Re-Entry Program

Thanks to the Anglican Church’s Outreach Program I’ve just completed a one-week re-entry seminar at the Canadian Churches’ Forum for Global Ministries. This was a bookend matching a three-week orientation held in July 2005. This time I was joined by returnees from China, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Peru. Together we were challenged to look back at our time overseas and forward to what God might be calling us to, all the while trying to get a firmer grasp on where each one of us is at this particular moment.

Not surprisingly our experiences were very varied, with terms of service ranging from one to thirteen years and reactions to that time ranging from very positive to very negative. I love to visit Toronto (YES!) and really enjoyed the opportunities to be out on the town. We ate out a few times, visited Harbourfront, walked the Trinity Church labyrinth (picture), and I got to a Blue Jay game! But I also appreciated the opportunity to encourage, challenge and learn from the other participants and facilitators. Three of the five returnees had been together for the orientation and being together again was a special bonus. Here we are, rather blurry, perhaps after a late night, with our chief facilitator, Jonathan Schmidt and

Summer Update

“I was checking out your blog the other day…” is usually quite enough to beset me with pangs of guilt and get me started on another entry. A friend said that to me in church this morning, hence this latest. There is news, some Belize related some not.

I have just enjoyed an overnight visit with Robert Lyon and his wife at their beautiful home in Guelph, Ontario, a 2 ½ jaunt down the major 401 highway from where I live. It was Robert who came to Belize for about 8 months to develop a lay training program for the Anglican Theological Institute there. He kindly drove some of my belongings home when he returned to Canada in June.

It was hoped that he would be returning to Belize to continue developing year 2 of the program this fall. It appears now that this will not happen, which is quite sad. (See: http://www.graphikos.ca/ ) I wonder if some theological college (Wycliffe?) might be interested in setting up a branch campus in Belize. They have one here in Cobourg.

The other day Stanley’s Mission received a somewhat belated but generous donation from the Outreach Committee of Grace Church, Markham. While a few further donations may still arrive, the Support Team is expected to be disbanding early in the fall and closing its accounts. There are a number of projects in Belize which will be very thankful for whatever contributions we can make.

The church visits to tell the story of Stanley's Mission are more or less over as far as I know, though a visit to St. John’s, Whitby may still happen. This blog will continue for the time being so no signing out just yet. As a separate entry I’ll be posting pictures from Stephen’s wedding, mostly of interest to family.