October 2018 Newsletter

Looking Back

Uncover the Truth

Thank you to everyone who sent their child to camp this summer! You helped make 2018 another fantastic year at camp with lots of great memories.

This summer we “uncovered the truth” about who we are in Christ. We played fun games, had cool bible lessons, and did plenty of other crazy activities.

Some of our daily activities were things like art, crafts, guitar, woodworking, survival skills, sports, archery, cartoons, kayaking, canoeing. This summer, we added a brand new “kayak trip” for that activity. It was a cool chance for those kids to see more of Conestoga lake and exercise their new kayaking skills with a bit of distance paddling.

We were also very grateful in finding a new pontoon boat that served us all summer in taking each age group for trips around the lake!

We hope every kid had a great summer and we look forward to seeing everyone back next season!

CIT Program

We added a brand new CIT Program this summer and we are pleased to say it went fabulously. We spent the spring training times giving them more specific training that was tailored just to the CIT’s. They also learned throughout summer as a group and were constantly coached in their new roles at camp. We are happy to say this program will continue!

Looking Ahead

2018 Updates

We are continually pushing forward with our Revamp the Camp plan. Our costs are always increasing as we continue to purchase more property surrounding the camp, and are in the process of building a new septic system, as mandated by the MOE. As we grow the camp physically, our operating costs continue to go up as well. Please consider donating monthly to the camp, or one time to a specific project. We estimate our 2019 needs could be as high as $1M for operating budget and new infrastructure. We thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Celebration Dinner

Join us for our second annual CBC Celebration Dinner! There is a chance to hear more details about the past year of camp, learn about our current successes and struggles, as well as get some insight to where we are headed in the future! We would love to share a meal with you so we can say thank you for all the support and to keep you updated on all things CBC. The link for tickets can be found on the website.

Items Needed

We are often asked what the camp needs, other than monetary donations. Here is a list of some of our needs for 2018:
- Gently Used Couches
- Ventrac/Steiner Lawn Tractor

Donations

Donations towards operations or capital items can be done online through Canada Helps or contact Terry Reugg at the information below.

October Newsletter

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. - Colossians 2:6-7

The foundation of Christ Jesus is what produces abundant thanksgiving! Through faith we receive Him, walk in Him, and are rooted and built up in Him. As a result, we can’t help but be abounding in our gratitude to Him for His abundant grace.

Men in prison are hearing the message of Jesus Christ and finding a solid footing, grateful for the meaning they have found in their lives, despite their incarceration. There is no other message that offers the hope we have in Christ Jesus.

We trust you also are grateful enjoying the blessings that are bountiful… especially at this time of the year. It is our confidence to know the Lord of the Harvest. And in fact it is His knowing us that anchors our hearts. His daily supply is granted to us with intentional care and love.

David*…has done 7 years in prison and was recently released to a halfway house. He has trusted Christ as Saviour and wants to follow Him but so much yet to learn about the sanctified life. Choosing the right friends/associates is a challenge.

Joe, Bart, Henry, Roy*…these four men have some Bible knowledge but no understanding of the Truth.“They are deluded with plausible arguments.” Colossians 2:4 
Pray that God would mercifully open their eyes and hearts to give them the knowledge of the Truth in Jesus Christ.* real names not used

There were outbreaks of serious violence at Millhaven Institution last month. This peaked the unrest between guards and inmates again causing even more stress and fear in lives. Pray for wisdom to prevail on all sides.

Pray for our ability to understand and sympathize appropriately with men who are being unjustly/unfairly treated by their authorities as they work through their correctional plan. We want to identify with them to bring support and comfort and yet encourage their respect and submission to authority. We want to encourage them to believe and trust that God rules and overrules in every situation.

Pray for us as we minister inside the Kingston federal institutions that we would faithfully present the gospel message at every opportunity and that men would grow, being rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, established in the faith.

With grateful hearts for all God's blessings,
Robert and Susan

Briefcases on the Move...

Our family fall rhythms are in place - the kids know how to pack their lunches and get their water bottles for soccer practice. I have a cleaning schedule I’m (kinda) sticking to - Mop Mondays, Wipe Wednesdays etc. Heath and I have three solo days together where we play with all the puzzles. Pretty common ‘Stay at Home Mom’ stuff going on.

However, if you look at my task list this week, it looks a little different. It includes unusual things like:
- Locate 8 suitcases
- Research how to use car seats in a taxi
- Post house for rent online

Early this year we asked you to pray for God’s direction for our next steps as our work U.S. visa expires. God has answered your prayers and early in 2019 our family is moving to Singapore! (Singapore is a tiny city-state island at the tip of continental Southeast Asia right on the equator. It’s English speaking and the financial and shipping hub of Asia.)

It’s been a journey, but we have sensed God’s strong leading to move to the heart of the Asia-Pacific region to continue to help lead the next generation of digital missions. We’ll be within a 7 hour flight of 50% of the world’s population and many of the least reached people and places.

Russ and his team have spent our five years here developing digital strategies and platforms to bring the gospel to the far corners of the earth and now it’s time to go help our leaders in these far corners effectively leverage this work.

This is a big step of faith for us. We’re going to need your prayers and support more than ever. There are lots of unknowns and things to trust God with, including our kids’ skin sensitivities. We are confident this is the place for us for the next season despite the challenges and costs.

Please continue to pray for us as we guide our children through the transition and towards the adventure ahead.

Transition and Travel

September was a month of transition for me. My new role on the global missions team started September 5th. That first week in September, my new supervisor began orienting me to the roles and responsibilities I will have as the global missions general manager. I also met with my small group resource team for the last time, leaving them with a big to-do list of what needs to get done to have the next small group workbook printed by December. In many ways the transition has been very smooth (I didn't have to relocate, I didn't even move desks in the Guelph office, I've worked with my new supervisor before, etc.) but there is also grief that comes with a transition, and I think even though I knew to expect it, it still caught me off guard somewhat.

Some of the highlights from September were, 

• Meeting my new team (pictured above) - although I already knew most of the members of my new team, we live in 6 different cities in 3 provinces. We met altogether for 3 days, and it was a good time to bond and connect as a team.

• Starting to plan for 2019 mission trips - this is the time of year when we begin to plan our mission trips for next year. We've been busy finding leaders, making plans, and dreaming about new opportunities.

• Planning travel - this fall I'll get to attend a missionaries and mental health conference as well as go on the annual partnership trip to East Asia. I'm looking forward to learning how we can better care for the missionaries we send overseas, and I'm excited to get a better understanding of our ministry and partnership in East Asia.  

• Online ministry - Although my response times have been slower then they should be this month, I'm still connecting with a few women (Baneet, Vikie, and Bay) online. These conversations were started on our CREATE mission trip, and I continue to reach out to them. They all struggle with either anxiety or loneliness. As God leads me, I try to listen to them, ask good questions, make them feel loved/valued, pray for them, and point them to Jesus.

Thank you for continuing to stand with me in this ministry. Your prayers and financial support make all of this possible.

A few final picture highlights from the summer:

We celebrated the end of CREATE mission trip by going to Toronto for the day. We ate good food, did some evaluation activities and went to a Toronto Blue Jays game.

Relaxing with my family on Labour Day weekend.

Getting to spend time with my new nephew.

Cara's Coming!

Please join with us to Praise God...

• For helping each of our kids settle into their class routines.

• For healing for Andrea after more than a week with respiratory infection.

• For Tijin & Merin, our new colleagues from India, who have come to join the Sisaala team.

• That Cara had a good time at the student leaders conference in Hungary.

• Safe travels and good interactions for Phil in both Kenya and Ethiopia.

Please pray

• For safe travel for Cara as she comes home for a mid-term break Oct 6-15.

• For the boys at work and in class in Canada and for Liam to get a co-op job.

• For Kieran as he looks for opportunities to complete community service hours required for his degree.

• For Phil as he helps the SIM Guinea team with a strategic review Oct 16-23 and Andrea home in Accra.

• For safe travel and good leader development event in Greece (Oct 29-Nov 6) where we will meet the new couple we will mentor.

Thanks for praying for us.
Phil & Andrea