post-surg

Friday, Jenny's dad (John) and I took Jenny to Niagara Falls to have the cyst (demon) on her tailbone removed. John and I ate at Perkins, cruised the Falls, and sat at Tim Horton's while we killed off the time that Jenny was in surgery. We picked her up about 7pm and headed home for St Catharines. Jenny was in considerable pain, but relieved that her body was now in recovery mode instead of coping mode.

Yesterday was to be the Celebration Bible College (CBC) graduation feast at Niagara Celebration Church (NCC). We had out hearts set on going since early January, and Jenny's stubbornness in the end won out (and also the fact that we paid $50 for our tickets)! We went and partook of the buffet and Christianese conversation that ever-so-often dominates these kinds of events. But we made the best of it (seeing that Jenny was in obvious discomfort), raving it up with the Karanfilis' and Nita and others. The pleasantness(?) of the evening hardly made up for the night of pain Jenny endured as a result of going. I don't like to do it, but Jenny has now been officially grounded until her body heals. PEI and Double H Ranch are much too important to be rescheduled due to a relapse.

So, today we camped out at the Vine, watching Gremlins 2, missing church at Scott St Manor, and the actual CBC graduation service at NCC. Jenny really wanted to go seeing as her twin (class president Jessica) was to speak a presidential address. Thankfully, NCC streams its services so we were able to watch the proceedings live. It was doubly sweet seeing that Jenny had arranged the NCC bus to pick up residents of Scott St Manor and drive them to the service to watch Jessica and Colin graduate!

We are praying that Jenny would have a speedy and complete recovery. Tomorrow I take her back to Niagara Falls for a follow up to see how she's healing. Thanks for the car Heymans!!

Sunday at the Manor

Today, Colin, Jessica, Jenny and I did our weekly duty at Scott Manor. It was a beautiful day and our numbers were down but Holy Ghost is more concerned with quality rather than quantity. We sang songs, shared about our week, taught some things from the Bible, and prayed with them.

The seeds for what we seen today were sown over a year and a half ago, when Josh Heymans and Melody Wallace started doing visitations. Our ministry there progressed with Josh and myself visiting the Manor twice (or so) weekly. Over the summer, we did our separate things and in the Fall, Heymans, Colin, Jessica and Jenny resumed visitations which evolved into Sunday church services.

We have seen residents who were incredibly anti-social come out of their shell and enjoy the social aspect of Sunday afternoon. We have seen Holy Spirit change hearts as only He can do. It has been such an honor to have a part in the pastoral care of Scott St Manor seeing as it has all but been forgotten by the "more important" things which consume the daily plans of the people (and us "Christians") in the world.

Jesus saw people who appeared to be forgotten and had compassion for them. He was driven by His intimacy with the Father. The intimacy that Jesus enjoyed left Him unable to pass by the forsaken without embracing them. His character was free from complacency. What if we Christians had this kind of intimacy that influenced our actions. It is obvious we do not..........blatantly obvious.

Scott St Manor has been a lesson in pioneering. To say it is an easy place to influence may be the farthest thing from the truth I have ever heard. There is plenty of (non)fruit, but there is plenty of fruit as well.

Pray that someone will step up to the plate and take over the Pastoral Care roll that will need to be filled as our plans post-St Catharines develop. (Colin and Jessica/South Korea, Heymans/Redding CA, myself and Jenny/NY and hopefully Amsterdam and beyond). These people are too precious to lose. But, in saying that, to say that the Spiritual life of these saints is dependant upon our leadership is absolute blasphemy. They are God's; the church planted in that Manor is God's, and their future is in God's hands, not our's, as it should be.

God is good...................we are not. We are servants, all of us, wholly dependant on Him alone.

Spring ish

So, whats up, you ask?

I just put up a new link on my sidebar under the Videos section called Preaching. Check the videos out -->HERE<--. It contains some messages delivered by myself, Jenny Brown, Jessica Brown, and Sheri Smith. I hope many more of my friends will make this prestigious list before too long.

I have been taking care of Jenny for the last while. Her cyst has flared up and she is now in need of surgery to remove it completely. The surgery is scheduled for Apr 25. I have somewhat resorted to my nursing background in this time and my skills are being put to use once again. Everyone pray for her recovery.

We will travel to Ottawa tonight after The Great Debate: Does God exist? between Peter Youngren and Dan Barker. Heymans is going home to visit his family and wants some company.

And...........making plans, as always. Looking at ministry opportunities for the Fall, and maybe even some more correspondance? My ministry license has arrived so I am now an officially licesned minister with Open Bible Faith Fellowship.

the goings on

Things are still well. Not a whole lot to report. Still looking for work. Had interviews at a flower warehouse, and one at Food Basics. Waiting to hear back from them.

Yesterday was sweet. I took Jessica, Cheralyn, Nita, and Russell (from CBC), and Mary and Maria (from SSM) to Versa Care to help me put on a service for 25+ residents there. We sang some songs; Jessica and Russell gave a brief testimony on God's goodness, and Nita prayed. I spoke on joy, and used Psalm 16:11 as a reference. It was a pretty sweet opportunity. I look forward to next week as well.

Today we finally get our camp applications sent out. One to NY and one to NC. We'll leave it up to God to decide which one selects us. Exciting times. We are also finding out that getting registered as a charitable organization is frustrating and a major hassle. We plod on though. I would love to be able tax reciepts to donors. It is a goal for this year.

And the poll results are official:
Amsterdam or Pemba?
Pemba 52%
Amsterdam 48%
It was close but Pemba won. Too bad in reality Amsterdam has won, cause that is the direction that is decided upon. Thanks for voting. Vote on the next one.

I'm a trendy Westerner

This is pretty sweet. Look down by the comment place; I put on this thing where you can rate my posts, so, do it! I got the Idea off of Shawn Cuthill's site. Is that trendy or what?!

Tonight is the "Bake Off" at the Brown's. I made Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Loaf. 1st prize is a $15 Starbucks gift card, and I want it!

entering into GLORY

Quite a bit is happening the last couple weeks here in St Catharines.

Weekly, Heymans, Colin, Jessica, Jenny and I conduct church services at Scott St Manor. Last week we had our largest attendance yet (16) and the Spirit of God was moving in awesome ways, (check it out -->HERE<--). Sadly though, a couple of days before that service, one of our closest friends at the Manor (James, pictured at right ) suddenly passed away. He was in his mid-forties, and we were lucky enough to have met and spend time with this man whom God was obviously transforming into the image of Jesus. James has now entered into Glory, and although we miss him, we celebrate the fact that he is now in the literal presence of his Savior!

I went for a job interview at SITEL the other day and it appears I will be starting work on Feb 4. So that is pretty cool. It is a call center; which should be fairly amusing.

Yesterday, Jenny and I rented a car and went to TACF to see Bill Johnson (left). It was pretty rockin. Heymans also took a couple people down for the day. On the way back to St Catharines (which is normally an hour long drive) the traffic was AWFUL and it took us a little over 3.5 hrs to get back!!! We totally missed the 2nd weekly session of a Pastoral Care course we're enrolled in in Welland. Anyways, it's all good. We'll get there next week, I hope. And if you are so inclined, pray about Laos with me. Something about it has dropped into my spirit and I want to see if the desire for it increases or not.

Duffy's back on the Island...........

............but, is that a good thing? I think so. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's good to see friends and family, but I feel very uneasy about being home again. I absolutely love my family, and I totally know that God has brought me back here for a reason, even if it's for just a short time, but. It's an almost surreal feeling. It may sound harsh and cold, but it's just what it is. The last couple days in St Catharines were ones of immense intensity. I normally don't mind 'good-byes'; it's something that I have never had a hard thing doing. It was different this time. I had a time of prayer at the Vine with Earl, Kyle, and the Brown's on thursday night that has literally been unmatched in passion/intensity in my life. I left feeling incredibly heavy; drained. I said that I would not want many of those experiences to happen again (but would I?). The prayers prayed were ones of laid down desperation. Prayers that 'Christians' would like to pray, but don't really have the guts, or the belief, to. Not that we did either, but we were desperate for God to take away all of our peace apart from His will. Prayers that say, "Lord, give us no peace, no rest, no joy even, apart from Your will." Prayers like this aren't the glorious 'hallelujah' type we here in the west are accustomed to. They are born out of a soul's unequal hunger to be broken for the things that God's heart are broken over. These prayers hurt, and they're supposed to. A revivalist once said something to this effect: God makes things out of nothing. So until a man is nothing God cannot make something out of him. Thats hardcore. In this mindset, we bravely/stupidly pray, not knowing the dire consequences it will have on our life, our conscience, our decisions. Really though, is there any other way? There is, but it doesnt lead through the narrow gate, it leads through the wide one. I would like to have the time here on PEI to be introspective, but I simply don't. Maybe thats a good thing. There are some things in my mind now that are better not to think of.

In extrospect, Heymans dropped me off at the Toronto Airport this afternoon and I flew back to PEI. My mom and step dad, aunt, and brother, step sis, and nephew were all at the Charlottetown Airport to welcome me. I visited Danny on the way to Mom's and he insisted I drive his LeBaron convertible for a few days, and gave me some money to even gas it up. I am loved, and it's humbling. Sometimes thinking about how much God has blessed me, it's hard not to cry. Passion is burning in me right now, it's reaching a fever pitch. Times like this have been few, but they have been there nonetheless. Something immense has been birthed in these times in the past, but this time........? Potential; a big word. Can I tarry? I pray I can. Lord, help me. Strengthen me.

CBC Grad Banquet

Tonight was the Celebration Bible College graduation banquet. It was a pretty decent time, nothing too amazing, but alright. Peter Karl delivered a decent message, and the food was great, etc. It really was a pretty good year, filled with some great people. I may have been a wee bit hard on some of them, but hey, I am what I am. There is a fine line between wanting the best for someone, and seeming like a harsh guy. The Vine had a bunch of us over afterwards for a get together. More good people. I pray that each one of them will walk in the fulness of God's calling for their lives. No compromise. No retreat, no surrender. An army, drafted by God for this very season, for this very purpose: to advance the Kingdom, with power. Tomorrow is graduation. CBC is closed. Next?

a new day

So, I just spent the morning re-editing my blog. I kinda like it. What do you think? Yes, I admit it. I like orange. I just do, so what. I gotta tell you about the Pen Center evangelism Josh Heymans, Jessica Brown, Humphrey Onzere, and I did last night; it was sweet. I'm gonna tell it in 4 sections.
Heymans: Josh wasn't gettin into the flow well untill the close of the evening. He had not much success until a we sat down with guy and wanted to pray for his broken hand. The ladies with him got extremely offended and took off so we sat down and had a great conversation with him and got to pray for his hand. We're believing for a great testimony when the doctor takes his cast off. Then Josh literally got called over by a group of 6 or 7 to preach to them. I don't know what was said cause I was talking to another fellow, but he was witnessing up a storm.
Humphrey:............is hardcore. This was Humphrey's first time out with "Josh Squared", and he tore it up. He just liked to go sit beside someone on a bench and use his African residency as a door opener. He got to talk openly about Christ with at least 4 people. Humphrey just took some bold initiative and didn't wait for us to point him in a direction, he just went for it, and had awesome results. People were almost crying as he shared with them about how much God loved them and how He showed that love for them by sending Jesus to die on their behalf. Nice job God, and Humphrey.
Jessica and I: We pretty much teamed up. But as I was getting my quad band cell phone unlocked so I can use it in Africa, Jessica went up to this guy who was pushing around a little girl in a wheelchair and asked if she could pray for the girl. He was a Bible believing Christian and let her. It was a big step of boldness. We had been asking God to send some sick people to us so we could pray for them, and God answered. Be careful what you pray for. Then we walked up to 2 girls and I bluntly asked them, "Do you girls know Jesus?" They answered, "No............ do you want to tell us about him?" So we got to share about the love of God, and what Easter had been all about, etc etc. Good stuff. Then we got to lay hands on this guy and pray for him. The I seen a girl who looked like I did a few years ago (extremely sad and lonely) so I sent Jessica over to her and she got to dramatically speak into her life in a way that she might never had before. It was awesome.

All this, and I was under constant threat of being permanently banned from that Mall for doing the very thing we were doing! These 3 people braved the threat as well, cause they too would undoubtedly have been banned for being with me. Book of Acts anointing?.............not really, but I'll take it. It was another awesome evangelical experience anyway.

New Poll
Last poll results:

Think Jesus is coming back in your lifetime?

Selection		Votes
yes	56%	9
no	44%	7

The majority says that "YES", Jesus will come back before I die. I voted "no" myself; unless believers get off their *** and get the Gospel to the nations who have not heard yet, we're not going anywhere. So lets go!!! C'mon generation who have been prophesied about. Let's get'er done.

New poll is, do you believe the signs and wonders like Gold Dust, gold teeth, feathers, oil, etc etc are from God, man, or the devil? It's a controvesial subject, and one that has been discussed at length in my bible school the last little while. Blessings all. Enjoy the weekend.

Niagara Falls evangelism

I just got back not long ago from evangelizing in a mall in Niagara Falls. It wasn't the best day of witnessing, but it's always good. It's an addictive habit to start. Colin and Jessica picked up Kyle, Jenny, and I at the Fairview Mall and we booked it to Niagara Falls. Since it was cold and windy, we stuck to indoors. Like I said, people were not too excited to hear about the love of Jesus today, but a couple of people were at least willing to talk to us for a few minutes.

On the way there, we stopped at this Catholic church and went inside. It was an awesome church. I love the old churches with the stained glass and stuff. I'm not much for the idols, but hey, the charismatics aren't perfect either; far from it. It was a good day though, at the Falls.

In about an hour I head to Wal-Mart for my last shift. Time in St Catharines is drawing to a close. I will indeed miss some of the people I've met here. I won't likely admit it to them, but I will. Anyways, if I never see them again, "I'll see them by the River", so it's all good. Keep evangelizing everyone. Let's get this "Christ-business" done!

strike #2

Today, Josh Heymans and I took Jenny (Jenny Hinn, as I call her; as she is a budding super-evangelist) and Jessica Brown (who has one of the greatest servant hearts I have ever seen) out to the Pen Center for some good ole Mall Evangelism. Jessica and I walked around and talked to a few people; we got to pray for this chic who had sore hips (more from her later). We went back to the food court area to meet up with Josh and jenny, and we seen Jenny talking to a girl and Josh was not around. We meet up with Josh and then Jenny comes back with this awesome story:

Josh tells her to go over to this certain table and tell the girl sitting there about Jesus. So she goes over and asked her if she knows Jesus. The girl pretty much breaks down and is weeping saying that she had been asking God that if he was real, etc, that He would send someone to testify of His goodness, etc. So for about 10 minutes, Jenny totally gets to Gospelize her and speak words of life into her. What an awesome testimony; one of the best of the semester! You go God!

Then as we are all cruisin to get an Orange Julius, the security guard that kicked us out 2 mondays ago came up to me again and said that there were more complaints directed towards us and that we (once again) had to leave. She said that if it happens one more time we would be permanently banned from the Pen Center, Glory to God. I believe it was the girl who Jessica and I prayed over who complained to the security guard about us. We seen her talking to one of the store workers whom I credit our gettin kicked out last time to. Anyways, it sure was some good times. I have to try and find out in the St catharines by-laws what our rights are for Mall Evangelism. Things could get quite interesting.