It's official! EWSSM Starts Jan. 4th.

on Tuesday, December 28, 2010




The past couple months have been a roller coaster ride of excitement, fear, hope and tension. We have been considering an opportunity to be part of a Supernatural School of Ministry in Kelowna, BC. The invitation came in November while Graeme and I were still in Irricana, AB with his family. The word of the Lord at the moment was to "Wait". This was a difficult position to be in, especially due to the fact that there were many people waiting on our decision. Graeme was gung ho and excited to move forward, but we couldn't deny God's direction to wait or to be still. So the tension was great between us as Graeme sought permission to move forward and I sought the peace and confidence that this was what the Lord wanted. Much of the need to move forward by several parties involved put pressure on us to search our hearts and press into the Lord like we haven't before. We needed to know what we wanted and where we felt the Lord was leading. We needed vision.

Through much prayer and even confrontation (baring our heart and concerns), we felt like we got the confidence we needed to move forward. We gave our "yes" to Wesley and Stacy Campbell on December 10th. Our yes came in obedience to what we felt God calling us to and the confidence grew in the conversations that followed. A family from KCC heard of our need for a place to land. They were going to be gone for at least a month over Christmas, so they generously offered us their home. On December 20th, we left Irricana to settle in a beautiful home in Kelowna. It is a blessing to have a space of our own for a season. Shortly after arriving in Kelowna, we met with the Campbells and Donna Petch from New Life Church to discuss our roles. Graeme and I have been named Directors of the school and Wesley and Stacy Campbell are the overseers. We are excited about this role and opportunity.


The school is called "Eyes and Wings School of Supernatural Ministry". So far, it looks as if we will have 13 or 14 students. We are thankful for the small class as we have a lot of ground to cover in a short space of time. We are hoping to work our way through 80 Bethel DVD sessions, 4 books and 2 training manuals. In addition we will do some ministry training classes, guest speakers, outreaches, worship, small groups and a missions trip. A good friend gave us a word yesterday that we are going to be squeezed like we've never been squeezed before and it's going to cause us to grow. We can see this coming to pass and the very words confirm a dream I had six months ago. I love that God has been giving me many dreams again that encourage and inspire me as we enter into this new season of running.

The schedule is going to be an adjustment for our family. I am going to be at school everyday from mid morning to 2ish and then Graeme and I will switch places and he will be at school until 5:30pm. Graeme and I will take turns helping the kids with homeschooling and taking them to activities depending on time of day and schedule. We only have one vehicle so this will mean sometimes having the kids at the school with us and we are looking at the possibility of taking turns on the bus. When we are done our stay at this home in Kelowna mid to late January, we have been graciously offered a home in Glenrosa. It will also be a house sitting situation. It is a sure thing for a month and there have been other options in the works to follow. God has been so good to us, providing us with housing and the grace to be here while we wait for school finances to be sorted out. This whole thing has been a leap of faith for everyone involved, from New Life staff and the Campbells to the students and us.

Thanks for all your love, prayers and encouragement. It has been a wonderful Christmas with time to connect with Kelowna friends and family. We have enjoyed the visits, food, presents and Christmas greetings from all over. Graeme is eager to get into school mode and I am getting into that mode slowly but surely. We have started planning the weekly schedule and figuring out homework, ordering books and DVDs, small groups, outreaches. We have been interviewing students over the phone and emailing back and forth. It is exciting and overwhelming. We are confident in this, that this is a season of coming to the end of ourselves and seeing God show up. We are utterly dependent on His faithfulness to come when we call. We'll be calling on Him a lot :) But that's the everyday supernatural life, right? Please continue to hold us up in prayers as our family adjusts to a new lifestyle and new responsibilities.

Many Blessings and Happy New Year.

Our Christmas letter 2010

on Thursday, December 16, 2010

 Merry Christmas 2010

5th times a charm? Lets see if I can get through this letter on my 5th attempt. Once again, not surprisingly, my heart is cluttered and full of things to say, but getting an organized stream of info on the screen has been difficult this year. It has been a crazy year. We started out in Nicaragua, spent a short time in California, returned to Kelowna, moved on to Whitehorse, stopping in Alberta for a while on the way, only to return to Alberta and find ourselves sitting and waiting for the next “assignment”. It has been a season of running, walking, waiting. You name it, we have been there this year.


Our time in Nicaragua was nothing less than miraculous! It was a divine appointment that manifested God’s grace to us in awe striking and tangible ways day by day. It was a season of running, especially for Graeme. In the first couple weeks we were there, God arranged dozens of kingdom connections and the remaining 3 months were spent preaching, teaching and praying in many churches. We were amazed by the healings that happened when we prayed and taught others to pray. There was this constant realization that we were not enough, but we were wiling and we were obedient so God chose to use us. The desperation and hunger in the people we encountered was inspiring. We left with a confidence that we were in the right place at the right time and that God’s hand was on us to make a difference in Nicaragua.

After our time in Nica, we returned to Kelowna for a short season. It was a season of recovery and relationship building. We spent only a couple of months there, but in a very short time, God was knitting us together with other like minded believers at New Life Church. We often questioned what God was doing as we saw an acceleration in connection with several elders at NLC. For the first time in our lives, we felt lead to join this church as members. It was a confident decision, but we were perplexed as to why God was doing this just before we were going on the road again.


In July, Graeme and I were heading for Whitehorse. We were excited to visit family and had already made connection with a small foursquare church there. The church had some hopes to start a school of ministry in the future and we were hoping to work with them toward this goal. It was a beautiful summer. All of my siblings and their families managed to make it to Whitehorse (or be in town for those who live there) for a 10 day family reunion. It was so fun to have all 26 of us together. We enjoyed bbqs, fishing, boating, walks and swims. A great time was had by all and many memories made. The summer was an amazing time of getting to know my nieces and nephews and keep building relationships with my family. I loved the cuddles and the coffees, the board games and the chats. It was a special summer. I hope for more just like it in the future.

Our time with the church in Whitehorse was also exciting. I was privileged to help lead worship for the summer. It was stretching for me, but I loved the extra time I was afforded to practise playing piano and just get lost in God’s presence. Graeme loved every opportunity to preach and teach. He was leading a weekly meeting meant to build up the local leaders. We were so blessed by all that God did in our family and in the church while we were with them and excited about all that God has in store as they continue to seek revival in their own hearts and in their church.


We left Whitehorse in October hoping for an opportunity to return to Kelowna. We knew that God was building something there and our hearts were drawn to be a part of it. Unfortunately, the couldn’t see the grace to be there right away. Finances and lack of opportunity kept us searching our hearts and the Lord for wisdom and direction. The word for the moment was to wait. So wait we did. We have been in Irricana, Alberta now, with Graeme’s family, for 2 months. They have been so gracious, making us feel welcomed and comfortable. We are truly thankful for the homes we have been given all over the world. This season of waiting has given us the time to get to know our nieces better and help Graeme’s sister with her new baby. It is such a joy to be part of their lives.


Our season of waiting has almost come to an end. Graeme and I have been connecting with leaders at New Life Church in Kelowna and Wesley and Stacey Campbell. We have been invited to come and help them with a school of ministry that they are building. Graeme and I have committed to help them through the spring. A generous family that we don’t know, has offered us a place to stay Dec. 20th through January and another family offered us a place for the month of February. They are both house sitting opportunities so we will be alone as a family in their houses which is a treat. We are excited about this opportunity, but a little nervous as well. We have been challenged, once again, to come to a place where we know that the commitment is beyond us and requires our dependency on God to move in power to accomplish what we hope for.


Please hold us in your prayers as we will you, praying for God’s Holy Spirit to work in you both to will and to do according to His good purposes.



*Peace*
We love you.
Blessings,
Chris, Graeme, Caleb, Bailey and Ben