~ Spring Training May 22, 2017 – Ooh la la!

Spring Training 2017What a great time at 2017’s Spring Training Conference that Cooperative ESL Ministries hosted!  God is good.  It was so beneficial to connect with each other and the speakers were such a big blessing.  Our theme was Invited in – The Journey so Far, and we became appreciative of this journey.  We became appreciative of what is happening in N. America, as churches reach out to newcomers – we also became aware of the challenges in attitudes towards newcomers (thanks Rick and Patti).  We’re praying for Rick and his initiative with www.lovenewcanadians.org check it out!  We became inspired to bring Jesus up in friendships with Muslims and ask good questions (thanks Travis).  We became inspired to find good resources for low level students (thanks Mary).  We became inspired to keep the dialogue going with our students (thanks Roswita).  We became inspired to befriend and invite in refugees and immigrants (thanks Vivian).  We became appreciative of the huge cultural differences, especially as they pertain to the value of reading, and we were able to vicariously celebrate the successes of new Syrians as they gain benchmarks (thanks Mouner).  A big thank you to our presenters.

Also a big thank you to the CESLM board-team.  Ijeoma Chuku (president), Amber Wylie-Moerman, James Edel (treasurer), and Dale Fisher (secretary).  And, a big thank you to those who pitched in: Jane Whitman, Adam Tasseron, and  Margaret Daley.  Encompass is such a great place to be, so thank you to Harv and the team at Encompass as well; lift them up in your prayers as they minister to the marginalized in Calgary www.encompasspartnerships.com.  Thank you for your presence, to you who attended, and for those who joined with us in spirit.  May the Spirit of God guide us to be warm and welcoming to other cultures – isn’t that what love is?

~James Edel