Daniel, Nicole and David Noort will stay in Durham for a while on the Ethnos campus. There is so much for them to learn from Canadian culture and they must be well prepared in terms of support level for the hard-to-reach north. They need to build up a support base in this country and that takes time. One church has indicated willingness to support them. It is wonderful how the Lord provides and guides. Daniel was allowed to speak in a number of churches and there is still something on the calendar. God has everything in His hand and is always faithful.
They recently had a visit from family and had a wonderful time together and were really spoilt. They were able to see the Niagara Falls, and on July 1st it was Canada Day and they celebrated this with and with a small group of dear friends of Ethnos on different days. Everyone lights their BBQ and in the evening there were fireworks. Canada Day is the national day of Canada. It is a federal statutory holiday. It celebrates the anniversary of July 1, 1867.
Every year, Ethnos Canada holds an Open House in Durham opening up the campus to visitors. The focus is to make the hearts of people aware of missions and what is involved. More than 200 people visited. As much as possible, staff members and young people helped to make this day run smoothly. Daniel and David arranged the parking and Nicole helped prepare and serve the BBQ meal.
They were able to successfully enrol David in a local high school. They can see the hand of the Lord in this, and he is looking forward to starting in September this year.
As a family they currently participate in the work on campus to keep it tidy, joining in with maintenance and even helping in construction. Daniel works on cars but can be flexible. Among other things Nicole takes care of the food room, she keeps it clean and takes care of the packaging and data. She also occasionally works in the guesthouse to clean the rooms. David is also learning to work hard. He has a job every day and it can be quite a challenge for him.
For Nicole and David the process of getting their driver’s license has begun. Public transportation is usually only found in major cities such as Toronto. It is really a must to be able to drive a car.
Pray for growing relationships in the local church, that they will feel more and more at home in Canada and experiencing God’s rest and peace daily.
As they continue to settle in and learn local culture, pray for the knitting together of the First Story team and God’s guidance in taking steps, the first steps in reaching the indigenousness Canadians.