For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
This fall, as with other years, I made the rounds with one of our missionaries to many of the communities we serve. We do this in order to continue to build relationships, as we meet with various friends and contacts. We also want to find out how people felt things went during the summer and learn other potential ways that we can better serve and love the people of the community.
During our travels, we talked with many Chiefs, council members, elders, principals and teachers, priests, medical workers, and parents in the communities. Before we leave, we always ask them, “What can we pray for?” Without fail, the first words out of almost everyone’s mouth are, “Please pray for our children and youth.”
This past summer, we found ourselves in Tadoule Lake while the vacation Bible school (VBS) was just getting underway. Tadoule is a community in the furthest part of Northern Manitoba, only a few miles south of the border with Nunavut. It is completely isolated, surrounded by nothing but hundreds of miles of forest and lakes.
While at the VBS, there was one boy who was a little older and bigger than the other kids. While the other children were trying to do their crafts or pay attention to the Bible story, he was found picking on them and trying to start fights.
From an outside perspective, it would appear that he was just a bully, using his size to intimidate the smaller children. However, the team at Tadoule has been going there for many years and has known him since he was young. They knew this was out of character for him and that there must be something else going on. When one of the leaders had a chance, they took him aside to talk with him.
Having built a relationship with the team member over the years, this young boy felt safe enough to confide in this team member that his father had passed away just a few weeks earlier. Suddenly, this reframed everything, and he was no longer just a bully. Instead, here was a young child dealing with the grief of the loss of his father, struggling to express that outwardly.
Just like this young child, many of the children and youth here are dealing with issues in their lives. Although this is common for youth regardless of where they live, there is a notable need for more support networks and services in Northern Canada.
Many of them lose hope, and that often leads to the epidemics of youth suicides that you may hear about on the news. Unfortunately, this trend does not seem
Christmas should be a joyous time of year as we celebrate the birth of Christ, but for many people up North, it is one of the most challenging times. The days are short, and there is not much light. This only exacerbates the hopelessness, the feelings of isolation, and the depression that people already struggle with.
This makes our mission all the more urgent as we seek to bring the hope that came to all mankind when Jesus was born; as we pronounce that there is a Mighty God, a Prince of Peace. This young boy in Tadoule can find hope and comfort in the fact that he has an Everlasting Father in heaven who loves and cares for him. We want to bring this message of hope to all the children living in the remote communities that we serve.
We ask that you lift up in prayer the children and youth that are battling hopelessness and despair this Christmas season. Please also consider becoming involved in this ministry in some way, as we look to continue to bring the light of Christ and proclaim the Good News to those living in darkness, both physically and spiritually.
If you would like to support our ministry with MAF and become a part of the work God is doing in Northern Canada, please go to www.mafc.org/missionaries/anstey
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