Hi there:

Just wanted to keep you up to date on our MPC Campaign so here are my journal notes for this past week.

I trust you are all doing well,

Wendy

Week 2 of our MPC Campaign Adventure:

Monday afternoon about 4:00 after packing up our motor home once again we leave Churchville.  We eat supper in a parking spot on the shores of Lake Ontario in Cobourg.  Even though the waves are huge the view from our motor home is very calming.  After    driving for a few more hours we stay in a comfortable motel in Ganonoque.  Tuesday morning we are on our way to Montreal and arrive mid-afternoon at the calling centre without any problems.

We wait for about an hour for Gilles to come along and unlock the door.  Since we haven’t seen him arrive we unload our gear by the back door and Gary takes off to find his Municipal parking spot about a ten minute walk away.  There is no parking in front of the church from 4-6:30.  I wait outside for Gilles but when Gary returns we learn Gilles has already gone inside without seeing me.  At least the day is beautiful and calling can take place in the courtyard for better cell phone reception.

We are glad for Ken Taylor’s arrival (the new pastor for Eglise Oasis) and try to get him up to speed as much as possible for his first evening.  He says he understands about 25% of what Gary is saying.  He then adds with a twinkle in his eye, “But you have so much to say!”  He has a great sense of humour so we’re not sure if he is serious or just joking with us.  It is surprising how much French I am pulling out of the cobwebs of my brain from high school years long gone.  It is always hard to figure out if what we have said in English is fully understood by our French friends.  We are all trying to communicate as best we can and somehow when the evening’s calling ends at 9:00 our contactors have made 46 new friends in Saint-Eustace.  Surprisingly, on the previous Saturday one of our contactors had received a call from someone who had seen his name on her call display.  She called him back and after his explanation she asked for more information about the new church.

During Wednesday there is lots of data input from all the information we have received from those who have responded to us positively.  Many of their comments are very encouraging as they seem to be really interested and enthusiastic to hear that a new church will be established in their neighbourhood come September.  On one particular street 7 households want information.  We also have to keep track of the work our contactors have done so they can get paid.  We tabulate each call that has been made, the number that have answered the phone and those who have said “yes” to our survey for each of the three hours worked every evening.

We arrive at the calling centre after 4:00 so Gary only has a minute or two to unload our motor home.  A lady parking ticket officer arrives and he tells her he is just leaving.  Whew!  Oh well, it is another lovely night for calling in the courtyard and we find 44 more new friends.  A lady living in an apartment on the third floor next door looking over the courtyard yells down to say that she had become a Christian several years ago when she attended this church we are using as a calling centre.  She seems quite happy about the work that is being accomplished.

More computer input during Thursday and once again Gary barely escapes the wrath of the ticket lady unloading our motor home.  The evening proves to be quite a challenge because just as our 28 callers begin work it starts to rain.  Tables and chairs are quickly brought inside but the phone reception is not good.  After a few minutes Gary finds 3 or 4 teenage girls huddled in the nursery children’s playhouse outside.  Whatever it takes!  The wind picks up and one of our sheets with the telephone numbers we are calling flies upwards in a whirlwind past the third balcony, almost to the roof and then floats down to land on the second balcony.  It is retrieved by one of our contactors.  I wonder if there is anyone from that sheet that will become a part of the new church.

During the next hour everyone is again outside as the rain has stopped for a while and 37 positive responses are recorded.  These nights it is getting darker earlier but with added outside lights and the lights from their cell phones no one wants to quit early.  It is great to have Pastor Louis Bourque from Eglise Baptist Evangelique in Terrebonne/Mascouche on the north side of Montreal (and Ken’s mentor) join our team for the evening.  Gary hunts down our motor home and while I am waiting for him outside he sails right through our intersection without stopping.  He will be back in five or ten minutes.  Poor guy, he must be getting tired.

Friday is another beautiful day but we arrive at the call centre late.  Gary leaves with our motor home but after ¾ of an hour he has not returned.  I finally talk to him on Louis’ cell phone and learn that he is sitting in traffic and can’t find a parking spot.  Oh my!  Apparently French Canadians party on Friday night plus a few streets away there is a street festival.  There are no parking spots available any where.  I told him to go back to the Rosemont church and Louis will go pick him up there.  Ken is in charge and gets the team rolling.  Another 27 households want church information and over the past two weeks close to 30,000 dial ups have been made in Saint-Eustache.   That is amazing!

Louis takes pity on us and tells Gary and I that he has reserved a motel near his church for Saturday and Sunday nights plus the loan of a car.  The decision is made to move all of our gear this evening to the Rosemont church where we are staying.  Calling will be done from there next week.  The battle continues on as Louis sides-swipes the front bumper of a car parked in front of the calling centre.  Oh dear!  He leaves a note for the person to call him.

Gary and I spend Saturday reorganizing our paperwork and getting caught up on data entry.  I use the computer in one of the pastor’s offices.  When he comes in he assures me that I am to treat the office as my home.  These people are so gracious.  We leave Rosemont for the motel in Mascouche around supper time.  It is a treat to have the comfort of a quiet room with its shower and comfortable bed.

Even though Sunday morning is grey, cool and rainy we are thrilled to be attending Louis’ church service which starts off with the baptism of a young man.  His young mentor baptizes him with Louis’ help.  What a great event for them both.  Ken and Gilles give a report on our MPC campaign.  All Gary and I are required to do is stand up with them and smile while Terry is behind us translating in our ears.  The people in the congregation are very excited with our results of over 289 households who want to receive news about the new church plant.  This is their daughter work.  After the service so many come up to us to say thank you for coming to Quebec.  One lady gives me a huge hug.  We manage to put together an understandable conversation for us both.

Monday morning we head back down to the Rosemont Church as plans have been made for us to have lunch with Pastor Rene Frey and his wife, Sharon who live not too far from there.  His father had started the church originally and Rene took it over about 32 years ago.  Their average attendance is in the mid-300s and they have started 5 daughter churches.  We enjoy getting to know this couple better who very much want to see their province reached for His glory.

The team has done so well that it looks like there will only be two more nights of contacting – Tuesday and Wednesday – which means we will travel home Thursday with Gary stopping some where along the way for his radio program with Robin Pifer in the afternoon.  Even though this adventure has been really hard in so many ways, God has directed and blessed each step of the way.  Thank you for all your prayers.  Please continue to pray for Ken, his wife and family, his core group and all the people who will attend who are searching for God and His Son’s message of salvation.  (The church’s website is www.egliseoasis.com).