A New Year

Greetings and Happy New Year from the snow belt of Barrie, Ontario! It has been a few months since we last wrote, so we thought it was time for an update on what God has been doing in our lives and ministry here.

It has been a busy several months with both of us starting new jobs and trying to settle into the house that we are renting, but we have enjoyed every bit of the ministry that God has called us to and our home is becoming more like home every day. William continues to thrive in his ministry here as Associate Pastor of Youth and Worship at Willow Creek Baptist Church. William is working hard at improving the worship and striving for excellence in our music ministry. He has also been working diligently on the worship schedule for the new year, which takes a lot of time to prepare. God continues to bring more and more kids to our youth group and many are coming into a deeper relationship with Him, which has been our prayer since we arrived here. We started small groups this past semester with a few sponsors to each group. It has worked out well so far, but we are praying for more female sponsors as we have a lot of girls compared to guys in the youth group right now. We went on our first Jr. High retreat in November and loved every minute of it. We cannot wait to go with the C&C in January and Sr. High in February. This year we are starting a student leadership team, where the students will be involved in planning and executing each of our monthly outreach events. We also look forward to equipping them in leadership skills and what it means to serve others as Jesus would. We are very excited to help lead and equip these students and see how God is going to use them.
I have moved my Graphic Design business to a studio in downtown Barrie. The bus has been my main mode of transportation to and from work. It is not bad, so long as the bus isn’t late! I work with 5 other Graphic and Web Design freelancers, three of which are Christians. Chad who owns the space actually attended Briercrest years ago, what a small world! I hope to be doing more contract work for him this new year.

We have had a restful few weeks over this Christmas season. We were able to spend Christmas with William’s brother’s family and my parents as well. We did an all nighter with our Sr. high youth for New Years at our house where about 22 showed up. I think we have caught up on our sleep ☺.

The weather here has been quite different here than in SK. Not as cold, but tons of snow! When I walk home on the side walk from my bus stop, the snow banks are so high, I can only see the tops of the vehicles. I guess I am a little on the short side though too ☺! William loves driving in the snow and doing donuts every chance he can get. There are a few outdoor skating rinks here in town and of course many ski hill resorts, of which we still have yet to try.

We look forward to a new year here in Barrie and we pray that God will continue to shower His blessings on you and your families.

In Christ
William and Melanie Walker