December
- Dec 5, 2017
- 4 min read
"I never lose. I either win or learn." -Nelson Mandela
And we are back in December. Five weeks after welcoming our little treasure Jude into the world; five days before our one-year anniversary. How many things can happen in 365 short days !
David and I have shared many experiences in these past twelve months, some that we expected and many that we would not have imagined. In everything, we try to hold Mandela's perspective, who saw every situation as an opportunity to learn, and we have certainly learned much and grown lots as we have faced both challenges and blessings together. God is good, and we have so much to be thankful for !
The first few weeks of Jude's life have been FULL.
Full of family visiting from all across the globe;
full of diaper changes and midnight fiestas;
full of picture-taking and baby-weight-lifting;
full of hormones, laughter and tears;
and full of lots of LOVE.
Before anything else, I want to thank everyone who has prayed for, encouraged, and blessed us during this season of change and growth. We are beyond grateful for you !
It has been great getting back to work, as David and I learn how to share ministry and baby time -- at times working together as a family, at times taking shifts with Jude at home so the other can work. Here are a few ministry highlights from the past weeks:
Provision Compassion (PC): David has continued to work two days per week at the food bank, providing much needed manpower and spiritual support during an incredibly busy season for the ministry ! In November, we had a group of YWAM students from a nearby base come and work with our team, and they spent two days blessing PC with many extra hands and prayers ! Starting this week, Elise will work at PC on Wednesdays, and David will take the Thursday shift. This ministry has provided us with an incredible outlet to serve the region in a practical way as we bring the gospel to the community, and we are grateful to be part of the team there !
Connect: Our King's Kids team has begun organizing gatherings for young people from local youth groups with the purpose of helping them connect with one another, go deeper with the Lord, and recognize their call as missionaries to the world. These gatherings happen once every few months, with the most recent being two weeks ago. It was a great evening of worship, fun, teaching and fellowship, and it was our first official time of ministry as a family ! Elise led worship (in French, which is still a challenge for her, but something she loves to do !), David was the MC, and Jude was a champion and a big hit with everyone there !
Chez Daveli: Our restaurant ministry is finally underway ! We have spent months preparing the spare room in our apartment and figuring out the logistics for our ministry for couples, "Chez Daveli." The idea behind this ministry is to receive one couple at a time in our home and give them an opportunity to spend quality time together in an intimate and romantic setting while we serve them a five-course meal. We encourage the couple to leave their cellphones in a basket outside of the room, and we provide them with a game of interesting conversation starters to encourage discussion other than that of work, home, or children.
We believe that strong marriages are the foundation for strong families and ultimately for strong communities, and we see the value of investing time, money, energy, and any other necessary resource into building and strengthening couples. Marriages and relationships are under increasing attack in our culture and our time, and we see this restaurant ministry as an opportunity to invest in the couples here in Quebec. Our first couple came last Friday, and we received wonderful feedback and loved serving together as a family ! Starting after the Christmas season, we hope to host one or two couples per week.
King's Kids: While all of our activities fall under the King's Kids ministry, David and I have various implications that involve more time and work directly with the team -- these include planning for an outreach next summer, working on the ministry website, planning upcoming ministry events (such as Connect -mentioned above-, family days, neighborhood outreach, work with the Native American community), and investing in the community of the team. We are blessed to be a part of a team that understands, loves and champions the family as we welcome a little one into our lives ! They have been extremely understanding and flexible, allowing David and I to take the necessary time aside to be with Jude and build a good foundation for our little family.
Church: David, Jude and I are taking part in our church Christmas event this Friday evening: David will be performing in a theatrical piece, and we will sing a duet together. After taking November off because of Jude, David and I will continue leading worship once per month, starting December 17th.
La Petite Cuillère: David and I look forward to singing again this Sunday at the Petite Cuillère, a restaurant/café that ministers to the lower-class and marginalized people of the community. We enjoy connecting with the people there and providing live music during their dinner. We will likely have a once-a-month commitment with this ministry as well.
Prayer requests:
-Strength and energy as we continue adjusting to life with a baby
-Continued open doors and open hearts in our community
-Wisdom and direction in this season of development for King's Kids Lanaudière
-That Jude's passport would arrive in time for our December 22 departure for the U.S.A (we will be traveling with a Swiss, U.S., and Canadian passport !)
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