100.

I'm not sure if you caught the little note on the side bar...

If you didn't, let me tell you here:

100 students across Canada have prayed to receive Christ and are now our fellow brothers and sister in Jesus! How awesome is that?!?

We continue to pray {and are so thankful that you come alongside us in this} that within our ministry we will see God bring 264 students to himself as new brothers and sisters.

thoughts from the home...

What an incredibly busy semester.

Both Jamie and I feel like we have never worked harder and never been busier than we have been in these last few months.

But they've been really good.

I think as a mother {and as anyone, really} I've had good days where I accomplish a lot, am patient, loving and creative as I interact with the boys and care for both my family as a whole as well as specifically my husband, Jamie. And then there are days where I feel like from the moment I get out of bed I am dragging myself through the motions of the day. I am tired, impatient and have a short fuse.

But God is shaping me. It's a slow, painful process; one in which I feel is taking far too long. But it's happening. He's giving me love. He's giving me a heart that is soft and seeking to serve. He's giving me a desire for His Word.

I am thankful for His Grace.

Please pray for me and my realm of influence. I want to make the most of my time here in Canada {did you hear? We are moving to Uganda!} and I want to continue to take steps of faith so that my faith continues to grow and also to continue to model to my boys how awesome it is to trust in God and see what He does and how we get to be a part of it all!

Please pray for Noah. He has a strong will. He has a tender heart. He is truly such a blessing and I have never known such joy {and sometimes such frustration} as I have raising him so far. Please pray for him to have a hungry heart for God and for His truths. He is so drawn to television and the world and I want him to grab hold of how awesome God is. How He is SO much more amazing than any media or video or Disney movie.

Please pray for Jude. He is a jumble of craziness and I love that kid! He too, has a strong will and {as a close friend put} is VERY passionate and seems to know exactly what he wants. He is very "hands-on" and is into everything.

Pray for me that I would have wisdom on how to navigate the waters of siblings and to teach Jude to respect Noah but also to teach Noah to have a tender, compassionate heart for his brother. These two silly boys love each other very much, but I want to continue to lift them up individually and together in prayer as they grow and one day become men.

What a blessing to have you partnering with us as a family as we seek to take the gospel to Guelph, Canada and the world!

I, as a mother & wife, am so thankful for YOU for your prayers for me, for Jamie and for our boys. We are so grateful for your partnership with us.

October Update

September Update

Staff Conference and training

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We've been out and about, to and from both our Campus Staff training days as well as the entire Power to Change staff conference out west in BC.

It was amazing to hear all the encouraging stories of how God is working on campuses all across Canada and then to hear thoughts from Leonard Bueller (our Power to Change President) as well as thoughts from Erwin McManus (author of Chasing Daylight) and Campus Crusade for Christ US Mark Gauthier.

It was also largely a refreshing time spent with our friends and colleagues who we labour along side and who understand what it's like "out there".

Our boys loved being around the other staff kids and had a ton of fun in some of the childcare sessions they went to. It is truly a wonderful time to raise kids on staff as there are just SO MANY KIDS!

We thank you for your partnership with us that we can go to conferences like these and be built into and refreshed, ready to be sent out again into the next school year.

one week

We survived our week without Jamie.

Myself (Vanessa), Noah & Jude got through the week without "Daddy" and had lots of help and visitors from friends and family for which we are very thankful. It didn't help that all three of us got sick by the end of the week (which I am still recovering from!) but we were all pleased to hear that Jamie had switched his flight to come home 2 days earlier! We all met him at the airport on Saturday - just in time for Mother's Day!

Stay tuned for an update from Jamie on his week in South Africa and the encouragement he received from being there.

So thankful for you!

the week before...

I can hardly believe Jamie will be in South Africa in a week! Where has the time gone?

This week Jamie will be meeting up with a few supporters and potential supporters as well as finish up the last essay for the course he was taking this past semester at Heritage Baptist College in Cambridge.

We'll also be attending a family gathering in Toronto for my (Vanessa) brother who will be going to Afganistan with the army in a couple weeks.

Please pray for Jamie's travels as he has a few layovers and for safety while in Johannesburg. Jamie will be traveling with 2 other men on staff with Campus for Christ.

Please also pray for me (Vanessa) as I care for Noah and Jude on my own for 10 days. I'll have some help from family and friends, but it will likely be hard on the boys (and me!) who love their Daddy and will miss him very much.

Thank you for your care, support and prayers!

Spring Update

When will you return?

Our hope and plan at this point is to stay in Uganda serving with the local Campus for Christ ministry for 2 years.
This means that our estimated time of return is sometime during the summer of 2013.

When do you leave?

We will be leaving to go to training in Chicago on August 12th.
Our training will go until the 19th and we will leave from Chicago to Uganda on the 20th or 21st.

Do you have any other practical needs?

Yes.

Stay tuned.

What are your financial needs?

At this point we are six weeks from returning to Canada. We are so thankful for God's provision through you, our partners!

Right now we are looking to these upcoming financial needs:

May & June student summer project = $1000 one time
5 tickets to fly us back to Canada = $4500
Settling in costs = $1000

You can give online through the Power to Change secure, online giving form by clicking the "give now" button below.

How can I stay up-to-date with your ministry while you're in Uganda?

Just by "following" our blog (on the sidebar) or regularly checking our blog.
We'll also try to send out regular email updates to give you a general idea of what's happening and how you can be in prayer for us.
We would also covet emails or comments on our blog to stay in contact with YOU and hear about what's going on in your life.
Our email is stricklandsinministry {at} gmail {dot} com

What are some ways I can encourage you while you're gone?

Do you have the gift of encouragement? We need partners who will send us mail, email, and care packages.

Here is the address you can mail us at:
The Stricklands
c/o The Life Ministry Uganda
PO Box 695
Kampala, Uganda


 We will have people visiting us throughout our time in Uganda so we'll keep you updated as to when people will be coming and if there is room to bring packages for us.

Ideas for Care Packages:

• Notes/letters from you and your family
• Recent pictures of you and your family or friends
• Fruit snacks
• Craisins
• Mac and Cheese
• Chocolate chips/chunks
• Instant Oatmeal packages
• Peppermint tea & Earl Grey Vanilla tea
• Starbucks VIA (Colombia or Vanilla flavour)
• Stickers
• Craft supplies for the boys
• anything Disney Pixar Cars or VeggieTales
• Latest worship CDs (Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United, Tim Hughes, Passion, etc.)
• Used magazines (Real Simple, Parenting, Hockey News, In Style, Style at Home, House & Home, etc.)

back to Uganda FAQs

What is Kampala like?

Kampala is like any major city. There are malls, shopping spots, a cinema, restaurants, bowling alley, crime, hospitals, newspapers, hotels, and many other things.

The people are known to be friendly and welcoming and it is a relatively safe city.
The temperature is usually in the mid-20's but can be humid during the rainy season.


Back to Uganda FAQs

Where is Kampala, Uganda?

Kampala is the capital city of Uganda.
Uganda, also known as "the Pearl of Africa" is located is south east Africa and is bordered by Sudan, the DRC, Rwanda and Tanzania. The southern part of the country includes a substantial part of Lake Victoria which is the largest tropical lake in the world!

Back to Uganda FAQs

What will you be doing there?

We will be doing a lot of the same things we do in Canada; discipleship groups, one-on-one discipleship, evangelism, organizing events, and hopefully even taking some students on a short-term missions trip to a neighbouring African country.

Vanessa will be staying at home with the kids and starting to home school Noah in junior and senior kindergarten as well as opening our home up to host small events, staff meetings, as well as reaching out to our neighbours and community.


Back to Uganda FAQs