Northwest Trio: Summary of Canada

We just arrived back in the states after three weeks in western British Columbia. The Lord has really opened our eyes to the need in this area and we wanted to share with you some prayer requests and tell you a little of what the Lord has taught us about Canada.

We were very surprised by the varied demographics of the greater Vancouver area. There are so many people from around the world who have immigrated to western Canada, but especially from Asia. We could not help thinking that anyone with a burden for people from China, Korea, or the Philippines would have plenty of opportunity to work with them in this city. Several churches that we were in were primarily Asian and we enjoyed the over-abundance of kindness and hospitality that they showed. The young people in these churches were especially friendly and easy to talk to. Being with so many international people was a surprising but very enjoyable part of our trip and we hope you pray with us for more laborers to work in the area of Vancouver to reach various peoples of the world.

Pastor Turner and some of his congregation at the Anchor Baptist Church in Burnaby

The children's choir at Anchor Baptist Church in Burnaby

Another need we noticed among many Vancouver area churches was the difficulty in acquiring a building of their own. Many of the churches we visited meet regularly in a hotel meeting room or some sort of community center. Pastor Turner's church in Burnaby has a sizeable membership but the extreme costs for property have kept them in rented facility for eight years. God continues to bless works all over BC despite this difficulty, but it is surely a hindrance to what the Pastor's are trying to accomplish, so please pray that ample funds will be raised for more church buildings in British Columbia.

A gift from Pastor Sexton to Pastor Fred Davis of the Chinese Tabernacle Baptist Church in Vancouver

Touring Vancouver with Pastor Beliveau and his family. Their church meets in a hotel in the very heart of Vancouver.

Of course, just as in many parts of the world, there is a great spiritual darkness in Canada and the greatest thing we could pray for is revival. Despite the beauty of British Columbia, we have seen first-hand that the Lord must do a special work in the hearts of people to bring them to Himself. We are so thankful to have been given the opportunity to better understand the need for laborers in Canada and will surely be praying more for this area. Thank you for your prayers for us while we were in Canada and we hope you continue to pray for us during the rest of our travels.