Update Part Two

As I mentioned yesterday, it has been quite a week around here.  There were so many exciting things to share that it would not fit into one update.  Yesterday, I focused on some amazing conversations that I had had the day before.  Let me share with you some of the other amazing things that happened the preceding week.
My eventful Monday morning came on the heels of a pretty amazing experience the night before as we had the opportunity to head back to Milton and visit our family at The Sanctuary Milton as they host a church Christmas dinner.  It was great to connect with friends and family, to sing together and to share fellowship over a meal.   The most amazing thing, however, was meeting so many new people.  There was at least four new families that we got to meet, and those were just the ones we met and even they were just the new families that were able to make it to the dinner.  Since our moving to Hamilton just six months ago God has brought a whole host of new faces to the Sanctuary Milton.  These really are exciting times and I can't wait to see what He is up to.
Working backward through the week, Saturday was also an astounding day.  That was the day that my wife and a neighbour hosted the first meeting of their Girls Bible Club for mothers and daughters.  This is a group that they hope to gather once a month during which they will study a different woman from the bible, share in fellowship and share a practical skill building activity (anything from art to community building).  It was exciting to see a mix of churched and unchurched families gathering, learning and having fun.  There was even talk from some of the unchurched attendees about friends that they would like to invite for the next one.  It was amazing to watch people relax, have fun, and build relationships all while learning life lessons from Mary the mother of Jesus.  We are praying for where this may lead.
Finally, I can not help but share our excitement about the many ways we are celebrating God's provision this week both personally as a family and as a church.   Personally, we have been hosting Korean students and helping to teach them English in order to help cover our costs.  When Betty left in December the program informed us they will not have any other new students for at least a year so we have been praying through what other opportunities we might find.  As it turns out, Betty had such a positive experience that she contacted a friend back in Korea who was considering coming to Canada to learn English and suggested that she consider coming to stay with us.  We are working out the details now for her to come in January. 
As a church, we have seen amazing God's blessing and provision through His church both materially and financially.  As you may know, we have been hosting a blanket and coat drive as we prepare to serve some of the needs of the less fortunate in our community.  The blanket and coats have started to come in and it has been overwhelming.  We have received so many donations that we think that we  will have enough for our initial delivery, but also have enough to support some of the shelters in the city.  This will be a key chance to help them but also to build relationships with them as we seek to continue serving the needs of the disadvantaged in the city.  We have also experienced an overwhelming response to our request last week and in a single day we had the entire cost of the coffee thermos donated.  Not only that, but there have been a few donations since then as people have anticipated our need for coffee and other supplies. 
Lastly, we have also been blessed by the kind generosity and kingdom minded agenda of established churches who have come along side of us to help us financially for 2012.   We are truly humbled and honoured to count you as supporters and partners and are extremely grateful for your sacrificial giving.  What seemed like a daunting gap to bridge as we put together a budget for 2012 is a little less daunting this morning.   It is as if God has been saying, "no need to worry I have got this."  We are not all the way there yet  and that keeps us humble, on our knees and dependant upon God, but we are confident that He who has provided thus far and has given us every indication that He is at work, will continue to provide as we move forward.
So, it has been quite a week.  We are pretty excited.  We are looking for the next few weeks, months and this next year to be quite a ride.  Thanks to all of you who continue to ride along with us.  We could not do it without you standing in the gap!