Every end is a beginning

So, I close my eyes to old ends

and open my heart to new beginnings

-Nick Frederickson

And so we are once again in transition. While some things are ending and some doors are closing, other things begin and new doors open. We are in the space somewhere between the end and the beginning, where there is sadness, relief, joy and anticipation; all normal feelings when you find yourself in the time "in between."

Thankfully, our transition is rather short, as the old things ended last week week and the new things begin right away this week !

Endings:

The Principles of Child and Youth Ministry (PCYM) school ended on Saturday with a farewell feast and celebration of the past three months that we have spent together and all that God has done. David and I had anticipated using this time during the school to be active as co-director and staff/student (respectively) but also have the time to settle in to our home, our community, our new life in Quebec. In reality, we were very busy and thus had less time than expected to do the "settling in" part. So, while we have enjoyed the school and are grateful for the friends we've made, the things we've learned, and the things God has done during the school, we rejoice to move on to what's ahead !

Beginnings:

The summer holds many new things in store for the Therisod family, and God has opened doors in numerous different areas !

July:

• In response to our desire to bless the community around us, God has opened the door for us to connect with our landlord, Pierre, and his 16-year-old daughter. He asked us if we would be willing to spend time with her during her summer break to help her learn English, and we jumped at the opportunity ! We look forward to getting to know her, creating a stronger connection with their family, and having opportunities to share the gospel.

• Before coming to Joliette, David had the idea to invest in a sort of community center which would include a thrift store and food bank. In line with the Salvation Army's motto "Soup, Soap, Salvation," the inspiration behind this idea was to have a way to serve people in the community by first meeting their practical needs (being the hands and feet of Christ), and then providing for their spiritual needs through relationship, prayer, and the gospel. While creating such a center in a two-year period may not have been feasible, God has once again opened a door for this idea to become reality ! -- During the outreach week of the PCYM, we had the opportunity to serve with the ministry Provision Compassion which has already established exactly this kind of community center about 25 minutes away from us ! Not only is there a thrift store and a food bank that has bi-weekly distribution, but there is also a chapel, office space, a kitchen, and other spaces available for use if we were interested in adding other programs to their operation (Family activities, Alpha Course, Bible studies, etc.). We met with the director of the ministry last week and talked about the possibility of partnering with them during our time here. We are still waiting for a definite response from their team, but we plan to work two full days per week with them over the summer and then review the situation to see if we all agree things are going well and we feel peace about continuing to work together throughout the year. I am particularly excited to see how God is taking this idea and doing something somewhat unexpected with it ! I can't wait to discover what happens in the long-term !

• David and I are both part of the worship team at church, and we look forward to continuing to invest here over the summer. We have been asked to lead worship on the ninth of July, which will be the first time that David and I have led together in front of a church assembly ! We are excited to be using music in ministry, as it is something close to both of our hearts !

• From the 17-21 of July we will be driving down to a YWAM conference in New Jersey (about 7 hours by car) to work with some of my family (Jeff, Ahna, Aaron and Egan). While there, we will be running a LifeRice food packing event (you can visit liferice.org for more information), as well as an afternoon of team-building activities for the youth and families.

• I personally rejoice to have more time on my hands to study the wonderful new nursing books I received from a fellow nurse in Joliette ! I have been so blessed by one of our KKI coworkers, Anne Levasseur, who has bent over backwards to spend time with me discussing the hospital system in Quebec and finding resources to help me in the process of transferring my license. It feels a bit like I'm back in nursing school, only this time in French ! It's a challenge that I look forward to facing head-on with the prayers and encouragement of many pushing me on !

Please Pray:

• For rest and refreshment as we come to the end of three very busy months !

• For the continued health of our baby (who is now about the size of a papaya -- hence the title picture of this post) and preparation for us as parents.

• For wisdom to know when Elise should schedule and take a required French language exam...it costs a pretty penny (around $300) and thus we want the timing to be right so we don't throw that money to the wind if she isn't ready to pass the exam.

• That we would be Spirit-led in all of our decisions and actions; that the Kingdom of God would be brought to Joliette and Quebec through our lives !

Thank you for your continued prayers for the Therisod family. We see the fruit of them every day of our lives here in Quebec as God continues to provide all that we need physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We appreciate and love you all !