Elliot Late & Manitoulin Island Mission Report 2013

Elliot Lake & Manitoulin island

Mission

2013

Prepared by: Eastern Canada Youth for Christ

Executive Committee !

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2013/2014 Monthly Executive Committee meeting agendas

September 2013 - 2014 Convention Programming Finalize the main speakers, theme, and location for the 2014 ECYC convention

October 2013 – Expansion into Maritimes Even though we are an EASTERN Canadian movement, and have a Maritimes youth director on our

Board, ECYC has as yet to hold an event or do a mission in PEI, Nova Scotia or New brunswick. ECOM

will assess and vote on various proposals in making inroads into the Maritimes, if at all.

November 2013 – Collaboration with other ministries The Manitoulin mission proved that collaboration has tremendous benefits. Other youth ministries like Jafa,

ACTS and GYC have interest in doing missions. There are media ministries like It is Written Canada.

Other organizations like AMEN, Outpost centers International and LIGHT focus on medical evangelism.

ADRA Canada focuses on community service. ECYC may be interested in hooking up with 3ABN or

HOPE channel to share its story. ECOM will assess and vote on various proposals on who to collaborate

with and for what purpose.

December 2013 – Methods of doing Short-term missions Up until this point, ECYC missions have focused on canvassing, door-to-door, and health expo. It has yet

to undertake a major evangelistic series, medical work, youth program, or community service project.

ECOM will consider and vote on missions committee’s assessment on the current state of ECYC missions.

January 2014 – Launching long-term missions Short term missions are great but their effectiveness is limited. To truly reach the un-reached areas requires

a long duration of on-going mission work. ECOM will explore and vote on various proposals on how to

undertake long term missions or whether ECYC should even do so.

February 2014 – Urban evangelism The General Conference and local unions are making a major push for reaching the large cities. This call is

grounded on a similar call made by Ellen White. The Canadian Union and local conferences will each

select three major cities to hold evangelistic meetings. The Union has stated their interest in ECYC getting

involved. Should ECYC get involved in such endeavors? Is this going away from ECYC’s vision of

reaching unreached places? ECOM will assess the various options and vote on a proposed course of action.

March 2014 - 2015 Convention Programming Finalize the main speakers, theme, and location for the 2015 ECYC convention

“This Gospel of the Kingdom will

be Preached in All the World

for a Witness unto All Nations;

and then shall the End Come”

Matthew 24:14

Until EVERYONE in

eastern Canada is reached,

NONE of us will Experience the

second coming ….

Considering the rapid advances of the

Three Angels’ Messages in distant lands like

China, South America, India, and Africa,

many bemoan the state of the church in

North America. However, there is evidence

that the zeal for missionary service among

the un-reached is still burning within the

hearts of God’s young people in Canada.

It is our prayer that this story will inspire

many other young Canadian Adventists to

have a burden for the un-reached places of

our beloved country.

“Every true disciple is born into the kingdom

of God as a

missionary.”

Ellen G White, Desire of Ages

Elder Mansfield Edwards, President of the Ontario

Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, challenged

ECYC to consider organizing a mission to the un-

reached island of Manitoulin. ECYC’s young

leaders considered it a privilege to be entrusted with

this project and they agreed to the undertaking.

ECYC’s KNOCK program in Windsor provded

invaluable training for the larger scale mission

ECYC would undertake a year later. Many of the

missionaries who finished the KNOCK 2012

leadership training program are presently leaders in

ECYC.

ECYC’s successful

mission to Grand-

falls Windsor,

Newfound land in

2012 inspired

young people to

focus missions on

the unreached

places of Canada.

President Edwards preaching at ECYC 2011.

KNOCK 2012 missionaries with Pastor Marian Kossovan of Windsor SDA church.

The Manitoulin-Elliot Lake mission was modeled after the template designed from

the Windsor mission.

Pastor Daniel Saugh,

district pastor for the

Elliot Lake and

Manitoulin regions

was very supportive

of the mission and

provided invaluable

insight and logistical

support.

He is pictured here

praying after a

worship service

during mission.

During a season of prayer regarding where Generation Youth Christ

(GYC) should do mission work, the Lord impressed Thando Amankwah,

Vice President of missions for GYC to contact ECYC. It proved to be a

divine appointment. The two organizations worked very effectively

together to execute the mission. The mission was promoted at GYC’s

annual convention and resulted in approximately 20 American young

missionaries joining in the project.

ECYC is indebted to Jonathan Zita, director of the Canadian Literature

Evangelism program for providing much

needed guidance and the

organizational framework

for ECYC’s KNOCK

program.

Som

e of

the

Am

eric

an m

issi

onar

ies

“The Manitoulin mission was a jarring reminder that we have a vast mission field in our own backyard

here in North America, and that one does not always have to go across the sea to be a missionary.”

Thando Amankwah,Vice President for Missions, GYC

Grigore Decev and Benjamin Middleton

The missionaries spent the first weekend in Toronto.

Worship, prayer, fellowship, and training helped

prepare the missionaries for the challenges ahead.

In total there were 40 missionaries in attendance from

a wide range of geographic locations such as

Montreal, Quebec, as far west as British Columbia,

from all across the states, and even from France and

Puerto Rico.

It was also a racially diverse group. It represented well

an Adventist church that is global in membership. The

missionaries ranged in age from as young as 14 to the

late 30’s.

Though very diverse, the

team

was unified by a spirit of

service, determination to be

faithful, and a common

identity as Adventists.

Au

drey Segu

erra, 14

years of age.

Grigore Decev of Moldova and Benjamin Middleton of the United States pray together. (above)

Missionary Alexandra Yeboah takes time for personal bible study. (Below)

Some of the leaders in a meeting at the Western Toronto Korean Seventh-day Adventist church where the revival weekend took place.

Missionary Debbrah Blain introduces herself to the rest of the team.

Florenda Blain (left) and Lydie

Paul (right) from Montreal.

Lydie decided to spend her last

three weeks in Canada on

mission.

Both found it challenging to

canvass in english, but Florenda

would go on to sell the most

books in a single day.

Omar Ramus, at the age of 17 was

one of the younger missionaries.

Kenneth Folkman drove

from Wisconsin and went

door to door despite

challenges in mobility. James Irvin III, a former

football player, had given up

the sport to keep the

Sabbath. He served as one of

the unit leaders.

On Sunday, August 28, a train of five vehicles

including a 12 passenger van and a cargo van

traveled north five hours into the wee hours of the

morning to Elliot Lake, Ontario. The city of

approximately 11,000 is a major uranium town. It

also has a very large elderly population and is a

retirement locale.

Missionaries in front of one of the many northern

Ontario Lakes.

One of the many rural homes of

Manitoulin island.

The very next morning, 13 missionaries travelled

an additional two and a half hours to Kagawong,

Manitoulin.

Manitoulin is the world’s largest fresh water

island and has a considerable native population

with several large reserves including the unceded

Wikwemikong reserve. It is a popular summer

getaway and in the

summer season, the

population can reach

up to 10,000.

FACT

The Seventh-day Adventist Church

has no official presence on the

island of Manitoulin. For all intents

and purposes, it is an un-reached

area. There are many such areas in

Ontario.

Missionaries debriefing in one of the mission tents after a day in the field at Manitoulin island.

For the first week, the larger team at Elliot Lake was hosted at the Elliot

Lake Seventh-day Adventist church.

At Manitoulin, the advance team was graciously offered the property of

Dennis Leblanc who is the only Adventist on the island. The team set up

camp in the open field.

Missionaries kept a very optimistic and cheerful attitude despite sleeping

on the ground, in tents, eating outside, and having limited access to

showers.

It was a joy to partake in a little of the difficulties experienced by our

Adventist pioneers and the other great Christian missionaries of the past.

7:00 – 7:30 AM – Morning

Devotion

7:30 – 8:30 AM – Breakfast break

9:00 – 11:00 AM – Physical labor

11:00 – 12:00AM – field prep and

debriefing

1:00 – 8:00 PM – Canvassing /

Health Expo

9:00 – 9:30 PM – Evening prayer

and devotion

** Lunch was taken and eaten in the field

Missionaries pray during worship at Elliot Lake SDA church

Doctor Neeta demonstrates blood glucose assessment

Almost all the missionaries had no colporteuring experience.

But God used them powerfully. God enables those He calls.

There many divine appointments and rewarding experiences. One of the

missionaries had a divine appointment with a young teenager who was

contemplating suicide.

“The most amazing and rewarding part of this trip was

canvassing, it touched my life in a way that I don’t know what

else could have.”

Missionary, first time colporteur

The missionaries canvassed about six to seven

hours a day faithfully bringing life changing

literature into the neighborhoods.

The team sold and distributed a wide variety of

books covering health, marriage and spiritual

devotionals including the writings of Ellen White.

Missionaries Leticia and Lydie stand with a gentleman they canvassed. He is holding

the Great Controversy.

“There are many places in which the voice of the

minister cannot be heard, places which can be reached

only by our publications,…”

Ellen G White, Manuscript 127

Statistics

• Knocked on every single door of

Elliot Lake, a city of about

11,000

• Reached all but approximately

three communities on

Manitoulin island.

• Sold and distributed more than

1100 health books & spiritual

books such as Foods that Heal,

Happy Couples, Step To Christ

and the Great Controversy

• Distributed 1000’s of GLOW

tracts

Missionaries were divided into units of six

individuals. Each unit had a team leader who

was also the driver. These units worked

together for the door to door colporteuring

program. (Picture on left)

Out on the field, the missionaries went out in

pairs. At first, the missionaries went in pairs

to each door, but as they became more

comfortable, the missionaries went

individually to each door. This allowed the

team to knock on every door in Elliot Lake,

the surrounding towns and almost all the

doors of Manitoulin island. (Bottom picture)

COMMUNITIES REACHED

Elliot Lake

Massey

Spanish

Espanola

Gore Bay

Mindemoya

Kagawong

Little Current

Sheguiandah

M-Chigeeng

Providence Bay Spring Bay Sheshegwaning Meldrum Bay Evansville

David Kayumba, a 17 year old from the Windsor Seventh-day

Adventist church was assigned to be a unit leader. Though

intimidated at first due to his youthfulness, he trusted in the Lord to

give him the abilities and wisdom he so desperately needed. He

executed his duties with faithfulness and demonstrated tremendous

leadership.

“The g

reatest w

an

t of th

e wo

rld is th

e wa

nt o

f men

-men

wh

o w

ill no

t be b

ou

ght o

r sold

; men

wh

o in

their in

mo

st sou

ls are tru

e a

nd

ho

nest; m

en w

ho

do

no

t fear to

call sin

by its rig

ht n

am

e; men

wh

ose co

nscience is a

s true to

du

ty as th

e need

le to th

e po

le; m

en w

ho

will sta

nd

for th

e righ

t tho

ug

h the h

eaven

s fall.” ( Ellen

G W

hite, Ed

ucatio

n)

From left: Alexandra Yeboah, Sarah Hitlal, Rebecca Torres, David Kayumba, Elliot Lake resident, Latoya Anderson. The man is holding Foods that Heal, one of the books the team canvassed.

“The medical missionary

work is as the right hand

and arm to the third

angel’s message”

Ellen G White, Medical Ministry

Heeding Ellen White’s counsel to integrate the

medical ministry with gospel evangelism , the

missionaries engaged in a four-day free health

exposition at the Gore Bay pavilion in

Manitoulin island.

Dr. Neeta Hillman, a physician with Weimar health institute and a member of

the GYC mission committee, lead out in this program. d

The attendees were blessed with daily healthy vegetarian cooking

demonstrations and assessments of their blood glucose, blood pressure, mental

health, body fat …etc.

Dr. Neeta Hillman gives free consultations

Dr. Albert Kim gives a health talk

“We have come to a time when Every member of the church needs

to take hold of medical missionary work.” EG White, Manuscript Releases Vol. 16

Missionaries canvass

life-changing

literature at one of the

health expo booths.

Jooho Lee measures waist

circumference on some

young people.

Christina Diana Hopkins, a

nurse from Kettering, assesses

blood pressure on a resident.

The Lord blessed the efforts

and their were many

evidences of His providence

and power at work.

During one of the mornings, it

poured heavily but minutes

after the missionaries prayed,

the rain ceased so that the

health expo could take place.

Individuals were able to have one on one

counseling sessions with physicians and many left

with health and spiritual literature after going

through each booth.

Everyone had the opportunity to get involved in the

health expo. God can even use

Those without medical

Credentials to be involved

in Christ’s healing ministry.

Dr. Gemali Leon ofLoma Linda University and Debbrah Blain assisted

with the cooking demos.

As an American, I was drawn to this

mission because I found it not too far

from home. Canada made me feel like I

was reaching out to those closer to home,

my backyard, being that I live 40 miles

from the border with Alberta. This is

something that I had wanted to do,

because so often we go to far away places

to make a difference, to impact lives, yet

we forget our surroundings, those closest

to us, those we daily come in contact with

When you stop to think that God actually

longs to have us work along with Him, and

see how he opens doors and people’s

hearts, it leaves you in awe. It’s an

experience that definitely draws you

closer to God, and is extremely satisfying,

a kind of satisfaction that is unbeatable by

any other worldly gain.

Chantal Kayumba (left) and

Rebecca Torres (right) developed a

friendship during the mission.

I really benefitted from the encouragement to keep sharing my faith

and God’s love to every person that I come in contact with, whether it be

a smile, a hug, a short prayer, an encouraging word, or the study of

God’s Word. We are responsible for every person that God puts in our

path. And this work that God has entrusted us with, is life changing, not

only for the person being reached, but for the one who reaches out.

Eastern Canada Youth for Christ wants to specially thank the

following individuals and groups:

All the international missionaries who sacrificed to serve the Canadian people.

Pastor Mansfield Edwards, president of Ontario Conference, for implanting the

vision and trusting the young people with this large undertaking

Mr. Jonathan Zita and Canada Youth Challenge for collaborating with ECYC,

providing literature , training, organizational and legal support.

Leaders at the Canadian Union of Seventh Day Adventists: Elder Daniel

Stojanovic, Legal Counsel Grace Mackintosh, Communications Vice President

Stan Jensen and President Mark Johnson for providing counsel and unwavering

support for the mission.

Daniel Saugh, head pastor of Elliot Lake SDA church for his support, guidance,

counsel, enthusiasm and logistical support.

Mr Denis Leblanc and the Elliot Lake SDA church for hosting the missionaries

Thando Amankwah and Generation Youth Christ for collaborating and providing

financial support

Benjamin Alan Middleton, Marc Marcos and UnSCENE media group, for

filming the mission and collaborating to create a documentary.

NEWSTART at Weimar Institute for providing the materials needed for the

health exposition

ECYC is exploring various ways to continue to support the work of the

north and to see the first church on Manitoulin island a reality.

There is no doubt that the thousands of seeds planted in the hearts of

Elliot Lake and Manitoulin island residents will reap a wonderful harvest

one day, but there is still a desperate need for follow up work. Even if

they do not see the results of their work in this life, the missionaries

count the sacrifices as nothing compared to the joy that is set before

them in the saved souls they’ll encounter

at the second coming of Christ.

May all who encounter our story

be inspired to take part in the

revival of the missionary spirit

and the vision that is beginning to

captivate the imagination of

Canada’s young Adventists.

A clarion call is going out to return to the primitive godliness of our

apostolic forefathers and the missionary zeal of our pioneers. May every

church leader, parent and young person heed the call to warn all the un-

reached in eastern Canada about the second coming of our Savior and

the impending crisis that is on the horizon. ECYC gives the glory to our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the workings of His mighty Spirit

without which we could accomplish nothing. By that same power we

will continue to push the vision forward and we invite any young person

who wants to take the mission of the Advent movement to join the

movement.

“Befo

re the fin

al visita

tion o

f God’s ju

dgm

ents u

pon th

e earth

there w

ill be a

mong th

e peo

ple o

f the L

ord

such

a reviva

l of p

rim

itive

godlin

ess as h

as n

ot b

een w

itnessed

since a

posto

lic times…

.” (Great C

ontro

versy, E

llen G

White)

“This trip, with the

numerous blessings,

wonderful opportunities,

leadership and the lifelong

Christian friends that I made,

will forever stay in my mind,

and heart.” Missionary, 18 years old, USA

GANDER MISSION, NFLD (June 26 - July 11, 2014)

Contribute to the planting of the first Seventh-day Adventist church in

the un-reached city of Gander, Newfoundland!

KNOCK 2014 – Timmins, Ontario

(August 01 - 17, 2014)

Millions can trace their conversion to our

literature. Leave life changing literature

among the residents of this northern

Ontario city.

Angie Cho’s life was completely changed at an

ECYC convention. She spent a summer

canvassing and then served one year as a full-

time missionary on a public university campus

in the United States. She was very pivotal in

engineering ECYC’s missionary program. She

is now involved in an African missionary

movement and helps with ECYC’s Canadian

missions.

Through the Lord’s power and your

contribution, ECYC continues to impact the

lives of young people like Angie. .

Whether it’s the young lady who decides

to become a full time missionary after

attending ECYC’s annual conference; the

young man who participates in his first

Canadian mission; the Catholic who

receives his very first Great Controversy,

or the diabetic native who learns life

changing principles of health, God is

using ECYC’s young people to

powerfully impact Canadians for the

gospel. By contributing financially, you

are supporting ECYC’s vision to see

eastern Canada reached in this

generation.

CONTRIBUTE

Online: www.eastcanadayouth.org

Mail: 800 7 ieme avenue app1, Montreal (Quebec) H1b4J3

Cheques payable to: “Eastern Canada Youth Conference”

Marc Kisner giving a relaxing massage to an attendee at

the Health Exposition.

http://www.eastcanadayouth.or

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“With such an army of workers as our

youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how

soon the message of a crucified, risen, and

soon-coming Saviour might be carried to

the whole world!”

Ellen G White, Education, ch. 31

Documents

Elliot Late & Manitoulin Island Mission Report 2013