Greetings and peace in Jesus name!  We trust this finds you well. A lot has happened since we last wrote, so sit back & enjoy!

page 1 Micah 6:8 | 445 Furby St. Winnipeg, MB R3B 2V7 | director@ywamwinnipeg.com |

Family Life

We recently celebrated the one year anniversary of

bringing Micah home to Canada from Ethiopia.  Can you believe it has only been a year?  We feel as though we

have had him as part of our family forever.  We are

continually amazed at this ability to soak up English and stunned by how quickly his little body is sprouting up,

with his height measurably higher on a weekly basis!  Micah is also developing into something of an athlete,

with a passion for swimming, biking and running (he is

Ethiopian, after all).  Kim was quick to introduce him to the joys of Olympic coverage. When he wasn’t cheering

for Ethiopia, we’d hear him shout, "Go, Australia,

go!" (There wasn't much competition from our Canadian athletes, I'm afraid).  Micah is also excited to be starting

kindergarten in the coming weeks.  Where has the time

gone? 

We continue to find our groove as a family amidst the unique joys and challenges of life as missionaries in our

inner city neighbourhood.  Recently, our family spent the

week in Pinawa, MB at the YWAM Canada national staff conference.  Micah was in heaven, surrounded by dozens

of kids from all over the world.  Of course, when you combine a VBS-like program with a group of rowdy little

boys, it should be no surprise the Micah ran up to Jamie

shouting, "Trust God!" before sucker punching him in the gut (followed by a little chat on non-violence).  It was an

amazing week of connecting with our fellow missionaries, praying for and encouraging one another.  It was a much

needed break.

IN THIS ISSUE

Family Life Page 1

YWAM, Chiara House & Little Flowers Community Page 2

Micah Fun-Facts Page 3

A Time of Challenges and Change Page 3-4

Micah 6:8w w w . a r p i n - r i c c i . c o mDo Justice. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly.

September 2012

page 2 Micah 6:8 | 445 Furby St. Winnipeg, MB R3B 2V7 | director@ywamwinnipeg.com |

YWAM, Chiara House

& Little Flowers

Community

Our summer was hopping as we hosted a fantastic team from British Columbia in our summer Mission Adventures program.  With each passing year, we have seen the dynamics of youth ministry within the church in North America change.  Some times those changes are worrisome.  However, some times we are blown away by the level of commitment and passion we see in these young believers.  Perhaps most encouraging, however, is to see young people who have come out of broken lives and, doing what is only possible through God, find new life in Jesus and dive into His mission with zeal.  We are blessed to be a part of that though the amaz ing Mis s ion Adventures program.

 As you know, one of long-term

projects has been Chiara House (www.chiarahouse.ca), the renovation of a low-rise apartment building in which (in partnership with other

churches and Christian business people) we will provide affordable housing (especially for those with mental health dynamics), as well as being a centre for community and outreach in the neighbourhood.  As anyone in the construction business knows, the process has been going slower than expected, complicated by an act of arson that left one suite completely burned out.  Thankfully the fire was contained.  Pray for continued provision & progress on this exciting project.

 Our church plant, Little Flowers

Community is also facing a season of change and challenge.  On one hand, our ministry continues to connect with people on the margins who would not likely be comfortable in the church world.  We have seen people g row deeper in the ir relationship to God, over come addictions, find support in the face of mental illness and participate in serving God in our community.  However, we are also seeing the loss of several key leaders, threatening the sustainability of the work.  We know God has called us to this, so pray with

us that He will call others to work alongside us in this.

 Jamie continues to expand his

ministry through writ ing and speaking.  We are encouraged that people believe in what we are doing as he is invited to preach at churches, teach at colleges/seminaries, speak at conferences and write in many other mediums.  So much of his writing and speaking is a reflection of the work we are doing in our city and abroad.  That people see the value in our experience and work here is a much needed affirmation.  "The Cost of Community", Jamie's most recent book, continues to do well.  Jamie is also developing material for his next big writing project.

 In addition to being the primary

director of our YWAM ministries, Kim is also deeply involved in our community.  Her investment into the lives of others through discipleship, friendship, teaching and support continue to be a vital part of the ministry.  She is particularly excited about continuing to develop the Peace & Justice Internship (more on that below), as well as preparing for our 2013 Just ice Discipleship Training School, a program that has distinguished itself by its excellence in d i s c i p l e s h i p a n d m i s s i o n a r y formation.

All this to say that life and ministry are keeping us busy. We can see the Spirit at work and look forward to what He has in store for the seasons to come.

page 3 Micah 6:8 | 445 Furby St. Winnipeg, MB R3B 2V7 | director@ywamwinnipeg.com |

MICAH FUN-FACTS"Graduated" from Pre-school:

June 26th

Summer Accomplishments: learned to swim

Olympic Cheering Order: Australia, Ethiopia, Canada

OOPS!

A Time of Challenges and

Change

As our last newsletter explained, we are going into a

season of great change.  In the coming weeks, our three YWAM staff will finish their commitments with us and be

moving on to other things.  We are excited for what God

has in store for them.  However, with our need for more leadership already high before their departure, it makes it

even more critical.  We need to see at least 3 or 4 people join our team in the coming year.  There has been some

interest, as well as the potential to recruit new staff from

our upcoming Peace & Justice Internship.  The internship is an exciting new program that we are developing to help

Christians better understand and engage in issue of peace and justice through a Biblical worldview, integrated into

our call to pursue the Great Commission.  Pray with us

that we will find those needed leaders. 

At the same time we face these challenges, we are

confronted by our ability to remain in ministry due to the significant loss of financial missionary support.  As our

last newsletter explained, we were needing to see an

increasing in our committed monthly support to sustain our family in ministry.  However, rather than seeing that

increase, since we last wrote our support has dropped again.  In a matter of 2 days we lost a third of our annual

missions support (largely due to genuine economic

challenges facing those donors).  As a result, we have been continuing to tighten our belts and find ways of

simplifying even more. 

Our strategy for this current financial challenge is

two-fold.  First, we are continuing to try and build our missions support team.  While we need and appreciate

one-time gifts, we are especially needing to add several consistent monthly donors.  If you are interested in

giving, either as a one time gift or as a monthly support,

please see the included insert for information. 

page 4 Micah 6:8 | 445 Furby St. Winnipeg, MB R3B 2V7 | director@ywamwinnipeg.com |

A Time of Challenges and

Change

Second, we have launched an online fund raiser

designed to fill the gap of lost support for the next year:

www.gofundme.com/10qh14  

Please note that Canadians who wish a tax receipt

should send their gifts through Project Funding.  GoFundMe does NOT provide tax receipts.

We find ourselves at a crossroads.  Our current

donors already give far more generously than we could

ever hope.  Yet we are not having success in growing our support team.  Should we lose any more support, it could

mean drastic changes to our life and ministry.  These

dynamics have driven us deeper to prayer, seeking God's

wisdom.  One thing seems abundantly clear to us, through out this ordeal: We feel confident that God has

called us to this place and community.  We ask for your

prayers, wisdom and support.  We need a miracle. 

For the first time in our nearly 2 decades of YWAM ministry, we are facing a challenge that could require us to

leave the ministry.  Our world is being changed by

challenges that result in fewer people participating in missions training and service.  The economic shift has

resulted in a massive drop in missionary support around the world.  Yet, in spite of these challenges- or perhaps

because of them!- we are more dedicated than ever to

obediently follow God's calling on our life to "go into all the world and make disciples of all nations".  We need

you in order to do that.

Until next time

We send this letter to you all with the genuine hope and belief that our next update will be filled with stories of God's

miraculous provision.  Pray with us to that end.  Thank you all SO much for your continued love, prayer and support.  It means the world to our little family and to the community we minister to.

 

Peace & all good,Jamie & Kim & Micah