April 2003 Update

April 2, 2003

Hello friends!

Hello Mr. Mom. Can I go play with Suzie?
No, I don’t want any more food – I’m saving space for ice cream.
I’m a picky eater. I don’t like vegetables.

In my last few letters, I’ve requested prayer that I would learn all God has to teach me – both in, and out of class. Well, this week, in addition to my regular classes, I get to learn more about parenting. Jim and Lina Miller, one of the couples that works out of the International Teams (IT) US office is down in South America this week, and has asked me to take care of their kids Nathan, Emily & Jared (left) while they’re gone.

The way the request came about indicates how brave they are. Over the last few years, a tradition has developed between Jim Miller, and the Canadian missionaries in training. At some point during the training time, these missionaries have a habit of decorating Jim’s office in all things Canadian – maple leaves everywhere, Canadian flags, having the national anthem playing on his computer, etc. This session was no exception – someone apparently managed to out-do the missionaries of previous sessions. They have yet to conclusively pin it on anyone, but I’m one of the highest suspects. Well, back to the kids. When they heard their parents were looking for someone to take care of them, their request was “that guy that decorated Dad’s office.” And they asked me. After Jim’s suspicion about my decorating work, he’s given me free and unfettered access to his house and kids. Brave parents.

I think some of their confidence in me taking care of their kids came from hearing about how much I like kids. I recall that when I first arrived here, I was disappointed to hear that none of the missionaries in training had children. I have managed to get a surprising amount of time with kids here though. Craig and Leilani Bauman, the couple I’ll be working with in the Encounter Teams program was here recently. Over the last year or two, I’ve managed to really connect well with their children Elizabeth and Katharina (right). They’ve even been calling me “Uncle Steve”. The visit was a wonderful opportunity to connect with them again (and their parents too!). A Missionary family that’s serving in Jordan came through here recently. Wendy was surprised to see how quickly Lindsay, her 1-year old warmed up to me. In fact, I’ve received comments like that fairly often. While I’ve always enjoyed kids, it has been exciting to learn more about how God has made me, and to see Him develop my skills with, and love for k ids. It will be interesting to see what He’s preparing me for.

There have been so many great opportunities both in and out of class for me to be able to learn and grow. We’ve had classes on Islam, Eastern Orthodoxy, Cross-Cultural Communications (taught by Woody Roland, IT’s director over Latin America, left), Apologetics, Marriage and Singleness, Racial Prejudice & Reconciliation, Youth Ministries, etc. As a result of IT’s partnership with Sonlife (an organization that specializes in working with youth, and training youth workers), we had the privilege to be the first “beta test” a new training program they’re developing called “Encounter” (which is not related to the “Encounter Teams” program I’m a part of). The training we’ve received has all been quite helpful. I’ve also had the opportunity to be involved in a Spanish/English church here in Elgin. It has been a great place for me to be able to serve, and in the process, I’ve learned a bunch more too.

Thanks so much for your prayer and support. Having a team of people behind me is so crucial in making anything I’m involved in God’s success. Praise God, I’m currently at roughly 40% of my target budget, and have 45 people committed to praying for me. If you’d like to be a part of my team, I’d love to hear from you. Here are some things that you can be praying about:

• Praise God for all He’s been teaching me. Pray that I would continue to listen.


• Busyness continues to be a challenge. Pray that I would not lose focus on Christ in the midst of everything else.


• Pray that God would be preparing those He’s called to be a part of the next Encounter Teams program, and that they would have the courage to take the next step in the application process soon.

Thanks so much for continuing to pray. May God richly bless you.

Your Friend, Steve Van Bruwaene

February 2003 Update

February 18, 2003

Hello friends!

In a group or team, it doesn’t take long to build up impressions of people at times, does it? It’s fascinating at times to see how various groups of people can see someone so differently at times.

As you know, I’m currently one month into a four month Missionary training program with International Teams. In this time, I’ve been blessed with a great Canadian guy to share an apartment with (Chris); some wonderful classmates to learn with and from; fun, knowledgeable instructors; and a great group of staff here at the US office. I’ve learned so much already, and developed a number of great friendships.



I’ve managed to develop an interesting reputation as well. As you might guess, everyone seems to have identified me as the “tech guy”. For any of you who are familiar with my cooking (up until a few months ago, it basically amounted to heating stuff in the microwave), it will come as a big surprise to hear that Chris and I have developed the reputation for being the “best cooks” in the place. (Since I’ll be leading teams, it occurred to me that I should probably learn to cook, so I’ve been experimenting with stuff. So far, no one has gotten sick from it, so I guess that’s a good sign.)

One of the courses we’re taking is called “Second Language Acquisition”. This course attempts to deal with many different aspects of learning a new language, including phonetics (study of the sounds that go into making words in various languages); how to learn vocabulary, grammar, etc.; techniques to get by with limited language; and cultural impact on language.

I have found it fascinating to learn more about how culture is so much a part of communication. Getting something wrong can cause people to think we’re stupid, rude, immoral, etc. For example, by making eye contact, different cultures around the world might think I’m being sincere, am giving them my full attention, or that I’m morally quite “loose”, or I’m scolding them. Learning how to communicate appropriately in different cultures and contexts is so crucial.

This got me thinking about how miscommunication can happen even within North American culture. When surrounded by people who are “of the same culture” as we are, it’s easy to assume that they will all act by the same unwritten rules as we do. Then when people act differently than we expect them to, it’s easy for us to think they are rude, stupid, or just plain strange. What, for example, is the appropriate way join a conversation without intruding? People may be seen as bullish for jumping in, or creepy for quietly wafting to be invited. I’ve discovered that even in interacting with “Fellow North Americans”, I need to be aware of different personalities and cultural expectations. It should be interesting to add completely different cultures to the mix!



It has been quite a blessing to see God raise up people to partner with me in this ministry. At the moment there are 36 individuals committed to pray for me, some of them even daily. Financially, over 30% of my target budget is coming in. Praise God for His provision. If you feel called to become a part of my team, I’d be happy to talk with you about it.

Thanks so much to all of you for your continued prayer. God has been so good. If you could continue to pray for me:

• That I would be teachable – open to all God has to teach me


• That I would have the wisdom and discipline to balance everything vying for my time


• That God would be glorified in my life


• That those called to be a part of the next Encounter Teams group would respond

Thanks for your interest in my life. I’d love to hear from you!

Your Friend, Steve Van Bruwaene

Steve's latest update

For those of you for whom this is the first such email, welcome! I send out a prayer letter periodically to those whom I think might be interested in hearing what God has been up to in my life. If you know others who might be interested, please feel free to forward this to them, or let me know, and I can add them to the list. If you'd rather not receive this for any reason (or would prefer to receive letters less often), please let me know, and I'll be happy to update my list.

Tuesday January 21, 2003

Hello all! Sorry I've been so long in writing. A lot has happened since my November 25th email.

As most of you know, I finished my job in Ottawa at the end of November, to begin my new position with International Teams Canada. I arrived in Elgin Illinois (near Chicago) last Thursday (Jan. 16) to begin a 4-month training program International Teams offers for all their full-time missionaries out in the field.

It's been fun getting to know the wonderful people here, and interesting to start figuring out how to live in the United States. I was giving some Americans a ride after class yesterday, and they got a little nervous about my driving till they discovered my speedometer was in kilometres rather than miles. Trying to figure out miles, gallons, US dollars, etc. makes life interesting for me at times as well.

Yesterday was Martin Luther King day here in the US, so we spent some time looking at the issues surrounding him. It was an interesting time. My initial reaction was one of pride -- us Canadians are far superior to the Americans on the issue of racism -- we don't have the negative history the Americans do on that particular issue. As they had a time of corporate confession before God for the sins of their forefathers, the church, and themselves, I started thinking more about it. It hit me that while we may not have been as guilty in discriminating against African-Americans, there are many other people groups that we tend to marginalize, and not really want to spend too much time with. Anyhow, I don't need to go on too long about that, but thought you might appreciate hearing a taste of the impact another "culture" can have on on a person -- even if it be just across the border!

The last couple of months have been special ones. I've had the opportunity to see many friends and family, and have had some very special times with many of them. I was in Ottawa again in early January for a few days, and was hit by how special my friends are there, and how I'm going to miss the city. I am so blessed to have such wonderful people as you (both those from Ottawa, and elsewhere) in my life. Thanks so much to all of you for your kind words, prayer, and interest in my life over the last few months. I'll certainly enjoy hearing from all of you, and connecting more personally than in these "mass" emails. Please write to let me know what's going on in your lives!

In the last few months, I've been reading about Elijah, Elisha, many of the kings in the Old testament, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. It's been interesting to see the differences in the lives of those who listened, followed God, had faith that He Would keep His promises, and those who trusted in themselves and did what they thought best. The result of Abraham's obedience (God establishing the old covenant with Israel) was very challenging to me. Am I willing to do Anything God calls me to do? Oh that I would keep my trust placed firmly on Him rather than relying on myself.

It has been exciting to see how God has provided thus far in raising up partners in this ministry. I now have 26 people committed to praying for me -- some of them weekly or even daily, and there are many others that I know are praying. Financially, I'm at about 30% of my target budget, and along with my own savings, have sufficient funds to cover my training costs. Praise God for His provision! If you would like to be involved in this ministry in any way, please let me know.

Thanks so much for your faithful prayer. Here are a few things to bring before our heavenly father:

• Praise God for the great opportunity I have to learn a whole bunch of stuff that will be helpful in my new role. Pray that my heart would be open to ALL God has to teach me


• Pray that God would be guiding those He will call to be a part of the next Encounter Team, and that He would give wisdom to those considering applicants


• Praise God for how He as provided for all my needs thus far, and that He will continue to provide where He has called


• Praise God for those who have joined my team, and pray that God would bless them for their prayer & generosity

May God richly bless you!

Steve.

Christmas 2002 Letter

Christmas, 2002

Greetings in the name of the Lord!

Isn’t this an exciting time of year? There are Christmas Cantatas, Sunday school Christmas programs and decorations going up in many places around us. There are even songs about Christ being played in our shopping malls and on the radio. For many, it’s a wonderful time to be preparing for great family times – shopping for gifts, baking great-tasting treats (or at least testing – often repeatedly). I remember the great anticipation I felt as a child to see what was contained in those boxes under the tree with my name on them. Christmas is also a hard time for some, as they remember the loved ones they used to share it with.

This Christmas season is a special one for me. It has been a time in which I have had to say good-bye to many coworkers, friends, people I’ve had the privilege to serve along side of. I’ve been hit by how blessed I’ve been in the last few years. God has brought so many special people into my life, from many different places, and given me the opportunity to do so many different things. I’ve had the privilege to serve and work with many great people at my church, on the streets and with a great board of directors. I’ve enjoyed working for a great company, with great people, and doing lots of cool stuff. I’ve had a great time skating with my inline skating club, and have gotten to know many amazing people there. God has been so good!

This Christmas is also a special one as it is likely the last one I’ll be able to celebrate with my family here in Canada for a while. As many of you know, I am now on staff with International Teams Canada (ITC). I will begin 4 months of training in mid-January and then will begin my role as a Team Leader for Encounter Teams, with my first team starting near the end of August.

The last month has been an exciting time for me as I begin to prepare for what is coming. Since I completed my last job at the end of November, I’ve been packing, writing letters, meeting with people to share what God has called me to, and taking care of many other details that have needed my attention during this transition. Please be praying for me that these things do not distract me from having good times with Christ.

It has been exciting to see how God is providing. Several churches and a bunch of individuals have become a part of my team – praying for me and supporting me financially. It has been humbling to see the generosity of a few that have very little, and yet have still wanted to give. Thanks so much to all of you who have responded. You are integral partners with me in this ministry. At the moment, I’m at 24% of my target budget, with 57% coming from individuals. It will be exciting to see God supply as more individuals come on board. For anyone who would like to join my team, let me know, and I’ll tell you more about how you can go about it – or you can use that blue form that was in my last letter.

As you might expect, what sustains every ministry is prayer. I’ve included a “prayer card” with this letter. You can put it up on a bulletin board or attach it to your fridge, as a reminder to remember me in your prayers. Thanks so much for your intercession on my behalf. Here are some things you can bring before the Lord:

• Praise God for how He has supplied, and blessed in so many ways


• Continue to pray that I would be focused on Christ in everything I do, and recognize the attacks of the evil one

Thanks so much! May you have a wonderful Christmas, and a great New Year.

For His glory,
Steve Van Bruwaene

Steve's Prayer Update

For those of you for whom this is the first such email, welcome! I send out a prayer letter periodically to those whom I think might be interested in hearing what God has been up to in my life. If you know others who might be interested, please feel free to forward this to them, or let me know, and I can add them to the list. If you'd rather not receive this for any reason (or would prefer to receive letters less often), please let me know, and I'll be happy to update my list.

Monday November 25, 2002

Hello all! I trust you've been doing well!

It's been some time since I've sent out an email to update you all on how I've been doing. Things have been going quite well. I have now officially been accepted by International Teams. I have begun the process of formally letting people know what's up. Some of you have received a letter with the "official update", and some info on how you can become involved. Praise God, the support has begun to come in -- people have committed to praying regularly for me, and some have committed to supporting me financially as well. There's still a ways to go, but I am confident that where God has called, He will provide. It will be exciting to see what He will do! For those of you who did not receive this letter, you can check it out at:
http://www.geocities.com/bruwaene/PartherLetter/

I have exciting times ahead. I gave notice at my job a number of weeks ago, and will have my last day on November 29 -- this Friday! I begin 4 months of training at International Teams missionary training school near Chicago in January. In December, I'll be keeping myself busy tying up lose ends in Ottawa, meeting with people, moving back in with my parents in Waterloo, and preparing for my training.

I'd like to thank all of you who have been praying for me over these last number of months. It is so necessary, and very much appreciated. Here are a few things you can be praising God about, and praying for:

• Praise God for all who are praying for me. Praise Him also for the money that has come in. Pray that God would bless those who have felt called to partner with me in this work, and that those that He has called would respond.


• Please be praying for me, that my focus might be on Christ. With all the busyness lately, it's easy to get caught up in "all the stuff that needs to be done" rather than resting in Him. Please be praying for spiritual protection as well.


• Praise God for the great people I'll have the privilege of working with at International Teams. Pray that God would be continuing to guide, direct, and use them, as they make decisions, and plan the future direction of this ministry.

Thanks so much for your interest in what God is doing in my life. I would really love to connect with you sometime, to share more with you, and also hear about how you're doing, and how I can be praying for you.

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

For His Glory,

Steve.

October 2002 Prayer Letter

Tuesday October 29, 2002

Greetings in the name of the Lord,

I am very excited to be able to tell you about a new ministry that I have the privilege to be a part of.

International Teams (IT) has launched a new Missions internship program called Encounter Teams. It is targeted at young adults (18-30) who have participated in short-term cross-cultural ministries, and are seriously considering some sort of full-time ministry. It is currently an 8-month program that takes these people to 5 different countries in which IT has work going on. It gives them an opportunity to get involved in a number of different ministries in a bunch of different cultures, and get to work along side quite a few established missionaries. Participants of the first team came back talking about all the ways they had been stretched, and how much they had learned about themselves and about God. It was an excellent opportunity for them to take part in advancing the kingdom, grow much deeper in their understanding of God, themselves, the world, and where God might be taking them in the future. After the first team, one of the team members commented, “Tell them they'll never be the same! Tell them to 'go for-it' and be ready for God to do amazing things!” I’ve included a portion of the Encounter Teams brochure on the following page that gives some more information on what this program is about.

International Teams is bringing me on staff to be a team leader for upcoming Encounter Teams groups. This is an exciting opportunity for me to have a part in the development of young adults who feel God’s call on their lives to ministry. My role will be overall care of the team, mentoring team members as they seek to learn more about God, themselves, the world, and their future. In each of the locations we go to, we will be working along side career missionaries, who will be leading the various types of ministries we are involved in.

It has been exciting to see how God has been directing and preparing me over this past year. Receiving and confirming God’s call has been an interesting process, one in which I have seen His hand at work all the way through. The coming months will likely also be quite interesting. Please be praying for me as I begin raising the prayer and financial support that I will need in order to do this work He’s called me to. If you feel called to partner with me in this ministry, I’d love to hear from you! Included is a response card in which you can indicate if you’d like to be a part of my prayer team, financial support team, or if you’d like to get involved in some other way. Tax receipts are available for any financial gifts.

Lord willing, in January, I will be at IT’s missionary training school in Elgin, near Chicago, for 4 months. Please be praying for me in this as well, that I would be open to all God has to teach me, and that the training would better prepare me for what I have to do in the coming years.

If you could be praying that God would continue to guide and direct those making decisions about the future of this ministry, we would greatly appreciate it. Pray that God would be glorified, and lives would continue to be changed – both the lives of those involved in the teams, and all the people we have the privilege of ministering to.

I wait with great anticipation to see what God will do in my life, and the lives I have the privilege to come in contact with. We serve an awesome God, and I know that through His strength and His power, He can do great things.

I would love to connect with you either before Christmas, or after I get back from training this summer. Please feel free to contact me regarding anything I’ve talked about here.

May God richly bless you,

Steve Van Bruwaene

Thanksgiving Prayer Update

For those of you for whom this is the first such email, welcome! I send out a prayer letter periodically to those whom I think might be interested in hearing what God has been up to in my life. If you know others who might be interested, please feel free to forward this to them, or let me know, and I can add them to the list. If you'd rather not receive this for any reason (or would prefer to receive letters less often), please let me know, and I'll be happy to update my list.

Saturday October 12, 2002

To all my praying friends,

I hope you're having a great thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for, don't we?

I'd like to start by thanking those of you who have been praying for me and encouraging me as I've been working through this process of following God's call on my life. Things have progressed quite a bit since my last letter in early September.

In my last email, I was pretty vague about what it was I was looking into. I apologize for that -- until things had advanced enough in the process, I didn't feel that it was necessarily appropriate to announce what was up. At this point, there are a few details that still need to fall into place before things become official, but it's almost there! It is so exciting to see God working and directing me...

Over the past year, I've had a growing interest in working with people, and in cross-cultural/over-seas work. I've been growing into a better understanding of who God made me to be, how He has gifted me, and a deeper understanding of who He is. It's been an interesting year. I had sensed that God was stretching me in a number of ways, and bringing quite a number of challenges into my life in order to prepare me for something that He had coming up for me. I can't say that the process was always fun, but looking back, it has been exciting to see God's hand at work in so many things.

In the last 6 months or so, I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying about where God would have me next. I've considered a number of possibilities that, to some extent, fit some of the passions and gifts I have. While many things seemed interesting, nothing was jumping out at me as something I really wanted to do full-time, or felt called to do. As part of the process of figuring out where He might want me, I spent a couple of weeks in the Philippines, visiting some good missionary friends, and getting involved in the ministry they were a part of. It was quite an exciting time, a time in which God was able to teach me a bunch more, and an opportunity to see first hand some of the things He would soon be calling me into.

A month or so later, an opportunity came up that jumped out at me as something that really excited me -- an opportunity that will stretch me in many ways; one that fits quite well with the gifts God has given me; and something that, as I've prayed about it, talked with many people about, and as I've studied scripture, have felt God's call in.

International Teams (IT) has launched a new Missions internship program called Encounter Teams. It is targeted at younger people (18-30) who have participated in short-term cross-cultural missions, and are seriously considering some sort of full-time ministry. It's an 8-month program that takes these people to ministries in 5 different countries in which IT has work going on. It gives these people an opportunity to get involved in a number of different ministries in a bunch of different cultures, and get to work along side quite a few career missionaries. Participants of the first team (that I had the privilege of visiting in the Philippines) came back talking about all the ways they had been stretched, and how much they had learned about themselves and about God. It was an excellent opportunity for them to grow much deeper in their understanding of God, themselves, the world, and where God might be taking them.

I recall talking to a pastor recently who told me some frightening statistics about pastors. Apparently 50% of people who train to be pastors drop out by their 5th year, and only 1 in 9 make it to retirement. However, for those who have done an internship, these numbers apparently drop off quite a bit. I suspect that the stats. for missionaries are even more dramatic. Giving people an opportunity to find what it is like to live far away from home, in other cultures for an extended period of time, an opportunity to be involved in a number of different types of ministries, and to see firsthand what the life of a missionary is really like is, to me, an excellent way to help prepare them for where ever God calls them.

I've been given the opportunity to come on staff with IT as an Encounter Teams team leader. My role would be to travel with upcoming teams, mentoring team members, coordinating with career missionaries in each ministry location, general logistics, etc. What an exciting opportunity to use my gifts for His service, and to invest my life in the lives of others. To have a small part in God's working in the lives of the next generation of leaders is a very exciting prospect to me!

So long as the last few details fall into place, tentative plans are to begin my support raising this fall, and then to head down to IT's training site in Elgin (near Chicago) in January for a 4-month training program they have for their full-time missionaries. The next team. that I hope to be a part of. launches on August 23, 2002. In the meantime, I would be busy preparing for the team, helping with promotion of Encounter Teams and around the national office, and continuing to meet with people that might be called to partner with me in the ministry.

Would you pray with me in this?

• Praise God for how he has guided and directed me so clearly to this point


• Pray that the final details would fall into place as Christ would have them, and that I would be willing to follow where ever He leads (even if it isn't what I'm hoping for)


• Praise God for how He has been preparing me so far. Pray that I would continue to be open to His teaching.


• Pray that God would be preparing the hearts of those He is calling to partner with me in this ministry. Praise Him for those who have expressed an interest already!


• Pray that the remaining time in the place God currently has me would be honoring to Him


• Praise God for the spiritual protection I've experienced so far. Pray that, with Christ's help, I will be able to resist the attacks of the evil one. If this is where God wants me to be, you can be sure that the evil one will do all he can to put a stop to it.

I expect that once the remaining details fall into place, I'll start sending out more formal information on what's coming up, and will try to start meeting with some of you to tell you more about this. In the meantime, I would love to talk with any of you that have any questions. There's also an Encounter Teams website that is currently under development, that has some good information about the program. You can check it out at http://www.iteams.ca/Encounter_teams

Thanks so much for your prayer and interest in my life. I'll look forward to talking with you more in the coming weeks.

For His glory,
Steve.