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So… you have visioned, prayed, applied and been accepted to serve as an AIMer. Now what?
Now you start the check list (…the dozen or so checklists, if you’re anything like me), you know the one… the “I-have-so-many-things-to-do-and-I-don’t-know-where-to-start” checklist.
See… I knew you had it too. Continue reading
The month of January is flying by at an incredible pace and we have a lot of “fancy footwork” to do, if we can survive the bureaucracy! 🙂 Continue reading
HUGE shout-out to Bro. & Sis. Kabasele who look after our Sunday School! Further down, you’ll see the fruit of their labour… via video. First, a run down of the week.
Last weekend we officially “Fell-back”… meaning that rather than a 5h time difference with the folks from home, there is only a 4h difference (until North America “falls back”). We appreciated the extra hour sleep… it’s like a “mini-vacation of wonderfulness” that happens once-a-year.
Back home it was a Sunday afternoon tradition. During Sunday School, at least one of our kids would get in cahoots with a friend and, before leaving church, we’d hear:
“Can so-and-so come over for the afternoon?” or
“So-and-so invited me for the afternoon… can I go?”
(pleas were followed by “puppy-dog-eyes”)
This past Sunday, for the first time since coming here, that happened & we had someone else’s kids in our house for the afternoon. I can’t tell you what it meant! It’s something pretty small really… but for the kids it was like a taste of home. It did our hearts good!
This was a week of preparation for 3 things in particular:
1. Bro. Brochu’s return: Though not yet returning definitively, Bro. Brochu arrived Thursday for special meetings and will come to Châtellerault Tuesday. In preparation, we’ve continued working on the church grounds (we have 2.5 acres) and will all stay after church tomorrow… eating together and doing the last bit of clean-up.
Also, I made a quick trip to Paris on Wednesday to take his car up for use during his time back. I returned by train later that evening.
Note: I may or may not have visited Starbucks. (shhh… don’t tell Liz & the kids!)
2. National Youth Convention: November 6-8 will see 800-1,000 young people from across France and throughout Europe come to Melun for the annual youth convention. There were some logistical things to work out to get our group there.
3. New Year PIM Effort: In the New Year, I’ll be launching tools for existing and prospective financial partners. I began working on those this week.
Note: We live off of roughly $1,500 USD ($1,900 CAD) per month but several “annual costs” either have recently or will soon put pressure on our finances:
– 2015-16 Homeschool curriculum & shipping: $5,000
– Family health insurance: $3,000
– Car insurance: $1,500
– Car inspection & any repairs: unknown
Oh yes… it was also a “Pentecostal Messenger” week so that took up a good day and a half as well.
One of the things I’ve noticed over the past two weeks is a bit of a shift during our services. Last Wednesday night (Oct.21) was a prayer-focused night and then this past week, on Tuesday, was a regular Bible study. In both of these services however… the presence of the Lord was incredible.
This is a 2min video of our kids’ contribution to service last Sunday.
Thank you for praying for them… some really great things are happening with our young people!
If I could ask you to be in prayer about one thing this week it’d be this. During Bro. Brochu’s time in Châtellerault this week, we will also be mapping out what happens upon their return to the field (expected in March). Pray for the hand of God to direct those conversations.
Thank you for visiting.
Let what you read inform your prayers for us and for France!
As I sit down to share with you our week, the sun is already high and there is a cool breeze coming through the open door behind me, causing the drapes to brush up against the back of the chair… this chair… the one in the photo. Usually I avoid laptopping in the living room but this morning I’m making an exception. I’ve spent a lot of time this week in the office upstairs and need a change.
What else is happening this morning?
Well… a blender is revving in the kitchen as Liz is making 6-week muffins: a recipe of my mom’s where the batter can stay in the fridge for up to six weeks (it never makes it that long) and you make up a pan as the fancy strikes. Sophie is helping her and the boys are slowly coming to life upstairs. There will undoubtedly be some YouTube videos and or Minecraft in their near future, although Dominic has also recently finished an audio-book… oops, I’m mistaken, he just came down to the dining room table to review math.
While the kids have finished their classes (the two older kids prior AYC and Timo this week) there are still tests to be written and research projects to be completed, so there has been a bit of extra “pushing, pulling and tutoring” this week. Liz carries the bulk of it but I’ve stepped in a few times to avoid disaster or breakdown! 🙂 The fact that temperatures have been in the mid to upper 30’s (high 90’s) hasn’t made things easier.
Liz & Soph had a mother-daughter date night last night at Pât-a-pain. The “pain” of still having school work to do is taking its toll, even on our most disciplined student and Liz wanted to ensure that their relationship had other aspects than just school & church. Balance is good, so a “girls’ night out” was in order.
As I mentioned above, I had a good deal of office time this week, which consisted of:
By the time Friday rolled around, I was ready for some people time.
Andy is one of two Bible School students from the Châtellerault church. He lives in Tours (45min away) and is a business student at the university there.
Between his year-end exam schedule, his work schedule and us being away for AYC, we had not gotten much “face time” of late… so we got to spend a little time together.
Do you help promote missions in your local church?If so… please download our latest Partner in Missions Newsletter. It will give an overview of our time with the General Youth Division’s Apostolic Youth Corps trip to France.
Your support allowed us to facilitate short-term missions experiences for 37 young people and their chaperones from all over North America; contributing to the future of Global Missions.
In the wake of the much excitement that was AYC, this was very much a catch-up week… a bit more of a normal week if I can put it like that.
Pray: If I could ask you to pray about 3 things this week it would be this:
Thank you for your prayers and your support. It allows us to fill the gap during Bro. & Sis. Brochu’s absence… ensuring that the work continues. God bless your day today & let what you read inform your prayers for France!
Had someone been walking along the Saint John waterfront, they may have heard nothing at all, they might have heard a faint, far-off, yet indistinguishable sound, or then again they might have heard a 12 year-old boy, as his car crested the Harbour Bridge, yell from his open window…. “Goodbyyyyyyyyee Saint John!”
Those very words were shouted on Friday morning at roughly 8:40am as we drove out of the city where I was born, where our kids were all born and where Liz had made her home for the previous 19 years… the trip had begun. Weeks of saying goodbye had come to an end and we began the long road to Montreal.
Below are some VIPs (very important people); some are from church, some are business connections or service providers and others have been friends for a long time. It’s impossible to post pictures of each of you and in some cases, when we got together to say goodbye, we forgot to get a photo, but each of you are important to us. You are a gift from God to us. You have contributed to who we are.
The next time I write to you, I will be writing from France… how exciting is that!?
Please pray that things go smoothly at customs upon our arrival in France. It will not be a problem to bring in any of the suitcases that traveled with us, but pray that there are no hiccups at cargo (no extra import fees, duty, etc.).
Thank you for your support, God bless you as you gather to worship Him today!!
Of late I’ve typically been posting the AIMKid Missionary Moments on Wednesdays, but today, in addition to the latest one, I’m also posting some photos from, and telling you about, our send-off services. Mission Point pulled out all the stops in bidding us a fond farewell and for that I must first and foremost thank Pastor & Mrs Brent Carter who spearheaded the day.
“We’ve worked together hand & glove”
I give honour to this ministry family. They have taught me a great deal both by their instruction and their example. If I am any kind of leader at all, I am better because of time spent under their leadership. I am greatly indebted to them and am thankful to God for bringing them into our life.
In the morning service I talked about Disciples with Distinction, from 1 Peter 2.1-9. Not having grown up in Pentecost, I shared with the church the great things I saw in them when I first began frequenting the church and how that drew me in. They were examples to me in the following 6 areas:
It was what I consistently saw in the lives of the Christians in this church that “made me stick.” Thank you Mission Point for being Disciples with Distinction.
It was during the evening service that all the stops got pulled out. It was a bit longer than normal, but no one seemed to mind… here are a few photos of that night:
After the time of worship, Pastor had Liz & the kids join us on the platform for what would be a combination “tribute” and “roast“ (oh yes! They did go there!). Other speakers not pictured include: Neil Josselyn, Ben Cannon, Maggie Stewart, Youth Pastor Nick Graham and Assistant to the Pastor Mark Robertson.
Jayne Taylor (Kids’ Ministries Director) spoke on behalf of Sunday School and presented our kids with Travel Buddies, tangible reminders that kids back home are praying for them. They’ll take pictures of themselves, with their travel buddy, in cool locations and you’ll be able to follow their adventures using the AIMKids tag on this blog.
Pastor Carter added 5 new “mini-mantles” to the Mantle Ministry. This means that there will be a family in our church praying not only for Pastor & Sis Carter but also for us: 30-min each day, for God’s power, provision and protection.
Troy McAllister and the worship team did a special rendition of recently deceased Andre Crouch’s Through it all. Wow!
Maggie Stewart & Ben Cannon paid tribute to the kids as they are great great friends.
There were a few gifts given through the evening. Liz got some beautiful flowers & I got a couple of books as well as a wall hanging. A couple of things stand out in particular however.
Each of the kids were given a #ShopInFrance certificate of appreciation. Space will be limited as we travel over so they thought the kids could go on their very first “mini shopping spree” in France on behalf of the church. So each of them received 100 euros in cash. Thank you Mission Point!
For the whole family, MissionPoint purchased a used 2007 Peugeot 407 Station Wagon for us. (formerly belonging to missionaries Samuel & Patricia Balca who retired in late 2013). It’s in great shape and has low mileage.
Thank you Mission Point!
My message (Romans 8:14-15) emphasized the idea of adoption: the act of bringing together as family individuals who were not naturally part of a given family.
In the broadest sense… the entire service was based on that: Many friends were there to honour us, because they’d allowed us to become part of their family & we’d allowed them to become part of ours. Similarly, God has allowed us to be part of His family… through the grace and mercy of Jesus.
“Adoption” provides the legal framework within which relationship can happen, but it doesn’t guarantee relationship… Relationship only happens when each party allows the other unlimited access. Hence the words in Rom. 8.14-15: “If you’re led by the Spirit of God, you’re his children… and the Spirit of adoption allows you to cry ‘Abba Father’.” We’ve all got to let him LEAD!
Following the service, a TON of fine, fine cuisine awaited those who stayed for the reception. A special THANKS to each one who brought in food as well as to April Sayeau, Erma Shephard, Ryan & Trisha Shephard who coordinated that aspect…
I also know enough to know that Mark Robertson had his hand all over Sunday’s event. Thank you! Mission Point has a great Assistant to the Pastor!
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We have THE most AWESOME home church EVER!
We love you Mission Point. Thank you for “adopting” us over 18 years ago!
The New Year has arrived and with it, the natural tendency both to look back and reflect as well as to look ahead in anticipation. Let’s give you a quick recap as well as an update on preparations:
From a blogging perspective, the year was a good one according to the statistics monkeys at WordPress.com… the following numbers are from them:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. AIMLong.ca was viewed about 10,000 times in 2014 so if the blog were a concert at the Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it! (That’s pretty cool!)Thank you, WordPress… for being a great blogging platform!
With the help of the Lord we…
We constantly find that fear is “nipping at our heals” concerning the sale of our house. We find ourselves, on one hand, wanting to make contingency plans in case it doesn’t sell before our departure but on the other 
hand, we don’t want to lack (or appear to lack) faith that God is able to work the sale out (despite a poor real estate market and a less than ideal time of year).
That being said, there was a very favourable showing before Christmas (they have to get their house on the market) and there is a showing today. We have said for some time that we are praying for 2 very interested parties who will bid against each other in the hopes of moving the timeline forward sooner. This showing today, is an answer to prayer.
Prayer Alert: So….. Those of you reading this before 2pm Atlantic time, please pray for this viewing. Thanks!
We will be making our first trip “to the shed” today with some of the larger pieces of furniture that will spend the next two years “locked away”. This means that yesterday in particular…
The other thing that we managed to get done between Christmas and New Year’s, was to prepare and mail out our final packet before departure.
The mailing consists of two (2) printed copies of the “Praying for our AIMKids“ infographic that you saw last week. Each of our partners willl receive one as well as other pastors across North America that we’ve had contact with at various points..
The Goal, if you recall was to (a) recruit prayer supporters for our kids and (b) provide pastors and Sunday School or youth personnel with a way to get kids connected to missions.
Here you can see Dominic & TImo hard at work helping me stuff the envelopes… they’re troopers!
A few things on the horizon for this week:
Thank you for your prayer support again this week!
You open doors for us!
Have you ever done a major move? If so, you’ll be able to relate to what we feel. It seems barely imaginable that we are less than four weeks from moving across the ocean to set foot in France. With that in mind… let me give you a few updates:
You’ll remember from Wednesday’s post that we had taken delivery of a 10′ x 16′ shed that would hold all of our worldly possessions… (well, not really, but at least a portion of the furniture that we will store).
Here are a couple pics of the early morning arrival. Ultimate Windows Doors & More, in Saint John, built this in just over a day and had it delivered within a week of ordering it. Slick as a whistle!
It came on the back of a wrecker truck and is now patiently waiting for us to fill ‘er up!
It looks as though these will be our new digs upon arrival in France. Since we will be there for 2 full months before Pastor & Sis. Brochu head back to the USA, we will need a spot to hang our hat.
It is generally very tough to rent a home for a short period of time in France for 2 reasons:
a) it is just tough to find and
b) houses (whether for sale or rent) typically come without a fully equipped kitchen – only a sink is required by law, the rest is the responsibility of the occupant. Having to install a full set of appliances and cupboards for only a two-month rental makes it highly infeasible.
Nonetheless, God opened a door for us to be able to rent the property pictured above for the two-month period, after which we will use the Brochu’s home. Not only has the Lord literally given us an open door, but he’s given us one with a fully equipped kitchen!
When is Christmas NOT your average Christmas?
When it’s the one immediately before your departure to live as ex-pats in a new and foreign country.
We spent Christmas Eve with our church family at MissionPoint and I had the honour of hosting that service for the first time. I shared the stage with over 35 kids who got a lesson in Mysteries & Miracles… they were so great! There were another 15 or so, under the age of twelve, in the audience who were a bit shy but did come forward to get their own Mystery & Miracle sleuth kit!
From there we drove to Moncton to be with my mom. I don’t care how old you are… you’re never too old for mom’s home cooking, turkey dinner, seafood chowder and a sweet or two (or twenty!).
How can you help us this week? Here are some specific things to pray for:
Know this….
There are times when exhaustion would get the best of us, but we are able to carry on because of His strength, our resolve and YOUR prayers.
Thank you for strengthening us… you make a difference!
God bless you today!
I’ve stated that the goal of AIMLong.ca, during the time leading up to our departure, is to keep you up to date on the progress of preparations. So for now… here’s how the hive has been humming!
House & Car: The house is still for sale and while there is no firm offer, there is someone who wants it but they will have to sell their own house first & it goes on the market in January. That can cause us some anxiety if we focus on it, but we try simply to stand still, and trust in God’s faithfulness.
We’ve bought a storage shed & have a place to put it. We’ll store some furniture and other items that don’t require heat. Liz has been doing a lot of the packing and sorting but I started a couple of my bookshelves and did a large part of the garage some weeks ago. (There’s waaaayyyyy more yet to do!)
We’re thankful to already have a buyer for our car.
Work: My replacement as Assistant to the Pastor at Mission Point is now onsite. 
Mark Robertson (originally of Hatfield Point but most recently of Miramichi) and I have been working very closely in an attempt to get 8 years worth of stuff out of my mind and into his (poor guy!). I can tell that he is going to do an incredible job and is a credit to the pastoral leadership that has trained him to-date.
Pentecostal Messenger: For those unaware, I’m editor for a 12-page printed publication that goes out to our churches in the region, with a readership of roughly 750. While in France, others will look after logistical details, but I’ll still look after editing and layout of the content. I’ll be putting together the better part of both the January and February issues prior to my departure.
On Monday we got to spend the afternoon with our friend and missionary to Guatemala, Lynne Jewett. What an inspiration!
She came for lunch and since she is synonymous with kids’ ministry, we wanted to chat with her about:
a) building a church through kids’ ministry &
b) doing all we can to set our own kids up to succeed on the mission field.
She had some GREAT advice! Including preparing them for the effect that distance will have on their friendships… some will undoubtedly fade a bit over time, but the true ones will remain. That’s straight-talk and she is bang on! She also encouraged them to see themselves as missionaries…
Departure: We’ve tentatively set our departure date as somewhere around January 25-27.
“Wait, what? …no specific date?” ….We’re going to fly stand-by, which means that, yes, we’ll save money on airfare but we’ll fly according to seat availability. (If there are seats available, we’ll seat our seats on the plane, if not… we try again next flight). That may seem stressful to some, but it’s how we traveled the whole time Liz worked for the airline, so we’re used to it.
Final Mailout: We’re on the verge of doing our final mailout prior to departure. It’ll be an oversized postcard for Sunday School & Youth Staff, focusing on “adopting our kids as a “prayer project” and various way to pray for & connect with them / us. Look for the infographic in this Saturday’s post.
It goes without saying that, with all of these things going on… we need your prayer. It all comes at a busy time of year and if I were to focus too much on it, I would be overwhelmed. We take one day at a time and rest in the assurance that, if the Lord tarries, we will be there in just over 5 weeks from now!
Well… at the risk of sounding grandiose, we have come to the end of an era! Sort of.
We are through running the roads of the Atlantic District for the purpose of raising awareness of, and support for, our AIM term in France. This doesn’t mean that we’re at 100% of our budget yet, we are still accepting both one-time support as well as monthly Partner in Missions commitments, but it does mean that we will be home on weekends and better able to focus on the practical preparations involved in getting ready for departure.
Perhaps it’s only fitting that our final service be in Temperance Vale, NB with our Atlantic District Superintendent and his wife. We drove up on Sunday afternoon, after having attended morning service at Mission Point and had no trouble finding the church, although we’d never been there before.
Besides being with the Brewers, I was also looking forward to being in Temperance Vale for another reason as well. Early on in my experience of Pentecost, Sis. Laura Priest would visit the church in Saint John periodically and Bro. Goddard would always have her sing.
What a lady!
There was something very appealing about her – without question the hand of God on her life after a lifetime in faithful service to God. 
I was a bit disappointed when I learned that she wouldn’t likely be there that night due to fragility and advancing age, but my spirits soon lifted again when her daughter Ann (also mother of our District Youth President, Bro. Paul Thornton) got up to lead worship. She looks so much like Sis. Priest and sang with just as much gusto!
Afterwards, we headed back to the Brewer’s home in Nackawic for a short bite to eat and a bit of fellowship before hitting the road home. The kids, too, enjoyed sweet moments of fellowship…. playing “Crossy Road” an iPad / iPod app by Hipster Whale (a.k.a modern youth fellowship). 🙂
Although we’ll miss the opportunity to spend time visiting & fellowshipping with other pastors in the region, we are glad to now begin focusing a little bit more fully on preparations for our departure (storing some items, shipping others and preparing the house). It has been tiring to travel and be away from the house pretty much every weekend (although full-time missionaries must do much more than we did and are to be commended).
One of the other things that will be a focus of my attention this month is handing off responsibilities to various people who will be taking my place. Bro. & Sis. Mark Robertson (formerly of Miramichi, NB – although Mark is originally from Hatfield Point, NB) moved to the Port City on Sunday and have been spending their days unpacking and preparing. As the dust settles for them, I’ll begin attempting to get a lot of what I know out of my head and into Bro. Robertsons.
Pray for he and his wife as they makes the transition.
There will also be a couple of other individuals relieving me of some responsibility regarding the Pentecostal Messenger – the official publication of the Atlantic District, of which I’m the editor. I will continue to do layout and editing of this 12-page paper, but will need others here on site in Saint John to handle the logistical details (picking up the finished papers, preparing the mailing and handling finances and subscriptions).
I encourage you to come back on Saturday morning to read some good news of what God is currently doing in France through the hands & lives of “our missionaries”.
Thank you for your support on every level.
God bless & strengthen you today!
AIM Long 