Finding Jesus and Bunching Asparagus
In the last week of April we kicked off the 12th Summer Student Program, as ten students from across Canada joined our leaders Christoph and Kyla here on the farm in Southern Ontario. They will work the asparagus season until the end of June and then head down to El Tizate, Guatemala for a little over six weeks of living with local families, where they will learn what it means to live with a missional mindset while serving the people of Guatemala.
“Here for the first time I have
accepted Jesus into my heart
with the full intent that this
decision will now change my
thoughts and actions!”
The students have taken hold of the farm season as a time of valuable discipleship, spending time in His word and encountering Christ in new ways. One of our students, Colleen, put it this way:
“I have always loved the Lord and have identified as a Christian all my life, but here for the first time I have accepted Jesus into my heart with the full intent that this decision will now change my thoughts and actions!
The night I really, genuinely asked Him to come in my heart I felt a wave of relief and peace, that God had heard my prayer, that He was truly with me and that the Holy Spirit was in me! I felt okay before God and at peace with our relationship; that He knows that I am working now on trusting and building a relationship with Him and I felt that He is patient and excited for me and I am excited for me too!”
Packing asparagus in the barn can be a fairly daunting task; long days of monotonous work and six day weeks can take their toll. The majority of the employees in the barn that the team is working next to come from an Old Colony Mennonite background and for many students it is a new culture for them to experience. They have really risen to the opportunity, stepping out in the joy of the Lord to provide encouragement and love to those around them. Students like Kaia have been connecting with their workmates, looking for ways to share God’s love:
“Hannah and I spent an entire afternoon while working just doing our best to learn Low German phrases from the girls around us. Yes, we said crazy things and made many mistakes, but putting ourselves out there was so worth it and it was evident that our effort to really get to know these girls brought them so much joy. When you step out of your own cultural ‘comfort zone’ and into another, that is what builds those deeper relationships and makes me so thankful to be sorting asparagus day after day!”
Continue to pray for the students as they finish up their time in the barn, loving those next to them with Christ’s joy and acceptance. Pray for continued unity as they transition to life in Guatemala and that each of them would meet Christ in a powerful way there.
A Whole New Look
As you may have noticed everything looks a little different around here. We have gone through a little visual renovation. This past winter our good friend Drew Unruh approached us and offered to join us for a few days on the ground in Guatemala. The timing felt incredibly providential; we were able to put his many photographic and graphic design talents to good use. In many ways this feels like a season of transition for us: over a decade of working in Guatemala and over a decade of Summer Student Programs, our first full year with an expanded governing board, our first graduating class this upcoming October, and a lot of thrilling conversations about who God has called us to be as a ministry and where He is taking us in the future. In the midst of these milestones and transitions we have had the opportunity to really think through how we share the vision of Global Shore with others not just in words, but also visually. Drew has done some incredible photo and video work for us, built a new website, designed a gorgeous brochure, and helped us find a brand new logo. We are incredibly grateful for his generous sacrifice of time and talent to make us look really good. A warm and heartfelt thank you to you Drew!
Glendy and Lisbet: An Update
In our last newsletter we shared with you the story of Glendy and Lisbet, two sisters from a deeply dysfunctional home situation who joined our kindergarten class this year and have soaked in the knowledge that they have a Father in heaven that loves them. They have been sharing the love of God that they experience in our school with their parents. Earlier this spring, through a series of truly miraculous events, their parents both decided to give their lives to Jesus and started attending a small group of a local church. We are so thrilled to see God break into seemingly impossible situations and bring His hope and transformation. Continue to pray for Glendy, Lisbet, their little brother, and their parents as their family pursues Christ together.
Upcoming Trips
Celebration Trip (Oct. 10th-21st, 2015)
Come join us in celebration of our very first graduating class from the school in Guatemala. We’ve been anticipating this event for many years and the time has finally come! The trip will include an excursion to either the Mayan ruins of Tikal or the gorgeous volcanic Lake Atitlan.
Application deadline is August 1st. Email kat@globalshore.org for details.
Annual General Trip (Jan. 18-29, 2016)
Plan ahead for our annual general trip open to all. This 12-day short-term mission with service and ministry components will include investment at the school, continued assistance with the ongoing construction of the new carrera school building, partnership with a local pastor in supporting their church plant, and offering an afternoon children’s activity for the niños of a local community.Application deadline is November 1st.
Email kat@globalshore.org for details.
Photo Update
From top to bottom:
- Anna, Priscilla, and Emily, three members of the highschool group from Mennonite Educational Institute in B.C. that joined us in March, with their new sponsor kids from Junior Kindergarten.
- The students saying goodbye to Ryan Wall who wrapped up his four month internship with us this April.
- The team from U.B.C.’s University Christian Ministries that came and blessed us like crazy with their exuberant and enthusiastic love for two weeks this spring.
- The wild and wonderful all-girls group from Trinity Western University who joined Summer Student Program alumni Jennifer Robinson and came and served our ministry and the people of Guatemala with energy and God’s joy.
- Our construction crew pouring part of the cement floor of our new carerra school building (with buckets! by hand!)
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