Persevering Through Fire

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.    

James 1:12

 


A few weeks ago, shortly after we had put Ethan down for the night, I heard someone faintly yelling and banging on a door at a house nearby. I went to check to see what the commotion was. As I approached the front door, I saw what was happening: our neighbour’s house across the street was engulfed in flames. 

Thankfully, everyone was able to get out of the house safely and within a couple of minutes, the fire department was there with about four trucks and a dozen plus firefighters putting out the flames. 

Answered Prayer

 

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

 

Matthew 19:13-15

 

It was lunch time on Monday and the Cadet Center, a large warehouse-like building in Cross Lake, MB, was all ready.  That’s where we would be holding the first LAMP VBS of the year.  The 11 team members had made the long trip, all the way from Indianola, Iowa for the first time and were brimming with excitement in their matching shirts. 

Swords into Plowshares

He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 

Isaiah 2:4

It didn't take long after the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903 for airplanes to be used militarily. The first world war began just over ten years later when aircraft started to be used in the war effort. World War 2 drove many of the major advances in aviation technology, helping to usher in the jet age and modern aircraft as we know them today.

Isaiah prophesized in the above verse that in the last days nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. That is, they would take instruments of war and turn them into instruments of peace.

I’ve always somewhat thought of the work that we do in that way. When MAF started shortly after the second world war, aviation had, for the most part of its history, been used for death and destruction. The first MAF pilots took what had been instruments of war and used them to help bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

LAMP’s Cessna 182, GODX, takes off from Cooking Lake Airport in Alberta

Obviously, the planes we use on the mission field today are not the same as the planes that are used in the military.  The plane needs to be suited for the job and it’s critical that the right aircraft is used for the right mission.

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.