A Summer Update

So much has happened since our last update that it is hard to know where to start. Our Peace & Justice Internship was a great success, seeing the lives out interns deeply impacted by their time with us. Being able to make some of the training available to the wider community was also a great blessing. With that great result behind us, we turned towards the coming summer with anticipation, not only for our summer programs, but also to spend some time together as a family. We were eager for some down time to enjoy some fun and relaxation with each other. Having a very active 6 year old means having a very active

summer break. Micah has kept us hopping with many great activities, such as soccer camp, Bible camp and swimming lessons. !

Kim has continued to lead our summer Mission Adventures program, with teams of young people from Canada and the US participating in service and outreach to our city. Since starting the ministry here in Winnipeg over a decade ago, this program has consistently been on that has impacted the lives of both the participants and those they are reaching out to. Our hope is that we can continue to expand and extend this ministry to help equip young believers into passionate and responsible ministry. And we will be capping off our summer with the much anticipated Rendezvous- YWAM Canada’s national staff gathering in Pinawa. This gathering, which happens every two years, is more akin to a family reunion than an organizational conference. We are excited for a time of rest and fellowship with our friends and fellow missionaries. !

However, the summer was also a time of unexpected sorrow. A long time friend and leader in our church, Little Flowers Community, died very unexpectedly. John Knight had been a founding leader of the church with his wife, Delia, serving alongside us for 5 years. They had recently moved into a house close to ours in order to extend community housing and a second worship location for our growing congregation. John’s death has been an unsettling event for the entire church, but also one that has drawn us closer together as a community, turning to God and one another for love and support. Please keep us all in your prayers as we continue to work through this loss.

IN THIS ISSUE !

Summer Update Page 1

Challenges and Changes Page 2

Micah Fun-Facts Page 3

Little Flowers & Chiara House Page 3

Adoption Update Page 4

Financial Support Page 4

Micah 6:8w w w . a r p i n - r i c c i . c o mDo Justice. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly.

August 2014

Greetings from Winnipeg!

page ! Micah 6:8 | 445 Furby St. Winnipeg, MB R3B 2V7 | director@ywamwinnipeg.com | 1

Challenges &

Changes

When John died, the events triggered something in Jamie that led to a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which we believe was caused when Jamie witnessed a friend commit suicide 5 years ago. While an unfortunate diagnosis to receive, it has helped us understand some of the challenges Jamie has been facing. Given these realities, we are looking to the future to make changes that will

allow us to continue to serve in ways that are sustainable. To that end, Jamie is planning on taking 9 months (starting next summer) to focus specifically on his writing ministry. This working-sabbatical will not only provide Jamie with some much needed time away from other roles, but allow him to focus on an area of ministry that he is very passionate about. After working full-time in ministry for 20 years, we believe the timing is right. !

To be clear, this is a working-sabbatical. Not only will we

continue to need your financial support as missionaries, but Jamie will be attempting to raise some extra funds to cover the costs of this time- costs that will include pursuing counselling for the PTSD, among other things. God has always provided everything we need, largely through the generosity of people like you. However, we also need to see our financial support strengthened as we grow in ministry and as a family. We know we can continue to rely on you in this way. !

page ! Micah 6:8 | 445 Furby St. Winnipeg, MB R3B 2V7 | director@ywamwinnipeg.com | 2

MICAH’S FUN FACTS:

Micah wanted to be helpful this morning, so before we woke up, he tiptoed downstairs and unloaded the dishwasher, putting all the

dishes away. !The dishwasher was half full of dirty

dishes. _______________________

Micah: "Dad, what's a 'Dutch Oven'?" !I explain. !

Micah giggles uncontrollably. 10 mins later, in bed with Micah, who

thinks I'm asleep. He slowly pulls the blanket over my head. !"Nice try, buddy."

Little Flowers Community &

Chiara House

After many years of dreaming and hard work, we are excited to announce that Chiara House has opened it’s door to tenants. By the time you receive this letter, people will have already started moving in and forming community there. Chiara House has been our vision for providing affordable housing and supportive Christian community to people in our inner city neighbourhood, with an emphasis on serving those with mental illness. Partnering with churches, ministries, business people and mental health service agencies, Little Flowers Community’s dream has now become a reality. For more information, please visit the website at www.chiarahouse.ca !

As we mentioned earlier, Little Flowers Community, the church our ministry has helped plant and lead over the past 5 years, is in a tough season. In addition to John’s death, members of our community have been facing many

other significant challenges. However, even in the midst of our grief and struggles, God continues to draw us deeper into Himself. In fact, it is in our vulnerable brokenness that true ministry is often born. I recently had a Christian leader confide that our little church has been a source of inspiration and challenge to many churches across Canada. We were humbled, but encouraged by this. !

Despite the challenges, we have committed as a church community to keep moving forward. Though delayed because of circumstances, we move into the next season with plans to start a second worship location in our neighbourhood. With our own growth, as well as the addition of Chiara House, we need to make room as more people enter into community, faith and mission with us. Keep us in prayer, as such a shift will bring many demands. We need people to come alongside us in this time and support us with their presence in the community. While somewhat scary at times, we move forward with excited anticipation.

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Adoption Update

Many of you have asked how our second adoption is going. Unfortunately, due to bureaucracy and clerical errors by the government agency here in Manitoba, the process has been significantly delayed. Our hope is that our application will be sent to Ontario soon (which in turn will get sent to Guyana). We can expect at least two years before we can expect more concrete news. While this is discouraging, we are also trusting God’s timing. Our last adoption was significantly delayed, but the end result was our precious Micah, so how could we complain? Keep this process in your prayers. !Financial Support

In our last newsletter, we were facing a significant financial crisis with the replacement of a furnace in our ministry house. Thank you all for your prayers and contributions that allowed us to cover most of that expense. We thought we had raised the full amount, but fell short by about $1000. However, we were able to make it work. As we mentioned earlier, we need to see our monthly support strengthened, so please consider how you might be a part of our support team. See the included information on how to go about supporting us. Thank you all for your prayer & support. Until next time! !Peace & all good,

Jamie & Kim & Micah !!!

Kim was feeling outnumber by the boys, so we evened up the score. Welcome to the family, Nala!

page ! Micah 6:8 | 445 Furby St. Winnipeg, MB R3B 2V7 | director@ywamwinnipeg.com | 4