We climbed the hill toward the thangka house—well, not a hill really—more like a slight incline. But at 12,000 feet above sea level, a slight incline is enough to make me pause to catch my breath. Thankful for my wool sweater, I unfolded the turtleneck and raised it up above my nose to warm the freezing air before it entered my lungs.

Two elderly Tibetan women were walking our route, swinging their prayer wheels and chanting, “…om mani padme hum…” Poor women! Subzero temperatures and a slight incline were the least of their worries. Elderly Tibetan people are in a race against time to accrue positive merit before they die. Satan’s lie says that freedom from suffering can be achieved through chanting mantras and making pilgrimages. If your good karma outweighs the bad, you will reach nirvana and escape the wheel of suffering and rebirth.

Ahead of us, a Tibetan man was making prostrations: Clap, clap, clap! Lie down. Stand up. Two steps. Clap, clap, clap! And on and on… Poor man! He doesn’t know he’s on the wide road to destruction and his works have no merit in heaven. He’s never heard of the Spotless Lamb. He doesn’t know he could be forgiven.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Join us on Saturday, Feb 11th from 1 – 4pm for an open house.

• Come and take a tour through our new office building.
• Meet our Pioneers International Director and our new Canadian Director.
• Share some refreshments with our office staff.

We’d love to see you there!

51 Byron Ave Dorchester, ON

Official ribbon cutting by Pioneers Canada Board Members

On Saturday Dec 3, 2011 Pioneers Canada celebrated the opening of the new office building with a special dedication service.  Many guests, including Steve Richardson, the President of Pioneers US, and his wife Arlene, joined us for this momentous occasion. Our new Executive Director, James Kim and his wife Lauren, were also able to be present for this event.

While we all celebrated the completion of the building, the over-arching theme was thanksgiving to God for His faithful provision of the building as a foundation for what He is planning for the future.  The building itself is just bricks and mortar but what happens inside is for God’s glory and the larger building allows Pioneers Canada to continue to send out workers to the harvest and care for those already on the field.

I’m not usually one who quotes or makes references to movies when speaking or writing but today I’m going to make an exception.  I recently watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy and found myself intrigued by the relationships in the movie.  In Lord of the Rings we all know that Frodo had the task of taking the ring back to Mount Doom to destroy it and subsequently save Middle Earth. 

As Frodo begins his quest, he is helped by various creatures, elves and humans. Most of them fall away during the trip due to greed, jealousy or factors outside their control.  One companion remains constant however.  Samwise Gamgee, Frodo’s gardener and friend, is with Frodo from the beginning to the end.  He endures hunger, fatigue, poor treatment from Frodo, fear, pain and every other discomfort possible and yet remains to keep the promise that he would stay with Frodo no matter what.  We watch as their friendship fractures under the intense strain of the task before them and Frodo leaves his friend to forge ahead alone. 

Just when all seems to be lost, Sam re-appears to save Frodo and in fact, carries Frodo the last steps to the entrance to Mount Doom where he must throw the ring into the fire.  And we wonder, would Frodo have been successful if Sam had not come back?

So, where am I going with this? Obviously this is fiction but perhaps it can serve to remind us about those in our lives who serve us daily, encouraging, supporting, praying for us and making sure we can do the tasks that God has called us to.  Their job may not be as exciting as a worker living in another culture who sends home exotic stories about things they are involved with for the sake of the gospel but it is just as important and may mean the difference between someone persevering or giving up.  May we remember that we are all part of the body of Christ, one role is not more important than another.

 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 1 Co 12:4-6

We are saddened to announce the resignation of Donnie Scearce, our Executive Director, effective August 31, 2011. During the search for a new permanent Director, Harold Minor has been appointed Interim Executive Director effective August 1, 2011. Harold served in this same interim role prior to Donnie’s arrival and is currently serving Pioneers as both Director of Partnerships for PI Canada and Area Leader for workers who are serving in Canada.  Thanks to Harold for taking on this role.

 Our Board chair, Jonathan Black, had these words to share about Donnie’s time with Pioneers Canada.

 “As many of you know, this summer brings transition to the Pioneers Canada family. Donnie Scearce, who has been our Canadian Director for the past 9 years, has been called to a new season of ministry as the Lead Pastor of North Park Community Church. Donnie’s ministry at North Park, a strong supporter of Pioneers, will begin in September.

 After 22 years serving in various roles in the Pioneers US office, the International team and most recently in Canada, Donnie will be missed by Pioneers Canada and by the international fellowship of Pioneers. It would be easy for us all to make the mistake of thinking that Donnie is the “property” of Pioneers. When we step back, however, we see that Donnie is moving within His Kingdom to a new role, for a new season of ministry that is equally a part of God’s sovereign plan.

 When I think of Donnie’s time at Pioneers Canada, I’m reminded of Deuteronomy 11: 13-14 (NIV):

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today — to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul — then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.

God has blessed Pioneers Canada under Donnie’s leadership. Donnie has been instrumental in building Pioneers Canada into the organization it is today. Over 148 full – time workers serving in 23 countries and an outstanding office team are among the visible legacies that Donnie has created at Pioneers Canada.

 Please join me in praying:

-for continued blessing on Donnie’s ministry at North Park Community Church;

-that Donnie will continue to love the LORD our God and to serve Him with all his heart and with all his soul;

-for the Board of Pioneers Canada as we work to identify the next Director of Pioneers Canada.

 Donnie, we thank you for your great leadership and direction of Pioneers. We wish you well in your new role and are thankful that because Beth is continuing in the office your family’s influence in Pioneers will continue.

 Jonathan Black
Chair, Pioneers Canada

The Pioneers Canada Board was present, along with 40+ other people, for this special occasion. Construction is scheduled to begin later this week, with expected completion and move-in set for Fall 2011.

For more photos, and to track construction progress, please visit LetUsGo.ca.

Please visit the Let Us Go website often for updates and photos of construction progress!

Economics
Allow me to make an analogy. In 1992, one of my first responsibilities when arriving in Sterling, a suburb of Washington, D.C. was to relocate Pioneers U.S. office to a new location. Why? Washington, D.C. was a well recognized city with a good population base and close to Dulles Airport. But the cost of living was exorbitantly high. And for a growing mission with a need for a growing home staff, the cost of living issue is critical. Keeping support amounts as low as possible helps a mission be able to recruit and retain staff. Three cities had been evaluated: Atlanta (GA), Charlotte (NC), and Orlando (FL). Orlando won out, in part because the economics of it made sense. And we were able to locate literally minutes from a good international airport.

Pioneers Canada is now in a similar situation. A growing mission with a growing staff in need of reasonably priced housing. Dorchester is good and with London just minutes away with a wide variety of housing options, the cost of living is hard to beat, especially when comparing to Toronto, Vancouver, or any other major city in Canada.

Summary
We now have a small piece of property (160 ft x 200 ft) large enough for some expansion if it is ever needed, ideally located for our purposes, and excellent from a stewardship perspective for a growing mission. Why Dorchester? Why not?

Purpose
Our office team serves two primary groups of people: missionaries scattered around the globe and the Canadian church (mobilization of individuals and church partnerships and individuals who support these workers and strategic projects). In other words, we are a nationally-based globally-focused mission. We serve in cultures and communities where the opportunity to know Jesus is minimal to none. The locations where Pioneers Canada workers serve are primarily challenging places where government, religion, geography, and language often pose barriers to people having the freedom to hear of or follow Christ.

As such, our office could be located anywhere in Canada but the ideal location would be near an airport. We are fortunate to have London International Airport (YXU) located less than 10 minutes from our office in Dorchester! So, with access to any Canadian city and many major world cities from this airport, often with only one stopover, Dorchester is actually ideal, if the location is not too costly.

Please check back next week to read the final post in the “Why Dorchester?” series: Economics.