Graham & Lynnea jackson's updates

Dear Friends,

This summer, although officially over, had a great combination of ministry, rest & family time for YWAM Victoria & for us as a family.  We had 2 great Mission Adventures teams spend their full 10 days with us.  This is the first year that we have done the MA training here in Victoria (in the past it’s been done at YWAM Vancouver) & we were really blessed to see how we were able to custom make it to fit our specific focus of ministry.  Take a look at the 2 attached leaflets that highlight through pictures & testimonies what God did in each of the participant’s lives.

As a family we were able to have two separate weeks of holiday time.  First we spent a week camping in Parksville & then we spent the last week of August really “roughing” it at an RCI resort in Ucluelet.  It was a great time & both the kids got to do a number of firsts.

As we head into the fall, we are focused on kids schooling, some home repairs & our regular lives that seem to keep us juggling between work, family & ministry.  We appreciate your prayers for us as a family & for the ministry of YWAM Victoria.  We are facing some large financial challenges for both us as a family & for YWAM Victoria.  We need to see the support base for both increase considerably.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.  If you are on Facebook & haven’t connected with us yet, you can find us at: http://www.facebook.com/Graham.A.Jackson.

Many blessings,
Graham & Lynnea

This is not a Christmas Newsletter!!
So that’s obvious!  Then what is it?  It’s a March newsletter that will give you an update on the Jacksons for the last year!! So we’d love you to take a moment and have a read.

• After faithfully caring and supporting her mother with her battle against cancer, Lynnea’s mom quietly passed away in early January ’08.  Agnes was a wonderful lady who lived a full and productive life.  We all miss her loving involvement in our lives.
• Nate turned 6 and shortly after completed his first full year at school. He’s now in Grade 1 and progressing at the “basics” for learning.
• We had a visit from Graham’s brother, Stewart, for 6 weeks during July and August. He was last in Canada for our wedding in 1995, so it was high time that we had a visit!!  He came to help us clean out and sell Lynnea’s mom’s house in Prince George; but in the process we had a lot of fun together.  While Stewart was here (and because we were so “close” anyway), we took the opportunity to drive to Whitehorse in the Yukon.  It was an amazing experience and definitely a trip that we’ll remember for a long time to come.  The kids loved having their Uncle Stewart around and it was really hard for all of us to say goodbye when he left at the end of August.
• While in Whitehorse, we took the opportunity to take in many of the local attractions.   The area is full of history and became popular during the Klondike Gold Rush. There are relics of that time all around town, but a day trip to Skagway Alaska gave us a much greater appreciation for what these Gold Rushers had to do in order to just get all their supplies to Whitehorse. And that was only the start of their trip to the Goldfields. One of the museums that Graham & Stewart found fascinating was the Beringia Interpretive Center. A museum that displays the finds of ancient fossils & discoveries within the whole region that stretches across to Siberia & the former U.S.S.R. It was the land of the Woolly Mammoth & other long extinct species. It sure gave us lots to talk about!
• Our little Sydney has started pre-school.  After spending most of the summer telling us how much she wasn’t going to like it, she has surprised herself & is loving every minute of it.  Her life revolves around Barbie’s & Princesses!
• YWAM Victoria’s long involvement with the Pacheedaht First Nations community on the west coast of Vancouver Island is continuing. In early June, up to 35 of us spent 3 days tearing down & then re-constructing the deck in front of the Health Center.  It was a cooperative effort between a group of local churches, businesses, YWAM & the First Nations community. At 9.30 Sunday night, after the last nail had been driven into the last board, the last vehicles finally pulled away. It was a huge task, but a project that will serve this community well.
• Another ongoing involvement with Graham’s work with YWAM Victoria, is the growing network of churches & ministries that are working together to see the Kingdom of God advanced in our city of Victoria. Graham has been a part of the leadership group for some years & in the last year has taken on the role of being the “get-it-done” guy in the Operations Team. Right now he’s working on coordination of 52 days of 24 hour prayer  for as many churches in the city who want to participate, from Easter Friday (April  10th)  to  Pentecost  Sunday (May  31st). Last year we had 35 churches involved with a total of 2,172 hours of prayer being logged. Some churches took a whole week, while others prayed from 1 to 4 days.  The stories of what God did in people’s lives during that time are still being told.
  
• In order to make his ministry to the city more effective, Graham wants to take an online course with Bakke Graduate University. “The Nature of Cities” course is designed to help Christians better understand & appreciate the cities in which they are called to live & minister, so that their ministry for Christ will be more fruitful.
  
  We want to take this opportunity to thank YOU for believing in us with your prayers & finances.  It is clearly a blessing having you support us. After 20 years of not taking a regular salary, we continue to be blown away with how God provides for us through people like you. THANKYOU!!
  
  We love you,
  The Jackson Family

OUTREACH OPPORTUNITY AT YWAM VICTORIA

Greetings from Youth With A Mission Victoria.  I want to take this opportunity to encourage you to consider bringing a group to participate in a life changing missions experience in one of the outreaches that YWAM offers on Vancouver Island.  As you can see on the attached document, we offer a number of options and are also able to customize an outreach trip to suit your needs and schedule.  Our summer Missions Adventures provides training and hands on experience, while other times of the year gives you a chance to jump right in and serve.

Please visit our website to see more information about the outreach opportunities: http://www.ywamvictoria.com/out_misad.html.  While there you can read testimonies and endorsements of those who have participated with us in the past.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any enquiries or to request an application manual.

Wishing you all the best for 2009.

Regards,

Graham Jackson,                                
Director, YWAM Victoria.                   

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#102-527 Constance Ave,
Victoria, BC V9A 6N5
CANADA
Ph #: (250)386-4040
Fx #: (250)386-4044
Email: outreaches@ywamvictoria.com
Web: www.ywamvictoria.com/out_misad.html