It is always nice to be able to write you and share what God has been doing in our lives and ministry. God is an amazing God and He takes such good care of us. We have been very busy lately and God is always taking such good care of us. God uses amazing people to accomplish His will and we are so thankful for you. We are thankful for all the prayer support that we receive all the time. With prayer, God can do anything according to His will. We are so thankful for all the prayer and financial support that God provides us. Thank you!
Earlier this month, we were able to travel to a church that, through wonderful God contacts, has been supporting us and our ministry for numerous years even though they had never met us. God opened the door for us to travel to this church, meet the people in person and share on a Sunday morning. It was great and such wonderful people. We returned eight days ago and tomorrow, we are off on another trip. Tomorrow, we will catch a plane to New Jersey where we will spend a couple days at the CMML office and mission house. It will good to go to CMML and meet the people who work hard to support so many missionaries in the field. On Friday, we will drive to Connecticut where Sharyn will speak at a ladies mission conference on Saturday and Paul is bringing the message at a church on Sunday. We will fly back to Alberta on Monday. Prayers for safe travels and God’s word to be spoken, not ours are appreciated.
Many of you have been praying for Ana Maria and her need to have surgery to remove the tumour that is in her sinus cavity and pressing on her optic nerves. Thank you! On Monday, the US Embassy granted Ana Maria an emergency medical visa to travel to Charleston, SC. Some surgeons have offered to do the surgery for free and the hospital said that they will give a 50% or larger discount for all other medical services. We have not bought a plane ticket yet or set a date to fly. Ana Maria has a few things to get in order before she can leave for the US. We are thankful to friends in the area who have offered to have Ana Maria stay with them, transport, and help Ana Maria while she is in the area with whatever she needs. Your continued prayers for Ana Maria and her family are appreciated. Ana Maria asked to convey her gratefulness to you all for all your prayers and help.
I can not remember if I have shared that Samantha has been diagnosed with dormant tuberculosis. In Canada, treatment for TB is done through the TB clinic, not your family doctor or specialist. Samantha needs to go on a nine month oral treatment to rid the TB from her lung. Yesterday, we met with the health unit nurse who informed us that the TB clinic is refusing to give the treatment to Samantha because we will not be here in Canada for the next nine months. Part of the treatment program is that the patient has to come in once a month to be checked on how they are doing and then the next month’s medication is provided. Because we are leaving to return to the DR in July and will not be here for the next nine months, they will not start the treatment. The health nurse and Samantha’s specialist are going to contact the TB clinic to see if they will make an exception. What we all want is to start the treatment immediately so that if Samantha has any side effects, where are here to deal with them. Then, we could continue the treatment in the DR and Wendy, our doctor at the clinic, could monitor Sammy for the remaining months. Your prayers that the powers will be will agree to make and exception and begin the treatment is appreciated.
Samantha is doing better and has not had a respiratory attack since December. We are very thankful for this. The specialist shared with us last week that even though we found the dormant TB, this still does not explain all of Sammy’s breathing problems. We still do not know why Sammy has had all these major breathing problems and was breathing at only 68% when we arrived in Canada. She is now breathing at 86% (as of her last testing). Thank you for your continued prayers.
Ministry wise – things are quite well. Ana Maria has been training up our back up secretary, Mechy so that she can do most of what Ana Maria does. Wendy has taken a few extra duties from Ana Maria and Daniel, our other ministry employee, has also taken on some of Ana Maria’s duties. Daniel is now managing the sponsorship on that end 100%. These four people are doing an amazing work keeping all aspects of the ministry going and going well in our absence. We are very blessed by each one of them as are the local people. Prayers for more patients are always appreciated.
The schools in the DR are now opened for registration and we are thankful that all sponsors of students for this current school year are continuing their sponsorship for the next school year. Praise God. We currently have 67 students who have applied for sponsorship and are awaiting a sponsor. If you are interested in sponsoring a child for the 2012/2013 school year, please drop us an email. You can sponsor a student for as little as $20 per month.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. I see that I have made this note longer than I expected and I should sign off and let you go. We will have limited internet access for the next six days while we travel but do not let this stop you from dropping us an email anytime.
Bless you and thank you again!
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Monday, 26 March 2012
Newsy News
Ministry in the Dominican Republic continues to go well, thanks to our amazing Dominican staff. The clinic continues to treat patients daily and evangelize to all the patients and their families, students continue to go to school with our staff following up and encourage all the students and their families, plans are being made for the mission teams that are booked for the fall…. God is good and His work continues. Ana Maria has an appointment with the neuro-surgeon tomorrow afternoon and will then learn when her surgery to remove the tumour will be scheduled. Your continued prayers for her and her family are appreciated.
One of our main goals while in Canada has been to get Samantha’s health problems dealt with. As many of you know, Samantha has always suffered from severe respiratory issues to the point that we can not count how many times she has had pneumonia and gone into respiratory distress. When we arrived in Canada in August, Samantha was breathing at 68%. As of her last breathing test, she was breathing at 88%! We have been so blessed with a great medical system, good doctors, specialists, labs, etc. In late February, we received a positive diagnosis of dormant tuberculosis. We are assuming that Samantha was exposed to TB in Haiti when she was an infant and it was never treated. We are waiting on one more culture result (which is due in two weeks) and then we should be prescribed treatment for Samantha. At this time, we are expecting that treatment will be six months of oral medications. We are thankful to finally know the cause of Samantha’s respiratory problems. Your prayers have been appreciated and your continued prayers for Samantha, her health, test results and proper treatment plan are appreciated.
We had a good, although very busy time in Victoria at the end of February. We were able to share at numerous churches, catch up with supporters, friends, family and make new friends along the way. It was so good to see so many people who are so dear to us and to also have the opportunity to share what God is doing in the Dominican Republic and our plans for the future. The kids had a good time catching up with aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. They were able to meet for the first time one of their aunts who was able to come down from Ft. St. John to visit at the same time that we were in Victoria. This is Paul’s sister, Cindy. Cindy had met Noah when he was three but had not seen him since or met Samantha. It was a blessing. Grandparents in Langley treated us to a night of dinner and the Harlem Globetrotters where we sat directly behind the Globetrotter team and the players interacted with the kids. It was a wonderful day of life long memories!
In the time that we have remaining before returning to the mission field, we will be busy. God has opened the door for us to travel as a family to Quebec and Connecticut to share at mission conferences. Paul will also be bringing the message at churches in both of these locations. It will be wonderful to meet brothers and sisters in Christ who we have only communicated via email and to be able to share about the ministry and what God is doing in the DR. When we leave Canada, we will stop in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to share at some churches there and meet up with two mission teams that are planning to come down to minister in the DR this Fall.
Paul has been thoroughly enjoying studying at the Bible college and he is currently holding a 95% average. Paul is doing a New Testament study right now and he completed an Old Testament study in February. Paul will also be helping a friend out on his farm as seeding approaches. Paul really enjoys working on the farm and helping his friend. Paul is out of his comfort zone as he is a true blue city boy but he loves the farm life and is learning lots from our friends.
The kids continue to grow and excel. Noah is anxiously checking his height, it seems almost daily as he is now only one inch shorter than me (Sharyn) and can not wait to match and then pass my height. Both kids continue to do well in school and earn high grades. It will be a little tough to leave this great school and return to home schooling with their Mom next school year. Samantha continues with her ballet and school choir. Noah has finished basketball season (which he loved), continues with karate until April then he will start to play on the community soccer team at the end of April.
Thank you so very much for all your love, prayers and support of us and our ministry. Without you as partners in ministry, we could not continue to do the ministry work that God has called us to in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Bless you, your family and your home churches.
Love Paul, Sharyn, Noah and Samantha
Contributions can be sent to one of the following addresses. Tax receipts will be issued.
MSC Canada CMML Sonlight Fellowship
101 Amber Street, Suite 16 PO Box 13 262 Forest Walk Way
Markham ON L3R 3B2 Spring Lake NJ 07762 Moorseville NC 28115
www.msccanada.org www.cmml.us
Monday, 5 March 2012
Latest News
It was a busy and great time on the West Coast for the last two weeks of February. It was probably our busiest trip yet in Victoria and God did some amazing things. We were able to share about the works that God is doing in the Dominican Republic and Haiti with three churches and numerous people. It was great. We were also able to share some great meals, catch up with friends, supporters, prayer warriors and family. We spent eleven days on the coast and it was a blessed time.
For some fun, we headed over to Vancouver to spend some time with kids’ grandparents and had a great afternoon and evening eating at the Olde Spaghetti Factory in Gastown and the taking in the Harlem Globetrotters’ game. Grandma got amazing seats and we sat right behind the Globetrotters who would turn and chat with the kids during the game. Afterwards, Noah made his rounds and obtained numerous signatures on his basketball. It was a fun day for all of us. We all laughed a lot and it was great to do this with Grandma and Grandpa.
Yesterday, we spoke with Ana Maria and Anny down in the Dominican Republic and got all caught up. Ana Maria and I exchange a few emails every week but it is always great to talk on the phone. Ana Maria shared that the clinic is a bit slow, not a lot of patients coming in so your prayers for more patients would be appreciated. The sponsorship program is doing well. We have received 12 more applications from students for sponsors. The kids currently with sponsors are doing well, although, there are a couple teenagers struggling a bit with their grades. Some of this has to do with their age and some has to do with lack of parental support. Ana Maria and Daniel are going to have a meeting with the teens in the coming week to talk with them, see how they can support them, encourage them, etc. We have some teams already booked for this Fall so Daniel is working to ensure that housing is arranged and other preparations that need to be done prior to our arrival. We were able to get two copies of the movie “Courageous” to our staff in the DR (with Spanish language) so they are now starting to show that at churches and crusades. We are thankful to a friend from Georgia who helped to get those copies to Ana Maria, Wendy and Daniel.
There is a lot of turmoil going on in the village of Pedregal due to the influence of the priest at the camp in the village. Your prayers are appreciated in the spiritual battle. It is hard to talk about in an email as I want to be careful not to gossip or speak wrongly. Please pray for the spiritual welfare of all the people in the village; for their wisdom, discernment and ability to see the only the truth of God in all things. We are so thankful to have Ana Maria, Wendy and Daniel on staff who are such strong women and man of God who are praying, teaching and influence in such Godly ways. Our foster daughter, Anny, was telling us last night that she wants to start up a Bible Study for the youth in the village and is going to Ana Maria to help mentor her in this venture. God is moving in powerful ways and it is so great to hear Anny’s enthusiasm in wanting to teach her peers about God. Please keep Anny in your prayers as she starts tries to start up this Bible study with her peers in the village.
We also have heard from the family who is renting our house in the Dominican Republic. They have had a time with our dogs that have both been sick and they have worked hard to get the dogs healthy. The family renting our house have to return to the United States at the beginning of June. We are not returning until 31 July. That leaves two months for our house without renters. It sounds like Daniel, who is on staff with our ministry, will stay in the house with his family for this time. Your prayers for the economical juggle of us having to pay rent and all utilities in Alberta as well as in the DR for those two months are appreciated. We know that God will provide and your added prayers are appreciated. Please keep Daniel and his family in your prayers as they care for the house and dogs in our absence.
Paul was blessed with being able to attend a Men’s Retreat here in Alberta this past weekend. He has never attended a Men’s function in his life so he was a bit outside his comfort zone, however, he loved the teachings and had a great time fellowshipping with the men on the weekend.
This Friday, Sharyn is off to Ontario, California, to be one of three speakers at a Ladies Mission Conference. Sharyn have never attended a Ladies Conference, retreat or even Bible Study before so now it is her turn to be outside of her comfort zone. We are thankful for the conference for inviting Sharyn and paying her airfare. Paul and the kids will stay home in Alberta but Sharyn’s friend will be going with her California. Sharyn will return Monday. Prayers for safe travel to and from California and God’s words to be spoke are appreciated!
Our next trip will be to Medford and La Grande, Oregon the second week of April. We will be in Medford on April 12 and 13th then La Grande on the 14th and 15th then return to Alberta. We will be sharing at Trinity Baptist in La Grande on the Sunday.
Thank you so much for all your love, prayers and support. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing as many as possible before we return to the mission field in July.
For some fun, we headed over to Vancouver to spend some time with kids’ grandparents and had a great afternoon and evening eating at the Olde Spaghetti Factory in Gastown and the taking in the Harlem Globetrotters’ game. Grandma got amazing seats and we sat right behind the Globetrotters who would turn and chat with the kids during the game. Afterwards, Noah made his rounds and obtained numerous signatures on his basketball. It was a fun day for all of us. We all laughed a lot and it was great to do this with Grandma and Grandpa.
Yesterday, we spoke with Ana Maria and Anny down in the Dominican Republic and got all caught up. Ana Maria and I exchange a few emails every week but it is always great to talk on the phone. Ana Maria shared that the clinic is a bit slow, not a lot of patients coming in so your prayers for more patients would be appreciated. The sponsorship program is doing well. We have received 12 more applications from students for sponsors. The kids currently with sponsors are doing well, although, there are a couple teenagers struggling a bit with their grades. Some of this has to do with their age and some has to do with lack of parental support. Ana Maria and Daniel are going to have a meeting with the teens in the coming week to talk with them, see how they can support them, encourage them, etc. We have some teams already booked for this Fall so Daniel is working to ensure that housing is arranged and other preparations that need to be done prior to our arrival. We were able to get two copies of the movie “Courageous” to our staff in the DR (with Spanish language) so they are now starting to show that at churches and crusades. We are thankful to a friend from Georgia who helped to get those copies to Ana Maria, Wendy and Daniel.
There is a lot of turmoil going on in the village of Pedregal due to the influence of the priest at the camp in the village. Your prayers are appreciated in the spiritual battle. It is hard to talk about in an email as I want to be careful not to gossip or speak wrongly. Please pray for the spiritual welfare of all the people in the village; for their wisdom, discernment and ability to see the only the truth of God in all things. We are so thankful to have Ana Maria, Wendy and Daniel on staff who are such strong women and man of God who are praying, teaching and influence in such Godly ways. Our foster daughter, Anny, was telling us last night that she wants to start up a Bible Study for the youth in the village and is going to Ana Maria to help mentor her in this venture. God is moving in powerful ways and it is so great to hear Anny’s enthusiasm in wanting to teach her peers about God. Please keep Anny in your prayers as she starts tries to start up this Bible study with her peers in the village.
We also have heard from the family who is renting our house in the Dominican Republic. They have had a time with our dogs that have both been sick and they have worked hard to get the dogs healthy. The family renting our house have to return to the United States at the beginning of June. We are not returning until 31 July. That leaves two months for our house without renters. It sounds like Daniel, who is on staff with our ministry, will stay in the house with his family for this time. Your prayers for the economical juggle of us having to pay rent and all utilities in Alberta as well as in the DR for those two months are appreciated. We know that God will provide and your added prayers are appreciated. Please keep Daniel and his family in your prayers as they care for the house and dogs in our absence.
Paul was blessed with being able to attend a Men’s Retreat here in Alberta this past weekend. He has never attended a Men’s function in his life so he was a bit outside his comfort zone, however, he loved the teachings and had a great time fellowshipping with the men on the weekend.
This Friday, Sharyn is off to Ontario, California, to be one of three speakers at a Ladies Mission Conference. Sharyn have never attended a Ladies Conference, retreat or even Bible Study before so now it is her turn to be outside of her comfort zone. We are thankful for the conference for inviting Sharyn and paying her airfare. Paul and the kids will stay home in Alberta but Sharyn’s friend will be going with her California. Sharyn will return Monday. Prayers for safe travel to and from California and God’s words to be spoke are appreciated!
Our next trip will be to Medford and La Grande, Oregon the second week of April. We will be in Medford on April 12 and 13th then La Grande on the 14th and 15th then return to Alberta. We will be sharing at Trinity Baptist in La Grande on the Sunday.
Thank you so much for all your love, prayers and support. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing as many as possible before we return to the mission field in July.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Victoria Time
We arrived safely Saturday afternoon in Victoria and then had a great evening with friends and Sharyn's brother. Sunday was very busy as we went from one place to another. It was great to share at Saanichton Bible Fellowship about what God is doing in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. SBF has been our home church from the beginning and even though many faces have changed over the years, we still feel very comfortable and welcome. We shared lunch with more good friends. In the afternoon, friends from church had organized an afternoon for us to share in more detail about the ministry, answer questions and just visit with people. It was a great afternoon. After that, we headed to Paul's brother's home to spend the evening with the Branson clan. The big surprise of the evening was the arrival of Paul's oldest sister, Cindy who lives in Fort St. John. Dad and Cindy kept it quiet that Cindy was coming for a two week visit so we were all suprised. The kids enjoyed spending time playing with their cousins and we enjoyed catching up with Paul's siblings and their families.
Thank you for your prayers as we spend this time in Victoria. May God's will be done, not ours,in everything that we do here.
Thank you for your prayers as we spend this time in Victoria. May God's will be done, not ours,in everything that we do here.
Friday, 17 February 2012
Victoria Bound
The time has come and we are packing and getting ready for our trip to Victoria. The kids are excited to see cousins, aunts, uncles and Grandpa. It will be a busy eleven days but we know that God has some great plans for this trip. We are looking forward to seeing some of you during our time on the island. Here is a schedule of where we will be and when. If you are able to catch up with us at any one of these places, that would be fantastic.
18 February 1:00pm Arrive in Victoria
19 February Sharing at Saanichton Bible Fellowship morning service and in Sunday School
19 February 3:00pm “Coffee and Conversation” at Saanichton Bible Fellowship. Come join us as friends have organized an opportunity for us to share about what God is doing in the DR, show some videos, answer questions and visit.
22 February 9:30 am Ladies Bible Study at Saanichton Bible Fellowship. Sharyn will be sharing about the ministry and bringing a short devotion
23 – 25 February In Vancouver to visit Grandma and Grandpa
26 February Sharing at the morning service at Friendship Community Church
26 February 5:00pm Sharing at a Brae Road Gospel Chapel in Duncan
29 February 12:30pm Return to Alberta
We are reachable on our cell phone (403 443 1068) while we are in Victoria. I am not sure how much internet access we will have but we will find some, however, it may not be daily.
We still have a couple times available if you are wanting to get together with one or all of us while we are in Victoria. Just call or drop an email.
Your prayers for safe travels during the next eleven days are appreciated. Also, prayers for God’s will to be done and His words spoken in all the activities that we will be involved in.
We would also appreciate your prayers for health. Noah and Paul are just about over colds. Samantha is still coughing and sniffling some. I (Sharyn) have tonsillitis and the same nasty cold. The doctor put me on penicillin yesterday. Prayers for quick healing for the entire family are greatly appreciated.
See some of you in Victoria in the coming days
18 February 1:00pm Arrive in Victoria
19 February Sharing at Saanichton Bible Fellowship morning service and in Sunday School
19 February 3:00pm “Coffee and Conversation” at Saanichton Bible Fellowship. Come join us as friends have organized an opportunity for us to share about what God is doing in the DR, show some videos, answer questions and visit.
22 February 9:30 am Ladies Bible Study at Saanichton Bible Fellowship. Sharyn will be sharing about the ministry and bringing a short devotion
23 – 25 February In Vancouver to visit Grandma and Grandpa
26 February Sharing at the morning service at Friendship Community Church
26 February 5:00pm Sharing at a Brae Road Gospel Chapel in Duncan
29 February 12:30pm Return to Alberta
We are reachable on our cell phone (403 443 1068) while we are in Victoria. I am not sure how much internet access we will have but we will find some, however, it may not be daily.
We still have a couple times available if you are wanting to get together with one or all of us while we are in Victoria. Just call or drop an email.
Your prayers for safe travels during the next eleven days are appreciated. Also, prayers for God’s will to be done and His words spoken in all the activities that we will be involved in.
We would also appreciate your prayers for health. Noah and Paul are just about over colds. Samantha is still coughing and sniffling some. I (Sharyn) have tonsillitis and the same nasty cold. The doctor put me on penicillin yesterday. Prayers for quick healing for the entire family are greatly appreciated.
See some of you in Victoria in the coming days
Thursday, 2 February 2012
This past weekend, we were blessed with being able to be one of 269 exhibitors at MissionFest Vancouver 2012. It was quite a weekend. Hundreds of people stopped by our booth to learn more about what God is doing in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. As far as we know, we were the only ministry exhibiting that works in the Dominican Republic. There were a couple other ministries that are working in Haiti.
Thanks goes to Darrel Cragg who spent his entire weekend helping to man the booth and talk to the many people who wanted to learn more about House Upon the Rock Ministry. Also thanks to Sharyn's brother Mike and neice who helped out Saturday afternoon. The hours were long (Friday 12 - 10pm, not including set up time in the morning, Saturday 9 am - 10 pm and Sunday noon -5 pm) so it was great to have the extra help so that we could take a break.
We made contacts with some other ministries that there are possibiities of partnering with in the future. There were a number of people inquiring about mission teams and coming down to work short or long term as missionaries. Also, fourteen people signed up to receive our newsletter.
We are thankful to God for this opportunity to get the ministry name and website out there more and more known to people here in Canada.
This weekend, we are speaking at Innisfail Baptist Church in Innisfail, Alberta. 18 - 29 February will find us in Victoria. If you are in either of these areas, we look forward to seeing you! I will post on the blog before the 18th our speaking schedule for our time in Victoria.
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Start of Travels
It is a new year and already, the time is flying by. In just a couple days, we will begin our travel schedule for the next six months. We are thankful to have all these opportunities to go to churches, home groups and individuals to share about what God is doing in the Dominican Republic. There is nothing that we are able to do without God at the controls, leading and guiding every step of the way.
What are you doing this weekend? If you are in the Vancouver area, please drop in to Canada Place to MissionFest and visit us at Booth B01! (www.missionfestvancouver.ca)
Paul and I will be travelling to Vancouver on Thursday to participate with an exhibit booth at MissionFest. We return to Alberta on Monday. While we are at MissionFest, Noah and Samantha will be staying with good friends of ours. Please keep them in your prayers while we are separated for a few days and for our friends who have generously agreed to care for Noah and Samantha.
Next week, February 5, we will be sharing at Innisfail Baptist Church in Innisfail, Alberta. If you are in the area and want to hear us, please come to the morning church service.
February 18 - 29, you will find us in Victoria. On Sunday 19 February, we will be sharing at Saanichton Bible Fellowship. On Sunday 26 February, we will be sharing at Friendship Community Church in the morning and a church in Duncan in the evening. We still have a few times available if you want to get together with us while we are in Victoria. Drop us an email (psbranson4@gmail.com) to arrange something! This will be our last time in Victoria before returning to the Dominican Republic.
BACK IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
We are very happy to share that the landlord of the clinic is not asking us to move at this time. We are very thankful for all your prayers and thank God for this answered prayer! We still are asking God to guide us in buying land to build a new clinic, where to buy and when. Only His timing will be the best.
In the meantime, the clinic continues to operate daily. Our staff is doing an amazing job of continuing the clinic and ministry in our absence. We are in constant communication with our staff and we are so proud of them all. Under Daniel’s supervision, Cristina and Alberto’s house has been completed enough that it is liveable and the family moved into their new house a couple weeks ago.
ALBERTA LIFE
The kids continue to do so well here in Alberta. They got a real taste of cold last week when a cold snap came through which brought temperatures around -30C. We still have very little snow and the kids have not experienced tobogganing yet. We are hoping for some more snow soon. Noah is doing well and loving karate and basketball. Noah joined the grade 6-8 basketball team at the school and we are very proud of him. Samantha still is taking ballet and loving it. She has learned so much since September and has advanced a lot and we are proud of her. Both continue to do well in school.
Samantha is breathing better. We are not sure exactly why; whether it is due to finding the right combination of a medications, drier Alberta air or what but we are thankful. Last week, Samantha had a CT scan which was basically clear. A very small nodule showed up that is too small to appear on xrays. The specialist believes that this is scar tissue from TB or a fungal lung infection when Samantha was one or two years old. We will be doing TB testing, probably next week or so. We are thankful that Samantha is feeling and breathing much better than she ever has.
Paul is working on his big final project for his course at school and he is about to start the next course. Paul is still surprised at how much he is enjoying school and he looks forward to see how God will use this new knowledge. Paul is also helping out the odd day at the farm but at this time of the year, there is not as much to be done on the farm.
I (Sharyn) stay busy with many hats to wear. Mom, wife, housekeeper, accountant, communicator, managing the ministry from afar, travel organizer, etc. There are not too many dull moments in any of our lives.
We look forward to seeing some of you in the coming weeks and others of you in the coming months.
Thank you so much for all your prayers, financial support, love and notes. We appreciate you so much!
Canadian Contribution:
MSC Canada * 101 Amber Street Ste 16 * Markham ON * L3R 3B2* www.msccanada.org
USA Contribution:
Sonlight Fellowship * Attn Jeff Kale* 262 Forest Walk Way * Moorseville NC * 28115 OR CMML * PO Box 13 * Spring Lake NJ * 07761-0013 * www.cmml.us
BRANSON 2012 TRAVEL
We would like to see as many of you as possible while we are on sabbatical. Here is our travel plans. If you would like to get together with us while we are in your area, please email us (psbranson4@gmail.com).
January 27 - 29, 2012 MissionFest Booth B01
Vancouver, BC Canada
February 5, 2012 Innisfail Baptist Church
Innisfail, Alberta
February 18 - 29, 2012 Victoria, BC, Canada
February 19 Saanichton Bible Fellowship
February 26 Friendship Community
March 9 - 11, 2012 Ladies Conference
(Sharyn only) Claremont, California
April 12 - 13, 2012 Medford, Oregon
April 14 - 15, 2012 La Grande, Oregon
April 27 - May 2, 2012 Ladies Conference,
North Branford, CT
CMML, New Jersey
18-22 May 2012 Quebec City, Brethren Mission Conference
14 - 24July 2012 South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia
(exact locations and dates to be announced)
31 July 2012 Return to the Dominican Republic
What are you doing this weekend? If you are in the Vancouver area, please drop in to Canada Place to MissionFest and visit us at Booth B01! (www.missionfestvancouver.ca)
Paul and I will be travelling to Vancouver on Thursday to participate with an exhibit booth at MissionFest. We return to Alberta on Monday. While we are at MissionFest, Noah and Samantha will be staying with good friends of ours. Please keep them in your prayers while we are separated for a few days and for our friends who have generously agreed to care for Noah and Samantha.
Next week, February 5, we will be sharing at Innisfail Baptist Church in Innisfail, Alberta. If you are in the area and want to hear us, please come to the morning church service.
February 18 - 29, you will find us in Victoria. On Sunday 19 February, we will be sharing at Saanichton Bible Fellowship. On Sunday 26 February, we will be sharing at Friendship Community Church in the morning and a church in Duncan in the evening. We still have a few times available if you want to get together with us while we are in Victoria. Drop us an email (psbranson4@gmail.com) to arrange something! This will be our last time in Victoria before returning to the Dominican Republic.
BACK IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
We are very happy to share that the landlord of the clinic is not asking us to move at this time. We are very thankful for all your prayers and thank God for this answered prayer! We still are asking God to guide us in buying land to build a new clinic, where to buy and when. Only His timing will be the best.
In the meantime, the clinic continues to operate daily. Our staff is doing an amazing job of continuing the clinic and ministry in our absence. We are in constant communication with our staff and we are so proud of them all. Under Daniel’s supervision, Cristina and Alberto’s house has been completed enough that it is liveable and the family moved into their new house a couple weeks ago.
ALBERTA LIFE
The kids continue to do so well here in Alberta. They got a real taste of cold last week when a cold snap came through which brought temperatures around -30C. We still have very little snow and the kids have not experienced tobogganing yet. We are hoping for some more snow soon. Noah is doing well and loving karate and basketball. Noah joined the grade 6-8 basketball team at the school and we are very proud of him. Samantha still is taking ballet and loving it. She has learned so much since September and has advanced a lot and we are proud of her. Both continue to do well in school.
Samantha is breathing better. We are not sure exactly why; whether it is due to finding the right combination of a medications, drier Alberta air or what but we are thankful. Last week, Samantha had a CT scan which was basically clear. A very small nodule showed up that is too small to appear on xrays. The specialist believes that this is scar tissue from TB or a fungal lung infection when Samantha was one or two years old. We will be doing TB testing, probably next week or so. We are thankful that Samantha is feeling and breathing much better than she ever has.
Paul is working on his big final project for his course at school and he is about to start the next course. Paul is still surprised at how much he is enjoying school and he looks forward to see how God will use this new knowledge. Paul is also helping out the odd day at the farm but at this time of the year, there is not as much to be done on the farm.
I (Sharyn) stay busy with many hats to wear. Mom, wife, housekeeper, accountant, communicator, managing the ministry from afar, travel organizer, etc. There are not too many dull moments in any of our lives.
We look forward to seeing some of you in the coming weeks and others of you in the coming months.
Thank you so much for all your prayers, financial support, love and notes. We appreciate you so much!
Canadian Contribution:
MSC Canada * 101 Amber Street Ste 16 * Markham ON * L3R 3B2* www.msccanada.org
USA Contribution:
Sonlight Fellowship * Attn Jeff Kale* 262 Forest Walk Way * Moorseville NC * 28115 OR CMML * PO Box 13 * Spring Lake NJ * 07761-0013 * www.cmml.us
BRANSON 2012 TRAVEL
We would like to see as many of you as possible while we are on sabbatical. Here is our travel plans. If you would like to get together with us while we are in your area, please email us (psbranson4@gmail.com).
January 27 - 29, 2012 MissionFest Booth B01
Vancouver, BC Canada
February 5, 2012 Innisfail Baptist Church
Innisfail, Alberta
February 18 - 29, 2012 Victoria, BC, Canada
February 19 Saanichton Bible Fellowship
February 26 Friendship Community
March 9 - 11, 2012 Ladies Conference
(Sharyn only) Claremont, California
April 12 - 13, 2012 Medford, Oregon
April 14 - 15, 2012 La Grande, Oregon
April 27 - May 2, 2012 Ladies Conference,
North Branford, CT
CMML, New Jersey
18-22 May 2012 Quebec City, Brethren Mission Conference
14 - 24July 2012 South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia
(exact locations and dates to be announced)
31 July 2012 Return to the Dominican Republic
Sunday, 8 January 2012
God Touches our Hearts!
A friend wrote a post for her church blog about her recent experience at our clinic in the Dominican Republic. Her experience describes exactly what we are trying to do with ministry. It is our goal for the practical aspects of the ministry to be used a tool to reach the hearts of every person who comes in contact with the ministry. Please read Rachel's own words:
http://connectedbygrace.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/the-sweet-aftertaste-of-jesus/#comment-524
http://connectedbygrace.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/the-sweet-aftertaste-of-jesus/#comment-524
BRANSON 2012 TRAVEL
We would like to see as many of you as possible while we are on sabbatical. Here is our travel plans. If you would like to get together with us while we are in your area, please email us (psbranson4@gmail.com). Sharyn is speaking at Ladies’ conferences on both coasts of the US. If you are in the area, come and attend.
January 27 - 29, 2012 MissionFest Booth B01
Vancouver, BC Canada
February 5, 2012 Innisfail Baptist Church
Innisfail, Alberta
February 18 - 29, 2012 Victoria, BC, Canada
February 19 Saanichton Bible Fellowshp
February 26 Friendship Community
March 9 - 11, 2012 Ladies Conference
(Sharyn only) Claremont, California
April 12 - 13, 2012 Medford, Oregon
April 14 - 15, 2012 La Grande, Oregon
April 27 - May 2, 2012 Ladies Conference,
North Branford, CT
CMML, New Jersey
14 - 24July 2012 South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia
(exact locations and dates to be announced)
31 July 2012 Return to the Dominican Republic
January 27 - 29, 2012 MissionFest Booth B01
Vancouver, BC Canada
February 5, 2012 Innisfail Baptist Church
Innisfail, Alberta
February 18 - 29, 2012 Victoria, BC, Canada
February 19 Saanichton Bible Fellowshp
February 26 Friendship Community
March 9 - 11, 2012 Ladies Conference
(Sharyn only) Claremont, California
April 12 - 13, 2012 Medford, Oregon
April 14 - 15, 2012 La Grande, Oregon
April 27 - May 2, 2012 Ladies Conference,
North Branford, CT
CMML, New Jersey
14 - 24July 2012 South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia
(exact locations and dates to be announced)
31 July 2012 Return to the Dominican Republic
DECEMBER 2011
A little late in getting this on the blog but finally posted!
My goal is to keep the blog better updated in the coming year.
B r a n s o n N e w s
Three Hills/Trochu, Alberta Canada December 2011
For unto to us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon
His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9v6
OTTAWA MISSION CONFERENCE
November 4 to 6, Paul and I flew to Ottawa to participate, along with six other missionaries, at the Ottawa Mission Conference. It was a great opportunity and we were honoured to be one of the speakers. It was good to hear what God is doing in other parts of the world. We can get locked in our own little world and it is good to hear what God is doing in ALL parts of the world. There are some amazing ministry works going on everywhere. Praise God!!!!
We had never been to Ottawa so it was an extra blessing to be able to visit our Nation’s capital. We were able to see Parliament Hill, Prime Minister’s home, Supreme Court and other places in this historic city.
What is happening back home?
Life really does continue without you. As missionaries, our goal is to work ourselves out of a job with the works continuing without us. In our absence, our ministry staff have been working hard. The clinic continues to function five days a week, providing medical care, pastoral care, prayer and counselling to those seeking. The clinic has grown into a real evangelical tool and location.
Paul’s right hand man, Daniel, has been working hard to oversea the completion of a house that Paul started with teams. We received a generous donation to complete the house for Cristina, Alberto and their four children. It will take a few months to complete and we are so thankful to have the funds and a great foreman to oversea it all in Paul’s absence. Daniel has also developed relationships with the students in our sponsorship program and is being a bit of a father figure to many.
There is a need for monthly donations to help cover the salary of our staff. All of our staff deserve a raise but we need more monthly support to do this.
BOOTH B01 27 - 29 JANUARY 2012 MISSIONFEST VANCOUVER
Come to Vancouver MissionFest and visit us at our booth. We will be at booth B01, located at the end of the aisle as you enter.
HOME? HERE OR THERE?
We have been asked what is home for us: Dominican Republic or Canada. That is such a hard question to answer and the honest answer is - BOTH. We miss our ministry work, the people, our home, pets and the culture. In Canada, we are so thankful for all the opportunities for the kids (Samantha is excelling at ballet and Noah just passed to yellow belt in karate). The school and teachers that the kids have this year are amazing!!! It is great to be in a culture that we understand, around friends, family and enjoy our first Christmas in Canada in 15 years. This will be Noah and Samantha’s first Christmas ever in Canada. That also means that the kids will be blessed with many firsts: first snow, tobogganing, ski doos, ice fishing, maybe skiing, skating, and more.
In the Dominican Republic, you never really feel like you fit in as you are always a foreigner. We also find this a bit in Canada as we try to fit in and get involved. However, no matter where we go, we are always in God’s culture and in His family so we do feel at home!
Upcoming
Paul has been thoroughly enjoying his studies at Prairie Bible. He is learning a lot and can not seem to get his nose out of the books. He is excited to put into practice the things that he is learning and a yearning to pastor is growing in him. Paul is doing a two year program via distant learning that he can continue when we return to the DR.
Enclosed is our travel schedule for between now and when we return to the DR. If you want to get together with us while we are in your area, please email us or call to set a date. I (Sharyn) have been invited to speak at two ladies’ conference; in Connecticut and in California. If you are in the area, would like attend, email us and I will send you information of the conference.
Thanks to Sharyn’s cousin, our website has been updated. Check it out at www.houseupontherock.net.
Thank you for all your prayers for Samantha and her health. We are so thankful for the medical system here. We have had quick appointments with specialists and some progress has been made. When we arrived in August, Samantha was breathing at 68%. At her last appointment, she was breathing at 80%. The specialist is not sure yet if the improvement is due to new medication and/or change of environment and climate. We have another appointment with the specialist just before Christmas. Your prayers are appreciated and we still have a ways to go to get Samantha’s breathing at 100%.
Goals on Sabbatical
Please join us in prayer that we can accomplish these goals, according to the will of God.
1. Travel to the churches and supporters who have been faithfully supporting us and our ministry in many ways over many years. Promote the ministry through our travels, talks at mission conferences, etc.
2. Promote the ministry at MissionFest Vancouver
3. Raise enough funds to buy a new vehicle as our vehicle will not last much longer.
4. Raise up funds to start building the team housing immediately upon our return to the DR.
5. Promote more mission teams to come to the DR.
6. Raise up more monthly support to help pay the salaries of Dra. Wendy and Daniel Garcia.
7. Have some sort of a family vacation before returning to the DR.
PRAYERS AND PETITIONS
▸ Praise God for each and every one of you, your support of us and our ministry in your many ways!!!
▸ Praise God for life and all the blessings to our children since arriving in Canada.
▸ Praise God for our amazing Dominican staff who are keeping the ministry going in our absence.
▸ Praise God for answered prayer that we do not have to move right now from the clinic.
▸ Pray for the entire world as there are many governments changing. May all governments make wise decisions.
▸ Pray for our Dominican staff (Ana Maria, Wendy, Daniel) and their families as they work hard in the ministry, serving their fellow Dominicans.
▸ Pray for more support raised for Dra. Wendy & Daniel Garcia’s monthly salaries! Huge need!!
▸ Praise God for all the work that He is doing in the Dominican Republic & Haiti. All the glory belongs to Him!
▸ Pray for all our travels, logistics, finances and opportunities to share about what God is doing in the Dominican Republic.
As 2011 comes to an end, we want to take a moment to thank you so much for all your prayers and support of us and our ministry over the past year. Without your prayers and you being a part of our ministry team, we could not continue with the ministry in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. THANK YOU.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
My goal is to keep the blog better updated in the coming year.
B r a n s o n N e w s
Three Hills/Trochu, Alberta Canada December 2011
For unto to us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon
His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9v6
OTTAWA MISSION CONFERENCE
November 4 to 6, Paul and I flew to Ottawa to participate, along with six other missionaries, at the Ottawa Mission Conference. It was a great opportunity and we were honoured to be one of the speakers. It was good to hear what God is doing in other parts of the world. We can get locked in our own little world and it is good to hear what God is doing in ALL parts of the world. There are some amazing ministry works going on everywhere. Praise God!!!!
We had never been to Ottawa so it was an extra blessing to be able to visit our Nation’s capital. We were able to see Parliament Hill, Prime Minister’s home, Supreme Court and other places in this historic city.
What is happening back home?
Life really does continue without you. As missionaries, our goal is to work ourselves out of a job with the works continuing without us. In our absence, our ministry staff have been working hard. The clinic continues to function five days a week, providing medical care, pastoral care, prayer and counselling to those seeking. The clinic has grown into a real evangelical tool and location.
Paul’s right hand man, Daniel, has been working hard to oversea the completion of a house that Paul started with teams. We received a generous donation to complete the house for Cristina, Alberto and their four children. It will take a few months to complete and we are so thankful to have the funds and a great foreman to oversea it all in Paul’s absence. Daniel has also developed relationships with the students in our sponsorship program and is being a bit of a father figure to many.
There is a need for monthly donations to help cover the salary of our staff. All of our staff deserve a raise but we need more monthly support to do this.
BOOTH B01 27 - 29 JANUARY 2012 MISSIONFEST VANCOUVER
Come to Vancouver MissionFest and visit us at our booth. We will be at booth B01, located at the end of the aisle as you enter.
HOME? HERE OR THERE?
We have been asked what is home for us: Dominican Republic or Canada. That is such a hard question to answer and the honest answer is - BOTH. We miss our ministry work, the people, our home, pets and the culture. In Canada, we are so thankful for all the opportunities for the kids (Samantha is excelling at ballet and Noah just passed to yellow belt in karate). The school and teachers that the kids have this year are amazing!!! It is great to be in a culture that we understand, around friends, family and enjoy our first Christmas in Canada in 15 years. This will be Noah and Samantha’s first Christmas ever in Canada. That also means that the kids will be blessed with many firsts: first snow, tobogganing, ski doos, ice fishing, maybe skiing, skating, and more.
In the Dominican Republic, you never really feel like you fit in as you are always a foreigner. We also find this a bit in Canada as we try to fit in and get involved. However, no matter where we go, we are always in God’s culture and in His family so we do feel at home!
Upcoming
Paul has been thoroughly enjoying his studies at Prairie Bible. He is learning a lot and can not seem to get his nose out of the books. He is excited to put into practice the things that he is learning and a yearning to pastor is growing in him. Paul is doing a two year program via distant learning that he can continue when we return to the DR.
Enclosed is our travel schedule for between now and when we return to the DR. If you want to get together with us while we are in your area, please email us or call to set a date. I (Sharyn) have been invited to speak at two ladies’ conference; in Connecticut and in California. If you are in the area, would like attend, email us and I will send you information of the conference.
Thanks to Sharyn’s cousin, our website has been updated. Check it out at www.houseupontherock.net.
Thank you for all your prayers for Samantha and her health. We are so thankful for the medical system here. We have had quick appointments with specialists and some progress has been made. When we arrived in August, Samantha was breathing at 68%. At her last appointment, she was breathing at 80%. The specialist is not sure yet if the improvement is due to new medication and/or change of environment and climate. We have another appointment with the specialist just before Christmas. Your prayers are appreciated and we still have a ways to go to get Samantha’s breathing at 100%.
Goals on Sabbatical
Please join us in prayer that we can accomplish these goals, according to the will of God.
1. Travel to the churches and supporters who have been faithfully supporting us and our ministry in many ways over many years. Promote the ministry through our travels, talks at mission conferences, etc.
2. Promote the ministry at MissionFest Vancouver
3. Raise enough funds to buy a new vehicle as our vehicle will not last much longer.
4. Raise up funds to start building the team housing immediately upon our return to the DR.
5. Promote more mission teams to come to the DR.
6. Raise up more monthly support to help pay the salaries of Dra. Wendy and Daniel Garcia.
7. Have some sort of a family vacation before returning to the DR.
PRAYERS AND PETITIONS
▸ Praise God for each and every one of you, your support of us and our ministry in your many ways!!!
▸ Praise God for life and all the blessings to our children since arriving in Canada.
▸ Praise God for our amazing Dominican staff who are keeping the ministry going in our absence.
▸ Praise God for answered prayer that we do not have to move right now from the clinic.
▸ Pray for the entire world as there are many governments changing. May all governments make wise decisions.
▸ Pray for our Dominican staff (Ana Maria, Wendy, Daniel) and their families as they work hard in the ministry, serving their fellow Dominicans.
▸ Pray for more support raised for Dra. Wendy & Daniel Garcia’s monthly salaries! Huge need!!
▸ Praise God for all the work that He is doing in the Dominican Republic & Haiti. All the glory belongs to Him!
▸ Pray for all our travels, logistics, finances and opportunities to share about what God is doing in the Dominican Republic.
As 2011 comes to an end, we want to take a moment to thank you so much for all your prayers and support of us and our ministry over the past year. Without your prayers and you being a part of our ministry team, we could not continue with the ministry in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. THANK YOU.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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