The Wall

We've hit it. THE WALL.

The wall of being tired of presenting. The wall of "I'm done with asking people for money." The wall of I just wanna have a normal job.

You know, the wall that forces you to say, "God ... we need your help. We can't do this on our own. In fact, we're kind of tired and worn down, and more than a little bit clueless what to do next. We're lacking motivation. We need your strength."

THAT wall. It's a good kind of wall I guess.

Because when everything else wears thin ... it forces us to rely on God.

And God hasn't just built a ladder over the wall. He's made a way through the wall that's pure delight. The delight of walking closely with Him and feeding off of His strength. The delight that comes when we cling to Him and rest in His peace.

"God ... walk us through this wall."

Very Important People

Awww man ... I just watched the coolest video this morning! Thanks to our friends serving with MAF in Kenya/South Sudan, Chris and Karyn Ball, who posted this video yesterday. Here, I've included it below.

What's so cool about it? This video profiles the work MAF is doing in South Sudan--a country just wrecked by war and poverty. And why do I like it so much? Because every time we present, we quote (or when we have a brain fart, "paraphrase") Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"

MAF's VIPs aren't necessarily the rich or the powerful. They are the very important people in Jesus' eyes: the poor. The isolated. The world-changers. Missionaries. Pastors. Regular everyday people that Christ holds near and dear to His heart. 

Travelling All Over Northern Ontario

Hello blog world! It's been a week or two!


We just got back from an intense--but intensely awesome--road trip through Northern Ontario. What a great trip--full of visits with friends, presentations, maple syrup, and reliving some of our favourite memories!

Very serious business.

Woah! Look at all the syrup!

Our first stop was St. Joseph Island, just east of Sault Ste. Marie. If you've never been to "the Island" here's our tourism plug--you must go! And we recommend going during syrup season! We stayed with Pam and Joe Hawdon and were blessed by their amazing hospitality. We got the pleasure of seeing these two in action as they restart the Hawdon's Mountain Ridge Maples business. For the past few years, they've been making kettle maple syrup over the fire, but this year, they've taken over the Hawdon sugar shack and are going in to full-scale production of wood-fired AMAZING maple syrup. This was so much fun to see and we learned so much! If you're interested in some syrup, Pam and Joe will be visiting in June, and they can bring you some! YUM!

It was also cool to see Pam and her baby bump. We just praise God that
this amazing couple is having a baby--because we know this is something they have been waiting on and praying about for a LONG time!

Island Dessert Night--cupcakes,
cupcakes, everywhere!

 While it was fun to visit the Island, we were also there on "business". Marney and Jonathan Stewart opened up their home to us to have a dessert/information night and share about our ministry with MAF. This was great! Naturally, we went a bit overboard on the desserts but we were so very blessed by the crew that came out! One of the highlights of the night was meeting Eric and Hannah-Lee Lawrence, who not only provided worship for the night, but also shared their experience teaching in Papua New Guinea, where their school was only accessible by MAF plane! They had nothing but great things to say about MAF! We were so encouraged by them--and by everyone--that my heart is still glowing!

After the Island (oh--I forgot to mention, it SNOWED on the day of our dessert night! SNOWED!), we made our way to Massey to visit Marcel's relatives, Ben, Jodie, Avery, and Carter. All I can say is--what a fun family! We love visiting them and of course, playing with their large assortment of "toys". Marcel got a chance to ride on the snow mobile, and I built an extensive snow fort with Avery and Jodie.

Finally, Saturday night we pulled in to North Bay for our presentation Sunday morning at Greenwood Baptist Church! It's been a few years since we've been back to the Bay, so we had to drive around and see the sights. Somethings have changed--new residences and a gym on campus?!--and some things haven't (Burger World! The Moose!). My heart skipped a beat as we drove by Founder's House ... sometimes I completely forget I ever lived and worked there as a Residence Don. We were nostalgic for the good old days of life in the Bay--that's where Marcel and I first met and started dating!

Snow?! April 4, St. Joseph Island

Sunday morning, after breakfast at Burger World (who knew it was so empty at 7:30 am ... glad we weren't there at 10 am!), we drove over to the new Greenwood Baptist building. This was our first time there, and it looks great! We were so pumped to see Pastor Tim and many other familiar--and new--faces! It felt like time stood still--but it also made us feel old when we didn't know ANY of the university students.

The congregation was so welcoming, and many of them had heard of MAF before, so that made our job a little easier! Some of them even knew Chris & Karyn Ball--missionaries with MAF in east Africa! We felt so encouraged after our presentations, and many people showed a great interest in tracking along with us or financially supporting our ministry with MAF! We even had one boy sign up for our newsletter because he wants to be a missionary pilot one day! It was like meeting Marcel as a child ;)

After church, we had lunch at the student luncheon with our old friends Paul and Jenna! Mini NCCF reunion! We then went over to Twigg's to meet up with Alicia (my sister from another mister) and her fiance Dustin. Good ole' Twigg's--where memories are made. 'Twas a great chance to catch up on everyone's lives now that we live all over Ontario.

At Twigg's with Jenna, Alicia, Dustin, and Paul.

After coffee, we were back on the road for our "almost final" stop of the trip--Toronto to have dinner with Monique and Kristin! It was so good to see these ladies again and catch up on their lives--not to mention have an amazing dinner and share about our ministry with MAF!

Catching up with Monique and Kristin!

Well, after all that, I would like to say our trip was done, but we still managed to squeeze in a few more stops. First, Ancaster for the night. Then, breakfast with the amazing Josh and beautiful Natalie--where I discovered what Dutch pancakes were! Finally, finally, finally, we stopped by the MAF office in Guelph to deliver donations and catch up with Cliff, Ken, Karen, and Lauren--some of the amazing staff team at the MAF Canada office. This was the perfect way to end our trip and prepare us for the busy upcoming weeks!

Overall, we felt so blessed and encouraged on our trip. I feel like I'm on repeat saying that, but it's true! I'm still praising God for the friends and family we got to see, for the words of encouragement, for the excitement everyone had for us, and the financial support we received for our MAF ministry! So if you're reading this, and we got a chance to hang out or meet on the trip, THANK YOU and in the words of Paul to the Colossians,"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven." (Col. 1:3-5)

FINAL PLUG: We have a dessert night on Thursday, April 10 in Ancaster! 7:30 pm @ Heritage Fellowship Baptist Church! Please come out, invite friends, and join us! We'd love more excuses to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and share in a time of fellowship and food!

Cool Donor Stories (Part 1)!

Hi there!
Just want to share two totally cool donor stories. Why? Because it shows just how cool, fun, and FAITHFUL our God can be in providing for His kids!!!

Story #1: The Great Commission

At our dessert night in Blenheim, we had the chance to meet a couple who knew my grandparents well after many years of euchre games. He was an insurance salesman, and around Christmas, had sold one of the biggest policies of his life. The commission he made from it was large, and he was excited for the extra income because they needed it! But, time after time, obstacles kept the cheque from landing in his account for weeks on end. However, God was faithful; he provided for the couple during this time ... even without the big bonus cheque. Finally, the cheque arrived--on the day of our dessert night! They heard our presentation, and came up to us after. They shared their story, excited by the way God had orchestrated everything together so that they could give us a cheque for $1000. Wow! 
"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." --Proverbs 16:9

Story #2: "I never win anything ..."

This story follows a common theme: financial institutions! Our dear friends and life group leaders from West London Alliance, Matt & Kate, were at a work appreciation dinner. At the dinner, there were various items up for prizes, and employees could enter tickets into the draws of their choice. Kate sat through prize after prize being given away to fellow employees, all the while thinking, "I never win anything at these sort of things ..." There were prizes for vacations, sports tickets, etc. etc. Finally, they got to the last draw of the night. And the winner was ... Kate! What was the prize? $1000 to the charity of her choice! Matt and Kate couldn't wait to share the good news with us! Over dinner, they told the story, then presented us with a cheque for MAF Canada from the account of Kate's employer--a large financial institution. What a blessing! 
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." --Romans 8:28

Praising God for YOU!

Yesterday, as we presented to Heritage Fellowship Baptist Church in Ancaster, I said a line which never ceases to amaze me, "We can't get overseas without HUNDREDS of people helping us from home."

HUNDREDS.

That's a lot.

And it caused me this morning to pause and reflect on our partners. Whether you lift us up in prayer, donate a little bit to our ministry with MAF or donate a LOT, or whether you are just a dear friend who loves us when we need it most, we literally can't do this without you.

I'm so thankful for our partners in this ministry. And I want you to know how precious and important you are too--how crucial you are to this ministry!

Planes fly on the prayers of supporters.

Lives are profoundly changed by as little as a dollar a day.

The Bible is taught, translated, and delivered to those desperately hungry for the word.

Death is conquered by life with each medical evacuation flight.

Hope is shared, heart to heart, and hand to hand, in communities ravaged by war and nature.

Your life becomes a legacy, all because you cared.

Thanks friends and family for caring! We love you, and we praise God for how important each one of you is to MAF's work!

March Madness

Kelly needed an off week from this, so here is MARCEL-BLOG-POST-INSTALLMENT-NUMBER-2:

Don't look yet... but spring is almost here! Yes, we did have temperatures dipping down past the -20's not even a week ago, but when it's sunny and the mercury is a few notches on the positive side of zero (like it is today in London ON), then all you need is the combination of an extra hour of daylight and those cold nights are but a distant memory.

Not lost in the last couple of weeks of cold weather is the memory we have of people warming our hearts with their generosity and joining up with us in our ministry with MAF (and yes, that was probably the worst topic transition I've made in recent memory). One of the frequently asked questions we get now is "how is it going with MAF?", first of all, thank for asking as we safely assume it means you care! ...and the quick answer to that is "great!". The response we've received the last couple weeks has been astounding on various levels. Everything from people asking us to present to a group of people, to random donations we've received without an ask has been encouraging say the least.

To give you and idea, since January 20th we have made 10 different group presentations ranging from small groups, to a school presentation, and even a radio interview. We must sound pretty good since we were asked to come back in a couple weeks for a follow up radio interview! We are also scheduled to do another 11 presentations before the end of April. As far as our financial support is concerned, since that week of January 20th, our monthly support has risen from 13% to 21%, and our one-time outgoing amount has gone from 34% to 57%.

One thing we have to say looking back at this, is that God's hand has been evident in being gracious to us. We know we can't do this on our own, and He has provided a great network of people who are ready and willing to join in this mission.

Now, back to the presentation preparation...

Cool Story from the Field: The Word on the move | MAF in Tanzania

The Word on the move | MAF UK

Check out this cool story about how the MAF team in Tanzania is helping reach the Maasai people for Christ. MAF flies Maasai pastors and evangelists to the notoriously "on the move" tribes to disciple new Christians. Just one example of the cool work MAF does to support the local church!