MS Camp Meeting Native Culture Workshop

July 28, 2010

Canadian Native Ministry Director Ed Dunn, will be attending the 2010 Man-Sask Camp Meeting this year. He will be hosting a 2-day Native Culture workshop on Monday and Tuesday in the Junior Building on the campgrounds from 1:15 – 2:15pm.

His objectives are to:

- prepare participants to compassionately minister to Aboriginal Peoples

- acquaint participants with culturally appropriate ministry tools

- discuss ministry ideas

- share ministry experiences

If you are active or considering a ministry to Aboriginal Peoples you will want to attend these two sessions.

The 2010 Man-Sask Camp Meeting is at our Camp Whitesand near Theodore SK from August 6-14.

Ed Dunn will be at Camp Meeting from Sabbath August 7 until Tuesday August 10th.

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Man-Sask YMO – Tesopaco Mexico 2010 Trip Report

March 22, 2010

It seems like just yesterday our team of 24 Volunteers and Conference staff were waking up (at 4-5am) to the music of what seemed like 100 roosters welcoming the day in Tesopaco (Rosario) Mexico in the state of Sonora. It was a whirlwind adventure – especially for those who had never been away from home such a long distance and in such a new culture. Our goal was to complete a new boy’s dormitory so that high school students would have a place to stay when classes at Colegio Juarez open in the fall. Man-Sask Conference Youth Director Kevin Kiers, and CUC Religious Studies student Troy Guderyan (who is soon to be a Pastor in our conference), were our capable Project Leaders.

We landed in Guaymas Mexico, where we boarded a comfortable bus for the 3 hour ride to Tesopaco – arriving just at sunset on Sunday February 7th 2010. We quickly set up our tents and bedding while others were in group sleeping rooms – all the while noting the loud music and lights from the nearby town fair and rides. The fair went on during the entire time and so between the fair and the roosters, sleep sometimes was short lived. Our banos (bathrooms) situation was rather basic, especially for the men and the cold showers were rather exciting to say the least! Days were warm and generally sunny (except for one day with showers) while the nights were chilly – with the temperature dropping to 3-5C. Everyone seemed to have a sunburn after the first day despite repeated counsel to apply sun block and wear hats – something we needed to do throughout the week.

Our hosts – Isaac Chagoya Villa and wife Francis and son Sergio were excellent – so friendly and accommodating! We felt like kings with all the great food that Francis prepared for us (with help from our team), and I think some may have put on extra weight – in the form of muscle I am sure! The work was hard and there was lots to do. Each morning started with Worship at 6:45am after which we went straight to work, then we stopped for breakfast at 8:30am, lunch at 1pm and supper at 6pm. Eating outdoors in the shade after hours of hard work sure gave us all good appetites, and everyone enjoyed every meal.

During the days, some of the group put on a VBS for the school kids at 11am. Over 70 happy fun loving and excited children were there to learn from the Canadian visitors and have a chance to get away from the classroom. In the evenings, Kevin Kiers’ story telling was put to good use with an evening series, translated by Issac Chagoya and the church was generally quite full. In another nearby small town – La Estrella – the Chagoya’s have a mission church – mainly reaching out to the children there. Each day another team drove 17 grueling km’s to La Estrella to put on a VBS in the afternoons. Some 40 –50 children (I think the all the children in that small town) came out each day for singing, bible lessons and crafts. Even some adults and teens came along and participated – although only about 8-10 adults come out so far and the “church” is mostly attended by the children. A group of about 12 team members put on a program in La Estrella on Sabbath morning, with Collin Akre from the Conference office (and much assistance from translator Issac) sharing the morning message. Then we all went back to Tesopaco in time for the Sabbath morning message by Kevin Kiers. The church there, which has about 50 to 60 members, was full and we enjoyed meeting the local people – who were very friendly despite the language barrier.

Sabbath afternoon we walked up the only hill for miles, and took in wonderful views of the expansive plains surrounded by low mountains. The area is somewhat desert like – with low scrub bush and numerous tall cactus making it hard to see very far unless one climbs up a hillside. Water is a precious resource, although it is supplied by the town along with electricity. The Road to Tesopaco from the airport on the coast was generally very good, with 4 lanes most of the way, and a single paved highway through the desert and hills the rest of the way.

Sunday we again boarded the bus for a drive back to Guaymas for a few hours of souvenir shopping and then it was on to the coast at San Carlos – which is a busy tourist area. We went to a lovely beach where the water was protected on three sides, with an island in the middle – so it was very calm and warm – although the water itself was a bit cool. We did see many interesting fish and coral, including stingray – so everyone had a great “day-off”!

Monday was our 6th and final day of work on the job-site. We had made good progress but everyone was anxious to complete the project we came all the way to Mexico to accomplish. We worked until 10pm that night, and with a final couple of tasks completed in the morning – we were done! After a dedication circle and prayer in one of the completed dormitory rooms – and a final round of thanks and good-bye’s – were boarded the bus back to the airport in Guaymas.

Colegio Juarez is a church school sponsored by the North Mexican Union Conference, under the leadership of a Issac Chagoya Villa. It currently serves 78 children in grades 1-6 from the city of Tesopaco/ Rosario which has a population of about 5,000. Issac’s dream is to have a full high school with dormitories for both boys and girls, plus a kitchen/ cafeteria block – and later on may even offer university level classes. Then of course more classrooms and renovations will be needed as student enrollment increases. The town seems to really appreciate the dedication of these the Adventists to their community and especially for providing quality education to their children – although there are also local public school options.

The Man-Sask Conference YMO wants to continue our relationship with Colegio Juarez, and hopes to return to help fulfill Issac’s dream– possibly as soon as next February! Please keep the people of Tesopaco, Mexico in your prayers.

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Adventist Work Opens in Nunavut!

November 12, 2009

On March 27 2009, our first pastoral family arrived in Iqaluit Nunavut and officially launched the work in Canada’s most northerly territory! Pastor Scott Manly, his wife Amy and their 2 sons joined Bill and Lisa Neish in Iqaluit, Nunavut and have been actively getting to know the community – reaching out to individuals from all walks of like there.

Please pray for their work to be fruitful and that they will be able to adapt to the long winters and short summers. Check this space out for more news and updates from the folks in Nunavut.

Manly’s Arrival Neish’s Housing

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Native New Health DVD

November 3, 2009

NNH DVD Set 015 It’s here! The Native New Health DVD set, produced by ADRA Canada, is available. We have completed the first six episodes (30 minutes each):