Meet Our Workers
T is a Canadian TCK (Third Culture Kid) who grew up in Central Asia. After majoring in music and worship, he felt called to return to the country where he grew up, and also to complete graduate studies in ethnomusicology.
R is from New Zealand. She trained as a primary school teacher before heading overseas to teach expatriate children.
Both have also completed training as ESL teachers.
They met on the field and were married in New Zealand. When their first son was born, they returned to the field for a term, running a small English centre for adult learners. However, when it was time for the birth of their second son, they discerned it was time to take a leave of absence and work towards obtaining a common country of citizenship.
They have been in Winnipeg for the past two years but have agreed to resume active service with WEC. They will be facilitating the COME program, and R will serve as hostess for the mission home.
Hi there! My name is Jolene Sanders and I work in the Finance Office here at WEC Canada. It is a joy to be able to serve our missionaries in this way. I actually never imagined myself working in a role like this. Ministry as a vocation was not on my mind until a conversation I had with my pastor’s wife. So off I went to Emmanuel Bible College to study Youth and Worship leadership, and where I also met my husband-to-be, Mike, on the first day of registration. In the midst of our studies, we got married, and a couple of years after that, we welcomed a beautiful baby boy into our family, Elliot. Over the years I worked different jobs, and it wasn’t until a prayer meeting at church that I found out about WEC and their need in the Finance Office. I wasn’t sure I was equipped for the task, but I knew I wanted to be involved in their work. My family and I are so grateful to be welcomed into the WEC family, and I’m excited for the many years ahead I have with WEC Canada!
S M
S M endeared herself to us in Hamilton when she served on staff for two years. We loved
her happy spirit and scrumptious cooking. SM came to Canada from a country in South Asia to attend university. She was nineteen. Following her graduation, she joined WEC in 1998, not planning initially to go overseas, but as she says, “God was tugging at my heart and I thought why not?” Her journey in overseas work has been an adventure with God. She started out in Central Asia and would have stayed on if the workers were not all expelled from the country. Her next stop was Russia, and then on to another region in Asia – where
visas are next to impossible to obtain at this moment. Now she is happy to settle into a country between Europe and Asia, reaching out to people from her previous places of ministry. She went through times of questioning and struggles when one door after another seemed to close. Now, she can look back and thank God. He led her all the way.
A shares her testimony
I was a little girl when I first heard missionaries sharing in my small country church. Even though I was so young, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see that there are parts of the world where there are almost no Christians. A few years later I was at a youth retreat focused on the Great Commission. God watered the seed that had been planted in my heart and asked me to personally respond to the need. On the last day of the retreat, I had my Isaiah 6:8 moment: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” It took almost 20 years before the Lord would reveal where He was sending me.
After Bible School, I continued to sense a pull to overseas work, but no specifics.
Initially God told me to live and work in Canada, and so I found a job in administration. I did this for 8 years, much longer than I expected. God taught me to be faithful in the small things and to look for opportunities to share the gospel here in Canada. In 2017, when I least expected, God began stirring my heart again for overseas work. Little by little, He made each step clear to me. I was invited to do a short-term trip in April 2018 to the Middle East, where I was hosted by a WECer. This trip was life changing. God spoke very clearly and directly that it was time to leave my vocation in Canada and start taking steps to go. I prayed earnestly for Him to reveal the “where” to me in His timing. In Fall 2018, I went through training at the WEC headquarters, which were some of the most encouraging months of my life. The Holy Spirit touched me in a special way, and I felt spiritually revived and renewed. This is exactly what I needed! He also spoke to me very specifically about an unreached people group in Central Asia but the door seemed completely closed to the country I felt specifically called to.
Now, two years later, I am on my way to this very country. All those quiet years working in an office were a training ground for me. God knew exactly what He was doing – for I will be working with a partnering organization in Central Asia doing administration. This will allow me to be the aroma of Christ in a country normally closed to Gospel workers. Wow! Even though I’ve battled doubt, fears and insecurities along the way, God continues to comfort and guide me with his perfect love. I am confident that God has upheld me with His victorious right hand and will be with me now as I take this leap of faith.
Love is in the Air
One of the challenges of missionary life is that many find it difficult to find a spouse that shares their vision and their passion for reaching out to those that do not know Christ. Consequently, many stay single but there are exceptions. Three young couples serving with WEC recently said, “I do!”
V married K (German) in Germany on September 26. They met at Cornerstone, WEC’s missionary training college in the Netherlands.
J and C tied the knot on October 10 in Ontario. Both served in the Middle East and plan to return.
D met J in Alberta. They plan to serve the Lord together in missions. J has not yet joined WEC. They got married on October 17 in Edmonton.
Pray for God’s blessing on these young couples eager to serve the Lord.
The Swan Family
Jeremy and Melissa Swan both grew up in rural Ontario and met as teenagers through church. We didn’t really get to know each other until we were in our early twenties, but soon grew close, and were married in the summer of 2011. Some of the things we enjoy together include skating, biking, reading, and camping with our children. Maria is our oldest, then Elsie, Ethan, Andrew and Kevin. We grew up around people who cared about and supported missions a lot, and from the beginning of our relationship, we talked about going overseas together. We thought perhaps we would go somewhere in Asia, but mostly we felt that God was preparing us to work somewhere remote and rather primitive, sharing Jesus with people who had never heard.
In 2016 we joined WEC and it was during our Candidate Orientation that we heard of the work in Chad. We felt especially drawn to the Arab Nomads of Chad. It was a new idea to us, first going to Africa and also ministry to Muslims. In some ways, however, it was exactly the work we had on our hearts, we just hadn’t expected to find it in the desert!
We moved to Chad in 2018 and studied language for 14 months. After a time back in Canada, we plan to return to Chad later this year. Our vision is to build healthy friendships with people around us in the city, working toward bridging to relationships with the Nomads in the countryside. As yet, we can only effectively communicate on a surface level and we have a lot of listening and watching to do before we can explain the Gospel in a meaningful way. Meanwhile, we desire to live well as followers of Jesus; studying and working in fellowship with God because our lives are for Him, not for others. We pray that the Truth and Life Who lives in us will impact our Chadian neighbours, and we are preparing for openings to explain the way of salvation in the context of our relationships.
D&M in Spain
D & M both grew up with a growing knowledge that they were made for another world, that they didn’t belong permanently in this present world. As they individually saw with their own eyes and heard from others about the deep hopelessness that swallows people on this Earth, the Lord put a desire in them to be a part of the group of those bringing a message of hope, of reconciliation, and of a future, perfect forever home. Both attended Millar College of the Bible although in different years. Further equipping for D was found at WEC’s Gateway and for M in studying linguistics and TESL before they married in 2005. Over the years, the Lord expanded their family adding 4 boys in 2009, 2012, 2015 and 2018, to whom they gave Biblical names, an immediate door-opener in discussing matters of faith.
The Lord carried them to Spain where their desire is to facilitate a ministry of “taste and see that the Lord is good” both for themselves and for those that the Lord leads them to. They do this by opening the Word with family and neighbours and praying His church will be established in this part of the city and beyond.
Introducing Matthew and Allysha Wiebe in Cambodia
“In our last years at Briercrest College, a wild-eyed, ambitious beauty with a strong sense of social justice, and dreams of ‘saving all the children,’ met an equally driven young man with a passion for culture, sacrifice, and adventure. As teens, we had both decided – on our own terms – that we were going to be missionaries, without having any real idea what we were volunteering for (at the time, I figured getting ‘paid to travel’ sounded pretty good). With a vision of going out to change the
world, we got married in 2012 and signed up with WEC in 2013.
“Of course, as our knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus grew, He was kind enough to reveal more
about His purposes and ways. While He has patiently transformed our thoughts and attitudes over
the years, our sense of excitement and spirit of volunteerism in doing the things that He loves has
remained the same. Neither of us have the sense that we are uniquely called into cross-cultural
service and have never felt supernatural guidance to a particular nation or people group. But we do
see the promises of God in His Word, and we do hear about His heart in prayer… and that provides us
with enough direction and drive for a lifetime!
“These days, people are still coming over regularly and inviting us to socialize with them, though fear
has certainly set in. They are more diligent than ever with the call to prayer and, attempting to appeal
to God’s mercy, often arranging for children to perform it. We’ve handed out soap and supplies,
helping our fellow villagers understand more about the virus. We would love to have our medical
contact come out to do further teaching; we also plan to partner with a local seamstress to make
masks for everyone in the village. Pray that our love would grow bigger and bigger, for the Lord Jesus,
for one another, and for this unreached people group.”
Dan and Louise (pseudonyms) have served with WEC in South East Asia since 1994. Dan, originally from Indonesia, moved to Canada in 1989 to study at Prairie Bible College where he met Louise. Dan had surrendered his life to Christ a number of years earlier during his fourth year at medical school. God had challenged him then about serving the suffering people of Asia.
For Louise, growing up in Three Hills and attending school at Prairie, missions were an important focus from kindergarten until her final year at Bible School. She committed her life to God for service wherever He might lead. When the relationship began to grow between Dan and Louise, Dan said he could not marry Louise unless she was willing to serve God in Asia. God continued to lead their lives together and they were married in 1991. He blessed them with six children.
Over the years, God has given them a fruitful ministry: reaching out in friendship to university students and local people; discipling new believers; planting churches in the various cities where they lived; and assisting believers to grow deeper in their relationship with the Lord. Dan and Louise are team leaders in their city. They have remained faithful to God’s call even in tense situations and have raised a delightful family.
Amy
Amy joined WEC in 2002 for a short term to teach missionary children. She spent two years teaching in a large country in the Middle East. During that time, she gained a vision to invest her life into discipleship in a nation with shockingly little Christian presence. She returned to Canada to complete seminary and then returned long term in 2007. In 2008, she began work with a residential ministry training program based out of the capital, which prepares local people to serve in this country and the neighbouring nations. Currently, she is the director of this program after the former director was forced out because he was considered a threat to national security. The intense challenges of this ministry led Amy to recognize the real need for inner healing ministry to help students grow in character. God amazingly brought various opportunities for training and experience in inner healing ministries across her path, and she is now extensively involved in both leading sessions and training others. Amy also enjoys worship leading and prayer ministry and is grateful to be involved in those ministries, including a bi-annual nationwide worship training camp. Her life is not without challenges, some pretty extreme, but Amy feels very privileged to be living the life that she does. She says she would not trade it for anything!
Worldwide
Celebrating the Life of Ken Getty
Ken, originally from Kirkland Lake, Ontario, and a graduate of Prairie Bible College, joined WEC in 1949 with a definite call to North India. He met his wife Racile (predeceased in 2015) on the field and they married in 1951. They had a fruitful ministry in India which included founding, along with godly Indian pastors, Bethel church in Lucknow–a thriving church today.
Ken never forgot his calling to the unreached. For him that was initially and primarily India, but it embraced the whole world. He and Racile returned to Canada reluctantly in 1975 when they were asked to re-establish Canada as an independent WEC Sending Base. It was only after much prayer that they accepted this new challenge. On one of his furloughs, someone chided Ken saying “You must like India to keep going back.” “It has nothing to do with likes or dislikes,” He replied, “I do like India but not the heat, not the poverty, not the dirt, not the darkness. We return to India because the love of Christ compels us.” While a young missionary in India, he was often sought out to speak to student groups. To him this was most rewarding. An MK remarked, “Ken was an East Indian in white skin.” That love for India endured to the end of his life and led to his involvement in outreach in that community, even in his retirement years.
Ken was a gifted and wise leader. He was elected to leadership in India while still a young missionary. His approach to leadership was relaxed, easy going and trusting. He was methodical in assembling a team. He was a consensus builder. He urged all present to contribute and did not rush the decision making process. Walter Mohr says, “For me, Ken was a mentor and a friend. I learned much from him about welcoming new missionary candidates then walking with them through the candidate orientation period.” Ken had a great sense of humour and an ability to diffuse a tense situation with his cheerful countenance and amusing words.
He was visionary. Soon after taking the helm of WEC Canada, he saw the need for a large base so staff could be added, returning workers could be welcomed and candidates trained. We are so thankful that his vision led to the purchase of 37 Aberdeen Ave. in Hamilton.
After stepping down from Canadian WEC leadership he led in launching the new MTC (Missionary Training Centre) project In Langley, BC – Gateway. Always thinking ahead, he saw the need for more workers trained in the WEC ethos but also the need to develop a strong base in Western Canada. He prayed for WEC representation all across Canada.
We praise God for this humble, gifted leader in WEC and count it a privilege to have known him and served under his leadership.
T & H
in North Africa
In 1995, as a young man, T had a definite call to missions which led to a two- year term serving in Central Asia. In 2002, he came to Canada to complete his studies in Adapted Physical Activity. T married H in Korea in 2004 and both moved to Canada where H improved her English and T obtained a degree from McGill University. In the fall of 2009, T and H joined the candidate orientation course at WEC and moved on to serve in North Africa with their two little children the following year. God has used the witness of T and H through personal contacts and helping the disabled in sports. They also help to run a cultural centre as a community outreach.
Karen Morris
in Spain
Karen Morris, from Southern Ontario, applied to WEC for a short term trip with Betel in 2001. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she attended Gateway Missionary Training Centre and was accepted into WEC in 2004 to work with Rainbows of Hope in Spain, WEC’s ministry to children in crisis. Karen’s heart is for the youth of Spain. She counts it a privilege to work with underprivileged children and teenagers in partnership with a local church. Through offering homework classes, they have been able to make many connections with families in the neighbourhood. From 2008 to 2012, they saw a mini revival in the teenagers of the neighbourhood with over 30 people giving their lives to Jesus. Since that time, many have moved away and sadly most of them no longer attend church. Karen still has a burden to see this first group completely surrendered to Christ. Recently, God has been opening doors for good conversations with these now young men. Karen also shares her gifts in music with the church. She has been involved in various schools of worship; teaching piano, music theory and Bible classes.
Sipho & Amanda Moyo
– in Zimbabwe
Amanda joined WEC for a three month short term in South Africa in 2004. On her return to Canada, she applied for full time service with Rainbows of Hope and returned to South Africa in 2005. Sipho, from Zimbabwe, worked on the same team. They both had a burden to help orphans and vulnerable children. Sipho and Amanda married in 2007. Their initial plans were to live in Zimbabwe and develop a farm Sipho had inherited, but those plans did not materialize till several years later. Sipho did his candidate orientation with WEC in South Africa in 2008 and their son Siyabonga was born the same year. Then Sipho’s health took a hit. They had to stay on in South Africa for treatment. Sipho and Amanda served at the WEC base for two years; went to Pietermaritzburg for Sipho to attend Bible School; stayed at the school for six years, first as students, then as chaplains of KwaZulu Natal Missionary and Bible College; served two years as deputies to the WEC leaders in South Africa. In 2016, visa challenges for Sipho forced them to make a move. It was uncertain if they could still serve with WEC, but God had a plan. A new ministry within WEC, ACTS 13, mobilizing Africans for missions, had begun. Sipho and Amanda were invited to join this team and be country mobilizers for Zimbabwe. Developing their farm has been a huge project, but they see it as an integral part of training and supporting African young people in missions. The economic situation in Zimbabwe is extremely difficult, finances are a major challenge. But in spite of all obstacles, Sipho and Amanda are stepping out in faith to train and send several young people on short term mission trips to neighbouring countries this summer.
Celebrating the life of
Nancy Bell
August 22, 1961 to May 2, 2019
How sad we were the day we got the news of Nancy’s diagnosis of stage 4 kidney cancer. The future looked uncertain. For the next eighteen months we prayed and trusted God to heal her, but God chose to take her home to heaven on May 2, 2019.
Nancy grew up in WEC. Her parents, Clarence and Lucille Knapp, served with WEC in Burkina Faso and later at the Canadian Branch in Toronto and in Hamilton. When they returned to Burkina Faso for one year in 1978 to teach at the Bible School, they enrolled Nancy and her younger brother Dan at the WEC MK boarding school in Vavoua, Ivory Coast.
Henry Bell, son of WEC missionaries from Northern Ireland serving in Liberia, attended the same school. Henry and Nancy were classmates. A friendship began that eventually led to their marriage in 1984. The following year they joined WEC for full time service.
Nancy and Henry accepted a call to the Arab world and left for Amman, Jordan in 1986 where they attended language school and worked with a local church. Their first child was born in Amman in 1987.
From Amman, God called them to war-torn Lebanon to help run an orphanage. Nancy thrived on community living and over the eleven years at the orphanage was mother to over 100 children, some of whom were abandoned on their doorstep. She also gave birth to three more children and now had three girls and a boy of her own.
In 2001, WEC Canada requested Henry and Nancy to return to Hamilton to take up the role of national directors for Canada. To live in the headquarters house was like coming home for Nancy. Her gift of hospitality and love of people blessed everyone who worked and visited the WEC house. Her life was an example to many young missionary candidates who lived in the WEC house before going overseas.
Ten years later, with all their children grown and pursuing their own careers, Nancy and Henry planned to return to ministry in the Middle East. Then the request came from the WEC international leaders to join the newly formed International Leadership Team in Singapore to become Deputy International Directors. They moved to Singapore in 2012.
In Singapore, Nancy and Henry began one of their most stretching assignments yet. It involved a lot of travel to visit WEC teams around the world and later on included the role of Area Directors for the Middle East. Nancy had a deep trust in Jesus and depended on His enabling for all these tasks. Her genuine love, warm hugs and joyful laughter put people at ease.
We will miss our precious co-worker and friend and pray God will comfort Henry and the family. Nancy was the fragrance of Christ to us.
Jason Mandryk
Jason Mandryk, from Manitoba, joined WEC in 1997. He has a Master’s degree in global Christian studies from Providence College and Theological Seminary. During his studies, Jason sensed that God was putting in him a more global calling to see the big picture, to analyze the trends, and to communicate the global challenge to the church. Jason worked alongside Patrick Johnstone to coauthor the sixth edition of Operation World, released in 2001 and then authored the 7th edition released in 2010. Jason is a regular speaker at mission events and, along with Molly Wall, continues to head up the Operation World team based in the UK. Next on the horizon is a new edition of Operation World and work is being done right now to improve the data base.
Jason asks prayer for God to send the Operation World team capable members who are gifted in the areas of administration, management, and planning. Provision of such a team would not only bring much-needed people with these important gifts but would free up the researchers, analysts and writers to do what they do best.
Nick Mason
Nick Mason, from Ontario, shares his testimony. “My journey to missions started with feelings of emptiness in my chosen life path. Right when everything was feeling meaningless, I came to Ecclesiastes in my Bible readings. This connection with what was happening in my life led me to consider God’s will for my life. I quickly felt the call to missions. Praying about where to go, I started to see Japan pop up again and again. It was like everywhere I went, Japan came up. However, the thought of mission to Japan never entered my mind until I looked up Japan on Wikipedia and saw that the population was over 125 million and less than 1% were Christian! Seeing this, I suddenly felt that this is where God wanted me to go. I attended WEC’s Gateway missionary training course in January 2012 and went to Japan for a three-month internship as part of the program. This time really helped to affirm my call to serve long term in Japan. I joined WEC in December 2012 and returned full time to Japan in June 2013.”
Nick works in evangelism and church planting and longs to see the people of Japan turning to Jesus.
P & D with M & J
D, from Ontario, met her husband P, from South Asia, while attending Regent College in Vancouver. They were both working towards a Masters degree in Christian Studies. They got married in Ontario in 2002 and joined WEC in 2003. Both P and D had a vision to return to P’s home country to encourage the church and train leaders. P teaches at a theological seminary of over 200 students and is currently vice-principal. He also heads up the publishing department, actively working to write and translate suitable material into the local language. He completes his PhD this year, and the seminary celebrates 25 years since its foundation. D has a full time position in the international school where their two boys, M (15) and J (12), attend. She teaches, counsels and organizes community service clubs and projects with students. She also leads a Ladies Bible Study one morning a week. D enjoys a sporting challenge and excels in swimming. She is grateful for the open doors this sport creates to meet people in the community. She recently guided a blind athlete for the swim portion of his Ironman competition — 1.9 km in the sea! The boys also enjoy and excel in sports, especially football. Pray for this gifted and dedicated family shining for Jesus in South Asia.
Jason
Jason, a young man with a buoyant spirit, came to WEC from Manitoba. He had completed two years of study at Millar Bible College and was eager to get experience in missions. He went on a two-month short term to the Middle East with WEC. On his return he was more determined than ever to follow God’s leading and return to the same area. He joined the 2017 fall Candidate Orientation class in Hamilton and is now in language study in the Middle East, building relationships with people he desires to lead to Christ.
Priscilla Kok
Priscilla was born in Toronto and moved back to Hong Kong with her parents at age 5. When she was 13 they returned to Canada. Priscilla heard about WEC while volunteering at an orphanage in Hong Kong. She began her preparation for missions at Eastwest College in New Zealand, a WEC missionary training college, and returned to Canada to do her Candidate Orientation with WEC in 2011. Priscilla has been very involved in outreach activities with a church in Japan.
Priscilla recounts how she was called to Japan:
Since I was young I wanted to go to China to be a missionary. However, one night in Bible college, while looking at the world map I asked God for confirmation about China. Suddenly I heard a voice inside of me saying, “Does it matter?” I was quite surprised to hear this question and I thought, ‘no, it doesn’t matter at all’. And from then on, I relaxed and let things be. One day while reading one of the textbooks, again I heard a voice, “You’re going to Japan!” I quickly put down my book and felt my heart pumping hard. I was very surprised because I had never thought of going to Japan.
I had a Japanese classmate in Bible college. While everyone else was complaining about having too much homework, or the food not being good, she was always very happy. She then shared with me that she had never been with so many Christians before (my college only had about 40 students). Back in Japan, she had no other Christians at her workplace, and she had been having meals by herself for almost 20 years. Now she felt like she was in heaven. I didn’t have a huge vision about what to do coming to Japan, but after hearing from this classmate, one of my desires was to give the Japanese a chance to meet a Christian face to face.
I had many fears before I came to Japan, but God encouraged me through the story of crossing the Jordan in Joshua 3– Go and stand in the river. He only wants me to be in Japan, to stand here with faith, like the priests who carried the ark standing firmly on dry ground. And He will part the water; He will take care of the rest, in a mighty way.
It has been a great privilege to get to know and journey with my Japanese brothers and sisters.
Shane & Michelle Cooke
Shane, from Ontario, and Michelle, from Texas met while serving as single workers in Central Asia. They married in 2003.
Michelle had been wanting to start her own mission with a multinational, multicultural, faith-based pro-evangelism approach. On meeting Shane and seeing WEC had all these distinctives, she knew there was no need to remake what was already done.
Shane joined WEC in the fall of 1996. Michelle completed her Candidate Orientation with WEC in the spring of 2004.
Shane felt called to WEC because of the daring nature of the WECers he met, going to far-off lands to people who had never heard the Gospel. He ended up in a remote part of Central Asia for two decades. Shane and Michelle have two lively children, Liberty who turns 12 in March this year, and Van who just turned 9 last November.
The children share their parents’ love of travel and adventure, and do so with an understanding that their family is following God, trusting Him to provide all they need.
They all moved to France in 2018 to share the Gospel with French people and are now studying French at a university in the north for up to two years, before moving to the south of France to join a couple reaching out in a region where there are very few Christians.
Michelle loves cycling and getting out, and will meet ladies at a moment’s notice for coffee. Shane enjoys building his Instagram portfolio, swimming, and reading. Liberty has a love for horses, drawing, and thrives on the competition of running and sports in general. Van enjoys building his Legos, collecting Pokemon, and has found a love for the Beautiful Game – football/soccer. If you want to contact the Cookes their email address is: news@cookesoverseas.com
Julie Gibson
Julie Gibson: Born in the Middle East to missionary parents, Julie has lived in a number of Middle Eastern countries. She made the decision to follow Jesus at an early age. In 1988 her family moved to Hamilton to serve with WEC on home staff for five years. Julie was twelve when they returned to the Middle East. She struggled as a teenager with this move, and fell into depression. One night, with the weight of darkness heavy on her, she cried out to God in prayer and He lifted the weight from her spirit. Julie says, “I heard the call to prayer from the mosque and looking out my window I saw the darkness spreading from minaret to minaret all over the city. I knew I was free and safe from that darkness but the people, the children, around me were not.” Julie realized at that point that God wanted her to reach out to Muslim children. In 1998 Julie returned from the Middle East to finish her last year of school in Canada. The following year she enrolled at Bible School in Nipawin, Saskatchewan. Julie went to the Middle East for two years, before returning to complete Bible School. When her family moved back to serve at Gateway, our training centre in Langley, BC, Julie joined them and volunteered there for five years. During that time God spoke to her about Albania. Julie went with WEC to Albania in September of 2010. God is using her experience and talents to reach children for Christ. Julie’s days are full of preparing materials and teaching lessons for the children’s clubs, youth camps and other outreach events to reach Albanian families.
Dirk
Dirk’s burden for missions came when he left Saskatchewan for a short term trip to a country in the Middle East. Returning from that trip he focused on preparing to serve overseas. He attended WEC’s training school, Gateway, in Langley BC and joined the Candidate Orientation course in Hamilton the fall of 2012, moving on to the Middle East the following year. Dirk says, “By God’s grace I’ve been able to learn the language well enough to preach the Gospel and make disciples. I’ve seen some fruit.” Dirk is happy to keep focussed on the main task at hand, seeing God’s kingdom come on earth.
M
M spent ten years of his childhood in the Middle East with missionary parents. Seeing the needs around him, he too had the desire to share Jesus. Back in Canada he took courses in computer programing at university and later got his degree. He attended Bible School in Saskatchewan. M joined WEC for full time service in 2014 and now serves in the Middle East. M is gifted in IT (Information Technology) and has been a great help to several ministries. Prior experience with the language and culture opens doors for meeting people. M desires to reach nomadic people and has been involved in a research project He is praying about what kind of door God will open for reaching them in the future.
We Celebrate the Life of Peggy Aitken
Jan. 22, 1920 – Sept. 5, 2018
Cheerful, loyal and prayerful worker are words that describe Peggy. Peggy and husband Jack, who predeceased her in 2014, joined WEC Canada in 1980 to be responsible for Public Relations. They put many miles on their car traveling across Canada to promote WEC and missions. This was at the end of a fruitful ministry with WEC in India and the UK. We admired their stamina and vision to see workers join WEC and move out to the unreached areas of the world. Peggy shared with us her stories of early years in India and how they reluctantly had to leave in 1955 and return to the UK, their home, because of the serious illness of their son, Jonathon. Daughter Liz was born in the UK. Jonathon passed away in 1982.
In between travels in Canada Peggy served as receptionist at the Canadian base. She retired at age 89, but continued to host a prayer group in her home, attend WEC meetings, and keep in touch with workers in the UK and around the world. Peggy modelled strength of character, courage to face crises and a deep love for Jesus. She remained active to the end. We miss her.
Roly and Cristina Grenier
“Looking back, we can see the Lord preparing us for the future. I, Cristina, am from Colombia. Roly is Canadian. As a young man he attended a youth exchange program in Guatemala where he learnt Spanish. We met when I was studying English in Canada and so we’re both fluent in Spanish and English.
“We got married in 1982. Both Roly and I came from a non-Christian background but in wanting to be the best parents we could before God, we found the Lord. We figured that if we wanted to know what God wanted from us, we should read the Bible, and so we did.
“Once we found this new life in Jesus, we were so filled with joy, we just couldn’t contain ourselves. For us, it was the natural thing to go and tell others who had never heard the good news of a new life in Jesus Christ. We joined WEC in 1992.
“First we went to Spain, and then to Equatorial Guinea (the only Spanish speaking country in Africa) where we lived for 20 years during which the Lord taught us and molded us. We lived in a small wooden house with no running water or electricity and the whole jungle as our back yard. Our three children loved it.
“We were involved in leadership development, helping the small churches to have pastors well rooted in the Word of God and evangelizing villages where there was no church. It was a joy to see one small tribe being reached with the Gospel for the first time, and believers with a passion to share their faith and freedom in Christ. Today, we see Africans with the same call, passion and desire we have.”
In 2016 God led Roly and Cristina into a new, exciting stage of their lives – recruiting Africans for missions. Through them the ACTS 13 program has been launched with the goal of helping the African church to identify, prepare and send out their own missionaries. They are forming a team to develop the work and also planning their first Candidate Orientation in Ethiopia in November 2018. Roly and Cristina are based in Ghana.
Fred
Mention Fred and we think evangelist. Fred loves people and he loves Jesus. People are drawn to Fred’s open, friendly manner. He would be happy to stay in Canada to win souls for Christ, but God gave Fred a definite call to serve Him in the Middle East. Following Bible School at Briercrest, Fred applied to WEC in the spring of 2015 and went on to the Middle East that fall. Fred comes from a hard working Dutch family in Abbotsford BC from whom he learned the building trade. Fred’s desire is to live in obedience to Christ and win souls for Him. His motto is: Christ must increase and I must decrease. John 3:30
Partnering with the Church in Africa in sending cross-cultural workers to make disciples of Christ amongst the unreached in the region and beyond.
Pete and Cathy Dyck with CristyAnn and Josiah
Pete was born in Belize, Central America. Raised in a Christian family he accepted the Lord at the age of 13. In 1984 Pete’s family moved to Aylmer, Ontario and he attended Bible School there.
Cathy, from Saskatchewan, gave her heart to Jesus at the age of ten. She trained to be a school teacher at University of Saskatchewan. During her studies God challenged her with a message given by a preacher at church on being willing to launch out into the deep, Luke 5:4. Cathy applied to WEC, but before coming to Hamilton she enrolled for a year of Bible School in Aylmer, Ontario where she met Pete. And, as they say, “The rest is history.”
Cathy completed WEC’s Candidate course in 1990 and went to Texas to study Spanish and on to Mexico for ten months. Pete joined the 1992 fall Candidate course where his call to Mexico was confirmed. Pete and Cathy were married in May, 1993 in Saskatchewan.
Pete had a vision to see a Christian camp established in Mexico and they played a key role in seeing El Monte, a multi-ministry centre, started. During their time at El Monte the Lord laid on Pete and Cathy’s heart an unreached people group in Mexico, the Purhépecha. In 2013 the family moved to Michoacan, a central area of the Purhépecha. Two years later they returned to Canada so that their children, Josiah and ChristyAnn, could finish secondary school and prepare for College. Pete and Cathy are getting ready to return to Mexico in September 2018. Their vision to reach the Purhépecha for Christ has not diminished. Pray with them to see a strong church formed among the Purhépecha that can withstand persecution and be a bold witness to their own people. And pray for their children as they remain in Canada without their parents.
J, a young single man, came to WEC from Vancouver Island. He had completed his Bible training at Briercrest College and spent several summers in tree planting. God answered his prayer to pay off school debt in time to join the candidate orientation course in the fall of 2014. J now serves in North Africa, reaching out to young men with the message of God’s love. J has a heart for broken people and knows that God has a purpose for him being in this country. He says, “I want to join Jesus in loving those who are not so loveable.”
L, also a graduate of Briercrest from Ontario, has a heart for missions. She joined WEC in the spring of 2016, going on to North Africa at the beginning of 2018. L doesn’t find language learning easy but is determined to keep at it until she can communicate well with the local people. She was delighted to meet a young woman at a bus stop who is willing to help her with her language. People are drawn to L’s bright smile and cheerful honest attitude.
A short story from L in North Africa
I was riding in the taxi the other day and got to talking to my taxi driver. Somehow the topic of religion came up, and I thought ‘hey, here’s my chance.’ I mean he was practically begging me to tell him what I believe. Unfortunately, with my limited vocabulary in religious terms we didn’t get as far as I would have hoped. I did however encourage him to read the ‘good book’ and he said he hoped we would meet again so we could discuss this further. This situation got me more excited about language learning and gave me motivation to improve so I can take advantage of these sharing opportunities every chance I get.
L grew up in a Christian home in Ontario. Following Bible College at Briercrest, L worked in Regina for several years assisting a young church plant in the city. Feeling called into missions, L served for six months with WEC Betel in South Asia. During his time in South Asia God affirmed L’s vision to reach the people of this area for Christ. He returned to WEC to take the full Candidate Orientation Course in the fall of 2015 and went to the field in 2016. L has persevered in language study and loves to chat with locals. He teaches English to several young men and disciples new believers. His passion is to win souls for Christ.
Meet our Workers
John & Alice Grenier
Alice, originally from Mauritius, trained for cross cultural missions at Worldview, WEC’s Missionary Training College in Tasmania. She then attended the candidate orientation course in Sydney, Australia, and was accepted into WEC in 1988. Her first assignment was Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, where she spent three years in youth work in an urban centre. During this time, Alice’s family immigrated to Canada. Alice joined them in Canada and served on home staff in Hamilton for three years while applying for Permanent Resident status.
John served 2.5 years with OM and then a short term in the Gambia before coming to join WEC for youth ministry in The Gambia, West Africa. While in Candidate Orientation in Hamilton in 1994, he met Alice and during this time a relationship began. John went to Fuller School of Intercultural Studies in California for three months as part of his preparation for missions. John and Alice married in 1995. They spent 21 fruitful years in The Gambia, in youth and agricultural work. They returned to Canada in the summer of 2017. Their son, Jed, just started his first year at McMaster University. John now serves as maintenance man at the WEC Branch in Hamilton and Alice gives assistance in the finance office. WEC Canada is very pleased to welcome John and Alice on home-staff.
Heather & Randy Barnes
Randy and Heather Barnes joined WEC in 1985, coming to us from Saskatchewan–they met at Millar College of the Bible. Randy and Heather spent 16 years in evangelism and church planting in Central Asia. In 2001 they joined the staff in Hamilton and since that time ably fill the role of Candidate Directors.
Heather is a gifted pianist, often playing for our morning devotions and WEC meetings. Both Randy and Heather’s practical skills make a valuable contribution to the running of the home base. Randy and Heather teach classes at the annual Perspective courses held in the area. They have two grown children.
Grace Williams
Grace Williams moved to Ontario from Calgary to answer the call of another mission that needed help in their accounts department. She filled that position for two and half years before joining WEC in 2001. Grace’s careful attention to her work in the finance department is much appreciated. Prayer is a priority in her life. She is an avid photographer. Grace has two grown daughters and a grandson.
Jon & Patty Hines
Jon grew up in WEC, born in Colombia to pioneer missionaries, Ralph and Martha Hines. He returned to Three Hills, Alberta for high school, where he met his future wife Mona Charter. They married during Jon’s work and studies in Calgary; he graduated as a Certified General Accountant. Their first son onathan was born in Calgary and their daughter, Lisa, in DR Congo during a two year short term with WEC. On returning to Canada God gave them another son, Daniel. Jon and Mona joined WEC full time in 1991 responding to the need for a treasurer at the WEC base in Hamilton. In 1994 the Lord chose to take Mona home. Jon married her sister Patty in 1995. Jon and Patty are faithful and dedicated workers, Jon as treasurer and Patty currently filling the role of kitchen manager. Jon is also a good source of financial information while Patty is a gifted organizer of events. We have all been blessed by their hospitality. Their two grandsons bring them great joy.