One of the highlights of my year is to
reflect back on what God has done with and through Leading Influence. I am never disappointed and almost always
have to choose what I’m going to leave out because there are just so many
highlights.
In January, we officially welcomed Barry
and Stella Berglund to our team. Barry
provides chaplaincy services at the Saskatchewan Legislature. We had a great visit with them here in
Victoria and made plans to be with him in Regina in February.
February … Regina… what was I
thinking?? It was a chilly -52C when I
got off the plane. Even the locals
admitted that it was a ‘bit brisk’ outside.
However the warm welcome that Barry and I received at the Saskatchewan
Legislature made up for the frosty conditions outside. It was exciting to watch God open doors for
Barry as he made new friends and renewed some established relationships. God is doing something amazing in
Saskatchewan. As a side note, once you’ve
experienced -52, -25 feels balmy!
The BC Legislature resumes in February and
for me at least it’s like the first day of camp. Everyone comes back from their community to
resume the business of government for the next 4 months. It’s a great time to reconnect, hand out hugs
and catch up! The return to Victoria
also marks the beginning of our weekly prayer gatherings. I love being a part of praying with leaders
who are positioned in places of influence and listening to them ask God for
help and direction.
We held our 8th Annual MLA
Prayer Breakfast in April. Mark Donnelly
‘Mr. O Canada’ was our guest speaker. It
wasn’t our usual kind of breakfast.
There’s nothing quite like having the Vancouver Canucks anthem singer
lead ‘O Canada’ in a banquet room! There
were patriotic buttons bursting across the room! After breakfast, I toured the building with
Mark and we had a series of impromptu mini-concerts wherever we went. God opened some unique doors that day and we
are still reaping the benefits.
In May we hosted our first ‘Leadercast’
event. Leadercast is a leadership
development simulcast that provides world class leadership training and
equipping event. We had a great response
and look forward to doing it again in 2015.
June through August are generally devoted
to Sunday preaching opportunities, MLA office visits and vacation time. The pace is usually a bit slower but this
year was a bit different. Through a
series of events, we were able to launch PrayOntario and shortly after,
PrayMB. Today our ministry footprint
extends from BC to Ontario and we pray daily for the leaders of just under 30
Million Canadians. We also added a new
chaplain for Alberta to our team. Uve Knaak is well qualified to do an
incredible job for us.
The BC Legislature resumed in October. My personal highlight was welcoming back a
member who has been fighting cancer for the past year. I told him I was looking forward to a bear
hug! He willingly obliged! We had been praying for him and staying in
touch so it was especially rewarding to see him back in Victoria.
In November, I visited Edmonton to be with
Uve during his first few days at the Legislature. (As a side note, I’m becoming more and more
in favor of adding a Caribbean island to Canada ) We had a marvelous time
together and he is on his way to a successful ministry! There are bright days ahead for our work in
Alberta.
The BC Legislature breaks for the winter at
the end of November. This is a time to
catch up on administration, write Christmas newsletters and finalize our plans
for 2015! Thanks for your partnership and
support! We see exciting things on the
horizon. Check in with us in January! Have a blessed Christmas and a very happy New
Year!
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