Well, it wasn't easy at times, but our Toronto GO! TEAM made it out of Orange County and into Canada! We took off Friday morning from LAX with no problem, making a connection in Chicago. That ongoing flight was delayed an hour (no big deal)and we made it into Toronto by 10:00 pm. Edmundo Lucido, the admin pastor of Churchill Meadows Christian Church (our host) met us there and took us to pick up the car we rented. Once onto the freeway, we got ready for the 20+ minute trip to nearby Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto with a population of more than 700,000. However, even through it was a late Friday night, freeway construction squeezed everything down to a choke point (one lane), and our short jaunt took nearly two hours! Weary but undeterred, we made it to our accommodations, met our hosts and settled in for a short time of rest.
Saturday began with a great breakfast time with Jim Tune, senior pastor of CMCC and president of Impact Canada (the church planting organization with whom we partner). He clued us into the spiritual situation in Canada, the heart of Impact Canada and the beginnings of CMCC. We even got to sample REAL Canadian bacon, called peameal bacon. Wow! What a difference from our faux product in the US!
We took off from there for our one free day outing- a drive to Niagara Falls, about a 60-mile drive through beautiful countryside.
The Falls was an unbelievable display of God's handiwork and we were blessed to take it in. But the evening was even better. We got back to the church about 5:30 and bumped into the Polish church plant pastor, who meets with his small group on campus. Gregory invited us to meet with his group that evening, as they were gathering to watch a Joni Ericson DVD in Polish. We were so blessed by our time with these believers! So much sharing of life and encouragement between us all, even with language limitations. The four of us agreed that this was even greater than what we had experienced earlier in the day.
Sunday's two services at CMCC were outstanding. This congregation, newly moved into its current outrageously outstanding facility, numbers about 600- that's mega-church size in Canada. And the ethnic/cultural diversity is overwhelming. At least 46 nations or people groups are represented in the church, all moving and working together as one, and all for God's glory. It's like looking at a small piece of heaven when they gather to worship!
Jim and his wife, Claudia, took us to an Indian dinner where they shared their story, and we were able to see their heart for God and His Kingdom. It was challenging to hear them and know that the burden they have, not just for their city, but for their country and world, is one that needs to be shared by each of us if we're going to complete the task of proclaiming the good news message to all peoples in all places.
Our opening weekend was a great one. And the week promises to be even greater. We'll fill you in on it as it happens- will you remember to lift us in prayer? Specifically ask the Father that we would have opportunity and courage to share with those who need to know the Lord's love. Thanks! More soon...
Wow! it's been a whirlwind first week here in Brisbane for our team. We've tried to update our activities via Facebook, but our long days/evening schedule has hindered blogging up to this point.
GO! Montana- Larry and Joyce Clasen, Kelly and Judy Kappen, Lynn Ramirez, Carol Hall, and John and Connie Bergsto (not pictured)- will be in Kalispell, MT June 26-July 6, working at the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) base there. This training center is led by Jeff and Kristi Wilke from KACC. The team will be busy with projects from office help to construction needs.
Pray for them as they travel, serve, connect and pour themselves out for the glory of our Lord. Pray for divine appointments with people who need the hope and that Jesus brings. Pray for team unity and a spirit of oneness. Pray for their families who will carry on here in their absence. 
I've spent the better part of this seek reflecting on out team's recent time in Toronto. We had opportunity to see and do much, meet many, and learn so many things. Friends here at home have asked us about the trip and those experiences that stood out to us. I want to take a moment to list a few of those highlights (although my list may differ slightly from what my teammates might say!):
Jim Tune, senior pastor of CMCC and president of Impact Canada, told us that it's understandable that we funnel resources and attention to the farthest points of the world. And it's easy to overlook those who may be closest to us, assuming that they have all they need to understand the truth about God. But with declining spirituality and burgeoning immigration, Canada, though a first-world nation economically, is a third-world nation spiritually (Jim's words). And that a Canadian soul dying without Jesus faces the same eternal consequences as a person in India, China, Japan or anywhere else who dies without knowing Him.
There are 12 of us on this team, and our hope will be to spend time with kids, help with home-building (some of us do worse at that than others!), help host a picnic/family day on Saturday, and return on Sunday. Please keep us in prayer as we drive, serve, share, and learn lessons God has waiting for us. There is great spiritual warfare in this place and an unusually abundant supply of hopelessness among adults and youth alike. Pray that our lives, our words, and our actions will demonstrate the hope of Jesus in a way that will make people want to know more. We'll update you as we go, both here and on Facebook.
We had the chance to serve in ways that may have been outside our comfort zones, and we discovered that it wasn't as tough as we thought it was going to be. We learned to work outside our cultural parameters, stretching in new ways and finding newly appropriate methods for sharing the love and message of God. And we even picked up some new vocabulary terms, some in Kiswahili and some in Kikamba- just ask Samaki (aka Jeremy) how to say "fish!"
Wow! What a blast! That seems to be the general consensus of the team as we hit this full week of ministry at full speed. First was our time with the Masii Christian Chapel Sunday morning (into afternoon!). Being part of a time of corporate worship in another culture can be nothing short of amazing, and our experience was no exception. The warmth, the energy, the power and the excitement of worship and praise left us wanting more. Josh Chavez preached a powerful message (with the translating help of brother Stanley) and we immersed ourselves in Kenyan culture for a few hours. It's something we'll hold onto for a long, long time.
Nairobi was a quick but eye-opening experience. We journied into Mathare, a slum of about 800,000 (and only the second largest in the city!). There we visited two ministries- WEEP (Women's Equality and Empowerment Project), and Community Transformers. WEEP trains women with HIVAIDS with tailoring skills. These new abilities allow them to provide for their families, and provides value for them in their communities. It gives them a reason to live and a hope for their futures. Community Transformers was started by a group of HIV+ young people who, upon their conversions to Christ, banded together, to remain in Mathare, and now minister to others who may not have the hope of Christ. Both works challenged and encouraged us as we saw the impact of Christ in the most serious of situations.
We are already sensing God's hand upon us as He opens our eyes to a world so much bigger than what we know. Hearing stories of faith in impossible circumstances, seeing hope in the eyes of those most would have forgotten, discovering our oneness in spite of ovbious differences makes an indelible imprint upon our spirits. The stories and lives they represent remind us of a great and powerful God who is working in the most impossible of situations to show people His great compassion and care. We are blessed to be part of it.
