The Family Picnic - JFJ Hope Centre

A Publication From Jewels For Jesus Mission Inc.
October 2005
The Family Picnic
The smile was never off my face – not
because it was an absolutely gorgeous day in
September, but because of the marvelous
sight of families brought together by God
through Jewels For Jesus. Every child, every
adult has a story. The picnic is a time for me
to reflect on those stories, remembering the
hard parts, the puzzling parts, the questioning,
and the resolutions.
Let me take you on a tour. We start at the
entrance to our picnic. I am poised, ready,
with name tags to complete as families come
to the picnic. And here comes a family who
are in the process of working on the adoption
of a toddler – we have been praying for them
and with them in this situation for months –
and here they are with their little one and she
is ready to hit the swimming pool. What a
delight to welcome her to our Jewels picnic.
Walk with me to the court yard. An adoptive
mom and I spend time together remembering
their adoption journey. Now she is looking
for that “listening ear” once again, to pour out
her heart around some special issues they are
facing with their child. Knowing the whole
story, we are able to put things in perspective
and bring hope and encouragement.
Now we are walking over to the table loaded
with salads, hot dogs, hamburgers and
desserts. One little boy takes a new friend by
the hand, showing him the chocolate temptations
that await them, two little guys that share
adoption in their histories. Meanwhile, I’m
having a conversation with an adoptive dad
who is asking
how he can support
the ministry
at Jewels For
Jesus with his
time and expertise.
But the main
action is down by
the pool. The
children can
hardly wait to
get into the
water. Here’s
one adoptive dad and his son helping a
younger child from another family splash
around in the pool. Over in another corner of
the pool we have an adoptive couple singing
songs to children from several different families.
The diving board has a line up of 4 – 8
year olds, chatting and delighting in each others
ability to find a new form of pool
entrance. Then look around the edge of the
pool – so many families connecting, talking
about their stories, beaming about their children,
renewing friendships.
I sit and chat with a teen who tells me about
his new school and what that transition has
been like. Then I hold a young one and get
a quick cuddle. I sit down beside a mom and
get caught up on her life. And it goes on…
It actually looks like an annual family picnic –
of relatives who haven’t seen each other in
ages but have so much that connects them.

Well, it is a family picnic – the Jewels family
picnic. Not only is there adoption that connects
us, but there is the Lord and the knowledge
that He is the master designer of families.
You are a part of
our Jewels family
as well – you have
connected with us
to support this work
through prayer and
giving, through
your time and
encouragement. Now, sit back and have a
good look at our family picnic photo album.
Marian
Need for an Adoptive Family
Mary Jane was featured in our April 2003
newsletter. Her grandparents have done a
remarkable job in caring for her special needs
associated with Angelman Syndrome. Mary
Jane is now 2 1 / 2 years old. Her grandparents
hope to find an evangelical Christian family
who would be open to adopting Mary Jane
and allowing them to continue in a supportive
“grandparent” role. For further information,
please contact either Margo or Marian
(905-821-7494).
Do you enjoy working on a team, seeing a
common goal achieved?
We have the goal for you!
Do you have a heart for serving but aren’t
sure where?
We have the place for you!
Have you ever wanted to volunteer on a
team but were afraid to commit to a long
term?
We have the team for you!
Interested? Curious? For more information,
please call Karen at 905-821-7494 or e-
mail to karen.k@jewelsforjesus.net

Circle of
Friends
We are excited to be
launching our 3rd annual
Circle of Friends Fundraising
Campaign. Watch for the
November newsletter for
your donation form and further
details. God has been
richly blessing this yearly
campaign. We encourage
you to participate as this will
be our main fundraising
focus for 2005.
Mission Inc.
6655 Kitimat Road, Unit 5
Mississauga ON L5N 6J4
(905) 821-7494
email: helpline@JewelsForJesus.net
Website: http://www.JewelsForJesus.net
• size 3 – 6X boys and girls winter
clothes (our supplies are very low)
• URGENT: all size of diapers except
size 1
• URGENT: milk based formula
• baby wipes
• paper cutter
• AA battery charger (for use with
our digital camera)
• thank you notes

A Word from Margo
Here I sit, writing my first word to you as
Executive Director. What a journey the Lord
has taken me on. I spent the better part of
the summer feeling an unexpected kinship
with Gideon, that reluctant judge from Judges
6-8. Like Gideon, when I was approached
with the suggestion that God was calling me
to this position, my reaction was less than
enthusiastic. To the person offering this insight
I responded with skepticism, and to God I
responded with an appeal for confirmation –
a sign, some form of clear direction.
After much prayer, advice and clear nudges
from the Lord, I stepped forward only to find
my kinship with Gideon continued. There I
stood, poised to engage in the task ahead,
and the Lord said, “Wait a minute. There’s too
many of you.” Then, like Gideon, I watched
as God began to remove soldiers from our
generous ranks. Elizabeth, Heather, Lindsay,
and even our amazing summer student, Bev,
were gone within a matter of weeks. I
thought a lot about poor Gideon. I suspect
the soldiers God removed from his army
weren’t just nameless numbers. They were
friends, brothers, trusted partners in ministry,
just as these dear people were to me. As in
Gideon’s situation, it was obvious that this was
God’s doing. Each staff member had been
called to things and places that were unquestionably
God’s doing. Added to this was a
scarcity of funds. Not only were the ranks of
Jewels being depleted in manpower but the
usual summer downswing in donations, coupled
with the huge increase in ministry opportunities,
had thinned the financial ranks as
well.
What was God’s lesson for Gideon, and me?
It is this: that He is sufficient. Our confidence
must never rest in the strength of our ranks or
our financial reserve. God alone is sufficient
for the victory.
And so, like Gideon, we enter the battle.
Opportunities to engage in ministry are coming
with the speed of the archer’s arrows:
phones ring constantly; there is a continuous
parade of care cupboard clients and clients
looking for help with their unplanned pregnancies,
and little ones in need; opportunities
to educate youth in abstinence, and to train
other pregnancy support centre volunteers
abound. And, as with Gideon, God is providing
the victory. As we move forward in our
own seeming weakness, with our eyes fixed
on our powerful Lord, He is touching lives
through our insufficient efforts and swelling our
ranks with warriors of excellence. With great
joy I introduce our new staff to you. The new
partners God has provided come with excellent
credentials, hearts for the Lord, and the
critical skills we need on our team.
Gideon obeyed God’s call, remained faithful
through seemingly bleak times, and watched
as God gave the victory. Now we do the
same. With our eyes on Him we move
ahead in confidence – not confidence in the
team or the resources, but in Him – and look
forward with expectancy to the victories
ahead.
Margo Semple,
Executive Director

Introducing our newest team members:
Karen Kamphuis: Promotions and Outreach
Director
Karen had been asking the Lord where He
wanted to use her experience, training and
gifts. After many years in the corporate world
she felt God calling her to a step of faith, and
big changes. We are grateful for Karen’s obedience
to the Lord and how this has led her to
Jewels. Karen will be
heading up the fund
raising and promotions
projects, working on
creating a solid base for
our Mission and broadcasting
the news of
Jewels.
Staff at Jewels For Jesus
Here’s what Karen
would like you to know:
Many changes in staffing have taken place
over the past few months. Here is a list of
who is on staff and what their role is:
“I am so looking forward to now finally being
part of the team! This journey to become part
of the Jewels team began for me about 18
months ago. I have worked for many years out
in the corporate sector in different sales related
positions, but personally I have been active in
many different areas of service within our church
and our community. This journey began
because I started to feel like there was so much
more I could be doing to use my gifts and abilities
for God where they would make a difference.
Prayer has been a big part of this journey
and God has given many opportunities during
this time for me to use my talents and gifts
to prepare me for this next step. God has
worked to open this door at Jewels and I am
very excited and eager to see how God will
use me and what His plans are for this wonderful,
Godly group of people at Jewels.
“Rob and I have been married for 18 years,
and we have a 13 year old son and a 10 year
old daughter who already are asking at the
dinner table at night, "What exciting things happened
at Jewels today Mom?" "Did you get to
hold any new babies today?" So they too are
excited about this new life change for our family.
I am looking forw a rd to connecting with many of
you as part of the bigger Jewels family. ”
Margo Semple
Marian Boyd
Suzanne Ball
Kelly Cameron
Holly Heise
Andrea White
Pam Poulton
Helen Hancock
Karen Kamphuis
Hedy Bauer
Executive Director, Mission
and Adoption Agency,
and Adoptive Family
Support Worker
Program Coordinator,
Adoption Agency
Birth Parent Worker
Birth Parent Worker
Birth Parent Worker
Birth Parent Worker
Administrative Assistant-
Adoption
Office Assistant
/Receptionist
Promotion and Outreach
Director
Bookkeeper
Kelly Cameron: Birth Parent Worker
How’s this for the first line of the email I got
from Kelly. “Supporting and encouraging
young parents is my passion! So when I
received your email looking for a Birth Parent
Worker through the CPC I work for I was compelled
to apply.” Kelly’s heart for young people
has shaped her training, education and
experience. She has created and directed a
sexual abstinence program for youth, and her
work at the Crisis Pregnancy Centre has given
her broad exposure to the issues faced by birth
parents and their families.
Continued next page

Here’s what Kelly has to say:
“Hi, I’m Kelly Cameron. I currently reside in
Pickering, ON. I first learned about Jewels For
Jesus at my local crisis pregnancy centre, where
I work part-time. I am excited about coming
on board here at Jewels as I have a passion for
working with young parents.
“I have been blessed with a number of opportunities
to serve young people facing challenging
circumstances. These have included: homeless
youth and youth at-risk of homelessness in
York Region, teen girls struggling with addictions
in a treatment group home in San Jose, CA,
and students at-risk of dropping out of school in
Kingston, ON. I obtained my B.A. (Hons) in
Psychology from Queen’s University.
“I love to travel and have lived in 4 countries.
I look forward to what the Lord’s going to do in
and through me here at Jewels.“
assessment, counseling, and support skills dealing
with families in crisis and life changes.
Here’s a word from Andrea:
“I would just like to take this opportunity to say
hello to everyone and tell you how excited I
am to be starting on this new journey here at
Jewels.
“My name is Andrea White. The Lord has
blessed me with a loving and support i v e
husband and a very active toddler at home.
I come to Jewels with a Bachelor of Arts degre e
in Sociology and a Bachelor of Social Wo r k
d e g ree, as well as several years experience
working in child welfare. I want to use the
gifts He has given me to assist and help others.
I believe that it was His work that made me
a w a re of this opportunity at Jewels For Jesus and
that He has called me to this special ministry.
“I am grateful for the many blessings and
opportunities the Lord has given me throughout
my life and most recently for bringing me here
to Jewels. May God bless you and keep you
and your families.”
Kelly and Andrea
Andrea White: Birth Parent Worker
Andrea found us through a friend who receives
our newsletter. Feeling that Andrea would be
a match for the birth parent worker position at
Jewels, she handed the newsletter to her.
Thank you to Andrea’s friend!
Andrea comes to us with extensive education,
training and experience. She has more than
three years experience working in child protection
through CAS where she developed her
Farewell
Our one last goodbye:
Elizabeth
Chotka, one of our
birth parent workers
left us at the end of
the summer. Her husband,
David, started
a new pastorate position
in Alberta at the
beginning of October.
Elizabeth has been a
tremendous partner in the ministry of
Jewels For Jesus and we will miss her.
We pray that the work that she did at
Jewels will have an eternal impact. We
know that she will continue to support us
as one of our faithful prayer warriors.
Thanks Elizabeth.