PRAISE: This month alone, two students made the decision to seek help and see a counsellor. This is a huge answer to prayer-- they are taking steps towards healing! I had the opportunity to meet with an old student I coached volleyball last year. She doesn’t know the Lord and I am thankful for the time to reconnect and look forward to meeting with her regularly. PRAY: There has been a lot of conflict and heartbreak at the drop-in centre. From pregnancies and miscarriages to crisis and drug abuse, we need God’s wisdom and guidance. These youth need the hope and life of Jesus! I have been sick several times this season and my energy is very low. Please pray for good health and energy so I can continue to serve well.
Phil & Andrea - November 2019
PRAISE: For increasing clarity regarding future direction for both of us - more on that next time; That Kieran is able to take a Perspectives course this semester; For good opportunities to connect with supporters. PRAY: Safety as we will be travelling November 12 through to mid December; Guidance as we meet together with our leaders to discuss the details of our future roles and location; A good retreat with one of Andrea's teams in the Middle East; Profitable meetings for Phil with the International Leadership Team; Helpful times with as we both engage with colleagues in Singapore.
Jenn Brubacher - October 2019
PRAISE: All of our programs in Listowel and Minto are up and running! At Campus Life and Abound, we are diving into a new series, ‘The Upside Down Kingdom’, and will look at a different topics like fear, contentment, Jesus' humanity, and love. We're going to look at Jesus’ life and how we can join what God is doing at LDSS in 2019. Aaron (Minto staff) and I met with the new principal at Norwell and it went very well. The conversation was short and he gave us the thumbs up to continue Abound, the weekly Christian group we run at the high school! PRAYER: We need volunteers for Tuesday drop-in nights; it is very difficult to have intentional conversations with students while supervising the other youth. I’m meeting with C, a student who attends our drop-in program, and she is not doing well. She doesn't know the Lord, she's lonely and thinking about suicide. Please pray for wisdom for how we can help and support her best.
Conestoga Bible Camp (Terry Reugg) - October 2019
PRAISE: We had a fantastic summer - lake held out all summer and we had decent weather! Registration was down a bit, so our prayer is a full camp next summer. We also will have a new Program Director next summer with Katie Morden (Shark Bait) moving on and Owen Holbrook (Velcro) stepping up. Change is not always easy, especially with the love we have for SharkBait, but we are excited to see Velcro step further into leadership! For the upcoming Annual Celebration Dinner on Nov 17, 6:00 pm at Linwood Community Centre. PRAY: For funds to refresh the 'smelly' manor basement, repairs on the Kubota and lawn tractors, water system repairs, and TLC for the residences and the 'cottage'. We have added Julia Ruegg as our Kitchen Manager - with changing provincial regulations for camp kitchens, we can no longer continue the 'way it always was' and have had to make some tough decisions. Pray for ongoing septic planning and site planning.
Trevor & Hannah - October 2019
PRAISE: For many students that are getting connected into Christian community on campus. At Waterloo, we had 120 first year students at our launch "Connect" event. At Conestoga, 40 students said they want to be in a small group (last year we had 10). 300+ college and university students spent the last weekend of September worshipping God, getting to know each other and challenged in their faith at our annual Summit retreat for college and university students in SouthWestern Ontario. PRAY: That students would continue to make God a priority in their lives through the heavy season of mid-term exams. Many first year students will get "choked by the weeds" by the pressures of school through this time; for continued wisdom as the date of Trevor's transition back to work gets closer - that we would trust God through the ups and downs of this transition. On October 28-November 1 three Christian clubs at the University of Waterloo will join together to have a week of evangelism. Pray for the speakers training the groups, for opportunities, soft hearts, and for God to be glorified. Pray for international students joining local Christian families for thanksgiving dinners would see and hear the love of God.