Teamwork, part 2

Dejan and the team labored long and hard at the Heritage Festival over the weekend and had many Gospel encounters with people of a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Thank you for your prayers for this huge event! You can read more details at their church blog.

The next couple of days we are shifting gears a bit, as the festival has ended. Please continue in prayer with us as we go out into the heart of the city to pray and preach the Good News!

Tuesday
We are going to two parts of the city, the grounds for both the city and provincial governments. So the team is headed downtown to walk the streets a bit, tour the city hall, pray and witness on the square. Then we will be off to the legislature grounds for more of the same.

Wednesday
Dejan and a couple of guys from the team plan to meet with a contact we have at the University of Alberta who heads the local Campus Crusade for Christ (called Power to Change here). Then the team will be off for more evangelism in the arts district of Strathcona, and possibly returning downtown.

Thursday
What is a visit to Edmonton without seeing one of its main destination attractions, West Edmonton Mall? The team will be there for the day with the throngs of shoppers. It will be more of a free day, but this team is unlikely to forgo sharing the Gospel there as well. We plan to end the day with dinner together, followed by worship and prayer for the week.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• boldness to speak the Gospel, wisdom in individual conversation
• open minds and hearts to receive the message
• physical strength and stamina with all the walking and talking
• safety for all

Teamwork, part 1

A team of eight brothers and sisters has arrived in Edmonton to spend the week working with us! We are blessed to have visible, tangible love from our home church in the form of these co-laborers!

Last night we met for a meal, fellowship, worship and a time of prayer for the week's events. We have our way planned, but we are seeking the Lord to guide our steps. If you would like to join us in prayer, here is what's ahead for the weekend. 

Saturday

One of Edmonton's biggest events is this weekend, Heritage Festival. A myriad of cultures will be showcasing their national dress, food, music and dance at the largest park in the city. Through the weekend, over 50,000 are projected to attend. The team is aiming to do the work of evangelism throughout the weekend there.

Sunday

Time will be split between the festival and our service/Bible study. 

Monday

This is a long weekend in Canada, for their Civic holiday, so the festival extends through this evening. The plan is to split the team between the festival and serving with Dejan at the Assisted Living facility where he teaches a weekly Bible study.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• boldness to preach the Gospel
• wisdom/sensitivity in conversation
• receptive hearts and minds
• safety and physical strength

Blessing to the Nations

Every July 1st, Canadians celebrate their nation with Canada Day. Similar to July 4th in the U.S. in how it is celebrated, people are in the mood for picnics, barbecues, get-togethers and fireworks. However, it is interesting to consider this holiday in Canada calendar of annual celebrations.

The nation of Canada was officially organized in the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867, ruled by Great Britain and its monarchy from across the Atlantic. It wasn't until 1982 that Canada signed its Constitution Act to officially render it an independent country. In the intervening years Canada Day was called Dominion Day.

Canada has such a diverse population, and Edmonton definitely reflects this diversity. Nearly daily we are amidst people who have immigrated to Canada from nations far and wide. In the past several weeks the nations we have been in conversation with are Chinese-Canadian, native Albertan Canadian, Serbian-Canadian, Libyan-Canadian, Italian, Ukrainian and British Columbian-Canadian. Over 150,000 people become Canadian citizens every year, many of them on Canada Day.

Just thinking about the concept of "dominion" and how Canada celebrated its incorporation under Britain's rule across the ocean made me think of how we are called to be here in this world as Christians. We are to be dominated by Jesus Christ (in Latin dominus is the term for Lord or Master) and as He is on His throne ruling the universe, and we are awaiting His bodily reign here on the earth, we are to celebrate His Lordship in our lives by living peacefully under His direction.

The nations around us, the people who do not yet know His rule, whether they are native to our land or not, are awaiting the blessing of Jesus and His saving work of redemption at the cross. We are thankful to be here and to have the daily privilege to let the blessing of God flow through us to the nations around us.

Happy Canada Day!!