February/March 2019 Update

Dear Family & Friends,

We trust that where you are spring has/is springing and that the intrigue of new life and new beginnings will capture your hearts and minds.  Here is a brief update on our lives over these past two months.

Like for many Canadians, winter seemed to linger a little long this year.  And, just when it felt like it was going to end, it would snow again, or get colder.

At the beginning of February we headed east to Winnipeg to spend time with Kilcona Park Alliance church where we lived and pastored from 1987-1991.  As you can see, we were greeted by more snow and even colder weather than in BC.  But, as always, the time with our friends (and some family) in Manitoba was rich and warm.  We are so thankful for great partnerships with churches like Kilcona.

We had the privilege while in Winnipeg to pray with a couple of our faithful prayer warriors (Jeannette and Pat).  We meet weekly with them, and others, in an online prayer room, so it was special to actually be face to face during the prayer time.  If you are interested in praying with us weekly and being part of our intercessor team, please contact us at derksens@swissmail.org.

The weekend included a quick trip down to be with family in the Morden/Winkler, MB, part of the province.  Let’s just say that we were thankful we made it there and back safely.

A week after arriving home from Winnipeg we landed in Mexico for university spring break.  It was a treat to spend a week resting with our daughters.  Our brother and sister Brian & Helen were staying close by and we got some down time with them too.

We arrived home just in time to celebrate our daughter-in-law’s birthday.  Family time is always a treat.

That next week we celebrated Mitch’s 30th birthday too. Lauren gave him a fishing boat for his birthday so us boys got out to give it a try (doesn’t attract fish yet though).

A week later we were back in Mexico.  Michelle spent her time doing member care with the 13 families on the ground in Mexico City, while Murray met with the board for TeachBeyond Mexico and the BridgeWay North American School.  Below is a picture of the Alliance Center in Mexico City where we normally stay and have many meetings, followed by a picture of the BridgeWay board enjoying a farewell dinner with the current director of the school.  We were thankful to be able to hire a new director that very same weekend.  The school continues to be in very capable hands.

After enjoying our home and our own bed for almost a week, we headed to Toronto for our semi-annual meetings with the global team we are a part of, as well as with the Alliance Canadian leaders.  This is always a rich time of strategizing, making decisions, stretching and discussing the big picture themes that are part of movement forward.  Here is a picture of our global team along with the support staff from Toronto.

We got home and found that spring had started to sprout from the ground while we were away.  Let’s just say we are thankful for new life, especially after a longer winter.

We finished March with a day of enjoying creation from a different standpoint – a mountain top experience actually.  We were able to spend a part of the day with Myles & Janice, and the rest of the day with family from Manitoba.  We are so thankful for the beautiful Okanagan as a fantastic place to come home to.

As always, we are thankful for the time you take to keep up with the Derksens.  We appreciate your partnership in so many ways.  If you want to know a bit more about us and our ministry please visit our profile page.  You will find opportunities there to partner with us.  You will also find ways to give to the work we are called to do.

Murray & Michelle