Dear Friends,
We hope this email finds you all enjoying your summer and hopefully getting a chance to take some holidays and get some good sun to refresh you for the journey ahead.
We have been on a fairly full on journey ourselves the first half of this year, from intense ministry time in England, Romania and Spain in February. Then saying good bye to so many great friends, wonderful life memories and our journey in England, to reengaging back into Canadian culture in March. Heading back to Saskatoon and taking time to reconnect with many of you. Thank you to all of you who took time to be with us while we were in Saskatchewan, we were grateful to see so many of you. For those of you who we did not have a chance to catch up with please come and see us in Kelowna, we would be glad to have you. As well for the rest of you we would love to see you come and visit us in Kelowna and enjoy the realities of one of Canada's nicest cities!!!
Ronnie had two trips in the spring to Europe, one in May to England for the NLI HR week in the international office with many great people who were considering joining NLI in the work that Jesus is doing in Europe. Ronnie's other trip was in June to both Romania and Spain. In Romania we had one of our 4 Church Planter trainings, while in Spain we had some Holy Spirit inspired and empowered Advanced Leaders Training. It was great to have Holy Spirit join us in each of these places to see something imparted and released to the heroes in Romania and Spain who are giving their lives to see their nation transformed by Jesus' love and the truth of God's Kingdom.
Then in July we had a great friend's wedding that both Janelle and Ronnie were a part of her wedding party. It was a great day and wonderful privilege to stand beside her and celebrate this great joy of marriage with her and her husband. After the wedding we packed our house up in Saskatoon and then headed off to Kelowna. We were blessed by so many of you who helped us get through this part of the journey, from helping pack, to loading the trailer, to being lent a couple of trailers and a truck, to pushing us through the tough hours when we felt overwhelmed or even driving the truck and trailers to Kelowna. Thank you to all those who helped get us to Kelowna, we couldn't have done it without you.
Since arriving in Kelowna on July 8th it has been full on, we have had a full house a few times over and many things that we have had to take care of to begin to settle into life in Kelowna, BC. We have been blessed to have family around, friends around and a great house that is a real blessing to us and others already.
Ronnie has been working to keep up with all the things taking place in both Romania and Spain while trying to help us as a family settle into life in Canada. Although it has not been easy with all the things that needed to get done in Europe and Canada, by the grace of God we have been able to get through this season and are looking forward to being established in Canada and being able to concentrate and focus on what Jesus is continually calling us to in Europe.
As a family we headed off to Europe at the end of August to be with Ronnie's family in Copenhagen, Denmark. We had the privilege of going to Denmark to be with Ronnie's sister Mandy and her danish fiancee Rasmus as they joined their lives together in marriage. This was a great celebration for us as a family and was completely redemptive in my sister's life and ours as a family. We were so blessed by the great time we had, the amazing wedding that was put on and we are overjoyed with the love and joy that Mandy and Rasmus have for each other.
From Denmark we have headed to England to be with the NLI team at the international office in Coventry, UK to be together for our In House Week. NLI In House Week is a time where all NLI staff are together to meet, train, strategize, pray and inspire one another for the work in Europe. This is a strategic time for Ronnie and all the NLI team to focus themselves on the work that is taking place in Spain and for Ronnie to work with the team involved in Romania as he transitions out of the work in this nation.
We are also blessed by our time in the UK as we have the chance to connect with so many of our great friends that we have made over the last four years living in England. It has been great to see so many of you again!!! We will be heading to Enfield (London) as a family this coming weekend to be with some friends and join them and their church on the Sunday, September 19th. Ronnie will also be sharing with the church they are leading in the community of Enfield.
Then on Wednesday, September Ronnie will be parting ways with Janelle, Caleb & Jaden for a few week. The family will be heading back to Canada with my mom who is meeting them in London to fly back to Canada, while Ronnie heads off to Romania with Thomas (NLI Canada Director) to visit some of the church plants and be a part of the NLI Training taking place in this nation.
On Sunday, September 26th Ronnie will travel to Spain from Romania for the purpose of meeting with the Spanish leaders and to be a part of a prayer team that is going to be traveling through Spain from Sept 28th to Oct 6th. The team will be visiting some of the church leaders and church planters
Thank you to all of you who continue to partner with us financial, in friendship and mostly in prayer. We are so grateful for your faithfulness, generosity and friendship, we would not be able to do what we are doing for Jesus in Europe without each of you.
Please Pray For:
Janelle as she continues to carry our new baby boy in pregnancy. Please pray for her and the babies health & safety. That she would be able to continue to support the work we are a part of in Europe by doing such a great job raising and looking after our amazing boys Caleb & Jaden. That she would have the energy needed to do this well and with much strength and grace.
The prayer team traveling to Spain from Sept. 28 to Oct. 6, that Jesus would protect us, lead us and guide us as we call on him to see the spiritually reality in Spain transformed. There are 9 of us (Jesus, Barb, Erin, Kevin, Al, Dorothy, Esther, Sara & Ronnie) traveling throughout Spain to visit the leaders and cities where we are working to see churches planted in Spain. We covet your prayers as we pray for this nation.
The church planter training and church plants in Romania. That God would impart something supernatural into them through training taking place and that as we move toward the completion of the church planting project in Romania that God would establish the churches and for all of them to be both self-sustaining and eternally impacting.
Us as a family as we settle into life in Kelowna that we would be able to do all we are needing to do to prepare for the new baby, figure out life in Kelowna and continue to empower our Europe family to transform, equip and expand the church in Europe.
Thanks again,
Many Blessings
Ronnie, Janelle, Caleb, Jaden & Baby Z †
