Friends, it is so hard to believe that the planned date of my flight to Frankfurt is just over ONE WEEK away! As of today, my plane tickets are paid for and I'm flying out on April 1. Praise God for His faithfulness!
Over the past few weeks I have had the privilege to share about the mission at various churches and ministerials in the Upper Ottawa Valley area. I would like to express my deepest thanks to the leadership and congregations of Calvary Pentecostal Church (Renfrew, ON), and The Little Brown Church (Horton, ON) for inviting me to speak, as well as for their prayers and generous financial support.
This coming Sunday (March 27), I will be giving my missions presentation and sharing the Word at Quadeville Pentecostal Church (Quadeville, ON). If you're in the area, please join us at 10 am!
Also, the first edition of our GO TEAM e-newsletter was just launched this past week! If you are interested in receiving up-to-date prayer requests and "God stories" over the coming months, please send your name and email address to justgosubscribe@yahoo.com. It will be great to connect with you!
Continuing on in our "Meet the Team" series, I'd like to introduce you to some new friends from Abbotsford, BC. Summit Pacific College (an affiliated Bible College with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada) facilitates an excellent one-year discipleship and missions emphasis program called OMEGA Global. OMEGA (abbv. One Year Ministry Education with Global Awareness) integrates intercultural studies, spiritual formation, and hands-on local and international development, culminating in a 3.5 week international missions trip. To learn more about this phenomenal program, please visit their website at omega.summitpacific.ca.
During my time in Germany I will be acting as a Team Overseer for a small group of students in the program. My role will be multifaceted - everything from driving the van and keeping track of the luggage, to leading the students through debrief sessions and providing mentorship. I'm beyond blessed to have the chance to travel and minister with this passionate group of young adults throughout Germany (and possibly beyond!).
This is a particularly humbling experience for me because I was once in these students' shoes. Back in 2015 I stepped off the plane at Samana International Airport with my First Year class at Master's College and Seminary (Peterborough, ON), ready to embark on a cross-cultural learning experience in Nagua, Dominican Republic. I remember being absolutely terrified! In terms of culture shock, it was like I jumped right over the "honeymoon" phase and tumbled into the depths of the rejection phase. I had just come back to college after a year-long health-related leave, so I didn't know my classmates very well. At first it kind of felt like I was crashing their party! I struggled to find peace amid so many drastic changes. Thankfully, my new class embraced me and made me feel like one of the family. But my oh my, you couldn't pay me to go back in time and relive through those first few days of the trip!
One thing I can attest to is that God came through, and used a bunch of college kids to make His Name famous in northern Dominican Republic. Yes, we had drastically different personalities, and one of my classmates had an unfortunate altercation with a baseball... right in the eye! On the other hand, I saw typically shy students step up and take the lead during certain projects. Hidden talents and spiritual gifts rose to the surface during times of testing, and the supernatural power of God invaded our natural realm.
When I meet my student team, I know that some will be going through this period of traveler's anxiety for the first time. Some will immediately embrace this new adventure, while others will frequently share about their longing for home and familiar surroundings. Throughout the past 6 months of missions training, I have been reminded over and over again that culture shock is inevitable, and it can look different for everyone. But here's what I know from experience: God's grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Yours in the Great Commission,
Emily