Saturday, October 07, 2006

letter home

ok i wrote this before the news about the schoools but still:


28th September 2006

Dear Friends.

As you know I am in Vancouver, Canada, working with the PAIS (www.paisproject.com) for a year, while also working with Point Grey Community Church -PGCC- (www.pgcc.org) and their church plant Utown.

As you know I went to Dallas, Texas, for my Pais training, where we trained with the USA teams also. We covered topics such as ministry essentials and kingdom principles. I was truly bless by the family I was staying with and while in Texas, I know God really worked in my life. After two weeks training in Texas the Canadian department flew to Vancouver to do an extra weeks cultural training.

Pais’ aim is ‘missionaries making missionaries’ and to build bridge between the schools and the churches. I am part of a pioneer team to the Westside, which means that we haven’t gone into school yet unlike the other two teams in Vancouver. My team leader Amy and team member Denai, are great to work with and im really excited about what we can offer to schools. At the moment we have had a little trouble getting in contact with the schools, as the people we need to talk to are busy. We managed to get in contact with one school – University hill, however they have no space for us to help them with after-school clubs, but they are interested in the team tutoring the young people.

Pais goes into the schools offering a variety of different resources each school can tap into; assemblies on moral standards, healthy lifestyles, CAPP, and self confidence. We also provide things like sports clubs, workshops, lunch clubs, tutoring, homework classes, mentoring and anything the school would like us to get involved in.

As a pioneer team, we have no resources and no money, so we are relying on donations, if and when they come in. This means we have no office supplies – paper, pens, cardboard, paints, printer -, and basically are in need of money to buy the resources so we can be professional when we go into schools. We would also love regular support, of even small amounts per month, manage our money and be able to be consistent in what we are providing.

If you feel you would like to support what my Pais team and I are doing this year, please contact me and let me know. This can be through finances, or prayer support. If you would like to support the team in prayer, let me know your e-mail address and I can send you prayer requests and updates.

Pais is helping organise a conference called Campus Fire, and it is aimed at equipping high school student to effectively minister to their peers, through leading lunchtime clubs. It’s a great chance to explore different areas that arise when arranging an event, and im also looking forward to being a PA to some guest speaker during the weekend.

At PGCC everyone has been really welcoming and I can’t wait to be part of what God has to do it the church over the year. Im working in Tom Sopwith, the youth pastor, and he’s an amazing British man, who’s had lots of involvement in Soul Survivor before coming to Canada. Tanis and Kris, help run the youth group with Tom and myself, and together I think we can do a great job in moving the young people on. Having Tanis and Kris means that we can spilt the children into groups and have bible study aimed at their level, then get them to tell the rest of the group what they found out, giving the kids more confidence in speaking in front of their peers. We have three youth events throughout the week:
• CATCH – Christ At The Centre Here-, which is aimed at the young people who really want to seek God and debate in-depth on the topics covered. This is from 5.30pm-7pm on a Wednesday night.
• ENJOY – 7pm – 9.30pm on a Wednesday night. The church is open for young people to come and use the facilities available, for example a band comes to practise (some of the members are in youth group, others are non-Christians), the xbox comes out, and people use the internet, make web pages, play board games and basically do what they want to do. The young people also know that it is a safe environment to bring non-Christian friends.
• OTT – On These Two – is like a ‘normal’ youth group. The young people have time to play basketball across the street, play xbox, eat food and play board games, before we have bible study, worship and prayer. OTT happens on a Friday night between 6.45pm and 9.15pm.

I have had some issues with accommodation, as what Tom had planned fell through for various reasons. So I am staying with Tom and Liz (the youth pastor and his wife), on a sofa bed in Joel’s play room. I love living there as it has help me and tom get to know each other and Tom and Liz are really hospitable. Joel is nearly two, so I have lots of fun playing with him and I made his birthday cake into Bob the Builder. However Liz is heavily pregnant and is due to give birth on Joel’s birthday in late October. Thanks to all those who have been praying about my accommodation, your prayers have been answered! On Tuesday night I found out that I have a place to live for the year, with a couple called Ann and Dennis. I will move in after I have spent nearly a month living downtown with a young woman called Kelsey in a condo. (I go to Kelsey’s on the 15th October)

I have made good friends with Rose, a girl on PAIS but on a different team, and we try and spend some time together socialising during the week, although at the moment we live quite far from each other, so it can be difficult.

The weather here has been amazing, we have only had a little rain, and I’ve managed to get some wonderful, beautiful, awe-inspiring looks at the city and the mountains surrounding, which has helped enlarge the vision God has given me and increase the love for the area in which I live.

I have managed to fit in some sightseeing things such as lynn valley, deep cove, whistler, grouse mountain and gas town. Although I hope to do more of that as I become more settled and when the family comes out to visit in October we hope to go whale watching.

Prayer requests:
• Team finances
• Schools
• Youth group
• Campus Fire www.campusfire.com

God bless

Rosie Honeywell

P.S If you would like to follow my year in Vancouver, with more regular weekly updates and photos please look at: www.jimsrosie.blogspot.com
P.S.S if you would like to receive prayer updates please contact me at: rosiehoneywell@hotmail.com

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