Welch Family News

We covet your prayers...

2010-08-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

A chapter in our lives is coming to a close. It has been an amazing journey! Our time in Moosehorn has been filled with blessing, trials and amazing friendships. This friday, Jon and I will be closing the ice cream shop, then preparing to make our way to Ontario. We will be visiting family and Jon will be interviewing for two youth pastor positions.
At this point, our main source of income will come to an end and we look to our future with no answers, but with peace knowing the our Lord and Savior is holding us. At this time, we simply ask for prayer. Prayer that our home will sell. Prayer that Jon will be offered a position in a church. Prayer that our needs will be met during this time of transition. For all of you who have wrapped your arms around us, whether through friendship, prayer or financial support...I want to say that we are so grateful and so thankful. We love you all dearly.

2010-07-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

The last time I posted was just before camp started. Now that we are a few weeks past I thought that I would tell you how it went. We had an amazing time! There were somewhere near sixty kids and enough staff to fill all the positions that we needed. Praise the Lord!!! We had a great camp speaker, a missionary from Uzbeckistan, He spoke with clarity and was amazing at relating to the kids. There was a great story about one of our campers accepting Christ. Check it out:

After sharing at an evening campfire, the speaker went looking for his lost coat but was stopped on the way. "What does it mean to be holy?" a young boy asked as the speaker was walking by. He answered the inquiring child, which led to more questions like, "What does it mean to be pure?"

The conversation continued but the questions were turned towards the young boy. The speaker asked "Do you believe you are a sinner?" the boy replied yes. "Do you know who Jesus is?", he wasn't too sure so they talked more in depth about Jesus. Then all of a sudden the boy made an excuse to leave and started running back to the camp. The speaker called for him to come back not wanting to lose the opportunity to share Christ. The boy stopped, thought about it, and walked back. The two talked a little more and the conversation ended with the boy praying to accept Christ into his heart.

After the boy had prayed, they went to snack time where the boy proceeded to tell the others at his table about how he had accepted Jesus into his heart. He was so excited to share his new faith.

The next day when the boy saw the speaker he said, "I guess the angels had a pretty good party last night didn't they?" The speaker nodded with a smile.

How awesome is that? I love the camping ministry. I have a bit of sorrow to think that I am leaving, but I know that God has something else for me to do.

Jon

2010-06-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

Boy do I need to get better at this!!! I realize that I have not been really good at writing my thoughts here. That can mean one of two things...either I don't think enough or I have got to stop forgetting to log on and write. If you asked me if I like to write I would probably say no, but the truth is I do find it relaxing. I wonder if the writers of scripture ever felt that way. I wonder if they felt the peace of God when they wrote...I wonder if they ever got tired of writing or did they get so into what they were communicating that they couldn't stop? I think that they might have. When I get the chance to preach I could go all day. I try not to because I'm sure that whoever I'm talking to would get tired of me. I just get so excited when I've studied God's word that I want to tell someone about it. God is so good that way. Recently, I have started looking for a position as a youth or senior pastor. I know what you're thinking...why youth or senior pastor, shouldn't you focus on one or the other? Well here is my dilema. I am really into teaching God's word. I love to preach and share what God has laid on my heart. I would love to be a senior pastor, but I also love being with youth. The only problem is that in today's society I have found that youth groups are more about fun than they are about helping teens learn the word of God. I want to raise up the next generation of Christ followers. I want the blessing of seeing young people leaving behind the mediocrity that this world offers and dedicating their lives to the freedom of serving Christ.

Changes

2010-04-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have not heard. I(Jon) made the decision to step down as Director of SCA Eagle Bay Minstry Center and Camp this last week. The decision was due to our lack of support and the lack of general support at the center. I am sticking around as a part time site advisor helping Chad (the new director)to keep the ministry going. This was s tough decision for me as it makes the future a little more uncertain and is quite humbling. But fear not, this is not a self-pity post. I am confident that God is in control and is guiding everything. Times like these definitely drive me to search deeper into the word to find his will. I think of Proverbs 14 especially verses 8 and 15 and I pray that as future plans are made that I follow the prudent man and give thought to my steps. I also ask that you pray for wisdom for Nikki and I as we think about the future.

Summer is Coming!!!

2010-03-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

It is always exciting when we gear up for camp. The vision for the future is also exciting. As we change our written format and goals to more accurately communicate our physical goals we pray that we are able to discern God’s will and follow where Christ leads. As director of SCA Eagle Bay Ministry Centre and Camp I have the joy of leading teams and staff this summer whose goal is to spread the Word of God. This summer we are using the theme “Army of the Alpha and Omega” this is a military based theme. We will be playing games and decorating the camp with this theme. The reason for changing themes form year to year is to change the feel of camp from summer to summer. I don’t want camp to get static for the campers who come from year to year. As we endeavor to preach the gospel to campers that come to SCA Eagle Bay I ask that you will pray for us and for the hearts of the kids coming. Pray that their hearts are softened to their need of a savior. Pray also for the staff members that are coming to camp….pray that they will be strong in the Word of God and that they will prepare their hearts to serve children. The most important though is to pray that they look to the Lord for their strength for the summer. You can also pray for Chad and I as we are doing prep work for camp. Please praise the Lord for my wife Nikki as she has taken on the role of marketing director and is handling a lot of busy work that Chad and I would have done. Praise also for my in-laws who are coming out for three weeks to volunteer. Their experience and expertise will be a great asset for Eagle Bay.

My thoughts today.

2010-02-10T11:35:00.001-08:00

To my friends and family who read this,
I want to share my heart with you about raising our support. This is a very difficult and humbling process...at times discouraging. The last thing I want is for our focus to be all about the "finances". My heart is so passionate for camp, passionate for the kids that come to youth group and passionate for the endless possibilities of ministry that our camp facilities could provide. Every day that we have to put all of our focus and energy into raising our support, is a day that I could have spent builiding relationships with the people in this community.
Camp has gone through many heart aches in the past few years, but the needs in the community are still the same....the kids around here need to hear about Jesus. Camp above all, facilitates that. Without a doubt, God called us here, but we desperately and urgently need your help. Once again, thanks to all of you who have heard this and helped. We are grateful to you.

2010-01-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family

In just a few short months, Nikki and I will have been serving at SCA Eagle Bay for two full years. To date, we have raised 38% of my salary. Nikki has also been working for the mission by doing marketing, letter writing, and coordinating the weekly youth meeting run by Eagle Bay. This has taken up at least ten hours of her week on top of what she does at home. At present she has taken no salary for her work. Our goal is to raise $3500 per month to cover Jon's salary and so that we can provide Nikki compensation for all of her work. I am asking that you would prayerfully consider supporting us and the Lord's work by donating $20 per month. If that is too steep for you even $10 a month would be a blessing.
You can donate online by going to To CanadaHelps http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s9912
When you donate you will receive a tax deductable receipt. The receipts are good in the US as well as Canada. Just make sure you remember to mark your donation for Jon and Nicole Welch. Thanks and God bless.

Jon

Welch New Year’s Update

2010-01-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

The Fruit
It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.' Ezekiel 17:7-9

• Praises to God for blessing us with 17 interns from Timber-Lee Christian Center, East Troy, WI who generously gave their time to leading Winter Camp!
• Praises to God for the generous support from new congregations!
• Praises to God for our local community who amaze us with their incredible love and generosity. You are an invaluable part of our camp family.
• Praises to God for a growing, vibrant Youth Program. Every Friday night we average 20-25 youth from all over our area!

The Family
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6: 9-11

• We are grateful for Pastor Mike and his family taking the position of Senior Pastor at Moosehorn Baptist Church.
• Thankful for the opportunity for Jon to cover Sunday morning sermons since September. It was a great experience, but happy to put those hours back with the family!
• The collaboration of some talented friends to create a dynamic and contemporary worship team for church!
• Thankful that Meaghan’s 2nd/1st grade class encouraged prayer at lunch (in a public school!)

The Future
There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-19

• We pray and seek God’s will as we look to expand the ministry opportunities to reach not only campers, but the entire family. We pray that we might use camp as a way to train and disciple families in their walk with Christ.
• We pray for dynamic youth that seek to serve at camp this summer.
• We pray that we fill each camp bed, knowing that each bed filled is one more child that hears God’s word!
• Pray for full-time staff that has a passion for souls and the ministry of Eagle Bay!

Happy New Year
“Glory to God in the Highest,
And on earth peace to men on whom his favor rest” Luke 2:14

A Fruitful Fall

2009-10-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that summer has come and gone! It was an amazing 6 weeks of camp for our family. The best to date! This year I was able to serve as camp nurse, giving me hands on experience with the ministry of Eagle Bay. I have fallen passionately in love for the work here that we have been called to do. It is an amazing and exciting ministry, with many obstacles and huge blessings! Being able to build a deep relationship with the staff and campers was incredible. I loved all those great teens that served with us this summer and the amazing kids that came to camp. We were so thankful to see campers having an amazing "camp" experience but most importantly to see many of them put their trust in Christ. We are blessed to have such an incredible job!
On another note, Jon and I have huge responsibilities when it comes to raising funds for camp. It sometimes can be challenging and discouraging. We face fear at times that without enough support that we would eventually loose this incredible opportunity to serve the kids in the interlake. We are driven to pray feverently and our dependance on Christ is often tested through these times. We are however encouraged that many of our friends and family members have committed monthly to the support of the camp and our family. We are so grateful to all of you who have made this ministry a priority in your own lives. Your gifts are so very appreciated and we are so very thankful to all of you.
As I write, Jon is off to British Columbua. He just finished driving 20 hours alone and I just heard of his safe arrival. Please pray that he gains knowledge and wisdom as he attends the conference, that he enjoys some time of rest and that he will return home safely on friday. Pray for Aaron and Thesalee as they run camp this week.

2009-08-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

Today I sat for a few minutes to ponder the summer and I am encouraged by the amount of kids that God has let us minister to. There were over 120 kids for our resident camp program and we have close to sixty more in our new day camp program. God graced us with safety this summer. We had very few accidents, and almost none involved campers.

God also gave us a great staff this summer. There was a small group from the Montreal area. They came a week before the campers to help finish the theme decorations and film a skit for the kids. We also had a great time bonding together as a team. It never got really hot this summer, and we had a bit of rain, but God blessed us through it all.

The first week of camp was almost perfect, the campers were well behaved and all of the activities ran smoothly. Chapel went great and the kids seem interested in what was said. There were a few first time professions of faith the first week. The second week was good as well, we had a couple of discipline problems, and it was a little harder to get the campers settled down for chapel, but all in all another successful week as we had a few more professions of faith. The third week, however, started out rough and only got worse. Chad and I felt that our whole week was consumed with discipline problems. We went from one camper to the next trying to get them to simply join their group. If we weren’t doing that we were breaking up fights or dealing with sick campers. We had no idea of why all these kids decided to act up at the same time. Luckily for us my wife Nicole has been here all summer taking care of the camper’s medications and doing our camp nursing, and we have had two lovely ladies doing all of our cooking for us. We also had a guest speaker who did an excellent job. After all was said and done I figured that we would just call that week a bust and move on, but God had other plans. Out of the ashes of what could have been a blown week I found out that we had more first time professions of faith than the first two weeks combined. Isn’t it amazing that God works miracles when we are at our worst. I don’t even know if you would call it a miracle. Things like that are just what God does. Week four was like week one. We had older campers that week ages 12-14. It was a blast. Chad and I got to shoot fireworks off the top of the climbing wall, what a blast…. (Sorry, that was lame). The kids were able to grasp some deeper concepts and had a much longer attention span. At first we were worried that they wouldn’t participate in the activities or games, but we couldn’t have been more wrong! They jumped into camp with great zeal. We played games and sang and had a great time. Several more campers accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.

This summer’s journey has been amazing for me. That brings me to why I am writing to you. SCA Eagle Bay is in serious financial straights. I have written before about the loss of most of our support base, and how the addition of me to the staff has burdened the budget. To this point we have been able to rely on a surplus in the budget to make ends meet. Unfortunately, we have had to make several repairs and upgrades recently that have dried up that surplus. We have also been neglecting preventative maintenance to keep our spending down and I fear that will become apparent all too soon. I am asking that you prayerfully consider joining us in reaching the children of the Interlake area whether they are on reserves or farms or in small towns. If things continue the way they are going we will be facing a $23,000.00 budget deficit by the end of the year. This deficit is due solely to the addition of my salary. To give to SCA Eagle Bay or to support Jonathan and Nicole Welch go to www.scainternational.org or give me a call at 204-449-2293

2009-04-03T13:10:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends, April 2009
The date says “spring” but the thermometer is still in “winter.” Yes, we are still dealing with snow and cold temperatures. But summer’s coming!SCA Eagle Bay Ministry Centre & Camp had two great Snow Camps this winter. There were new and returning campers from the summer. And plenty of snow to play in. Chad Bruneski (Associate Director) and I have been very busy with summer preparation for camp as well as attending various conferences. Twice we have been to Winnipeg to set up a booth for SCA at Missionfest in February and then Promise Keepers in March. We attended the annual general meeting for the Manitoba Camping Association and the Spring Forum for Christian Camping International. I spent 10 days in Toronto at the end of January to meet with other Ministry Centre directors for our annual conference. So we have been busy as you can see.However, though God is blessing us with encouragement, we are still battling several concerns that require prayer. There is ongoing opposition from many people that want to see this camp fail. These people come under the guise of innocent accountability, but their true motivation is vengeance. Please pray that God will protect the camp and us from their slander.On another note, there has been some confusion regarding our financial situation. SCA Eagle Bay has a surplus at this time and is healthy financially. However, I personally am feeling guilty for not pulling my weight in drumming up support. In the past, SCA missionaries were required to have at least 80% of their support raised prior to beginning work. Due to the extraordinary circumstances when I was hired, that requirement was waived. I am receiving my full salary but it is taking a toll on the camp’s operational budget as I have only raised around 15% of that salary. I am asking those of you who are receiving this letter to pray about supporting us in an ongoing manner. God is providing for all of our needs and blessing us amazingly. By supporting us you will be freeing up assets at SCA Eagle Bay to go toward upkeep and new development at the camp, and most of all, new programs for the kids we serve. If you are already giving, I thank you with all of my heart for supporting us in the work of Christ.May
God bless you.

Here is a direct link to donate to SCA-please specify that you would like your donation to be designated to Jonathan and Nicole Welch

http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=d9912

Jonathan M. Welch
Director SCA Eagle Bay Ministry Centre & Camp

2009-02-27T10:13:00.001-08:00

In Response to a Legacy

2009-01-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

The other night I watched a video about the life of Billy Graham and about the legacy he has built. Part of me would love to have that type of legacy. Fiery preaching in front of millions of people. How cool would that be? But then I contrast that with a video that my own Granfather gave me this christmas. A video that he put together with some help of people at his church. I am reminded that my Grandfather's legacy means more to me than that of any great evangelist. Why? Because this man's legacy is me. If it were not for my grandfather's faithful life of prayer and following Jesus Christ I would not be who I am today. My Grandfather raised my father to love Jesus and in turn my father raised me in a faith that was grounded in scripture and focused on a loving God. I also know that this Man of faith that my children call "Opa" has spent much of his life in prayer for me. He has prayed for me in tough times and prayed for me in good times. He even prays for me when life is not going well for him. Opa has told me that he looks forward to the day when he will be in glory with his savior, but he also has said that as long as God keeps him on this earth even if he can do nothing else he will pray. What a legacy to have. So many people owe a great big thanks to Opa for his years of unselfish service for Christ and for his prayers on their behalf, but you will never see him asking for thanks. Opa sees prayer as his duty; like a soldier doing his job. The only difference is that Opa enjoys talking with his heavenly father. I have felt that prayer and I know that God has used Opa's prayer in my life. Now that I have children I know how important Opa's legacy is and I plan to continue it in my life and in the life of my children. Thank-you Opa for lifting myself and my family before the Lord of all creation in prayer.

2008-12-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all:

Well, the culture shock wore off until the snow started. Now there are fewer cars on the road and more snowmobiles. For me, it has been fairly cold, although the locals have said that it has been pretty mild. I am not excited about what they call “real winter”.
It has been seven months since we arrived in Manitoba. In that time we have been very busy. God blessed Eagle Bay with a great summer, and I had a chance to meet a lot of young people with hearts to serve. Since the end of summer I have been busy with guest groups and I was asked to lead the local youth group. I have since decided to make that group a part of the Eagle Bay mission. There are outreach events every other Friday evening. There has been an average of about 15 kids that attend. Chad and I have also put together two fundraising banquets. The first was very well attended with over one-hundred attending. The second was only attended by two couples, but God again miraculously provided. Between these two couples we will be able to finish the bathroom project that has been underway since April 2007. I have also had the privilege of preaching at two of the local churches. We are also in the process of getting winter camp planned. We will run three weekends in February for children in the area. Pray that these are well attended due to the fact that there was no winter camp last year. Also, pray for me as there are many tough decisions on the horizon regarding camp and the programs we run. Pray that God will bless our efforts to proclaim the gospel in light of financial burdens and some latent opposition to change. I would like to thank all of you who are praying for us, and also to those of you supporting us financially. If others of you who read this are feeling the call of God to help support the ministry of SCA International and Eagle Bay Camp, or if you would like to help support Nikki and the kids and I with our personal support you can donate through the SCA website www.scainternational.org.

It is with a joyful heart that I wish all of you a Merry Christmas! I am so thankful to have this opportunity to share about what is going on in our family. This has been a faith-stretching year for me personally. In this past year I have seen the hand of God in my life work in such a personal way. He has time and time again reminded me that he is in control.
Since moving into Moosehorn, we have had the privilege of living across the road to Kurt Bork and his beautiful wife, Edie. He is among the first “shanty men” and first director to “Eagle Bay” camp. It has been with much joy to be neighbors with such an amazing couple whom we have lots to learn from.
I am so very thankful for our home, the school and the community here in Manitoba. Jon and I felt quickly at home mostly because of the great people who made room for us in their lives. I have made wonderful friendships here and was even blessed with a running partner. No matter where God leads us, He always answers my prayers for a friend that enjoys my love for an early morning run!
As for our children, they have all adjusted well. I am most pleased to share that our little Meaghan has a real joy for Jesus. We are thankful that she is discerning between right and wrong at school. As parents, that is a thrill for us both!
Over the past few months, we have gone through some very difficult and painful situations. We as believers are definitely not exempt! We are very thankful to everyone who has prayed us through some challenging days and weeks. Your continuous generosity and your fervent prayers have seen been a daily encouragement for our family!
Once again, thank-you all for being a part of God’s ministry! I encourage you to pray for Jon and Chad as they strive to serve the people of the northern Interlake. We are already looking forward to summer as hundreds of children will hear the gospel.

Jon, Nikki, Meaghan, Mallorie, Averie, Johnny

2008-11-18T10:57:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know what Nikki and I have been up to for the last six months I want to give you a little background into who we are working with. SCA International started as a mission called Shantymen’s Christian Association by William Henderson in 1907. Our purpose is to glorify God by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of North America whose circumstances do not provide them easy or traditional access to the Church for any number of reasons, including social, emotional, physical and cultural isolation. Eagle Bay was added as a ministry center in 1962, then called Hilbre Bible Camp, and has been carrying on God’s work ever since. Eagle Bay has a wonderful legacy of reaching children for Christ, and being a safe haven for kids in trouble.
Eagle Bay’s core purpose is to give every person who comes to this facility a chance to meet Jesus Christ. We accomplish this by serving. We serve children with our summer and winter camps, and now with our youth outreach every other Friday. We serve adults with our guest and retreat services. We strive to serve the community by bringing groups from the city to the area, and hopefully as the years go on we will bring more and more people here. I want Eagle Bay to be a safe place that lets those who come feel like they belong to something bigger than their normal experience. We believe in building lasting relationships between our staff and the campers that come to camp, and we know that those relationships will mean more than any other thing in a child’s life.
The last two weeks we have hosted two different fundraising dinners for the camp. On November 8th we held a local dinner in Moosehorn. A great success with over one-hundred people attending. Chad and I prepared and served a nice meal with the help of some of our local youth. Over twenty local businesses donated items for a silent auction and the Solberg's, a local couple, donated honey to sell to the attendees. God provided quite a bit of money to cover many costs at camp. Our second dinner in Winnipeg was much smaller in numbers, but God provided in a huge way. The two couples that we hosted committed to finishing the bathroom that has stood unfinished for over eighteen months. Praise God!!!

A (VERY) Full life...

2008-10-24T13:04:00.001-07:00

November is going to be a busy and exciting month for camp. Jon and Chad are gearing up for two large fundraiser dinners. One will be held here in Moosehorn and the second down in Winnipeg at East View Church. We are hoping to have 125 people attend at each event. Jon is planning an elaborate chuck wagon meal (thanks for the inspiration Bob and the Petersons). I am sure our guests will be dazzled by Jon's barbecuing skills! We are praying that the local community and all of Manitoba get excited about the work that God is doing here at Eagle Bay. We could really use prayer as we prepare for this event.
As for the kids and I....we are dealing with some difficult issues with Meaghan. She seems to be experiencing night terrors. I have an appointment set this month with a pediatrician. As a mom, it has been difficult to see my daughter so terrified during these episodes. I ask for your continued prayers for our little girl.
On a lighter note, Johnny has managed to pop out his first tooth. It is amazing that this never gets old to me! Motherhood has no shortages of miracles.

SCA Eagle Bay update

2008-10-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

It has been five months since we have moved to Manitoba and a lot has happened. I started work at Eagle Bay on May 3rd. Skeptics agreed that there was no way we would be able to have summer camp in the 2008 year, but I think we all know that you should never doubt the power of God. We ended up running four week-long sessions and had an approximate total of one-hundred and twenty kids at camp this summer. How awesome!!! I will give all the glory to God. Why? Because registration forms didn't go out until the end of May. We had very few staff committed and two months is way too short a time period to get a camp together. God brought us the children, He also worked through the local churches to staff camp. I would like to thank Ashern Bible Church, Moosehorn Baptist Church, and Hilbre Bible Chapel for the support they have given not only to me but also to SCA Eagle Bay. I have also been blessed by Chad Bruneski and his steadfast presence here at Eagle Bay. He and his family have weathered many storms in the past few years and God will bless them for it. I believe that Chad's service and connection with the kids was a key in this summers success.
Since the end of summer we have been busy with guest groups and projects. There is still the need to complete the bathouse project. We need to raise around $10,000 to get the building to completion. The other immediate project we are in the middle of is the renovation of the area immediately to the east of the tuck shop. Chad, Darryl and I have already cleared the trees and we are planning the amount of back fill we will need. Hopefully by next summer we will have a space that is useful for the parents when they drop-off their campers. Pray that God will provide for our staffing needs as we are in need of more full-time staff.
Thank-you for all of your prayers and support.

Jon

Home, sweet (very sweet) home!

2008-10-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

It has been over five months now since making the journey from Washington state to our new home in Moosehorn, Manitoba! We are so excited to have a format that will keep us in touch with all of our dear friends and family as we transition into a new life and a new exciting ministry! There is so much to say, the trouble is where to begin?

I guess I need to start by saying that God has been more evident in our lives than ever! Jon and I could have never imagined how God would take care of us through the accident (for those of you who aren't aware, Jon and I totalled our moving trailer about 2 hours into our move). I could go on for hours about the evidences of God caring for us through what could have been a a tragedy. So lesson learned; God is in control and He really does know what He is doing!

Since moving here, I have been so blessed to meet so many young moms with children. I am thankful that the community has been so warm and welcoming to us. There has been no shortages of "play dates" for me to attend! God has given me several opportunities already to share my faith. Please pray for me as I spend time with the women in this community and that I am truly a light to them.

We have also been so grateful to our church in Hilbre for amazing times of fellowship, times of worship and powerful (and convicting) sermons. We are thankful that we have found a place that we feel at home. Leaving our church (Grace Bible) in Port Orchard, WA was very difficult for us as we loved Pastor Cal and all the great ministries that the church provided....so finding a church home here has made the transition easier than expected.

Our latest update on the kids is another answer to prayer. I had been previously homeschooling our eldest Meaghan through kindergarten but found it a little, lets say...challenging after our son Johnny was born. Coordinating the four of them was a battle! I was, however, intimidated about sending our daughter on the school bus for over an hour each way from camp and back. God ubruptly put on my heart a home that was for sale two doors down from the school. Jon and I were able to see the home and knew immediately that this was an answer to our prayers! We purchased a beautiful home in the community of Moosehorn that not only supplied our needs but our wants as well. As a mother, I feel confident about sending Meaghan to our great local school (it placed top 25 in Today's Parents magazine as one of Canada's best schools!). We were also able to put our little red-headed Mallorie in two days of Kindergarten! I am enjoying spending quality time with Averie and Johnny....and enjoying the peace and quiet when they are both napping.

As for camp. I should let Jon fill you in on all things Eagle Bay. As for me, I know that God has brought us here to share His love with the people of Manitoba and has blessed me with a safe and comfortable place to raise our children.