Better Late Than Never!!
Welcome to my October(ish) newsletter...
Busy, busy, busy! Those are the only words I can think of to sum up these last couple of months! Normally I send out this newsletter mid-October and we are already at the beginning of a new month (sorry!!). Losing track of the month and having the weeks fly by has been what it has felt like since August and into September. Let me catch you up to speed on what we have been up to in this neck of the woods.
We have intentionally spent a lot of time together as a community doing things that are FUN! At the very end of July, we went to the lake for a BBQ. We had hotdogs, ate snacks, admired the nice view, and chatted for a couple of hours in the sun. Erinn always takes all of August off to rest, reflect, and rejuvenate while the three of us hold down the fort. We did the usual “stuff” on a weekly basis, but tried to continue the fun into August with a movie day (The Emperor’s New Groove, incase you were curious!), and another art workshop led by a community member (watercolour flowers!). While Erinn is away in August, Joanna usually preaches every Sunday… however this time, I took another try at doing the teaching time during church and I think it went well. I felt way more confident than I did a couple of years ago when I preached for the first time. For that, I was very grateful! And I am also grateful that I get to nurture new gifts at The Dale at a pace that makes me feel safe and comfortable.
As we entered September, we went on a little staff retreat to a cottage called Silver Haven. We do this every year at the start of September to mark the end of the summer, to slowly reintroduce Erinn into work life, and to catch up with each other after a month apart. It is always a beautiful time that we share as a team where we plan, eat together, reflect, and spend quality time. It was a slow way to enter into what has been a busy start to the Fall. We took a community trip to Centre Island - we love doing this into September when all the kids are back in school and the island isn’t as busy. We brought loads of food, our happy attitudes, and our walking shoes and had a grand day that was full of fun and adventure! Mid-September we had a little fundraiser walk-a-thon that was led by a friend and volunteer, Tim. Together you helped raise a couple thousand dollars for The Dale, which is a huge help. A small group gathered to walk along the lakeshore to the Humber Bridge. It was so lovely to admire the view of the lake as we walked together and had meaningful conversations.
The busy season did not end there! Oh, no! We went into October full swing planning a community retreat to camp, which we have not done since 2019 thanks to Covid. On October 8th, a busload of about 20 of us took off for Camp Crossroads for two nights. We had THE BEST time. There was fishing, boating, puzzle doing, drawing, sleeping, fire making, owl watching, and so much more. It was such a good bonding experience, especially since we were joined by a bunch of new friends who have not come to camp before. It was a joy to have this experience together, and in a way it was a special time to grieve some community members who have passed away who used to love coming to camp with us. Overall, it was a beautiful time.
Our home continues to have many needs post renovation. We unfortunately had quite a large plumbing issue that required hours of digging into our basement floor and cost our landlady quite a heap of time and money. Today the windows in our sunroom are getting replaced so that cold air doesn’t flow through the cracks into our warm house! I am so grateful for our 100 year old quirky home and our patient and caring landlady. I know having a cozy home is a privilege that not many people get. So even though we have issues sometimes, I feel blessed by our home and the love it holds. In other exciting news, Charlotte will be turning FIVE this week!! Time flies soooooo fast. I love being her mom! Thanks for all your prayers and birthday wishes in advance.
I am also really needing to fundraise more if I want to maintain my hours here at The Dale. I am about $650 short of what I need to be fundraising monthly! If a handful of people donated $50-$100 a month (or less if that’s what you could manage!), that would help me so much. I am grateful for the support of you ALL and I would really ask that if you know any friends or church folks that are looking support a missionary (me!) that they get in touch. They can also visit here to donate. Thank you!
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-35
Prayer Requests
Prayer for me as we enter the colder half of the year and my seasonal depression tends to settle in.
Prayer for Parkdale as new developments and condos pop up all over the place. Good things are happening too however, such as more social housing and a bigger location for the food bank.
Prayer that I would be able to find new folks to share The Dale with that could help with fundraising. I will have to lower my hours or rate of pay if I am not fundraising enough to sustain my time here.
Prayer for me as I speak at a church that I am not too familiar with for the first time this coming Sunday! I will be talking about forgiveness and ways I have witnessed that during my time at The Dale.
We have a very exciting event coming up that we have been prepping for ALL YEAR! Please see the poster below and save the date(s). Send me a message for more information.
Thank you all for taking time to read this amongst the busyness in your lives! I really appreciate that we can do this TOGETHER. Your friendship and care are vital to my longevity here at The Dale, and I am grateful for the ways that we get to experience this community together. I won’t see you in this space again until the new year. So, I pray for peace and joy over this season and into Christmas. May the peace of Jesus be yours at this time and always.