Copy
A new apartment, King's Kids outreach, Ivory Coast and more!
View this email in your browser

Welcome to our new "chez nous"!

I came back from Africa on September 6th and two weeks later, Camille and I moved into our new apartment! A real blessing to not spend a long time searching and making visits (only 3!), especially knowing how much I enjoy making that kind of phone call. Thank you for all your prayers that were answered! Our place is on the second floor of a duplex (see above photo) that's quite centrally located in greater Joliette. It's well-lit, with a large, open living room & kitchen, and an extra bedroom. Visitors welcome ;)
I see how God took care of us during the move: a friend lent us a trailer, my teammates carried up so many boxes and our appliances, and when we needed an extra set of arms, He orchestrated that one of our male neighbours from downstairs came outdoors exactly at the time we wanted to bring up a large mattress. Not only that, my former landlord offered to bring the last trailer load of furniture and carried it upstairs. My back was relieved!

We're happy to be in our own space and practice hospitality when the opportunity presents itself. We've already had our first guests, and I look forward to hosting my parents this week! 


 
Quartier Libre
The end of June means moving season in Québec, and this year it was no different for several of our QL members. As you can see, the girls and I were quite sad to say goodbye. All three of them were regular participants in our weekly games and our programs over the past 2-3 years and I will miss their smiling faces and their calling out to me, "Annette!" on the streets. It was a privilege walk alongside and see them grow each season.
As we start up our weekly games again, I'm looking forward to make friends with some of the kids that arrived during the summer. Please pray that we can be representatives of the Kingdom bringing His love with us and have meaningful interactions with the children and families.
CHECK OUT MY BLOG

Dance

 

After being unable to dance last year due to my sciatic nerve, it was such a treat to participate in this year's recitals. My dance troupe kept it's good ambiance and attitude until the end, so even though I (and everyone) was stressed to dance well, I found myself appreciating each part of the experience more than previous years. And I had special guests to watch, my pastor & his wife for my ballet recital, and a friend from Calgary for the troupe :)
I continue to learn to "let go" of my students' performance and the false idea that it somehow reflects my value as a teacher and the investment made during the year. In Ivory Coast I was reminded that forming character is more important than having talent. Whether my students remember their choreography once they arrive on stage does not fully represent their enthusiasm & perseverance nor my encouragement off stage. Yes, I want my students to grow in their abilities as a dancer but also as a person.  
In my last newsletter I asked for prayer for discernment, and this Fall I had to make some choices regarding dance and other engagements. For this season I have chosen to dance. There is more for me to explore in the area of dance in worship & intercession, as well as an avenue of personal expression. 
Photos

King's Kids outreach

Along with 13 other participants (19 in Manawan) I spent 12 days in 3 different locations (Joliette, Manawan and Hamilton). This year's outreach focus was more on worship,  listening to God's voice and walking in obedience to what He said than a service project or programs. Pursuing the first King's Kids value to bring joy to His heart in what we do. In prayer times before and during the outreach we received specific words and saw those things come to pass. We saw how God opened doors and brought us in connection with people (often Christians) in need of encouragement. I was the coordinator for family life, which meant I spent a fair amount of time cooking/organizing the food. However, in Hamilton I was free to participate in most group activities as we were blessed by our host family cooking for us, their church offering food items for pic-nics and being invited to different meals.
We sense God leading us to travel across Canada over the next few years to continue to build altars of worship and to re-connect with (former) King's Kids. 
More stories

Ivory Coast

For 8 weeks a retreat centre, La Sablière, in Bingerville (just outside of Abidjan), Ivory Coast became my "home" as I joined with other international King's Kids leaders (KK) and their families. It was a time of celebration for the 40th anniversary of the founding of KK, a time of strengthening relationships, of re-alignment with our values and calling, and of seeking the Lord for the next season.  The first 40 days was a gathering called "Fortify" for different KK leaders, in which I led one of the kid's programs, and the last week was the "International Leadership Assembly" for KK leaders, staff and friends.  My role required flexibility, creativity and patience - I had the kids from 2.5 years to 8 years old before we split into 3 groups after the 1st week, and I taught in German and in French -  and at the same time was highly rewarding. It was an answer to prayer for the Israeli-German family that I could connect with their kids and a good challenge for me to practice my language skills. I loved seeing the kids enthusiasm to pray, to listen to God's voice and to read in the Bible. Not to mention the opportunity to mutually grow in character through games and the teaching times. I appreciated the warm welcome we received from KK Ivory Coast and the staff at La Sablière, the interesting conversations and the amazing families whom I met.
Thank you to all who prayed for me during this time and who gave financially so that I could participate! I will write more on my blog.
More stories
Copyright © 2016 Anne McMechan, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp