Providence

Today we were at Providence Bible College and Seminary. It has been a long and exciting day representing World Team and interacting with students interested in local and global missions. I'm learning a lot about mobilization and am being introduced to an amazing community of missionary reps from all over Canada. It's so great that we'll basically be spending the next 3 days together and building gospel centred partnerships. It was a long 12 hour day and so I'm a little fried so I won't say much, but will give you a few highlights:

• two amazing chapel times including worship, prayer and extremely inspirational messages from George Verwer the founder of Operation Mobilization. I am really encouraged by Mr. Verwer's vulnerability, honesty, and genuine love of Jesus Christ. I'm looking forward to hearing him speak at MissionFest this weekend. If you want to read an amazing testimony check out this link: http://www.om.org/history.html

• interacting with some really interesting students from all walks of life at the mission booths, during the workshops, and at the "market place" windup party afterwards. The Market Place was an idea of introducing different cultures to the students in the context of a Market Place where they can purchase different goods and services with the "fun money" they received from each missions rep that they visited throughout the day. I'm telling you, hanging out with all these students makes me miss my college days.

• My colleague, Jake ran a workshop topic on the Unborn: Protected or Exploited? Here's the summary: This workshop engages the participants through an interactive discussion on the underlying motives driving the very people that have absolute power over the unborn - their potential mothers. After this workshop, attendees re-enter everyday life with the challenge to consider what steps to take to reflect a missional approach to the plight of the unborn and their protectors/aggressors.

• an amazing, free, all you can eat lunch and supper in the cafeteria

Well, there's a lot more I could say, but I thought that I would just leave you with a couple of quotes that I wrote down from George Verwer today. I hope I didn't butcher them too much, I was trying to get them down and so hopefully they contain the basic truths he conveyed. Enjoy!

"If you don't understand that God works within a culture then I dare say that you won't understand how God has been working in the last few thousand years."


"In your evangelism make sure you give the other person equal time to speak... and you should also do the same thing in your marriage."


"Whatever the Lord has given you, pass it on... [be a disciple maker]"


"[In our Christian lives] there needs to be a marriage between proclamation and social concern and action."


"Sometimes failure can be the back door to success."

Here in Manitoba

Well, I arrived in Manitoba a little late today, due to a de-icing delay at the airport, but that is about the only hickup that I've had to face. This day has been really fun and enjoyable.

My friend Jacob picked me up and I'm staying and we're staying at his parents place in Steinbach while we represent World Team at Providence College, Steinbach Bible College, and Manitoba Mission Fest.

A few hours ago we had the priviledge to attend a CMC Missions board meeting. Jacob gave a field report and introduced me to the board members. I gave a short presentation about the media ministry that Steph and I will be doing with World Team. It was really overwhelming to interact with a great group of wise and humble men who love Jesus and want to help with the proclaimation of the gospel. I can't sum up the experience into words at the moment (it would take to long and I'm pretty tired) but all I can say is that this trip would be worth it just to be able to get to know Jacob a little more and talk with these guys, hear their words of wisdom, encouragement and love for Christ.

I just wanted to leave you with this section of Scripture that came to mind while the guys were discussing wisdom and our human the tendancy to be overwhelmed by a sense of inadequancy (like becoming a parent for the first time) when God lifts us up into positions of leadership. Our hope for success does not depend on our abilities, charisma, experience, or lack there of, but rather on the saving work of God. We look to Him to glorify himself through us. It is God who prepares us and puts us into these opportunties for His glory.

David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine [Goliath]."

And [Goliath] cursed David by his gods... and said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field."

Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javeline, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliever you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORDS's and he will give you into our hand." (1 Samuel 17:37, 43-47)


- Paul

(P.S. David kicks Goliath's butt)