Ibbotson Family Newsletter - June 1, 2009

Greetings from Three Hills, Alberta! It has been a few months since we emailed you last and updated you, our friends, on the latest happenings in the lives of Steve & Sarah Ibbotson. We have been especially privileged in the last few months to see God’s Hand at work in so many ways… and are glad to share a few of these with you.

Of course, one of the most obvious ways we see God’s Hand is in our energetic and growing boy, Caleb. He celebrated his first birthday in March… enjoying the birthday cake thoroughly, and even eating some of it! Caleb enjoys walking around the house at increasing speeds as well as watching his VeggieTales videos, playing with his cars, trucks, building blocks, sandbox and most recently helping mommy plant flowers and work in the garden.


We have seen God’s Hand at work in our church family, the Prairie Tabernacle Congregation. Steve continues to serve on the elders board, this year as chair. Sarah enjoys her weekly Mom’s Time Out group on Wednesday mornings. Caleb enjoys his friends in the nursery and will gladly lead you to the nursery after he is done enjoying the musical portion of the worship service. We enjoy leading and hosting a small group on Sunday nights, currently ourselves and two other young couples who each have one little boy. As part of of the building program, the congregation recently commited over $175,000 in the next year as a Faith Promise Offering.

Steve has seen evidence of God’s work in his responsibilities as Christian Education Co-ordinator at Prairie Christian Academy. This year two missions teams went out from the school internationally, one to Colombia in February and one to Greece in April. Both teams were involved in meaningful ministry to others and students on both trips came back with a new perspective on God’s world. As they have shared how God is at work in their lives, other students are becoming excited about being part of the teams next year. In addition, regular weekly chapels continue to go well.

We have seen evidence of God’s Hand at work in our extended families. Two weeks ago we travelled down to Missoula, Montana to witness Cameron & Rebecca (Hunt) Nicolson’s graduations. It was a blessing to travel by car with Mom & Dad Hunt and for all of us to enjoy Caleb on the trip. In August, we are looking at having a week-long vacation in BC at Rock Ridge, the “camp” of YoungLife Canada , the organization that both Tim and Dad Ibbotson serve with reaching teens with the Gospel of Christ.

So thank you for your friendship as well as for your prayers and encouragement in our lives. We trust you are encouraged to hear of how God’s Hand is at work in our lives – and we also pray that you see His Hand at work in your lives. We would be glad to receive an email from you sharing your experiences.

Sincerely in Christ’s love,
Steve & Sarah Ibbotson and Caleb