Some final reflections

Well, the team is recovering from the trip today and I know feel tired, but spiritually renewed.

Without a doubt, Mission Quebec 2009 was one of the most fruitful trips I have ever experienced. The team was a blessing with every part doing it's job (just like the body of Christ is suppose too). The only attitude was the "mind of Christ" and service was the result.

Our blog master Alex will be retiring his pen for this year's trip but look for him again next year.

Our photographers and co-writers, Sydney, Adria, Amanda, Jim, and the rest will be relaxing their flashing for a spell. And the rest of the team will be waiting for another opportunity to share the Love of Jesus wherever He leads. My special thanks to all our prayer warriors who supported us. (You were a big part of our success). My thanks to all those who took the time to write comments. (We all were encouraged when we read them.) And my sincere thanks to those who donated to assist us. (All the funds and materials were used for His Glory)

And yes... "Greater things are still to be done...in Quebec" He IS the God this Area!

God Bless America, God Bless Canada...

PG

Returning Home...

Wow, what a time it has been up here! Although it's hard to say goodbye to the missionary life, as well as the many friends that we've made over the week, it's always a good feeling to come back home.

Today, we had the privilege of worshipping the Lord at the church of Jacques Avakian, and what an amazing time that was! We held an open prayer requests forum, where each team member got together with a member of the church, and simply prayed for them, whatever their needs may be. The church may have been small, but there is no doubt that they have strength in unity!

Afterwards, we were headed home, and are still on the way, stopping only for sleep. Tomorrow, we will be back home with you, our beloved friends and family. Let me speak for all of the team, and say thank you so much for everything you have done for us, whether it be prayer, or donations, or organization, or simply offering words of encouragement. Reading your comments gave us the energy to complete the tasks God set before us. So thank you, all of you, for all that you continue to do. Keep praying that we will return home safely, and pray that God will give us the words to share with you all, as we give our mission report upon our return!

I'm Making a Note Here: "HUGE SUCCESS!"

It's hard to overstate my satisfaction. This day has been made of pure awesomeness! Here are some photos to show you:

Arabic Picnic Team Quick Update

Caleb makes "another" balloon animal....

Roasted Lamb for Dinner!!!!!!!

Our Youth team leads in Praise and Worship

"How Great is our God...Sing with me"

Pastor Garry and Precious Peu

Our Group and the Arabic Church of Laval

Here are some pictures from today's picnic with the Arabic Church of Laval.

Enjoy! We are now off to worship with the Youth of the Church! Be in Prayer for

our team as we lead in Worship and sharing the Word.

Lots of Work, Still Having Fun!

We're gearing up for our final, and most productive day here in Canada!

Construction Team left at 9 AM, bright and early, to finish the work they had been laboring upon for three days. They finished the loft for Pastor Vinning, and instead of completing the fence, like they were planning on, they were asked instead to install a ladder to make access to the loft easier, and a gate to keep his son (with Brittle Bone Disorder) protected from falls. Next, they hung a bike rack, organized a shelf (or two), and reconstructed a tool rack. Finally, they had to sort and pack all the tools they had brought for shipment home, and said their farewells to the Vinning family.

The Spanish Team and the Prayer Team, well, teamed up to assist Pastor Francois Verschelden in preparing for the corn-on-the-cob block party tomorrow, which included landscaping, collecting supplies, handing out information/invitations, and constructing tents. Midway through the work, six members left to aid Pastor Ron Young in preparation for the Multicultural Fair tomorrow. Shelters were built, information was handed out, and various other pre-fair items were accomplished.

Tennis Team worked with Pastor Timothy Im once more, and saw the group increase to 8 people! They talked tennis, and Pastor Im invited the group to English Lessons later that night, as well as shared the Gospel with them. Three other Chinese immigrants were invited to join the "tennis club," as well as invited to the English Lessons. (Pastor Im is a "super-terrific guy," and really great to work with, the group wishes you all to know.) The English Lessons had equal success, with music by James Taylor and The Beatles being played, as well as "Jesus Loves Me," among other smash hits. They taught the story of the Good Samaritan, and shared what it meant to be children of God. The group asked a lot of really good questions, and wished to know how they could have everlasting life, and how they could be adopted children of God. Pastor Garry believes that several of the group are close to accepting Christ; pray it will be so!

Since all of the groups were busy all day long, there weren't many pictures taken. However, we will share the ones we have, just for you.

(Pastor Lon Vinning and his lovely family)

Amazing Day Three

Wow. Just wow. We wish you could all just be here with us witnessing the miracles that God is performing!

It was the last day of the Spanish Day Camp, which meant a celebration for the Spanish Team, in appreciation of all the work they had done. An awards ceremony was held, and the Team was presented with a special certificate of appreciation, as well as a poster signed by all the children, thanking them for their help. One of the kids, Josuecito Rivera Nobel (Josh), accepted Christ today, which just also happened to be his 15th birthday! Yesterday, one other girl Daniela accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Our final lesson was about trust, we did a short skit using two puppets, Peter and Noah, from the Bible. We demonstrated the show of our lack of trust of God through the use of a trick with water. Caleb and Daniel also led them in the songs This is the Day, Hallelujah, and How great is our God. Following the puppet skit and singing, Caleb gave the invitation by using a story of whether or not you have a ticket to heaven.

Construction Team left the hotel about 9 AM, and went over to Pastor Vinning's house. Half of the team worked on building Pastor Vinning's loft, which took up most of the day. Brandon and Kaleb (Pastor Vinning's son) worked on putting together a tent for the family's backyard, and constructed a horseshoes court.

The Prayer Team was delayed for a little while, but came back on course soon enough. They visited Renaissance Bible Church, outside of Quebec, and had the opportunity to have lunch with their pastor, Ron Young, and his friend, Jacques. Pastor Young had been clearing out a plot of land he had purchased to build a new house on, and was burning brush when we arrived. However, this did not hinder us, for a picnic table was close by for us to have lunch on. Pastor Young also gave us a prayer request, that the community's negative view of Christians be changed with the upcoming Multicultural Fair, from hostile to friendly.

No report yet from English Classes, as they were in session as this blog was being written!

As always, we leave you with pictures of our adventures in His holy name...

Mission Day Two

Another day to serve the Lord, and another successful event.

The Spanish Team left for the second day of their camp, where they broke back into the Rojo and Azul teams, and started singing Spanish songs that represented the Bible story of the day (Cain and Abel and the Prodigal Son). Caleb and Daniel led the kids in English songs, This Is The Day, How Great Is Our God, and Hallelujah. They later went to the park, where the team led recreation through a soccer game, and each game represented the importance of trusting each other and trusting in God.

The Construction Team cleared out the garage to make space for Pastor Vinning's new loft area, and planned the full construction job for immediate work tomorrow. Not much else was accomplished, due to lack of time.

While the Construction Team continued their works, a small group of us went prayerwalking around a local park. We praised God for giving us such a beautiful day to work for Him, and continued to pray for each mission team, as well as for God to sweep all of Canada with a miracle for His glory.

Later on, everyone met up for a picnic on Mont Royal, followed by a few hours of relaxation and recreation in Old Montreal.

After the trip to Old Montreal, another group got together at Pastor Timothy Im's house, where they had conversations in English to a group of Chinese-speaking immigrants. The purpose in having conversations was not only to improve their English, but to also form relationships with these people in hopes of allowing them to have the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Jesus. One of the Chinese students even came from the tennis clinic Jonathan and Kevin held earlier in the day!

Again, pictures tell the stories much better than words can, and we praise God for giving this opportunity to share them with you!

Day One of Mission Work

After a great night's sleep, we awoke to another day that the Lord had made for us to bring Him glory, and we wasted no time getting to work! The team for the Spanish Day Camp left early, and the Construction/Prayerwalking team deployed a short time later to Pastor Lon Vinning's house.

The Spanish team broke into two groups upon arrival (Group Rojo/Group Azul), and each took a group of kids. Said groups had a "praise song fight," in which the teams tried to be the loudest singers for praise songs. Later, they taught the kids about prodigal son, and did arts and crafts. After lunch, they went to the park where they played a multitude of games, including one where they ran around shouting a bible verse (John 14:6) in Spanish.

The construction and prayerwalking teams traveled to Pastor Lon Vinning's house where Pastor Lon explained how he came to serve in Montreal and he gave prayer requests to the prayerwalking team. After a wonderful snack, the prayerwalkers set out on their way to pray for the neighborhood and the construction team surveyed the construction site and determined schematics and necessary supplies necessary to complete the job. they decided that anti-disestablishmentarianism was to blame. (More on that story as it develops...)

The Prayerwalking team proceeded to parade about the neighborhood praying for specific homes, and for their relationships with the Vinning family to begin, if they hadn't already, and to grow endlessly over time.

After prayerwalking and construction team surveys, we met Francois Verschelden and we were able to conduct surveys from some of the people around Montreal in order to help Francois in church planting. Then, the Spanish team met us and the adults went to dinner at a missionary Baker Hill's house while the youth went to get pizza at Pizzadelic with Francois' sons, Sam and Tony.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so we leave you tonight with photos of our works in the name of God, for His eternal glory.

(Extending our tents for God with "Tent Pegs.")

(We are all hard at work, as you can tell.)

The Mission Officially Begins...

Bienvenue au Canada, et à la province de Québec!

We have successfully crossed over into Canada (quite smoothly, might we add), checked into our lovely hotel, and are now resting up for the mission works tomorrow, which include light construction, a Spanish Day Camp, and prayerwalking.

Continue to pray for us as we "officially" begin the Mission in Quebec tomorrow. We request that you pray that God will give us the patience to deal with delays and setbacks, courage that we may openly share the Gospel with people who may just not speak proper English, the strength and endurance needed to complete whatever task God sets before us, and the wisdom to answer any and all inquiries that may come our way, even if they are our own.

Thank you so much for your support; God is surely listening to and answering your prayers!



(HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHERYL!!)

Getting Ready to Cross Over Now...

(From left to right) Jeffery, Caleb, and Kevin in the Midwood van, getting ready to cross the USA-Canada border...

Update: August 9 (and 10)

After being on the road for what seemed to be an endless, albeit fun time, we finally made it to the Wingate Hotel in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Though we had a few troubles checking in, the manager remembered us from last year, and even recalled the moment of prayer that he and Pastor Garry shared that morning, one year ago. Here is just another proven fact that God changes lives, even in the simplest of ways.

It's about 12:30 AM right now, and almost everyone is tired beyond words. Pray that we may have enough energy to begin the tasks set before us as we cross the border into Canada later today. Your prayers are what's keeping us going!

On the Road Again...

Keep the team in your prayers
as we begin the 16 plus hour drive to Quebec!
Leaving Sunday August 9th after Church services
the team will depart from 2 different locations
to meet up in Roanoke, Virginia as we continue our journey.
God is up to something great and we are honored to be a part.
Pray for traveling mercies as we get "on the road again".

Friday August 7th Final Devotional Thought

God has chosen His team and “blessed” us
and “dressed” us in His Armor for battle
as we have gone to Him in Prayer.
Our hearts and our hands are
ready, willing and able by His Spirit.
"He" is the God of this City!
There is no one like our God!
We are His servants!

When I was at “The Citadel” (1972-1976)
at the end of the Vietnam war era,
we were taught to always have a “battle plan”.
I guess that is the reason, I tend to “over plan” at times.
But as I have grown older physically and spiritually,
I have become “positively flexible”
as God changes my heart to His,
and my plans to His! I still pray, plan, and proceed,
but I always have my eyes, ears, and spirit
open to the Lord’s leading.
I know you all will too!

So let’s get ready to go to “battle” team.
Get dressed daily and be ready to flex when necessary.
Put on each piece with "prayer".
God has our “back” as I heard one brother say recently.
That is why the armor is place in the front
as we advance into “battle”.

Load up Team, It is time to go! And all the tanks are full!
Fully protected, Full of power, Full of peace, Full of His presence!
There is no one like You God!
You are the God of Quebec!
Pastor Garry

Daily Devotional - Thursday, August 6

Isn't is exciting to know that we have everything we need to live a godly, victorious Christian life? God in His infinite, merciful wisdom provided EVERYTHING!!!

However, for this to be possible we must do our part. We must daily spend time in the Word, time in prayer, we must put on the WHOLE armor of God. In thinking about this whole armor thing I've realized that there are some days when I may leave a piece or two off.

Am I totally honest in every way every day? (Belt of Truth)
Do I react rather than respond with my emotions? (Breastplate of Righteousness)
Do I quickly make amends when I have offended or am offended? (Shoes of the Gospel of Peace)
Do I believe that I can totally trust Jesus in and for all things? (Shield of Faith)
Do I understand my salvation? (Helmet of Salvation)
Am I spending time in the Word every day? (Sword of the Spirit)

If I can't answer yes to each of these questions every day then I am not putting on the complete armor. What do you think would happen to a soldier if he went into battle without everything he needed to fight? Each day we don't put on our armor totally and completely we are setting ourselves up for a fall. I want to challenge you to pray on the complete armor each and every day in order that we can STAND- stand our ground and stand firm.

My prayer today is that each of us will be totally covered by the precious armor we have been so graciously given. That we will use it to the fullest so we can STAND. Have you put your whole armor on today?? Have you praised and thanked our ABBA Father for this incredible provision today?

I am so excited to be serving our Lord on this journey with you!!

- Cheryl Baldwin