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There Are Still Good Things

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Hello friends! I wanted to write to you and tell you that amidst the chaos, there are still good things happening over here. There have still been many opportunities to love people in our community and we have been well provided for in many ways. The last thing I wanted to write was another piece of pandemic material, but I feel that it is important to keep you updated on what has been happening.

I am sure that most of you agree that the seriousness of the pandemic escalated quite quickly and shook the way we run our programs as a relational organization. We quickly shifted to running all of our programs online. In-person meet ups became online video calls. Playing games together in person became playing games together online. Exercise together became streaming online fitness sessions and doing them together. Eating together and having good discussions became sending a skip the dishes order to a youths house, journal group, and a voice chat for spiritual life. Art together became tut…
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A Little Update

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Friends and family, I trust that this letter finds you and your family healthy and well during these strange times. We are holding up in the Adam house. Matt is still working in his role as a Plumber, as it’s considered to be essential for Trinity Western University. They only have 250 students currently on campus and all summer school has moved online. It is a ‘bare bones’ team he works with and we are very thankful he still has work!

Evelyn’s daycare was stopped in mid-March and she has been home with me since. She is very social so is missing her friends from daycare and church, but is enjoying the time with me. We began potty-training at the end of March and I’m proud of how well she (and I!) have done. She loves ‘her puppy’, Maverick, loves to go for walks and play outside and her favourite thing to ask is ‘What doing, mommy?’. Hearing this every 30 seconds really gets to a person after awhile.

My work has continued as usual but has moved to an online capacity. With Evelyn being…
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Hope In A Difficult Season

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There’s been a lot of hard things lately, for everyone. All of us were forced to adapt and change our way of living, working and being together overnight. My last newsletter I was typing out in our Youth Unlimited room at the high school before Spring Break and things look very different now. I will say, I got busier over the first few weeks of spring break than I had ever originally planned to.

As soon as I heard about the plans from the government to self-quarantine I began to worry, a lot, for our young people here in Langley. For some, getting out into school or spending time with me outside of home is a very good thing for them because it gives them some sense of consistency, love, and support when they can’t find it at home. So now being forced to stay home, I know, is a worst case scenario. It’s going to tax their mental health because they are constantly going to be surrounded by what they would normally get escape from.

Since this all started 52 days ago, I’ve talked to teen…
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"You Saved My Life And My Faith"

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What a weird time to be alive.  The world has shifted and changed so much in just a few short weeks.  There has been an impact on each and every one of us.  I know that just in our close circle of people in our neighborhood there are some that have lost jobs, others that are living in the midst of uncertain family dynamics, those that are obsessed with the latest conspiracy theories and everything in-between.

There is a lot to grieve.  There is a general sense of feeling a loss of freedom.  We simply can’t do all the things we wish we could do.  This is particularly difficult for our kids, who faced canceled sports, plans with friends, birthday parties, opportunities, routine.  I don’t know about your home, but ours has been filled with a lot of tears as a result.  Then, just when we were starting to sort out a new normal, we were asked to add schooling into the equation.  What an absolute comedy of errors that has been.  Each day can feel like an eternity.

Yet, in the large scope of…
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May Prayer Requests

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pray for those who find home to not be a very safe placepray for our staff who are also finding this change difficultpray for our families who are adapting to this change as well

Thank you for your prayers and support! We are praying for you as well during this time.
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Adapting To Change

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Very promptly, everything changed in our world. Schools closed, parents were laid off of work, and home became the main place to be. Normal rhythms are all thrown off in light of this pandemic but even still, who we are has not changed. We still care deeply about our teens and our community. Our philosophy of being responsive and meeting teenagers where they are at is as important now as ever before.

As a team we have been able to respond quickly by creating spaces for interaction, growth, connection, and fun in a safe way online. It is still very much in keeping with who we are and our philosophy of ministry.

We began a virtual youth worker rotation, ensuring one of our staff members was available each weekday between 12 and 4pm if teens felt they needed someone to chat with. It’s important to set the space and to have a consistent place and presence. It may not always get accessed but having that point of consistency when things are increasingly inconsistent is so important.

Each d…
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March Prayer Requests

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- pray for Jon as he steps into the role of Area Director for Langley
- pray for Danny as he transitions into the role of Community Engagement Coordinator
- pray for the students who we have been talking with who are struggling with their mental health; it’s a hard journey to walk
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