Little is Much

 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:8-14

 

I sometimes wonder what the shepherds thought when they arrived at the manger. Having just been visited by a host of angels, proclaiming the coming of the Messiah, a Saviour, a new born king! Did they arrive at the manger and think, “Is this it?” A baby, humbly born in a stable; He wasn’t born in some  great palace to a powerful and wealthy family, somebody that could obviously influence and change things. How could this child possibly change the world?

Trusting Him in All Things

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.  

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Trusting my instruments to guide me to the runway that is just a couple of miles ahead.

 

In my time flying in northern Canada, just about every summer you’ll come across at least a certain number of forest fires and smoke. It’s inevitable considering the entire area we generally fly over is covered in dense forest.

Some years are worse than others with certain areas getting hit hard. This year, was certainly the worst I’ve experienced, as I’m sure many of you reading this would agree. 

It didn’t seem to matter where you lived, if you were in Canada or the USA, at some point this summer you probably stepped outside to a yellow haze obscuring the sun and that familiar “camp-fire” scent in the air.

The smoke itself doesn’t preclude us from flying, but the reduced visibility that comes along with it can make things a little more challenging. Instead of flying “VFR” or via Visual Flight Rules, we need to fly “IFR” or via Instrument Flight Rules. In this case, you’re no longer flying and navigating the plane based on the horizon and geographical features that you can see out the window, but rather based on the information provided to you from the instrumentation in the plane.

Back in the Swing of Things

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 

Galatians 6:9-10

It’s nice to be back to normal, so to speak, after a three-year hiatus from LAMP’s regular, ongoing ministry of vacation Bible schools. Last year, as some COVID restrictions lingered in place, we expected more of our teams to head north. However, as the summer waned, one-by-one trips had to be cancelled for one reason or another. In the end, we only ended up with about 7 teams being able to make the trip in 2022.

This year though, things were looking different.  Through the winter and spring, more and more teams were indicating that they would like to return to ministry, following God’s call to serve in northern Canada. 

It looks like we’ll have about 27 teams throughout the summer in communities all across northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and BC. Still, a far cry from our usual 50+, but everyone at LAMP is actively praying and working on getting back there soon.

Our first stop this year was at Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug… a bit of a tongue twister for me, so I tend to stick to calling it by its other name, Big Trout Lake. 

The last time I was there for a VBS was a number of years ago. As we walked from the airport to the church where the VBS was being held, we got stuck in a torrential downpour as a thunder storm hit shortly after we had landed.

This year wasn’t much different, as we had to weave around a number of heavy rain showers as we flew there from Thompson, where we are based for the summer.

As we approached the church, I could see the LAMP Bible Camp sign proudly displayed outside of the weathered building. When we entered, we were greeted by the familiar sound of children screaming and shouting with excitement and energy.

The team was in the middle of their VBS program when we arrived, and it was as if they hadn’t been forced to take a three-year break.  They were back where they left off, singing songs with the kids, doing crafts, playing games, and putting on puppet shows, all to help illustrate basic Gospel truths. Despite the roadblocks and ever-changing restrictions over the past few years, the teams did not give up and were excited to be able to return as soon as they could.

The Big Trout Lake team (from left to right): Becky, Dave, Kari & Jeanne

What a blessing to be back in the swing of things again. We stayed the night in Big Trout Lake and were able to help the team out with VBS the next day before heading back to Thompson.

It’s going to be a long summer, with many more teams to check in on. Primarily, I’ll be flying around with Pastor Randy. LAMP’s Executive Director, Steve Schave, is also helping cover a handful of communities this year, as is LAMP’s newest missionary, Michael Gillingham, who just started with us a few weeks ago.

We’re excited to be back in the communities and bringing the Gospel of Christ to those in the most remote areas of Canada, sharing His peace, joy, hope, and love with those that we serve.

Please keep us in your prayers as we and our teams of volunteers travel all across northern Canada to bring the love of Christ to those living in remote and isolated areas.

 

Self-Reliance

Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.  These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.  Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.

Mark 6:7-11

 

Back at Christmas, as we packed and prepared to go to Toronto to visit family, I noticed how much more difficult it was to travel now that Ethan had come along. We had multiple suitcases, packed right to the point of bursting, a stroller, car seat, diaper bag, laptop bag, and multiple carry-ons as well.

A Decade in the North

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

James 4:13-15

 

One of my very first flights with LAMP into South Indian Lake, MB in 2012

This past year I celebrated my tenth year being seconded to and serving alongside LAMP in Northern Canada. It’s been a blessing to be a small part of such a great ministry to the First Nations peoples of this country. 

When I first started serving with LAMP back in 2012, I wasn’t sure what God had in store or where He was leading me. With that in the back of my mind, I agreed to do one year. I couldn’t imagine what He would do over the next decade.  In that time, I met Linnea and now God has blessed us with Ethan.

Moreover, my time serving up north has given me the chance to learn more about my own country’s history, to learn about First Nations culture and to make some great friends along the way. It’s allowed me to travel to places I never thought I would go. Places I had known about, such as Churchill, and places that I had never even heard of, such as Wapakeka, ON or Shamattawa, MB. 

Most importantly though, it’s allowed me to help facilitate the preaching of the Gospel to people that otherwise may never hear it; to bring hope to some people who may otherwise feel hopeless; to see children’s faces light up when they’re told that God loves them. This is why I have continued in this role for 10 years.

However, all of this has only been possible because of people like you who have believed in, prayed for, and supported this ministry during the past decade. Some of you have been giving for all ten years of my time here (some even longer, during my time in Botswana). Others have joined us at some point along the way, while others have just recently started. 

Regardless, you have been an integral part of this ministry and we could not continue in this work without you.  Thank you for making this ministry possible for the last ten years.

Much like when I first started with LAMP, I’m not sure what God has in store for the future. However, I know that I’m looking forward to seeing what He does over the next decade and I hope you are too.

 

Beautiful Feet

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”.

Isaiah 52:7

 It’s been three years since I have landed at an airport in a northern community, and then actually left the airport on foot. For the past couple of summers, every time we arrived at a community it was to drop off supplies, be it medical protective equipment, or donations of knitted winter gear and quilts, or gifts of crafts and school supplies for the children. 

However, we would only be able to meet our contacts beside our airplane, standing out on the apron of the airport. We’d unload our boxes and chat for a few minutes, then it was back in the plane to fire up the engine and head off to the next community. COVID outbreaks and lockdowns had prevented us from doing much else.

Arrival

 

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
With my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.
 
I will declare that your love stands firm forever, 

That you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

Psalm 89:1-2

 

It was a long time coming, but the day finally arrived.    Early in the morning, Linnea and I rushed to the hospital, filled with excitement. We had waited a long time for this moment; a moment that we weren’t quite sure was ever going to happen. 

The doctors had essentially told us no; that there realistically was no chance.  That we should look into other options.  But we tried our best to remember that God is faithful and He will keep the promises that He makes.