BAUMAN, PHIL & ANDREA (Canada, International roles with SIM) PRAISE/PRAY: Praise for a great time in Kenya at the Flourishing People conference Andrea helped organise. We’re thankful that we were home in time to celebrate Easter with our family. Next week, Phil and two colleagues attend a conference with a large church in the Middle East which would like to start sending workers through SIM. Pray for a strong partnership to develop. Mid-April we travel to Austria, where Phil and Andrea gather with the rest of Phil’s Executive Team for a time of refreshment and looking ahead. The following week, we meet for a Leader Development gathering where we’ll be spending time with the couple we are mentoring. Please pray for safe travel, good health and days of rest in the midst of travel.
Brock Martin - Colombia
Robert & Susan Martin - Kingston Prison Ministries
“… whoever lives and believes in Me
shall never die…”
John 11:26
Dear Christian friends,
To us as believers, the Resurrection - the empty tomb - is the very heart of our faith. With the miracle of His rising from the dead, the Lord Jesus has placed the seal of assurance on the forgiveness of our sins.
The price paid for our sins has been accepted by God. We who believe in Jesus Christ are able to say to the world, "Because He is risen, because He is alive, we too shall live!" Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
* Pray for a new six-week Bible study series we will begin Wednesday evenings at Collins Bay minimum. It is geared especially for Christian inmates.
* I mentioned in the last newsletter that I would be escorting a senior inmate to Toronto for an 8-day stay at a half way house. This was to be his first experience on the street in 48 years. To follow up: He was able to successfully overcome the anxiety surrounding that trip and make connections for future parole placement. In conversations with him since then, I believe it has given him tangible hope for the future. In his own words, “I see the light of day ahead of me instead of the lights of a freight train coming to run me down.”
The fear and disgrace of dying in prison ranks high. He saw that as the likely probability looming ahead of him (like "a freight train coming to run him down")
Instead His future now includes the possibility of living his remaining years in a controlled environment but on the street.
Pray he continues to trust the Lord for each day as he lives out his faith.
* Pray for George, an inmate who was a believer before committing his crime. In his shame and embarrassment, he is appearing to over extend himself in religious activities. In conversations with him, he seeks to use deep theological terminology and spends his time writing essays/commentaries on portions of scripture. We long to see him live humbly and peacefully in the forgiveness that God provides.
* Pray as we share the Easter message again this year, that the cross will clearly be understood. We know the men can be like either of the two thieves that were crucified beside Jesus. They can complain angrily at God and reject Jesus. Or they can be like the other thief who recognized the man hanging next to him to be the Holy Son of God who could forgive his sins. We pray they make the right choice for eternity.
Thank you for reading this update and for your prayers. We trust in the One who conquered even death.
Blessings,
Robert and Susan
Jenn Brubacher - Youth For Christ (Listowel)
God is Hovering Over the Chaos
We have a chalkboard in our youth centre, and we've started to use it during drop-in. We've invited students to vote on silly little things like whether a hotdog is a sandwich and if pineapple belongs on pizza. This time, we posed a question: What if it's true there is a power in the middle of ALL the chaos you see that is ready and able to start putting it all into order and setting it right?
Without lifting his head, a student says, "That's Jesus," and continues to draw.
This student has little church experience, yet he recognizes the power is Jesus Himself.
I wonder if I'm aware of Jesus' presence in the middle of all the chaos, being able to see and claim it to be true with such confidence when things are crumbling all around us. Mental health crises, broken relationships, profound grief, families deteriorating, substance abuse, not having the hope to live– it's everywhere. It seems like the chaos has been seeping into deeper and wider places over the last few months. We can't fix it, yet somehow and in some way, God invites us to be a part of what He's already doing in making all things new. Piece by piece, God is putting all things into order and setting it right. This is what we're a part of at Youth Unlimited YFC, and I'm incredibly thankful that you are too.
SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES
It is a gift to walk with the senior girls’ volleyball team. They are ambitious, kind and hard-working. It’s been a joy to coach the sport and walk with a few of them in life. Kevin and I were supervisors for a winter camping trip, and I reconnected with several students I know. We hiked and sat around the campfire, listening to students laugh, share stories, and joke around, and they offered me hot chocolate (so sweet-- literally). Thank you, Jesus, for moments to build trusting relationships and to make new connections.
GAINS
As Kevin transitions into a new role at Youth Unlimited YFC, I have officially taken over the full responsibility of leading Gains, our leadership development program. This year, we’re focusing on a four-week rotation highlighting teaching, sharing a meal once a month, serving, building community, and having fun! We’re diving into Be Still: A Simple Guide to Quiet Time by Brian Heasley for our teaching component. It’s brought rich conversations about what it means to follow Jesus in our current cultural moment.
PRAYER
Thankful for the opportunity to reconnect with staff from across Eastern Canada at our annual YFC Eastern Regional Conference. It was a great time to learn and be refreshed (photo)
For continued wisdom as we walk with students through difficult situations
For small pieces of growth and healing in C’s life!
Christmas Campaign Update!
I'm SO thankful for the people who said 'yes!' to being a part of what's happening in Listowel by joining my monthly partner team. I continue to depend largely on monthly giving for my fixed salary, and there are five spots left!
Big picture: you're investing in me to be a safe, caring presence for young people who often go without.
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Welcome to the team!
The work of Youth Unlimited YFC is literally changing lives. Have questions or want to connect? Simply respond to this email!
My Youth Unlimited YFC journey started in the fall of 2016, and words can’t describe how thankful I am for your prayer and support throughout the years. I may be on the frontline, but you are just as a part of what God is going in Listowel. Thank you!
All for His Glory,
Charlotte Martin - Power to Change
God called several of us who are either in teachers' college or going into teachers' college and it was awesome to experience how similar kids are no matter where they are. Even if we couldn't speak the same language and some of the children had so little, the kids were the same. We could feel how God had equipped us for this work and could feel His providence in having prepared us for this work across the world. - Luke
I was blessed to help organize the child wellness assessments we completed for the school. As a pre-med student, I appreciated the chance to learn from experienced nurses, doctors, and nurse practitioners and apply my ‘book knowledge’. God also made a way to overcome language and cultural barriers when working with these children, to build relationships and share His Word. - Elizabeth
One of the most important Spanish sayings I learned was "Jesucristo Basta." Jesus Christ is enough. . . . The families and children of the remote Honduran villages encouraged me to view worship not as just moments in time, but as a lifestyle of recklessly loving and pursuing God with everything that we are. I remember our 12-hour hiking journey up a mountain on our final day to meet one single family who lived at the top of it. Though it was challenging, and I experienced many moments when I wanted to give up, I had the privilege of understanding Christ's love in a new way. The many mountains He would climb to find us - the ninety-nine families he would leave, to come and pour His love out on the one. - Esther
Honduras Impact by Numbers:
72 - Child health assessments
135 - Fluoride treatments for children
100 - Hand knit dolls given out
200 - Children received age appropriate health education
200 - Spanish gospel magazines distributed
2+ - Construction projects at the mission, clinic and school
20 - Families visited in El Cacao: received gospel magazine, prayer, toothbrushes
150 - School children participated in Bible lessons on “Prayer” and "Jesus is King"
Friends at, thank you for your partnership that helped make this mission trip happen. One of the big wins for this mission trip was Canadian students coming away with a greater vision for how they might use their skills, interests, and degrees in God's kingdom work in the future.
Stories from Honduras
As I clicked the red hang up button to end my video call with our Honduras mission trip directors last Tuesday the words of Isaiah 25:1 resonated in my heart - "Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things."
February 16-25 we sent 27 staff and students to Honduras on a mission trip in partnership with an organization in Honduras called Adventure in Missions. It was inspiring to debrief with the trip directors and hear stories of impact. Here are a few highlights from some of the student participants.
P.S. One of our goals as a global missions team is to help students care about what God is doing around the world. That is why my team along with our Strategies and Operations department created an interactive map to help us pray for the world as a ministry. If you want to help us pray for the entire world this semester, head to p2c.sh/prayfortheworld.