The Vision

Before reading all the details below, feel free to watch this little video we made with our kids to help share the vision for our move to Malawi:

Our heart is to be servants. We believe God has gifted us to come alongside believers, and help equip them, resource them, support them administratively in their ministry work, and make them more effective. Jason especially desires to lend his strategic thinking, servant-leadership, and technical know-how to maximize kingdom labourers in least-resourced areas through IT. Shannon desires to grow in discipling others, to continue to lead people into deeper relationships with God, and hopes to minister to the poor and needy, the orphan and widow, and to the hurting and broken through her nursing skills.

What will we be doing? Where are we going?

We are moving to Lilongwe, Malawi!  We will be serving alongside a local-led hospital/care center called Partners in Hope which specializes in care to those suffering from HIV.  Malawi has been very hard hit by the devastation of AIDS.  Still today 1/10 of adults are HIV positive!  Malawi is one of the lowest ranking countries worldwide when it comes to health indicators.  On the UN Human Development Index Malawi ranked 185 out of 190 countries! There is much to be done in Malawi to improve health outcomes!  But our desire is to support a Christian-run, Malawian-led health centre that seeks to not just provide quality health care to the poorest members of society, but also to reach them with the love of Christ.  For more information about Partners in Hope and Malawi, please see our Malawi Media page.

Jason will be working closely with the Operations Director of the centre to help build and improve quality technology systems to help improve the center.  He hopes to liaise with other non-profit organizations in the area as well as around Africa to use his growing business administration knowledge to allow health practitioners to improve the quality and breadth of care to Malawians.

Shannon will be working with the nursing staff in their outpatient HIV care clinic, possibly in their new palliative care initiatives, and hopes to be a support in any way possible.

We both plan to also work with the pastoral chaplain on staff at the centre in any way we can to disciple, equip, and challenge the Malawian staff to keep the vision in front of them to not just provide health care, but to provide spiritual care for patients as well.

How long will you go for?

We have committed to long-term service with SIM.  It takes time, in Africa, to develop trusting relationships and language skills in order to make a lasting impact.  We hope and expect that Lord willing, we will stay for multiple 2.5-3 year terms.

Why SIM?

SIM (Serving in Mission) has been launching Christian workers into ministry around the world since 1893. From church planting to medicine, and education to sports ministry, SIM desires to see the body of Christ in all places, among all peoples, to the glory of God. To this end, SIM is committed to cultivating multicultural mission movements that respond to need, proclaim the gospel, and equip the Church.

We have loved being part of Power to Change for the last almost 14 years! We absolutely support what they are doing in Canada 100%. We need ministries like theirs to challenge the Canadian Church, and individuals in all sectors of society, to reach out to the lost through evangelism and discipleship. We absolutely value para-church ministry and think there is a role for it in missions work today.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus called the members of the early church to be witnesses in their hometown (Jerusalem), in the rest of their region (Judea and Samaria), and to the ends of the earth. We believe God calls everyone to be his witnesses somewhere, but a few He calls specifically to be ones that go “to the ends of the earth”. Our heart has bent towards the least reached and the least resourced parts of the Church around the world, and that is SIM’s focus. We believe we are called to serve in ministry for life, and SIM allows for us to continue to do that but in a different context where Jesus is less known.

What is SIM all about?

Convinced that no one should live and die without hearing God’s good news, SIM believes that He has called us to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in communities where he is least known.

These are our top 4 passions & priorities, which we believe fit well with the direction of SIM:

  1. The least reached. Our time in Power to Change has changed us for life.  We never want our hearts to grow cold to the need for the gospel to go out to all peoples.  We want to continue serving in an organization where evangelism and discipleship are paramount.  SIM is committed to reaching the least reached and equipping and building up the local Church to continue on the mission of making Jesus known.
  2. Wholistic mission. We believe God has given us our I.T. and nursing skills for a reason.  SIM is committed to the significant work of responding tangibly to human needs, in practical ways.
  3. Whole family ministry. From missionary-kid training to staff members committed to helping our children thrive, to third culture kid connections, SIM has years of experience sending whole families into ministry.  Our kids are not a hindrance or an aside to ministry, they are part of it.  We desire to see our whole family reach out and are thankful that SIM seeks every way it can to support families in sustainable cross-cultural ministry.
  4. Locally-led, Church-based, initiatives. SIM works through the local Church, and this is a priority for us. We want to be a bridge connecting Malawi to Canada!