Dec 07 2010


Prayer Walking Journal December 4

December 4, 2010 – Christmas Festivities

 I was in Penticton to be in town for their Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting. I went a little early to walk around and get a feel for the community on a Saturday. It was an opportunity to see more people and to have a better feel for who is living in this town. There were thousands of people lining Main Street for the parade and I observed loads of young families, which is a contrast to what I normally see during the week while I am in town Prayer Walking. One of the main items I was looking for was what was I going to see at the parade. What I expected to see was community and civic organizations represented and I did. I saw a dance studio with their students dancing down the street, I saw a First Nation’s canoe go by with natives beating drums, I saw the Okanagan Queen’s float with a giant wine bottle, I saw loads of Santa’s, there were people walking around from the city handing out candy and wishing folks Happy Holidays, I saw a Christian school group go walking by, I saw some machine that blew fire out it’s stacks like it might have been for an Air Balloon company but I am not sure but the flames sure warmed us up for a minute or so, but at last I saw a flatbed truck go by with a manger set up and some children sitting around dressed up like Biblical characters. But there was no signage or anything to give explanation to who they were or anything about their scene. One of the things that I noticed is that not one church was represented in the parade. I know the Presbyterian Church was having a “Walk Through Bethlehem” program at the same time as the parade. I was not shocked by what I experienced but I wanted to run into the street and shout Happy Birthday Jesus…But I didn’t. It did give me some more ideas and certainly some questions to ask in the days ahead.

 Before the Parade I visited some shops and looked around. One store that amazed me was a Used Bookstore that had more books than I have ever seen at a used bookstore in my life. In there was every kind of subject you could think of and some you don’t want to think of. I found a section that had books for all kinds of “isms” and philosophies. While there a young man was looking through a book on Muslim thought so I went up next to him and started pulling out books on the Bible and Christianity. I just started praying for him and for him to be confused by the words and be blinded to the teachings he was reading after short while he replaced the book and left that section. I then reached over and prayed over that section asking God to open the eyes to those who have been blinded to the truth and are being held captive by our enemy the father of lies. I will spend more time here again. I spent some time talking with Mel at the Christian Bookstore and was able to assist him with some work he needed to get done at the store before the parade started right outside his door. He has a tremendous location and so we continue to pray for increased business and inquirers to come through the door.

 I was in Penticton from 2:00PM till about 8:15PM

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Dec 06 2010


Prayer Walking Journal

December 1, 2010 – Wednesday

On this visit I was determined to get better acquainted with the community and how roads connected and what different areas looked like. I mostly have been in the business areas and have yet to get into communities and walk neighborhood streets. There are a lot of apartments along Main Street above the businesses and some of them I have seen and made some mental notes. I talked with a number of people as I was walking around and going into different businesses. I talked at length with Mel and discussed his needs and how we could begin volunteering weekly there in the store. Right now with the holiday season it is too busy for him to stop and train me since he is there by himself. After the first of the year he will train Linda and I so he can get some time away for short periods of time. He did share one story that underscores the ministry he has there in the community. His Swing Band, where he plays a customized keyboard has been playing in a restaurant fairly regularly for the past few months. While they don’t share the gospel the workers in the restaurant have begun asking questions and seeking him out to just talk. He has befriended the bartender and even has given him a Bible. A friend of the Bartender has begun coming to the store and making a point of expressing his fascination with the atmosphere of the store and how he feels “different” when he is there. There are indeed things happening in that store and God is working in and through Mel as he ministers to those God sends his way. I did discuss with Mel about the possibility of starting a small group somewhere in Penticton after the first of the year. We need to pray for continued prayers for more customers and for financial wisdom as he makes decisions on products to stock the shelves. I helped him with some physical needs and then promised I would pray for him. I hope to see him Saturday when I am in town for the Christmas Parade and tree lighting. Across the street from Mel’s store is a small area that has some benches and picnic tables. I noticed it last week and saw it was very unkept and in need of some TLC. I discussed with Mel about the possibility of helping the city to clean and perhaps fix it up. Mel gave me a contact name and I am praying about the best way to approach them to offer our services. This could be the first step in making some important contacts in the community. I spent some time Prayer Walking a little on the southern end of Main Street before I drove down to Lakeside Drive. While on Lakeside Drive, which is along the northern lake Okanagan Lake, I pulled off and began praying for what the summer would look like in this area. It has the beach as well as loads of hotels and rental properties lining the shore. I also wanted to visit the Mall and see if what I suspected was in fact true. It was…I thought I would find a larger crowd of senior adults in the mall and I did. With it being winter here the Mall is apparently the place for seniors to gather and talk. The food court was packed with seniors around tables, talking, reading the paper, or just passing the time. I am praying about how to get into this culture and use this gathering for Kingdom advantage. I will go back and pray for wisdom. I did make an appointment to meet some senior adult folks for coffee next week and perhaps we can meet at the food court and I can sit among them and strike up some conversations. Keeping in mind that 25% or more living in this community are senior adults, perhaps that is where God will open the first door for ministry?  More prayer needed to discern God’s direction here. I talked with Mel; some people on the street, a couple of ladies at an small Italian Deli; Darlene at the Chamber of Commerce; Sharon at the gas station who has a brother in law from Louisiana who says “yes mam” like me; A young man at the phone store in the Mall; and Joan with whom I will have coffee with next Wednesday (her husband Ralph will be joining us as well). Mel, Joan, and Ralph are the only ones from Penticton, not connected to our church, who know what we are attempting to do there.  

 I was in Penticton from 10:30AM – 4:15PM  It was a fairly nice day with temperatures in the low 40’s to high 30’s. It gets dark here at 4PM in the winter here.

 

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Dec 02 2010


Photo Journal 10-2-10

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This is one of the many ministries The Potter’s House Community Church is involved in here in West Kelowna. In this pic I am helping to collect $$ to be used to help the Salvation Army meet the needs of this community throughout the year. PHCC families have committed to be there every weeknight for two weeks beginning this week.
 
 

This is Lakeshore Drive. As you can see there are hotels and rental apartments lining the street. There are also lots of businesses that are seasonal. I spent some time here today taking pictures and asking for wisdom on ministry along here. there is a major hotel / casino right behind me and this is a very busy spot come the Summer and Fall. Would like some Teams to came and help with some concentrated Prayer walking in and around this park as well as some other parks around one of the lakes (the Okanagan Lake is connected to the southern Skaha Lake). I will get pics of the Skaha Lake park areas next week. It is the warmer of the two lakes but most of the commercial businesses are located around the Okanagan Lake for some reason.
 
 

This little sitting park is across the street from the bookstore on Main Street. it is located btw a night club and a warehouse.

This is the Christian bookstore I have mentioned in many of my previous posts.

This is the Beach area where I am hoping we can do some ministry with some Mission Teams in the future. This area fills up with people in the summer and is on the boardwalk where many people come and go. I prayer walked along here today.

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Nov 29 2010


Pics from my life

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Canadian Coffee House (picture below):

 

This is in Penticton on Front Street which is right off Main Street. Looks like they are working on upgrading this area because these signs are all over this area and no where else. I did some Prayer Walking on this street last Friday (nov 26th). (Picture Below)

This is a street view of Front Street. Prayer Walked and Prayer Drove this Street last Friday (nov 26). (Picture Below)

I found this church on a side road in Penticton and was wondering what type of message this sends to the community. There are some churches in GA (Creekside) and TX (FBC Dallas) that have paid parking as well but it just felt strange to me for some reason especially the part about being towed away. (Picture Below)

This is the exact location where I have taken seasonal pics. I took Summer and Fall and with this one Winter…thought it was interesting. The snow in Penticton was almost non existent compared to what we had in West Kelowna. The ski area…Apex…in Penticton has a great base though so I guess the two lakes there in Penticton must keep it warm enough that this last snow was not an event. I will tell you that the wind is wicked there. The locals check to see which way the wind is blowing to determine which lake they go swimming in during the summer.
 
I will be in Penticton twice this week. One day (either Wed or Thurs) to Prayer Walk (PW) and visit with Mel at the bookstore and then Saturday for the community Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting. Hope to get some good pics but my camera is not good at night shots. Need to pray for a great deal on a Cannon SLR digital camera body so I can take better pics using my good zoom lens.  (Picture Below)

This is a pic from last week of the cabin that is at the top of the street from our suite. It was snowing and took on a real Thomas Kincaid feel to it.  (Picture Below)

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Nov 29 2010


Prayer Walking Journal November 26, 2010

I spent my time in Penticton by myself walking around Main Street and portions of Front Street. I began my day at the gas station buying windshield washer as the drive over from West Kelowna was mess and with frozen fluid it was a bit exciting some of the drive seeing around me. One of the reasons I mention this is because this allowed me to check out another place where people hang out. This gas station had a area where you could buy coffee a light meal and several tables. It looked like this might be a good spot to meet up and talk with some people. It is across from the Penticton Chamber of Commerce (COC). I had a quick prayer and headed over to see and meet folks at the COC. It is always fun because there are new people there each time and they always know that I am not from “around here”. It gives me an opportunity to share a little about myself and hear their reaction to my move to the area. It also allows me to ask questions about the area and get a feel for what they perceive is important. This day the lady was all about Apex opening this next weekend. Very exciting for her as she is a skier as is her daughters. I needed a haircut so she went out of her way to point out where her and her husband go, which was down near Wal-Mart. I next headed over to Main Street to walk around there and stop in see Mel at the Christian Bookstore. It was here, as I later determined, was the most meaningful encounter of this day’s Prayer Walking visit to Penticton. When I went in Mel immediately recognized me and asked me how things were progressing. This told me that he remembered me and was at least interested if not intrigued by what I was doing. I reported that we were very much at the beginning stages (Stage I as it relates to the Church Planting Strategy handout from the CNBC) and that we were encouraged by some of our exploratory Prayer Walking experiences. I then went on to ask him a question I had discussed only with Joey Mask and Linda, my wife. I asked him if he ever needed some volunteer help him at the store. He stopped what he was doing and just looked at me for a moment. After a moment he said that he was just praying with his wife earlier that morning about how they could get some volunteers to come in and help! It was a wonderful confirmation on the power of prayer and God’s spirit confirming we were going in the right direction. He said they were praying for God to send some volunteers that had a heart for seeing this place as a place of ministry. He said that regularly people will come in to the store and seek help because they are afraid of going into a church, for a variety of reasons. He was excited we discussed following up next week with when would be a good time to start…perhaps immediately or after the first of the year when Linda is here with me. I then told him I was looking for a place to start a home Bible Study he seemed interested in that idea. I was tempted to ask him about helping with this but felt it was better to let that sit for a week to allow the Holy Spirit to work on both of us. Another thing I found out about Mel is that he plays keyboards. He has a fun little Swing Band that goes around the area and plays for events. He says it is a safe and fun time for the youngest child to the oldest adult. I bought some cards and a book; he then gave me a book. The book was…Out Live Your Life by Max Lucado, the subtitle is “You were made to make a difference” kind of ironic to me. Perhaps God is confirming that this is our man of peace?

 The rest of my day I walked up and got a haircut from Mark the Barber. He has lived in BC all his life; he grew up in Penticton and after traveling around he came back to raise his kids and be a barber. We talked and had a good visit. I gave him a good tip which I hope made a good impression and made another appointment for later in December. I will pray about Mark and will ask others to do the same. Perhaps he might be interested in a small group? Perhaps…I’m sure God will help confirm this in the weeks ahead.

 The rest of my day I wondered in and out of some shops and spent more time Prayer Walking up and down Main Street before I wondered over to Front Street to search out possible future areas to walk, pray, and encounter people out and about.

 I am going to set up a coffee or lunch visit with an older couple who are related to my son in law’s family for next week as well as nail down more details with Mel. I will probably be in Penticton twice next week because on Saturday is the Community Christmas parade and tree lighting so it should be a good crowd day in the city.

 It was a windy and cold day but people were out and about just the same. I was in Penticton from 10:00AM to 3:30PM. I had dinner plans with my landlords as well as Churchwide Hockey game back in West Kelowna.

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Nov 22 2010


First Snow

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First snow in Kelowna!

     

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Nov 18 2010


Journal on Intentional Site Visits to Penticton

  Nov. 11, 2010 – Remembrance Day

 My first visit to Penticton for my weekly community visit: I did come to a Hockey Game on Monday (Nov. 8th) and had a good experience. People can pick up right away I am not from around here. That has opened some doors for discussions. I went back to a Hockey Game again on Saturday night and again had people ask where I was from.

 Today I visited Penticton to attend the ceremonies at the convention center to honor the war veterans. I arrived about 45 minutes early and found a seat about midway back. I did not have much of an expectation of the atmosphere but was there to observe and absorb. My first impression was of the size of the room, it was immense. There were well over a 1000 chairs and so that surprised me. I was equally shocked to see the room fill to overflowing. The crowd was distinctively older but there were a healthy number of children and young people sprinkled throughout the crowd. They did a good job of honoring the soldiers it was evident this community had a lot of pride for their own as the roll was read of those soldiers from Penticton that died in battle, it was longer than you would think. The biggest impression was the two prayers said during the service where they ended both their prayers “In Jesus Name”. I was pleasantly shocked! That would not happen in the states anymore at a public/community gathering. After the ceremony we gathered in the parking lot for a parade to the local curling rink several blocks away. After that I drove around the town to get a feel and flavor of the community. It was a very cold and windy day, pretty much the first really cold day of the season, so there were not many people out and about. I stopped at a local lakeside park to pray awhile and mediate on the day. I later went to a Wal-Mart and strolled around just people watching. There were lots of families there and young people. I intentionally asked for directions and asked questions about items in the store and everyone was courteous and helpful.

 I was there from 9:45AM till 3:00PM and then drove back to West Kelowna which is about a 45 minute drive with not traffic.

 Nov. 17, 2010 – Wednesday

 I spent the day by myself in Penticton today just walking and driving around. My first stop was the Chamber of Commerce which is in an impressive building right on 97, the main road that goes through the whole Okanagan Valley. I met some very nice people who knew immediately I was not from around here so I was able to explain who I was and a little of my story, not disclosing the whole intent of why I am in Penticton. I picked up some Penticton brochures and some postcards and headed out but was stopped by a Okanagan Wine Store connected to the C of C. I had a long talk with a guy named Aaron. He was open to sharing his story and we had a good visit. With map in hand I headed to Main Street to look it over, visit some stores, and prayer walk the street. I walked until I came to the Christian Book Store and went in and met Mel, the owner, In talking with him it became obvious to me that he needed to hear more of my story and what I was up to. I told him I was prayer walking the town and what our intentions were. He was very interested and when I asked him where he was attending for worship services he said he was not at this time and was looking around. I told him I would be coming back to see him and assured him we would be praying for his business and his search for a church home. I spent some time prayer walking in front of his store and walked south for 2 blocks also prayer walking. I came back north towards my car then went into several other stores on Main Street until I settled into a coffee shop to get warm, read some scripture, and to process the whole afternoons experience. There were a number of people just hanging out but there was a good mixture of young and old. When I left the shop there was a rather large amount of ladies having some type of meeting? Everyone I met along the street and in the shops were friendly and polite. It was a good afternoon of sensing the environment and thinking of different ways we can begin impacting the community.

 I was in Penticton from 10AM till around 3:30PM.

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Nov 18 2010


“Filled with Hopelessness”

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This is a small part of Main Street where I spent my day talking with people and Prayer Walking. There is a wonderful Christian Book Store on this street that I know is struggling, he used to have 3 employees where now it is just him. I promised we would begin praying for him and that his business would increase. As far as I can tell he is one of the few Christian Book Stores in all of the Okanagan Valley, which has approx 350K people living here, the population of Penticton is about 35K. I plan on visiting him each week and encouraging him. He is looking for a church home so I was encouraged that one of my prayers today was answered as I asked God to show me at least one sign that He wanted a church here. This new friend said this town is “filled with hopelessness and is lost” but people come in the door daily asking great questions and wanting prayer. We need much prayer for this place and some Prayer Teams and we need them both ASAP.
 
Blessings and Love from Canada…
Ron

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Nov 16 2010


The Law of the Harvest

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The picture of the vineyard above was taken just a few days ago. Surprised? Seems late to begin harvesting grapes in November, especially in Canada. These grapes will be used for a special wine. When I saw these vineyards and the lateness of the harvest, it made me again ponder the urgency of harvesting souls for the Lord. As we see the events of the world around us we can see from the signs that we need to be at work in the fields (Matthew 24:1-7). Daily Ron and I will pass many vineyards as we drive through West Kelowna and Penticton. God has put us there and the vineyards there to remind us we cannot bear fruit  ourselves and apart from Him we can do nothing. The harvest in Canada is plentiful but the laborers are few. Jesus said to pray for more laborers (Matthew 9:37 – 38). Please join us in praying for more laborers in Canada.

Abiding in Him,
Linda

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Nov 16 2010


From the November Newsletter

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“Did ya have good vibes?” This was the question Linda was asked by our Canadian emigration officer after she (by the Lord’s power) granted us a work visa and entrance into Canada. She was asking if we had “good vibes” about visiting our new church where we will be working. If you have not heard our emotional roller coaster story about trying to gain entrance into Canada, it is enough to say that the prayers from both sides of the border were powerful. Our new pastor and wife, Joey and Maura Mask, also put incredible efforts into all the paperwork required. We have “landed” in Canada and have begun to focus on the task for which we have been called and sent. The question about “good vibes” just reminded us that the majority of Christians have no reference to church, the Bible or even the work of the Holy Spirit. It was another confirmation from the Lord that we were right where we needed to be.
 
Already we have felt His peace and love from our new Faith Family. They surrounded us in prayer on our first Sunday of worship. About 20 of them showed up to unload our life from the truck… even though they knew the possibility existed of reloading for us to leave the country. Yes! We do have good “vibes” (Holy Spirit) abour our new home and work. The task is greater, the calling is greater than us, but we know the Holy Spirit and the power of the One sending us is the greatest.

We wish to thank Faye and Michael McCarron for their help each month in putting together this Prayer Letter. Faye inserts all the Prayer Letters and runs the postage machine. Mike does all the stamping. What a great team! Their ministry to us is huge and greatly appreciated!

We would also like to thank those from North Lanier Baptist Church who loaded our 26ft moving truck in Cumming and did an amazing job of fitting it all inside. Everything arrived safely 6 days and nearly 3,000 miles later at our new home in Kelowna where it was met by another team from The Potter’s House Community Church who formed an assembly line and had the truck unloaded and into the house in less than 2 hours. This is the Church being the Church and we are indebted to everyone who helped. We praise God for you all!
 
Abiding in Him,

Ron and Linda

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