Thanks for your constant care and support of our ministry.
So much has been going on since our last newsletter, we are happy to have the chance to tell you all about it.
We have both transitioned into new roles with Wycliffe Canada after serving for over 12 years at the Canada Institute of Linguistics.
Kent is taking up a new role as Travel Risk and Child Safety Manager. With the many changes in the world related to Covid-19 and other politically challenging climates, Wycliffe has asked Kent to take on this role to help ensure that members are aware of the risks and considerations of moving to their country of assignment. Member safety and security is a corporate responsibility, and in Wycliffe there can be multiple entities involved in determining the risk factors of any assignment. Covid-19 and recent world events have highlighted the need for Wycliffe Canada to centralize this information. Child safety is something all churches are aware of and this new role will centralize Wycliffe Canada’s policies and procedures to one manager.
Brenda is now serving as BC Member Care Advisor. In this role, she provides care, support and administrative help to all members of Wycliffe Canada who are from BC – about 100 people currently. Member Care Advisors are responsible to ensure that all Wycliffe Canada members receive adequate encouragement, support, care, and information either while in Canada or outside of Canada, to carry out their assignments well. She works alongside all missionaries (from translators to support staff, children, and families). She works with the new members who are preparing for their first field assignments to those who are readying themselves for retirement.
Another update is that we are moving again. Some of you will remember that we found ourselves needing to buy a home in the midst of a crazy real-estate market about 4 years ago. At that time, we realized that we would need to find a more creative and affordable way to live in the lower mainland of BC and since we were both over 55, we began looking at senior housing societies. We have recently been offered the chance to move into one. We were concerned that selling our current home may be an issue with the Covid-19 restrictions. We listed on Monday, June 22nd, had an offer on that day and a second offer on Tuesday. All that to say, God has answered our prayers regarding not only the provision of a good housing option for us but also the quick and easy sale of our home.
We will get access to our new home at the beginning of August and the new owners of our current home will get possession on the 15th. We are thankful for the amount of time that we have to complete our move, which allows us to continue to work during the daytime and move in the evenings.
In the fall, Brenda will transition from full-time with Wycliffe to 4 days of work each week. She will be spending each Monday with our one year old granddaughter, Madelaine, as our daughter-in-law returns to her job as a kindergarten teacher.
Pray for Kent as he develops strategies and policies that will best guide the travel and safety of the many Wycliffe Canada members serving around the world.
Pray for Brenda as she learns her new role. She was able to do some virtual training but as she is quickly finding out, there are many situations that arise that are not part of a training manual. Pray that she would be a good listener, provide guidance and comfort for those who are working through difficult situations, and that she would have more opportunities for further training and development for this new role.
Pray that our move would go well and that we would be salt and light to our new community.
We are thankful for you and pray that God would continue to bless you all as you serve the Medicine Hat community and beyond.
