Paul Washer

This is well worth the 48 minutes of your time. I have watched it and have "chewed" on it for a few days now. Though there are a few things I may not 100% agree with, he does bring out MANY valid points and is very clear.

April Update

Well, we all know that April showers, bring May flowers… What about April snowstorms? I guess this year we will find out. Today as I write this, we have about 2 inches of snow on the ground. Yesterday was a warm sunny day, with temps in the 60s, I was quite surprised to look out this morning to a winter wonderland. This past month has had it’s share of snowflakes, and long dreary cool days. We have had a few warm days that have almost made 70 degrees, but that isn’t the norm.

Nothing “major” has happened in our lives over the last month. In fact, I (Amanda) haven’t been to town since we came through in early March. So yesterday we made another big run. The only real change has been the addition of a good, small car we were able to get a great deal on ($800). It’s great for “running” to the reserve or to Horsman’s and saves us from using the truck (fuel prices here like everywhere else have “sky rocketed”). We are very blessed by this car as we seek to be wise with the resources God has given us. Our lives have fallen back into a good routine after the travel. I have continued to walk, scrapbook, and participate in other activities with my friends from the reserve. We enjoy being a part of this community and find friendships are developing to yet another level. Joel has been kept busy with various activities, community events, helping neighbors (including pushing a prolapsed uterus back in a cow). Many people are calving this time of year here and we are enjoying the sight of tiny calves next to their mothers. So life keeps marching on, one day at a time. We are learning, at times what seem to be the same lessons over and over. We are grateful for such a patient teacher in our Heavenly Father. His grace and faithfulness amaze my heart.

The girls are doing well! Abigail is in to “pretending” except to her “it’s for real”. Much of this centers around babies and the latest one has been, she has a husband. I asked her what is name was and she said “my kids call him daddy”. So then I asked “what do you call him?” and she replied “hey honey". Ruth proved me wrong and didn’t start walking before she was nine months old, she is developing in other areas though. Her mimicking skills are increasing and she is beginning to wave bye-bye etc. She is also learning the meaning of the word “no” (now the fun begins). I can’t believe our baby is this old.

We covet your prayers for wisdom, as we raise our girls and also in regards to our future. We anticipate a busy month ahead as well. We would love to talk to all of you, and hear what is going on in your lives. Thanks for leaving comments, emails, cards and phone calls. We can’t tell you how much we appreciate you! Love- Amanda & the rest of our Sewell Family

March Blog

March came in like a lamb and went out like a lamb. We have had early spring here, it really seemed to start in the early part of February and so far we haven’t regressed too much winter since then. Abigail is enjoying the Trumpeter Swans that have been gracing the area with their presence for a few days before heading on their journey.

We have had a busy month with lots of travels. We took my parents back to Kamloops, where they flew out on the 6^th, and spent a few frantic days trying to get all the “big city” shopping in we could and somehow trying to rest at the same time. (We didn’t get much rest). We then traveled on to Calgary, AB where we met and did some traveling with our Field Director to discuss our future, (post-internship) placement. On Wednesday the 12^th we came back west to Golden, BC, to attend InterAct’s Winter Retreat/Workshop. We again had meetings facilitated by Worldview Resource Group and once again (like last fall) we walked away encouraged by what we are learning in missiology. We also got an extra bonus WRG then came back to our area to do an on sight consultation of how we can be more strategic in accomplishing our goals. So now after information overload we find ourselves processing what we have learned and seeking God’s direction for the next step. The next few months are getting busier and busier due to summer and all the activities that come with it. All of a sudden the future is uncertain again and after a few months of security and routine our family faces more changes, and the “unknown”. We covet your prayers as we follow the path God lays before us one step at a time. He continues to pour His grace, mercy, and love into our lives and we can never give Him enough thanks for all that He is accomplishing. It’s truly exciting to follow His guidance in all things.

The girls are doing well, Ruth is pulling herself us all over the place and we are constantly digging things out of her mouth that don’t belong there (usually wood pieces that fall off wood when carried to the porch to the stove). She continues to encourage the rest of us with her easy smile that lights up the whole room. Abigail’s chatter is the most constant sound in our house and she has probably made cards for everyone of you reading this, but somehow they don’t all make it in the mail to you (that’s my fault). She loves to be a part of any “big people” activity and doesn’t miss a thing. The other night our family camped out on the living room floor at Horsman’s house and watched The Sound of Music, when I asked Abigail what her favorite song was she said “I am 16 going on 17” and somehow as cute as it was, it gave me a funny feeling that we weren’t that far away from that being true.

We trust you had a rejuvenating Easter season. We were able to participate in some activities in the community that gave it a special feel. Wishing you all sunny spring warmth! Thanks for caring for us, we sure appreciate you!

Celebrations

February is a month of celebrations for me. (Flowers, chocolate, cards, and love- what’s not to celebrate?) As I reflex on the last few weeks, I’m reminded of the many reason’s we have to give praise. God is at work in our lives and in lives of the people around us. We often wish things were more cut and dried and easily spotted, but in reality Gods ways of “accomplishing” things are at times unseen (we are learning it just takes time). He is giving us many opportunities for growth in our personal walks with Him, in our marriage and in our team. We are continuing to build relationships in the community, many which have been a great blessing. I attended a birthday luncheon, (a small group of woman in our community get together once a month for a meal and to honour birthdays) for the second time, and was encouraged by the outpouring of cards, and small gifts given to me. I had a great Valentine’s Day (see the story in our upcoming newsletter). Joel has been fishing a few times with a seventy five year old man. This not only has given him opportunity to build credibility, but also gave us some fresh fish for our freezer. We continue to attend community events and spend time with people. At the end of February, my parents, Doyle and Marian Carpenter, were able to visit for about a week. We had a wonderful time showing them life in our neck of the woods. They were here in time to help make my birthday celebration special. We enjoyed a restful day at home, and Joel made us all a great supper including chocolate cake!! One of the other reasons we give praise is for you, so many of you encourage us with cards, care packages, etc. These brighten our day and help us feel connected to friends and family even across the miles. We seem to be behind in our correspondence so if you haven’t heard from us yet, please know we do indeed appreciate all you do. God is so gracious to our family, and we continue to seek His leading and direction in all areas of our lives.

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let all those who love Your salvation say continually “Let God be magnified!” Psalm 70:4

January re-cap..

Wow! It’s Wednesday afternoon and the house is strangely quiet. I ‘m glad for the chance to share, what God has been doing in our lives lately. For not having anything on the calendar in January, it filled up and flew by before we knew it. We have been so aware of God’s grace in our lives lately, as we often struggle with feeling like we are not enough for the task. It seems like in all roles of life from being parents, to being a spouse, a friend, a sibling, a child, let alone in “ministry” we see how much we need God to work in and through us. I’ve been known to quote lately “that if it weren’t for GRACE we might as well not get out of bed” (I’m not usually that fond of getting out of bed anyway). To sum it all up, we are just really thankful for God and who He Is!

God has paved the way to helping us find a niche in this new community. I have been able to start walking with a few ladies and participate in the local Head Start program. There are planned activities for the mom’s through Head Start, one of which happens to be scrap booking! I was so excited for the opportunity to do something I enjoy and be able to hang out with other mom’s. These new activities get me out about twice a week. Joel has also had further chances to meet new people, and was able to go fishing this last week with some guys. (he did bring home a nice rainbow trout). We continue to be our own butcher, and purchased a half of pig that Joel cut up, ground up and packaged. It too is very yummy.

The girls are doing well; both of them changing and growing to fast to keep up. Ruth is sitting up all by herself now, and scooting and rolling around the floor. She also has two new teeth! The girls are the best entrainment we have!

We were very encouraged the end of January by a visit from Dale and Carol Smith, our director (aka boss) and dear friends. It was so good to have the excitement visitors from the “outside” bring. We are also happy to report that the Horsman’s are back home and our team is once again all together. We are excited to see how God is going to continue to use our lives to bring Him glory in this community. Thanks again for everything!

Amanda – for Joel, Abigail and Ruth

Holiday "Wrap-Up"

Well, the Holiday Season is over. We have made it through our first Christmas away from family and all the familiar things. We had a good month overall, the Lord blessed us in many ways and as usual we have much to be thankful for.

We have made some fun memories over the last few weeks and thought we would share a few with you. One advantage of living in this area is the availability and price of a Christmas tree. We found ours about 12 feet off the road and Abigail and Joel climbed the fence, cut it down and tossed it in the truck, all in all the entire venture took about 15 minutes from the time we put on our winter gear to the time we took in off again. We had to get a little creative with the placement of our tree due to the size of our house, so it went outside of our window on our screened in porch. In the weeks before Christmas we enjoyed going to a Christmas Carol Sing at the Horsman’s and doing a progressive dinner with our neighbors (Joel was also able to go to a ranch 2 hours from here and help butcher a cow, so we thank God for giving us meat). Both couples that live near us were extra kind to our family, and added a festive spirit to our season. We all had lights on our cabins and over the gate cap, which made my day every time I got to enjoy them. Christmas day we enjoyed breakfast together as a family, and then opened some presents. In the afternoon we had a wonderful dinner with Don and Kim (Steve and Jill are back in Illinois due to a family situation) and enjoyed fellowshipping with them. One of Abigail’s gifts was a sled (that our neighbor made for her) and we have enjoyed pulling her around on it and getting fresh air.
We have had a break from our regular schedule due many activities being put on hold during the last two weeks. God had continued to provide opportunities to build relationships and teach us new things. Next week will find us back on track with the routine.

Since it’s that time of year I had to go back and read our entries from this time last year, I was reminded once again how so much was unknown at this point a year ago. I’m reminded how God’s plan is perfect, and He lays the path before us. This is something we must cling to more than ever, especially on day’s Satan tries to tell us we are wasting time and not “accomplishing” anything. I only hope this year will bring us closer to our Creator and more aware of His plan and purpose in our lives.

Thanks for loving us. Those of you who sent cards and letter, we loved hearing from you, it’s so great to get updates and new pictures of loved ones far away.

Amanda (for Abigail, Ruth, & Joel)

(We realize this may be more for grandparents, but we thought we'd post a little "video" of our Ruth, she's getting big)

December update...

As I sit to write this entry, it’s early Saturday morning. Joel has left for town and the girls are still asleep. I’m enjoying the quiet and the crackling of our fire. I can’t believe that the days go by so fast. We have had a great month. Things “feel” like home in many ways, but we have been doing a lot of adjusting this past month. We have battled some “loneliness” “homesickness” and even “frustration” at how things are different. Let me pause and say thank you for all the encouragement we receive from you. It’s a wonderful thing to be part of a bigger family that lets you know you are loved and appreciated.

The “what” we do each day can be difficult to describe. Overall we feel that we are sensing the “beginnings” of being accepted in this new community. It is the little things that seem to happen at just the right moment to encourage us to keep pressing forward. Joel has had various opportunities to meet up and develop relationships with individuals where they are at, through their work/life. Examples of this include visiting a logging site and also spending two days helping someone gather cattle. My days are mostly spent with the girls, I’m so thankful to be able to be full time mom and wife. We spend one day a week (normally Wednesday) still coming together as a team (Sewell’s, Gillaspie’s, and Horsman’s) to fellowship, be in the Word and Prayer, and continue to learn and develop the way will work together. The other scheduled events we have are Community Wellness (every Tuesday evening); which is a family oriented night where different activities are taking place simultaneously (i.e. exercise, crafts, games, etc.) and our Sunday morning service that is an avenue for discipleship and fellowship with other believers in the community. Along with these activities we have various opportunities to join in on community events, for example I will be joining Joel in town today to take part in a celebration that is being held for a recent victory in court concerning land settlements. Another highlight of our month has been a fun evening in Williams Lake with other believers; some who used to live in our community but for the time being are in town.

We are doing well as a family. We have been challenged to use this time to set good habits and grow in areas of our spiritual walk. The girls are doing well; they are such a blessing and so much fun. Well I should go and start getting ready for our day. Thanks for taking time to be a part of our lives.

Amanda (for Abigail, Ruth, and Joel)

PS (for those who are interested) Though this new family picture may not show it, our winter has finally arrived, and right now we have over 12” of snow and temps have dipped as low as -24 (F).

Our First Month...

So much has happened since we last gave you an update. We have been busy with various events and the task of getting settled. I’m going to give a quick report about what we have been doing this last month, but the details will come later in the December issue of our newsletter.

• October 14^th we left after the church service for a five hour trip to Kamloops. We had the privilege to attend a first class seminar on Worldview. It was taught by Worldview Resource Group and was a big encouragement to us. It was also a blessing that our “team” was all able to attend this event together. We spent Monday –Friday in “class” most of the day, and spent our evenings shopping or fellowshipping with fellow missionaries. Shopping in Kamloops meant an opportunity to hit the “big” stores like Wal-mart and Costco. We returned home the 20^th.

• After a few “normal” days we were off again. We spent three days with our on field “team” Steve and Jill Horsman and Don and Kim Gillaspie identifying our strengths, weaknesses, and team vision.This process will continue on a weekly basis as we plan to meet once a week and continue to grow together as a team.This is vital, as much of what is accomplished in this area is done through modeling.

• This past week we attended several events in the community, and Joel was involved in two horse-related demonstration/teaching events.

Most of my time continues to be spent with the girls. They are both doing wonderful. Joel and I are so happy to be here and have life make some kind of sense again. We are anticipating what God is going to accomplish in this place. We are concentrating our efforts on learning, building relationships and more learning. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. I’m even more thankful than ever for technology as I try to stay connected, across the miles, to the people dear to my heart. With a grateful heart for you, Amanda for the Sewells

Wood Harvest

It’s hard to believe we have been here a week, in some ways the time has gone so quickly in other ways it feels as if we have always been here. Tuesday was our first night sleeping in our house. It was wonderful (it’s been 18 months since we’ve been able to call something “our house”). Most of our time this past week was spent unpacking and organizing our things. We were able to get our house livable in time to have the wood cutting team from Bloomingdale Christian Church arrive (keep reading).

We did get the opportunity to attend a community function called Community Wellness. It is held every Tuesday night at the school and is a time of positive fellowship. Various members of the community host different activities; there were guitar lessons, Pilates, a card game, and a craft all happening in different rooms. Joel and I were able to meet so people and just get a feel for how things work. This will be a regular part of our week and time will show what our role will be.

Friday five men arrived around noon, who had just driven 12 hours from Seattle, Washington, and before that had flown from Michigan. They had lunch and immediately went to work. Josh Odell, who we met at FSB, first introduced us to his church family (Bloomingdale Christian Church) and they felt led to be a part of our support team. Then they felt the Lord leading them to come and help us put up wood for winter. Josh, Tod, Bill, Craig, and Randy worked so hard to cut, split, and stack 15 cords of wood at our place and the Horsman’s. The Lord totally blessed their effort, and we had a wonderful time of fellowship throughout their time here. Sunday evening was extra special as we celebrated Thanksgiving (October 8 in Canada) and had a time of reflection. Our first week has been full and we are so thankful for the wonderful people who we are privileged to work along side. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. We are having a little difficulty getting our phone hooked up so that limits our communication (please pray for that if you would).

Home Sweet Home

God has brought us many miles since we last updated our blog. Our trip to the Chilcotin was relaxing and uneventful. We were blessed to spend time with wonderful people along the way who spoiled our family and sent us on our way encouraged for the new chapter in our lives. Much of this time was spent in various places in the very diverse state of Oregon. We stayed with friends in the south eastern, high dessert country (Frenchglen), made a quick stop near Salem to see a college student at Corbin College, spent time at InterAct’s home office (see picture at right) near Portland, and also went to the “beach” to fellowship with a supporting church (Pacific City). We then headed north through Washington, spending our last night in the States near the border. Wednesday the 26^th we entered Canada, receiving our Visitor’s Record without any problems (thanks again for your prayers) and finally arrived in British Columbia. That evening we traveled as far as Cache Creek, spent a night letting it all sink in. The next morning we enjoyed breakfast with some fellow InterAct missionaries and then started the last leg of our journey. We arrived in Chilanko Forks around 4:30 pm (on Thursday) and were welcomed by our team with a celebration dinner (turkey with all the trimmings). It is so exciting to have finally arrived! We are so fortunate to be able to stay with our fellow team members as we get settled into our new home. The last few days we have spent most of our days unpacking our trailer and our boxes, things have gone very smooth thanks to the wonderful help of our team. Our place is starting to look and feel like home. We definitely didn’t arrive too soon, yesterday we awoke to snow. We are so very thankful to have the wood cutting team from Michigan arrive this Friday as winter seems to be just around the corner. This morning we had fellowship with other believers, and tomorrow we plan to go to town to take care of errands (get a drivers license, groceries, and open a checking account). God has blessed us in so many ways, we are so thankful for all the pieces that have come together and allowed us to be here. May God be glorified in all we do, and may He accomplish great things for His name. Our love to all of you,

The Sewell's

And we're off...

We are posting this blog from Elko Nevada. We realize that it’s been awhile since we have updated you all, and the cry for pictures is finally being answered. Since Ruth was born our lives took a different turn than we expected, most of you are already aware of our tale so I will give a short version. On August 5^th we were blessed with the opportunity to share with the wonderful people of Pinedale Bible Church what God has called our family to. They were a huge encouragement to us and the family of God came around us when I (Amanda) ended up back in the hospitable due to a high fever. The next few weeks our lives were a growing period for all of our family as I gained back strength and struggled to keep nursing Ruth. God did amazing things in all of us during this time and we appreciate your prayers. Our schedule was cleared and we spent many days in the house trying to rest. As I finally started feeling normal again we were able to visit a few people in Wyoming and Colorado. Then the fun of packing and wrapping up loose ends began. Once again we were blessed with tremendous help from many people but especially Joel’s mom in packing, which we desperately needed as much of my time is spent with the wonderful task of feeding and caring for a newborn. We left LaGrange, Wyoming Friday the 14^th with our truck and trailer and everything we own.

As we close a chapter in our lives and finally get to enter the stage we’ve been preparing for, for so long now, we are filled with excitement. We know the road ahead is going to be tougher than anything we can imagine, yet God is always so faithful we chose to trust in Him and His provision for our every need. We are blessed above and beyond just to be called His child, yet He gives so much more. Please rejoice with us as we take the next step.

Our plan now is to take some time as we travel to Chilanko Forks, some time visiting supporters and some time for our family. We will keep you updated on our travels and date of border crossing, our last big hurdle (till we get there). For now we can be reached on our cell phone, and email like usual. And we will be letting you know our new contact information as it changes. Ruth will make sure we get there on time (see picture).

Our family is doing well; I am still not 100% with health, it seems to come and go. Joel is working hard to keep everything together, Abigail is loving being back on the road and all the adventure and Ruth reminds us all about what is truly important every time she flashes one of her “whole face” smiles. Thanks again for caring for our family.

Ruth Elizabeth Sewell

Ruth was born July 27th, 2007. It was a good day, we went down to Cheyenne for a check-up (before we had stopped for free pancakes since it was Frontier Days they serve them in the morning), and when we got to the Doctor's office, he told us we were dilated 7cm, so we rushed over to the hospital, and about 11:15 am Amanda's water broke, then by 1:06 pm (Mountain time) Ruth entered our world. All is well with both Amanda and Ruth (Amanda did lose a little to much blood, but should be just fine). We are blessed to have some grandparents here to watch Abigail. And to have family there for Ruth's birth.

Some of the important information:

• 8 lbs-8oz
• 21" tall

We sure thank you for praying for our family, thanks so much! God answered some real prayers today!

Joel & Amanda

Waiting on God

Waiting is a huge theme in scripture. Seems as though God wants us to wait on him for most everything we do. That can be tough especially when we don’t really hear God speaking in an audible voice to us. He speaks through us in many ways through fellow believers, and mostly through his written Word. That is of big importance for us as we learn to grow, and understand the “voice” of God.

Psalm 27:13-14 have some good thoughts on waiting, they say “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.

We are in a waiting process right now in the Sewell home. We have much ahead and must wait on things to happen. Many of those things we can not control. First is the birth of our 2^nd child. We do not know when that will happen. Amanda is due July 12^th, and we have been waiting for this child to enter the world for almost 9 months now. And so we must wait upon that… That can be rather frustrating, but we realize there is not much we can do to make this baby come early (aside from trotting her on a horse, or going for a drive down a dirt road).

We are back in LaGrange now waiting on that child (look for pictures to come soon). And also waiting on our departure to Canada. We are still a bit short of the final funds we need before we can go, but we are praying and hoping that will be sometime in early September that we can leave. We praise the Lord as our fellow team members have already arrived in BC, and so we are thankful for that, and look forward to joining them soon.

Thanks so much for your prayers for our family.

Week #8 @ MDP

I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple. You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant. II Timothy 4:1-5 The MESSAGE

This was our final week of MDP (here we are with our mentor's, the Farmers). If we summed this week up in one word it would be “team.” Monday we completed our workshop on personality profiles, and spiritual gifts by bringing in the aspect of team roles and discovering where our natural bents work well in a team situation. This was new and helpful information and we got to see it play out in the rest of our week. We formed teams and through various workshops laid out a plan for a church plant. It was so encouraging and exciting to see all the information we had collected over the last two months come together in a practical hands on way. God really showed us (Joel & Amanda), the hearts the trainees have for the places God has called them to. We are so thankful for our time here and the friendships we have formed. God has blessed our family in many many ways. We have been reminded of this once again as we just shared a service with the MDP group celebrating and reviewing our time together and sharing in the Lord’s supper.

Our family is doing well, gearing up to head back to Wyoming. We plan to leave early Saturday morning and make a few stops along the way. Please keep us in prayer as we travel that we would make it back to LaGrange before the baby is born, and have wisdom in our plans. Thank you for all the interest you’ve shown in our lives. We appreciate your feedback and encouragement. We will continue to keep you updated in the happenings of our lives. Our time here has been so wonderful, and we give Glory to God for allowing us to be here.

Week #7 @ MDP

I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on; I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome. Your burning anger has passed over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. They have surrounded me like water all day long; They have encompassed me altogether. You have removed lover and friend far from me; My acquaintances are in darkness. Psalm 88:15-18

This text describes many Native Youth. What a sobering thought, yet we know how greatly God cares for people who are afflicted. That’s why He has called our family to share His love with First Nation’s (Native American) people. It only takes a quick history lesson to begin to understand why there is so much hurt amongst First Nations people. There are many differences in various tribes of First Nations peoples. Our facilitator this week shared that in his people long before the Europeans came to this land, a prophet spoke of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins he offered. The sad part is instead of hearing the pure gospel message from the bearers of Christianity; Satan used the government and empty ritualistic religion to hide the truth. Many of the First Nation’s people introduction to Christianity was to be ripped away from their families as children and taught how to act like a European, being told that who they were and there culture were heathen and therefore must be changed.

What a far cry from the grace and redemption offered in Christ. It is said that among Canadian First Nation’s only 8% of individuals have been touched by the gospel and that after 50 years of mission work! What an uphill battle to overcome the evil inflicted on aboriginal people in the name of Christ. What can we do to make a difference? Something that was stressed this week and throughout MDP has been the importance of keeping our cups full. How easy it is to get caught up in ministry and forget to fellowship with the Lord. Yet if we are not being filled with the life of Christ how can we give to others? And what is it others need? The truth of the gospel given with the unconditional love of Christ, when we are in Him we can give to those around us.

Let’s look at one more passage of scripture. “And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” Acts 17:26-27 This text reminds us that God is sovereign. He has not forgotten about First Nation’s peoples. He knows their pain and longs to heal.

Thanks for all the love and support you show our family. We are doing well. The ladies blessed us this week with a surprise baby shower; the time is drawing close to when we can all meet this precious babe (July 12th)! We are so thankful for the time here at MDP, its gone by fast and soon we will be moving on. God is so amazing! Praise to Him for His Great Work!!

Week #6 @ MDP

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. II Timothy 2:2

This week at MDP we got down to some “nitty and gritty” things with the church. There is almost too much information to put into a blog, so we will give some basics. We spent the first three days talking about the indigenous church. Indigenous is being defined as “having originated in and being produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment”. Those are the type of churches that the world needs, equipped with indigenous leaders. If you are a person that goes to church, more than likely, your church is formed on indigenous principals. In which we spent much time in detail talking about. We talked also of other things such as contextualization meaning “the capacity to respond meaningfully to the gospel within the framework of one’s own situation”. This is so very important. All people need to be able to hear the gospel in a way that is relevant to their culture. I’d like to share a quote form a man named Dwight Smith, he says this about the church:

The church exists to glorify God by equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, with the result that every man, woman, and child has the opportunity to hear and understand the gospel and accept or reject Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and that every member becomes actively involved in the completion of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) in foreign lands.

The last two days of the week we spent learning about practical evangelism & discipleship in a native culture. We talked about the II Timothy 2:2 (the verse at the top of this article) principal, and how important that is in the discipleship process. Then we talked about some basic principals for Biblical Church Development as taken from the book of Acts.

It was all wonderful information that we will have to continue to process in the days & months ahead. Especially as we work as a team within the culture we are heading into.

Thanks so much for your prayers, notes of encouragement during this time in our lives. We are so blessed to be here and are thankful for the leadership of MDP, for the quality program that this is.

Week #5 @ MDP

This past week has been trails week! For Joel that meant eight nights and nine days away from any civilization, mainly canoeing and camping, and being stretched in different areas. He returns this evening so we will have to wait to hear more from him.

Abigail and I had a little different week, but we had some stretching as well. Our group of 4 moms and 12 children (there is one family with seven) spent the week doing mini-trails. Monday was rock-wall climbing day, (Abigail and I didn’t climb). Wednesday morning we all packed up the needed items and went camping. We had a blast, doing some canoeing, cooking over the fire, and just enjoying the beautiful sounds of loons and the full moon. Abigail was a trooper, her favorite attraction was the dirt and rocks, and of course the marshmallows. All the fresh air tired us out so once we got unpacked on Thursday we pretty much took it easy. Friday we did an obstacle course, and then took time to prepare for the rest of groups return. The biggest challenge of the week was for the moms. We were responsible along with the MDP staff to cook and clean up all the meals. It definitely added a bit of business to our schedule, in fact some of the other activities planed for the week, didn’t get accomplished. We were all sure glad to see our cook return last night. In some ways I think this has been the most tiring of all weeks, but we sure made some great memories and became a closer group.

By the way a little side story, our new friends here at MDP with seven children had to leave us this week, right after we had set up camp. They are from Canoe Lake Reserve (north of here) and got a call that the husband’s father had a heart-attack. He was taken to Saskatoon to the hospital, and the wife and children had to pick up the husband from out of the “Trails” and then travel to be with their family. He is scheduled for a by-pass surgery this wednesday. Please pray that He will come to know the Savior.

Today we are celebrating Abigail’s second birthday, which of course is hard to believe. We are so blessed to be her parents. Thanks to all of you for the love you give to each of us. We appreciate you!

Week #5 @ MDP Pictures

Just a few pictures of Abigail in her favorite attraction!

Week #4 @ MDP

This week has been a little different for us. I (Amanda) missed class on Monday, because Abigail was fighting off the stomach flu. They had a very good discussion on a book we read titled The Whiteman’s Gospel. Tuesday our workshop was on the impact learning a language can have on ministry. We heard a story in which one word in the Native language spoken at the right time opened the door for an opportunity to do a gospel radio program. Joel and I were both challenged by how much could be gained by if we take time to pick up at least some of language of the people we will be living by. I decided that day that of things most needed to be an effective missionary, using your ears and eyes and being an observer is top of the list. We have so much to learn, which is overwhelming and exciting at the same time. Wednesday we did more book discussion on two more of the required readings, The Grieving Indian and Ministering Cross-Culturally. Thursday our family missed a great workshop on Urban Ministry, which is very relevant when dealing with First Nations peoples due to the migration to urban centers from the reserves. Our family went to Prince Albert for a visit to the Doctor and other errands. This pregnancy is still right on track, which we praise the Lord for. Friday the topic of class was how to avoid becoming a rescuer to a people group that has been forced into being a very dependant nation.

The above is what we have been doing in the classroom; one of the other things we have at MDP is Connections. Tuesday evenings the men get together for discussion and fellowship, they have discussed topics like family life on the field, and what being a “successful” missionary looks like. This past week Joel was able to visit with one of his teacher's from Frontier School of the Bible. His name is Warren Cheek, he is the general director of UIM International. The women’s Connection’s is on Thursday and we shared about life for MKs (Missionary Kid’s), abuse and God’s healing touch, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. These have been good times for both of us as we are able to "hash out" difficult situations in missions with experienced missionaries.

Abigail has also been learning a lot during her class as well, new songs, bible stories, and even bible verses. She really enjoys her time with Miss Hannah, Miss Tammy and her friend Samuel.

This coming week will be a change of pace for us. Joel and the rest of trainees, minus the other moms, left for Wilderness Trails on Friday, they will be gone for 8 days into northern Saskatchewan. You can be praying for safety and good learning experiences along the way. Abigail and I along with the other children, mothers, and staff will have a fun-filled challenging week as well.

Thanks to all of you who send us love, we appreciate you so much. We are so thankful to have this opportunity to learn and grow here at MDP. May God be Glorified by all of us!