Hello Everyone,  

TONIGHT:   First Lenten Soup dinner and Holden Evening Prayer at 6:30.

It was previously announced that the dinners would start next week, but tonight’s the night!!  

REMINDER: This Sunday March 17 – Annual General Meeting following the church service. You should have received notice of meeting and revisions to By-Laws. We will have a short lunch break between the service and the AGM.  Please bring finger-food only to share at this meal.  That is sandwiches, veges and dip, mini-quiches for example.  No food that needs a fork to eat.  Thank you!

We will be celebrating March birthdays on this day as well.

Healing prayers have begun again this past Sunday. Bob K , Sue E , Maureen J and Jim B will provide the prayers twice a month until June 2. We will have a break during summer and then resume in the fall.     

NEWS FROM REST: 

March 9 Request: We are hoping to find someone (ideally a male, but not necessarily) who is able to meet with Saber (our newest arrival) for about 1 hour a week, at Lonsdale Quay, to provide him with some English practice. He is in Level 1 English and could really use some practice. Since he came with his elderly parents, they do not speak English at home. He does attend LINC classes, but needs a boost. He would come from Burnaby on transit.  

Bukhari is having ongoing health troubles, and really not feeling well. It has been determined that he has an immune disorder resulting from so many serious illnesses as a young person. This gives him rounds of discomfort, fatigue, and pain throughout his body. He is seeing a top specialist (thanks again Cynthia!) who will hopefully find some ways to treat this. Please keep him in your prayers. He will be starting his new job this coming week!   

Honada has had an offer to join a woman in a business venture- she is THRILLED! This woman is planning to open a Syrian coffee shop and hopes to have Honada cook the food. They are both hoping that it can turn in to a big venture eventually, with Honada running another coffee shop on the North Shore. For now, Tillat is helping Honada to find a kitchen where she can do regular cooking for the coffee shop. If anyone knows of a commercial kitchen that can be rented, please let us know!   

Other sponsorship opportunities: If anyone hears of or wishes to start a sponsoring group, we have several people in mind, including: Bukhari's brother- 20 years old and healthy, who would like to come and support Bukhari, Honada's brother and his family- Ariad has been arrested and tortured 3 times in Syria. His health has suffered, but he is doing better now. He has a wife, who is in her 20s and two young children, around 6 and 8. Mambo's family from DR of Congo- there are two women in their 20s, one has an 8 year old daughter. These are older daughters of his brother who we are sponsoring. There are more!  

MORE NEWS: March 12 -  Good News!  We just received word that Neema (Mambo's adopted daughter) from DR of the Congo has been fully approved. She still needs to get her visa, but we expect her to arrive in 4-10 weeks!  

Henri M has rallied and appreciates all your prayers!  

Peace, Lin    

Let nothing disturb you

Nothing distress you

While all things fade away; God is unchanging;

Be patient, for with God in your heart, nothing is lacking.

God is enough.

~ St. Teresa of Avila