Newsletter - February 2006
Hey everybody,
Greetings from our frozen little corner of Winnipeg. We hope this finds you warm and well after holiday season. We are long overdue on an update, so we’d drop you a note to fill you in. When last you heard from us, we were going into our first ever Mission Adventures Summer Program, which was a blazing success. While we hosted more Mission Adventures teams in the Autumn, we also prepared for the January 2006 Discipleship Training School (DTS). We’ve also seen a great increase in our staff and programs. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.
So, sit back, grab a cup of coffee, relax and join us for this walk through the last few months of our missional journey!
Mission Adventures Summer Program
While we have been offering Mission Adventures year round for some time, this past year we were able to offer our extended Summer Program for the first time. The MA Summer Program offers an extended 4 days training session with top notch speakers, thematic sets & sessions and much more. It is followed by 6 days of intensive urban outreach. With the theme “Bought”, we hosted two teams from Minnesota over a period of a month, which was a real success. Interest in the 2006 MA Summer program is already buzzing.
January DTS 2006
After last years incredibly impacting Discipleship Training School (DTS), we were excited to prepare for this years program. Applications were almost doubled, the program had been further developed & improved, and the staff were better prepared and excited for this years school. It was promising to be another great year, with top notch speakers and more intentional outreach opportunities.
Then, within a matter of a few weeks, it all turned around. For reasons outside anyones control (i.e. illness in the family, unexpected loss of income, etc.) the vast majority of our applicant withdrew. After much prayer and consideration, we decided to postpone the school until January 2007. While we were all disappointed, we have decided to accept it as an opportunity from God. Focusing on program & staff development, connecting & serving with other churches/organizations in the city and continuing to seek God on His vision for our ministry, we committed to using this time for the best.
In fact, even now, we are already seeing a significant interest for the DTS in 2007. Our applications are almost as high now as they were a couple months before the school was meant to start. Additionally, Providence College & Seminary, who partners with us in the DTS, have increased their commitment to promote the program to their student base. We are looking forward to a great school next year.
New Staff & Ministries
We have also seen some excellent growth in our long-term staff over the past year. Of our seven DTS students from 2005, three have returned to full time staff, which has been very encouraging. We have also had our first family join the team- Matt & Kristie Beynon and their four wonderful kids, joined us late last year after having served with YWAM on the west coast reserve community of Ahousat (where Kim did her first YWAM outreach). The group, now up to nine, is really developing into a truly missional community.
As we grow as a ministry, we are also beginning to seek God as to where we are to expand in our outreach to the city and the world. Mission Adventures Winnipeg is now offering outreaches in Thailand, with locations on every continent by the end of next year. In fact, we are already putting the finishing touches on a Kenya trip that will soon be available. Matt is heavily involved in the community, offering friendship, pastoral care and lay counselling to those in some of the cities darkest corners. Jamie continues to develop his writing and speaking at an unexpected rate. We are blessed by all that God is doing with and through us.
Christmas With The Flints
We were especially excited this holiday season, as Kim’s family flew over to join us for a real Canadian Christmas. Spending just under a month with us here, we were able to show them the sites and give them the cultural (and climactic) experience of a lifetime. While I am sure they had a great time, I am not sure they will make it an annual event. I think they are still thawing out!
After more than 4 years of being married, we were also very excited that our parents were able to meet each other for the very first time. It is always a bit tricky introducing in-laws to each other, but we were sure they would get along just fine. However, after driving them to visit in Ontario, our expectations were thoroughly met and surpassed, as the two families connected as though they were one. Now we just have to get Jamie’s parents over to Australia for a visit.
While in Rainy River, we tried to give them as many Canadian experiences as we could. Some of the highlights were: varsity girls hockey game (far more violent than they expected); ice fishing (see our website for the real “fish tale”); curling (which they picked up quickly, ready to represent Australia in Games); snowmobiling and ice skating (both quite hazardous to Aussie health). We played a lot of game, ate a lot of food and generally had a great time.
Another milestone for us was having Christmas day in our house on Furby for the first time. Jamie’s family drove in to join us for the Christmas Eve service at our church, Riverwood Community Church, then spent Christmas with us as well. In a family baptism by fire, the Flint’s joined us for the Aprin Family Boxing Day gathering at Jamie’s aunt and uncles place. In all, it was a truly memorable holiday. With Christmas behind us, we continued our course of Canadian cultural exposure, which included the local museum, The Forks Market, and most importantly, 5-pin bowling- the true Canadian sport of kings!
It was sad to see them off, but it was an excellent time to share our daily lives here in Winnipeg with the family. We look forward to their next visit (though likely during warmer months. Alas!).
Travels & Opportunities
As is becoming an annual trip, Jamie spent a week in Vancouver teaching on the DTS there on the topic “The Gospel & Missional Community”, which was a great time. Part of the school was a group that made up a Hockey DTS, combining the passion and practice of the sport with missions, both locally and in Russia. For any hockey players out there, this is an excellent program with great coaching. It was also a time for Jamie to connect with our sending base.
Kim recently returned from Florida where she attended the annual Mission Adventures Network Conference. This is always a highlight in Kim’s year, is it is a time to regain the vision, share resources and connect with her fellow network members. It was especially exciting as she was able to bring three staff with her, who also had an excellent time. The program is going to improve beyond expectations this year.
Jamie will have already been to Kitchener by the time you receive this, to sit on a planning group for the youth track of the Micah Challenge in Canada. The Micah Challenge has been developed by the Micah Network and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) in response to a groundswell among evangelical Christian churches wanting to contribute at all levels to the alleviation of poverty and to greater justice for poor communities. Jamie will be posting an update on the trip to our site soon, so check it out.
A Call For Prayer
Recently, we have seen a major increase in our ministry here in Winnipeg, as well as both of us now involved in the YWAM Western Canada Leadership Team. As many of you know, this means a higher demand on us, which also equals higher expenses. Unfortunately, over the past year, as our expenses increase, our support has seen a fair drop. Additionally, the longer Kim is in Canada, the greater need there is to have her apply for permenant residency (we had a couple of scares this year), which can cost up to $2000. Needless to say, we feel overwhelmed and discouraged. Please pray with us as we seek God’s further provision. We are continually humbled by how many of you give sacraficially to support us in this ministry, and believe that God will provide as He always does. Click Here for more info.
While we plan to send our updates more frequently, we will also be regularly updating our website, which has been completely redesigned. You can now read our updates and leave comments, questions or encouragements right on the site. Check it out! We love you all and look forward to hearing from you.
In His Peace,
Kim & Jamie Arpin-Ricci
