Pastoral Care Visits: Thailand and Cambodia

One highlight of my time in Southeast Asia was travelling to Thailand and Cambodia to debrief two missions teams. The DTS that I staffed in Malaysia had sent outreach teams to those two nations, and I worked with an experienced colleague to help the students unpack their experiences up to that point.

Debriefing the Thailand team especially stands out in my memory. When we arrived, two of the families on the team had stopped talking to each other due to their grievances. Though it was a last resort, sending part of the team home early was on the table.

Over the days of debrief — and with lots of prayer — we saw the ice begin to thaw. Though forgiveness is never instant, we watched God work in incredible ways in their relationships. I know of no power besides God’s that can bring people from burning bridges to hugging and washing each others feet in a matter of days.

The experience reminded me of Paul’s words: “God has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors.” (2 Cor. 5:19b-20a). What a wonderful calling!

(Below: Sunset in Chiang Mai and Bayon Temple in Cambodia)

After leaving Asia, I headed to the USA for some personal time. The trip was a much needed opportunity to catch up on rest, be in the wedding for two of my closest friends, and most importantly get to know my girlfriend’s family in Colorado!

Madeline and I started dating nearly a year ago after we met on the missions field in New Zealand. Since then it’s been a wild ride of dating long distance and meeting up in whatever countries we can. We were blessed to be able to work together in Malaysia for part of this year, though!

We’re long distance again now, but our hope is to reunite in Australia later this year for further missions training (more on that below!).

Ottawa & Church Work

I arrived back in Canada last Sunday morning and started a new summer job that afternoon! I’m working with a church plant in Ottawa called Bytown Community Church.

I’ll be involved with planning Bible studies, leading Sunday worship, preaching, and helping to run community events. It’s still a small church, so a large part of my role is focused around fostering community.

The leadership is also considering how to bring the church in a more missions-oriented directed, which is exciting. Missions in the Western world is a fair shot different from what I do overseas, but I’m enjoying the challenge of reworking my usual thinking and helping to brainstorm for this context.

Outside of ministry, I’ll be taking time to see family, which I’m looking forward to. For those who attend Maple Grove Family Camp, I’ll see you next week! I’ll also be busy fundraising for the next missions opportunity I have coming up. It’s going to be a busy summer, but with a lot of wonderful opportunities!

What’s Next?

Four years ago I first felt the pull into missions, though I had no idea what I would be doing. Over time, my focus has become clearer: I’m called to train and disciple Gen Z for missions.

A big part of that discipleship process involves training young people in the Bible. I’ve had opportunities to preach and teach in classrooms across New Zealand, the Philippines, Canada, Vanuatu, Malaysia, and most recently Vietnam.

More and more, I’m being invited to lead and teach on international Bible schools. As exciting as that is, it’s not something I want to step into lightly.

Starting in September, I have an opportunity to attend an intensive 9-month Bible school in Australia. I’ll be studying inductively through every book of the Bible a minimum of 5 times, as well as receiving in-depth lectures and personal feedback on my growth and learning. It’s a time commitment of 50-60 hours per week, but I know that this training will help deeply equip me for the work of discipling others.

I need your help to step into this, though. Would you consider partnering with me financially to help get me out there?

Between now and next March I need to raise approximately $23,000 CAD ($16,000 USD). My goal is to raise $12,000 of that by the end of the summer to cover first term tuition, flights, and visas.

If you feel called to give, tap the button below. And if you’re a church leader or pastor, I would love to start a conversation with you about what partnership could look like!

Thank you so much for your support and prayer as I undertake this project in faith!

Prayer Requests

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As always, thank you for taking the time to read these emails! Your support on this journey means an incredible amount to me.


If there’s any way that I can be praying for you, please shoot me a quick email!


Blessings,
Jonathan