ESPINOZA, RAUL & JESSENIA (Guayaquil, Ecuador; MSC) PRAISE: Our youth went to camp! The speaker made an impact on many of our youth leaders who went as councilors and they came back encouraged to serve God even more. Recently a young couple has joined us on youth leadership and they bring with them fresh energy and ideas which is great! Our church went on an outing to the countryside and had a great time together. PRAY: For the youth: many have not been coming out recently. For preparations for Christmas at the school which we will begin next month.
Jenn Brubacher - November 2021
BRUBACHER, JENN (Listowel, YFC) PRAISE: All of our programs are up and running! It’s been a gift to provide places where students can belong, become and believe. This season on the Work Friends podcast we’re highlighting the ministries and stories of YFC staff from across Canada; it continues to be a place of challenge and encouragement for people of all walks of life. I’m really thankful for the training I received as I completed a leadership course. PRAY: I have an opportunity to coach the senior girls’ volleyball team later this year for the first time since the pandemic started. Please pray for the screening process and for God’s wisdom, discernment and guidance as I walk with this team. In July at our daytime drop-in camp, several students made the decision to follow Jesus! Please pray for us as we walk with these students.
Trevor & Hannah Martin - Power to Change Waterloo
Discipleship Resources Project!
There are many students who are mentoring/discipling others one-on-one or in small groups to help Christians take their next step towards Jesus. But for a while, our ministry hasn't had a central, updated and organized place where students could go for great resources that point them to biblical passages and truths on various topics. As you know, not everything you find online is profitable or helpful. So in the past year, Trevor has led a team to complete this much needed Discipleship Resources Project that is now live on our website! It is a compilation of different articles, podcasts, videos and books that we think will be helpful in students growing to be like Jesus. Go to p2c.sh/discipleship or click the button below to take a look and use it yourself, if you find it helpful.
All our large events at UW are outdoors this term with a capacity of 100 people.
First year students stayed in the drizzling rain for 90 minutes to meet each other!
586 Days
Students are desperate for community. It was 586 days between the last time we met as a community in person mid March 2020, to the first time this September. 586 days of trying to get to know people through a screen and a microphone (oops, you're on mute!)We knew that students were wanting to meet others in person again, but we under estimated the desperation and the lengths they are willing to go to make that happen.
76 first year students came out to our First Year Connect event in the beginning of September. It rained the whole time, but the students stayed.They were choosing community over comfort and God was flexing His ability to bring people together.
Each Friday our weekly meeting is outside in a green space in between buildings. It's a great chance for people who are walking by to see and hear a glimpse of Christian community.Even when it's been 5 degrees, dark by the time we started, and midterm season, we have had 85 students come. Students have been hurting without in person community, and it's been a blessing to be able to meet together again (safely).
Pray for the many students who are desperate for community with others and they would bring each other closer to Jesus as they do so.
Our annual fall retreat looked a little different this year. But God provided wonderful weather for 120 students from University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier, University of Guelph and Conestoga College to gather. Community was built and they were inspired to help others take steps towards Jesus.
Family Fun!
Some links you might like
1) Singing a story of God working: Three Wooden Crosses
2) House of Worship (a ministry of P2C) wrote a song! Check it out!
3) "Zuppa Tuscona" soup for the colder days
God is doing amazing things through these students.
Please continue to pray that
God would give these students
humility, love, hope and courage
to bring Jesus to people around them.
Thank you for all your support in helping students discover Jesus
To give financially to our ministry:
go to p2c.sh/tm or call 1-855-P2C-GIVE
Our mailing address is:
151 Cavelletti Court
Waterloo, Ontario N2K 3X3
Youth for Christ Update
Gord Martin & Doug Loveday - Kenya update #5
Home! Both Doug and I have been in good health throughout the trip, are bone tired and very thankful!
Physically, I feel a bit like this donkey on the road in front of us, not in a hurry to move!
Ishmael and his team, now have three more upcoming conferences on three successive weekends in the western part of Kenya. It’s a grueling schedule. The church leaders in those regions are deeply disappointed we will not be with them in person. They will be using pre-recorded videos we made before we left. Please pray for them. The roads are brutal in those areas.
What did we accomplish on this trip? Only God knows the full answer, but here are a few things that come to mind:
We encouraged and provided leadership training for church leaders and others whose daily challenges make ours look very small. They welcomed us with great enthusiasm and open arms.
We, along with the VMK board, learned that we need to adjust our strategy.
Our future focus will be on providing central training, of carefully selected people who have the capacity to train others also
Social and physical projects like the well, are of enormous value. We need to elevate their priority.
We met two influential men who gave us valuable and wise counsel.
We saw over and over again, just how dynamic and full of hope people in Kenya are! This picture captures the pervasive optimism that is commonplace.
We are committed to another five years of support for Vision Ministries Kenya. Chris Atkinson of Angus, who was with us on a couple of earlier trips to Burundi and Kenya will be taking over my role. I plan to help him transition into that role and provide ongoing support to VMK.
A few of you have asked; we have raised all the funds needed for this trip and just over 30K of this year’s total 48K VMK budget.
You’ve got to see this. Go to my Facebook page. This Maasai muscian was a big hit at our last Sunday gathering in Kaijado.
Doug Loveday has been a wonderful partner on this trip. It was so obvious to see how valuable it is to have complimentary spiritual gifts represented on any team!
We are very thankful to the Lord for carrying us safely there and back. Thank you for your support and encouragement.
To see the 10 year celebration report of VMK, go to https://vision-ministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/10-Year-Celebration-Report.pdf
Gord
Couldn’t help myself, one more picture!
Gord Martin
Vision Ministries Canada