PORTICO Serve

Cotton Candy & Deep Fried Oreos

2011-08-06T22:16:00.001-04:00

Our final full day in Glace Bay has come and gone.

The started with some frantic preparations for today's carnival. We have been promoting this carnival all week so it was neat to see so many of the kids we've been in touch with this week arrive with their parents. Between the carnival games, cotton candy and bouncy castle, we were pretty confident that every kid who arrived had a great time. Many of these kids do not regularly attend church so it was neat to make another connection with both them and their parents. We are so inspired by Lighthouse Church's love for the community of Glace Bay.

Our busy carnival morning was followed by a more relaxing afternoon and evening. We headed to the beach where a few of us braved the cold Atlantic and went for a swim. The rest of us relaxed on the rocky beach. After dinner we headed to a chip wagon in town to try another Glace Bay treat: the deep fried oreo! Our grilled cheese sandwiches with pancake syrup were an adventure but this was a real treat. We had heard so much about these that we couldn't leave Glace Bay without trying them and they certainly lived up to their reputation!

It's hard to believe that this time tomorrow we will be tucked into our own beds, back in the Ontario heat and humidity. Although we're sad to leave Glace Bay, many of us are also looking forward to being home again. Several on our team are already talking about wanting to come back next summer so I suppose that means it's been a good week!

2000 Flyers & An Awesome Conversation

2011-08-05T21:59:00.001-04:00

Today, just like all the others this week, has been a very busy day...

We headed to Sydney, NS for the day to hand out flyers for a new church plant in Sydney. New Roots (the name of the church) promotes itself as being "church for people who don't like church," as the pastor said this morning. It was awesome to hear his heart and his vision for this church before we headed out for a few hours of deliveries. After seeing the "fruits of flyer deliveries" yesterday, we were encouraged that some of these flyers would really make a difference.

After lunch at Pizza Delight (one of our favourite meals of the week!) and a team picture at Sydney's "Giant Fiddle" (definitely the biggest fiddle any of us had ever seen!), we headed back out for another few hours of flyer deliveries. We were very tired by the end of it (which was no surprise considering we delivered about 2000 flyers between the 16 of us) and had been greeted/chased by more cats than we could count. However, it was satisfying to head home and know that each flyer we delivered represented an opportunity for someone to meet Jesus.

AJ shared a story this evening of an awesome conversation he had with a lady along our route. When she found out we were representing a church, she shared that she didn't like church and wasn't really interested. His response, that he didn't like traditional church either, was enough to catch her attention. When he shared that this church was a place she could be herself and talk with people about God rather than just being talked to she said that she would check it out!

After saying goodbye to the team from Erin who are driving home tonight, we spent the evening preparing for tomorrow's Kids Carnival. We're hoping for and expecting lots of kids to come out to enjoy the cotton candy, carnival games, prizes, bouncy castle and, of course, an opportunity to experience Jesus' love!

The Fruits of Flyer Deliveries

2011-08-04T22:30:00.002-04:00

Today was packed with time to spend with kids as it was Jr. High day at Lighthouse. We had kids with us from 10am when the first activity started until just after 9pm when we finally wrapped things up for the evening.

The morning started with a few hours of floor hockey and was followed by an afternoon of basketball. In the evening, we separated the church into "Girls Only" and "Boys Only" zones. The boys did some skateboarding in the gym while the girls had a manicure and movie night.

The ladies on our team put a lot of effort into preparing for the evening. We purchased and prepared snacks (including popcorn for the movie, of course), set up a comfortable place for movie watching and prepped our manicure and friendship bracelet tables. We had an awesome time eating and chatting with the girls while we painted their nails and taught them how to make friendship bracelets.

At one point, a few Jr. High girls were hesitant about coming in for a manicure and were hanging around outside the church. It was awesome to see some of the ladies on our team go outside to bring them some popcorn and to chat with them. It wasn't long before they were convinced to come in for a manicure and it was really encouraging to see how much our connection with these kids can make a difference!

The guys had an opportunity to build some really meaningful relationships with boys they had met earlier in the week. At our team meeting this evening, a few guys on the team commented on how they saw some boys at skateboarding who they remember inviting out to today's events on one of our flyer delivery days. It was awesome to see the fruits of our flyer deliveries earlier this week!

Tomorrow will be bittersweet; we are looking forward to another day of planting seeds but will have a hard time saying goodbye to the team from Erin who has joined us this week.

More from us tomorrow...

A Highlight from Morgan

2011-08-04T12:24:00.001-04:00

This experience of being here in Glace Bay has been filled with fun and great conversations. Through the last five days I have had the opportunity to speak to some of the most loving and funny people; I have also been able to build stronger friendships and relationships with my teammates. So far, the highlight of my trip has been looking into a culture that's so unfamiliar to my "Oakville-bubble-mindset". Unlike the far lands of the GTA, Glace Bay is the true definition of a community in which everyone knows everyone and cares for one another. Glace Bay has also made me realize the reality of the need for Christians to step out of their comfort zone and reach out to the hurt and the broken, who are everywhere. In the GTA it's, a lot of the time, so easy to close our eyes to the hurting people around us. Here, there are no closed eyes and because of this the desire to show them Christ is stronger than ever.

A Highlight from Jenna

2011-08-04T09:50:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, we had our day off. It didn't go exactly as planned, but we still had an amazing time. We drove on the Cabot Trail, stopped at various lookouts, and swam in an ice cold waterfall. Although it seemed like it was our "day off" from serving Glace Bay, we still got to be kind to people on our trip and, in our best fashion, show God's love. Even if we didn't have to plan events for kids or literally serve the community, we had the chance to tell people about God, like our waitress at the restaurant where we had dinner and at Tim Horton's, which could have the equivalent impact on some people as a free BBQ at the church would. This just showed me that we don't have to be on the go 24/7 to make a difference. Sitting and talking to people could do the same and even more. It helped me be more comfortable about talking to strangers, whether about church or the week's weather forecast. Everything that happened yesterday was way better than I ever could have imagined.

A Highlight from Jessica

2011-08-04T08:27:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday, we got to finish off the day's activities in a really cool way. The group went on a prayer walk around Glace Bay, and it was quite an amazing experience. The prayer walk was simple in itself, but it definitely opened up my eyes to how talking to God is so important. We just walked around the area and prayed for whatever we saw. The prayer walk was something I've never done before, but I will most definitely be doing it in the future. It is one of the many great experiences I had that will definitely change the way I live when we get back.

440km of Winding Highland Roads

2011-08-03T22:58:00.002-04:00

At our team meeting this evening, we were talking about how this has been the trip that hasn't gone as planned but that has been awesome anyway! Today, our day off, was certainly no exception.

We drove the two and a half hours to Cheticamp only to discover that our whale watching tour had been cancelled due to rough water. We were disappointed, but decided to continue our adventures for the day and drive the rest of the Cabot Trail, stopping at various lookouts and going for a swim at the base of a small (but freezing cold!) waterfall along the way.

Driving through Cape Breton Highlands National Park was absolutely breathtaking! I'm sure we saw some of the best views in Nova Scotia today and perhaps even in Canada! We could have easily spent a week exploring the park.

Just as the rain and fog were picking up we stopped for dinner at a local restaurant overlooking the ocean that came highly recommended by some locals. It lived up to its reputation and some of us even tried some Nova Scotia seafood!

By the time the day was done, we had covered about 440km of winding highland roads. (And we did get a boat ride after all because our drive home included a small ferry crossing!) Not only was it incredible to see parts of Canada that many on the team had never seen before but it was also awesome to have this time to continue to connect as a team.

It's hard to believe that we are more than halfway through our time here at this point. Some of us are already talking about how we are going to miss this place!

More from us tomorrow...

Today we donned our hard hats...

2011-08-02T22:45:00.004-04:00

Glace Bay was originally a booming mining town. Although there are no longer any operating coal mines in Glace Bay, coal mining is a very important part of the identity and history of this town. One of the things Lighthouse Church recommends to all groups is to visit the mining museum. We made sure to include that on our schedule so we donned our hard hats and headed into the mine for a guided tour by a retired coal miner. It was awesome to hear the pride he has in his work and the stories he shared. We are grateful for an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the history of Glace Bay.

We filled our afternoon with a trip to a neighbouring skate park where we helped to serve BBQ hot dogs to some local youth participating in a skateboarding competition. They were very impressive to watch and we continue to be amazed by all the very relevant and tangible things Lighthouse Church is doing in the community. Pastor Dave said that even though we may not have been participating in the competition ourselves, it was very significant for the local youth to see that we were there to serve and watch them skate.

We ended our day with a very meaningful prayer walk through Glace Bay led by some people from the church. This gave us an opportunity for some very focused prayer for specific areas of the town. It was basically a chance for us to talk to God about what we saw and about how we would like things to be different. Our eyes were really opened to the needs of Glace Bay and to how prayer has a very important role to play here.

Tomorrow we head to Cheticamp for some whale watching. We're looking forward to a day to rest and recharge a bit before we jump into the rest of the week. It's hard to believe we're already nearing the halfway point of our time here.

More from us tomorrow...

Adventures in Grilled Cheese

2011-08-01T22:52:00.003-04:00

This morning started off with a bit of a slower pace than yesterday morning which we all enjoyed. We're finding that our schedule seems much busier than we anticipated when we first saw it, but we are doing out best to keep up with everything and to balance our busy afternoons with some down time at some point in the day.

Much of today was spent preparing for tonight's Jr. High event. We prepared craft supplies, handed out flyers to promote the event to neighbourhood kids and even popped some popcorn. In our minds, this event was likely going to look quite similar to the Middle School events that we're used to at PORTICO. However, Pastor Dave says something along the lines of, "We really never know what to expect here until it's actually happening." We certainly realized this as well tonight as a smaller turnout meant we had to change some of our plans.

Even though things didn't quite go as planned, we still believe God was able to plant seeds in the lives of the kids who came tonight. After our team meeting this evening, one of the prayer groups prayed that students would leave feeling as if they had been loved by Jesus. As we welcome and accept them, we believe that He is working through us.

Another highlight of the day was trying grilled cheese sandwiches (our lunch) with pancake syrup on the side. We're not sure if this is a Cape Breton thing or a Glace Bay thing or if we have all just been missing out for most of our lives but those of us who took the plunge were pleasantly surprised!Our meals, including the grilled cheese sandwich adventure, are provided by Harvest House, a local community outreach kitchen that is supported by various churches in the area and serves meals to those in need. We have been blown away by the compassion and kindness of the staff as they have served us so far this week.

Keep checking the blog.

More from us tomorrow...

Sundae Sunday

2011-07-31T23:30:00.003-04:00

Today has been a great day, but a tiring day. As I type this, the students are getting some well-deserved and much needed sleep!Our day started with a walk in the rain to our 8:00 am breakfast followed by preparation for church. We helped to run the kid's program by leading songs, running games in the gym and dishing out ice cream sundaes! Pastor Dave (the pastor at Lighthouse) commented that there were probably more kids at Lighthouse Church this morning than in all other churches in Glace Bay combined. It was awesome to connect with so many kids, many who know very little about Jesus. There were so many people who stayed for the BBQ that we used up all the food that the church had purchased even though we assumed we would have plenty of leftovers! They were not anticipating quite so overwhelming a turnout so it was very encouraging to hear from Lighthouse about all the families who were at church this morning who had never been there before.
We spent some time beach-combing this afternoon. A few of us braved the chilly water but most of us settled for searching for treasures on the beach, including washed up jellyfish, a few old boots and even a rusty old key!

This evening, we handed out flyers to houses in the community to promote the events that we'll be running this week. Hopefully we can have an amazing turn out of kids like this morning! A few students even ran into kids they had met earlier that morning and had a chance to talk with them.

We ended off our day by watching fireworks in the neighbouring town as part of a festival this week. They were rumoured to be the "best fireworks in Cape Breton" and our evening certainly ended with a bang.

We had an awesome time today and students did a fantastic job jumping in and serving, talking to kids and staying energized. Today was certainly a packed day, though, and we're looking forward to a more laid back day tomorrow.

More from us tomorrow...

We're Here...

2011-07-30T22:33:00.002-04:00

After a short two hour flight, we arrived safe and sound to rain, fog and 17 degrees. After the heat in the GTA over the past few weeks it was very refreshing to walk off the airplane and the first of many differences I'm sure we will notice between home and Cape Breton over the next week.

This evening has given us time for dinner, an introduction to the community and the church as well as some time to settle in and pray together. We are very excited for everything to come this week and are looking forward to getting to know some of the kids and youth in the community.

Tomorrow, we're helping to organize and run the children's program at the church and a BBQ after the service. It should be fun!

Thanks again for your support and prayers!

Eagles Cove Pictures 3

2011-07-29T17:10:00.000-04:00

Eagles Cove Day 5 pictures 2

2011-07-29T17:07:00.000-04:00

Eagles Cove Day 5 pictures 1

2011-07-29T17:03:00.000-04:00

Day 5 at Eagles Cove

2011-07-29T16:25:00.001-04:00

Again, we appreciate your prayers. Many labourers will be coming home tomorrow weary, but rejoicing. Every single person here has contributed well to our camp experience. The kids have enjoyed the fun, fellowship and food. I wish you could have heard them singing “Indescribable” last night. One girl told me that she never realized how important God was to her life.

The boy, who could not come last week (because it was a Christian camp) quietly read his new Bible storybook at lunch today. The books seem to be very important to the kids as their leaders and new friends wrote special messages inside each one.

Some of the boys in Andrew’s cabin wanted to ask Jesus into their lives. A couple of other ones asked if they could rededicate their lives to Jesus. Rebecca said that one of the girls in her small group asked Jesus into her life and the other one wants to do that tonight.

Kristen’s entire cabin wanted to invite Jesus into their lives last night. She said she didn’t even get all the words said before they began asking her about it. One of those girls was the “pill” I talked about yesterday. This young girl said to me this morning during small group: “When I get back home I am going to tell everyone about Jesus. I will go from door to door if I have to and ask them if they have a Bible like this they can read.” She then told me she probably wouldn’t be coming back to camp because she may be going back to her mother’s. She has 12 children and not enough money for camp. I told her never to worry about that; she will always have a place here. She wants to give her testimony tonight at chapel. I couldn’t ask for a better day than this. Praise God over and over.

Day 4 at Eagles Cove

2011-07-28T15:09:00.003-04:00

I feel a little like Paul when he wrote to the church in Thessalonica. I thank God continually for your prayers, this camp, our team and the campers. I want to assure the parents of the young adults on this team that I cannot think of a single way they could have done any better. They have done an exceptional job and have been a great joy to all. The kids love them too!

In chapel, our crew captain was frustrated by all the lies and cheating he experienced as he tried to buy supplies for his next trip into space. He learned how to overcome the obstacles of earth (sin) by reading the book he found in the trunk in the attic (an old Bible). Wes followed with his real life story of forgiveness.

The kids are quite fascinated with the idea that they can actually talk to this amazing God that made the heavens and the earth. Andrew described how the boys in his cabin began to pray for the first time.

We are giving the campers Egermeier’s Children’s Bible Storybooks tonight at chapel. They can then read the stories for themselves and better understand God’s Word. I even got interested in the stories again as I began reading through one of them.

I praise the Lord because of three young girls in my small group. One was in my group last year and one was in my group two years ago. I have prayed for two of the girls since I met them and hoped to see them again. Now I have a new girl to pray for also. From the first two, one is sweet and shy and the other is a little pill, but she is a treasure. She has a wealth of Scriptural understanding underneath her pill coating. She lived with a family for three years who took her to church. Now she is with another family and they do not go to church. She recently lost a little brother to cancer. She came into camp looking bedraggled and rough, but as the days go by, the tender little child is beginning to shine through. I asked her if she still wants to be a teacher. She said, “Yes, but maybe a counselor or a leader at this camp too.” I can see this in her future. I tend to worry and say, “Oh, what these girls could do if they had loving, supportive families behind them to nurture, guide and protect them.” Then I have to remember that God is still on the throne. They are on His heart too!

We have enjoyed the presence of the Lord in this place. We thank you for your prayers.

Day 3 At Eagle's Cove

2011-07-26T23:05:00.004-04:00

Today was our first full day of camp. After a good breakfast, we began the morning with small groups. I asked my group of three girls where they would like to go if they could go wherever they wanted. One girl answered, “I’d like to go see God.” That comment changed our whole discussion.

The weather has been perfect, making it enjoyable for archery, canoeing, crafts, rock climbing, and paintball. I don’t think anyone is bored. Kevin, our program director, sent us backwards at supper with backwards clothes, lineups and menu items. We finished by saying grace.

Our chapel astronauts came back down to earth, whizzing through a comet’s tail and surviving the blast of asteroids to see earth as if they had never seen it before. Our God is amazing! Now comes the challenge. It is easy to say that our God is awesome, but quite another to allow Him to be our Savior and Lord. Please pray as we navigate through this space. Our question for Wednesday is this: If God is so awesome, why is life on planet earth so difficult.

We ended the evening by playing Space Medics. Our team leaders needed help from the campers with various spacey issues such as solar blindness, planet planking or the most serious disease of all, space cadet. We wished we had had a video camera to catch the dialogue as Kristen kept looking for her pet space rock, Frank. Hilarious!

Day 2 at Eagle's Cove

2011-07-26T12:04:00.001-04:00

Good Morning Friends and Family,

God definitely answered prayers and brought in the children. Bonita and team went into the “highways and byways” but it didn’t take much compelling to bring them in. The big white van drove into the housing units and kids came running with registration forms wanting to know if they could come. Some asked how much it cost. Their faces fell when they found out that it was more than $100; they perked back up when Bonita told them about sponsorships. One little girl asked what a “sponsorship” was and kept repeating the word so she could go and tell her mother. We had sponsorships for 22 of the 29 children here this week.

One little girl was visiting a friend and wanted to come, but she had no clothes, so two other mothers got clothes together for her. A boy was not allowed to come last week because it is a Christian camp. After much prayer for him, a parent changed their mind this week and allowed him to come. Another came walking down the sidewalk with a pile of clothes and asked if he could come. Bonita noticed interest from another young lady (grade 9) but also a look of disappointment. She got out of the van and went to her home to follow up. The girl said she would like to go but had no money. After she and her mother heard about sponsorships, she got permission to come. She jumped up and down, saying “I get to go to Eagle’s Cove.” As you can imagine, picking up kids is quite a process.

Paul organizes the Youth Works team from the States. They are here four hours a day to paint, landscape, haul firewood or do any tasks needed. He also brought finished cedar and his router so each child will leave with their name engraved in wood.

The team has integrated well with the kids. We had our first chapel last night. Our theme this week is “Space for God.” We looked at the wonder of God’s universe. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge (Psalm 19:1-2). We are looking forward to discovering His message this week.

Thank you for your prayers. We feel great peace and fellowship this morning.

First Day at Eagle's Cove

2011-07-25T07:57:00.002-04:00

We had a great day yesterday! We all arrived safely and are looking forward to today when the kids arrive. Bera was able to join us for an outing for lunch at Boston Pizza, a special ice cream stand and a tour of Kekabeka Falls. He even led our devotions in the evening. He thanks everyone for their prayers.

It is always a challenge to know how many campers we will have. It is just the nature of the ministry. Bera and Bonita visited with Native leaders yesterday. Over 3,800 people have been evacuated from their northern communities because of the 100 fires burning. We are praying for an opportunity to bring some of these children to camp.

We have an awesome team and a donor called yesterday, offering money for camper sponsorships, so all we need now is the kids.

Please pray for us that God will make a way for the children to come. We may have a mixture of kids coming only for the day so it will be different from normal camp, but I know that God is with us.

Thank you for your prayers.

Glace Bay Team Update

2011-07-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

Although we are still awaiting final details, things are really coming together and it’s hard to believe we are leaving in a few short weeks. Relationships are being built, much appreciated donations are coming in and flights are booked.

We met with the team from Erin, ON for the first time last week and are looking forward to other opportunities to connect with them before we leave.

Students have also finished their classes for the summer and have been spending some of their time this week memorizing scripture verses as part of their “homework.”

We are also looking forward to our team’s commissioning this week. Please continue to pray with us. We appreciate your prayers and are thankful for the difference they are making for our team.

How you can pray…

God’s continued provision for finances.
Continued unity amongst the members of our team.
Safety and health while traveling.
Lighthouse Church in Glace Bay, NS.
Final details for our itinerary and the people we will be serving.

(written by Kate)

Eagle's Cove Update

2011-07-07T11:40:00.002-04:00

Camp is just around the corner, and we are super busy preparing for our trip to Eagle's Cove. It seems that the closer we get, the more there is to be done: book flights, finish training, pack, and raise money! There is a lot on our plate, but nevertheless we can't wait to get up there, dive into the community and put together an awesome camp.

There is several things we will be needing prayer for, including:

Prayer for Bera's health. Although he has being feeling better lately, he is still very sick.
Safety as we all travel to Thunder Bay.
God's financial provision as we raise money for our trip.
That God will go ahead of us and prepare the hearts of the children who will be attending camp.

(written by Kristin)

Team Commissioning Sunday

2011-07-06T11:49:00.003-04:00

This Sunday, July 10, both of our missions teams, Eagle's Cove and Glace Bay will be commissioned before they leave on their missions in both of our Worship Services (9:15 & 11:15 am).

This is our opportunity to not only see the teams, but also pray for the members and the missions they are going on.

Whether you have a family member or friend going, or if you don't know any of them, we can all join together to pray for the teams, their missions, and those lives that they are going to serve.

See you Sunday!

Glace Bay Mission Update

2011-06-10T10:44:00.001-04:00

For our trip to Glace Bay this summer, we have teamed up with a church from Erin ON, led by Josh Black. Together we will serve the community of Glace Bay, Lighthouse Church and Real Missions. Between the two teams there will be 16 of us. In the coming weeks we will have a finalized schedule and will be able to provide more specific prayer needs for events we will be a part of.

As the end of school approaches, deadlines to book flights, rent vehicles and all sorts of other things are coming up fast. Students are working hard at handing out support letters and raising the necessary funds to make the trip happen. As well, students have been completing "homework" each week. This week they are asking friends and relatives to partner with them in prayer for the trip. Since you are reading this, hopefully, you can partner with us in prayer as well. Some current prayer needs include:

God's provision for finances to make the trip happen.
Unity amongst our team.
Safety for traveling.
That both our team and the Erin church will bond well.

Glace Bay Mission Update

2011-05-31T14:44:00.001-04:00

This summer we have the awesome opportunity of serving alongside Lighthouse Church in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. Our team consists of ten students and two leaders. At the beginning of May we went away for our missions boot camp. It was an awesome experience as we got to know one another better and bond as a team.

Here are some key prayer points for our team:

Pray for team unity that we would exemplify the body of Christ as we minister.
Pray for students are who are entering their exams and finishing up the school year.
Pray for safety as we travel.

We are super excited for this summer and are expecting God to do great things.

Eagle's Cove Team Update

2011-05-13T13:29:00.002-04:00

Thank you to all who participated in our fundraiser at Promise Keeper’s Robin Mark concert. Through your wonderful baking, we are able to sponsor six kids for camp. Many of the children coming to camp are unable to pay the camp fees and many have never heard the Gospel.

Our PORTICO team is going to Eagle’s Cove Ministry Centre to staff one of their kids’ camps for the week of July 24–30. The kids are primarily from the Nishnawbe Aski First Nation and are between six and 14 years old. Our first team meeting is at PORTICO on May 28 from 9 am to noon. We will join other Eagle’s Cove teams from other churches for training in Newmarket on June 18. (Location and other training days will be announced.)

Our theme this year is ‘Space’ for God. Our Shuttle Teams will share the message from the One who created the heavens. Our space theme offers great ideas for skits, games and chapel messages. We look forward to activities such as archery, paintball, canoeing, rock climbing, swimming and crafts.

How you can help...
We want to buy 40 Children’s Bible Story Books by Egermeier. It is a great tool for kids to learn their Bible stories. We can get them for $12.34 each from Christian Book Distributors. If you want to help us with this project, please note on your donation to PORTICO that it is for Eagle's Cove Bible Storybooks.

How you can pray...
One of our greatest prayer needs is for Bera’s health. His health continues to deteriorate and doctors have been unable to determine the cause. He is a strong spiritual leader for his family, the ministry centre, and the community of Native believers in Thunder Bay. We all miss his loving leadership.

Summer Missions 2011

2011-03-31T13:00:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year again! Time when we begin looking to the hot, lazy days of summer, and figuring out what we're going to do with our time off.

At PORTICO, with one of our three core values being Serving Christ's mission in the world, we believe that there are few things that one could do better with their down time than to reach out and serve our world. To help facilitate this value, we have three missions opportunities coming up this summer.

Eagle's Cove Team | July 17—23, 2011
We are returning to Eagle’s Cove again this year to help staff their junior camp. We get to have fun with children from the Nishnawbe Aski First Nations. We will with paintball, archery, canoeing, crafts, swimming and climbing, as well as present the Gospel through morning small groups, chapel messages and skits, worship and cabin devotions. Approximate cost: $650/person

Glace Bay NS Team | July 30—August 7, 2011
{Student Ministries} While in Glace Bay we will be partnering with Lighthouse Church of Cape Breton and Real Missions. Our team will focus on outreaches in the church’s skate park, at the local beach, as well as assisting in the local children’s camp and native ministries. Approximate cost: $1250/person

For more information on these Serve opportunities, contact us.

Back To Normal

2010-09-01T15:25:00.004-04:00

Today is September 1, the entryway to fall, and the beginning of life getting back to normal.

Ah, normal. School doors reopen, programs get back up and running, the soothing hum of the usual, not to mention cooler, more hospitable weather, all with the flick of the Labor Day switch.

It almost doesn't seem possible that standing between us today and next Tuesday, the last weekend of summer so quickly unleashes commitments and demands on our unsuspecting calendars. Sports. Music practice. Meetings. It is far too easy to go from the carefree schedule of the summer to the time constraints imposed by all of the commitments without pausing to ensure our lives are balanced.

But before the tyranny of the urgent once again claims our agendas, let's take a moment to think of how serving our church family and community will be part of our new year.

Where do you serve?

For some it is in one of our age-specific ministries, either children or students. Others lead CLGs or are part of our Connect teams. For still others, serving in community organizations like The Dam Youth Center or Mississauga Life Center is an important part of their life.

The reality is that serving itself is more important than where you serve.

So before your calendar gets too bogged down with hockey practice and pottery lessons, make some room to serve your community.

* * * * *

Looking for a place to serve, but not sure what's out there? Sunday, October 24, after both morning Worship Services, visit the gym for our Volunteer Fair, where you can discover Serve opportunities both at PORTICO and within the community.

Not sure where you fit in, or how you'd like to serve? PORTICO is offering two different options for you to discover where you fit in with our SHAPE Class. Beginning on either Sunday, Oct 3 at 11:15 am or Wednesday, Oct 6 at 7:00 pm for six weeks you can take this journey of self-discovery to find out where you best fit in to serve. Contact Angie at ajansen@theportico.ca to sign up or get more information.

Don't forget to pray...

2010-08-16T09:10:00.004-04:00

All of our short-term missions teams are back from their summer adventures, but in reality, there is still work to do!

While the physical, actually going work is done, there is still much we can do, in particular, much we can pray for.

Pray for...

the children whose lives were impacted by the Nicaragua and Eagle's Cove teams, that the seeds that were planted when the teams were there would continue to grow.
the team members themselves, that all they learned while on their mission would not be forgotten, but that they themselves would continue to walk in what God has done in them.
the missionaries in Eagle's Cove and Nicaragua.
Alicia Black and Shannon Briese, who are on missions of their own in different parts of Africa.
how you can be involved in serving your community, or on a short-term missions opportunity in the coming year.

You can read both Alicia and Shannon's blogs by clicking on their names to the right {under PORTICO's 2010 Missions Endeavors}, to keep up with what they are doing. Feel free to leave comments on their blog posts, to let them know that you're keeping up with them, as well as praying.

Summer may be winding to a close, but there is still much we can do...

Bad Hair Day Supper

2010-07-29T23:17:00.001-04:00

The theme for supper may have been bad hair day, but it was actually a good day. I think these friends should receive a good sportsmanship award!

The kids looked great at supper too, but we want to be careful in putting pictures on the blog.

Please continue to pray. I wish we had some way of teaching the kids all year. We are thankful that Bera and Bonita keep in touch with some, wherever possible. Please pray that the seeds planted will grow.

One little boy said to Kristen tonight during worship, “Does Jesus really love me this much too? Can I ask Jesus into my heart?”

What a great day!

Tuesday and Wednesday Kids Camp at Eagles Cove

2010-07-29T00:26:00.001-04:00

The last two days have been incredible.Tuesday evening Sue told some of Albert Tait’s story in her chapel message. Albert was from villages and reserves north of Thunder Bay and his story of a difficult life is very familiar to many of the children here. The entire group was silent as Sue told Albert’s story and how Albert’s life was changed when he gave his life to Jesus. All 17 very busy, energetic boys were completely attentive. The Holy Spirit was clearly at work in all of our hearts.

At the end of chapel, Bibles were distributed to the children. Each name was written in the front of their Bible. The Beaver team shared a reading from their new Bibles.

Last night the theme for supper was 'Backwards'. We started with dessert, wore our clothes backwards, and many other creative ideas. Tonight the theme was silent. I have to admit that it was painful to sit and not talk. It was fun to watch.

The team is tired tonight. They have been going very hard and have been great with the children. There have been some good personal connections in small groups with the kids.

The Kids Arrive

2010-07-26T22:47:00.003-04:00

It was a great day and we thank the Lord for bringing 24 campers. We didn’t know until today how many we would have. We have 17 boys and 7 girls, with 6 returning from last year. Bonita and I went to several locations in Thunder Bay and picked up kids. We are getting attached already. Bonita saw one family getting into their car and said to me, “Pray for me as this is outside my comfort zone” and then she grabbed a registration form. She had met this family while doing Kids Klub. She chatted with them for awhile and came back and got another form. We went back an hour and a half later and picked up two more children. Doing Kids Klub opens several neighborhoods to trust and friendship. The kids light up when they see the white van coming.

Our team is awesome. They are working hard and playing even harder. I hope you enjoy the pictures from the kids arriving and chapel tonight. (The team hasn’t seen the pictures yet).Thank you again for your prayers. I wish you could see the children.

{Sue Carlisle}

Please continue to pray for strength for the team and the Holy Spirit to bring life and hope to these precious children.

Sunday afternoon - The Team Arrives At Eagles Cove

2010-07-26T06:54:00.002-04:00

The team arrived at Eagles Cove Sunday afternoon. We had been praying that some of the children from last year would be here this year so we were delighted to find that three children had arrived a day early, two from last year that we had been praying about brought their little sister. We have a full day today as everyone finds their niche and the campers arrive, but everyone is pitching in. We will have a great week.

{Sue Carlisle}

Eagles Cove day 1 travelling

2010-07-24T22:17:00.002-04:00

Hello to All,
It has been a good day. Lorna, Wes and I enjoyed fellowship and scenery as we traveled to Wawa today. We have a wonderful cabin for the night with Kevin, Joan, Becky and Lilyan for neighbors in the adjoining cabin. The Stoddart family went out for dinner and met the team from St. Catherines who had just finished a week at Eagle’s Cove. It was one of those divine appointments.

Thank you for your prayers. We have felt the Lord’s presence today and are looking forward to meeting the rest of the team tomorrow afternoon. This is such beautiful country. Our Creator is sooo awesome!

{Sue Carlisle}

Futboll Tournament in Nicaragua

2010-07-24T18:35:00.001-04:00

Today was our final day of ministry. We loaded 40 kids from Manchester and 40 kids from the church and went to a soccer stadium in Managua. We ran a round robin tournament, and the winners got to play the famous team Canada. We lost 3-0 and 1-0. :(

Each child went home with a new football and a Canadian flag. The footballs are colored with the gospel message (red, black, white, green, yellow) and each child told us that they represented.

It was an amazing day of ministry, which will be topped off tonight as we show the God-Man video at the church in Manchester.

Thursday in Nicaragua

2010-07-22T19:06:00.001-04:00

Today was our final day of soccer clinics. In the morning we took the opportunity to take a few pictures with the kids. In the afternoon we witnessed one of the largest rain storms we have ever seen.

After it finished raining, we went into Manchester and found people trying to build a ramp so a bull dozer could get down to the lake. The bulldozer was going to help move dirt around to prevent flooding in the town. Everyone grabbed a shovel and pitched in. In about half an hour we had the ramp built.

Tomorrow is our free day where we will travel to a volcano and see some Nicaraguan sights and Saturday is the final tournament.

Wednesday in Nicaragua

2010-07-21T19:16:00.002-04:00

The church in Managua has rented the field and a bus, and we will bring four teams to play in a tournament... four teams from Manchester and one team from Canada. Many of the older boys have started to help us organize the kids, referee games and break up little fights.

Many of our team members are starting to make great connections with individual kids who keep coming back day after day. The kids don’t ever want to let our team leave, and are always excited when we return.

Tomorrow is our final day of soccer clinics and Friday we will go to an active volcano and see some of the Nicaraguan sights.

As a side note, we have not posted any pictures from our soccer camps because we can not bring a camera into Manchester. The kids are very needy and would mob anyone with anything... we enter with only our water bottles and soccer equipment... and there is even fights over those things. (Amanda had to run into a shack this afternoon to get our pylons back.)

Tomorrow our host missionary will attempt to bring a camera and get some pictures for us... if she survives.

Wednesday in Nicaragua

2010-07-21T19:13:00.001-04:00

This afternoon we announced to the kids who have been with us all week that we had rented a real soccer field for a tournament on Saturday.
They sent up a huge cheer as many of them may have never been able to play on a grass field that is full sized.
The church in Managua has rented the field and a bus, and we will bring 4 teams to play in a tournament... 4 teams from Manchester and 1 team from Canada.
Many of the older boys have started to help us organize the kids, referee games and break up little fights.
Many of our team members are starting to make great connections with individual kids who keep coming back day after day.
The kids don’t ever want to let our team leave, and are always excited when we return.
Tomorrow is our final day of soccer clinics and Friday we will go to an active volcano and see some of the Nicaraguan sights.

Tuesday in Nicaragua

2010-07-20T15:46:00.001-04:00

When we drove into Manchester this morning, the kids shouted, “They’ve returned!” and jumped onto the back of our bus to hitch a ride to the football field. There were over 50 children anxiously waiting for our arrival. Our soccer clinics were very well received and Ninette and Angela did a wonderful job sharing their personal stories.

We are limited to about two hours out in the sun, but we’re staying well hydrated.

Here’s a quick shot of our team re-hydrating at lunch with Gatorade:

Monday Nicaragua Update

2010-07-19T19:18:00.001-04:00

We’ve completed our first day of soccer camp.

The team went into the neighbourhood of Manchester and set up two soccer goals. Immediately 50 kids and youth gathered to enjoy a day of soccer clinics and a few games. Alana and Amy shared with the students why they serve Jesus. Rick told the story of Jonathon and his armor bearer, and why it is important to care for each other.

We will continue with soccer camps for the next three days.

Everyone is having their fill of rice and beans, and trying to stay cool at nights, cause they days are hot, hot hot...

Sunday Nicaragua Team Update

2010-07-18T16:12:00.002-04:00

We landed in Managua on Saturday all safe and ready to go. We settled down at our hotel which are more like condos.

This morning we got up and went to church at Calvary Chapel of Managua. Alana, Rashida, Hannah, Nour, Luciana and Ninette did drama’s in kids church. Amanda shared her life application story, and Rick, Amy and Angela answered questions about Canada. All the while, Mark has been translating.

This afternoon we will be preparing for our week of soccer clinics in Manchester.

Please pray that God gives us favour with the people we meet, so that we can not only play soccer with them, but also share the message of Christ as well.

it's that time again...

2010-07-07T11:40:00.003-04:00

here at PORTICO, when the mercury begins rising, it can only mean one thing: summer missions season is beginning!

this summer we have two teams, one going north, and the other heading in the opposite direction. find out who is going on the Nicaragua mission here, and the details for the Eagle's Cove Camp mission are here.

this sunday, we'll be commissioning our Nicaragua team before they fly away on July 17, as well as Shannon Briese, one of our young adults who is leaving shortly for Uganda, to work with children.

check back here often to see what is happening with the teams and how you can pray for them as they are on their adventures.

Community Night Fun

2009-08-12T23:01:00.000-04:00

After a great night at Camp Peace community night, some of the team went to see Camp Hope’s tonight.
Tomorrow is our last day of program, and then we host a BBQ for all 400 UP Toronto kids on Friday

UP Toronto Day 1

2009-08-10T22:28:00.001-04:00

After a Sunday night orientation that was highlighted by thunder, lightning, and a beautiful storm, we had our first day at camp.
Half of the team is working with 5-10 year olds, while the rest of us are doing the youth camp.
We had a great first day building initial relationships with the kids, street leaders and camp staff. (Despite 40 degree heat)
Tomorrow is Camp Peace’s community night where they will present songs, dances, and art to their friends and family that they have been working on all summer long.
We are privileged to be apart of it.

UP Toronto Team

Poland Team Update: Home

2009-08-03T08:52:00.000-04:00

hey all!
as of 7pm last evening we have arrived safely home {except for those laura & josh who have headed off to their own individual adventures in europe}.

it was a great week, filled with:

getting to know the people from the church we went to assist, krakow city church.
handing out flyers for the church in and around the square.
lots of walking.
playing soccer with new friends {some young, some not as young, but all managing to beat us!}.
an unbelievable amount of laughter.
listening to the band {jeremy, joash & jordan} play at the boogie cafe.
assisting in some services then handing out food to those who need it.
eating ice cream & perogies.
attending krakow city church's life cafe, which happens in the basement of a place we frequented, coffee heaven {our starbucks away from home}.

we had a layover in london, england on our way home and got to enjoy the unpredictablity of london rain as we walked around. then yesterday we boarded a british airways plane and arrived back at home.

thank you for praying for us as we went. your prayers were necessary in countless ways.

~the poland 09 team

Early Morning at Eagles Cove

2009-08-03T08:42:00.000-04:00

Good Morning,
I just wanted to share some of the morning serenity here. All is silent
except for the call of the loons. I had to go out and enjoy the silence
while I could. Two families are here from Saskatoon to build a large garage.
It is a necessary step for storing tools and supplies. Bera and Bonita are
taking one step at a time towards building up the camp so they can
ultimately build a large dining and ministry centre and more cabins. They
will definitely need them. I heard many of the young people talking about
how they want to come back next year. They received a living and loving
experience of God here. I will never forget the changes in their faces.
Please pray that they will continue to grow. I see this camp as a place for
new beginnings in Christ, a new experience of His love.

They also have over 20 young people arriving this morning from Youth Works.
Last week's team came from Arkansas, Michigan and Minnesota. They come in
for four hours each day and help with work projects like clearing brush from
roadways. I say great progress on the new road into the camp. The present
one is too rugged and steep for a truck to come into without running into
the proposed building. A generous contractor and his big excavator helped
too. Again, they are taking one step at a time in faith.

Sadly, we have to leave later today. Please pray for Eagle's Cove. I don't
know how they juggle it all physically and I know there are financial
challenges, as there would be with any new endeavor. In the midst of the
physical struggles there is good ministry going on here. They've even been
great mentors to us while we've been here. They know the First Nations heart
and they know ministry, but most of all they know their Lord.

Looking forward to seeing all of you at home.

Love to all,
Wes and Sue

Family Day

2009-08-03T07:52:00.001-04:00

Good Morning,
We had a great time yesterday. One of the pictures I am sending is
priceless. Bera says (in the midst of hilarious laughter) that it represents
the Native man's response to the white man's protocol (or something like
that - we were all laughing too hard). Wes was laughing louder than Bera. He
said it was no contest. This was the result of one of the games. The
champion is our new friend, John Beardy. We were free to take pictures so I
will send along some of the best ones.

We also divided up into groups last night so the ladies could have more of a
ladies small group. We had a great time getting to know each other's
stories. By the end of a day of relaxation, activities, worship, games and
campfire we felt more like family.

Blessings,
Wes and Sue

Sunday and tired but happy

2009-08-02T17:27:00.000-04:00

Hi All,

Kids left yesterday morning. There were lots of hugs and tears. Some of them were our tears. Bonita and I went into town and stocked up with groceries for family camp this weekend and a work crew from Saskatoon coming in to build a garage. They should arrive soon. Two of the boys from kids camp brought their mother and little sister and brother back for family camp. John and Malcy Beardy, who pastor the Native church in Thunder Bay, have joined us also. I’m very thankful for what the Lord is doing in the lives of the two brothers. They lost their dad in 2005 in a plane crash. The older came in very withdrawn and the young one came in with one of the angriest looks I’ve ever seen. He kept his hood up all week and wouldn’t speak much. The older one is now helping lead worship. I asked him yesterday morning what he wanted to be when he grows up. (He loves history.) He said, “I want to be a Christian.” I said, “Good answer!”

His brother also talked to me yesterday. He had begun smiling and talking. I asked him how he liked school. He didn’t like it because he spent so much time in detention. I asked why. He answered, “for beating people up.” I asked him if he had learned a different way of handling the situation. He smiled and said, “Yeah, I think I will walk away.” He is smiling and playing today.

We had a small devotional time this morning and then we will have more of a small group time tonight. We have loved our time here. We appreciate Bera and Bonita and their children and their three young counselors. God is touching lives here. We are so thankful that we got to be involved. Thank you for your prayers. I know that they made a huge difference. None of us can change hearts or light up faces. Only God can do that!!!! We are grateful to Him.

Blessings,

Wes and Sue

Awesome Thursday

2009-07-30T15:11:00.001-04:00

Hi,

I’m writing our blog early instead of late tonight as it looks like we may be able to have campfire time again tonight if the rain holds off. I wish you could have heard the stories and questions Wes and I heard today. After breakfast we began our morning with small group time. Wes began with the continuing journey of Moses, but his two little guys really wanted to know more about Jesus so the conversation took a different course. They ended their group time by inviting Jesus into their lives.

My group of girls wanted to know why God made bees that sting and leeches. They hate the leeches. So our topic changed course also and we talked about how life can be difficult but God has a plan. I read parts of Romans 8. They liked that.

I dreaded my craft time with the older boys. I didn’t think they would be too interested. They started talking about how they don’t want to leave here. We talked about their culture. They are from the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Then they began sharing personal stories. One boy lost his father in a plane crash. Another boy’s father died when he was 2. One boy lost a little brother to cancer and another lost a baby brother at birth. One boy said, “Well, I figure we just live and then die and that’s all there is.” I told them about what Jesus has in store for those who love him. Their eyes lit up.

We are going to journey into space tonight and talk about the stars God talked to Job about and then the most amazing part of all being that the One who made it all was laid in a manger, lived among ordinary people and died on a cross for them. Campfire time last night was great. Our main cook and one of the young counselors told their personal testimonies. Kids were sitting with staff and each other as if we were all family. I can hardly bear to have them leave.

Love to all,

Wes and Sue

Wednesday

2009-07-30T07:58:00.001-04:00

Good Morning,
We had a very late night last night so I'm writing this morning. We had
permission to take these pics so I'm happy to share some. I wish you could
meet each child here. A picture just doesn't convey who they are. The little
guy on the rocks is kind and gentle. The girl in the boat helped lead
worship at chapel. The boys with the baby turtle are brothers. The oldest
want to come back and work at the camp when he is older. On Monday he wasn't
sure he wanted to be here.

The camp is blessed to have Jonathan Beardy here to help this summer. He is
a fourth generation First Nations young man who the kids all look up to. At
devotions yesterday he talked about his cabin devotions the previous
evening. The kids had just received their new NIV Adventure Bibles. He said
they didn't want him reading the scriptures. They wanted to participate and
read. He started to talk to another boy and he asked Jonathan not to bother
him right then because he was busy asking Jesus to come into his life.

Last night we talked about living water and the spiritual bath that comes
with forgiveness. There were a lot of small intense faces. Camp is such a
good opportunity to have time enough to work through new thoughts and ideas.
It provides time to form bonds of trust and friendship, time to find love
and share it.

Chapel tonight is going to be about God's amazing universe, but mostly about
how He came to heal the broken hearted and bind up their wounds. One boy is
struggling because he promised to take care of his brothers and sisters, but
foster care has scattered them and now he can't keep his promise. Bonita
said a frightening thing to me last night. She said that one of the
"hazards" of coming to camp is that the kids lose their coping mechanisms.
They see that there is a different way to live and think. That can be
overwhelming. We need to pray that they take a strong grip onto Jesus' hand
to help them move forward. I wish I could stay with each one and teach, love
and encourage them through several more years. They are so creative, gentle,
exhuberant and fun. They have amazing potential to be strong leaders in
their own families and communities. But I need to trust the Lord to that He
will never leave them.

Please continue to pray for them and for us too because we have to part with
them in a couple of days.

Wes and Sue

Poland Team Day 5

2009-07-29T18:40:00.001-04:00

We just completed our fifth day of ministry in Krakow and we are all a little worn out. Our day started out with a mini-service and food distribution. The crowd was made up of drug/alcohol addicts and many people who just needed some help. Circumstances have lead them to a place that they never thought they would be in, needing help to make ends meet and to feed their families. We shared some songs and then shared from our hearts and then gave them bags of food to take home. It was a great chance to build a bridge to the church and tell them that God loves them.

Then we went to the park to play soccer with a group of young adults that we had met the day before and played soccer with them. We let them completely kill us in soccer so that when the time came we could invite them to some of the other events we were having this week:-) And tonight three of them showed up at the concert we did at Club Boogy Cafe! It was great to see them feel comfortable enough to come. Now we are praying that they come back to our picnic on Friday. That would be 4 separate contacts in a single week with the church! Amazing relationships that lead to building the church! Thank you for your prayers, we need them!

Tuesday Eagles Cove Update

2009-07-28T23:47:00.000-04:00

Good Evening,
It has only been two days with these 18 children, but I'm not sure how I can
part with them on Saturday. One of the advantages for Wes and I is that we
get to be more of the grandparents so we get less of the grueling work and
more of the fun. I have to say that all 18 are amazing kids - just like
you'd hear from a grandparent.

We began the morning with small groups. I have three little girls and Wes
has two of the smallest and cutest boys. One of the girls in my group is an
imp but a born leader. We pray that she will let the Lord lead her.

Wes then went to the climbing rocks to belay a boys cabin. And a girls cabin
and I hunted for articles in the bush to build our craft. Wes and I
relearned how to play volleyball. We can't remember why we thought we were
too old to relate to kids. We are having so much fun!!!

The camp is well organized. There is archery, a paint ball area, belaying on
the rocks, canoeing, swimming, crafts and sports. It is all timed and
organized by cabins. We have small groups in the morning and chapel in the
evening.

I got another great joy this evening. We talked about Jesus being the light
of the world and how we need to walk with Him. We wrote each child's name in
their Bibles and gave them their new lamps to guide them on their walks.
They were excited and wondered if they could read them right away. They
opened them up and saw their names. They hugged them.

These children have truly been delightful. Please pray for them!!! I am
captured by their warm hearts, enthusiasm and potential leadership skills.

Now I'll quit jabbering and let Wes talk.

Sue

Hi,
The two boys in my small group have captured my heart. One of the boys had
read the Bible story for our small group and discussed it knowledgeably.
The boys climbed the rock wall like Spiderman. Coming back down was OK for
most except the smallest. He was so light that he just bounced back down.
I had to hustle to keep up with the rope for him. Sue's message connected
well with all the children again this evening. It is a wonderful privilege
to share the Word with them.

Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated. We had a lot of rain late
afternoon that has not let up. Please pray for a lot less rain.
Wes

Poland team at the boogie club

2009-07-28T15:06:00.000-04:00

Great Day!

2009-07-27T23:42:00.001-04:00

Good Evening,
We had a great day! Our challenge today was to help the kids feel safe.
Many are in foster care and may be suffering from abandonment issues.
Mondays are a challenge within themselves because of uncertainty with new
volunteer staff and campers who don't know each other. (I'm simply repeating
what we've been taught. I've been sort of clueless.) I was a little
apprehensive, but we connected with a lot of the kids and had a good time
with them. There are so many precious children here!!

We had active participation in chapel tonight. We were talking about our
Creator and all of their favourite things that He made. They were very
intent on the message of Jesus being our Creator. We won't be able to send
many pictures of children because of the restrictions for their safety.
Please pray for a young man named Brett. He said his dad died recently and
he looks like he could use some loving care.

Tomorrow will hold more challenges. Staff devotions begin at 7 am. Then we
go until evening. Wes is helping with the belaying tomorrow for a couple of
hours. I've included a picture of the rock cliff they are climbing. He could
use some prayers for strength and energy. The climb up to the climbing rock
is a climb in itself. Then he supervises a few hours of archery and sports.
I am helping with crafts and hikes. We also have small groups of 2-3 kids
for small group time every morning, and then I do chapel at night. Wes is
my tech roady.

Please pray for Bera and Bonita. I have no idea how they do what they do.
They need strength, reliable volunteers, and finances. They are making
positive inroads into the Native communities. Their four children are a huge
help to the camp. I don't know what we'd do without their strength and know
how. They also have a friend helping from B.C. and Jonathan Beardy from
Thunder Bay. His dad pastors a Native church here. I admire these young men.
Tarika, is also a big help with the girls.

Thank you for your prayers for us too. I experienced one of my dreams come
true tonight. I got to see all those little First Nations faces soaking in
the gospel and actively participating. I feel your prayers. Thank you so
much. Tomorrow's chapel topic is "Let there be Light. We're going to talk
about what makes the world a dark place, but Jesus is the light of the
world. I'll let you know how it goes.

Love and good night,
Sue

Team at the Krakow castle!

2009-07-27T17:04:00.000-04:00

Poland Update #2

2009-07-27T10:39:00.001-04:00

We have met with the church that we are working with while here in
Krakow and are really excites aboutour work this week. We start
tonight by blitzing the town square with invitations to a concert wr
are hosting at the end of the week. Krakow is amazing! Pray that we
build relationships this week that will lead to salvations and
building the church!

Arriving at Eagles Cove

2009-07-27T00:16:00.000-04:00

Good Evening,
All of the team arrived at Eagle's Cove today. Some of the team came from
Paris Ontario and some from Alberta. It always amazes me that we can feel
like family when we hardly know each other. We are looking forward to the
week ahead. The four young men in the picture are our "mighty hunters".
There is a bear on the property, but I think they mostly caught
marshmallows. We settled in for a hot dog roast for supper as the team
arrived at different times. The children arrive tomorrow. Bera said that we
will have the more children this week than they've had all summer.

We are grateful to be here. Thank you for your prayers. I thought of asking
for prayer for this and that, but I don't even know yet what to pray for so
please just visit with the Lord and let Him direct you.

God bless you all and goodnight,
Wes and Sue

Journey to Thunder Bay

2009-07-26T09:48:00.001-04:00

Good Morning,
We endured a difficult (smile) "mission" journey. We suffered beautiful
scenery. Our take-out table was noisy. We were simply a boring curiosity to
the bush inhabitants and my team was rather unruly.

Seriously, we have felt very spoiled by our Father. We've thoroughly enjoyed
the beauty and quiet of the North.
Love to all,
Sue (and my unruly team too)

Poland Team Update #1

2009-07-26T04:59:00.001-04:00

We just arrived in London at Heathrow Airport and decided to grab some good English breakfast and smoothies. We'll wait a few more hours and then hop on a plane to Warsaw. In Warsaw we'll wait another five hours and then get on the last plane of the day to Krakow, our final destination. We'd post some pictures, but we're all looking pretty scary after only getting about two hours of sleep!

UP Vancouver Update: July 23

2009-07-24T00:59:00.001-04:00

Ready For Our Last Day
Last night we went to Granville Island, and tonight we split up. Half of the team hit Metrotown Mall with 500 stores, the other half hung out at the National Exhibition place on the pier.
Friday will be our last day of camp.
Each of our teams have decided to use some of our team money to give the leaders a gift.
It’s been a great week and we’re excited to see what God does to close the week off with a few specific kids we have connected with.

UP Vancouver Update: July 22

2009-07-22T14:40:00.001-04:00

Capilano and More Camp Fun
Yesterday was our first full day of camps at the three different sites.
Camp Peace has 150 screaming kids.
Camp Hope works with 35 kids in Surrey
Camp Grace has about 100 kids in a tough neighbourhood.
We’re all having unique experiences, and we’re believing that God has set us up to be at the camp we’re at.

Last night we went to the Capilano Swing Bridge as well.
Everyone had a blast – even the team members who were afraid of heights.
:)

UP Vancouver Update: July 21

2009-07-21T02:09:00.001-04:00

Devos on the Mountain
After an awesome day with the kids at Splash Down Park we did our devo’s on top of the mountain at Deep Cove

UP Vancouver: First Night

2009-07-20T10:48:00.002-04:00

Last night we did our devo’s watching the sunset over the mountains
Today we’re taking the UP campers to Splash Down Park

UP Vancouver: We're Here

2009-07-19T18:11:00.001-04:00

Hey hey from Vancouver
We had a safe flight and are all checked into our hotel.
Now we’re off to Stanley Park for our group orientation.

UP Vancouver Update: July 16/09

2009-07-16T13:18:00.002-04:00

Packing Is Under Way!
Our team is going through final preparations for our trip out west.
This weekend we’ll be packing and planning for an amazing week of camp.
Be praying for a smooth check in at the airport, a safe flight, and a great orientation time at UP.

urban promise: vancouver

2009-07-16T08:23:00.005-04:00

july 18-25, 2009

our team will be working with Urban Promise Vancouver to run three different locations of camp for inner-city kids. the team consists of 12 youth and young adults who are passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children.

team members: rick, amanda, linda, kristen, andrew, melody, linnea, caitlin, jessica, amy, jhoanna, wilson

pray for:

safety as we travel

follow the UPVancouver team on twitter, either to the right or here.

eagle's cove camp

2009-07-16T08:18:00.001-04:00

july 23-august 5

wes & sue carlisle are serving at eagles cove camp, north of thunder bay, for a week of kids camp and three days of family camp. eagles cove’s vision is to minister primarily to first nations people.

pray for God’s wisdom and anointing as they share the good news of our awesome Creator.

krakow, poland

2009-07-16T08:15:00.007-04:00

july 25-august 2, 2009

the team going to krakow, poland is a group of ten people, mostly young adults, going to assist with a church plant in the city.

team members: erynne, jeremy, joash, johnny, jordan, josh, laura, nour, qba & suzi.

please pray for:

safe travel

follow the poland team on twitter here.

urban promise: toronto

2009-07-16T08:14:00.001-04:00

august 10-14, 2009

details to come.

team members: andrew, kate, andrew, anna, bruce, sarah, sarah, melody, stefan, josh, rachel, stephanie

about PORTICO serve

2009-06-16T05:30:00.002-04:00

Do you…

have a desire to serve?
feel that you could be utilizing your gifts and talents more effectively?
want someone to accompany you on this journey of discovery?

At PORTICO we are committed to not only serving our church, but also our community, country and the nations of the world.

Serve is an equipping ministry whose goal is to help individuals express their gifts and talents in areas in they are passionate about.

Our commitment is that you will be supported in knowing that there is a venue where you can receive ongoing encouragement as well as the opportunity to honor Christ through your strengths, desires and purpose.

Find out more about how you can get involved here.