Update on our Long Term Visas:
We are happy to say that our Long Term Visas have been approved and we were able to pick them up yesterday! Praise the Lord for quick approval and processing! Thanks for your prayers!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
From the Director
Dan Grace, director of Canada SOS, sent out this e-mail about our first October hockey trip. If anyone is interested, let us know! Pass on the information if you know someone who is interested!
Hey everyone, just a quick note to get you thinking about joining us for a fall mission trip to Czech Republic this October 3-13. They will have ice in Hlinsko and the weather will be great! What better way to spend the thanksgiving holiday than to share our gratitude for God’s work in our lives with the Czech people?! The trip will cost approx $1400 plus airfare for hockey players and $900 plus airfare for non-players. Airfare is usually between $900 and $1000. We are expecting great things from this trip as we continue to see God work in Hlinsko and in the hearts of Czech people.
We expect to be involved in a number of ministries such as: work in public schools, visiting orphanages, serving in local church, 4+ hockey games with an event at the end of week to spend more time with players and any other opportunities that God brings our way. This trip will mark the first trip since Jody and Rachael have settled in over there and we’re excited about the possibilities that their ongoing work will bring us.
In case you hadn’t heard, we received our charitable status with the government so we are able to give tax receipts for Canadian donations. Let me know as soon as possible if you are interested and we can kick off the application process and get your fundraising started. Keep an eye out for our Newsletter in the near future and feel free to forward this on to anyone you may think is interested.
Dan Grace
Hey everyone, just a quick note to get you thinking about joining us for a fall mission trip to Czech Republic this October 3-13. They will have ice in Hlinsko and the weather will be great! What better way to spend the thanksgiving holiday than to share our gratitude for God’s work in our lives with the Czech people?! The trip will cost approx $1400 plus airfare for hockey players and $900 plus airfare for non-players. Airfare is usually between $900 and $1000. We are expecting great things from this trip as we continue to see God work in Hlinsko and in the hearts of Czech people.
We expect to be involved in a number of ministries such as: work in public schools, visiting orphanages, serving in local church, 4+ hockey games with an event at the end of week to spend more time with players and any other opportunities that God brings our way. This trip will mark the first trip since Jody and Rachael have settled in over there and we’re excited about the possibilities that their ongoing work will bring us.
In case you hadn’t heard, we received our charitable status with the government so we are able to give tax receipts for Canadian donations. Let me know as soon as possible if you are interested and we can kick off the application process and get your fundraising started. Keep an eye out for our Newsletter in the near future and feel free to forward this on to anyone you may think is interested.
Dan Grace
Friday, April 10, 2009
Treasures of Darkness
A great pastor friend of ours recently sent us an encouraging e-mail. He was speaking from Isaiah 45:3, "I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD." When I first read through his e-mail, I wasn't quite sure I completely understood the concept of "the treasure of darkness." Here is a little excerpt from his e-mail:
The word treasures is translated from a Hebrew word which means depository. This reveals that God purposely will allow times of darkness for the express purpose of making spiritual deposits in our lives. But why darkness you ask? At least I did when this came to me! We cannot see in the dark. However God sees in the darkness as in the noonday. When we are in darkness we must fully trust him and remain focused on Him (Isaiah 50:10). We must allow Him to take us by the hand (give up or control and independence) and lead us. He leads us to his "hidden riches" which translated means "secret storehouse" and "secret places" which translated means "secret covert" or "hidden shelter." He revealeth the deep and hidden things, HE KNOWETH WHAT IS IN THE DARKNESS, and the light dwelleth with him (Daniel 2:22). Many run from dark times and take comfort in the shelter of their own making. But God wants us to find the "secret shelters" (protection) and "secret storehouses" (spiritual provision) of His presence. When we know where these spiritual secret places are in Him and how to access them we can abide there in the midst of any difficult situation here in the natural realm with righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit reigning in our heart. We also know how to lead others to those same sanctuaries.
This past week and up until Sunday our church has been praying 24 hours every day. Tonight when I was praying, I came across this verse again and was intrigued by it again. Our pastor friend told us that, out of love for us, God sends us times of darkness when we must seek his treasure. I thought about a treasure, and its value. And God spoke this to me: A treasure earnestly sought after is more highly valued then one stumbled upon by chance, or one received through no effort.
Think, if you will, of a precious artifact in a museum. Can you see in your mind's eye, numbers of people all filing past as they look in awe at this amazing treasure? They recognize it has value, and appreciate it on some level for two minutes and then move on to the next exhibit. Now, imagine the man or woman who spent countless hours possibly in the dark, digging and searching for treasure. Imagine how differently they would view the same item...how differently they would value it. They didn't just happen upon some incredible thing lying in the street, they sought for it, and their efforts were rewarded.
I think we are experiencing the same situation here in Hlinsko. It feels strange to call this time, "dark" because that can give a negative feeling. But I would say that it is dark in the sense that what God is doing or is about to do is unknown, hence it is "dark". We feel a need to press in and search in the secret places and the dark corners for the treasure that God has waiting. I know that it will be a multi-faceted treasure, and I know the more I seek, the more I will personally value whatever it is He has waiting! It is quite the experience to be a fellow seeker alongside the youth here! Their passion for searching is contagious and exciting. When the treasure is revealed, I know that their joy will be outstanding! They have such hearts for their peers, and for their country...what an exciting time!
The word treasures is translated from a Hebrew word which means depository. This reveals that God purposely will allow times of darkness for the express purpose of making spiritual deposits in our lives. But why darkness you ask? At least I did when this came to me! We cannot see in the dark. However God sees in the darkness as in the noonday. When we are in darkness we must fully trust him and remain focused on Him (Isaiah 50:10). We must allow Him to take us by the hand (give up or control and independence) and lead us. He leads us to his "hidden riches" which translated means "secret storehouse" and "secret places" which translated means "secret covert" or "hidden shelter." He revealeth the deep and hidden things, HE KNOWETH WHAT IS IN THE DARKNESS, and the light dwelleth with him (Daniel 2:22). Many run from dark times and take comfort in the shelter of their own making. But God wants us to find the "secret shelters" (protection) and "secret storehouses" (spiritual provision) of His presence. When we know where these spiritual secret places are in Him and how to access them we can abide there in the midst of any difficult situation here in the natural realm with righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit reigning in our heart. We also know how to lead others to those same sanctuaries.
This past week and up until Sunday our church has been praying 24 hours every day. Tonight when I was praying, I came across this verse again and was intrigued by it again. Our pastor friend told us that, out of love for us, God sends us times of darkness when we must seek his treasure. I thought about a treasure, and its value. And God spoke this to me: A treasure earnestly sought after is more highly valued then one stumbled upon by chance, or one received through no effort.
Think, if you will, of a precious artifact in a museum. Can you see in your mind's eye, numbers of people all filing past as they look in awe at this amazing treasure? They recognize it has value, and appreciate it on some level for two minutes and then move on to the next exhibit. Now, imagine the man or woman who spent countless hours possibly in the dark, digging and searching for treasure. Imagine how differently they would view the same item...how differently they would value it. They didn't just happen upon some incredible thing lying in the street, they sought for it, and their efforts were rewarded.
I think we are experiencing the same situation here in Hlinsko. It feels strange to call this time, "dark" because that can give a negative feeling. But I would say that it is dark in the sense that what God is doing or is about to do is unknown, hence it is "dark". We feel a need to press in and search in the secret places and the dark corners for the treasure that God has waiting. I know that it will be a multi-faceted treasure, and I know the more I seek, the more I will personally value whatever it is He has waiting! It is quite the experience to be a fellow seeker alongside the youth here! Their passion for searching is contagious and exciting. When the treasure is revealed, I know that their joy will be outstanding! They have such hearts for their peers, and for their country...what an exciting time!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Czech lessons
We had our second Czech language class today. Our teacher speaks incredibly quickly, and she can be difficult to understand. There were many times in class today that I felt like, "I might as well leave because I will never learn it anyway!" The US Army listed Czech as the third most difficult language in the world...fun for us! I pray that God would give our minds favour in learning this language! Through the month of April we will have class once a week for two hours and then beginning in May we will have it twice a week, two hours each time.
Please pray for our minds and tongues to adjust quickly to learning a new language!
Please pray for our minds and tongues to adjust quickly to learning a new language!
SOS Canada
I just want to connect you with the SOS Canada homepage. We are planning for a hockey trip in October, and if you are interested, it would be great to check out the homepage!
www.canadasos.ca
www.canadasos.ca
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