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DEAR FRIENDS AND FAMILY,

REFLECTION

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
(Psalm 18:2)
The Bible is full of references to God as our Rock. I had the privilege of sharing a sermon on this theme at Ross Road Community Church in August.
Because God is our Rock, we can build our lives on Him. And when we build our lives on Him...

  • we can find strength
  • we can find refuge from our enemies
  • we learn to trust Him more
  • we can stand firm when things around us are shaky, confusing or even hopeless. 

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:24-27 about building our lives on something solid; so that when the rains come and the waters rise, and storms come in our lives, our lives won't come crashing down. God is our solid rock. He is someone we can trust, for His ways are higher than our own.
What are you building your life on? The trials and testings that come our way (and they will come!) show us what we're standing on. I encourage you to spend some time reflecting on Psalm 18 and Matthew 7 over the next few days.

MASP

MASP stands for Mutual Aid Sharing Plan. As the member rep for Multiply, I travelled to Pennsylvania Aug. 28-31 and took part in the annual meeting. The MASP makes it possible for our missionaries and US staff to have good medical insurance. The meetings took place in the MCC Welcoming Place in Akron, PA. Not only is this setting in Amish country very beautiful, but the relational aspect of being with this group of men and women from 19 other member organizations was very encouraging (and I'm also thankful for safe travels!).

RMN

The RMN (Risk Management Network) is another group that I'm part of in my role at Multiply. The RMN meets twice a year, and I try to attend at least one of these meetings each year (my last one was in March 2022). This year we will be meeting in Colorado Springs Sept. 11-13, but I will be leaving already on Sept. 8th so I can spend a few days with my sister who lives close to the meeting location.

LTM TRAINING

You may remember when I coordinated the LTM (Long Term Missionary) Training several years ago. At that time, all new missionaries moved to Abbotsford for 3-4 months of intensive training. Due to COVID, most of the training moved online, but Multiply still understands the importance of face-to-face interaction. Sept. 18 - Oct. 6 will see 9 adults (and 2 kids) participate in a shorter version of LTM Training. My role has changed over the years, so my part will be to help the missionaries understand Finances and Risk/Crisis Management.

FAMILY NEWS


Karen and Karissa started another school year on September 5th. For Karen, it's her 17th year and for Karissa, her 6th.
Karissa needed to move out of her basement suite in summer, so we are so thankful for God's provision of an apartment for her to rent that is close to her sister!
Natasha continues to develop her skills as a Graphic Designer. Finding enough work as a freelance designer can be challenging, but we are thankful for God's provision.
Over the summer, Karen and I did a lot of hosting, so it was nice to get away with Karissa and Natasha to Vancouver Island for a short getaway in the second week of August.
Karen and I will be riding 50 km in the MCC Cyclathon on September 16.

UPCOMING TRAVELS

Two trips down and four to go! Since my last newsletter, I've needed to add two more trips.

  • September 8-14 RMN Meeting in Colorado (also a great opportunity to stay with my sister!)
  • October 2-4 Interagency HR Meeting in Michigan
  • October 8-13 Security training with Tactical Evangelism in North Carolina
  • October 25-27 FOCUS Internship training in Winnipeg

PRAISE AND PRAYER

  • Praise God for safe travels and good relational connections at the LA Summit
  • Praise God for His provision of an apartment for Karissa.
  • Continue to pray for more graphic design work for Natasha.
  • Pray for Karen and Karissa as they start a new school year.
  • The next couple of months will be full of travel and meetings. Pray for Karen while I'm away and that I would have God's strength and energy.