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Dear <<First Name>>
Our children like to remind us these days that summer doesn't end until autumn begins on Sept. 21, and thanks to a province-wide teacher's strike here in B.C, our summer has been unexpectedly long. Thankfully, it is still filled with lots of sunshine and a chance to build more memories with our family and friends... and a chance to send out our summer update as the cool breezes of fall start to creep in.
Our summer began with Wade travelling to Cambodia at the end of June to help lead an outreach with Steps of Justice and to consult with our friends at the Rock Foundation on job creation for locals utilizing the soap making awesomeness of JustSoap. We were also incredibly grateful for Joanna's Mum and Dad, Helen and Bob, who came to stay 10 days to help Joanna and the children while Wade was gone. The aforementioned teacher's strike began in June, and with the kids out of school weeks early, we have no idea how Jo would have managed her church and homeschool commitments and other bits of life without them!
Every year Wade says the team was the best team yet, and this year was no exception. They just keep better and better, really diving in to help the long term teams, ministries, and NGO's on the ground in Cambodia, and really taking in all they learned to process how the rest of THEIR lives will be changed by the experience. Wade just spoke yesterday to one of the team members who has decided to return to Cambodia to work with a long-term ministry in Cambodia - that's what this is all about!
Not only was there a great experience with the team, but there were such encouraging stories to be heard from the friends who Wade has connected with for many years in a row in Cambodia. It was such a thrill to see the school that so many of you helped build through our Christmas Justsoap fundraiser. The other highlight was seeing the tuk-tuk drivers bible study and breakfast. Every year when Steps of Justice has gone back to Cambodia, they have hired the same group of drivers to take them all of Phnom Penh. Through years of relationship building, and the long-term connection with an indigenous pastor, these guys have become followers of Jesus and now meet together every week, for worship and a bible study. You can see the highlights on the videos below.
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All Saints Anglican Church, 2475 Franklin St, Vancouver, BC - 1918
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The other big news for us this summer is that after over 14 years in the Commercial Drive area of Vancouver, our church, Vancouver Eastside Vineyard, was given our eviction notice and needed to find a new home. After months of summer (and mid-vacation time) negotiations, we moved into our new church home at St. David's of Wales Anglican Church in the Hastings-Sunrise area of Vancouver and celebrated our first service there last Sunday, Sept. 7. Interestingly, this is also the neighbourhood our YWAM Vancouver ministry centre is located in as well. St. David's has been the parish church of this neighbourhood for over a hundred years, and we feel incredibly honoured to be the next chapter in it's history (the aging Anglican congregation stopped meeting in the building last Feb.). This has meant a lot for Joanna in her role as Asst. Pastor, but all the work has been worth the huge infusion of joy, energy and excitement it has put into our community! In YWAM we have always learned and taught on the "Spheres of Influence" - the different aspects of thought and influence in our world - and it continues to be such a rich education for Jo as a YWAMer to learn more about leading in the "church sphere", and we so appreciate your support for her to do so. She loves it!
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Joanna
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Sophia
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- Officiated her first wedding this summer for our friends Shannon and Innis - it was such a love-fest... an over-the-moon joy!
- Is honoured and excited to have been asked to give the first week of teaching on YWAM's training school the week of Sept. 22-26. She'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers for her prep and for the students who come from all over the world for the school.
- Has been invited to begin her Certificate of Biblical Studies through the Vineyard Institute. Her first course is being offered locally and we would like to register by this coming Monday, Sept. 15 and are looking for sponsors to help us with the $150 course fee and $20 materials. Please shoot us a quick email at pallisters@gmail.com if you can help with this new adventure.
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- Turned 10 this summer and had a huge fund-raiser party to help raise money for the Safe Schools Initiative, a fund established after over 200 school girls were kidnapped in Nigeria. Our family and friends helped Soph raise $170 for the fund!
- Is going into Grade 5 as soon as the teachers strike is over. She and Eleanor will continue on the Home Learners program where she attends school 2 days a week and is home with Mum for three days.
- Just started on her first Tolkien book, The Hobbit. She steals away to read whenever she can.
- Started her first paper route this summer in the hopes of raising money to go with Daddy to Cambodia next summer.
- Started violin this summer and begins Girl Guides this fall!
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Eleanor
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Pax
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- Planted her own plants this summer - carrots and her own beautiful bell pepper - the picture above is her showing her daddy harvesting her first carrot while he was in Cambodia.
- Is the incredible playmate/childminder of choice to the two little girls next door (we share a duplex with our good friends) - our 2 year old neighbour often calls "Eh-noh!" looking for Eleanor over the fence.
- Started piano lessons this summer and is VERY good, and will begin going to Brownies this fall.
- Passed her swimming class with flying colours and conquered her fear of the diving board.
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- Is looking forward to going to Kindergarten as soon as the teachers strike ends (which if you know Pax is a BIG step for him!) Pax is our boy who loves routine, so he will begin full time K at the little school in our neighbourhood.
- Loved getting to play catch with Finn the dog at Auntie Kelly and Uncle Ian's house on our lovely trip to Okanagan this summer.
- Conquered his fear of riding his bike, Big Zoomer, without training wheels at the beginning of the summer, and now does stunt-riding bike shows in the driveway and is already planning on how he could get a scooter.
- Recently signed himself up for his own invisible, pretend Karate class. He is already a blue belt.
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