I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
I often get asked when Andrew and I go to speak at different churches, “So what do you do?”
That’s an understandable question because I am not a pilot like Andrew and I do not have the ability to fly missionaries and leaders to the remote northern reserves of Canada.
However, there are other ways I am able to be involved with Andrew in ministry. These are ministries that I feel very passionate about. More than that, I also feel God began to prepare me to serve in the North long before I met Andrew.
As some of you may know, I am a worship leader and I studied in Bible College to be a worship pastor. I think there is something that is really beautiful about worship and how it not only helps us to communicate and give our adoration to God but how it also helps to break down boundaries so that we can spend time listening to Him.
Another passion of mine is women’s ministry.
I have always been excited to see women fully know how incredibly loved they are by God. It breaks my heart to think that anyone may not know their true worth and identity in Christ.
When I was teenager I struggled with severe depression. As much as I would never wish that journey on anyone else, I know that God worked through that difficult season in my life. He taught me so much about trusting and leaning on Him. It is sometimes through our darkest and most difficult circumstances that our relationship with God can become more real, tangible, and present.
Now, God is using that difficult journey in my past to help bring healing to others in the present. Through that journey, God has given me such a heart for people who are hurting and broken because I know what it feels like to deal with that pain.
My heart is especially led to women of all ages who are going through their own difficult season.
Even before Andrew and I met, I used to travel across Canada putting on workshops for young girls in churches as well as First Nations reserves. Then, a couple of years ago, when the opportunity became available to be involved in LAMP’s Women of Worth (WOW) conferences in Pelican Narrows and Sandy Bay, I jumped at the opportunity.
The first WOW Conference was held in 2015 at Pelican Narrows, SK. In 2017, a second venue, Sandy Bay, SK, was added. In 2019, both locations once again played host to the WOW conference. The goal of this conference is to share the Gospel with First Nations women of Canada, so that they can hear about their incredible worth in Jesus Christ.
This last spring, I went north again to be involved in leading worship and ministry at the WOW events. The days are filled with fellowship and food, games, crafts, worship, teaching and a time of prayer and sharing. It is an incredibly beautiful thing to spend time with women who are so strong and have gone through so much, but who keep on pressing forward.
There were so many stories that were shared over the conference but perhaps the most powerful for me was when one of the women shared the story of her brother suffering in the residential schools in Canada. It was not just the story of family brokenness that touched my heart, but also hearing of their family’s journey towards forgiveness.
I cannot get my head wrapped around the pain of having to go through something like that, let alone learning how to forgive a wound that is deeper than the ocean.
Of course, it is so fulfilling to minister to these women, to pray with them, to lead them in worship, and to share my own story of healing.
However, to be honest, I feel as though I receive far more than I give. My faith and courage is spurred on by these women who have learned to lean on God through so much personal and family tragedy.
Wherever you are in your journey right now I want to remind you that God is with you. It is my prayer that you never forget how God is guiding you and leading you in your own journey.
Linnea
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