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Road Tripping With Care Ninjas: Faith, Film & Thrifting · Neighbourly: Real Stories of Care and Community

0:00
Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Journey With Care podcast.
0:04
I'm Johan, and I wanna kick things off by extending my
0:08
heartfelt thank you to all of you tuning in, our listeners,
0:11
your engagement, whether it's sharing episodes, firing off emails,
0:15
or sparking up conversations when we run into you. It's been incredible.
0:19
It's been so helpful. You're the heartbeat of this community, and
0:22
I sincerely appreciate every bit of interaction that you give
0:26
us. Today's gonna be a little bit like our most recent episodes that Wendi
0:30
and I did where we stray from what you might be used to, what you
0:34
might expect from a normal episode from us, but stick
0:37
with us. We have some stimulating and thought provoking new
0:41
series coming up on the horizon, and you don't wanna miss those.
0:45
And what makes this episode a little bit more special is that it features
0:48
the largest lineup of guests that we've ever hosted on a single
0:52
episode. So a group of us took a road trip down to Kansas City this
0:56
past week to the CarePortal Conference, and we're gonna talk a little bit about
1:00
that and a few other things happening in Canada. This isn't just about
1:03
our trip, it's a dive into some of the connections we forged, some of the
1:07
insights we've gained. You'll hear from every member that made the trip. We'll share
1:11
some funny moments and some powerful insights that we got into some of the conference
1:15
gatherings and networking that we did. Anyway, we're all
1:18
together sharing some of these experiences and we just wanted to let you
1:22
know on what's happening in this caring space
1:25
in Canada and in the US from our perspective
1:29
going to the s We were the only Canadians down there. So settle
1:33
in. Let's explore some of these reflections together. I have a feeling you're gonna get
1:37
some real gems from the richness of our team's shared experiences. So
1:40
let's get this journey started. What does loving
1:44
your neighbor actually look like? This
1:48
is Journey with Care, where curious Canadians get inspired to
1:52
love others well through real life stories and honest
1:55
conversations.
2:00
Alright. We have a special episode here where I don't
2:04
think we've ever had this many people on our podcast before. I'm counting how
2:08
many heads in front of me. 1, 2, 3, 4,
2:11
5 people on the podcast at once. We actually just came back
2:15
from a trip down in Kansas City. We were attending the
2:19
CarePortal Conference, as a CareImpact team.
2:22
So we wanted to use this episode to give some highlights of that trip
2:26
and also 2 other trips that 2 other members
2:30
of this team went on at the end of that conference flying to 2 different
2:33
cities. So we wanna share what's happening in the care portal space,
2:37
what's happening in the caring space in Canada, What's happening
2:41
across Canada in kind of some of these things that we are involved
2:44
in as CareImpact. And obviously a lot of the same topics that
2:48
journey with care covers. So we just wanna make our listeners aware.
2:52
Wendi, you have anything to add to that? That's right. There there was 5 of
2:56
us in a vehicle in Kansas City driving together to this
2:59
conference, Wendi what a conference that was. And, we all came flying in, driving in,
3:02
but we met each other there, the 5 of us, and what a great time.
3:06
And so, I'm just
3:10
curious. I'm gonna put it out to people always hear you and me
3:14
talk. So let's let's put the mic on to Tim, Kathy,
3:18
Heather. Tell us a little bit about your experience at Kansas
3:21
City. I was very happy when we finally all got together
3:25
because I'd gone down early, and then 3 of you drove
3:29
down, and then Tim got there afterwards. And,
3:32
actually, being together in one space was really great, having breakfast before
3:36
we headed out just to be in one space together because
3:40
we work virtually. For me, that was a real highlight of our time together.
3:44
Yeah. We really could have lots of conversations around the table, watching
3:48
Jets game in the evenings too. We got we got to cheer on our our
3:51
hockey team. And, Heather, you and I work in the city together, but
3:55
we don't always work in the same place together. So that was really neat to
3:58
have you there. What was it like for you to be, in a house
4:01
full of other coworkers? No. That was really
4:05
great because, like Kathy said, working remotely, it can feel
4:08
a little bit like an island sometimes. So being all together and getting to know
4:12
Tim better and then just Johan, the comedy piece, so that's always
4:16
good, but it was good to be together. All the dad jokes.
4:20
Right? And, Tim, you flew in, and that
4:24
wasn't an easy trek to make it to Kansas City, but
4:27
you made it by God's grace. What was it like to be with us
4:31
crazy people? Well, I took a couple airplanes and then a couple
4:34
tickets, an extra ticket last minute when one airplane decided not to let
4:38
me, let me go. But we did make it to Kansas City. It was
4:42
a beautiful thing to be able to be together with the team when we work
4:45
in this space of wanting to see communities connected and see the church
4:49
connected. Connecting as a team is such a high value for us. And, for
4:52
me, it's always such a gift to come from way over on the East Coast,
4:57
and meet the the rest of the team who we got to spend that time,
5:00
that special time, the CarePortal conference together. So,
5:04
Airbnb with you guys is always a treat. I don't think I had
5:08
to pull up the sensor button too much on this trip, so I I behaved
5:12
myself okay. I think there are We had to censor you, Johan.
5:17
You were the driver though. How was it like, driving us around
5:21
everywhere? Well, because you guys are more involved in the care portal
5:24
space. So it was kind of my job to be the taxi
5:28
driver a little bit for getting you guys where you need to go, maybe medical
5:31
clinics and getting other things running errands,
5:35
maybe a few thrift stores here and there, and got to try on a few
5:39
good thrift store clothing that you made fun of
5:43
me. And, Let let's go there for a little bit, Johan,
5:46
because we had a little bit of fun together. Just so you know, we are
5:50
humans that do a lot of serious stuff, but when we're together, we can
5:53
also have fun. What we learned what I learned about our group is that
5:57
we like to thrift together, and leading
6:01
us in this, would be Heather. Heather, can you tell us that
6:05
experience of thrifting with Johan? What was that like? And me, my
6:09
She's like the queen of thrifting as well. Like, my goodness. She is. She's really
6:12
good. She inspires me to shop. I don't even like shopping, but with Heather, I
6:16
find cool things. To be clear, I don't like shopping, but I like
6:20
thrifting You're good at it. Because it's like therapy for me. But
6:23
doing it with Johan and Wendi, who are willing to put on leopard skin
6:27
and all sorts of clothing items, that was We have pictures approved, but we'll
6:31
show it. One day. Alright. Do we wanna get into some
6:35
highlights for the the CarePortal Conference in Kansas City? Yeah. What
6:38
what would you say would be things that stood out to you
6:42
at the conference? We were the only Canadians in a sea of, I don't
6:46
know, maybe 600 people. We were the Canadians representing,
6:50
because we are bringing CarePortal across Canada, behind the scenes,
6:54
still working heavily in how to scale it across Canada, but we
6:58
were with a lot of other people. And I'm curious
7:02
from others in our team here, what were some of the things you've had a
7:05
few days to reflect on this now. What were some things that you think
7:09
are staying with you and that you're bringing back to Canada?
7:13
I'll share a couple of things. It was in a couple of breakout sessions, and
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they're they're comments that I'm still sitting with and sorting through.
7:20
But one of the big ones for me was that Christians
7:24
blame individuals for their poverty more than any other group of people. Wow.
7:28
And I thought that was pretty impacting. And, the other
7:31
comment was that our gatherings and our actions move at the speed
7:35
of relationship, which we've heard that statement before,
7:39
but both of those, I've kinda took it as my homework to bring home and
7:43
to really sit with and let those kinda marinate and see where
7:47
I sit or where I fit in those statements and
7:51
then to really be honest with myself about, do I really let
7:54
things move at the speed of relationship? Do I just try and push forward because
7:58
it got an agenda or we have the right thing to do? And with the
8:01
other comment about Christians blaming individuals for their
8:05
poverty, just seeing where I sit in that and then seeing
8:09
for both of those, I feel like what's my action
8:13
personally on those, and then how do I
8:16
share an action with people around me for us all to see these statements
8:20
and to really be able to see the truth in them and where we sit?
8:24
So I think those two things, I don't have answers for, but they are
8:27
what I am intentionally sitting with to figure out for myself.
8:32
Yeah. And and the theme for this conference was connection
8:35
changes everything, and I think that really comes out with the
8:39
statements that you said, Heather. I I would agree with you in the
8:43
the the challenge in that statement of often Christians are to to
8:46
point to the individual rather than the systemic oppression and
8:50
the poverty that maybe hits closer to home because the church
8:54
is part of this system. And how do we contend with that? How do we
8:57
look into our own baggage, so to speak, so that we're not
9:01
contributing to that poverty? For myself,
9:05
to what you were just saying, I was really challenged by Andy
9:09
Crouch, who is one of the speakers, the one of the keynote, and looking at
9:13
our role as charities, our role as churches, and and
9:16
recognizing the inherent power where we sometime come in with
9:20
finances and just as an institution
9:24
or with education or even if we have a house, there's an inherent
9:27
power that comes within that. And if we're not careful, if we don't become
9:31
vulnerable ourselves, it can be very oppressive and
9:35
toxic and and exploitative. Like, it could become
9:38
an industry of helping people, and we don't want to contribute to
9:42
that as CareImpact. We wanna help the church flourish. We wanna help
9:46
the the most vulnerable flourish. And so I was also
9:49
challenged. And again, same with you, Heather. I I didn't come back with full answers,
9:53
but maybe a context that I wanna sit with for a while
9:57
to say, how do we help the church care in a healthy way?
10:01
How do we help ourselves journey in a good way? Yeah.
10:05
That's great, Wendi. I, really appreciated the definitions that
10:08
Andy Crouch gave when he spoke of authority and vulnerability. He
10:12
said that authority is capacity for meaningful action. I
10:16
think we often think of as authority as something we kinda towed around, but the
10:19
reality is it's our ability to to do something. And
10:23
when we think about it that way coupled with this idea that vulnerability,
10:28
as Andy Kreusch defined it, is exposure to meaningful risk. So we
10:31
actually are allowing ourselves intentionally to experience
10:35
risk where those of us who have some kind of authority, like you say, even
10:38
systemically, we're given this ability to tote some
10:42
kind of power, some kind of resource that we might have by actually
10:46
allowing ourselves to be exposed to risk, to vulnerability,
10:49
we can actually serve people, in a totally different way. So I
10:53
just really love that invitation to a different kind of posture by
10:57
defining those words in, to me, a unique way. And I think
11:01
that is a value that, CareImpact we've talked about in previous
11:05
episodes that we wanna be risk takers, calculated risk takers. We wanna
11:08
be inquisitive. And for me, it gave me,
11:12
a sense of encouragement that
11:16
it's okay to risk things for the kingdom of God.
11:20
It's okay to try things differently because in that space,
11:24
we don't come out guns blazing thinking we've got the answers. We're like, what
11:27
if we tried it this way? And that we are looking for
11:31
ways to engage and create meaningful change within our country,
11:35
meaningful engagement for our churches, it will require risks.
11:38
So I'm excited about our team that we are risk takers,
11:42
and I guess that's just an encouragement to to never take it
11:46
easy or or ride in having control of we've got the
11:49
answers, we've got the way. We can stay curious. Cathy, I'm
11:53
curious. What what were some takeaways? I know you were also missing
11:57
during that session because you were dealing with a medical issue,
12:00
which by god's grace, we you you got taken care of. But
12:04
what were some things that you were picking up on? Because you had some meaningful
12:08
engagements. You sat in some some meaningful workshops. What are some
12:11
things that were highlights for you? Definitely one
12:15
of the pieces that really stuck up for me was the connection piece
12:19
with other leaders in this space, to be
12:23
able to engage with those I've met at previous care portal
12:26
leadership intensives and also to glean some
12:30
really interesting strategies that other
12:34
leaders are taking in their communities, especially with church engagement.
12:38
And those 2 of the workshops, they just really were blowing my mind
12:42
with some of the strategies they've taken on, but I also had the opportunity
12:46
to sit down after the conference with other area directors
12:49
to really wrestle through what it means to
12:53
engage churches using CarePortal and to new markets
12:57
to find new churches and to bring them to onboard them
13:00
well. And, yes, it was really good time that way
13:04
where I was able to participate. I really appreciated
13:08
it. Do we have any other highlights? Yes. I have
13:11
another highlight. We had a banquet on the
13:15
second evening, and I had the privilege of
13:19
introducing Wendi as the award winner for a,
13:23
really special award for excellence in connection. And,
13:27
it was a little bit nervous, you know, having to speak to
13:31
600 people, but it was certainly a privilege to be able to be part
13:34
of that, to see Wendi honored for all that she does
13:38
and who she is and what she brings to the table here in our
13:42
nation. And to see a large group of Americans to
13:46
honor her and choose her to receive that award was, very
13:50
special. Was absolutely shocked. I wouldn't have expected in a 1000000
13:53
years, honestly. And I'm like, what, Kathy? What are you doing on stage there? But
13:57
I'm like, okay. She's she's a helpful person. She likes to help people. And and
14:01
then they introduced me for it and, absolutely shocked.
14:04
Because when I look across the audience there, there's
14:08
34 states represented, and they're doing things by the 1,000
14:11
and and helping churches and and children and and so many
14:15
things, statewide agreements, and they're just going gangbuster in the US. And
14:19
and and then I'm sitting there not feeling sorry for ourselves. I I'm very proud
14:22
of our team and exactly where we are is where we need to be. Very
14:26
confident in that, but realizing we're still very small scale.
14:30
We hardly began, and we're just tilling the ground. And
14:33
to be recognized for connection when we're just really behind
14:37
the scenes yet and barely started. It was very humbling to
14:41
be honored with that, and I'm just so grateful. I guess I
14:45
do love connecting. I realized that's that if I had to sum up
14:48
Kansas City and and the the other travels that we'll talk about now,
14:52
networking is my favorite thing. So it's it's weird they'd create a an award for
14:56
Loving to Network. That seems a little odd to me, but, I'm
14:59
grateful for it, and I thank god for it. And our our good team that
15:02
we we get to do this together. Wendi, you you do have a lot of
15:05
favor there. Like, we walk into any room, any venue
15:09
at these conferences and everybody's like, oh, Wendi. And they'll run up to you
15:13
and give you a hug. So, and we're the little guys.
15:17
Like Yeah. We are the little guys, but we still get thrown in,
15:21
in the ring, and I guess we we pull our weight. You know? And
15:24
even though we are the little guys, and I say we because I I don't
15:28
go in there by myself. You guys have been sending me down to these meetings
15:31
and giving me permission as you do the work here in Canada, giving me
15:35
permission to sit at these tables, having these deeper discussions, having these
15:38
harder discussions on how do we actually grow with church engagement
15:42
and not not being colonizers in that. And and so some of my my
15:46
challenging 8 comes out. And so I've gotten to know a lot of people there,
15:49
and I really feel like they are our brothers and sisters. And,
15:53
really good to see that there are people rooting for us
15:57
in what we're doing here in Canada. Be amiss to not mention the
16:01
movie premiere that we all got to attend on that first evening. That was
16:04
pretty fantastic. The movie comes out July
16:08
4th, I think. It's called Possum Trot. Really
16:12
well done. And the ones that the movie was about, like, they were actually
16:16
there at the conference. Right? And is a little bit of the birthing
16:20
of Care portal as well, like that storyline. Right?
16:23
And and the one of the main characters, bishop, w c Martin
16:27
and his wife, I met him. I've met him numerous times,
16:31
but one time I was in a meeting with him. This is a couple years
16:34
back in in Kansas City, and I came to a prayer meeting, and he
16:38
singled me out in this group and really just started
16:42
praying for Canada. And, man, when that guy prays, the whole earth
16:45
shakes. And and he continues to pray for Canada, and he's invited us
16:49
actually into that community. Sometime we'll have to do a little field trip there. But
16:52
when you know the people behind this story, they are just people
16:56
of faith. So if anybody gets a chance to watch this movie,
17:01
know that that main character is praying for Canada. And
17:04
and one of the things that he told me and it sticks with me, he
17:07
gave me, Psalm 91 that I'm supposed to read it every day and it still
17:11
ruminates within me. But he said, when you go out and speak,
17:14
don't say, I think the Lord is telling me this. Just say it in
17:18
boldness. God is calling the church to rise up and just say it with
17:21
boldness. And so I often, hear his voice in the background.
17:25
It was a very powerful experience. And it's helped me have
17:28
confidence in the things we're supposed to do. So if that movie finds its way
17:32
into Canadian theaters, I don't I don't know if it will, but if it does,
17:35
listeners should all go see it. Go to the website though, possumtrotdot
17:39
com, I think it is, or dotorg. Possumetrotmovie, I think it is.
17:43
Yeah. We'll throw that in the show notes. So, Tim had
17:47
quite, time getting to the conference. He was
17:50
supposed to come to Winnipeg and then drive down south with us,
17:55
but the Lord wanted to have mercy on him and not put me
17:58
in a vehicle with him for 12 hours. So with some
18:02
canceled flights and some challenges. Anyway,
18:06
he did make it down. Thank goodness. But he actually flew back out to
18:10
Ottawa, like, a little bit early so that he can attend another conference
18:13
here. Tim, you wanna tell us a little bit about what's happening there in Ottawa
18:17
in the conference you attended? Absolutely, Johan. That's,
18:21
been an exciting week, a very full week. Haven't really
18:24
landed, much rest yet, but looking forward to that in a day
18:28
or 2. It's just been an amazing week watching
18:32
what God is doing at the, Capitaliz Conference, they call it here
18:36
in Ottawa. It was a gathering of leaders, marketplace leaders, and
18:40
church leaders really looking at collaborative
18:44
action and the idea of unity walked out
18:48
in a very practical way in a city or in a community. And,
18:52
it was for Ottawa, and there was leaders from around the nation, that
18:55
came in from the west and the east. And really neat
18:59
to listen into the god stories. There was a comment
19:03
from one individual who'd come up to speak, who is a leader
19:06
in the states. It's a theme here. We have
19:10
awesome inspiration coming up from the states, but he said his sense is
19:14
that Aslan is on the move, pulling from CS Lewis, of course. But I
19:17
think a lot of us at the conference felt that, and I felt it in
19:20
a very unique way having spent first half of the week down in the states
19:23
with the care portal team. 600 people from all over the states watching
19:27
what God is doing, like Wendi they said, you know, even statewide in some
19:31
states. And then coming here, and like we've just mentioned, it seems so
19:34
little, you know, what we're experiencing, and yet it's it's
19:38
not because seeds are very small, but they grow the biggest things.
19:42
And, the slowest growing things are the strongest and the
19:45
longest living. Just got to go see
19:52
at the back of our property. My dad said, you know what? We're gonna leave
19:54
that. And, at the back of our property. My dad said, you know what? We're
19:57
gonna leave that. And I took care of it. I remember
20:01
trimming it. My mother sold the house a few years ago, and it's turned over
20:04
to somebody who's developed it. The place feels very different, but there's that oak tree
20:08
a good foot wide now and the strongest
20:12
tree you could imagine in the backyard. So just imagining what God is doing here,
20:16
what he has been doing for years. So, yeah, tapping into that conference here
20:20
was just such a interesting segue for me coming from the states
20:23
where it feels like there's a lot of things that have been growing a long
20:26
time and seem really big. And coming back here and just knowing that god is
20:29
doing the same thing here in our soil. Different soil a little bit,
20:33
maybe a little different DNA of the tree, but god is really growing some
20:37
some powerful things. I'm just so glad that you were
20:41
able to go back to your home city, where you grew up, and
20:45
that the the conference was hosted there. And, there's
20:48
some significant things that are happening in the East Coast
20:52
that you get to be part of. Some of the networking, that is happening
20:56
through Erin Ministries, Serve Nova Scotia that is emerging. You're on the front
21:00
lines with that behind the scenes, really, but we are having these
21:03
meaningful discussions with how could CarePortal be
21:07
helpful as a tool and of connection for the
21:11
initiative that's really being birthed out of there. We're not doing it, but we gotta
21:15
be part of. Can you talk a little bit did you have discussions, or
21:18
did you find some connection by what you were hearing from Kansas
21:22
City to around the tables, with other Canadian
21:26
leaders. Did it stretch your imagination for what could happen
21:29
in Atlantic Canada? Absolutely. Yeah. Atlantic Canada, and then
21:33
like said, there was leaders from across the nation. And so I had just some
21:37
amazing moments as you can imagine might happen at a conference, but sometimes
21:41
it feels like a conference just sort of a, you know, pump up session and
21:44
get all excited, and it's really cool. But for me, the power was really
21:48
in the individual conversations. Having conversations with individuals that said
21:52
things like, we've been waiting and praying for this for 6 years. Very
21:56
specifically, that was an individual who I was speaking with in
22:00
context of the training that we do in understanding trauma. She said, we've been
22:03
waiting for this for 6 years. I talked to another individual who we ended up
22:07
spending a couple hours together with, and, she said, I'm a youth leader in
22:11
the city and a youth leader of youth leaders. And she said, there are 75
22:15
youth leaders that I'm leading. And we said, god,
22:18
2024 is the year that we get trauma informed care training for all of
22:21
us. And so just sensing that some of the things that god has
22:25
entrusted us with and and guided us into as a CareImpact team
22:29
are exactly what he's been speaking to the church about. And in
22:33
terms of, you know, the care portal itself and the the conference,
22:37
Capitalize, was really looking at engaging the
22:41
church in unity to meet practical needs in the community, stories coming
22:45
out from across the nation about things that God is doing
22:48
already and realizing what we have been entrusted with with the
22:52
care portal is going to fuel that. So there were a number of conversations
22:56
from across the nation, and, of course, I already know what's happening in my province
22:59
in Nova Scotia. And, there were a couple leaders from Nova Scotia that joined
23:03
me at the conference, and we were able to be in
23:06
similar conversations and spaces imagining what is
23:10
God showing us and what is God connecting us with to be able
23:14
to take that home to Nova Scotia. And CareImpact in conversation
23:17
with several local ministries to Nova Scotia already about this, but really
23:21
just need to see that in a space that was so dedicated to
23:25
activating unity as the church. And and like Heather said, we
23:28
grow at the the pace of relationships. Right? And so
23:32
you taking the time, it's more than just conference information in,
23:36
information out, and a good coffee together. It's
23:39
building those relationships and growing at that speed. I I think
23:43
that's beautiful. So thanks so much for representing and
23:47
continuing the work you're doing in Ottawa and as you head back to the
23:50
Atlantic Canada. Lots happening on the East Coast. We're excited about
23:54
what the Lord is gonna do through CareImpact and CarePortal on the East
23:58
Coast. I think there's more to come. So, Wendi, you also flew out
24:02
from Kansas City I did. Little bit early. I went to
24:05
Calgary. You you have to hop around the continent, but I went
24:09
through Dallas and then and landed in, Calgary
24:13
and jumped right into a conference that was about to start there.
24:17
It was the one conference put on by our friends, Global Leadership Network
24:20
Canada, with Rob and Lois, Warren, Wendi
24:24
of of CareImpact. They invited me to do a workshop
24:28
along with Center Street Church, which is a big church in
24:32
Calgary. They're doing some amazing things, so I got to meet their their pastoral
24:35
staff, their new center that they had just opened, a brand new facility,
24:39
saw the neat things that are happening in Calgary. And
24:43
yeah. So I did a workshop with them on care and
24:46
compassion in community and how do we help churches engage in
24:50
community. And so, as you know, this is a topic that's very
24:54
a big passion of mine. So, yeah, we got to interact with
24:58
leaders from across Canada. So the one conference was was
25:01
also happened to be the same time as Ottawa. I was getting FOMO. I wanted
25:05
to be in Ottawa at the same time, but I was so grateful that
25:09
Tim could be there, And we were gathering also with leaders from
25:12
across Canada and having some really meaningful
25:16
conversations on how can the church have
25:19
meaningful impact in their communities and just listening
25:23
to what God is doing. I I made so many connection. I know
25:27
it's shocking. Right? Had so many connections there, and that would probably be my
25:31
highlight of the time there are the connections and the
25:34
conversations that I could continue to have. So there's a lot happening
25:38
across Canada, across North America, and lots happening with
25:41
CareImpact and CarePortal and what's going on. And we're excited that our
25:45
listeners get to be a part of that journey kinda on the ground floor because
25:48
we're so small. And someday they'll be able to say, hey, we were there when
25:52
they were tiny. And now the look what the Lord's done. So
25:56
really excited about what the Lord's doing. Networking's a big part of
25:59
that. I think you got to connect with a few former guests while you're in
26:03
Calgary. You wanna tell us a little bit about that?
26:07
Yeah. I, again, I I just love the networking piece. If
26:11
you recall in previous episodes, we've had Zach
26:14
Mantai and also Nikkayla Reese. She was in our our Christmas
26:18
series and Zach in our APEST, Leaving
26:21
Differently Together. I gotta meet up with them and have a good long
26:25
conversation. Man, is it good to connect with other leaders who are in the
26:29
trenches, are doing hard stuff, doing brave things, and just having those
26:32
conversations, encouraging one another. And they're just brothers and sisters
26:36
in Christ. They're not just podcast guests. Just shout out to them.
26:40
They are brothers and sisters in Christ doing some amazing things,
26:44
and we just wanna continue to uplift them. I also connected
26:47
with Tendayla Swan, who is the executive director for
26:51
Ameris, which is a a Christian adoption agency, a
26:55
family support organization doing amazing things in the the whole
26:59
wide province of Alberta, and she is
27:02
just another friend and ally of CareImpact,
27:06
and we just had some really deep conversations. I also need to mention that I
27:10
was staying with Amber and Ben who have actually supported our
27:13
podcast and our our ministry. They provided this camper
27:17
couple years back, and I got to stay with them and have some just meaningful
27:21
conversations. There's a couple who are entrepreneurial, and they ask good
27:25
questions. They're doing some amazing things from a marketplace perspective, but
27:28
also in a a faith based. They love God and just were
27:32
able to help shape and help me process some of the developments that we're
27:36
doing. And they're like, how do we bring this to Calgary? And, so
27:39
who knows? There's there's a lot of those conversations happening across the country, a
27:43
lot of seeds planted. And I imagine over the next coming years,
27:47
months years, we're gonna keep those conversations going. There's a lot of
27:51
demand for training, that I imagine we're gonna keep Tim busy
27:55
with, but we're gonna grow at the speed of relationship, and we are
27:58
just praying that our our team will grow accordingly. But,
28:02
what an amazing time. I just got back last night from
28:06
Calgary, and, I'm I'm looking forward to going to the NAITZ
28:09
Symposium coming up next in Sioux Falls where I get to hang out with a
28:13
bunch of indigenous brothers and sisters and, sit and learn.
28:17
So I wanna thank all our guests for coming on. Kathy, Heather, Tim,
28:22
Wendi, you're not a guest, but yeah.
28:26
It was fun. Yep. Thanks a lot. Great having a conversation with
28:29
you guys. Love it. Alright. I'm sure we'll have you guys on more even
28:33
if Heather protests that. But Don't say
28:37
that. You do I will. Some
28:41
people don't like the mic, but those are usually the ones that have the
28:44
most important things to say. Exactly. So
28:48
remember to stay curious and tune in next week. We got some
28:51
exciting things coming up. It's great to give you an update on what's happening around
28:55
Canada and whole lot more to come.
28:59
Thank you for joining another conversation on Journey with Care, where
29:03
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