Our time in Canada has been nothing short of amazing and yet surreal at the same time. Kelowna has been the perfect landing place for us to get our bearings as we transition into a new world. I say perfect not for reasons most think of when they hear of the beauty and recreation this part of the province offers. It’s the right spot because we know this is where the Lord was leading us.
I find it interesting how God led us from living by faith amongst the poorest of the poor to relearning how to live intentionally by faith amongst some of the wealthiest in Canada. We are located in the Province of British Columbia (B.C.) that has rightly been coined BC “Bring Cash” due to the outrageous cost of living. Thankfully, we know by experience, not to be anxious about such things. Jesus left us with His peace (Jn 14:27). It is a gift of significant value for the follower of Christ. That indescribable peace has guarded us through far too many situations that could have broken us otherwise (Phil 4:7).
TRUST & OBEY
God impressed on our hearts before making the trip back to Canada, to be teachable and not quick to commit our steps to anything out of pressure or need. This is not an easy thing to do when facing mounting needs and the societal draw to assimilate.
So many years ago as we stepped foot on the mission field, God allowed us to walk through an intense season of poverty, hunger and suffering. We did so alongside the locals we shared community with. Wrestling through these trials in faith we learned so much about ourselves, God’s character and the absolute essential value of trials and our faith response to them.
It so pleases the Father’s heart when we trust Him. This Biblical truth lived out proved fruitful for us and created an environment for God to have His way.
Hope for the Island continues to bear fruit as testimony to what God can do when we simply trust and obey. The old school song declares truth when it says, “For there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey!”
On that note I feel the need to make an apology. Our last family update was sent out shortly after we arrived in Canada. Since then we have not sent out any communication. We are in an age where the societal norm is to stay active sharing and posting daily on social media, covering everything from selfies, what we eat, to family vacations and serious life challenges. I had planned on many occasions to provide a play by play on our entertaining transition saga. I didn’t feel a peace to do so. I felt I needed to discern better how the Lord was working and leading before communicating. In this new world I have found myself in, there is a lot of pressure to capture and share everything.
Personally I find social media to cloud my focus a little and divert me from living in the moment and walking with God and others. With that said, in keeping silent we may have brought unwarranted concern and for that I’m sorry.
Living and walking these transitions out by faith was uniquely refreshing and a way for us to gain clarity and direction. We thank God for the season we are in where we need to trust Him in new ways and be intentional learners. We are learning from the ground up much like immigrants. Adjusting to four seasons was a fun one to start with. I believe we may be responsible for such a long extreme winter! God must have wanted us as islanders to be reminded what a true white wintery experience feels like 🙂 We embraced it with joy despite the four month inner chill we couldn’t shake.
As I was saying good night to Makana the other night in her quiet basement room, she said something that shocked me. She shared how she missed falling asleep to the sounds of jungle life, wild wind in the trees and consistent torrential downpours that thunder like a waterfall. She described especially missing the intensity and energy involved as we prepared for devastating typhoons that came in from the pacific. Raw adventure and change has been a normal part of their upbringing.
The learning curve being back in Canada is extensive, yet faced with anticipation and joy because our God walks with us and empowers us to face the unknowns! The truth of God’s grace being sufficient reigns true in our lives.
OUR PLACE IN THE BODY
Jenn and I spent some time praying before coming to Canada on some specific longings on our heart.
One, we needed to find our place locally in the body of Christ. Although we knew “church” would look very different to what we have been used to, we trusted God to bring us into a community where we could grow and invest ourselves into. We were thankful to be drawn into a community that shares a strong mission calling. We connected to the life giving values we saw lived out and our hearts were drawn to serve. Jenn and I felt led into two differing areas that matched both the time we had available and connected with our gifting and ministry experience.
Jenn is involved for the most part volunteering through Stephen’s Ministry under Kelowna Gospel Fellowship. The ministry provides extensive training and focuses on being a caregiver to those who are facing struggles within the body. Jenn has been growing in her knowledge of mental health concerns in Canada and ways to counsel.
For me, the raw unstructured jungle side of me was drawn to the radical love Metro Central has for the displaced and forsaken of society. They choose the courageous yet messy path necessary to help bring healing and restoration to many of the destitute that flood the inner city. I have especially loved working alongside guys who are in the process of escaping addiction and crime. This has led to mentors hip and times of prayer and study in the word. Getting plugged into local Canadian ministry is stretching us in good ways. At the same time, God is using all these circumstances to better equip us for the expanding scope of Hope for the Island’s work internationally.
Makana and Brison are finding their rhythm and place here as well. They are enjoying school, have made close friends and are plugged into a good youth group. They even have some part time landscaping work! As parents we are thankful for the ways we see them responding in faith to the new tests and temptations that surround them daily.
SUMMER MISSIONS PREP!!!
In our last update we shared the powerful experience our family had with the Nomadic Penan people of Borneo . The Penan are struggling to survive as their life sustaining rain forest is being destroyed at an alarming rate. July 11 – Aug 12 we will return home to the Philippines and together with our local Filipino team go into Borneo to come alongside and serve our brothers and sisters in desperate need.
In preparation for this trip, Jenn and I took our Teaching English as a second language course refresher. Straight out of the course, Jenn was offered part time work at Vanwest College. She teaches English to foreign students.
God led connections are also being made through this teaching position. We are working on a curriculum designed for us to use to teach the Penan who have no exposure to education never mind English. This was one of the urgent requests the Penan presented to us while visiting them. Speaking English will enable them to host tourists as a way to earn income critical to survive (money was something they didn’t need when the forest was undisturbed.)
The government has indicated that portions of primary rain forest may not be cut down if the Penan can develop an income source through tourism. During our time with the Penan, we showed them some basic planting principles from our experience growing in the tropics. Food and resource scarcity is now a problem for the Penan who not long ago lived solely off what they gathered or hunted. They asked us to teach them how to grow organic food because their children keep getting sick from packaged food being introduced by well intention-ed people. These new inputs are creating more problems than good. Although we have the experience of growing food in Philippines, Jenn and I felt the need to keep gaining knowledge so as to practice sustainable farming here in Canada.
God once again provided a way and location to take on this challenge over the course of this year. We have been able to develop a small hobby farm with veggies and chickens on the property where God provided temporary living for our family. This opportunity is great because we are exercising our passion and getting better equipped to expand our international arm of missions. It has been beautiful to see how God orchestrates circumstances, and positions us to fulfill His purposes.
Thank you friends and family! Your prayer and support for our family over this season of transition means a lot to us. The call to follow Jesus and His missions mandate continues to evolve and good things lie ahead! For anyone who has any questions or would like to learn more about this faith journey we are on, email us anytime at byfaith65@hotmail.com or give us a call @ 1-204-915-7209.
As a good friend always says, have a great day or do something to make it one!
Derek, Jennifer, Brison and Makana
