Tuesday, October 31, 2006

News from the west

So good to hear from you!
I believe Ernie was setting in motion the shipping of your requested Scriptures, and I hope they will be there soon.  Our new order for The Living LifeLight and How to Find God should be here any day.  Arnold Reimer is expediting that shipment.
 
Good to see the displays going up.  It is amazing the excuses people come up with NOT to distribute the most important book EVER.
 
It is wonderful to see you getting into the schools.  I understand Peter will be doing some distribution in northern Alberta as well.  I trust you 2 are keeping in touch.
 
I hope we will soon have a New Testament for distribution in the hotels.  If you can impact the movers and shakers in society, you will have more impact on society values than you can in any other way.  It is so important that these people see the Scriptures as God's Word for TODAY!
 
May God bless you as you reach out for Him in your Jerusalem and Judea!
 
Raymond Dueck
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 6:09 PM
Subject: News from the west

Hi Ray
 
I tried to send a number of emails to different lifelight people by highlighting their names and email off the web site page and was unsuccessful. I am successful with their individual email addresses.
 
I have found time to get the ministry off the ground the last two weeks and please with the excitement I find when talking to people.
 
Two churches are going to set up displays.  Our Baptists church from Martinsville just north of Saskatoon, and Loon lake Native Fellowship, a reserve church a few miles away.
My church will also be looking to have a display and will be ordering soon.  Lloydminster First Baptist too will be making orders for various areas of their ministry.
 
I ran into a little reluctance today with a chairman of a ministerial.  He will not put me on the agenda of their meeting because he feels it is to much of a competition with the local Christian book store and he wants churches to go to the store to buy bibles not have free ones in their foyers.  Another objection I heard was the bibles are only new testaments not the complete bibles.  I'm sure you've heard all these.
 
I am ready for the first delivery of bibles for the reserves.  If arrangements can be made for 2000 bibles to be shipped to Lakeland Truck Ltd. Lloydminster Ab. they will keep the boxes for a few days until I can get there with a one ton van to take them to a storage place in Loon Lake.  Lloydminster is on the Yellow Head highway right on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan.  The shop is right beside the Husky Truck stop and is a large truck shop so Penners will have no problem finding it and unloading there.
 
I have now 2 more reserves to take the bibles to which is a total of 7 schools.  They average approx. 150-200 children per school.  I hope to have these done before Christmas break.
 
Meadow lake, Saskatchewan has invited me to the ministerial to share the ministry with them. 5 evangelical churches there.
 
Looking forward to seeing what God has in store for His Word.
 
Chat with Marg about Missionfest yesterday. I will be glad to look after Edmonton.  Vancouver might work out too.  I understand your going there.  Lets see what works out.
 
 
Working together for our Lord.
 
Jerry  

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

The Good News for all Cultures

by Elizabeth Greer

A quick glance in my home office reveals an accumulation of Christian literature, Bible commentaries and a collection of Bibles that dates back to my youth. There's the red leather Youth for Christ edition given to me by my grandparents; my black zippered KJV version awarded to me in Sunday school, complete with pictures of Noah's Ark and Jesus welcoming the children into His arms; and various newer translations, including NIV, NASB, and The Word on the Street.

I even have an 1821 edition that was once owned by my great-aunt and by generations before her. No doubt your home has a similar collection – but not every home does.

For the last seven years, my husband and I have had the privilege of directing Eagle Bay Camp (formerly Hilbre Bible Camp). We have worked largely cross-culturally, welcoming the majority of our campers from the first Nations communities in our area. This past summer we had the added opportunity of leading a day camp for 80 youth in the fly-in community of Garden Hill First Nation.

It is in this context that we have also been privileged to give Bibles to the campers. Through the generosity of various donors, including Eastview Community Church, we were able to distribute well over 1000 copies of New Testament. These NTs have been taken home to First Nations communities such as Little Saskatchewan, Fairford, Grand Rapids, Easterville, Poplar River, Bloodvein, Sioux Valley, Ebb & Flow, Lake St. Martin, and others. Children from the local towns have taken copies as well.

No longer can we assume that every home has a Bible and that someone in that home is familiar with its contents. Our society has become increasingly distant from its Judeo-Christian roots, and the average person passing us on the street cannot relate biblical stories or explain what the Gospel message is, or why it is good news at all. Many believe in a "god" but do not believe that this higher power cares anything at all about what goes on here on earth. This is what motivates all of us involved in children's ministries, whether in a summer camp context or through outreach events through the local church.

Children of all cultures are precious and need to hear that God loves and values them. They need to hear that there are better options than drugs, alcohol, gang involvement or suicide. We cannot keep the Good News to ourselves. We are grateful to the donors who support our camp and to organizations such as LifeLight Ministries. It is with their help that we can place The Word of God in more homes each year.

Elizabeth and Rick Greer became ministry directors of Eagle Bay Camp in 2000 after selling their family business and moving from Ontario. They have been married for 25 years and have three sons.

 

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Help us get more Scriptures!

Greetings Brother Greg,

 Well here I am again begging for scriptures. We currently have 24 copies of “How to Find God” and 24 copies of “The Lifelight”. Yurgen dropped off a copy of “And you will know the Truth….”  (the prison edition).  We are asking for your help once again to keep us with a supply of scriptures for the fellows here at Headingley Jail. The men truly like the “How to find God” edition because of the commentaries and challenging questions it contains. So I am going to leave it to you and to the Lord to provide for us in our need.

 Blessings on you, in your ministry, and on those who I know will respond to the Lord’s call to provide for the outcasts who live in this place. Praise be Jesus!

 Deacon Philip Durant

Headingley Correctional Centre

Spiritual Care Dept.

 

Friday, October 13, 2006

LAMP and LifeLight – Unity of the Faith

"God works in mysterious ways", and makes Himself known in the process.

I was to learn about Canadian LifeLight Ministries Inc. at Missionfest 2005. Mr. Greg Armstrong shared the need to get Bibles into the hands of both youth and adults in Northern native communities. LifeLight does its part in making the Word available. His words rang out and it was accepted as, "What does LAMP do?"

LAMP stands for Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots. For 35 years we have transported and facilitated Vacation Bible School (VBS) in isolated native villages in northern Canada, some 20 in Manitoba. This past summer about 500 volunteers shared the message of Jesus with over 5000 children and youth. The following true story will however give you LifeLight supporters a flavor of what is transpiring in our partnership.

As part of my pre-summer logistical flight into villages, I had a supply of "How to Find God", and the LifeLight New Testament with me. In the course of our conversation about the coming summer, the local contact in Sandy Lake, ON. asked if I would accompany him to a home where a young mother was suffering with cancer. Would I share and pray for her family’s healing as all were suffering in the process? I was appreciative of my Lifelight Bible, as I was able to share one of Jesus’ healing messages from the Gospel of Matthew.

Some time after, Sidney, our contact, called to say they wanted 100 youth Bibles (The Lifelight). During summer flying over Sandy Lake C-FWGK carried the Scriptures that Greg had left for me in Winnipeg. When I touched down, Sidney, happily accepted the Bibles for his community youth, but had another visit assignment. An elder, who was already living beyond his doctor’s projected "time", wanted a Bible and healing prayer. While he was a believer and not afraid of dying, he asked for more time with his family. I shared from The LifeLight, talked God stories and prayed. Both siblings and grandchildren were present. I asked a daughter for the written names of family, thinking only of those present. This was taking some time. To my delight however, she had recorded the whole family of Jeremiah Fiddler, 62 in all.

As I share your printed Word, it is a pleasure for me to talk about LifeLight Ministries. So LifeLight, in being faithful to the call of giving and sharing, combined with LAMP’s going, brings to life mission and ministry – showing up at the right place at the right time, all to the Glory of God.

Dr. Al Anderson

LAMP Ministry