We're Married!

Tuesday July 27, 2004

Greetings Friends!

A lot has happened since Steve’s last letter. He hair has grown. He cut his toenails. And there was something else … Oh ya – we got married. What an exciting day it was. We really appreciated having so many of our friends in attendance to witness our vows and celebrate with us. Leading up to the wedding was a fun while sometimes stressful time, but it was exciting to see the things God did that day.

Aris, Grace’s 14 month old daughter, was to be in the wedding as the flower girl. We were becoming concerned about how this would work as every time she had seen Grace in her dress, she had become quite upset. Obviously not something we wanted to have at the wedding. We were also hoping she would learn to walk in time for the wedding. As it turned out, she was happy all through the ceremony. She was adorable walking down the aisle. Praise God for this, and thanks to all of you who were praying for Aris.

There were many of other blessings too. The weather was perfect, the people were wonderful, and although we were rather tired out by the end of the day (especially Grace as Aris woke up quite early that morning), we managed to get through the day stress-free.

Another time of real blessing for us was when we opened the gifts. We were blown away by the generosity of so many friends and family. People purchased all sorts of wonderful gifts for us, gave us over $2000 in money and gift certificates that will be very helpful in getting our new home up and running. We were especially blessed by another gift towards our ministry of $1000. God has certainly blessed us abundantly.

Since getting married, life has been very different for both of us as we adjust to married life, and as Steve adjusts to being a dad. In most respects, this has been quite an enjoyable experience. Steve is still having some trouble with lack of sleep as Aris is up a lot during the night, and he’s just now learning to adjust to this.

So, what are we doing now? Steve is continuing to work with International Teams. He’s working out of the National office much of the time, with responsibilities in developing tools that will assist our mobilizers in getting more people to the field, producing videos, etc. He’s also spending part of his time working with “Welcome Home”, a new ministry to refugees in Kitchener, as volunteer coordinator. Grace has a growing interest in refugee ministry as well, so in addition to being a stay at home mom, and babysitting several children part-time, she’s exploring how she can be involved in this ministry.

An ongoing role every missionary has is in raising support necessary to sustain their ministry. For any missionary to be successful, they need people praying for them, as well as money to pay the bills, and enable the ministry. And we’re no exception. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be working on raising our level of monthly support to a point where our ministry is sustainable. We’ll be doing things like putting together a brochure describing more of what we do, sending letters & notes to people, and visiting with people. If you’d like to visit with us to learn more about our ministry, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks so much for your prayer and interest in our lives. May God richly bless you.



Steve & Grace Van Bruwaene

Prayer Corner

Thanks so much for all your prayer. That has truly been what has gotten us to this point. Here are some things that you can be praying about in the coming weeks:

• That we would learn how to get the sleep & time with God we need as we raise Aris


• That God would continue to grow our relationship with Him and each other


• That God would continue to provide for us, and that those He’s called to be a part of our team would respond in His time


• That God would be guiding each of us as we seek to serve Refugees in Kitchener

RSVP Due Soon!

Greetings friends!



As you've hopefully heard by now, Grace and I are getting married on July 10.



It's an open invitation to both the ceremony and the reception.



There is just one catch -- we need to know what to expect for the reception, so we can plan for it appropriately.  As such we're asking for an RSVP by June 26 from everyone expecting to be there -- names too.  As part of our planning, knowing how many main courses, salads, and deserts to expect will also be very helpful.  If you're not sure what you're going to bring yet, if you could pick one of those 3 categories to tell us, and figure out the details later, that would be quite helpful for us.



We want to share our special day with everyone.  But if we don't know you're coming to the reception, we won't be prepared for you, so please let us know soon.



To RSVP, please send an email to steve_grace_wedding@yahoo.ca or call (519) 884-6163


Have a great week!  We look forward to seeing you soon.



Steve and Grace.



PS: If you've received this email directly in addition to this one through my prayer mailing list, I apologize for the duplicate.  If you've already RSVP'd, I apologize for bothering you again.

God knows exactly what He's doing!

Tuesday May 18, 2004

God knows exactly what He's doing!

Isn't it cool to be able to look back, and see what God's been able to do, especially when things weren’t obvious at the time? The last few years of my life have been like that. Since Encounter Teams got shut down at Christmas, I have wondered what God’s been up to. But God's been at work in everything around me, and as I look back, I'm able to see some really exciting things.

During the last few months of transition to my new role, I’ve been able to work on various projects at the office – things that will help us to be more effective in helping to mobilize and sustain our missionaries in the field, that more might hear the gospel. So while at times, I wondered why I wasn’t jumping into “My New Role”, I was able to be involved in kingdom-building work. God knew what needed to be done, and who was able to do it.

During this time, some new opportunities have also developed in the area of refugee ministry in Kitchener-Waterloo that look like a better fit for me than what I likely would have gotten into had I jumped in a few months earlier. Isn’t it great to know that an all-knowing God is the one directing our paths?

This time has also been quite beneficial for Grace. In addition to having the chance to shape a role that she can be a part of, God has been using the time to help her work through some of the stresses that come with ministry life. Grace has, from day one, been supportive of me in where God is calling me, but at the same time has found the idea of living on support pretty scary. Over the last few months, God has been at work in her in that area in all sorts of ways, preparing her for this new life. It’s been exciting to see related discussions come up in small group, chances for her to talk with other missionaries about this, etc. I guess God is good at preparing people for what He calls them to.

International Teams (IT) holds a conference every year to provide times for our ministry leaders from around the world to get together for teaching, worship, connecting and renewal. This year, it happened to be hosted right here in Waterloo. In addition to serving the larger IT community, it was a great opportunity for us to connect with many different missionaries from around the world. Grace was especially blessed by the time – she went from being supportive of me in where God has called me, to feeling that IT is a very good fit for her (“perhaps even the best fit”), being excited about what IT is doing, and feeling a growing passion for refugee ministry. She also got to know a number of our missionaries, and built some great friendships. Again, more signs that God knows exactly what He’s doing in preparing us.

It has been exciting to be able to share what God has been doing in my life and ministry with some of you, and to see how God has provided up to this point. One of my financial supporters recently indicated that as his wedding gift, he’s planning to raise his monthly support for our ministry. What an encouragement that’s been to us. I’d love to chat with more of you in the coming months about what God has been doing, so if I don’t track you down first, please feel free to ask!

Thanks so much for your continued interest, prayer, and support of our ministry. Please pray:

• That God would continue to guide as details of our ministry fall into place.


• That He would be protecting us as we prepare for marriage and ministry together. The evil one would like nothing better than to sidetrack us, so please pray that his efforts are confounded.


• Praise God for how He continues to provide. Please keep praying that more people would catch the vision as we begin communicating in the coming months where God is taking us.

Thanks so much for standing with us!

For His glory,
Steve

Wedding Invitation

(I know this is a departure from what I usually send to this mailing list, but I trust you'll allow the exception this once...)





Greetings friends!

As many of you have heard, Grace and I are planning to be married on July 10, 2004!  We're getting married at 10:00am, followed by the reception at 2:00pm, all at Lincoln Road Chapel. (145 Lincoln Road, Waterloo, ON)

We want to share this special day with everyone who’s interested – all our friends and family are welcome. And children are welcome too!

In order to make this feasible, we’ve decided to make the reception pot-luck.

That means that you are welcome.  All we ask is that you bring your favourite main course, salad, and/or dessert – at least enough food to feed everyone that’s coming with you.

Please RSVP by June 26, 2004 by sending an email to steve_grace_wedding@yahoo.ca or calling (519) 884-6163.  Indicate who’s coming (names of all guests), and what food you’re bringing along.

We've attached an invitation you can print out that has a map showing where the church is, and hotels in the area.  If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or above, you should be able to open it without difficulty.  If not, you can get a copy of Acrobat Reader for free at
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html


Thanks for your interest!  We look forward to seeing you at the wedding!



Your friends,

Steve & Grace.



PS: For those interested, we’re registered at The Bay.

Lots of news!

Wednesday March 24, 2004

“How would you like to marry me?” “I’d love to.”

Those words were spoken as Grace and I walked along the Grand River in Kitchener near her parents’ home earlier this month. We’re engaged, and planning to be married on July 10th of this year! It’s exciting to see where God has taken each of us over the last few years to bring us to this point. He’s been preparing each of us for each other, and all that He has for us.

As you know, I had the opportunity to spend a month in Athens recently, working with refugees in a refugee drop-in center started by International Teams (IT). It was a great time to learn more about refugees, and some of the things that I can do to help. It was also an exciting way to serve the people there, build relationships, and have an impact on the lives of others.

Many of you are aware that my role with IT is in transition as well. Several years ago, I felt called by God out of employment in the computer industry into ministry with IT. I sensed God saying “start walking in that direction. I’ll tell you what you need to know as you go along.” So I did. I pursued the ministry He directed me to, and began walking down that road. After a year, it became clear that the particular program I was involved with wasn’t going as IT had hoped (although the ministry of IT as a whole is still thriving). The decision was made to shut that program down. However my call has remained the same – “keep walking down this road, and I’ll tell you what you need to know as you go along”. I’m excited about what He has next.

So, what will I be doing? There are a couple of areas I’ll be involved in here at IT – mobilization and refugee ministry. While details still need to be finalized and we’re seeking input from church leaders, what’s next is firming up.

One of IT Canada’s mandates is to assist the church in Canada in raising up people to mission. I’ll be able to contribute to this effort in a number of ways – traveling with several short-term teams that go out each year, building relationships with team members and encouraging them in wherever God might be calling them. If you’d like to be a part of one of the teams, let me know! I’ll also be able to participate in various projects related to mobilization – developing communication resources (videos, web sites, print, etc.), and developing various computer systems that will assist us in being more effective in our efforts. It’s exciting to have opportunities to make use of skills God has developed in me over the years.

I will also be involved in refugee ministry locally. IT Canada has been developing a new ministry to new immigrants in the Kitchener-Waterloo area this past year. There are opportunities for Grace and I to participate in this, connecting with new families and/or individuals to the area. IT is also in the process of setting up a refugee discipleship/housing project in the area that we may be able to work with in the coming years.

Thanks so much for your continued interest and prayer. It is so valued and needed! Please keep praying:

• Praise God for our engagement. Pray that Grace and I would be prepared for what God has for us
  


• Praise God for the opportunities He has for us. Pray for wisdom & guidance as we continue to make decisions about my role
  


• Please pray for spiritual protection as well. When people are doing what God would have them do, the evil one tends to do what ever he can to confound it

Thanks so much for standing with us. May God richly bless you!

For His glory,
Steve

I'm Back!

Wednesday February 18, 2004

Greetings friends!



I'm back!  Thanks so much for your prayer and encouragement during my time in Athens.  It was so very much appreciated.  God was definitely at work in my life, and in the ministry while I was there.



I had the privilege of witnessing the excitement of "N", a Christian Refugee that's working with us, as he shared with Scott McCracken the director of the ministry there, about a new open door we had been given.  There is a hotel in Athens that has been operated by an Afgan for Afgan refugees.  Some Christian refugees and others on the team had tried to go into this hotel to minister to the refugees there, and share their faith with them.  The owner of the hotel was not at all pleased about this, and had bared us from entry.  Well, the hotel was recently taken over by new management.  The Afgan man who now owns the place, while he doesn't really like Christianity, he hates Islam, and would prefer to have Christians in his hotel as they seem to be better people.  So he has invited us to go in and show the Jesus video, preach to the people there, hand out tracks, etc.  What a great open door!  It was very encouraging to see the excitement in "N" as he shared this news.



As God continues to be at work in Athens, He's also been at work in my life, guiding and preparing me for things He has for me in the coming months and years.  Before coming on staff with International Teams, I was working in the software development industry.  Some were surprised that I seemed to be turning my back on that background, although I have certainly drawn from experiences I gained there.  In the last few months, a number of opportunities have come up within International Teams to put those skills to use again.  God has also been continuing to develop my passion for working with people, seeing believers grow in their faith, and move into what God has called them to do.  There are opportunities here to go out with short term teams, and do just that.  In the KW area, International Teams is also beginning to work with Refugees that are settling in Canada, so there are opportunities for me to get involved in that sort of ministry too.



Please be praying for me and the leadership here, as we work through how my role will be shaped in the coming months.  We've got lots of ideas, and are pursuing the idea of combining some of these things.  Please pray that we would be where God wants us to be in this, and that those around us would get excited about where God is taking us.



Hopefully in the next week or so, I'll be trying to get out an email with more on my trip, and what's coming next.  In the meantime, you can check out some pictures from Athens at

http://photos.yahoo.com/bruwaene



Have a great week!  I'll look forward to talking with you again soon.



For His glory,

Steve.