EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S CORNER
Rhonda KelmanOver the fall and winter season it has been very inspiring to be able to travel again to meet with people and to hear their mission trip stories, and to also share stories of what God is doing in the communities we serve. The BC Mission Boat Society (BCMBS) has always been about community and bringing people together, and as we come out of Co-Vid, we are trying to build that sense of community again. We have people who have gone on a mission trip, people who pray for us and people who financially support us all throughout Canada and the USA.
This year we are taking time to pray and plan before we pivot. All through the pandemic, we had to keep pivoting as restrictions continued to change. Now, we have a chance to create a solid foundation in several areas. We are going to take the teams and volunteers who can come in 2023. We are also recruiting some volunteers who can serve as facilitators who will travel with teams to support them throughout their mission trip. We are looking for volunteers who have gifts in different areas who can help us over this next year. People who are strong in data entry (we have to change to a new database system), social media posts, crafts (ideas and putting kits together), writing cards, and who have ideas for little gifts of encouragement that can be given out in the communities and to our volunteers who go on a mission trip. If you are interested in helping us in one of these areas, please let us know.
You can fill out a form by using the qr code or by going to:
https://forms.office.com/r/TDUmLenRnP
Instead of doing a separate monthly update and a separate prayer email, we are going to combine them and send it out to everyone starting in April. It will be sent out on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. We will attempt to send a PDF format that can be printed for congregations to share.
We are planning and preparing activities for this summer. It is exciting that some people in the communities have been asking for more Bible studies and a church service, so we are adding more of those activities to our plans. There have also been a few other opportunities to serve and connect with youth from the communities, and those stories are in this newsletter as well. I hope that you find these stories inspiring as you continue to pray and support our ministry.
The Compass– Spring 2023
Seeking Mission Teams for 2023 & 2024!!
Interested in joining us to share God’s love with one of the communities we serve?
Please contact us to start planning, fundraising, and to receive support as you create a team to come. We have how-to plan, a mission trip brochure to help you along the way, and some training guides for you and your team.
We are open to more teams for summer of 2023 and are starting to book mission teams for summer 2024. We would love to book your team!
Yes! I want to partner with BC Mission Boat Society to share God’s love to remote BC coastal communities.
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MonthlyEmailPraise/PrayerUpdates
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Vancouver Island Youth Retreat
Julie Bellrose
In February, the youth group from Bethany Lutheran Church in Campbell River organized an Vancouver Island Winter Youth Retreat. Being a member of Bethany, I asked the leaders if we could invite the youth from Ehattesaht, one of the communities we serve which is across from Zeballos. Being a community that can be accessed by road, it would make the arrangement and travel easier. The leaders were excited about the idea so I proceeded to connect with the youth leader in the community. She passed the information along and we had 6 youth who joined us for the youth retreat in Duncan, BC.
On the Friday we met up in Campbell River and several cars made their way to Duncan. To break the ice, we went for a game of glow in the dark bowling.
The weekend was filled with morning devotions, and fun activities. After devotions on Saturday, we made our way to the indoor pool. Then some youth from Duncan and Campbell River joined us in Nanaimo for a mall scavenger hunt and to go to the Air Park. Everyone was pretty tired on Saturday evening, but we gathered energy to play some group games.
Through the long car rides God blessed a few of us with some meaningful conversations with the youth. It was a blessing to be able to share God’s love and comfort one on one with some of the youth.
The leaders are hoping to do a summer retreat and would love to see the youth from Ehattesaht join their group again!
PRAYER WINDOW
“ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 4:4-6
Pray for the community members who have loved ones that struggle with addictions on the street of Vancouver, Nanaimo, and Campbell River.
Pray for the BCMBS staff and volunteers as they prepare for mission teams this summer.
Pray for all of those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones, and for healing for those who are ill.
Supporting Families in a Time of Need
Rhonda KelmanIn January 2023, I was asked to come to the hospital in New Westminster to be with a family as they take their loved one off of life support. It was an honour to be invited into this challenging time. I was able to just be present and pray. It was heartbreaking watching family members say goodbye to their daughter, sister, and mother. She was so young and had a long battle but all of her organs were failing. Some of the family and friends didn’t know me as I only knew the family and friends from Klemtu. As I stayed in the ICU room with the family, I reflected on the memories I had with this individual while they were a youth. She was on the first basketball team I had the privilege of driving for the Junior All Natives Tournament years ago. She was so quiet but had a great sense of humour. I lost contact with her when she moved down to Vancouver almost fifteen years ago.
It wasn’t until a couple of hours of being in the ICU, that some of the Elders introduced themselves to me and we visited, and it wasn’t until we were all leaving that some of the young adults started to talk to me. Sometimes we don’t know the impact of our actions, but I got to see a glimpse of what God did through that hospital visit through some Facebook messages I received from various young adults who were in the room while all the machines were stopped and as we watched her take her last breath. There were people who I haven’t seen for fifteen years, and others who I have connected with more recently as they still lived in Klemtu.
There are many families who have loved ones who are stuck in addictions and who are choosing to live on the streets. We have been able to support people by praying with them as they go to look for their loved one. Unfortunately there has been an increase in deaths due to addictions, overdosing, or suicide. May there be peace and healing that can only come through Christ for those struggling with addictions and for the families who desperately want their loved ones to come home.
While we are in the communities or even times where we can support those outside the communities, it is important to just be there and to be present. I was reminded of this when I was in Nanaimo for the Junior All Native Basketball Tournament, and the whole team made an effort to go pay respects to a family who had just lost their son. Just by showing up and spending time with that family was so important. It was a good reminder of how we might be able to help and support others during their time of grief.
Reflection from a Volunteer Pastor Fraser Coltman
At St. Paul’s, Nanaimo, like many other churches, we have been slow and careful to return to group activities. On Saturday, March 18, we held our first congregation brunch since COVID. After the meal, I presented a slide show and talked about my experience with the BCMBS in August of 2022. Last summer was also a challenging time for the leaders of the BCMBS. Rhonda and Julie worked very hard to maintain relationships with Indigenous communities, and the summer rather suddenly opened up some opportunities for trips into the communities. Rhonda had asked me to join a group that scheduled to make visits to Ehattesaht and to Yuquot for the Northern Region Games. As I recounted some of my experiences and learnings from the mission experience, I thanked St. Paul’s for giving their blessing to me going. They saw themselves as sharing me with the BCMBS for that time. Two lessons stood out for me on my trip. Spending time at Ehattesaht and on Yuquot, I gained an appreciation for the efforts the people are making to restore their communities to a way of life that is supportive, respectful, and inclusive. The individualism of Canadian culture can work against their community building efforts, but the Indigenous leaders I met are working hard to teach social values that strengthen the bonds between neighbours. I found this particularly interesting because Christian leaders, like myself, also work to build up the Church’s community, often hindered by the values of the world in which we live.
Many of the people I met had had experiences with Residential Schools that remain painful, but they found strength in sharing their stories, and they appreciated our willingness to listen to them. We met Christians among the people we met, though they seemed to be in the minority. Many confessed traditional Indigenous beliefs, and others might be considered religiously agnostic, though still culturally Indigenous. All this makes Christian witness among adults a complex challenge, but acts of service and listening ears do seem to help to lay relational groundwork for such outreach.
It was a privilege to go on these trips, to work with Rhonda, Julie, Clara and Braeden as well Mitch, Sonja, Alexandra, Amanda, Jonathan, Kenna, and Ezekiel, and to live and serve at Ehattesaht and Yuquot for those eight days. I was thankful to be able to share my stories with my congregation.
Junior All Native Basketball Tournament (JANT)
Julie BellroseIn March, I helped drive 4 basketball teams from Klemtu and their chaperones to the JANT 2023 in Nanaimo. It was an occasion to connect with the youth of the community in a way that we do not get a chance when we go to Klemtu with a team of volunteers.
The tournament welcomed 91 teams from across BC, it was the biggest turnout for this tournament, which has been running since the 80’s. Most of the adults accompanying the group had played in the JANT at one point in their life. One of the fathers had played his last JANT in Nanaimo and now his 12 year old son was playing his first, in Nanaimo.
The Opening Ceremonies happened in a full arena, the energy was high as the teams were introduced and took their seats in the middle of the arena. The messages shared were centered on how important to support the youth through working together with respect and integrity. A male and a female player both took turns to read the players oath to set the tone of the tournament.
It was encouraging to see the amount of adults who came to support the youth and to witness their involvement and relationship. It was also an opportunity to connect with some of the adults at a deeper level. God provided opportunities to have one on one conversations where some people trusted me with sharing some of their struggles. I was honored to listen and to pray with these people as we shared in His love and hope.
The community of Klemtu had several losses recently. Members of the team were able to go support and give their respect to a couple from Klemtu who live in Nanaimo who lost their son recently. Through the week, It was beautiful to see the camaraderie between young and old and the care that they have as a community for one another despite their differences and the many heartaches.
This tournament, is a way for the communities to engage their youth in healthy lifestyles as they learn to work and grow together. It is also an opportunity for the youth to make friends with youth from other communities. As they return home, they look forward to next year’s tournament , which will be held in Terrace. We were asked several times if we would be joining them again in Terrace next year!