Settling in... and reminders to PRAY !!!

But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.  Acts 12:5 (NLT)

The GOOD news.. the team is coming together and no one is in jail! New friendships are being formed, and old ones renewed.

The BAD news... There were challenges in planning the mission, and most were resolved with lots of prayerful support... That..and a bit of tenacity from our fearless leaders... But in these early days of the mission, a few urgent issues needing prayerful support to make sure we can keep the project on a timeline that will enable completion are:

• THE CONTAINER - Despite all the plans, clearances provided in advance, the container has still not been released as they are insisting on even MORE paperwork. This has resulted in NOT having access to our building materials, tools, food and other supplies desperately needed to keeping on our greatly restricted timeline. Pray for a quick resolution so our time lines slip no further!
• THE BANK - Oddly the bank has been less than supportive with exchanging our money!?! Perhaps they have never met crazy Canadians with dreams of accomplishing projects that would normally take a year. Whatever the reason... their partnership is essential with enabling us to access the currency to purchase local materials and supplies. Pray for a change of attitude and willingness to work together!
• THE WATER SUPPLY - not the greatest of our worries, but due to the challenges above, our water supply didn't make it to camp. Boiling water is an alternative, but is a considerable inconvenience. Pray for the teams health until this is resolved!

A short excerpt from  "Outlive your life" by Max Lucado:

The church still faces her Goliaths. World hunger. Clergy scandal. Stingy Christians. Corrupt officials. Pea-brained and hard hearted dictators. Peter in prison is just the first of a long list of challenges too big for the church.

So our Jerusalem ancestors left us a strategy. When the problem is bigger than we are - we pray! "But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him" (Acts 12:5 NLT).

They didn't picket the prison, petition the government, protest the arrest or prepare for Peter's funeral. They prayed. They prayed as if prayer was their only hope, for indeed it was. They prayed "very earnestly for him." (pg 156-157)

Knowing this, WE WILL have better news and more pictures to post soon! ... just pray :-)

We're Here...Week one begins!

The team of 14 men and 3 (brave) women have arrived safely and problem free! Sorry I forgot to take a picture at the airport, but hopefully they will be able to send a few photos by email and we will using this blog to keep our friends and family updated from the projects start to completion. Beyond the work, we hope there will be a few stories to share along the way... of joys and accomplishments, as well as some of the trials and tirbulations.

On this day of rest, the team had a rare opportunity for a swim within walking distance of our camp 'home'. Of course we know that this opportunity will be one of few the team will see for the next month... so it was appreciated all that more! Surprisingly (?) an ice cream truck also found the team... let's hope they see the potential profit in visiting us regularly :-)

The weather has been varied... so far it looks like there is no snow in the forecast, however they have experienced rain, and with that a bountiful harvest of mosquitos! Let's pray that the rain is cooperative with all the cement work involved with this project.

Tomorrow the work begins! Pray for safety, strength, and patience as we undertake:

• receiving delivery of our container shipped in December and praying that the government may reconsider a surprise tax imposed on its`contents - even after a waiver was received well in advance!
• unpacking and storing the contents of the container
• setting up the kitchen to keep everyone healthy and full of energy
• re-establishing the business contacts set up last fall that we are dependent upon for timely delivery of our materials.
• confirming safe transportation for our daily needs
• finishing clearing of the land and building the footings leading to the laying of the foundation

Finally, thanks to all who support us and our families at home.... you too are remembered daily as equal members of the team.  We know that without your support, this project would not be possible. We hope you follow these updates and share in our accomplishments and challenges.

St.. Vincent Mission - February 2012

This coming February 2012, at the request of the Caribbean Salvation Army Headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, the St. Vincent government and the Salvation Army in St. Vincent, a group of approximately 40 volunteers from The Salvation Army in Canada will travel there to construct a 2400 square foot home for children in Buccament. A local architect, is preparing the plans for the St. Vincent government approval, and we will be purchasing building materials and food for our team in St. Vincent, renting accommodation and transportation as well as hiring some local construction workers to assist us in the building.

This project is entirely funded by the team members, who pay all expenses of the mission. Needless to say, this is a sacrificial offering, and one that involves a lot of hard work, but brings much satisfaction to know that vulnerable children will be given a good home.

19 Days and Counting

Time is flying by and in 19 days our first group of volunteers will be leaving to literally lay the foundations for our project this year.

Check back here as we will attempt to update the site regularly with updates on the project.

Another Year, Another Mission - St. Vincent 2012

Our planned mission destination for 2012 is St. Vincent in the Grenadine island chain. The project will be to build a Children's Home. Due to the size of the project, we anticipate that this will be a 4 week project, with shorter options available for those that cannot commit to the entire 4 week period.

The information meeting will be held Saturday October 22, 2011 at the Salvation Army, North York Temple (25 Centre Ave, North York, ON). Please come to learn about the work we have been asked to do, have any of your questions answered, and meet many of the team members. If you cannot physically attend, we are working out the details so that you can attend via Skype. Please let us know if you are interested in this option.

As we will need to have applications submitted ASAP for planning purposes, if you can't make the meeting, but are interested, please let us know by email and we will send you as much information as possible by reply.

Looking forward to meeting everyone.

Laurie

2011 Mission to Suriname

It's that time of year again.....Mission planning has begun!

We have been asked by The Caribbean Territory if we would consider a mission to Suriname to repair and renovate a Salvation Army Senior Citizens' home in Paramaribo. Joel will be there October 4 to 9, to assess the work and check out the availability of materials etc., as he usually does.

An INFORMATION MEETING will then be held on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23rd, from
1:30 to 4:30, at NORTH YORK TEMPLE, 25 Centre Avenue, North York for those who have an interest in participating in the 2011 Mission.

Although mission dates are not yet firm, it is expected that we will try to get flights for Saturday or Sunday, January 23 or 24 and return Saturday or Sunday February 5 or 6, 2011.

VISAS are required to enter Suriname, and The Salvation Army in Suriname has been given permission to make the applications for us there. We will need to send them required information. This process must begin without delay.

IF after prayerful consideration you want to be a part of this mission, we will need you to bring to the Information Meeting October 23rd the following data which will be then be forwarded to Suriname:
• Passport Information- a photocopy of the main page showing your picture, passport number,and issue and expiry date. PLEASE NOTE: Passports must be valid for 6 months from the date of intended travel.
• Three recent passport size photos for Suriname government use.
• Your completed Suriname Visa Information form, which is attached above.
• Your Suriname Mission Team Application form, which will be emailed asap.
• Your deposit cheque in the amount of $750.00. The full cost of the mission will be announced at the meeting. It is hoped that we will be to keep this to the same amount as the 2010 mission, $1500.00, plus travel insurance and other personal expenses. The cost will largely depend on the cost of the airfare, which is considerable for this destination. We hope to be accommodated at a Salvation Army facility in Suriname, where we will be able, as usual, to do our own cooking.

Because of the time required for the Visa process we will not have the luxury of procrastination in making a decision to participate. As much as we usually try to accommodate 'last minute' people, we regret that it will not be possible for Suriname.

Please RSVP asap to let us know if you will be attending on October 23, and if affirmative, we will e mail the Team Application form, which also needs to be completed and brought to the meeting.

Please pass this information along to others you know who may have a heart for this type of ministry, and have skills that would be useful in the completion of this hands on work project.

We hope to hear from you very soon!

And the location is...

For those interested in our upcoming mission trip... a decision has finally been made. Upon request of the Canadian Territory, we will be supporting the Salvation Army's work in Holguin Cuba. A fact-finding trip will be held in September, and we anticipate the mission dates will be in early February 2010.

Start booking your vacation time off now!