Cinnamon was working all night and had our car. I was at home with all four kids for the night while Cinnamon was working 7PM to 7AM. Baby Clay had a stinky, and I was out of diapers.
It was then that I realized that we would have to make the 1 mile trek to Sobey's Grocery in
-20F on foot.
I put baby Clay in his carrier and put Anna on my shoulders. Had Grace and Ivy start walking and we went on our way to fetch the diapers.
They did not enjoy the cold. Grace is old enough now to realize that Daddy is an idiot sometimes. She, however, was sweet and didn't say what she felt.
We made it to the Sobey's and the kids were freezing. We bought the diapers and a snack and I decided to call a cab for our return trip. Grace smiled.
Ali was the cab driver. I had seen Ali before but could not remember where. Ali takes us home and I tell him about why we are in Fort Mac.
He is friendly, but quiet as I talk. He then sees where we live and perks up. He said, "You live here?" "Your the man who lives here?" "I know you, you helped me. I was cold on my first morning here, and you helped me. You scraped my windows when I didn't have a scrapper."
It was then that I realized that I had scraped this man's windows one day as I left my house walking to the bus stop. I stopped and scraped his windows with my newly bought scraper and then walked off. Ali said "We know you. We don't know your name. But we know where you live and we have heard how nice you are. We like you." By we, Ali was referring to the large population of African Muslim cab drivers in Fort McMurray.
Please pray that I would continue to shine the light of Christ in small, impactful, ways. Please pray that Ali and his friends would experience freedom and hope in Yahweh and that the Father would send workers for the African Muslim cab driver field.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Supper Time
19 People over for supper, stay 6 hours, connect with us and each other.
Laughs all around, food for an army, connecting with each other, talking about kids, life, love, God, and making plans to meet again.
A month or so ago we had a family with three kids over that I met on the mymcmurray.com website. Brad and Katy came over again last Saturday and really connected with everyone else.
The Kavanaugh's, who we had come over last week individually, came over as well. They had a good time and really enjoyed talking with everyone else.
Nick, the former youth minister (who has been ministering with us for a few months), came over with his cousin and really did a good job of connecting with everyone.
The Frazier's, a couple that have been ministering with us for a few months, also came over and helped connect people.
All 6 of our family, and the 19 other people from 4 other families connected really well. They stayed about 6 hours and left saying things like "Wow, it is so good to have friends again, we haven't made any friends in Fort Mac until now." Cinnamon and I and the kids had connected with everyone individually, but this was the first time that everyone else got to connect with each other.
Please pray that these people will continue to form up relationships with each other as we share Christ's gift of eternal life and abundant living with them.
Laughs all around, food for an army, connecting with each other, talking about kids, life, love, God, and making plans to meet again.
A month or so ago we had a family with three kids over that I met on the mymcmurray.com website. Brad and Katy came over again last Saturday and really connected with everyone else.
The Kavanaugh's, who we had come over last week individually, came over as well. They had a good time and really enjoyed talking with everyone else.
Nick, the former youth minister (who has been ministering with us for a few months), came over with his cousin and really did a good job of connecting with everyone.
The Frazier's, a couple that have been ministering with us for a few months, also came over and helped connect people.
All 6 of our family, and the 19 other people from 4 other families connected really well. They stayed about 6 hours and left saying things like "Wow, it is so good to have friends again, we haven't made any friends in Fort Mac until now." Cinnamon and I and the kids had connected with everyone individually, but this was the first time that everyone else got to connect with each other.
Please pray that these people will continue to form up relationships with each other as we share Christ's gift of eternal life and abundant living with them.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Small Things, Big Difference
The warmth of a Christmas café ministers to the Chairman of the bank, encourages him
as he shares about Christ with our guests.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
I was recently asked for more detail about what I do and as I was writing the response, I thought it would be a good thing to share with you as well.
As Executive Assistant for Krysha it comes to me to help take care of a lot of the behind the scene details of the ministry. My job description likens my ministry to that of Barnabas, whose ministry "more often than not was to encourage those who were around him. He did not draw attention to himself. But it is quite possible that if Barnabas was not around the ministries of such great men of faith as Apostle Paul or Gospel writer Mark would not be the same." Many of the things I do in ministry may appear like very simple tasks, but without someone doing the multitude of small, simple tasks- the ministry would not be as effective.
For example, we recently held a Christmas Cafe. Eighty people came to hear and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas- the good news that entered this world with the birth of Jesus Christ!
For many, this was the first time they celebrated Christmas or even considered for a moment the significance of it. We worked for close to a month in preparing for this Café. I worked to secure the space for the café, worked with our volunteer leaders to make sure we were getting invitations out, and made sure that all the little details were ready by the time the Cafe came around. Our leadership team works together to plan any event we have, as well as to divide up responsibilities among the all the leaders, but as it is my job to "oversee the operations and communications of the movement," I work to continually fill in the cracks and keep the ball rolling.
At the Christmas Cafe, we were to have three people from the ministry to share about Christmas and Christ, one of them was Sergei Alekseivich Brovkin. Sergei Alekseivich is Chairman of the Board of Mercedes Benz Bank in Russia and DeputyChairman of Gelnic-M Investment Company and is actively involved in one of our small group Bible studies. Needless to say amidst the economic crisis, this is a man who spent a lot of time in his office these last few months. He juggles many responsibilities and it amazes me that despite it all this, he still finds the time to come to one of our small group Bible Studies.
That particular night though after getting stuck in traffic and then getting lost trying to find the Christian Center in the cold, he arrived for the Cafe a bit late and worn out. Despite having such a hard day and time getting there, he told us that once he arrived - his mood immediately lifted as he found himself surrounded by the warm glow of Christmas lights, the enveloping sound of Christmas worship and the open embrace of fellowship. When we thanked him for taking the time to come and share he kept saying: “You have no idea how much you ministered to me that night.” There is a myriad of details that had to be taken care of in order for Sergei Alekseivich to be ministered to and then in turn minister to others as he spoke to the group. It was my joy to ensure that all of those details behind the scenes are taken care of to help make this happen.
Among the large group in attendance was Vanya. Vanya is a young man who does not know Christ, but who attends one of our small group Bible studies regularly. He is studying to be an architect and like many students in Russia already finds himself working in the market place, earning invaluable experience in his profession that will ensure him getting a better job once he graduates in a year. I was excited to not only see Vanya there, but to see he had invited a friend from the university! It was a great opportunity for this young man and his friend to hear the Gospel! Vanya's friend really enjoyed the evening and I am praying that she will begin coming to small group with Vanya to learn more about Christ.
The Krysha ministry consists of two full-time staff who work to challenge and equip volunteers in our ministry to share the Gospel with everyone in their sphere of influence. For Sergei Alekseivich, that would directly include 300 people working in Russia's top banking and investment circles and indirectly heads of major businesses and government leaders- people I would never have the opportunity to develop a relationship and share the Gospel with. For Vanya, his sphere of influence reaches into his university classrooms and social circle of friends- and even with Vanya not knowing Christ himself, he has already shown how he can share the positive influence of Christ by bringing his friend to the Christmas Cafe. So while renting venues for our ministry events, working with our volunteer leaders, baking and decorating 12 dozen Christmas cookies, and making sure all the coffee pots are full and the tea kettles hot may not sound like the most exciting aspect of ministry to many- it is an essential part and one for which God has gifted me wonderfully! Even more importantly, without those little details our events like the Christmas Café would not have the same depth and warmth that breaks the barriers for many who hear the Gospel for the first time.
I hope this gives you a small glimpse of what it is I do. Please feel free to ask me any questions.
Serving Christ,
Angela
as he shares about Christ with our guests.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
I was recently asked for more detail about what I do and as I was writing the response, I thought it would be a good thing to share with you as well.
As Executive Assistant for Krysha it comes to me to help take care of a lot of the behind the scene details of the ministry. My job description likens my ministry to that of Barnabas, whose ministry "more often than not was to encourage those who were around him. He did not draw attention to himself. But it is quite possible that if Barnabas was not around the ministries of such great men of faith as Apostle Paul or Gospel writer Mark would not be the same." Many of the things I do in ministry may appear like very simple tasks, but without someone doing the multitude of small, simple tasks- the ministry would not be as effective.
For example, we recently held a Christmas Cafe. Eighty people came to hear and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas- the good news that entered this world with the birth of Jesus Christ!
For many, this was the first time they celebrated Christmas or even considered for a moment the significance of it. We worked for close to a month in preparing for this Café. I worked to secure the space for the café, worked with our volunteer leaders to make sure we were getting invitations out, and made sure that all the little details were ready by the time the Cafe came around. Our leadership team works together to plan any event we have, as well as to divide up responsibilities among the all the leaders, but as it is my job to "oversee the operations and communications of the movement," I work to continually fill in the cracks and keep the ball rolling.
At the Christmas Cafe, we were to have three people from the ministry to share about Christmas and Christ, one of them was Sergei Alekseivich Brovkin. Sergei Alekseivich is Chairman of the Board of Mercedes Benz Bank in Russia and DeputyChairman of Gelnic-M Investment Company and is actively involved in one of our small group Bible studies. Needless to say amidst the economic crisis, this is a man who spent a lot of time in his office these last few months. He juggles many responsibilities and it amazes me that despite it all this, he still finds the time to come to one of our small group Bible Studies.
That particular night though after getting stuck in traffic and then getting lost trying to find the Christian Center in the cold, he arrived for the Cafe a bit late and worn out. Despite having such a hard day and time getting there, he told us that once he arrived - his mood immediately lifted as he found himself surrounded by the warm glow of Christmas lights, the enveloping sound of Christmas worship and the open embrace of fellowship. When we thanked him for taking the time to come and share he kept saying: “You have no idea how much you ministered to me that night.” There is a myriad of details that had to be taken care of in order for Sergei Alekseivich to be ministered to and then in turn minister to others as he spoke to the group. It was my joy to ensure that all of those details behind the scenes are taken care of to help make this happen.
Among the large group in attendance was Vanya. Vanya is a young man who does not know Christ, but who attends one of our small group Bible studies regularly. He is studying to be an architect and like many students in Russia already finds himself working in the market place, earning invaluable experience in his profession that will ensure him getting a better job once he graduates in a year. I was excited to not only see Vanya there, but to see he had invited a friend from the university! It was a great opportunity for this young man and his friend to hear the Gospel! Vanya's friend really enjoyed the evening and I am praying that she will begin coming to small group with Vanya to learn more about Christ.
The Krysha ministry consists of two full-time staff who work to challenge and equip volunteers in our ministry to share the Gospel with everyone in their sphere of influence. For Sergei Alekseivich, that would directly include 300 people working in Russia's top banking and investment circles and indirectly heads of major businesses and government leaders- people I would never have the opportunity to develop a relationship and share the Gospel with. For Vanya, his sphere of influence reaches into his university classrooms and social circle of friends- and even with Vanya not knowing Christ himself, he has already shown how he can share the positive influence of Christ by bringing his friend to the Christmas Cafe. So while renting venues for our ministry events, working with our volunteer leaders, baking and decorating 12 dozen Christmas cookies, and making sure all the coffee pots are full and the tea kettles hot may not sound like the most exciting aspect of ministry to many- it is an essential part and one for which God has gifted me wonderfully! Even more importantly, without those little details our events like the Christmas Café would not have the same depth and warmth that breaks the barriers for many who hear the Gospel for the first time.
I hope this gives you a small glimpse of what it is I do. Please feel free to ask me any questions.
Serving Christ,
Angela
Monday, January 12, 2009
Froze our buns off, pray for God's guidance!
We just got through with a bad idea for the winter up here: giving away free hot dogs in -35F weather.
The buns actually froze before I could give them to people. Believe it or not people do not want to stop and eat a frozen hot dog served up by a big bald headed Texan with two of his elementary aged girls yelling "Daddy. I'm cold. Dadddddy I'm sooo cooold. I'm uh..uh..uh (sounds of weeping) cooold." So we are back to the drawing board on ideas to connect with new people during the winter months. Please pray for God's guidance. The Spirit truly wants to see many come to Him. Please pray that we would discern His strategy for reaching this fast growing city.
Prayer List
We have connected with so many people these last five months. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would draw these ones we have connected with and that they will bow their heart to our Saviour soon.
The buns actually froze before I could give them to people. Believe it or not people do not want to stop and eat a frozen hot dog served up by a big bald headed Texan with two of his elementary aged girls yelling "Daddy. I'm cold. Dadddddy I'm sooo cooold. I'm uh..uh..uh (sounds of weeping) cooold." So we are back to the drawing board on ideas to connect with new people during the winter months. Please pray for God's guidance. The Spirit truly wants to see many come to Him. Please pray that we would discern His strategy for reaching this fast growing city.
Prayer List
We have connected with so many people these last five months. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would draw these ones we have connected with and that they will bow their heart to our Saviour soon.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Hays Community Church Update:
We have had some really cool things happen this past month. HCC now has 16 families (52 people), and for the month of December we averaged 39 in attendance on Sundays. On one of those Sundays we had 59 people, and they were all in one house. It was crazy, but it was crazy good. The last Sunday of December we were able to baptize 3. We hope you enjoy the pics of the baptism. It was a great night of celebration. As we look back on 2008 we just rejoice in the Lord and praise His Name. 70% of the people who make up our church had no church home before HCC, and 60% have had virtually no church background. We have had 11 this past year publicly declare their allegiance to Christ by being baptized. We are very excited as we start the new year. Where there was no life, the Holy Spirit has breathed life. On January 11th, we will go from one house church to two. We ask that you pray for this transition, and we ask that you pray that God would continue to bring folks to us who are without hope so they may find the true Hope which is Jesus Christ.
Prayer Requests:
We are so excited about all that God is doing here in Kyle. As you pray for us, we ask you to praise the Lord for His faithfulness to our family and to HCC. Like we mentioned in the letter, please be in prayer for our transition to two house churches on Sunday, January 11th. The forces of darkness have already been at work to come against us as we multiply, but we take heart because we know that God is more powerful than our enemy. Like always, we ask you to pray that we would abide in Jesus. We cannot do anything without Him. Thanks so much for praying.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
Galatians 6:9 has really been on our heart recently. It says:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
We thank you for your faithfulness in giving to our church plant and in praying for us. Through God’s strength and your support, we have not given up, and God is allowing us to reap a harvest. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Prayer Requests:
We are so excited about all that God is doing here in Kyle. As you pray for us, we ask you to praise the Lord for His faithfulness to our family and to HCC. Like we mentioned in the letter, please be in prayer for our transition to two house churches on Sunday, January 11th. The forces of darkness have already been at work to come against us as we multiply, but we take heart because we know that God is more powerful than our enemy. Like always, we ask you to pray that we would abide in Jesus. We cannot do anything without Him. Thanks so much for praying.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
Galatians 6:9 has really been on our heart recently. It says:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
We thank you for your faithfulness in giving to our church plant and in praying for us. Through God’s strength and your support, we have not given up, and God is allowing us to reap a harvest. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
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