in the name of love

All proceeds will be given to Willing Servant Ministries for help with supplies and services in their medical clinics in the Samaritan Foundation villages of Villa Esperanza and Villa Paraiso.

hard work and blessings

  JOHN VANDERKOOY

The change in the people living in the village over the past 3 trips is subtle, but a blessing to see. We thank God for his goodness and patience. Here is a sense of pride in ownership of their own homes. They welcomed us into their community. We worked together building the pergolas. They wanted to be part of the construction of their park. They took ownership, helping to plant and water the trees and plants. We thank God when we see the residents milling about the park and children using the playground. They were excited and happy. We felt blessed to be a part of it all.

3rd annual spghetti dinner is almost here

Fall is well underway—the leaves are changing and God’s glorious palette is shown all across the countryside in warm hues of golden yellow, glowing orange and fiery red. And so we are busy with our final preparations before we leave on our trip in November.

And that also means that it’s time for our 3rd Annual Spaghetti Dinner!

Join us on Saturday, October 26th for a delicious, homemade meal.  Hearty spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, savoury Caesar salad and fresh buns will be served, followed with scrumptious fall favourite desserts – pumpkin pie and apple crisp.  You won’t want to miss all this deliciousness!!  We will be serving between 5:30 – 7:30 pm, so be sure to come join us for dinner!

food, fun and bidding wars

Our Family Corn Roast and Auction was a great success!

The weather was beautiful – the perfect blend of warmth, sunshine and a breeze to keep it comfortable. Although there was some concern that it wouldn’t be ready in time, Tom and Brenda Snyder came through for us and graciously donated 10 dozen of their famous sweet corn before it hits the stands for the public. Thanks guys – A Corn Roast just isn’t a corn roast with out sweet corn! There were hot dogs on the BBQ and lots of delicious homemade salads for everyone to enjoy.

But it wasn’t all about the food! There was face painting and bubble-blowing for the little kids, and a big bouncy castle (donated by Willow Creek) where all the kids could have some fun.
Once everyone had had their fill and the face painting line cleared up, we moved inside the church, where everyone grabbed a coffee and some goodies and picked out a good seat for the auction. Jerry Haanstra led the way and the bidding wars began. We had an excellent list of items, ranging from a vacation in Florida to hand-crafted treasures. The majority of our auction items were donated for this event and we are so grateful to the people and businesses that shared their generosity with us!

It was a fun-filled event, and a wonderful time of food, fun and fellowship. With the help of those who attended and purchased some great auction items, we were able to raise almost $7000! Praise God! We cannot thank Him enough for the blessings that we as a team have received through you. We are continually humbled by the generosity of our church family and are encouraged by your support and prayers. Thank you everyone!!

Sweet Corn, BBQ dogs and Auction fun

Our next fundraiser is fast approaching, and we hope you can fit us in to your holiday schedules!

Next Saturday, July 13th, we will be hosting a Family Corn roast and BBQ, followed by a live Auction. If all grows well, we will be serving up Snyder’s Sweet Corn and Springer’s hot dogs, along with many delicious salads and goodies.  There will fun for the children – face painting, bubble-blowing and more; and lots of time for fellowship.  Then at 7:00pm, the Auction begins!  Led by Auctioneer Jerry Haanstra, many items that have been graciously donated, will be presented for your bidding pleasure.  Check out a portion of the auction items listed below.

So mark us on your calendar and be sure to join us for a wonderful afternoon together and support this year’s Maranatha Mission Team!

raffle rewards

This year, we once again held a Raffle for a pair of sports tickets to help in our fundraising. A pair of great seats to watch a Blue Jays game were graciously donated and raffle tickets were available for the month of June.
The draw was held on June 23rd, and the winner is . . .

Louise Belanger!!

Congratulations! We hope you enjoy the view of the game from behind home plate!

the power of prayer

I have always been a strong advocate for the power of positive thinking. A positive attitude makes it easier to smile, easier to laugh, and easier to be a shining light. But on those days when holding on to that positive attitude seems too difficult, we need to turn to the power of prayer. It is so easy to let negativity in and cloud our thoughts, words and actions. And so here I stand (sit), asking for your prayers.
As our team continues to prepare for this year’s trip, it is becoming harder and harder to maintain the excitment and enthusiasm. Our house team could really use a few more members. There are concerns about being able to raise the necessary funds. And there is doubt about sustaining this as a yearly trip.
So please pray. Pray for continued and renewed enthusiasm for those who are committed to this year’s trip. Pray for God’s gentle insistence to those who need stronger encouragement to join the team. Pray for all those who have been generously supporting us – financially, emotionally and prayerfully. Pray for those who have chosen to serve in their own way. Pray.

Musica de la Esperanza

Our concert this Friday! We hope you can join us! There will be plans for the park on display and goodies served afterwards.

music for hope

Villa Esperanza – our village where we have worked during our past two trips – is now finally complete. The official dedication ceremony was held earlier in March and the community is beginning to grow all on it’s own. It is so wonderful to be able to see the fruits of our labours (and the labour of many, many others!) in such a tangible way and know that we were able to be a small part of that growth.

During our team’s last trip in 2012, Pete Wunsche spoke with John Huizinga, director of the Samaritan Foundation, about building a park in a central vacant lot where they cannot build houses.  The plan is to install playground equipment for the children, a few pergolas for shade with concrete checker tables for the adults (and kids) to get together, a shade tree in the centre with large rocks for sitting and relaxing, and some flower gardens to beautify the space. We want to give them a community space that they can be proud of; a place where they can gather together in fellowship and recreation.

And this is where you come in. We needs to raise the funds to purchase building materials and supplies to create Maranatha Park, so we are hosting our first ever music concert.

 

MUSICA DE LA ESPERANZA – A Concert of Hope

 

Join us on Friday, April 19, 2013 for an unforgettable evening of music.  The concert begins at 7:30pm and will be held at the Caledonia Presbyterian Church, Argyle Street North in Caledonia.  With your freewill donation, you will be treated to the musical talents of pianist Paul DeBoer, the Praise Team from Hamilton District Christian High School, as well as Caledonia’s own Phill Botting and more! Drawings of the park will be on display and information about our team, our next trip and our connection with The Samaritan Foundation will be available. It definitely promises to be a wonderful event and we look forward to seeing you there!

sweet, sweet blessings

Spring is trying very hard to makes it’s appearance known, and our Sweetheart dinner has now become a fond memory. Those who attended enjoyed a delicious roast beef dinner with scrumptious cakes and pies for dessert, and were treated to the wondrous talents of Paul DeBoer on piano. It was a wonderful evening!! And because of your generosity, the medical clinics in Villa Esperanza and Villa Paraiso received over $2000! Thank you so much!! We continue to praise God for the gifts you so graciously give to help these villages that we have adopted as our own.

Keep watching and reading as preparations for this year’s trip start coming together. And if you’re interested in being a part of the team, please let us know!! The members of the team change each year, but the goals – and blessings – remain the same; that we go to serve those in need and spread the Good News to listening ears, and in turn reap blessings upon blessings in spiritual growth.