Spring on the Island - An Update

Spring has been good to us on the island so far and I hope that the sun is shining brightly on you too, whether literally or metaphorically. 

This is an update of how things have been going and some new things that are happening with YWAM and with our family. 

Firstly, the family is doing well; Elaina has settled into homeschooling and has made some really great friends in the homeschooling co-op group that meets once a week. Emeth just turned five and we will register him for his first year of school come September. We are really proud of both our kids how they have learned and grown in the last months being here. 

Matthew is doing much better and is enjoying homeschooling the kids very much. He is a patient teacher, enjoys learning some new things alongside them, and likes being a part of the homeschool co-op at a local church with the kids. He continues to recover from his burnout but I think we can safely say that he is more stable and alive than he has been in years. It is beautiful to see. 

One story of how he has been coming back to his normal and thriving self was while doing something he loves:

While Matt was at the archery range, he struck up a conversation with another member about bows – as one does. Over the next couple hours this progressed from a conversation about family life, to personal struggles, then religion, and finally to Jesus. The man had been searching for hope and security in a crazy time and Matt was able to pray with him as he accepted Jesus into his heart for the first time! 

In YWAM, my job includes team and staff development. I do that through one-on-one talks with staff, group learning and team building times, and helping form policies and protocols that help the whole. This has been going very well as the team has had some great breakthroughs the last couple months. Some team members successfully transferred to a new ministry up north and others are growing and seeing the fruit of months of intentional relationship building in the city. 

One of our staff members had been meeting regularly with a couple young men and invited them to a meeting of christian friends at their home. These young men came and were surprised to hear the testimonies from our staff member and other christians on how Jesus made a difference in their lives. One of the young men was so brave as to share his story with God, even though he had not accepted Christ as his saviour, yet. At the end of the night both young men were encouraged and wanted to come back the next week. 

For myself, walking alongside our staff members has been very rewarding. The potential of every person, the heart they have for the lost and the place God has them, is amazing. Working with them to see their calling come about is very fun, challenging, and makes me rely on God for wisdom every day. I really love it, especially to see relationships heal and grow as the team forms again after some leave and new ones come. 

Now for the new things!

This summer I will be coordinator of the local ministry run by YWAM called J-Van, an outreach to local families in affordable housing to support them and help them thrive. I will be organizing the events and volunteers at five different housing complexes around the city doing crafts, games and giving out snacks to the kids there. This is all in an effort to build relationships with the families to be able to share the love of God with them. This will be happening throughout August this year and will continue with smaller events into the fall. I am excited to be a part of it and use some of my administration skills to, again, help our staff shine in reaching out to the families of the city that God has placed them in. 

Another thing that will be new this coming season is that YWAM Nanaimo will be getting property! After years of looking and praying, a partnership has formed that will be giving our small team a place to work and do ministry out of. Without getting too much into the details, this will be a huge blessing for housing students, conducting classes, facilitating events like worship nights and seminars, housing some staff, and providing a meeting space that isn’t in someone’s living room. God has blessed this team over the 7 years that they have been here and this is the next step. Please be praying that just the right property will come up and we will be able to purchase it in the next couple months. 

Well, that is all from us for now. Thank you for praying with us and standing with us financially as we seek to Restore the Hearts of God’s Children in Nanaimo, BC!

-- Gillian