A Vision for Life: Part IV

In 1991 we moved as a family to Belleville, Ontario, to begin the process of pioneering a new church. We had been sent by the church in Peterborough, along with two other couples, to start holding meetings and to share our faith in Christ with all who would listen. This was an exciting venture as every aspect of our journey was by faith - faith in the absolute power of God to provide all our needs. And God was faithful! In the ten years that we lived in Belleville, we never once lacked the money that was needed to pay our bills, provide food and clothing for the children, and to extend the work of God. We had learned the truth of Paul's words to the Philippians: "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (4:19, NIV).

In 1994, we were blessed to be part of what had come to be called "the Toronto Blessing." While there was some controversy to becoming involved, the tremendous sense of God's presence and the refreshing that He brought far outweighed any controversy that sprang up. In fact, we rarely had any problems administering what God was seeking to do amongst His people. What we found was that God was wanting to set His people free. Where there had been sadness and sorrow, the Holy Spirit was helping people to laugh again. Where there was a sense of dryness, the Holy Spirit brought refreshing joy and peace - often as people lay on their backs in the presence of God. In fact, so much happened that it is impossible to list it all here. Needless to say, when the Holy Spirit fell in our gathering in July of 1994, we started meeting almost every night for the remainder of July. These meetings lasted right up to the starting of school in September. Truly it was an awesome time as the Lord lifted us to a new level of understanding and experience in what He was seeking to restore to His church!

It was during our time in Belleville that God opened the doors for us to meet many, many wonderful people. Not only did people come from all over the Quinte Region, but we also had the opportunity to serve people who came to Prince Edward County as refugees from Kosovo. It was in 1999 that up to 5,000 refugees were airlifted from the war in Yugoslavia to Canada so that they could face the possibility of starting a new life. As members of Belleville Community Church, we were given the opportunity to not only meet many of the refugees who were coming into the country, but also to be involved in the follow-up once they were settled into their new communities. This was a great blessing, and I know it helped all of us to remember again how much a blessing it is to live in a country like Canada.