JSTM Team B has arrived back in Toronto safely!
We thank you so much for all your support through prayer during this mission trip.
Overall, the members of our team have developed a strong relationship with Christ through the unity of our team, the Gabriel Lodge has undergone major renovation, children and youth have gotten to know Christ through music and VBS and we have worked hard with all our heart to serve our almighty God.
Both team A and team B had a wonderful mission trip. Serving the Lord by serving the native people in Ouje-Bougamau and Mistissini has definitely been a privilege to all of us. Please keep Pastor Enoch Hall and Ms. Hall in your prayers, as they continue to serve the Lord- pray for protection against Satan, the use of the church, their health and safety and most importantly, their faith in the Lord!
We are so thankful that God has continued to give us this chance to serve Him, and we are anticipating the next summer already. Planning for the following year has begun, and registration will occur at the beginning of 2013. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to leave a comment or email us.
Until next year,
JSTM 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
The Last Saturday
As we ate our warm breakfast prepared by
the Kitchen Team, we realized how blessed we were to have a hot meal because
it was a cold morning. What's more, is that our God provided us with the opportunity
to witness our team come together through “thanksgiving” worship this morning,
where both the youth and adults lead worship! The words in the songs triggered many thoughts about our week at the Gabriel
Lodge.
As worship finished, we had a group reflection
from several members of our team, who shared about their experience on this
mission trip. It was so great to hear personal testimonies from the members of
our team who have experienced God’s grace during this STM. What we’ve realized,
is that sometimes we expect to give a lot during these mission trips, but we
end up receiving so much more because God loves us so much that he is willing
to bless us even though we are not worthy of his blessings.
The Children's Ministry went into Mistissini today to hold the last day of VBS. It was quite an overwhelming day, as 60 children arrived at our camp. They learned about the 5 coloured- cave through the skit, which represents God's creation, love, sin and sacrifice for us. At the end of the program, there was a calling for the children to decided to come to Christ. The hearts of the members of our team were touched when children walked up to accept Jesus as their savior. Moreover, we had the opportunity to pray for the children as well, which was definitely a blessing from God. They may be children, but their child-like faith is surely treasured by God. Afterwards, all the children and the Children's Ministry performed at the Tent Meeting for the parents. The week has been a handful but we have been able to plant a seed in each child's heart.
Lastly, the renovation team has finally finished their job at the Gabriel Lodge for the year. We hope to hear about your feedback soon! We are so thankful for a strong team who has worked endlessly on the Lodge over the past decade. Praise the Lord!!
As the mission trip comes to an end, please pray for the following:
The Children's Ministry went into Mistissini today to hold the last day of VBS. It was quite an overwhelming day, as 60 children arrived at our camp. They learned about the 5 coloured- cave through the skit, which represents God's creation, love, sin and sacrifice for us. At the end of the program, there was a calling for the children to decided to come to Christ. The hearts of the members of our team were touched when children walked up to accept Jesus as their savior. Moreover, we had the opportunity to pray for the children as well, which was definitely a blessing from God. They may be children, but their child-like faith is surely treasured by God. Afterwards, all the children and the Children's Ministry performed at the Tent Meeting for the parents. The week has been a handful but we have been able to plant a seed in each child's heart.
Lastly, the renovation team has finally finished their job at the Gabriel Lodge for the year. We hope to hear about your feedback soon! We are so thankful for a strong team who has worked endlessly on the Lodge over the past decade. Praise the Lord!!
As the mission trip comes to an end, please pray for the following:
1. The Renovation Team- praise the Lord! They
have completed their renovation project without going over the budget, so the
money leftover will be donated to the bible school. Please pray for future
renovation projects, and the state of the bible school in the year to come
2. The Children’s Ministry- because it is
the last day of the children’s program, pray that the children will open their
hearts to accept Jesus as their savior, because Pastor Freda will do a calling
for the children to come to Christ
3. The Kitchen Team- rest and strength to
prepare and cook food for the entire team
4. We will be driving back to Toronto
tomorrow, so please pray for the drivers, who will need sufficient rest and
please pray for a safe departure and arrival back at home
5. Good weather so that we may continue to
work and travel safely
Until next time,
JSTM 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Plans to Further His Kingdom
Once again, we have woken up to see a sunny
sky. After getting ready, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast cooked by the
Kitchen Team. During worship this morning, the Kitchen Team shared thier
thoughts and experiences with the rest of JSTM. We all know and appreciate the
hard work and time that they have put into preparing and cooking the meals.
They come on the STM to cook all day, rest at night, only to wake up the next
morning to cook another meal for our large team of over 40 people. God has not
only unified the members of the team, but he has showed them and the rest of
JSTM what patience and endurance are- we are so thankful for that! Moreover,
they have had the chance to observe a lot of what goes on in the kitchen- when
there were supposed to be 2 people washing and drying dishes, a team of six
members appears to be taking the time to help each other out during kitchen
duty. And a lot of time we overlook situations where a helpful hand is given,
but God allowed the Kitchen Team to observe and share this with the team, so
that the characteristics developed during this STM are recognized and used in
the future to serve others in our daily lives.
Back at the Gabriel Lodge, the Renovation Team and several Worship Team Members renovated the cabins outside the Gabriel Lodge. They are almost complete- painting and last touches need to be done! We have seen the team work extremely hard for the past 2 weeks. Not only has it been a blessing to see a group of people work hard for the Lord, but the physical and mental strength that they have developed throughout the two weeks will definitely be traits that they can use to apply to their lives so that they may further God’s kingdom. We pray that the team will get enough rest today as well.
Furthermore, the Worship Team will be
staying at the Gabriel Lodge today to help around and rest for the majority of
the day. They have done great works for the Lord in the past week at the tent
meeting in Mistissini, and will be enjoying a day of rest, as many of the
members of the team are tired. Please pray that they will get sufficient sleep,
for most of them are also serving in the Children’s Ministry.
However, the Children’s Ministry will be
headed out to Mistissini this afternoon. Yesterday, there was sudden rain when
we held the program, but there was none today- thank you Lord for the great
weather! Again, the children were able to learn about God’s goodness through
the skit, songs and video clip. They have practiced the songs for tomorrow’s
performance in the tent. Since it will be Saturday tomorrow as well, we are
expecting more children to come out. Please pray for patience with the children
so that we may minister to all that arrive at the camp tomorrow.
Back at the Gabriel Lodge, the Renovation Team and several Worship Team Members renovated the cabins outside the Gabriel Lodge. They are almost complete- painting and last touches need to be done! We have seen the team work extremely hard for the past 2 weeks. Not only has it been a blessing to see a group of people work hard for the Lord, but the physical and mental strength that they have developed throughout the two weeks will definitely be traits that they can use to apply to their lives so that they may further God’s kingdom. We pray that the team will get enough rest today as well.
In addition, a large campfire was held at
night today. It was so overwhelming to see such a beautiful star-filled sky
next to a hot campfire. The team was in awe of God’s marvelous creation and we
hope to bond together more in the remaining days. There will be a celebratory “thanksgiving
worship” tomorrow morning as well to get different members of JSTM involved
with worship through music!
Today was an extremely busy day, but we are
so thankful for God’s providence. It was nice and sunny outside,
One’s prayer should come from the heart. We
hope you continue to pray for us regarding the following:
1. The Renovation Team- safety when they
are working, strength to carry out the workload and good fellowship within the
team
2. The Children’s Ministry- rest, energy
and a patient and loving heart so that they may reach out to the children in Mistissini
3. The Worship Team- rest and safety so
that they may continue to have energy to continue to work on the cabins outside
the Gabriel Lodge
4. The Kitchen Team- rest and strength to
prepare and cook food for the entire team for the rest of the days left on the
STM
serving to glorify His name,
JSTM 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
The Heart of Worship
We are so blessed to have another sunny day
in Chibougamau! After a nice breakfast prepared by the Kitchen Team, the
Worship Team lead our morning worship session to sing praises to our Lord.
Next, we had a sharing from the Worship Team. They revealed to us about their overwhelming experience when they performed at the tent meeting in front of such a large audience. It has also been a blessing for them to be working within a group of members who did not know each other at first- by God’s grace, they were able to come together. Throughout the week, the worship team was able to realize that God only looks at the heart of worship, and whether the music sounds great or not comes second to that. Furthermore, they realized that God is always on control- when certain plans do not work, changes occur or weakness strikes but the outcome is delightful, we know that it is because of God’s power and strength that there are good results because His strength is perfect in our weakness.
Later in the day, the Children’s Ministry went to Mistissini. The children were very energetic during songs and crafts. They also learned about Jesus calming the sea from the skit, which they paid close attention to. However, it began to rain and thunderstorm during the program! But because of God’s timing and power, we were able to go into the tent to hold the games, activities and snacks for the rest of the afternoon. We couldn’t be more thankful for a God who straightens our path in every moment of every day. Afterwards, we also had the privilege of staying back in the evening to attend the tent meeting, which was a new and fun experience for the entire team! We are so thankful for the day went well.
Furthermore, the Renovation Team completed the tiles on the floors of the cabins outside the Gabriel Lodge, and will continue to work on refurbishing the cabins so that other missionaries may come and have a nice place to rest in the following years.
Next, we had a sharing from the Worship Team. They revealed to us about their overwhelming experience when they performed at the tent meeting in front of such a large audience. It has also been a blessing for them to be working within a group of members who did not know each other at first- by God’s grace, they were able to come together. Throughout the week, the worship team was able to realize that God only looks at the heart of worship, and whether the music sounds great or not comes second to that. Furthermore, they realized that God is always on control- when certain plans do not work, changes occur or weakness strikes but the outcome is delightful, we know that it is because of God’s power and strength that there are good results because His strength is perfect in our weakness.
Later in the day, the Children’s Ministry went to Mistissini. The children were very energetic during songs and crafts. They also learned about Jesus calming the sea from the skit, which they paid close attention to. However, it began to rain and thunderstorm during the program! But because of God’s timing and power, we were able to go into the tent to hold the games, activities and snacks for the rest of the afternoon. We couldn’t be more thankful for a God who straightens our path in every moment of every day. Afterwards, we also had the privilege of staying back in the evening to attend the tent meeting, which was a new and fun experience for the entire team! We are so thankful for the day went well.
Furthermore, the Renovation Team completed the tiles on the floors of the cabins outside the Gabriel Lodge, and will continue to work on refurbishing the cabins so that other missionaries may come and have a nice place to rest in the following years.
Lastly, there is a special mention to the
kitchen team. Many times we overlook the time and effort that they have put
into serving us. They work all day, non-stop in the kitchen to prepare us great
meals. Today they even had take out for the children’s ministry since they
stayed back at the tent meeting!
One’s prayer should come from the heart as
well. We hope you continue to pray for us regarding the following:
1. The Renovation Team- safety when they
are working, strength to carry out the workload and good fellowship within the
team. Please pray for their health as well
2. The Children’s Ministry- rest, energy
and a patient and loving heart so that they may reach out to the children in Mistissini,
as well as good weather for all the outdoor activities
3. The Worship Team- rest and the
humbleness to continue to praise the Lord through music
4. The Kitchen Team- energy to continue to
serve through cooking and work in the kitchen
6. Health and safety of our team- one
member has a massive swelling on
In Him,
JSTM 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
We Are One Body in Christ
We began the day with a great breakfast made by our hard- working Kitchen Team. Thank God that he has continued to give them the energy to wake up early in the morning to make food for our entire team to eat! In addition, God has also blessed us with wonderful sunny weather so that we may continue to work for Him this afternoon.
Moreover, the Children’s Ministry held their second day of kid’s camp in Mistissini. They had tons of fun playing games and singing songs! Pastor Freda shared a small testimony with the children, and they were able to learn even more from the skit as well. We were able to establish a deeper connection with the children today and we are extremely grateful that God opened up each child’s heart to listen to His word in the afternoon program.
Later in the evening, the Worship Team had
their last night at the Mistissini Revival Night Tent Meeting, where they lead
worship for part of the night. As they performed and reflected on the day later
in the night, they were able to experience the Holy Spirit working amongst
them. The brief practice they had did not seem sufficient because of a shortage
on time due to new song requests, but through that situation were they truly
able to see God’s power and strength to help them carry on. Overall, the
worship team was able to make joyful noises to worship our One and Only God,
for he is a God that looks at the heart when people are serving Him.
Over the past few days, each team has been made
aware of the importance of unity within a team, and God has allowed each team
to bond and become one in Him. As the week progresses, please continue to pray
for:
1. The Renovation Team- safety when they
are working in the basement today, good weather and fellowship within the team
2. The Children’s Ministry- rest, energy
and an open heart to continue to serve the and to reach out to the children in
Mistissini, as well as good weather so that they may hold some activities
outside the main trailer
3. The Worship Team- help them embrace the
changes that are occurring and allow them to get adequate rest on a daily basis
4. The Kitchen Team- rest and strength to continue
to prepare and cook food for the entire team
Thank you for continually praying for us!
Prayer is our strength on this STM.
Until next time,
JSTM 2012
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