Ministries
BREATHE is a café evening that is held in the local coffee shop, a place you can come and enjoy a cup of coffee and share life together. In this culture
BREATHE is a very different and new initiative. BREATHE is meant to be a place for Christians to bring their friends that might not otherwise step into a church. A non-threatening environment to bring your friends, watch a short video clip, and possibly discuss the video if the opportunity
presents itself. Please pray that God will use BREATHE to bring people a step closer to him. That he will open up the hearts and minds of the
people who step through the doors. That he will grow and use this opportunity in ways we could have never imagined.

WYE MEN is an opportunity for men to get together in the community. Jay with a friend of his Mark Harrison has planned a series of events
which will happen over the next two years that include sports, hot topics, socials, quiz nights, a high wire forest adventure, a canoe
trip, dads and lads days, curry nights, family days, and other exciting events. Both of these ministries are meant to buildrelationships in which will then build bridges between unbelievers and the church. To break down the misconceptions that go with the idea of church. Through allowing God to work through these relationships bringing men and women to a point of seeking God in their own lives.  So far both ministries have had positive feedback. The first event was a men’s breakfast and they had 30 men attend. Ten of these men do not attend any kind of church. Pray that these ministries continue to be effective. We also need to pray that God will use these connections to encourage unbelievers to seek him.

Other Opportunities
OM MDP: We are a part of a program at Life Hope called Ministry Development Planning. Every two weeks we are part of a discussion group, which provides training in the area of starting new inititatives. in the community.

Oriel Jones Art Studio: I have had the opportunity to teach adult art lessons here on a weekly basis. And have built some great connections with people in the art community.

Overmonow School: I have had the opportunity to teach the grade 1 and 2’s art at Overmonnow school on a monthly basis.

Adult Learning: We are taking a Photoshop class at the adult learning centre. We are going to be using these skills for marketing church events. etc.

School Gate: This has been a great time to get to know many parents from the area. Several friendships have been started there. We have been privileged to invite some of these new friends to events and to church.

CVM (Christian Viewpoint for men) Jay is looking to get more involved with this ministry. Which might be something that continues after our two years with OM.

All of these opportunities we look at as God opening up doors and giving us the chance to build relationships. We pray that God continues to use us
in these friendships.

Sydney and Marley
Sydney and Marley are doing well. They have settled into school and are making lots of new friendships. They just celebrated St. Davids Day
(Which is like our Canada Day) and had to wear traditional dress to school. The girls have been learning a little bit of Welsh at school and are
having fun learning about the different traditions in the culture.

Overall, our family has settled well into life in Wales. This expreience has been very challenging at times but there have also been lots of
blessings through the growing and stretching. We continue to see Gods faithfulness and provision through our journey. Please continue
to pray for the ministries we have started here and are involved in. Pray that we will see lives changed and God use these relationships that
we are building to plant seeds. Pray for encouragement and for God to move in amazing ways.

During the Christmas holidays Sydney and Marley had two weeks off from school and we were able to enjoy some of the Christmas traditions in Wales.  Jay and I and the others on the OM team organized an International Christmas Celebration to show the different traditions around the world. This cafe style night was held at the Monmouth Baptist Church and was opened to the public.We had different Christmas snacks from Moldova, Germany, Austria, and Canada. One of the activities we had been to build a gingerbread house which ended up being a big mess, but lots of fun! Can you believe that they don’t have Christmas cookies, gingerbread houses, candy canes, and that hot chocolate isn’t a popular drink in Wales. Some of the traditions here in Wales are Christmas pudding, mulled wine, mince pies and Christmas crackers.  The one thing that all the countries did have in common was the celebration of Christ’s birth, which ended up being the focus at the end of the night. The OM team also went into several schools leading up to the holidays sharing the true meaning of Christmas.

Jay and I have started up separate ministries in the local coffee shop which are just getting off the ground. The local Costa Coffee has allowed us to use the building after hours to run a mens and womans group once a month for free which is a real blessing.  We are hoping that over time these ministries will grow and possibly become more frequent.  So far we have had a good turn out and have some activities in mind for future events. Jay has made some really great contacts and is really anticipating what God has in store for the mens ministry which is much-needed here.

The rest of our time is spent supporting the church and the already existing ministries, building relationships, making connections and supporting the community.  One of the ways we got involved was to run in a Marathon to raise money for charities in Monmouth. I thought it would be a great way to get involved in the community. It is called The Santa Fun Run most everyone who participates dresses up like a Santa Clause. What we did is we registered our team from Monmouth Baptist Church and dress up like a bunch of shepherds.  It was great! We ended up winning an award for the best dressed and making it into the local paper. Churches around here wouldn’t generally do something like this. The churches are very traditional in Monmouth. Jay and I felt it was a good opportunity for people to not only be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas but also support the local charities.In the end it ended up being a great way for the church to be involved and support the community.

So far although very difficult at times, we do really feel the peace that passes all understanding and know that God wants us here in Monmouth.  Through this experience we have no choice but to experience God in a new fresh way.  God has stripped everything away from our lives that was distracting us from being totally consumed by him. The comfort of our own home, our own culture, friends, jobs, the lifestyle we were used to, space, and even the comfort of being busy. Which I do very well at home!

Does this experience look anything like I thought it would?…no.

Is it what God wants for us?  Yes.

Through this experience God has been speaking to us daily, although not always fully understanding and not always comfortable. God has been trying to get our attention and drawing us closer to himself. Two passages that have come up frequently while we have been here are.

Romans 12.

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday and ordinary life – your sleeping, eating,  going – to  work, and walking – around life – and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.  Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God.  You’ll be changed from the inside out.

John 15:4-8

“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined in me.

I am the vine and you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relationship intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant.  Separated, you can’t produce a thing.  Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my father shows who he is – when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

Jay and I are  praying with expectation as we continue into the year 2011!  John 3:8 You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that.  You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it is headed next.  That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.”  Being led by the spirit may take you places you never planned; but the will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you. I think we need to “pull in the oars and put up the sail.”  Please continue to pray for us as we continue to embrace what God has planned for Monmouth this year!

Our family has just arrived in Wales and has spent the last few days getting over jet Legge and adjusting to our new lives here.  Things have been going well, Monmouth is a beautiful country town with rolling hills, markets and buildings that are hundreds of years old.  The streets are narrow little streets made out of brick with cute little shops, cafe’s and pubs. There is so much history here and lots to learn about the culture and history of this town.  Three of  the girls that are going to be on our Global Action Team have just  arrived one is from Austria, one is from Germany and one is from Moldova.  Jay and I are going to be taking on  more of a leadership role because the girls are only 19 years of age and might need some support and a sense of family.Tommorrow morning we will be meeting the church congregation and introducing ourselves, we just put a power point together describing where we are from and what our lives would look like in Canada.  Next week we will be getting a better sense of the different ministries we will be helping with in the church and the community outreach  . 

Sydney started grade two and totally surprised me with the fact that she had no reservation at all starting right away.  She has already made some cute little british friends and is thrilled with the accents.  Marley will be starting on Monday and is also excited to start this new adventure called school.  Please pray that the girls will continue to adjust well to our new situation. Sometimes it’s hard as parents to know exactly what they are going through and how they handle change is sometimes a challenge.  So far they have been doing well other than a few tired spells here and there which I have been dealing with myself.  I have a new appreciation to what the foreign students go through when they first come to N.C.C.  I sometimes feel like I have Canadian written across my forehead. I didn’t think it would be so obvious to people that we aren’t from the same country. I feel like I stand out like a sore thumb.

Today we went down stairs to spend some time with the pastor Jonathan Greaves and his wife Samantha and four kids Carmel, Keilah, Amana and Eden.  The girls are 6, 4, 3, and 1.5 you can just imagine the excitement when Sydney and Marley found out they were going to be having a tea party with their new little friends.  We had the opportunity to enjoy Welsh Cakes, scones with jam and clotted cream…YUMMY!  So much fun! The girls are thrilled to have some playmates just downstairs and Jay and I were very exciteto spend some time with Johnathan and Samantha. Very nice couple and very down to earth.

Jay and I are very excited about  the week ahead and are looking forward to getting an understanding of what our role in Wales is going to be. Please pray that we will settle into a good routine and that we will really feel a sense of what role God wants us to play in this wonderful little town called Monmouth.  There is a lot going on as far as ministry goes and some great opportunities here to put our faith into action. We will continue asking God what he wants us to be doing in this community.

We will be returning once we have everthing sorted out at this end.  We just wanted to thank all of you who were praying for us during this difficult time.  We could definately feel the prayers from miles away. It’s amazing how God can give you a peace that passes all understanding when you need it the most.  Please continue praying for encouragement and wisdom as we get everything into place to board that plane again.

Thank you so much for all of your support! We love you guys!

God is truly AMAZING!

All we need is 500$ a month to jump on the plane in August! 

We can do this!

God IS doing this!!!!

This past week we received an e-mail saying that it didn’t look like we would be going in August, we just didn’t have enough of the funds needed to go. We were disappointed, confused, and frustrated because we have felt strongly all along that God has been confirming this mission trip over and over again in our lives. To say the least we have had a very emotional week.  The amount of money that was still needed to be raised was just enormous.

Yesterday we received a phone call saying that Monmouth Baptist Church would cover the cost of our monthly rent! This is amazing! We were told by OM that this doesn’t generally happen! We were specifically praying that God would cover the cost of our rent or would some how lower our monthly costs so that we could go in August. After Life Hope in Wales recalculated our monthly expenses it turns out that our living expenses have been lowered to 2500 a month!  God has answered our prayers!!!  God will provide!

Please join our team and watch how God can use you to reach this goal.  I am so humbled, and am in total awe of how awesome God is and am so excited that you can share this with us.  What a difficult but amazing journey God has put our family on. Can’t wait to see what God has in store for us in Wales!!!!

If you feel lead to join our team please contact Jay and I. Even if you are giving on line, the reason for this is because we are on a very tight deadline and need to be able to track what people are giving and make sure that all the funds make it to where they are suppose to go.

So give us a call or email us @ 905. 871. 4061. or  jaylblue@hotmail.com

If we aren’t home please leave a message.

Our blog is http://thebluesandbeyond.wordpress.com/

We just want to thank those of you who are already on this journey with us! Your love and encouragement means SO much to us…words can’t even express how much you we appreciate you.  Please continue to pray that we will meet this financial goal!

Thank You!

Jay and Laurie Blue

To eat an elephant take one bite at a time…this is our quote for the day! 

And I will add trusting God while you’re at it makes it much easier to swallow:)

We just want to thank – you SO much for checking out our blog today! Just today alone we have had 82 hits! I woke up this morning feeling discouraged and end off this day by feeling encouraged.  This morning alone we added 250$ to our monthly support and a one time donation of 500$. Which is very encouraging! We still have a long ways to go! Only God is going to work this one out. I also want to thank those of you who are keeping us in your prayers and for the words of encouragement today!  I even had someone who I don’t even know give us a gift of $100.  Which in my eyes is huge! Please continue to consider giving monthly, 10$ or 20$ a month goes a long way!  Just contact us if  your interested.(905) 871-4061. We still have tonight Saturday and Sunday!  ultimately God will have the last say whether or not this is going to happen….just going to see how this whole thing unravels. Thank you so much for your interest and support. If you know of anyone who might be interested in giving to pass this e-mail along.What I have learned is that there are people who we don’t even know who care what God is doing in our lives:)

We need you!

First of all we want to thank all of the people who have been so supportive over the last year or two through this journey that we feel God has called us on. We have had lots of people wondering where we are at with our mission trip to Wales. At this point we have not met our financial goal. If we do not meet this goal we will not be able to go for the two years as planned which is our reality at this point. We are at a crossroads as to what God’s will is for us. We believe God is bigger then deadlines and dollar amounts.

So we have decided to put one last invitation out to join our team of supporters. You can give a one time donation or give monthly. Any little bit of support is greatly appreciated!  

What we ask is if you are feeling called to give please contact us (Jay and Laurie) or Jeremy before Sunday June 20^th.  We need to have confirmation as soon as possible. We have had a very difficult week coming to terms with the reality of our situation but feel that God is still totally in control. We also want to ask that if anyone knows a friend who might support our mission trip or someone who we might have overlooked or who has a heart for missions to send this e-mail to them.  Once again we appreciate you all so much!  Just pray that God’s will, will be done in our lives.  Pray that God will make this very clear for us either way and that we will feel an overwhelming peace, whatever the outcome.

Once again thank you so much!!!

Sincerely,

Jay and Laurie Blue

Jay and Laurie

(905) 871- 4061

Cell (905) 359- 9743

Jeremy and April

(905) 991-8105

OM Canada

1-877-487-7777

www.omcanada.org

Here is the address to our blog if you want to take a look at what we have been up to for the last year….

http://thebluesandbeyond.wordpress.com/

June.5 we are going to be having our last BIG fundraiser. June. 14 is our final deadline, which will determine whether or not we are going to be able to go on this mission trip to Wales.  Our goal is to reach $15,000 dollars in cash which is our starting fee, and the rest in sponsores which would equal $100,000. Jay and I are very aware that this is a huge sum of money that has to be raised in such a short time. We are at $12,000 at this point so we need $3000 more to meet our starting costs.  As far as our monthly sponsors go, we have had people verbally tell us that they will sponsor us monthly, but still need to follow through to make this happen. We believe that God will provide! So please consider sponsoring us monthly.  Our fundraising weekend is June.5, we are having a English Themed night that is going to be held in the N.C.C. gym. It is going to be a great night! It starts at 6:30, Fish and Chipswill be served, games, live music, and ice cream sundaes for desert.  It is going to be a relaxing, casual night!  If you are interested in tickets call Jay and Laurie Blue at 871-4061 or April Tyrrel at 991-8105.  Come join us for this fun night and please pray that God will provide!!! We would love for you to be a part of this journey.