It was very eventful day. Our first session was led by Brian Bittner who talked about the shocking number of unreached people groups that haven’t even heard the gospel in their own languages. He helped prove this point through a visual representation of the sheer number of people who are unreached and languages that are untranslated. Hannah and Grace led the group in worship between sessions – thank you Grace and Hannah. We appreciate your willingness to serve and lead. Next, we were graced with a word from Michaella about the importance of correct decision-making using biblical examples. This message was greatly appreciated by all the students of Grade 12 since we are all currently facing very difficult decisions.
After, we enjoyed a delectable lunch of chili and salad and dessert of ice-cream while enjoying each other’s company and love. Finally, the time came for our dreaded goodbyes. We showed our appreciation for the Ethnos staff through gifts and prayer. We will be forever grateful for all the effort put in to make this weekend a memorable and enlightening experience for all, despite the unusual circumstances. Shoutout to Elianna for all the help getting the houses clean and making sure no one forgot anything.
After a few hours drive, we were able to stop at McDonalds to see Mrs. and Mr. Kuikman and their three adorable children (Mr. Kuikman was a high school teacher at MCA until he left to become principal Orillia Christian School). Upon arriving at Beacon Bible Camp, we were greeted by not one, but two moose. Thank you for that warm welcome, moose – we appreciate it! We enjoyed a stomach-filling dinner which included mac-n-cheese and kale salad and were surprised with Jell-O for dessert.
We were warmly greeted by Mrs. and Mr. Nunn, who some of you may know by their faithful service at Maranatha over a decade ago. I’m sure the some of the adults enjoyed seeing them again. After dinner Mr. Nunn shared his life story about his work in missions in Colombia and Canada. We were all able to learn a few Spanish phrases and songs, which we all enjoyed. Mr. Nunn also shared practical ways to do missions not only in other countries but in our everyday lives. We were able to take some personal time to reflect on the day, write down our thoughts and experiences in a journal and reflect on any question we might have. We are now spending some free time together, getting to know each other better, having fun, and looking forward to what we have to learn and what God will do in the coming weeks.
Sending love, thank you for your prayers,
Joan, Jewel, Elise