It is hard to believe that the summer is over and this weekend marks the beginning of the fall season here in Canada. We enjoyed our vacation time with John and Elizabeth and Johan as well as our sojourn to the Smoky Mountains. Once again, we were able to see some bears and deer as well as some wild turkeys this year. We stayed at a lodge in one of the National Parks on the way to Tennessee and it was a magnificent setting. Thanks for your continuing support of us with your prayers during the summer months. Our requests this month are as follows.
1. Eleanor starts her new job with Opportunity International Canada on Tuesday. She plans to be in Toronto from Tuesday until Friday with orientation and meetings with the whole philanthropy group. OIC are also having a launch for a book that has just been released with the stories of some of the folks who have been involved in OI overseas. Please pray that despite her apprehension, Eleanor will be able to find her place and with the philanthropy team, set in place her goals for the rest of this year. Pray that she will be able to develop good relationships with all of her colleagues scattered across the country.
2. Meanwhile, Glen continues to give leadership to Health Partners International of Canada. Some of those who were laid off for the summer are now able to return to full employment at HPIC. Others are finding jobs elsewhere. Please pray that the Lord will continue to supply the needs of HPIC through donors and the pharmaceutical companies. Thank the Lord for some of the unique partnerships that He is putting in place. Glen has a meeting in Ottawa with the federal government about the Bolivia project on September 14 - 15th. Please pray for these meetings and that this project will unfold according to the plans and purposes of the Lord for it.
3. In light of the projects that Eleanor will be involved in at OIC and Glen at HPIC, we decided to sign up for Spanish lessons this fall. We have been running into many problems trying to register for these courses. Finally, last evening we registered on line for courses offered at the YMCA Language School here in Montreal. Please pray that we will be able to benefit from this opportunity. Not only do we want to learn for the sake of the work we are doing, we also have a significant Spanish population at our corps (church) and we want to be able to chat with them in their own language over coffee after the services. They are a positive addition to our worshipping community.
4. Thanks for your ongoing prayers for Elizabeth and Johan as they prepare for the wedding next month. They have sent out their invitations by e-mail and plans are proceeding. Elizabeth also has a launch scheduled for her new CD at the Glenn Gould theatre in Toronto on March 13, 2010. We are hoping to be able to attend. We appreciate your continued prayers for the development of her career and for the blessing of the Lord on her and Johan.
5. On the way back from Tennessee, we had a couple of days in Toronto and were able to visit with both my Dad and John. Dad is doing quite well and enjoys regular visits with John. Eleanor had a lovely visit with her Dad. He has a volunteer who has been able to do some typing for him of the book that he is working on. Thank the Lord with us for him and for the measure of health and strength that he is able to enjoy at 91. Please pray also for John as he seeks to make the right decisions about what he should do as his career develops in applying his skills and ability to bettering the situation of those with spinal cord injuries. Thank the Lord for the contributions that he is able to make in this way.
6. At our home church, (The Salvation Army, Montreal Citadel) we are planning celebrations of 125 years on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, October 10-12th. Our guests for the weekend will be Colonels John and Val Bate, friends whose origins are in New Zealand that live in retirement in Florida. They spent many years in Spanish speaking countries, so we are delighted that they will be able to minister to the Spanish people in our congregation in their own language. We hope that many people who have been a part of the church over the past 125 years will be able to return and join in the celebrations with us. Please pray for these events, that they might encourage the faith of many.
7. Having been laid off in June, Eleanor has benefitted from the time this summer to complete a rewrite of her book and the result is something that we feel does justice to the subject of sharing faith by listening and being authentic. She has been able to get a couple of good critiques and is making the final changes suggested by these. Please pray that the publisher will be willing to pursue the production of the book and that it will accomplish the purposes that the Lord has intended for it. Thanks for all your faithfulness in prayer for this project for so many years.
This evening we have once again enjoyed getting together with friends. We were able to watch the movie Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce and his fight to end the slave trade in the British Empire. It is inspiring and challenging. One of the lines that we love from the movie comes from John Newton, the writer of the hymn Amazing Grace. Having been the owner of slave ships, he says to William Wilberforce, “I know that I am a great sinner and but Christ is a great Saviour.” We know that for all of us, this is true. We are so grateful for God’s goodness and grace to us and to you. Please accept our gratitude for your prayers and our prayer that you may be aware each day of God’s goodness and grace to you.
Blessings,
Eleanor and Glen
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