New Adventures! Back in Ministry!

New Adventures!  Back in Ministry!

Dearest friends, I am back in ministry!  As you know, many years ago God planted a deep desire in my heart to be involved in ministry, especially international missions. This past year He has shown His goodness and faithfulness in fulfilling this desire of mine.

I wanted to let you know that I will be going on two international mission trips this year –to El Salvador & Mexico. But before I get into that, let me tell you how this all started.

God dropped an amazing opportunity into my lap in January 2014 when I wasn’t even looking!  I started working with The Great Commission Foundation last year (www.tgcfcanada.org). TGCF provides administration, accounting and donation processing for individual missionaries and organizations that don’t have the expertise to ensure they are compliant with CRA regulations for non-profits. With over 200 active partners I am in charge of Partner Care.  Our role in short is to provide a service that helps each partner focus on their ministry rather than worrying about the day to day accounting and administration required to run their ministry.

Part of TGCF ensuring that Partners are compliant with CRA regulations is to have a TGCF employee travel to see first-hand if they are doing what they say they are doing! I have the great pleasure of being the one to do just that!  When visiting partners I work alongside them and participate in their ministry. This is also an opportunity to build relationships with our partners and their staff and to ensure that TGCF is doing everything to serve them in the best way we can.

El Salvador http://www.sheltercanada.ca/

Most exciting ministry trip yet! Why?  Keep reading!

The family that recieved the first house I helped build last April.

Last year I traveled to El Salvador with one of our largest partners, Shelter. Shelter is an amazing organization! In 2001 the country was devastated by an earthquake that left 10’s of thousands homeless. Shelter sends approx. 30 teams each year, these teams will build over 300 houses for the people of El Salvador EACH YEAR!  All of their team leaders volunteer their time to raise funds, recruit teams and travel to El Salvador 2—3 times a year to build houses!

In April I will be traveling to El Salvador and I get to bring along my nephew Stephen!  Stephen is 15 years old and has a huge heart! He is a very compassionate, caring and giving young man. This will be his first time in a third world country and seeing some extreme poverty. I am so

Typical house to be replaced with a Shelter House

excited to experience this alongside him and see things through his eyes. I am praying that he will see that he can impact the world one life at a time. We don’t have to feel small and insignificant when we see all of the hurting people in the world. If we help just one we have made a huge impact in that person’s life!  Stephen and I get to get our hands dirty and build houses for some of the least of these.  It is tough work in the heat and dirt but so incredibly rewarding!

Mexico  http://www.c-quest.net/

I will also be travelling to Mexico sometime in the next few months. We are currently working out the details of this trip.  C-Quest provides ministry opportunities for church groups and individuals through internship programs. Some of the local work they are doing in Mexico are with a Seniors home, Orphanage and a soup kitchen. They have requested that I participate in one of their group projects to serve as a team translator and have requested that I provide feedback on how they are organizing their trips given my experience in leading teams and participating in previous mission trips. They are a large organization and this will be a great opportunity to have time to sit down face to face and see how TGCF can serve them better! 

The financial goal for these two trips is to raise $3,500.  This will cover travel and in-country expenses for both Stephen and I in El Salvador and for myself in Mexico.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to come alongside these incredible ministries and serve with them and to serve them in the administration capacity.  

More-so than the finances, I covet your prayers.  El Salvador is not the safest country to travel to and the poverty that we will witness is very hard to process. We would love to know that you are praying for us in preparation for the trip as well as while we are away. If you feel God leading you to give financially that would be a huge blessing for us as well.

I hope to talk with many of you in person before I leave and I look forward to sharing the stories, experiences and testimonies of God’s amazing love and faithfulness, when I return.  Keep checking back here for updates while we are on our adventure to El Salvador! 

Thank-you for your love, friendship & support.

Vicki and Stephen!