Why are we doing this? For two reasons. It’s most definitely cheaper to send out emails and if the majority of people prefer receiving our updates via email we can be better stewards of the money God has entrusted us with by making this transition. Secondly, we will be able to send more timely and frequent updates via email.

How can you help? Please, even if you already receive our newsletters, take the time to head on over to our newsletter sign up page and fill it out, indicating your preference for paper or email newsletters.

We appreciate you taking the time to do this, it helps us be better stewards of the support you have all sent towards our ministry and also keep you better updated.

I have also grown to love our time every morning that we call ‘Hold the Ropes’. All of the office staff get together to pray for missionaries who have sent in prayer requests or newsletters. It’s also fun when supporters of NTM missionaries send their own prayer requests into our office and we have the chance to pray for them as well.

This morning I had a chance to share with students in the NTM training program our story and how God has been working in our lives over the last year. I was excited to talk to them about following God where He leads and then trusting Him with the results, definitely something He has been teaching us lately and something very applicable to this group of students who will soon be heading out all over the world to share God’s Word.

Did you know that every day NTM publishes a few articles highlighting certain works around the world? I’ve been reading them and then sharing them on NTM’s twitter feed. Reading them every day has increased my awareness of what God is doing through NTM and encouraged me greatly! I encourage you to check it out here.

Be sure to check out some of the things I’ve been working on lately for NTM:

• NTM’s website: www.ntm.org
• NTM on Twitter
• NTM on Instagram (@newtribes)

In about a week Debra will be flying down to California for about a week. This was definitely a blessing as we didn’t have the money for any of us to go down but a friend offered his air miles to Debra! We are very thankful that she will get a trip down to see her family and most importantly our new nephew Mac.

This weekend Debra and I decided to celebrate our eighth anniversary a few days early (the actual day is April 3). The boys went to my parent’s house for the weekend which was a huge blessing! We went for a hike, getting in some geocaching of course! I think that this is our third anniversary in a row during which we’ve done some geocaching. God blessed us with a day of beautiful weather, it was the perfect temperature for a hike. It was fun to think about the years gone by and to see how God worked to bring us to where we are right now. It sure hasn’t all been easy, but we know that it was the best plan possible for our lives, because God was guiding! We are excited to see how He continues to guide in the year to come.

We look forward to getting back into sharing more regularly on our blog about our ministry in family now that we are starting to feel a little more settled, so stay tuned!

Around 10:30 am we went back to the airport to try and figure out what would happen next. No one seemed to know. We were eventually given new boarding passes and around 4pm we took off for Lisbon. In Lisbon, we arrived about 20 mins after our connecting flight was supposed to have taken off! We hurriedly went through customs and security and went to the gate noted on our boarding pass, only to find it empty. It looked a little too empty and after consulting an information screen we realized that our gate had been reassigned. Well, somehow we made it. We were the last ones on the shuttle to the plane. The boys slept all the way to Madrid, we really were not sure what was going to happen next. 

In Madrid we found that none of our luggage hade made it onto our last plane. It took a couple of hours to file a claim before trying to find a place to rest for a while. We had purchased a hotel room for the night but we arrived too late to go to it. Another problem was that we had planned on changing into warmer clothes in Madrid, but, it was all missing! It looked like we’d be flying to Canada with shorts and flip-flops and Debra in a skirt. 

We made our way to checkin and then tried to get some sleep while waiting for checkin agents to arrive at 4:30 am. The poor boys were freezing! The checkin area was not well heated and the boys’ shorts were not cutting it. We were very thankful when agents showed up and we were able to get to our gate which felt a little warmer. Our flight from Madrid to Brussels was short and before long we were running through another airport to make another connection. We were very late getting to our boarding gate but luckily so were many other people. It sure felt good to sit down on our last flight! It was the longest at 8 hours, but it went well. The boys did a great job! They were exhausted but were always ready to board another plane. 

Since our bags were missing, getting out of the Toronto airport was a breeze. Our family brought some clothes for Deb and the boys to change into and before long we were driving to my parent’s home. Before moving up to our temporary apartment at NTMC, we are going to wait for our bags at my parent’s. Supposedly the bags have been located and flown to Toronto, now we are just waiting for the home delivery. We thought that they would have arrived yesterday but nothing yet. 

It is still strange to be here! We are excited to see what God will do in our future here in Canada but we need your prayers and encouragement as we adapt and wrestle with the inevitable culture shock that we are already beginning to feel. 

Feel free to write us if you have any questions! We will update soon once we have more details on what is next. 

In between the demonstrations we have been able to spend time with friends this past week. At church I had a chance to share our testimony and be encouraged by the elders as they shared how we have in turn encouraged them. Church started as a farewell service, but it turned into sending service. Nearly three years ago we were sent by our North American churches to West Africa and now we are being sent by our Senegalese church to be missionaries in Canada. They encouraged us to use what we have learned to help other missionaries serving all over the world. It was an important and fitting end to our time with that Church.

We also couldn’t leave with getting together with our NTM colleagues. On Tuesday we had a short get together, we ate lunch together then we were presented with a beautiful wall hanging that will forever remind us our friends in Senegal.

Thankfully we don’t need to get up at an obscene hour tomorrow, in fact, the boys will be going to school for the morning while we take care of a few things. I still don’t feel like we will be leaving, I know that I won’t realize how much I will miss it until we are on the plane. One thing we will not miss is the dust, which has contributed to Debs health problems. Supposedly the last few days have been the dustiest that people have seen in years. Flights have been grounded and the city is sitting in a dense brown cloud. Two days ago you could feel the dirt coating your throat if you were unfortunate enough to have to be outside.

It’s definitely bitter sweet. I will miss this country in which we invested our hearts and lives. I look forward though to seeing my wife’s health restored, something I have prayed for every day for the last three years. West Africa will forever be in our hearts and I know that God has used it to shape and mold us for the tasks that He has prepared for us. We thank God for the time we had here, hardships and all. Nothing is wasted with God!

Thank you all for your continued support as we relocate to Canada where we look forward to using what God has taught us to support, aid and encourage our fellow missionaries around the world.

After a short 50 minute flight and wading through the murky waters of West African customs I was greeted by Pastor Samuel and his two brothers whom we also know very well. I had no agenda, I simply wanted to spend some time with them.

We had a great time together visiting people in the neighbourhood, praying for the sick from the congregation, and checking out some of the church’s new outreach programs. Pastor Samuel’s wife Charlotte has opened up a small shop where she teaches women who have no skills how to sew, cut hair etc. This will help them learn how to support themselves but more importantly she will have opportunities to share the Word of God with them. During the Sunday service I shared with them what God is doing in our lives and was greatly encouraged by their perspective on what I had to say.

Another important part of the trip was to meet Samuel and Charlottes daughter, Maël. They adopted Maël when she was only a few weeks old. Adoption is a courageous act in West Africa. Those who can’t have children naturally are often looked down upon, adoption doesn’t change people’s view. Nevertheless, Samuel and Charlotte felt God leading them in this area and they went ahead in faith. She has been warmly received by the church family who definitely spoil her!

Another interesting part of the trip was staying in our old home. After we left, the church took it over and has been using it along with our power backup system as a studio where they create Christian videos that are shown on the only public TV channel! It’s a real blessing, even two and a half years later, to see how God is still using our time there.

We again thank you for your prayers and support for this trip! It was an important and impacting trip for us and also for our Guinean brothers and sisters in Conakry.

This past week was officially my last week working at the NTM office in Dakar. I had a lot of projects to finish and with all the busyness I failed to mention on our blog that I’m taking a trip down to Conakry, Guinea! As most of you know, we started our African journey with a move to Conakry, which was interrupted by severe political unrest that the Lord used to redirect us to Senegal. During our time in Conakry we became very close friends with our host, Samuel Kondano. We have kept in close contact during the years since but until now we have never had the chance to see him and his family. After we felt the Lord leading us way from Seegal a few months ago due to health problems we knew that at least I needed to get down to Conakry to visit Pastor Samuel. We prayed about this trip and God has provided the means to make it a reality. So here I am, sitting in the airport waiting for my flight. It won’t be easy saying goodbye for a second time to our dear friend Samuel and his family but it will be an encouraging time for myself and also for him and our other Guinean friends. Many of our friends and family back in North America have come to know Pastor Samuel through us and this will be a great way to continue this relationship and partnership. I believe that it’s a huge blessing for our North American churches to get to know brothers and sisters in Christ from different parts of the world.

Pray for me as I travel that the trip will be a blessing to those I meet with and above all glorifying to our Lord. Pray also for Deb and the boys as they await my return.

Thank so much for your prayers, encouragement and support that God has used to get me down to Conakry.

Thank you for all the love, prayer and support that we have received during our time in West Africa as Debra has struggled with various health problems.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

DOWNLOAD