News & Notes for Praise & Prayer …
New in NCEM
In October we welcomed Moriah Kielar from Three Hills, Alberta, as an intern at Pine Ridge Bible Camp in northwestern Saskatchewan. She is serving till the end of summer 2025 in camper follow-up and social media.
Joining our Board
NCEM’s Governing Board recently appointed two new members. Arlyn Van Enns has served long-term with us at Ft. Chipewyan, AB, and continues there part-time as an associate. His primary ministry these days is with Global Action, based in Colorado while travelling internationally training pastors.
Eric Sinclair and his wife, Michelle, are Key-Way-Tin Bible Institute grads who, following full-time service with NCEM, moved to Eric’s home First Nations community at Kenora, ON, where he is employed in the Family Wellbeing program.
Grief to Gratefulness
Paul & Joanne Janzen have just finished their 30th year of serving in First Nations ministry. Despite that monument, both shared how there wasn’t much celebrating going on as Joanne and Paul both had the hardest year of their lives. David in Psalm 13 says, “O Lord how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long…? How long…?” (v1&2).
Paul earlier prayed, “O Lord, how long do I have to endure Parkinson’s as I wait for Deep Brain Stimulation surgery? How long must I continue to suffer with the pain of dystonia?”
The Lord answered his prayer on March 7th as the Lord directed the doctor’s hands as Paul had DBS surgery. As he started to heal from surgery, he continued to lament for his dear wife, Joanne, as she struggled for four months of being in and out of the hospital, and was released at the end of June.
“Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die…” (v3). Paul would reassure her over and over, “Even though we don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel…we need to keep trusting in God.”
“But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me” (v5&6).
Eugene Peterson puts it well in The Message: Psalm 66:10-12, “He trained us first, passed us like silver through refining fire, brought us into hardscrabble country, pushed us to the very limit, road-tested us inside and out, brought us to hell and back; finally he brought us to this well-watered place.”
“Even though we are not there yet, we will believe God will bring us to this ‘well-watered place.’” say the Janzens. They thank all who helped them in 2024.
The Greatest Joy of Service
“One of the greatest joys about working with the team at Pine Ridge Bible Camp is seeing the unique gifts, personalities and experience that each person has – and being able to watch them use these as they serve together in different areas of camp ministry!” says Tabitha Wahlstrom.
“Every role at camp is important, and having the right people to fill each role makes a world of difference. It is exciting when you can find where people shine and watch them spread their wings and fly. For some it’s cleaning. For some, building things. For some it’s paperwork. For some, people skills. We are blessed to have a team with such a variety of giftings, filling each role in a way that God can use them to the best of who He made them!”
Over the last 10 years Tabitha has had the joy of watching young people come to serve at Pine Ridge Bible Camp – some stay for a week and some come back for months or years. As Tabitha steps down from directing at Pine Ridge, she shared how she will miss watching God open the hearts of campers and staff to who He has made them to be and how He wants to use them to impact others for Him. God has used her time at Pine Ridge and has grown her in ways she never would have imagined.
Please pray for our PRBC team as they navigate through this major leadership transition this fall/winter. Tabitha has seen and participated in so much change and growth at the Camp – both physically (such as the building of the new dining hall/chapel) and relationally (especially in seeing the vision for discipleship realized in the Leader in Training program). Please pray for wisdom for Bruce and Rosella McCaskell as he steps in as Interim Camp Director in January 2025. Tabitha will be staying on part-time in a Resource to the Director role.
Ministry is a Gift
In the hustle and bustle of life, Corrie Hill admits that she can sometimes get her focus skewed by the tasks that each day brings.
She also shared how she has been thinking about the gift that ministry is. “When we see the things God is doing, it is a reminder to me that ‘ministry is a gift’ that I hold, and treasure, and rejoice in.”
“To be able to sit with a young lady at our Tribal Trails booth at a Gospel music weekend and teach her how to read a Bible. To see the hunger in her eyes for her life of addiction to be altered, chains to be broken, and a new course set because of God’s ability to change people dramatically. To hear her ask questions, with a new hope in her voice…. yes, ministry is a gift!”
“To sit interviewing a couple for Tribal Trails, and hearing the things God has done to transform their lives. To know that God was a central point that helped him, as a teenager, overcome mental health issues. To listen as he told of how he wants to reach out to others because he understands what it’s like to feel alone and hopeless without Jesus….reminds us of how, indeed, ministry is a gift.”
Whether she is encouraging a friend who is in crisis, or hosting a program for Tribal Trails, editing, running a camera, or doing various things behind the scenes. Perhaps writing a devotional, or emailing someone who has a serious life issue. In the moments Corrie is onstage speaking, or singing, she overwhelmingly feels that ministry is a gift. Corrie is quick to express how she feels blessed, and challenged, and humbled that God has called her to such tasks. Seeing lives changed, hearts renewed, the enemy conquered, battles won, depression vanish, people coming to know the Lord… Corrie reminds us that ministry is a gift.
Presenting Life Stories
Jan Sassmannshausen is originally from Germany and joined the Mission almost 14 years ago working with Tribal Trails. As he had some training in counselling and youth work, he started by answering letters and emails and helping the Spiritual Helpline. Besides that, he also helped recording once in a while.
Over the years, there was a need of helping with video editing, so Jan took training on the job and started editing programs.
As Tribal Trails needed more program planners, Jan got into creating programs and editing them. He always liked working with the camera, taking pictures for many years as a hobby. Before he became a believer, Jan wanted to direct movies, as he thought video is a great way of getting a message out to the people. He enjoys the work very much: Listening to the guests as they tell their story and making a program so that it is intriguing to watch. Jan shares how often the reports “speak to me in my own situation and while I’m working on the program I get encouraged, comforted or taught.”
“I always realize how much I depend on God while I’m working on these life stories. Often it takes quite a while and a lot of prayer until I know how to put everything together.”
Prayer: NCEM still needs more program planners and other technical staff as well as volunteers for our Spiritual Helpline.
With the Lord
Emeritus missionary Marilyn King moved to her eternal reward on September 6, 2024, from Williams Lake, BC.
Quindel & Marilyn King joined NCEM in 1962, moving from Colorado to Alberta, where they began language study. They served among the Chilcotin First Nation of Alexis Creek, BC, from 1964 to 1989. While there, Quindel translated the Gospel of Mark and began work on the Book of Genesis. Marilyn raised their own four children plus two adopted children, and taught Bible studies.
In 1989 the Kings moved to Prince Albert, helping to address the educational needs of their two adopted children. Marilyn again led women’s Bible studies, and managed the NCEM Bookstore. She shared her musical skills on the piano at Mission staff conferences and in local ministry. In 2000 the Kings returned to the Chilcotin, serving again among these people they loved, and continued with Bible translation.
Back in the early 1970s, Marilyn’s heart had been damaged by rheumatic fever, but with the Lord’s strengthening she carried on through illness, heart surgeries and strokes. On August 30th, Quindel & Marilyn had celebrated her 85h birthday and their 67th wedding anniversary.
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We also mourn the passing of two former missionaries.
Ray Larson passed away on April 5 in Nipawin, SK, at age 92. Ray and his wife, Esther, served with us from 1954-1981. Most of those years Ray travelled to widespread locations, using his carpentry and electrician skills to build and maintain NCEM-owned properties. Ray was always ready to share his faith with whomever he met.
Glen Wiebe passed away at his Manitoba home on March 27, at age 76. He and his wife, Sharon, served with us from 1989-1994 in aviation, based in Nipawin, SK. Besides NCEM, Glen helped spread the Gospel through aviation as a pilot and engineer with two other mission organizations.