Winnipeg in the winter...old friends and new friends

February began for me with a gathering of the pastors and deacons in our area at Bethel Lutheran Church. Our hosts at Bethel treated us well as they led us in worship (great sermon, Pastor Matt! great music, James!) and provided refreshments and a space to meet. We grabbed lunch at Average Joes in Sherwood Park and it was good to catch up with everyone there.

The next day, I hopped on a plane and headed to Winnipeg, Manitoba. My primary purpose there was to join Pastor Heide as we set up an exhibit booth for LAMP at the Missionfest event hosted at Church of the Rock. We were glad to see our friend and former LAMP missionary Gordon Gilbey there. Here are some photos of the church, our display, and Gordon and I. 

It was fun to talk to lots of different people over the weekend including many who are involved in all kinds of different mission work in Canada and other places all around the world.

On Sunday of that first weekend, I was able to go and worship with the good people of St. Aidan's Anglican Church in Winnipeg. Following the service, I was able to attend a LAMP team meeting with many of the people from St. Aidan's who are making plans to serve in the community of Leaf Rapids in northern Manitoba this summer. It was good to see such a big and enthusiastic bunch of people of various ages making plans to serve in this way. Here's some photos of the church and the team...

Gordon and I were planning to travel north to Thompson, Manitoba on the following Friday to visit folks up there so I spent the rest of that week visiting friends old and new. It was wonderful to reconnect with Pastor Glenn Worcester and Bill Wardekker, both connected to Peace Lutheran Church in Winnipeg. I also got a chance to visit with Abe and Betty, two wonderful supporters of LAMP. The pastors at Nassau Street Church were tied up with activities that week but I was able to visit the church. Nassau Street Church sends a LAMP team to Cormorant each year. I'll look forward to visiting with the pastors and the team on a future trip. Here's some photos of Nassau Street Church (outside and inside).

I also had a wonderful visit with Pastor Richard Beinert at St. James Lutheran Church. I had met Pastor Beinert years ago but it was wonderful to visit and catch up. It was also good to talk about the work of LAMP and different ways to support that work. Here's some pictures of St. James Lutheran Church (outside and inside). The beautiful stained glass windows reminded me of the church in Erfurt, Germany where Martin Luther spent some time as he was getting trained. I was able to visit that church on a Luther tour a number of years ago.

Unfortunately, bad weather forced Gordon and I to have to cancel our plans. I changed my flight home and headed home early. I'll have to tackle the trip to Thompson later this spring. This is one of the realities of trying to do ministry in the north...we have to work with the situation as best as we can. Sometimes we have to be flexible!

Back home, I enjoyed an online meeting with many of the team leaders that I'll be working with this summer. It was good to hear stories about how things went last year and how things might work for this year. I look forward to visiting these leaders with their teams as they visit communities this summer.

It was good to be home with my valentine so we could go out for a special meal together. We'll celebrate 35 years married this summer!!

It was also good to be home to attend Ash Wednesday service at our church. As in the past, the men's group made a mountain of pancakes and sausages for the congregation followed by a deeply meaningful service, including an opportunity to be marked with ashes and to hear "From dust you came, to dust you will return." A sombre and important reminder! The following week, I got to help lead music for the Lenten service...so good to sing and play!

I was able to arrange some visits with some local NALC (North American Lutheran Church) pastors when I got back from Winnipeg. It was so good to meet Pastor Johnsen and to reconnect with Pastor Albers. It was wonderful to hear about the wonderful ministry their churches provide to some communities in Mexico and to think a bit about how LAMP might be a possible future partner with them. I hope to meet more of the pastors from NALC at an upcoming theological conference that they're hosting in April.

I also had a fun time visiting with the grade 5 class from Zion Lutheran School in Mayer, Minnesota online. The class had been reading a book called Hatchet about a young teen trying to survive in northern Canada after a plane crash, and it provided an opportunity for us to talk about LAMP's work in the north. I joined in with Rev. Dr. Steve Schave, our Executive Director for LAMP and Nathan Schmidt, a fellow LAMP missionary as we chatted with the class and their teacher. Fun stuff!!

February also provided some opportunities for learning and for study. I enjoyed the weekly lectures on C. S. Lewis and his work presented by Rev. Dr. Joel Heck, acting president of Concordia Lutheran Seminary here in Edmonton. Dr. Heck is a noted C. S. Lewis scholar and has much to share about his research and study of Lewis. I also got a chance to attend a graduate student conference at the University of Alberta in the History, Classics, and Religion department. I've been a graduate student in this department for a number of years now and it's always good to hear what other students have been working on. It's also good for me to share some of my research as well.

February was also a month of some personal lows and highs. Our dear friend Margaret Towriss, wife of Pastor Ronald Towriss and former teacher/principal of Hope Lutheran Christian School in Port Coquitlam, BC passed away. I started my church work career working very closely with Ron and Margaret. They taught me so much and encouraged me in my work. A dear friend and longtime servant at our church also passed away this month...we'll miss seeing her! In the middle of this sadness, there is also joy as our granddaughter celebrated her second birthday. Sorrow and joy, all mixed together!!