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Working on the plans for this summer’s Truth Corps program truly brought to mind the words of Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” We had a number of unanticipated complications in scheduling, and travel paperwork that led to a pool of ten applicants being reduced to three team members!

As it turned out, our team this year was small in numbers but mighty in enthusiasm! The team assembled, full of energy, in the Brantford area of Canada at the home of Brother Chris and Sister Martha Sales, who were the team leaders for this year’s program. Sister Sela Msafiri arrived first, making a journey of just a few hours from London, Ontario, and she was soon joined by Sister Serenity Abel from the Grand River ecclesia who only had to travel 15 minutes down the road. Brother James Bates from Stark County in Ohio had a few flight delays but arrived later that afternoon.

We also were blessed with the company of Sister Bethel Billington who heard that we were shorthanded on Truth Corps, and offered at the last minute to come along with the team to help out where she could. As it turned out, she was just as committed to our work as the official team members were!

Brother David and I were there too, facilitating training and practice for the outreach programs planned by the Cambridge and Grand River ecclesias, and it was a pleasure to see the young people building bonds and working together to gain confidence starting up conversations about their faith. We looked at the scriptural foundations of the command to preach, found Biblical examples of different types of preaching, practiced explaining first principles to others, and role-played knocking on strangers’ doors.

 

In between training sessions, the team got to work on ecclesial projects quickly, despite the oppressive heat wave affecting the region. The Cambridge and Grand River ecclesias are quite near each other, so we were able to alternate between canvassing for a short vacation Bible School in Cambridge and a public lecture and open house for Grand River.

 

On Canada Day we had to limit our time outdoors due to the heat, but since so many people were home that day, we had more good conversations in a short time than in longer sessions later in the week. After each session we re-assembled, sun-kissed and sweat-soaked, eager to discuss our conversations with each other. It wasn’t all nonstop work though: The Cambridge ecclesia treated us to a lovely afternoon outing to Niagra Falls during the week as well. It was a double blessing to witness God’s stunning artistry in his creation and also have a fun time visiting with each other and our ecclesial hosts.

 

It was hard to avoid a little disappointment that our work brought no visitors to the VBS on Monday and Tuesday, but we did have a lot of children from the ecclesias attend, as well as a few friends and family members. We filled three hours with Bible stories, songs, crafts, games and even face painting, and the time passed quickly. Everyone had a  great time, especially the team!

This year, Grand River’s outreach theme was “Finding True Happiness,” and everyone helping out with canvassing wore t-shirts featuring a big smiley face and the text of Psalm 34:8. Grand River’s preaching committee also provided a survey about happiness in relation to a faith (or absence thereof) which turned out to be a great conversation starter because it encouraged people to explain their beliefs and how they affected their outlook. People are always more keen to talk about themselves than listen to a stranger talk, and this provided opportunity to connect during those conversations. Some of us even found ourselves getting the cliff-notes version of the tenets of Hinduism and Sikhism, which we had little previous experience with. You never know when having that context will be helpful in future preaching interactions!

 

Our door-to-door efforts culminated in a Thursday night lecture at the community center where Grand River meets regularly, and on the way there the team speculated about whether any of the people who indicated they might come would actually show up. Some guessed six, another four, and one said they’d be happy with just a single visitor. No one was pessimistic enough to predict no visitors, but as is sometimes the case, our work produced no fruit at the lecture. The lecture went on as planned though, with ecclesial members and one interested friend, and we were able to hear a summary of our survey results as well.

 

In contrast, the Open House that was held in Paris Lion’s Park on Saturday morning was a great success. The ecclesia rented a pavilion and set up welcome signs (hand-crafted by the team with sharpies and posterboard) offering free face-painting, crafts and hot-dogs. We had a prime location right next to the play area and kids were lining up to request face painting a good 40 minutes before start time, so the team jumped in and started face painting as soon as the supplies could be set up. Our artistic efforts varied in quality, but the kids all seemed happy with them!

 

Meanwhile, ecclesial members had lots of time to strike up conversations with parents who were waiting for their kids to finish. The overall feel of the morning was very relaxed, and we discovered quite a few people who had spotted our shirts while we were canvassing around town and were happy to have the chance to resolve their curiosity about what we were up to. Everyone involved felt like it was a great way to let the town know about the ecclesia. Even better, on Sunday morning, after the team had moved on to their next location, we got word that one of the families from the park decided to pop by for Sunday school and ended up staying for memorial service as well.

 

Week one of Truth Corps was busy, but our second week was even more intense! Training duties done, Brother Dave headed home, but I planned to travel with the team to Baraka Bible School to help out with children’s classes. This is the first time a Bible School like Baraka has ever been organized in North America. It was designed to give Swahili speaking Christadelphians in the US and Canada a chance to reconnect with other brothers and sisters who had fled the civil war in Democratic Republic of the Congo and spent years in refugee camps before immigrating to the United States. Immigrants aren’t always relocated to places near ecclesias, and even those who are sometimes struggle integrating into an ecclesia that doesn’t speak their language.

Brothers and sisters, family members and interested friends came from as far as Newfoundland, Montreal and Kansas City to meet together for classes in Swahili. Along with all these families, came lots of children! Of over 100 attendees, over half were children or teens, and the main task of the Truth Corps volunteers was to take charge of kids classes! Thankfully, we could teach those in English, but it required a lot of energy as we taught 2-3 sessions per day, plus running outdoor activities in the afternoon.

 

Our classes focused on the promises about Christ and his Kingdom throughout the Bible, and a dramatic performance was also prepared to share on Wednesday night. Serenity and James did a champion job preparing classes and teamed up with Bethel and myself to be sure each class had a teacher and assistant. Martha organized the drama practices and Chris led classes for the teens. Meanwhile, Sela was putting her bilingual skills to use managing meal planning and preparation.

We enjoyed five evenings of a veritable feast of traditional Congolese foods such as ugali, saka-saka and even doughnuts (rather different from American doughnuts), all produced by volunteers who worked for hours to feed all of us every evening. There was a lot of going back and forth because most meals were served at the London hall, where kids and teen classes were held, but adult classes were held at nearby Fanshawe College, where we also had our rooms. Thankfully, the distance between was short enough to walk for most of us.

 

Personally, I immensely enjoyed getting to know the children throughout the week, but I got a real dose of the struggle that English language learners face coming to our country. It can feel very isolating when you are not able to communicate easily with the majority of the people around you. The Truth Corps team diligently practiced using basic Swahili phrases and put them to use right away, but I struggled even to master those! How much harder it must be for people moving to a location where no one speaks your native tongue.

The moments that most overcame that barrier for me were in our evenings of praise and worship. As a group and individually we sang songs of our faith in both English and Swahili, and I really felt the unity that we have in our brotherhood, despite differences in language and culture. One of my favorite performances was four sisters, the mothers of many of our students, who sang “sing Hosanna,” but in Swahili, which I could even sing along with after a repetition or two. We had performances of original worship music by brother Pelo Mulumba who also organized the music evenings, and even a few dances. The children’s theatrical performance was a big hit, outlining the promises to Abraham, as explained by the resurrected Abraham at the time when he finally receives the land. The older teens also presented a drama that they scripted and rehearsed in their free time, based on the Lord’s Supper.

We all greatly enjoyed our week at Trine Bible School. To the credit of our keen team, the first couple days, the kids were feeling a little low about having much less to do, after their busy week at Baraka Bible School. They missed the full-time busy-ness.  At Trine, Serenity and Bethel taught the younger class, while James taught the completed Grade 4 class. From all reports, the classes went very well and were a good experience.

During one of the teen devotions, our team gave a passionate appeal to others to join the team next year. They talked about how good it had been to face their fears and find out they actually enjoyed helping out with a VBS, and knocking on doors and engaging the neighborhood in Bible discussions. It was part of their favorite memories. James gave a very memorable presentation to all the Bible school on the last night. The girls helped prepare the presentation, and he captured the audience with the message. Hopefully, this will lead to more young people desiring to give a summer to this activity, and discovering that witnessing to our faith can be enjoyable and life changing for both the witness and the one hearing the call. May God bless these efforts to bear fruit.

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Week One: Training and Preaching in the Brantford Area

 

Sister Martha Sales: My favorite moments were going door to door on Canada Day and the great conversations we had that day with all our neighbors’. I loved seeing your confidence build by doing this and how you then were bold to speak to people at the fireworks, which led to a family actually coming out to our Ecclesia. And that night, we were also recognized by a group of people who had seen us in our t-shirts walking around town that day, and wanted to know more about who we were. That was a really good day! It was encouraging that just a few of us in matching T-shirts, putting in only a few hours of outreach could make a big impression and lead some to be curious and even join us. God can work through us if we get working!

Brother James Bates: ​The evening of July 1st was nothing short of joyful. After a day of canvassing for an upcoming public Bible lecture on happiness and a public barbeque, the team traveled to Brother Jochem and Sister Emily Hale’s house for dinner. Upon entering, we were greeted with warm lights and hospitality by many of the other brothers and sisters that were in attendance from Cambridge and other Ecclesias. Downstairs the children played with wide grins, and upstairs the house echoed in laughter. Then came time for dinner and everyone gathered to enjoy a flavorful dinner with a wide variety of burger toppings and fruits. Then came time for the Bible readings, when everyone sat in peace and talked one with another about things concerning eternity, and as all these things came together, time paused. This would be what the kingdom would feel like, yet in a measure unbelievably greater.

Sister Sela Msafiri: My experience with Truth Corps has been truly incredible. Spending a week with the team strengthened my faith in God, taught me new ways to express and share my beliefs, and deepened my understanding of what it means to go into the world and preach the Good News, as we are called to do in the Gospel of Mark. Throughout the week, I learned practical ways to approach conversations about the Bible, such as finding common ground with others and allowing them to guide the discussion, which helped create more meaningful and genuine conversations.

This experience has also changed the way I view how people understand Scripture and why their perspectives may differ from my own. Rather than seeing those differences as obstacles, I now see them as opportunities to listen, learn, and share God’s Word with compassion and understanding. Truth Corps has inspired me to study the Bible more deeply so that I can better understand its teachings and explain them clearly to others when the opportunity arises.

Beyond strengthening my faith, Truth Corps has helped me grow personally. I learned the importance of working together as a team, stepping outside my comfort zone, and building relationships with people I had never met before. What began as a group of individuals quickly became a family, reminding me that even when I am far from home, I can find a sense of belonging through faith and fellowship. This experience has left a lasting impact on both my spiritual life and my personal growth, and I know the lessons I have learned will continue to shape me long after the week has ended.

Sister Serenity Abel: One of my favorite moments during our first week at truth Corp was going door to door. We were handing out flyers for a public talk and barbecue. Sela and I got invited into someone’s house. This was a very unique experience for us and we learned a lot about how others view religion. Another highlight from this week was handing out the same flyers at the fireworks on Canada Day. We got to go around and talk to a few families and some groups of teenagers, this was good for us as we learned that it is pretty easy to talk to people that you don’t know.

 

Week 2: Baraka Bible School

 

Sister Serenity Abel: The Baraka Bible school was one the most enjoyable experiences of Truth Corps. From teaching the Littles to running activities we were constantly busy. We learned a lot about service this week, how to serve out of necessity and love. It was necessary for us to serve as if we didn’t nothing could get done, but we also enjoyed doing it. The joy seeing a group of people in love with the Bible and working with them was incredible. There was rarely a dull moment from hymn sings to handing out meals, we got to experience African culture right here in Canada. This week had a big impact on all of our lives. We all came away from it with new perspectives and a burning fire and passion for the truth.

Sister Martha Sales: What I loved best about Baraka was seeing all working with the children and developing those relationships. The children wanted to go to their classes and many were listening even if quite a few were also talking most of the time. 😄And I took videos of all the kids during lunch hour asking James questions about the Bible and whether we go to heaven or not. They were thinking hard and seeing the implications of the lessons that he and Aunt Cassie were teaching them.

It was amazing to see them perform the play with so few days of practice and I really thank all of you that helped me break the play down into small parts so that we could accomplish that goal. The songs that Aunt Cassie performed with the small children were learned so well, also!!

Sister Sela Msafiri: I really loved watching everything of months planning come to life. Really appreciated God’s blessings throughout each day.

Brother James Bates: Amidst two amazing weeks of constant service, meaningful interaction, and conquering of fear, it was a great experience to take a step back from the present and look to the future that we all pray might soon come: the Kingdom of God. While at Baraka Bible School, many brothers and sisters made a great effort to put on a “Kingdom Night,” in which all of us at the school got to record our vision of the kingdom, the many joys we hope to soon be a part of, and the peace we would receive as our mortal bodies are finally shed, immortality is put on, and nothing withholds us from perfect service of and fellowship with our Father and His son. Afterwards, we all went downstairs, prayed together, and enjoyed time with each other, with a familiar environment of pure joy for God as aforementioned.

 

Week 3: Trine Bible School

 

Sister Martha Sales: My favorite outcome at Trine was how well you all used the two opportunities we had to give passionate appeals for others to join next year. Your testimonies were really powerful and I do hope they result in other young people realizing that doing the preaching work that Jesus Christ has asked us to do, is actually something that we can find stimulating and enjoyable on a whole new level in life. It leaves us feeling stirred up and more deeply convinced of our faith, and it helps us overcome the fears we might have and see that our imagined reactions are worse than the reality we find. I loved James message to the teens that we all have these fears about sharing our faith, but until you do it you maybe don’t realize that God can truly help us overcome these fears and give us a different kind of joy if we will only get out there and be courageous for Him. Seeing this happen for all of you, and hearing your testimony about this was a great highlight for Uncle Chris and myself.

Brother James Bates: We got to share our favorite parts of Truth Corps at Trine, trying to get others to care about the wonderful work God has called us to and the opportunity we have to do that through Truth Corps. Ultimately, Truth Corps taught me that perfect love of God casts out fear, whether in knocking on doors, teaching kids classes, or taking the next steps in life; that sincere peace, love, and joy in our calling and hope is crucial in service to God, and without such things we aren’t really living in an acceptable or profitable way; and that we have to be willing to change and grow daily as we watch for our Lord’s swift return.