The 3 Musketeers, alias the 3 C's: Cara, Carmen & Cayla, comprise our new Encore team for 2010-11. All 3 completed 9 months of ministry on Friends & Followers 2009-10 in south Asia and North America (along with 8 others). They are eager, in Cayla's words, to "inspire other believers to consider what God has called them to do here on earth; to passionately seek and live out God's will for their lives." They start a new session of training on September 7 and will be travelling to churches and mission conferences and helping to lead GAP (summer) and Spring Teams in 2011.

Read what the 2008-09 F&F team said about their year:

Blair ~ God taught me what I really need to live. Before hand I thought that I needed many material things to live

Charis ~ Through the testimonies of various African people, I have learned to believe in miracles. God has taught me that He is big enough to care for ALL my needs.

Diane ~ I have seen God working in my life, even in times when I don't feel Him working.

Amy ~ When I think about why God brought our team to Rwanda, I believe it was to love the people. I saw many things that really broke my heart, and there were many times when I wanted to do so much more for the people than just singing and giving hugs, but God taught me that love is just as important of a need as bread or food, and one verse that really helped me through everything was 1 Corinthians 13:3.

Nathan ~ I'm so glad that the Lord could use me to preach use the talents He has given me to help out and bring Honour and Glory to Him. I didn't feel confident about preaching but I'm starting to feel comfortable because I'm letting the Lord continue to work in me.

Joanna ~ I feel like God has been teaching me so much here in Rwanda.  He is opening my eyes.  So many people here have had such painful pasts, and they still can say "God is so good to me" and they serve him with everything in them.  That really challenges me, because I've had such an easy life and yet am so often not as passionate about God as I should be.  I'm seeing over and over that God is worthy of everything we could ever give.

Jill ~ God has been slowly and very physically teaching me not to rely on my own strength but on His and also to allow others to help me along as needed.

Tabitha ~ I am really excited about the young people here who have such passion and potential to be missionaries both to their own communities and all over the world. It opened my eyes to how God is using people from all over the world, not just from western culture.

Dillon ~ I have found that in ministering to people it is sometimes hard to tell people that God does love them even though their life may stink. God has much more to teach me about life and how to minister to people in different cultures.

Emily ~ One day I was sitting on the swings and somehow God revealed to me that looking at Rwanda's past and how beautiful the country is after a genocide, that God can definitely make the ugliest inner thing in my heart the most beautiful characteristic ever. I find often that I am asking God to sustain me and give me the energy that I need, which is sometimes something that only He can give.

Karina ~ When it rains here (Rwanda), it washes away the dust.  It makes the red dirt brown again.  When it rains, I often imagine the water washing away filthy memories of this land.  The blood stained dirt from the Genocide is beginning to heal and the memory of what happened with it.  God is bringing peace to this country again.  His healing rains wash and cleanse the deep rooted hurt.  My prayer is that as the people begin to trust God that they will be trusting the True and Living God of the Bible and not just their experiences and feelings that they get in a church.  There are many things that our North American churches may lack in when it comes to excitement and passion, but some of the African churches miss the meaning of the scriptures.  I hope and pray that in our programs, we were able to be bold enough with God's word in our hearts and impact them for good. 

James ~ I remember my first time being in a country where the majority of people we see are poor.  I was really excited to see how much it shocked the team.  In North America, we complain about so many trivial things, and seeing what they saw showed them how privileged they really are.  The best thing though was that our team members didn't just get overwhelmed and do nothing, they took action and wanted to help anyone they could.  That's part of the reason we bring food with us to the bus stops now.  That's where the beggars hang out and that way we can share Jesus' love not just with words or a smile, but also with a bit of food for an empty stomach.

Jill Hagen & Band (Ray Banman, bass; Kurt Driedger, guitar; Nathan Labrecque, drums; Terry Prokopchuk, sound have had a whirlwind January, kicking off Jill's second album, Ruined for the Ordinary. CD Release concerts were held at Olds College, Church of God in Camrose, the Max in Drayton Valley and at Glenmore Christian Academy in Calgary. For more information on this new album, go to jillhagen.com. Photos shown are from Camrose. Jill Hagen & Band will be on tour in Manitoba until early March and then will embark on a whirlwind tour of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio through the month of March.

Find out what all the excitement is about at Jill Hagen's upcoming CD Release concerts. Ruined for the Ordinary is Jill Hagen's newest CD, produced with band members Ray Banman, Kurt Driedger, Nathan Labrecque and Terry Prokopchuk (all AIR members with VTI). Concerts will be held in Olds, Camrose, Drayton Valley and Calgary (see the information below for details).

We are so thankful for your prayers and support for our ministry at Venture Teams (VTI). We would like to let you know about a pressing need. We have an urgent need for $23,000 to replace the roofing at Discovery Lodge, our team training & retreat centre. I'll let Jim Nelson, our Maintenance Manager, tell you about it:

When my wife and I joined VTI in August 2008, I was truly amazed at the facility we have at Discovery Lodge. The setting is idyllic, and the infrastructure is so suitable for a ministry such as this. I believe the Lord has truly set our "lines in pleasant places" (Ps. 16:6). We can all be truly thankful to the Lord for so blessing us.

Now, sixteen months later, my enthusiasm for Discovery Lodge has not waned. However, I see a few pressing needs. Our greatest need is for new roofing on the buildings (Lodge, Chapel, and Quad). The Lodge is in particularly desperate condition. The age of the shingles, together with some nasty weather, has brought us to this point. $23,000 is my estimate for materials (only) to reshingle the three buildings.

To maintain what the Lord has blessed us with, we need to move on this project. This is where we need the Lord's people to step in and give us a hand.

Would you consider helping us reach our goal of $23,000 for this project, and invest in a facility that is so integral to our ministry? Donations can be made online (select Fund/designation 1.1) through the mail (send cheque with donation form) or by phoning our office at 1.800.565.3818 with credit card information (office closes December 24 and reopens January 4). Thank you so much!

Eternal Blessings!

Mark Sorell
Executive Director