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| Have you ever wondered why God places challenging individuals in our lives? This week, as we embarked on our journey from Canada to Brazil, leaving behind family and precious grandchildren, I was reminded of the profound ways God shapes us through adversity. |
Imagine this: What if those challenging individuals in your life were not obstacles but instruments of growth? In “Difficult People Reimagined,” we explore how God places these characters in our path not to hinder us but to mold us into reliable servant leaders. Just as Joseph needed his brothers, David needed Saul, and Jesus needed the Pharisees, discover how you, too, can position yourself for God to transform adversity into a divine opportunity for greatness.
Psalms 31 and 33 are among David’s reflections on how God is looking for servant leaders. David’s training underwent a wilderness season of responding to difficult people. He passed tests by refusing an easy power-over takeover, continuing to be the right person by serving as well as possible, and choosing to trust God.
Reflections from Psalms 31 and 33
Like David, we are called to be servant leaders. We trust in God’s wisdom and timing. We acknowledge and are grateful for His presence and His presents.
We spoke at four well-attended Brazil interest meetings and are leaving feeling that our support team is engaged and praying for us.
Roxy holds Ellis at one of the Brazil Interest meetings.
Roxy is the great person at Xtreme Mercy Canada (XMC) who handles all the donations! If you contact XMC with a donation, Roxy will answer. The email address is xtrememercy.ca@gmail.com .
Ellis held hands with his grandpas at one of the Brazil interest meetings. Steve is Zack’s dad.
These children’s mom was born in Brazil while her parents (Ross and Karin) were missionaries with us.
Ellis at 4 a.m.
The hardest part of leaving this time was our newest family members.
Paul and Lucy are ready for a road trip.
It’s starting! Lucy and Paul are entering the incredible world of books!
Val Reddix published a book! Jerry and Val are long-time mentors and friends. Fifteen years ago, Dr. Jerry counseled us to spend one year with our teenage children in Canada to help them transition. “If you could spend one year together there, they could go to school, experience the weirdness of living in a foreign culture, and laugh and cry together each evening.” So that is what we did, and that is what happened. We have remained friends over the years, and now Val sent her book to our grandchildren! Wow!
It is easier to say goodbye to grandparents than it is to grandchildren.
 This is Tim with Lucy and Paul, the premie twins you prayed for. We invite you to keep praying for Lucy, Paul, and Ellis when the Lord brings them to your mind. Our daughters started their lives going on adventures in the Amazon. Now, their children are starting with the adventures available in Canada. Thank you! to everyone who prayed with us for our three grandchildren who arrived in 2024! They are off to a running start as we head South to Brazil again. Our whole family is exceedingly grateful!   Heading South.  I am writing this email from San Antonio, Texas, as we are participating in a Global Mission Conference next week while on our way back to Brazil.  It’s hard to leave, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s hard because it’s good. Do you know what I mean? |
The one-minute explainer video is based on a survey trip I took through ranch country near Marabá, Brazil.
Join us as we embark on a journey of understanding, compassion, and bridge-building. Be encouraged and motivated to support and guide others toward the path of restored relationships. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or colleague, we can all be peacemakers and help create stronger, more resilient connections.
Pray daily to be a servant leader, focused on helping others achieve their best. This may involve serving them directly or humbly initiating difficult conversations to address underlying issues.
It’s important to understand that others must desire help more than I want to offer it. Without their willingness, progress is unlikely. You may be present with them when they are ready by patiently being the right person in all situations.
When someone feels like a victim, encourage them to consider their role and identify aspects they can change about themselves. This self-awareness can be a powerful step toward healing.
If someone desires a relationship but the other party is unresponsive, suggest they focus on being a friendly, non-anxious presence. This way, if the other person ever feels safe enough to reconnect, the environment is welcoming and not reactive.
I often ask individuals if they seek justice or reconciliation. If they lean towards reconciliation, I guide them through a thoughtful process. Quick forgiveness can sometimes lead to repeated harm while working through a process from a forgiving stance can pave the way for a healthier future. I encourage them to consider questions like:
In Psalm 26, David says, “Bring it on God. I feel ready. My feet are on solid ground. With Your help, I am fully alive.”
“…Examine me, LORD, and put me to the test; refine my mind and my heart… My foot stands on level ground… (Psalm 26).
Can you picture it?
“If you do well, will your face not be cheerful? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it” (Ge 4:7).
“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18).
I was the only openly confessing Christian when I worked at Mule Creek Camp in the Yukon—that remote stretch of road connected Haines, Alaska, with the Alaska Highway. Americans could drive onto a ferry in Seattle and relax for four days, bypassing most of Canada for a subsidized rate. Then, they passed over our highway and up to mainland Alaska. We plowed snow down a long, spectacular descent to the Alaska border, drank coffee, swapped yarns with the border guards, and then plowed our way home again. In the other direction from our camp, I drove 65 miles North on Sundays to meet with other believers. This was my first regular church experience as an adult believer because in Eagle Plains, where I lived for the previous three years, it was 400 km to Inuvik, and the route included crossing two large rivers with either ice bridges or ferries, depending on the season. During my Eagle Plains years, I occasionally worked all day Saturday, then drove all night in my pickup, arriving in Inuvik at 3 or 4 a.m. I would sleep in the restaurant parking lot until they opened, have breakfast, go to church, and drive home in time for work Monday morning.
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| Wrestle with healing and reconciliation in your relationships through heartfelt stories from my Yukon days—discover the power of connection and transformation, even in the most remote places. |
In the Fall of 1986, I bought a Tandy 88 computer from Radio Shack, complete with a green monitor and a noisy dot matrix printer. It all cost around $3,000, which was a lot back then. I proudly set it up in my bunkhouse room. I had some computer magazines that explained how computers worked—on my first day off, I started typing in a multi-page code that would result in a primitive video ping-pong game. After a short time, I got up for supper. To my surprise, it was 10 p.m. It was like a time warp, so fun! I ordered my first copy of Microsoft Word from that magazine. It came on thirty-five floppies. I picked it up at the post office in Alaska on my day off. I went from failing typing at a private school in Grade 9, the only school course I ever failed, to having the ability to correct mistakes before I printed my final copy. I could hardly believe the awesomeness of it all.
