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...
Showing posts with label team update. Show all posts
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...
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...
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...
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
