introducing our missionaries...
Following over three decades of full-time service, the Matthews are now honorary NCEM members.
Here they share their story:
In preparation for our ministry with NCEM, we attended Nipawin Bible College for three years, attended Northern Missionary Training Camp, Eastern Missionary Training Camp, & C.O.P.E. (NCEM’s candidate training).
Altogether we have lived in four different locations (and six houses), building relationships with the local communities. If you count every move we’ve made from the beginning, it equals 11!
Over the years the Lord has given us abundant opportunities to share His hope, love and salvation. We were blessed with the privilege of bringing people to, and working at two of NCEM’s Bible camps, hosting two community outreach coffee houses, holding weekly children’s Bible clubs, hosting small group Bible studies and many folks in our home.
We have, at times, held church services in our home, as well as attempted to introduce people to already established local churches.
In the way of getting further equipped, we have attended a “Bondage Breaker” seminar with Neil Anderson, and the very first “Rising Above” seminar in Calgary. We have taken several courses, including one on “Inductive Bible Study” and one with “The American Assoc. of Christian Counselors.”
We took a 9-month sabbatical, which included counseling training with “Caring for the Heart Ministries.” We had the privilege of bringing folks to two other “Rising Above” conferences, as well as volunteering as “Prayer Partner Co-coordinators” in Montreal and Regina.
The Lord called us to Nipawin, Saskatchewan, in 2010 to assist a team of four First Nations elders in establishing a church plant. We held various roles over the years, then stepped out of church leadership and into “assist” roles.
Two of those elders have moved on to other ministries and two have gone home to be with Jesus. Marsden & Mandy Giesbrecht (our son-in-law and daughter) joined this church outreach team, and are currently the leadership missionaries.
Marsden serves in a pastoral role, and Mandy is discipling a group of teen girls. Together they are very busy in this missionary lifestyle. Our daughter, Susan, is one of our worship leaders and her husband, Ronald, is also involved.
What a blessing it is to have reached this stage of life and to be teamed together in ministry with our family.
You can usually find Ken talking to strangers and trusting the Lord for opportunities to share the Gospel. Debbie has authored several books. A biography called, “It’s Time — A Life Story of Forgiveness, Calling and Healing” (by Deborah Ann is available on Amazon Books). The other two, “The Fourth Quarter” and “Understanding Grief” can be purchased through NCEM’s Tribal Trails Bookstore.
