Refugees every year to raise money for Refugee ministry in Canada and around the world.  This year, we’re trying to raise $250,000 with quite a number of church partners.  It’s been exciting to be able to help the Church in this exciting initiative.  We currently have 250 youth and adults signed up to ride.  They’re learning more about the plight of refugees, and doing what they can to help.

I’ve been busy developing the web site, brochures, posters, banners, bulletin board, a magazine add, route maps, etc., that have helped to enable what has become an awesome ministry!  Check out rideforrefugees.com for more information.

I’ve also had the privilege to work with Listen To Learn, a new ministry or International Teams working with Pastors in Africa.  We’ve recognized that many pastors in Africa have a great hunger for learning.  Unfortunately between illiteracy, and the aural culture, providing pastors with bibles and good books is often not enough.  We’ve been developing recorded teaching material in a number of different languages that we can then distribute to pastors on small electronic devices such as iPods.

I’ve invested into this ministry through development of their web site, and other printed material.  Check out listen2learn.iteams.ca for more info!

International Teams recently hosted a training event for short term team leaders that many of our church partners participated in, and found extremely helpful.  I developed the web site, registration system, online resources, helped with other graphic design work.

You, my supporters and prayer partners, have helped make a difference for Refugees, Canadian Churches, African Pastors, and short team leaders.  Thanks so much for your help!

Exciting Family News

As many of you have already heard, we are expecting our third child. The baby will be due in mid-February. What an exciting time this is for us as we prepare to welcome this new one into the world. Pray for Grace as she carries this baby — pregnancy takes such a toll on a person, both physically and emotionally.

In an email we sent out during the summer, we mentioned that with the arrival of a third child, we would need a new vehicle, as our little car physically did not have space for 3 car seats. Well praise God, we got one last week — a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. It’s in great shape, and was at a great price. Thanks so much to those of you who contributed extra to help make this happen. We feel so blessed.

Upstream Youth

Over the last few years, we’ve been helping out with the youth group of a partner church, as our church, a new plant, hasn’t been ready to run their own youth program.Well this fall, we’ve started our own group — “Upstream”, and Grace and I have the privilege of leading it. What an exciting, and scary thing!

Over the years, I’ve been involved in various leadership capacities, so that’s nothing new. What with marriage and small kids, I have taken a bit of a break in this area though. So this is a pretty new thing for our family.

Pray for our family as we embark on this new adventure, and for the kids we’re working with. We would like to see great things happen in the kids lives, and recognize that our family and marriage need will need extra protection as we step out in this way. Thanks so much!

Growing like a … what?

This September, Aris started kindergarten. She is absolutely loving school, and other than a minor meltdown the night before her first day, there have been no tears. At least not shed by her. Zane, however, took her absence quite hard. I haven't cried, but I am amazed at how big my children are getting. It's hard to believe that my child is old enough to go to school.

My baby isn't a baby either anymore. He talks in sentences, he answers the phone and he's also demonstrated that he has a long term memory. Yesterday as we were walking to school, Aris asked me where my watch was. My watch has been missing for many months, last seen in Zane's possession near the couch. I explained that I didn't know where it was, but that I thought Zane had hidden it. Five minutes after we returned home, Zane handed me my watch! I was amazed, both by getting my watch back and by the levels of memory and comprehension that action displayed.

Not only is Zane showing lots of growth, I have watched Aris change as well. Her motor skills have improved greatly, as evidenced both by her drawings and her computer skills. Yes, that's right...both of my children love to play on the computer. The trick is to make sure it's their games they're playing and that they aren't just randomly pushing buttons.

The kids aren't the only things growing around here. I have begun to create a beautiful garden from my patch of dirt. Although the squirrels are my enemy, I have still managed to create a space that makes me happy. One of this weeks highlights was seeing my toad lily bloom for the very first time.

As my plants have grown and blossomed, so has my belly! I'm 20 weeks, but look a lot bigger. The baby is becoming quite active. We suspect that this one is going to be spirited just based on how hard he/she kicks. Although I'm fascinated by how my children are growing up and changing, I’m looking forward to cuddling a wee one again. And now I must go make cookies… blessings, Gracie :)

The Bottom Line

It’s been so exciting to see how God continues to provide for our needs in so many different ways.With another child coming, we’ve needed a larger vehicle, and we were able to purchase one.  Praise God!  This was made possible through personal savings, donations, an outside billable job, help from International Teams (IT), and a short-term interest-free loan from IT, that we expect to have paid off by May of next year.

With the baby coming in February, I expect to be going on Parental leave for a few months.  During this time, EI will be covering a good chunk of our expenses, so the extra support coming in will help cover what’s currently owing to IT for the car.

Praise God for how He continues to provide!  We are certainly very blessed!  Pray that people will continue to answer Gods call in this area.  We’re looking to raise an additional $1000/month in order to cover current needs plus RRSP’s and car replacement savings.

Aris's Dance Camp Performance

Aris went to dance camp this summer. At the end, they had a performance. This is the first chunk of it...

Exciting New News!

Hello all!

We've got some exciting new news!  Grace and I are expecting!  The due date set for the baby is February 11, 2008.

Grace and I are quite excited about this new addition to our family. Aris is also excited to have baby to help take care of.  Zane seems kidna excited, although We're not quite sure how much he understands about this yet.

The addition of another person to our family will have some impact on our needs.  The place we are currently living in should continue to serve us well for the next few years, if not longer.  The main immediate need is in the area of transportation.  Our car only has space for 2 car seats.  As such, we're going to need to replace it with something bigger before too long. Would you pray for us in this area?

We'll try to get a newsletter out before too long with more info on where we're at, what's going on in our ministry, etc.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Steve & Grace.

More Effective Ministries

My purpose within International Teams is “Developing Resources that help IT Canada be More Effective in its Mission”. How has this played itself out in the past few months?

International Teams has a ministry in Hamilton, ON. We’re working with churches, helping them to reach their city together. It’s been exciting to see churches from various denominations come together in all sorts of areas to serve and reach their city. This past fall, I helped them develop a web site (www.truecity.ca) that they have found very helpful in facilitating some of this. They had their third annual conference in February, which brought 370 people from 65 different churches together. I had the opportunity to produce the promotional material that helped to make this possible.

International Teams has a number of financial partners who give to various projects, or generally to the expanding work of IT. Up until recently, we’ve found it challenging to communicate how that money is being used. I’m now involved compiling communication to these donors in various formats (print, email, web, etc.)

We’ve also been actively bringing stories from our missionaries together on our web site (www.iteams.ca). I personally have found it an exciting way to hear more about what’s happening around the world. We even send out a monthly email with some of these stories. You can subscribe to it from IT’s web site.

Coming up, I’m starting to work on a new web site for a ministry developing audio training materials for African pastors. What an exciting opportunity to help those in the front lines of communicating God’s word to those who have never heard!

It’s pretty exciting to see God at work, and all the ways I can be a part of it!

So what are Blogs, and why should I care?

Between my newsletters, listening to the news, etc, most of you have probably heard the term “Blog”. Some of you even have your own. Others of you have never used a computer, let alone seen a blog. So what’s the big deal?

Blog (Short for web Log) is a special sort of web site that’s set up a bit like a journal, where people are able to write stories, articles, etc. about what ever they like. They can even post pictures and videos to blogs. Another useful thing about a blog is it’s ability to deliver it’s contents in a standard way (RSS) that other computers can read.

For our purposes, they’re an exciting way to publish stories, prayer letters, etc. that our friends, family, supporters, etc might be interested in reading. All of our news letters are also posted to our blog (www.vanbruwaene.ca) with an archive back to the original one. In addition to this, we have other articles there that don’t make it into our newsletters for one reason or another. We’ve even got videos of our kids on our blog.

A number of other missionaries in International Teams are also starting to use blogs. Since those blogs all publish their contents in a standard way, International Teams is pulling the articles into our centralized news page. The result is a great place you, and anyone else interested in IT, can go to read about current happenings.

In addition to our blog, we now also have an extensive photo gallery that’s kept up to date with all our latest pictures, shots from our travels, etc.

If you haven’t checked our blog out yet, I encourage you to do so! And if you’re a computer savy person who uses an rss reader to stay up on news, or even a “my yahoo” homepage, you can add our site, and IT Canada’s news page too (news.iteams.ca). I think you’ll enjoy the news you get there better than all the other bad news generally read on CNN!

Our Blog can be found at:

www.vanbruwaene.ca

Zane Sings "Be Bold"

Zane (almost 2 years old) sings the song, "Be Bold"

The Bottom Line

Thanks so much to all of you who are part of our financial support team. You are truly partners with us in this ministry God has called us to.

Since our last financial update last October, our outlook has improved — IT Canada is supplementing our support by an additional $600/month. Praise God! We are still trusting God to provide an additional $560/month in order to meet our budget. We have been encouraged to see God meet our needs so far, and look forward to seeing how he will meet them in the coming months.

In addition to our regular expenses, we are also considering missions trips in the coming years, and recognize that our car will need to be replaced within the next year.

Please pray that God will continue to meet our needs. Pray also about how God has called you to respond.

Traveling on the horizon?

While my primary role with International Teams is working here in the office, Grace and I have also dreamed of leading short term teams periodically. This excites us on many levels. It’s an opportunity to better understand the missionaries and ministries we serve. It’s a chance to benefit them in more ways. And it’s also a great opportunity to serve our churches and friends here in Canada.

In the coming years, we’re hoping to take teams from our church, as well as teams of friends & supporters.

Would you pray with us as we seek guidance from our church leaders and colleagues here at IT about what our next steps would be in moving towards this dream?

Deep Thoughts from Grace

I find it interesting how random conversations cause me to evaluate my faith. On the weekend, I called up a friend of mine to see how she’s doing. It turns out that she’s going through a rough time — she’s 37 weeks pregnant and has been diagnosed with pancreatitis. She’s been in and out of the hospital, been on heavy-duty painkillers, and been told that she may die. My friend is devout believer, although not in Christ. As our conversation turned to other things, we began to talk about how things in our world don’t make sense. After expressing my questions with why God allows things to happen, my friend gently rebuked me. In her faith, God allows bad things to happen both as a test and as a way to remove sin. Therefore it isn’t okay to question God, but instead trials need to be met with patience.

After getting off the phone with my friend, I began to think through what she had said. Her words had convicted me as I’m not very patient. I tend to meet trials with frustration and dismay; certainly not with patience and the expectation that God is working in me. Then I began to sift through her words to pull out the things that didn’t mesh with my worldview. As a follower of Christ, I believe that my sins have been paid for. I do not believe that God uses pain to remove my sins. Instead, I believe that God uses trials to mold my character into one more pleasing to Him (Romans 5:3-5).

I then started to reflect on God’s love for me. He doesn’t allow me to go through anything that I can’t handle (1Cor.10:13). In fact, not only does He assure me that He has good plans for my life (Jer. 29:11), He also reassures me that bad things are part of His plan and that He works all things in my life, pleasant and otherwise, together for good (Romans 8:28). All through the Bible, I find examples of people who went through bad times and questioned God. Yet in the end, they were able to see that God was working things for good.

I’m convinced that one of the reasons Jesus came to earth was so that He can understand what it’s like to be human. Because of that, I believe that God understands our questions in the face of trials. God is infinite, He sees the beginning and the end. Besides, He’s the author and the perfector of our faith — not only does He see all of our journey, He’s also is in charge of it. We see only small parts of whole story, and are often not in control of what is happening in our lives at all.

Over the last several months several things have impacted my life in a big way. They have brought much grief and turmoil to my life. However, as much as I question God over why they happened, I still know that He is in control. In one such situation, I am slowly seeing God at work, bringing about healing and restoration. It is awesome to see how He uses horrible situations to bring good. Yet there is still much pain left from this situation that I don’t understand. Why did God allow it to happen? How is He going to use it for good? With tears and anguish I bring those questions to God and attempt to cling to His promises.

Once again, our financial situation is causing me to question God. If we don’t have enough money coming in to pay the bills, Steve will need to get a job elsewhere. Several times a year, we start wondering if he’ll need to start looking. I know that God will provide all of my needs (Phil. 4:19). Not only is this a promise I can claim, it’s also something I’ve seen happen time after time. As much as I rejoice in God’s provision, I do not enjoy the uncertainty that waiting on Him entails.

I am privileged to be a part of what God is doing with and through IT. Neither Steve nor I feel called to leave, although life would most likely be less stressful. I don’t understand what God is doing. I don’t know why things continue to be uncertain. But I will continue to claim His promises and to rejoice in the fact that God loves me.

Please pray that I will be open to God’s work in my life, even when it comes through tough circumstances. Please also pray that I will continue to learn to be patient.

Aris Sings Her Rain Song

Here's another video of Aris singing a song about Rain. She's making it up as she goes allong. Pretty tallented for a not-quite-4-year-old! I hope you enjoy it!

Aris Sings her Sun Song

Here's a video of Aris singing a song that she's making up as she sings it. It's pretty cute if I do say so myself!

Steve's Evolving Role

Well my role with International Teams continues to evolve. This past year, I was doing all sorts of projects, which largely involved graphic design and web development, along with some other computer stuff.

Recently, funding has been tight, and I haven't been as busy as I could be.

At the same time, International Teams has been struggling to communicate with our various constituents as well as we could. Part of the problem in this area has been a lack of people to help pull it off effectively.

So our leaders put two and two together, and decided that I was just the person to help pull this off. As I've already been doing quite a bit of web development and graphic design, my role has now evolved to one in which that is my primary role. Rather than reporting to our head computer guy, and doing projects for the department responsible for communication, I'm now reporting to them directly. I expect I'll still do some computer projects from time to time, and will continue to be our webmaster. But I'll be reporting to the guys who have the work to do, so I'll probably be much busier.

The change also involves some money. In this role, IT is able to free up more budget to supplement the support I raise from churches, friends & family. This past year, they've been putting $400/month towards my support. Starting in April, this is going up to $1000. Praise God! I still have more to raise to be where I should be, but this is certainly a big help!

Feel free to ask questions about these changes, or connect with me for any other reason too! (my contact info should be in the contact area of this site.)

Steve.