CORNERSTONE

20 Young Road

Kanata, Ontario K2L 1W1

613-836-1001

www.stpaulshk.org

Dec

emb

er,

2020

Inside this issue:

Message from Fr Stephen

Service of Hope, Dec 20

Advent Resources

In-Person Worship Update

Christmas Eve Outdoor

Family Service

Update from the Copples in

South Africa

...and more!

January edition deadline:

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Please send submissions to:

cornerstone@stpaulshk.org

―A growing community called to know Jesus Christ

and make him known in the world by our presence.‖

Sunday Service

9:00 a.m. — In-person and Webcast service (via the church

website). Pre-registration required to attend in person.

Other Services

10:00 a.m. Tuesday — Music and Meditation via webcast

10:00 a.m. Wednesday — Bible Study via webcast

2:00 p.m. Thursday — Seniors‘ Gathering via webcast

Christmas Services

Note: Pre-registration required for in-person services.

December 24

4:00 p.m. — Outdoor family program: Lessons and Carols —

see page 9 for more information.

7:00 p.m. — Christmas Eucharist. In-person and online.

11:00 p.m. — Christmas Eucharist. In-person and online.

December 25

10:00 a.m. — Christmas Eucharist. In-person and online.

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A message from Fr Stephen Making the darkness bright

As you took down

the Christmas

decorations last

year, what were

your hopes for

2020? Perhaps

you planned a big family gathering, or an intimate

party with friends. Or you planned to visit relatives,

perhaps spend Christmas with folks you haven‘t seen

in ages. Whatever you planned, I suspect you have

had to change those plans dramatically. You are not

alone in this.

We‘ve now been in a pandemic for months; months

filled with losses, changed plans, and lowered expec-

tations. For many, they have also been filled with

tragedy: jobs lost, anxieties multiplied, and loved

ones departed. These have added up to some seri-

ous worries about Christmas. Will this be the season

of joy we had hoped for?

Like many of you, I have worried about how to spend

Christmas. This year I serve a new church and, as a

preacher, I wonder what I could say that would pro-

vide the joy we‘re looking for. As I have wondered,

however, God has pointed me towards elements of

the Christmas story that I often ignored. God has

reminded me that the Christmas story holds much

more uncertainty and loss than I remembered.

Mary and Joseph had plans to be married, for exam-

ple. Yet, God sent an angel to Mary, who disrupted

their plans. As a result, Joseph wondered if the wed-

ding should take place at all. When the couple fi-

nally embraced the news of this special child‘s birth,

they must have begun making plans for this blessed

event. Yet, whatever they planned was abandoned

once notice came that they must travel to a distant

town at the time of the birth. What kind visitors did

Mary expect would greet her child? Probably not

shepherds she had never met, and definitely not the

barn animals.

These elements of the Christmas story aren‘t new, yet

in most years they seem like quaint details without

much significance. 2020 has given them a new poign-

ancy. Whatever hopes Mary and Joseph had for

their lives together, these had to be changed in ways

they couldn‘t have imagined. So much was outside

their control, but the end result was the birth of our

Saviour. God brought them so much which dis-

rupted their lives, yet this disruptive method was the

way He chose to come into the world: in the midst of

disappointments and losses. This timing should

teach us something about our own situation.

For many of us, this Christmas will be a profound

departure from what we had hoped. Like that first

Christmas, however, we have been given the chance

to see God come to us in the hour of our greatest

need. In Mary and Joseph, we see a couple whose

lives were turned upside-down. That didn‘t prevent

them from being blessed with the presence of Christ

in their midst. Christmas tells us that this same Christ

is in our midst as well, no matter how hard our cir-

cumstances.

This Christmas will most likely be smaller than

Christmases past. Perhaps God is inviting us, like

Mary and Joseph, to see where He is present in this

smallness. Will we take the time to really observe

our children and grandchildren this year, to see

where God is present in their childish ways? Will we

let God show us the joy there is in the humble intima-

cies of a phone call with a friend, or a quiet dinner

with our spouse? And will we let those grand old

Christmas carols do more than provide background

noise this year — instead letting them reassure us that,

―in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive

him, still the dear Christ enters in?‖

The dear Christ enters in even now, making dark

times bright with the joy of his presence. This year,

let us be free to grieve our losses. And let us be free

to lament what could have been. But let us also ac-

knowledge that God is in the business of bringing

hope where despair seemed certain. He is a God of

majesty and might, but He is also a God of the small

and humble. Let‘s celebrate the small and humble

this Christmas, and give thanks for those small mer-

cies which give us a taste of the great joys to come.

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Life was hectic before the pandemic hit us. Now, with

Christmas approaching, the challenges of the season

can seem overwhelming. Through prayer, silence, and

meditative music, Compline Night Prayer will help you

give these challenges over to God. The service lasts

about 20 minutes, and is broadcast over Zoom (a web-

based video messaging service). All you need to partici-

pate is an internet connection and a desire to listen to

God.

Please email Fr Stephen to register or for more details:

fr.stephen@stpaulshk.org. You can also register by call-

ing the church office.

Although many of our regular ministry activities have

been curtailed, if not cancelled altogether, it is still im-

portant to consider how we will resume our ministries

when circumstances allow. Budget requests are due to

the office by December 15.

Vestry Reports, preferably in Word format, need only

be a few lines long, but it is important to have a record

of all our ministries in our annual Vestry write-up. Ves-

try Reports are due to the office by January 15.

Compline Night Prayers Fridays, 8 p.m. via Zoom

Our Vestry theme for this year

Budget and Vestry reports Dec 15 (Budget), Jan 15 (Vestry) Memorial Flowers

A Service of Hope December 20, 7 p.m. on YouTube

Christmas is often a time of joy and family. Yet, many

struggle to find these things over the holidays. Grief

and loss can seem overwhelming, particularly after a

difficult year of pandemic and quarantine restrictions.

Through readings, prayer and music, this service is

designed to help us acknowledge our losses before

God, and to be reminded of the hope and comfort He

brings in the face of sorrow.

The service will be

streamed live through

our YouTube channel.

You can access this by

visiting our parish web-

site: www.stpaulshk.org.

Christmas memorial flowers are a long-standing tradi-

tion in our parish. They allow us to make a donation

in memory of loved ones, and to have flowers placed

in the church to help us remember and honour them.

If you would like to make a donation and have a loved

one remembered in this way, please note the ways of

doing this below:

1. Mail a cheque to the church and address it to:

D Glason, 20 Young Road, Kanata, Ontario K2L

1W1.

2. Make a physically-distanced drop off of cash or

cheque at the church. Please a call ahead at the church

office 613-836-1001. When you arrive, you can tap on

the window or ring the door bell and leave your enve-

lope in the mailbox. I‘ll come out and get it from

there.

3. Attending services on Sunday, drop your dona-

tion in the offering plate. Please be sure to use a sepa-

rate envelope from your regular donation and clearly

indicate on it that it is for Christmas Flowers.

Please ensure you include the name(s) of those for

whom you are making the memorial donation inside

the envelope with your cash or cheque.

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Advent Resources by Rev. Stephen Silverthorne Advent Devotionals and Reflections

All Is Bright, by Nancy Guthrie (Author), Lizzie Pre-

ston (Illustrator). I found this on sale at Indigo, and

I really like it. It features

some ―adult colouring‖ pages

to go along with a devotion

for each day in December,

leading up to Christmas.

Most of the devotions are

teen/adult level, but there are

some devotions for younger

children included. I have put

some sample pages in Dropbox that you can print

and use. Have a look and let me know what you

t h i n k : h t t p s : / / w w w . d r o p b o x . c o m /

s h / 5 b z 7 m l e h i t m u 7 r h /

AAAXeHrpPu10jS6A7UhpHbLca?dl=0

Light Upon Light, compiled by

Sarah Arthur. This is a devotional

book for adults, using a simple

prayer format and readings from

literature. I really enjoyed it, and

have used it in the past. The au-

thor also has a book covering Lent/

Easter which I often use for my

own prayers.

Joyful Christianity, by Cally

Hammond. I enjoyed this re-

flection on the 5 events of the

―Joyful Mysteries‖ of the Ro-

sary: Mary‘s visit by an angel,

her visit to Elizabeth, Jesus‘

birth, Jesus‘ presentation at the

temple, and his visit to the

temple as a pre-teen. I found

it very thoughtful, and helpful

for reflection on these events.

Good for adults or teens.

Advent Wreath and Candle Liturgies

Wreath-making is an Advent activity with a long tra-

dition. Depending on the age and interest of your

children, you might enjoy making one yourself or

inviting them to help. The internet offers many

wreath-making ideas and instructions. You can use

real candles, battery-operated candles, or paper rep-

resentations of candles. Here are two possibilities:

https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/the-99-cent

-advent-wreath

https://www.looktohimandberadiant.com/2014/11/

kids-advent-wreath-free-printables.html

Advent can be a good time to involve children in

family prayer. I have found that this is particularly

effective right after supper, as the family is gathered

(Continued on page 5)

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and hopefully is less cranky after being fed. My wife

and I have often structured our advent prayer time

to happen after supper, but before we distribute

treats from the advent calendar. I find a dose of

chocolate caps off a prayer time really well.

I have put one suggestion for a

candle liturgy — a PDF of

―Advent Family Candle Read-

ings,‖ by Christie Thomas

(Little Shoots, Deep Roots) —

in Dropbox: https://

w w w . d r o p b o x . c o m /

s h / 5 b z 7 m l e h i t m u 7 r h /

AAAXeHrpPu10jS6A7UhpHbLca?dl=0

Other liturgies can also be found online:

This is one from last year, and is meant for a

congregation. But, it can be adapted easily for

home: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/

advent-candle-lighting-liturgy-2019

This one is directed towards families with young

c h i l d r e n : h t t p : / /

mommyjustine.blogspot.com/2012/11/kid -

friendly-advent-readings_27.html?m=1

You may be familiar with the Advent hymn by San-

dra Dean, with a verse for each candle (sung to the

tune of ―Away in a Manger‖):

A candle is burning, a flame warm and bright,

A candle of HOPE in December‘s dark night,

While angels sing blessings from heaven‘s starry sky,

Our hearts we prepare now for Jesus is nigh.

A candle is burning, a candle of PEACE,

A candle to signal that conflict must cease,

For Jesus is coming to show us the way,

A message of peace humbly laid in the hay.

A candle is burning, a candle of JOY,

A candle to welcome brave Mary‘s new boy,

Our hearts fill with wonder and eyes light and glow,

As joy brightens winter like sunshine on snow.

A candle is burning, a candle of LOVE,

A candle to point us to heaven above,

A baby for Christmas, a wonderful birth,

For Jesus is bringing God‘s love to our earth.

We honour Messiah with Christ‘s candle flame,

Our Christmas Eve candles glad tidings proclaim,

O Come, all you faithful, rejoice in this night,

As God comes among us, the Christian‘s true light.

Jesse Tree Traditions

The Jesse Tree gets its name from the story of Jesus‘

lineage. Jesus is a descendent of David, and Jesse

was David‘s father. So, it‘s like a family tree of Jesus

that tells us how he came to be born. That means it

tells us stories about Jesus‘ ancestors, and prophe-

cies that point to Jesus‘ coming.

The Jesse Tree is based on the book of Isaiah:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of might,

the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—

and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the

earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

(Isaiah 11:1-4)

The tradition involves using a small tree (I bought a

small one from Canadian Tire and reuse it each

year), and hanging an ornament on it that corre-

sponds to the story being told. Ornaments can be

bought, but we just made our own by printing some

images from the internet, getting the kids to colour

them, and then running some string through the top

and hanging it on the tree.

You will find some sample

ornaments and a list of

readings on the next 2

pages (from the website ―A

Well Purposed Woman‖):

h t t p s : / /

awellpurposedwoman.com/

jesse-tree-tradition-free-

printable/

(Continued from page 4)

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We returned to in-person worship on September 6,

and in the lead-up to that date, we shared a lot of in-

formation about the safety precautions that were be-

ing put in place. Now that we have been gathering for

three months, we thought it would be a good time to

share with you how it is all going. We hope this up-

date will help everyone make an informed decision

about whether to attend in-person worship.

Here‘s how things look on Sunday

All in-person worship services follow the four key

safety precautions required by the Diocese of Ottawa:

frequent hand sanitizing, everyone wears a mask, eve-

ryone provides contact tracing information, and we

keep 6 feet apart. But there is even more that goes on

to keep visitors safe.

One hour before the service, an amazing team of vol-

unteers shows up to disinfect the open areas of the

building. The disinfecting solution is of commercial

grade, Health Canada recognized, and safe for public

use. The volunteers spray all high-touch surfaces, in-

cluding pews, door handles, light switches, the altar,

the sacristy, and the washrooms. All the other areas

are roped off and do not get touched. The disinfec-

tant solution is then left to dwell on-surface for 10

minutes, as required by the use instructions. A volun-

teer observer documents this process with a compre-

hensive checklist that itemizes everything that must be

disinfected. The observer ensures that all the re-

quired steps have been taken.

After disinfecting, a volunteer is stationed at the main

entrance to greet and pre-screen visitors. Anyone with

COVID-19 symptoms is asked to stay home and seek

medical advice. The door greeter also ensures that

everyone is wearing a mask and uses hand sanitizer

upon arrival. Once visitors enter the narthex, their

name and contact details are checked against the reg-

istration roll. All visitors are pre-registered so that we

can cap the total number of people in the building at

50, as per the Diosesan requirements. We ensure

that we do not exceed our capacity and that there is

plenty of space for physical distancing. Visitors then

move into the nave and sit in clearly marked, physi-

cally distant, pew spaces. This ensures that physical

distancing is maintained.

During the service, there is no congregational singing,

and everyone keeps their mask on, including the

priest and worship leaders. This is important because

group singing is a high-risk activity. During commun-

ion, only the priest consumes the wine. The host is

distributed by the priest only immediately after using

hand-sanitizer. Physical distancing signs are on the

floor throughout the narthex and sanctuary to help

visitors keep their distance.

When the service ends, visitors are asked to leave

directly and to sanitize their hands on the way out.

Within a few minutes, the church is cleared of visitors

and the volunteers begin the post-service disinfecting

process.

We hope that this description gives you a good idea

of how the precautions have been implemented.

This information is intended to help you make a de-

cision about whether in-person worship is right for

you at this time. If you are in a high-risk category for

COVID-19, or you simply don‘t yet feel comfortable,

please continue to pray and

worship with us via the web-

cast, which is linked from our

website. Thank you for read-

ing and we hope this message

has been helpful.

Blessings,

Justin Osmond, Francis Chris-tensen, and Doug Beckett

Pandemic Planning Team

Leads

In-Person Worship Safety Precautions

Photos by Heather Colls and Doug Beckett

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Join us for a

Christmas Eve

4:00 p.m. outdoor

family service

of

Celebrate with your family in the safety

of your car. Families are invited to pre-

register and park in the upper parking lot.

Live music and lessons will be delivered

to cars through a low-power fm

transmitter — simply tune to the right

frequency to participate!

More details will be forthcoming.

Stay tuned!

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We celebrated three years in South Africa as of No-

vember 10, and three years in Worcester as of No-

vember 13. We also celebrated L-A‘s final Her-

ceptin injection on November 12! L-A rang the bell

in joy and next

sees her oncolo-

gist in mid-

February 2021.

She is to have

check-ups every

three to four

months, as well as

c h e m o - p o r t

flushes.

Meanwhile, L-A

has recovered

from the last of

the radiation sickness, but is still tired most days. She

now can ascend and descend the steep back stairs, if

she goes slowly. L-A‘s thumb and wrist are improv-

ing, although still painful. She is now managing on

Tylenol Arthritis and CBD oil at night for pain.

Tony is 1/4 way through his TB treatment. TB

makes him less energetic than he used to be, and if

he overdoes the energy, he can become very fatigued

and must sleep. L-A is also being checked for TB,

due to her exposure to Tony when he was infec-

tious. So far, there is no sign of the disease, although

hay fever from the high pollen count has its own is-

sues.

Our apartment and car: Our apartment now feels

like home! We figured out how to cook without the

power going out (we turn off the hot water geyser be-

fore turning on the stove/oven). It‘s an old apart-

ment, with an old system. Unfortunately, the com-

pany responsible for the power takes a chunk out of

what we pay to the municipality (without service!!). It

makes the power expensive, so it‘s probably good

that we don‘t have air conditioning. The walls are

very thick, and keep the heat out (so far, at 36 de-

grees C). The car is running very well these days,

which is a relief, since Tony has been driving to Cape

Town quite regularly on mercy missions as well as for

L-A‘s medical needs.

Resources/Colouring Book Update: L-A has now

101 line drawings, including images for both colour-

ing books. The first colouring book is available for

sale in South Africa at this time, with a devotional

segment in English and Afrikaans. We plan to repub-

lish both books in Canada in English and French –

but we still need a translator when we return in May

2021 or so.

These drawings are of the view of Simonberg (Simon

Mountain, named from Simon van der Stel), a joy

angel that L-A had an impression of during worship

at Worcester Christian Church, the Mozambican

worship team during a Zoom call we had with Iris co-

founder Heidi Baker, and a drawing of the wife of L-

A‘s Harvest Family Network mentor loving on a lady

in pain. We call this drawing the very same motto

that Heidi says all the time: ―love looks like some-

thing.‖ Love is not passive. It reaches out to con-

nect. That is the very core of good relationship. And

that is part of the reason why we are here in South

Africa.

Riverview Kid‘s Club: The club will likely take a

break with the ―festive‖ (Christmas) holiday in De-

cember and January, and return in late January. It‘s

possible that Mella will be back by then, but we and

(Continued on page 11)

Update from the Copples in South Africa Anniversaries, ministries, and more

by Laurie-Ann and Tony Copple

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Mella‘s other colleagues can still run the club while

she is away. The club still meets in the outdoor

courtyard in Riverview. Please pray for good weather

on Wednesday afternoons. Tony has been having

fun with a recent South African gospel hit called

―Jerusalema.‖ We were introduced to this song by

the teens last March, and Tony decided to share the

song with the Riverview kids. Check out the youtube

video: you can see that it is a hit!

h t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ?

v=AuM8yU4bcj4&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1F

Z2Pta8bxRROvV4vN6l0UObA_nebi4y7yXPG-

PSPyaVWolm0I3r7wh9s

Other Ministry in Avian Park (with ―Mella‘s

girls‖): Mella has worked for some time with girls on

the (even) poorer side of Avian Park, where she

teaches some of them sewing and has another club

where there is worship and food. Tony has joined

them recently for worship and other leadership; they

are meeting on the sidewalk outside the Avian Park

primary school. This location has the advantage that

passing youth are sometimes tempted to come and

join the group.

Church and other group involvement: L-A has not

recently been well enough to attend Worcester

Christian Church in person. During lockdown the

church built up a very sizable on-line congregation

for pre-recorded worship and sermons, and made a

decision to continue with live streaming of the Sun-

day services. Tony has joined the media team and is

learning camera-work. He offered to use L-A‘s digi-

tal SLR camera for still photos. Tony rejoined an

early morning church prayer group on Fridays when

they resumed recently. L-A continues with ―Church

on the line‖ every week, and we both attend connect

group on Tuesday nights, via Zoom. We encourage

and pray for each other. Hillsong now meets in 22

―Watch‖ parties, where small, socially-distanced

groups watch the main leaders together via web-

cast. We can attend, but must book a seat in ad-

vance. We would like to do this soon. L-A still at-

tends her Ottawa churches online (including St.

Paul‘s Wednesday Bible study via Zoom) and King-

dom Culture.

We meet on Zoom regularly with our Harvest Fam-

ily Network (Brian Britton‘s group of missionaries

and pastors from all over the world), where we hear

stories of the impact Holy Spirit is having in mission-

ary lives. We also connect with various Iris alumni

from many Harvest Schools and global Iris schools

(including The Father‘s House). We are extremely

concerned about reports from people we know of

Isis activity in Capo Delgado, Mozambique, where

atrocities happen daily, while the world is turning a

blind eye.

Tony‘s continued involvement with GIG: Tony

joins most of the weekly online Sunday evening

meetings with GIG (Generational Inheritance

Group) led by founder Jasper Cloete. It is a mystery

to Tony why none of the members of the Worcester

GIG community that met regularly before lockdown

seem interested in joining these fascinating online

events. This is a country where entrepreneurship is

valued and needed, yet there are thousands of peo-

ple in South Africa who prefer sitting in gutters talk-

ing trivia and living off grants and charity, instead of

learning how to improve their lives by creating busi-

nesses. It would help if a tiny proportion of the

money pledged in COVID aid had been spent on

free wifi for townships, where many have smart-

phones but can‘t afford to buy data. You can access

Tony‘s teaching on financial planning with the poor

t h r o u g h o u r w e b s i t e : h t t p s : / /

www.coppleswesterncape.ca/coppleblog/financial-

planning-in-the-townships

My Father‘s House Worcester: Lock-down essen-

tials: MFH continues to help with four affiliated

soup kitchens in Avian Park, mostly with funding

from Europe and Australia. If you‘d like to support

that effort, please let us know and we can connect

you with their funding link, or send it to us and ask

(Continued from page 10)

(Continued on page 12)

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that it goes to this outreach. This

is an important part of our minis-

try, since My Father‘s House has

been a consistent ministry for us

since January 2018. We also

purchase staples in bulk that in-

clude sugar, rice, pasta, potatoes,

onions, instant coffee and other

things for five families. Those

that have SASSA grants survive

about three weeks out of a month

and then they call us. Those who

lost jobs in lockdown call us more

frequently.

The building plans on My Fa-

ther‘s House land are finally go-

ing forward with a building con-

tainer that was given/perma-

loaned by Cape Town municipal-

ity. One of these buildings is for

a community umbrella organization that includes My

Father‘s House. The municipality has very recently

approved some permanent buildings for teaching and

ministry. And Shoprite‘s small grocery store (an e-

kazi) was finally approved for locating on Jan‘s

land! We‘ve been waiting on this for years! Thank

you Jesus!

A little R&R: We have taken two small breaks within

the midst of activity. One afternoon, after medical

appointments in Paarl and Cape Town, we drove to

Strand. This is the beach we used to visit after going

to Hillsong Church in Somerset West. Our connect

group leaders from that church live there, and we vis-

ited them after a lovely hour right by the beach. L-A

loves the sea air and feel of ocean waves, even from

the eastern edge of shallow False Bay.

Another day we took the entire afternoon visiting

Simon‘s Town on the other side of False Bay. This is

home to the South African Navy. It is also not far

from Boulder‘s Beach that shelters an African pen-

guin colony. Tony was impressed with the naval am-

bience of Simon‘s Town when we visited as tourists

in August 2016.

The top left of this montage is Simon‘s Town har-

bour from above. Top right are the beaded flowers

that L-A sought after from a local vendor (cala lilies

and proteas). Bottom right is the sunset/moon rise on

the Drakenstein mountains en-route back to Worces-

ter. Middle is Tony, then L-A during the hour enjoy-

ing the sea breeze off the Strand beach. Bottom left

are the jacaranda trees that we see in many parts of

Worcester, which are displaying their mauve leaves

right now, much to our delight. While we were in

Simon‘s Town, we had a fish and chip lunch at the

Salty Sea Dog (where they displayed many world

flags, including Canada‘s!) We then took in some

more salty sea air at the nearby Long Beach. This

down time was only a few hours, but it was enough to

refresh us, and was only the cost of a meal and the

beaded flowers.

My Father‘s House Worcester: Mailbox Teen lead-

ers: There is an urgent need for more Mailbox Club

mentors like Marco and us. Recently, Gerhard Stry-

dom from Mailbox Club Africa trained three more

potential mentors in Afrikaans. We are hopeful that

these can continue using caring locals who will carry

on long after we‘ve returned to Canada.

We still do relief work with the teen leader families,

and elderly relatives, such as Lottie, who is blind, and

Chantelle‘s two families (in Avian Park and

OVD). We now mentor My Father‘s House teen

leaders one at a time rather than in a group, since we

believe it will be more effective. Some of the funding

for the relief and ministry comes from donations

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through Iris Ministries Canada. We are thankful that

we can help them keep safe, fed and in school –

nothing is more important other than nurturing their

faith in Jesus. Meanwhile, we continue to have the

girls in our lives. Here are some of their updates:

Bella: Bella visits us every week or so to work on her

new computer. Her school gave her an SD card with

homework that she was unable to access on her

phone – but it worked fine on the laptop. Bella‘s

grandma, Cathy, is currently unable to care for her

family due to illness, and the ambulance service was

called repeatedly over several days to pick her

up. Since they are in a township, ambulances may

refuse to go without police escort, which is not always

available. This was the case for Cathy. Tony tried to

get her into the car, but she was unable to walk, and

she is larger than L-A. Paramedics would have been

needed to move her. Bella has to do the cooking

and caring for her family as well as care for her

grandma, go to school and do homework.

Bella described Cathy‘s symptoms and they sounded

like the HS (hidradenitis superativa) that L-A en-

dured in 2019, before she eliminated cow

dairy. This is a rare condition not recognized by

many doctors. L-A asked Bella if Cathy had been

drinking a lot of milk, and she had. We gave Bella

the leftover medicines that L-A had used with strict

instructions. Bella acted as nurse and let us know

how Cathy was faring. We know not to prescribe

medicines without a medical license, but when the

medical authorities refuse to access a needy patient,

and it‘s Friday night and the hospital emergency

probably wouldn‘t recognize the condition, what can

you do? We are thankful that our HS experience

with L-A is proving helpful to Cathy. Early results

are that Cathy can now get off the bed, so we plan to

take her to the doctor who finally diagnosed L-A‘s

HS. We are encouraged that L-A‘s experience is

helping Cathy, just like in 2 Corinthians 1:4: ―He

(God) always comes alongside us to comfort us in

every suffering so that we can come alongside those

who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this

same comfort that God has poured out upon

us‖ (Passion Translation).

Bella‘s sister, Johanna, had her babies, and they were

born healthy but now they are losing weight. They

and Johanna are to be moved to a special unit at-

tached to the huge Tygerberg hospital in Cape

Town. Tony travelled there to take her a care pack-

age and blankets.

Bella also needs further dental treatment since her

mouth has changed since the dentures were origi-

nally designed in March. This should be a simple

fix, although timing a schedule is problematic be-

tween Bella‘s schooling and caring for her fam-

ily. Please pray for Bella and her family. She is

keen on returning to visit Hillsong with us (although

this requires pre-booking our seats due to COVID-

19 regulations).

Anthonica: One Sunday her mom, Tersia, snuck in

the back gate of our house (sneaky!!) and banged on

our apartment door. In tears, she told Tony her fa-

ther had died that morning in the local hospital, and

she tried to talk Tony into giving her R350 towards

funeral food. He didn‘t. At African funerals, rela-

tives and friends have often travelled long distances

to placate the ancestors, but actually more likely for

free food. Often the bereaved are left with serious

debt, particularly if they have no funeral insurance.

We weren‘t about to fund this process, partly be-

cause at that stage, we thought she lied about her fa-

ther‘s death, since independent neighbours told us

he was walking around town. Because we weren‘t

certain of the facts, Tony just gave her R200 ($17)

for bus fare for mother and daughter to get to Port

Elizabeth where the funeral would be held. Later,

Tony had a chance to speak to Tersia‘s sister, who

independently confirmed both the death of their fa-

ther and the Port Elizabeth funeral. We have helped

this family repeatedly with many food parcels, school

clothes, airtime, power, debt repayment and

more. We decided temporarily to reduce the

amount of assistance we were giving them in an effort

to encourage Tersia to double her efforts to earn

money from fruit picking. We are going through this

process with a few challenges. We helped Anthonica

with drying out the phone we had bought her after

she dowsed it with water by mistake. We continued

to ensure Anthonica wasn‘t starving, and Tersia has

indeed been working more consistently.

Chantelle: Chantelle has had some difficulties in the

recent breakup of her parents, and she bounces back

and forth between her blind grandma Lottie, her

mom and her aunt in two different townships. The

truth is none of them want her actually staying with

them. She‘s still cheekily persistent in her requests

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A Coronavirus Poem by Shawna Hickling, submitted by Dale Houghtby T'was the month before Christmas,

And all through the town,

People wore masks,

That covered their frown.

That frown had begun

Way back in the spring,

When a global pandemic

Changed everything.

They called it corona,

But unlike the beer,

It didn‘t bring good times,

It didn‘t bring cheer.

Contagious and deadly,

This virus spread fast,

Like a wild fire that starts,

When fueled by gas.

Airplanes were grounded,

Travel was banned.

Borders were closed,

Across air, sea and land.

As the world entered lockdown

To flatten the curve,

The economy halted,

And folks lost their verve.

From March to July,

We rode the first wave,

People stayed home,

They tried to behave.

When summer emerged

The lockdown was lifted.

But away from caution,

Many folks drifted.

Now it‘s November

And cases are spiking,

Wave two has arrived,

Much to our disliking.

Frontline workers,

Doctors and nurses,

Try to save people,

From riding in hearses.

This virus is awful,

This COVID-19.

There isn‘t a cure.

There is no vaccine.

It‘s true that this year

Has had sadness a plenty,

We‘ll never forget

The year 2020.

And just ‗round the corner -

The holiday season...

But why be merry,

Is there even one reason,

To decorate the house

And put up the tree,

When no one will see it,

No-one but me.

But outside my window

The snow gently falls,

And I think to myself,

Let‘s deck the halls!

So, as I gather the ribbon,

The garland and bows,

As I play those old carols,

My happiness grows.

Christmas isn't cancelled

and neither is hope.

If we lean on each other,

I know we can cope.

to us and she does need the

help. Her faith is genuine and she

loves to come to church with us.

She loves the youth/teen ser-

vice. Two weeks ago she walked to

Worcester Christian Church, and

Tony drove her (and two friends)

home via the McDonald‘s drive

thru with cheeseburgers. Lottie is

still in her small OVD township

home and on the admission list for

Boland Hospice. She calls for

food, power and needed to have

her window glass replaced, due to

children smashing the windows

with stones for no known reason.

Thank you, dear friends and fam-

ily. We are so incredibly thankful

for you! We love connecting with

some of you by different social me-

dia platforms. Please keep sharing

what‘s been happening in Canada –

since little of it reaches SABC or

France 24 news. We also love to

hear YOUR stories. Please do

email or message us how you are

doing. We love the emails that

have come, sharing what you are

doing and feeling. If you are able

to connect with us, it means so

much to us.

We have Iris Ministries Canada

status while we continue ministry in

South Africa, so donations via IMC

continue to generate a tax receipt

for Canadians (under ―Fund,‖

scroll down to ―South Africa –

Tony and Laurie-Ann Cop-

ple‖): https://www.canadahelps.org/

en/dn/2555.

Love,

Laurie-Ann and Tony kootenaysprayer@gmail.com

https://www.coppleswesterncape.ca/

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Susan Frendt is a member of the congregation here at

St. Paul‘s Church. She is a successful Sales Represen-

tative with Coldwell Banker First Ottawa Realty Bro-

kerage in the Ottawa/Stittsville area. Susan has 20

years of real estate sales expertise and is passionate

about her job and helping others. If you‘re thinking

of buying/selling, downsizing, or just in need of cur-

rent market insight, it would be her pleasure to help

you.

FREE

Visual Bible on VHS,

book of Acts and book

of Matthew. No charge.

Please call Cheryl at

613-795-7391.

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