All Nations will Bow and Worship Him

 

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” ~Revelation 7:9-10

Hey ya’ll!  Haha, I am sure in just those words you thought, “What? Where is she?” Before I left, I thought I would come home speaking like a Cree, but I think I’m going to come home as confused as the Tower of Babel. Kristen, Josh’s wife, has the most adorable southern accent (hence, the ya’ll), and Alaina’s first language is French, though she speaks English flawlessly. In the course of the last 2 days, I’ve met Sasha, a mental health nurse at the hospital that speaks 4 languages, two people from Samoa (Afu and Don), a girl from Finland (Katariina), and 3 from New Zealand (Icki, Cheryl, and Angela). In addition to that, I’ve spent time with plenty of Canadians and I am picking up a bit of their vowel pronunciations (Want to go OAT side?)

I am sure you are wondering how so many people from so far away all wind up in Moosonee and Moose Factory, well, it’s a God thing. He truly is bringing encouragement and revival to this place, one tiny baby-step at a time. What a blessing it has been to watch Him work through these places! The team that I described from New Zealand (and company), are a part of Youth With A Mission. They will stay on the island for one week and are currently in Moosonee. They will be leaving Moosonee on Wednesday.

Yesterday, we spent the day in Moosonee with the team and the Community Church there. Though somewhat small in size compared to anything we are used to in the states, they are an incredible group of believers, driven by several very large families.  The taxi ride across the river was breathtakingly beautiful. The breeze, the sun, the air, it was heaven on earth. However, we didn’t know that the boat ride home would also be breathtaking, just in a different use of the word (see Things I’ve Learned). After the team presented activities and a program, we cleaned-up and went to “Tozer-ville” to see the Siberian Sled Dogs. Camren Tozer runs a sled dog team as a past time. The Tozer family owns a small air business. They own 7 planes, 5 of which are seaplanes.  Tim and Elizabeth Tozer were very gracious. They were hosting the YWAM team at their home and invited all 6 of us to stay for dinner. We spent the evening enjoying one another’s company and encouraging one another. Though, originally, in my mind, I intended to spend every waking moment attempting to “reach” people, I am beyond thankful that Lord is teaching me and showing me that ministry is NOT a program or a project, ministry is a way of life, it is the way I LIVE my life. And right now, my life is being lived out on this island.

Already, in the past week, I’ve learned so much about myself and about the world. Ironic, that one would go to a teeny-tiny island in the James Bay to learn about the world.  Praise God that there are many believers in this world and that each is a member of one body because I am learning that my gifts and my callings are much different than others, and for that, I am grateful!

Things I’ve learned:

-Flies are attracted to black clothing. This would have been a key-learning lesson BEFORE I packed and traveled 800 miles with predominately black clothing.

-When a storm is coming, the river will be choppy. When the river is choppy, a water taxi ride is like asking the Lord to take you home immediately! Our ride across the river last night was at points, terrifying. It was best described as a roller coaster, but the person in charge of controlling the coaster was far more interested in looking CREEPILY at the girls on the boat, rather than attending to the ride. It certainly made for an eventful closure to the day.

-Many United States stereotypes are unquestionably accurate.  At dinner one evening, we were discussing the population of Canada and also the population of the US. Someone from the states said “I think 6 billion people live in the U.S.”  Haha! It was an honest mistake, but it goes to show, in humor, that we do think the U.S. is the entire world. :-D

-When food is so unbelievably expensive, you find yourself eating just about anything that is offered to you.

-Dog sled teams can run about 10 mph on average. At the beginning of the ride or if they were trained to race, they can average between 18-20 mph. That being said, at home, we bike faster than a dog sled team. Huh!

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for the island this weekend. There is an unimaginable number of drug addicts here. However, due to the Canadian pharmacy law changes, Oxycontin is not prescribed freely. There is a drug supply shortage for the dealers and in turn, the addicts are eager to find something else. Usually, the weekend after a drug supply shortage, there are many that are taken to the hospital for other drug overdoses or binge drinking.
• Please pray for a decrease in suicide pacts. Young teenagers frequently make a suicide pact with a group of friends. They choose a person to start and the pact and then one after another, they will commit suicide. Based on percentage, Moose Factory still has the leading number of suicides in all of Canada.
• Please pray for the women’s Bible study that is to begin tomorrow evening. Pray for God to use the study according to His will, but specifically, that each individual involved will be changed and “revived.” Pray that He would give Alaina and myself the wisdom necessary to facilitate and that our speech would always be gracious so that we may know how we ought to answer each person (Colossians 4:5-6).

Remember, you are LOVED! Your prayers are indispensible and appreciated!