Wow, what a week it has been! This past weekend marked both our last week in Milton as well as our first outreach event in our new neighbourhood and a few things in between as well.
It began last Thursday, when we attended our last official homechurch/band practice with the worship team in Milton with whom we have been serving these last six years. The last two years have been especially memorable as we have seen God do amazing things, we have seen people grow closer to Christ and, for me personally, I have seen God teach me the basic foundations for what he has called us to do here in Hamilton. We took the opportunity to study the Great Commission from Matthew 28:16:20 together, celebrating our new work in Hamilton while encouraging and challenging each other with what it should look like for all of us as a group and each of us as individuals to live out the command to make disciples of all nations by going, baptizing and teaching. It was an especially sweet time together as our friends Liz and Grant brought their new daughter, exactly one week old. Two Thursdays ago we celebrated together when a proud father called us while we were gathered studying God's word, to let us know that Charlotte had just been born. This was an incredibly emotional call for all of us as we reflected over the previous year and a half. Liz and Grant had been told that they would never be able to have children without medical intervention, and over the last year and a half our group walked with them through two miscarriages. It was an incrediblly difficult time for them, and it was heart breaking to walk with them through such a time. I won't ever forget the night that they joined us for home church via skype (as they were on a short term assignment in Australia) and shared with us that despite the fact that they had gone for a rest, had left all the treatments behind and had almost given up on having children, they were pregnant. This was a work of God for sure.
As if the birth of a newborn was not exciting enough, one week previous to Charlotte's birth, our friends Shelly and Patrick were able to share with us that they had been chosen to be the parents of a young boy that they were working on adopting. This was especially poignant for Kim and I as we remember back to when we adopted Daniel and Caroline. Kim especially walked with Shelly and Patrick through this process, one in which we saw the providential hand of God at work in amazing ways. God saw fit that they would get the phone call saying that they had been chosen to parent Jonas just shortly before our home church would arrive. They were really excited to be able to share with us. This is exactly the way that it occurred for Kim and I eight years ago, and we remember Liam sharing with our home church in Oakville at the time, who had also prayed and walked with us through the journey, that he had a new brother and sister. We see God at work in the church in Milton as He transforms lives, draws people into deeper relationship with Himself, and people reorient their lives around Jesus and living out his words. It makes it bitter sweet to be leaving, but we know that God is at work and that they will continue to grow and thrive and bring honour to His name... and we are just a short drive down the highway!
Sunday was then our last official Sunday at the Sanctuary Milton. Again it was a bit bitter sweet. For the most part we were able to ignore the reality, keep it together and have a great service. At the conclusion of the service, however, there were some tears that were shed. Our friend and pastor Jim Danielson had prepared a beautiful power point reflecting our years serving together. We have gotten used to saying that we have been serving in Milton for six years now, which is true. The fact is, however, that the Danilesons and the McGibbons also served together in Oakville for a number of years before that and we have been together, in one capacity or another, for closer to ten years. We so appreciated all the time and energy put into the presentation and are even more grateful for the years of love, service and deep relationships that it represented. They followed this presentation by gathering around us, laying hands on us and praying as they sent us out. It is hard to capture such a moment in words so I will not even try except to say that it was a powerful and meaningful time together that will always mean a lot to my family.
That, in and or itself, would have made for a rich and memorable weekend but it does not end there. We had the privilegde of having a photographer join us for the weekend who was taking pictures for a future magazine article hghlighting our new work here in Hamilton. With this in mind we had the opportunity to show some of who we are, the community in which we are serving and some of the things that we hope to accomplish here in the city. On Saturday we headed out to Locke street with our good friend Mike who is an amazing fiddle player, and we did some busking. We set out a violin case full of candy, and tried to give a bit as opposed to collecting change, and we preformed for an hour or so. We had a great time, met some great people and I think is is something we will definitly do again.
The final thing that we planned for the weekend was a BBQ (translation: "grill out", or "cook out" for those of you in the south) We hosted a "Thank You" gathering for all those who have so warmly welcomed us onto the street. Having only sent out the invitations on Wednesday and Thursday, which was fairly short notice, we thought that it might be a smaller gathering. To our surprise, almost everyone made it, and we hosted over twenty people for dinner on Sunday. It was a powerful picture of the community that God has called us to be forming. We had young kids and seniors, men and women, boys and girls and even some different cultures all sharing, interacting and spending time together. We were encouraged to see this sense of community that exists and seems to have been fanned into flame just in time for us to be able to witness and be a part of. I believe God is stirring, and we see this picture from Sunday night as a real encouragement from the Lord. We also got some amazing flames going (all intentional, no burned burgers came from the grill) for some great photos of the event.
Of course a BBQ is just a BBQ. Our request is that you would join us as we continue to seek the Lord for guidance and direction and for opportunities for more spiritual discussions in the days ahead. We will be seeking to discern the spiritual state of our new friends in order to get a sense of where to go and with whom. We continue to pray from Luke 10 for people of peace, asking that God would specifically reveal those that He has chosen for us to begin discipleship. We also pray for workers for the harvest which will be needed as we seek to eventually multiply and seep out across the city. Our continued prayer is that God would glorify His name in this place and that He would use all of this for His name sake and for the sake of His kingdom.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Free Art Friday - 24/06/11
Yes, I went all the way to Phoenix and took pictures of an old boarded up Hotel. This is the kind of thing that I notice...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Update Tuesday - 21/06/11
It has been a busy few weeks and I apologize for not posting last Tuesday. I was in Phoenix for the SBC annual convention. I was too cheap to buy wi-fi for my room and sitting outside the office building next to my hotel to do anything more than just check e-mail seemed a little strange. The week in Phoenix was a great experience and I really appreciate the opportunity I had to attend. It really is much like our Canadian annual convention...but super sized. Maybe next year we will have a bus company selling buses in our exhibit hall. I never have the heart to tell the sales guys in those booths that my entire church could fit on one of their mini-buses, and that we might not be in a place to buy one...ever.
I was there representing the North American Mission Board, their new Send North America initiative, and in particular, Canada. This meant two official duties over the week. First, it meant that there was a video of me in the NAMB booth in the exhibit hall. It was a bit disconcerting to see an almost life size video of me when I first entered the booth, so much so that when I first saw it, I turned around and high tailed it out of there. By the end of my time, however, I had somewhat gotten used to it, enough so that I could at least stay in the booth for my official shift.
Secondly, it meant that I had the opportunity to participate in the official NAMB presentation...on stage in front of all the SBC delegates and attendees...however many thousands of people that was. The funny thing is that I had no idea that I was going to be a part of it, or what that meant until I got there. They did mention something about it briefly in an e-mail I think. It wasn't until I got there and met with someone in the NAMB lounge that they mentioned something about being on stage etc. I just nodded thinking that admitting that I had no idea what they were talking about, and had no idea that I might be speaking before the whole assembly would be rather uncool. It was a great experience in the end. We followed an incredible video and story about some Disaster Relief workers who had recently become victims themselves in the Joplin tornadoes. Powerful stuff! Then they played a video with some footage from the original Oakville church plant from 2001 tracing the progression of plants through Milton and to Hamilton. I was then asked some questions, along with Jeff Christopherson who put together the team that planted to original Sanctuary site. I remarked to Jeff that if there is one thing that the video demonstrated, it is that church planting produces grey hair!
We were followed by another church planting video and story. It really is quite an amazing one. If you are interested you can view all the videos here, they are worth a look:
NAMB videos
These videos were pretty amazing, and the presentation was a great one. Thanks to all of those who had a hand in the videos, in organizing the presentation and in representing NAMB in all capacities at the convention. We truly appreciate all your effort to help highlight our ministries, and most importantly to celebrate what God is doing and give Him the glory.
Outside of the official duties I had many opportunties to meet people, to share stories and to connect. I especially appreciated the times I got to spend with others seving in Canada, many of whom I had not had an opportunity to really connect with before. It is a bit funny that it would take a trip to Phoenix to connect with other Canadians!
Well now we are back to our neighbourhood here in Hamilton. It is good to be home and I am excited to see what God has planned for us here. We continue to meet neighbours and are having a great time getting to know the community and all the amazing people around us. We would ask that you continue to pray that God would lead us to those He has planned for us to connect with. There is a bit of a neat story to share as this Thursday I will be having coffee with an old friend. I have known Adam since grade school in Oakville, and we were very close all through high school being part of a very close knit group of friends and playing in a band together. We also went to college together where we studied music and continued to play together regularly. After college I got married, went off to university and then seminary and finally up to Milton where I have been serving for the past six years. I lost touch with Adam about ten years ago or so. Well, I was surfing the net when I came across an add that he had placed for guitar lessons in...Hamilton! He is living in Hamilton now, with a family of his own and so we have made plans to catch up on Thursday.
We will also have the opportunity to host our first gathering as we invite some of the neighbours who have welcomed us so warmly to the community. We are looking forward to having a chance to welcome them, thank them and to get to know them better. Please be praying for this opportunity, that people would feel welcomed, that we might learn more about them and continue to build strong relationships that God may use in a powerful way.
We thank you for your continued prayers and support and I look forward to reporting all that God is doing again next week.
I was there representing the North American Mission Board, their new Send North America initiative, and in particular, Canada. This meant two official duties over the week. First, it meant that there was a video of me in the NAMB booth in the exhibit hall. It was a bit disconcerting to see an almost life size video of me when I first entered the booth, so much so that when I first saw it, I turned around and high tailed it out of there. By the end of my time, however, I had somewhat gotten used to it, enough so that I could at least stay in the booth for my official shift.
 |
| who would choose me as a poster boy?! |
Secondly, it meant that I had the opportunity to participate in the official NAMB presentation...on stage in front of all the SBC delegates and attendees...however many thousands of people that was. The funny thing is that I had no idea that I was going to be a part of it, or what that meant until I got there. They did mention something about it briefly in an e-mail I think. It wasn't until I got there and met with someone in the NAMB lounge that they mentioned something about being on stage etc. I just nodded thinking that admitting that I had no idea what they were talking about, and had no idea that I might be speaking before the whole assembly would be rather uncool. It was a great experience in the end. We followed an incredible video and story about some Disaster Relief workers who had recently become victims themselves in the Joplin tornadoes. Powerful stuff! Then they played a video with some footage from the original Oakville church plant from 2001 tracing the progression of plants through Milton and to Hamilton. I was then asked some questions, along with Jeff Christopherson who put together the team that planted to original Sanctuary site. I remarked to Jeff that if there is one thing that the video demonstrated, it is that church planting produces grey hair!
We were followed by another church planting video and story. It really is quite an amazing one. If you are interested you can view all the videos here, they are worth a look:
NAMB videos
These videos were pretty amazing, and the presentation was a great one. Thanks to all of those who had a hand in the videos, in organizing the presentation and in representing NAMB in all capacities at the convention. We truly appreciate all your effort to help highlight our ministries, and most importantly to celebrate what God is doing and give Him the glory.
Outside of the official duties I had many opportunties to meet people, to share stories and to connect. I especially appreciated the times I got to spend with others seving in Canada, many of whom I had not had an opportunity to really connect with before. It is a bit funny that it would take a trip to Phoenix to connect with other Canadians!
Well now we are back to our neighbourhood here in Hamilton. It is good to be home and I am excited to see what God has planned for us here. We continue to meet neighbours and are having a great time getting to know the community and all the amazing people around us. We would ask that you continue to pray that God would lead us to those He has planned for us to connect with. There is a bit of a neat story to share as this Thursday I will be having coffee with an old friend. I have known Adam since grade school in Oakville, and we were very close all through high school being part of a very close knit group of friends and playing in a band together. We also went to college together where we studied music and continued to play together regularly. After college I got married, went off to university and then seminary and finally up to Milton where I have been serving for the past six years. I lost touch with Adam about ten years ago or so. Well, I was surfing the net when I came across an add that he had placed for guitar lessons in...Hamilton! He is living in Hamilton now, with a family of his own and so we have made plans to catch up on Thursday.
We will also have the opportunity to host our first gathering as we invite some of the neighbours who have welcomed us so warmly to the community. We are looking forward to having a chance to welcome them, thank them and to get to know them better. Please be praying for this opportunity, that people would feel welcomed, that we might learn more about them and continue to build strong relationships that God may use in a powerful way.
We thank you for your continued prayers and support and I look forward to reporting all that God is doing again next week.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Free Art Friday 10/06/11
I will get in trouble for these later when my wife sees this post...but what the heck. I took these for her the other day (she needed some photos to send to someone for an upcoming article) on the front porch of the new house.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Update Tuesday - 7/06/11
"Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"
- Luke 5:30
I came across this passage in a quiet time and it caused me to think over my past week. Jesus' response was simply that he came for the sinners. It would make sense that if you hope to reach a certain group of people, you must go to them. I was reminded of the truth of this passage after a night at the West Town, the local bar and grill that was hosting a 20th anniversary party. Kim and I walked over to Locke Street and headed into the restaurant where we made our way through the packed facility looking for a place to sit (or stand as things were turning out). It wasn't long before we saw the couple that had renovated our house. We stopped and talked for a while and eventually sat with them at their table.
It was an amazing experience, as every two or three minutes or so, someone from the neighbourhood would walk by and they would introduce us. Having grown up and lived most of their lives here they know everyone! We met so many people from the neighbourhood, heard about their stories and got a history lesson about the restaurant, the people and the area. This evening also presented our first real, significant spiritual conversation. We had shared briefly before that I was a pastor and that we were coming to start new work, and so they asked more specifically about what we were going to be doing. The question was something like, "will you have your own parish here, or..." (which revealed a bit of her background). We stated that we were here to begin something brand new and start it from scratch. "Oh, so you have to convert people..." she said, slightly in jest. This gave us a great opportunity to share about what we hope to do. We see our roles as not so much to "convert" people (that is for God to do), but rather to invite people to consider Jesus afresh for themselves in order to make an informed decision, and to walk with them through that process if they would like. This was actually just the beginning of a long conversation about Jesus, faith, their own history with church and their views about faith and spirituality now. We shared where appropriate, but most of all we listened. It was amazing to consider the conversation we were having, and that it was initiated and led mostly by them. I came away struck by two things in particular. One, was their experience that Christians are "holier than thou," and unwilling (or afraid) to engage respectively with, rather than just argue or belittle, those who think differently. Secondly, that building a relationship with them over the past few months has created enough trust for them to feel comfortable sharing. The reality is that we did not do anything special, we were simply in the right place at the right time. We were, however, willing to be at a bar during a party.
It was an amazing experience, as every two or three minutes or so, someone from the neighbourhood would walk by and they would introduce us. Having grown up and lived most of their lives here they know everyone! We met so many people from the neighbourhood, heard about their stories and got a history lesson about the restaurant, the people and the area. This evening also presented our first real, significant spiritual conversation. We had shared briefly before that I was a pastor and that we were coming to start new work, and so they asked more specifically about what we were going to be doing. The question was something like, "will you have your own parish here, or..." (which revealed a bit of her background). We stated that we were here to begin something brand new and start it from scratch. "Oh, so you have to convert people..." she said, slightly in jest. This gave us a great opportunity to share about what we hope to do. We see our roles as not so much to "convert" people (that is for God to do), but rather to invite people to consider Jesus afresh for themselves in order to make an informed decision, and to walk with them through that process if they would like. This was actually just the beginning of a long conversation about Jesus, faith, their own history with church and their views about faith and spirituality now. We shared where appropriate, but most of all we listened. It was amazing to consider the conversation we were having, and that it was initiated and led mostly by them. I came away struck by two things in particular. One, was their experience that Christians are "holier than thou," and unwilling (or afraid) to engage respectively with, rather than just argue or belittle, those who think differently. Secondly, that building a relationship with them over the past few months has created enough trust for them to feel comfortable sharing. The reality is that we did not do anything special, we were simply in the right place at the right time. We were, however, willing to be at a bar during a party.
It has just been over a week since moving into our new house and new neighbourhood, and we have seen some other fun things as well. Our interview on the morning news for MacKids went really well and then on Saturday, two of our kids managed to make it onto the front page of the business section of the Hamilton Spectator. You can have a look here if you would like:
The Spec
The kids are having an amazing time and loving it. They are gone most afternoons and evenings, off to the park with their new friends. There seems to be a bit of a a new spark on our street as it is all a bustle with kids. That tends to happen when we import four at a time, but there is a vitality now that the neighbours are commenting about. All the kids seem to come together these days and it has brought a new life to our little avenue. At the centre of it all is Richard, our retired neighbour across the street, who seems to be loving this new vitality the most. He is often seen out with the kids, bringing the water balloons or sharing about the newest geocahces. We are having fun getting to know Richard and his wife and I will aim to share more about him in a later post, so don't forget to check back.
Next week I will be at the SBC annual convention in Phoenix, Arizona and I will try to post a report from there.
The kids are having an amazing time and loving it. They are gone most afternoons and evenings, off to the park with their new friends. There seems to be a bit of a a new spark on our street as it is all a bustle with kids. That tends to happen when we import four at a time, but there is a vitality now that the neighbours are commenting about. All the kids seem to come together these days and it has brought a new life to our little avenue. At the centre of it all is Richard, our retired neighbour across the street, who seems to be loving this new vitality the most. He is often seen out with the kids, bringing the water balloons or sharing about the newest geocahces. We are having fun getting to know Richard and his wife and I will aim to share more about him in a later post, so don't forget to check back.
Next week I will be at the SBC annual convention in Phoenix, Arizona and I will try to post a report from there.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Free Art Friday - 03/06/11
Here are some new lyrics I have been working on. This is one of the songs in which the words and music come together. I was banging away on my guitar one day and humming possible tunes and singing phrases. What began to develop was a set of lyrics based on one of my favourite photographs, taken of a sunset at my family cottage. I have shared the photo before, as well as a painting that I did from it. It seems it is a source of endless inspiration for me. I just wish I could say that I took the photograph. I guess these are just my ways of trying to get in on a bit of the glory.
Glowing ball of fire descending,
Horizon is ablaze in orange tonight,
Staring and my eyes they are burning,
But I cannot look away
From this summer night on Georgian Bay
Golden sands, my hearts at home on
Summer nights on Georgian Bay
Golden sands, my hearts at home
On summer nights
Just like the sunset in the photograph
Silhouette of black on the horizon,
Marks the giants final resting place,
Island shelter from the open water,
and I cannot look away,
From this summer night on Georgian Bay
Golden sands, my hearts at home on
Summer nights on Georgian Bay
Golden sands, my hearts at home
On summer nights
Just like the sunset in the photograph
The flag upon the raft hangs limp and silent,
Water still, reflecting sunset glow,
Red sky at night, sailor's delight I'm thinking
I cannot look away...
From this summer night on Georgian Bay
Golden sands, my hearts at home on
Summer nights on Georgian Bay
Golden sands, my hearts at home
On summer nights
Just like the sunset in the photograph
I began working on the song with a band that I play in called Before the Flood, so I will let you know if anything comes of it and if you can hear it at some point.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
A Great Story
As I alluded to in my post yesterday, we had a pretty cool experience at the lawyer's office last week as we were closing on our house sale. It went something like this:
Upon arrival, we were directed to have a seat in the waiting area and that someone would be out to see us shortly. We were soon greeted by Cindy who walked us through some preliminary steps in order to have our file prepared for Philip our lawyer. As we finished up with those details, she indicated that it should not be much longer and that Philip would be out to see us in a moment. After a short time of waiting, Cindy returned to let us know that Philip had just received an urgent call that he needed to take, but that we would be seen as soon as that call had finished up. We could tell instantly that it was an important call by the change of tone that came across the whole office. There was a nervous and yet almost reverential hush that fell as people slowed their pace, quited their voices and faces revealed a nervous expectation. Cindy mouthed to us "federal judge." The only sound that continued to sound was the robust voice of Philip with it's deep Nigerian accent. As the door to his office closed, we could not hear the details, but knew that important negotiations were underway. As we were waiting I remarked to Kim, "what are the chances that a guy from Nigeria with an accent that thick has a name like Philip. It must come from the bible. He or his family are Christian."
It was a number of minutes later that the hush was broken as Philip's voice cried out in a celebratory exclamation that was followed by cheering and clapping throughout the office. We then heard a loud "Call in the McGibbons" as the celebratory tone continued. We entered the office and could see the excitement and exuberation all over Philip's face. He proceeded to tell us of what had just transpired. He had just tried a case for an emergency stay by phone with a Supreme Court Judge who was on vacation in Hawaii, and the Attorney General. Only two short days previous, a humble, hard working single mother came with all the money that she could scrape together and pleaded with Philip to take on the deportation case of a young man that she had taken in under her care. This young 17 year old man had been in the country since he was six, and during that time had become estranged with his parents. This lady had taken him in and been caring for him. He is a good student, volunteers at the Salvation Army, has a part time job and is an overall great person. Somehow, and for reasons that I am unaware of, his parents got deported and this included him. They waited until a long weekend before the deportation was scheduled in order to inform him of the fact and to give him his ticket. It was the Tuesday before his Thursday deportation that his caregiver arrived in the office of the lawyer, offering all that she could afford, a commitment to pay all that she could afford each month moving forward and pleading for help. Philip said that when he heard the story, and saw the dedication of this caregiver, he knew he had to take the case. So for two hectic days they had been fighting and negotiating against all the odds and all those who stated that it could not be done. What we had heard just a few minutes before was the actual trial by phone for a stay of deportation...and they had been successful! Philip has never won such a case, and had never heard of one being successful.
As we filled in the paper work for our house closing, he would often refer to the case obviously still in the adrenalin euphoria of the past few minutes. We came to the place where he asked about my occupation, to which I answered that I worked for a church called the Sanctuary. He asked "You are a pastor?" and quickly commented "God's people are everywhere today!" This gave him opportunity to share more specifically about this case, about the hours of prayer over the preceding two days. He also shared how he spent the entire trial-by-phone call on his knees, responding to the strange looks from his staff with "you don't understand, I have to fight this one in the power of the Spirit!"
He shared that at the end of the phone call both he and the judge exchanged "God bless you," which is a rare thing these days, helping to indicate that God had orchestrated this whole thing, putting together whom He wanted, where He wanted and when He wanted. We celebrated together in his office all that the Lord had done.
As we continued to fill in the paper work and make conversation we were able to share that our Milton Church was sending us out to start a new work here in Hamilton. With a huge smile he greeted us and welcomed us to the city stating what a need he saw for evangelical witness in the city. He himself was one of two core families that planted an African church in the city a number of years ago. It was at a physical exam upon arriving in Hamilton from Nigeria, that the doctor shared with him the name of a Nigerian family doctor that he might consider using. As it turns out this doctor was looking to start a church and so Philip and his family joined with this doctor and his family to begin the work. It was a great story, a warm welcome and a reassuring and confirming conversation for Kim and I. He made sure to state that if there is anything they he or his church could do to help in the future, not to hesitate to call.
All in all, it was a very cool meeting we had!
Upon arrival, we were directed to have a seat in the waiting area and that someone would be out to see us shortly. We were soon greeted by Cindy who walked us through some preliminary steps in order to have our file prepared for Philip our lawyer. As we finished up with those details, she indicated that it should not be much longer and that Philip would be out to see us in a moment. After a short time of waiting, Cindy returned to let us know that Philip had just received an urgent call that he needed to take, but that we would be seen as soon as that call had finished up. We could tell instantly that it was an important call by the change of tone that came across the whole office. There was a nervous and yet almost reverential hush that fell as people slowed their pace, quited their voices and faces revealed a nervous expectation. Cindy mouthed to us "federal judge." The only sound that continued to sound was the robust voice of Philip with it's deep Nigerian accent. As the door to his office closed, we could not hear the details, but knew that important negotiations were underway. As we were waiting I remarked to Kim, "what are the chances that a guy from Nigeria with an accent that thick has a name like Philip. It must come from the bible. He or his family are Christian."
It was a number of minutes later that the hush was broken as Philip's voice cried out in a celebratory exclamation that was followed by cheering and clapping throughout the office. We then heard a loud "Call in the McGibbons" as the celebratory tone continued. We entered the office and could see the excitement and exuberation all over Philip's face. He proceeded to tell us of what had just transpired. He had just tried a case for an emergency stay by phone with a Supreme Court Judge who was on vacation in Hawaii, and the Attorney General. Only two short days previous, a humble, hard working single mother came with all the money that she could scrape together and pleaded with Philip to take on the deportation case of a young man that she had taken in under her care. This young 17 year old man had been in the country since he was six, and during that time had become estranged with his parents. This lady had taken him in and been caring for him. He is a good student, volunteers at the Salvation Army, has a part time job and is an overall great person. Somehow, and for reasons that I am unaware of, his parents got deported and this included him. They waited until a long weekend before the deportation was scheduled in order to inform him of the fact and to give him his ticket. It was the Tuesday before his Thursday deportation that his caregiver arrived in the office of the lawyer, offering all that she could afford, a commitment to pay all that she could afford each month moving forward and pleading for help. Philip said that when he heard the story, and saw the dedication of this caregiver, he knew he had to take the case. So for two hectic days they had been fighting and negotiating against all the odds and all those who stated that it could not be done. What we had heard just a few minutes before was the actual trial by phone for a stay of deportation...and they had been successful! Philip has never won such a case, and had never heard of one being successful.
As we filled in the paper work for our house closing, he would often refer to the case obviously still in the adrenalin euphoria of the past few minutes. We came to the place where he asked about my occupation, to which I answered that I worked for a church called the Sanctuary. He asked "You are a pastor?" and quickly commented "God's people are everywhere today!" This gave him opportunity to share more specifically about this case, about the hours of prayer over the preceding two days. He also shared how he spent the entire trial-by-phone call on his knees, responding to the strange looks from his staff with "you don't understand, I have to fight this one in the power of the Spirit!"
He shared that at the end of the phone call both he and the judge exchanged "God bless you," which is a rare thing these days, helping to indicate that God had orchestrated this whole thing, putting together whom He wanted, where He wanted and when He wanted. We celebrated together in his office all that the Lord had done.
As we continued to fill in the paper work and make conversation we were able to share that our Milton Church was sending us out to start a new work here in Hamilton. With a huge smile he greeted us and welcomed us to the city stating what a need he saw for evangelical witness in the city. He himself was one of two core families that planted an African church in the city a number of years ago. It was at a physical exam upon arriving in Hamilton from Nigeria, that the doctor shared with him the name of a Nigerian family doctor that he might consider using. As it turns out this doctor was looking to start a church and so Philip and his family joined with this doctor and his family to begin the work. It was a great story, a warm welcome and a reassuring and confirming conversation for Kim and I. He made sure to state that if there is anything they he or his church could do to help in the future, not to hesitate to call.
All in all, it was a very cool meeting we had!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Update Tuesday - 31/05/11
Update Tuesday...a day late. I don't have internet at home yet so I finally managed to sneak out to the local bakery to enjoy a coffee and free wi-fi. There is a lot to share so read on below.
What an amazing week it has been! There is so much to update.
First and foremost, this is my first post from Hamilton. Although the house closing came down to the wire, everything got done by end of day Thursday. Many times throughout the day we had people saying that a particular step would probably not get completed on time and that we would have to postpone by a day or so. Soon after, however, we would get a message stating that the particular step of the process was complete. That cycle would repeat all day long. It continued that way until we finally signed all the papers in the lawyers office at 4:30 and we literally walked out of the building with him as he drove across town to hand deliver things to the other lawyer by 5:00pm.
On Friday we were able to bring a few loads over by van before spending the rest of the day doing some final packing. Saturday morning our moving truck arrived (arranged by our good friend Bev) along with a crew of about 25 people from our church family (arranged by another good friend Cheri). Not only were there a lot of people to help there was also a whole lot of food to feed the troops. The crew was amazing and the move went smoother and faster than I could have ever expected. By 2:30pm we were in Hamilton, the truck had been emptied and we took a break for lunch with an amazing spread provided by people from our church family. The team, and the food were such an amazing witness to our new neighbours. Richard, a new neighbour across the street, asked where all these people came from and my wife was able to share that they are our church family. His response was “really,” delivered in a slow drawn out fashion highlighting his amazement. Similarly, Mark the contractor who did our house, stopped by to pick up some tools he had left behind. We were able to invite him in and offer him lunch. He too remarked that he had never seen so many people and so much food. All in all a very positive impression was made by the Body of Christ in action.
As if a stellar move was not enough for one week, I can also announce that I have now officially become a North American Mission Board church planting missionary. This comes with some amazing opportunities, a lot of prayer support and another important piece of our financial puzzle. We are one step closer to seeing the expenses for our new work covered and continue to pray for the remaining pieces! God has been so faithful thus far, and we are truly excited and very grateful.
And last, but certainly not least, was an invitation to be a part of MacKids celebration this coming weekend. MacKids called us last week to see if we would consider being interviewed by CHCH Television for their morning show as a part of a weekend of events highlighting McMaster Children’s Hospital. They hope to highlight some of the new additions to the hospital over the past year. One of the new additons is a new MRI. Liam’s story not only helps to highlight the need for the MRI, but it was also used in the fund raising and so they asked if they could interview us. We will be interviewed this Friday at about 8:30am.
That is probably enough for this week, but there is an amazing story that took place in our lawyers office while we were there to sign for our new house. I will try to write about that tomorrow, so check back if you have the chance.
What an amazing week it has been! There is so much to update.
First and foremost, this is my first post from Hamilton. Although the house closing came down to the wire, everything got done by end of day Thursday. Many times throughout the day we had people saying that a particular step would probably not get completed on time and that we would have to postpone by a day or so. Soon after, however, we would get a message stating that the particular step of the process was complete. That cycle would repeat all day long. It continued that way until we finally signed all the papers in the lawyers office at 4:30 and we literally walked out of the building with him as he drove across town to hand deliver things to the other lawyer by 5:00pm.
On Friday we were able to bring a few loads over by van before spending the rest of the day doing some final packing. Saturday morning our moving truck arrived (arranged by our good friend Bev) along with a crew of about 25 people from our church family (arranged by another good friend Cheri). Not only were there a lot of people to help there was also a whole lot of food to feed the troops. The crew was amazing and the move went smoother and faster than I could have ever expected. By 2:30pm we were in Hamilton, the truck had been emptied and we took a break for lunch with an amazing spread provided by people from our church family. The team, and the food were such an amazing witness to our new neighbours. Richard, a new neighbour across the street, asked where all these people came from and my wife was able to share that they are our church family. His response was “really,” delivered in a slow drawn out fashion highlighting his amazement. Similarly, Mark the contractor who did our house, stopped by to pick up some tools he had left behind. We were able to invite him in and offer him lunch. He too remarked that he had never seen so many people and so much food. All in all a very positive impression was made by the Body of Christ in action.
As if a stellar move was not enough for one week, I can also announce that I have now officially become a North American Mission Board church planting missionary. This comes with some amazing opportunities, a lot of prayer support and another important piece of our financial puzzle. We are one step closer to seeing the expenses for our new work covered and continue to pray for the remaining pieces! God has been so faithful thus far, and we are truly excited and very grateful.
And last, but certainly not least, was an invitation to be a part of MacKids celebration this coming weekend. MacKids called us last week to see if we would consider being interviewed by CHCH Television for their morning show as a part of a weekend of events highlighting McMaster Children’s Hospital. They hope to highlight some of the new additions to the hospital over the past year. One of the new additons is a new MRI. Liam’s story not only helps to highlight the need for the MRI, but it was also used in the fund raising and so they asked if they could interview us. We will be interviewed this Friday at about 8:30am.
That is probably enough for this week, but there is an amazing story that took place in our lawyers office while we were there to sign for our new house. I will try to write about that tomorrow, so check back if you have the chance.
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