The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

Melissa & Greg’s Faith Journey: “Unexpectations”

One of the funny things about these periodic updates is that, each time, so much has happened it’s difficult not to start with something to the effect of, “it’s been an eventful time since we last shared.” All glory to God that this is the case, that He is working in and through us and does not slumber — but as a writer, I very well can’t start an update in the exact same way!

Earlier this year, we entered the beautiful season of parenthood for the first time as we welcomed our baby girl to the family. It took us most of the nine months waiting for her arrival to find her name, which means blessing, and we’ve indeed been so blessed with this little one. We’re so grateful for all the support we’ve received in prayer, babysitting, gifts, hand-me-downs, the list could go on.

Of course, like every new parent with a new child, we had no idea what to expect, from labour pains to each new day and milestone… but we quickly learned, not necessarily to expect the unexpected, but to embrace it. The days are long but the years are short, as they say, and so the past few months has been an exercise — a marathon — of giving each day to the Lord and relying on His strength, giving grace to ourselves and each other when we inevitably make mistakes.

“Unexpectations” to me, means holding the day and our desires with an open hand before the Lord, letting Him be Lord of our lives to place into or remove from our hands whatever He wills – we don’t know exactly what to expect, we just expect, in faith, that whatever it is, it’s going to be awesome.

Though I’ve taken a bit of a step back from my usual involvement here at CIAM, I know that we have not been without challenges… from break-ins, to broken equipment, to shortages, to dear ones in the CIAM family going to be with Jesus. And yet, there is so much to be thankful for – specific prayers from 2021, answered in 2022. What will the Lord do in 2023??

The CHOICE.FM

The CHOICE.FM is a new, highly anticipated broadcast platform that CIAM has been developing for a little while, and we are PUMPED for the beta launch coming in 2023. It has been an absolute joy serving with the video production team to make visual tools that we can share with Artists, Speakers, other Content Creators and counsellors.

Filming across multiple provinces, navigating public health measures, technical difficulties and coordinating conflicting schedules are just some of the obstacles we’ve faced on this journey, but as always, the Lord has brought us through them. At the start of each challenge we didn’t know how it would go, but we knew the end result would still be awesome, because we serve an awesome God!

The CHOICE is truly a unique experience and I can’t wait to see it become a powerful mission tool to connect with people in both breadth and depth. You can read more below!

Christmas is coming!

Although this time of year is incredibly busy as I coordinate a lot of incoming content for ciammedia, ciamradio and the annual newsletter (scroll down to follow our story!), it’s also Christmas time and this idea of “unexpectation” comes to mind again… The Messiah’s birth was highly anticipated, and yet Jesus’ virgin birth in a manger was totally unexpected (with the exception of the prophets I suppose…).

Partner with Melissa in prayer

My colleagues are often apologizing for their lack of concision when asked to share, but I think I’m perhaps the most longwinded of all… so if you’ve made it this far, thank you for sticking through! In the interest of brevity, here are some prayer items that we can bring before the Lord together:

• The CHOICE.FM beta launch and development – please pray against technical difficulties and sabotage, and that God would work even now in the hearts of those who will join the platform and hear the Good News of the Gospel.
• Strength and rest for Greg and I as I begin to transition out of this season of parental leave, and for our little one’s continued health, growth and development.
• God’s continued providence in prayer partners and finances as I build my support team.
• Consider also these prayer items for other developments here at CIAM!

Thank you for supporting CIAM, both through prayer and generosity, and for being willing to come alongside myself and our team of media missionaries. May the truth and good news continue to be a beacon throughout the ages, whether in print, on the airwaves or online!

Gratefully in Christ & MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Melissa