2011... A Look Back

Wow, what a year 2011 has been. As we come to the end of our first full year in Canada planting COTR we are simply amazed at what the Lord has done. The past year has had its ups and I am sure as most of you are well aware of it has had its downs, but it so comforting to know that we serve a God that is in complete control of all things at all times and we have nothing to fear because we have put our hope and trust in the only one that will never let us down. This past year would have never been possible without those of you that have partnered with us to reach the world with the good news of Jesus Christ. We want to personally recognize and thank our partners that have joined with us by giving financially to support the work that the Lord is doing here in Pitt Meadows. Without you, our team could not be here to do what the Lord has called us to do.

*First Baptist Church, Holliday Texas *Faith Baptist Church, Iowa Park Texas *First Baptist Church, New Albany Mississippi *Calvary Baptist Church, Vernon Texas *First Baptist Church, Burkburnett Texas *First Baptist Church, Decatur Texas *Cypress Avenue Baptist Church, Carmichael Califonia *Wichita Archer Clay Baptist Association, Wichita Falls Texas *Red Fork Baptist Association, Vernon Texas and the many Individuals that have partnered with us as well.
To this group we are humbled and honored to serve the Lord alongside of you and appreciate you more than words will ever be able to express. Your generosity is impacting the kingdom of heaven and has an eternal impact that you will be rewarded for in heaven. From the bottom of our hearts we say thank you.

We also wanted to say a big thank you to everyone that joined us here in Canada by coming up on a mission trip. You were such an encouragement to us and your willingness to serve and help us out was a tremendous blessing. You helped us to do things that never would have happend without you coming to do the work, fund the projects, and impact Pitt Meadows in new and fresh ways. When we combine the efforts of all the groups you physically prayer walked every street in this community 2 times and half of the streets a third time. You literally pushed back darkness by taking the light into the darkest of places. Here is a list of the teams and individuals that joined us in the work on the ground here in Pitt Meadows in 2011.

*Midwestern State University BSM Team, Wichita Falls, TX – March 12^th-19^th
*FBC New Albany, MS – April 7^th – 11^th
*Tanna Rush from North Texas – Summer Intern June and July
*Kevin Morningstar – from Edmonton, BC & PLBC Student, Surrey, BC – Summer Intern June, July, and August
*Faith Baptist Iowa Park, TX – June 3^rd-10^th
*The Betts’ Family, Cleveland, TN – June 18^th-25^th
*Cypress Avenue Baptist, Carmichael, CA – June 22^nd-28^th
*FBC Burkburnett, TX – June 29^th – July 6^th
*FBC Holliday, TX – July 14^th-23^rd
*Powerplant Vancouver team from LifePoint Community Church, Snoqualmie, WA – July 25^th-30^th

Thank you so much for giving of your time, energy, and resources to help us plant this church and reach out in our city. Your impact lasted much longer than just your time with us, in fact your impact is still being felt in our community.

We also wanted to say another huge thank you to those of you that pray for us on a regular basis. I honestly can say your prayers are felt here and the things we are seeing God do are a direct result of his people getting on their knees and praying his kingdom come and His will be done in Pitt Meadows. You are moving mountains that are paving the way for the Lord to work in miraculous ways. We have seen doors open and partnerships develop that would not happen without your prayers. Again thank you and I want to encourage you to keep it up and encourage others to join you because the work here has just begun, greater things are still yet to come.

And the last group that we want to give a big shout of thanks to is the people here in the metro-Vancouver area that have joined us at COTR and are reaching out to impact our cities with the Gospel of Christ. We are humbled by the fact that in June of 2010 there was nothing and now at the end of 2011 there are about 40 adults and 30 kids that have joined together as one body to glorify Jesus and reach out to impact our communities with the hope that is only found in Christ. We are honored to serve alongside of you and are looking forward to 2012. THANK YOU!!!
We want to take just a moment to tell you some of the things (both good and not so good, at least in our eyes) that we have seen happen here at COTR in 2011 so that you can join with us in giving praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

January 2011–
*Josh and Lisa were able to move from Port Coquitlam into Pitt Meadows. (What a blessing this was!)
*Lisa had to leave for a 5 day trip to the States 3 days after the move. (What a blessing this was not!)
*Began to look for a location to have Sunday Worship Services that we were hoping to begin on Easter Sun.
February 2011-
*Every location that we had looked at for possible services ended up not working out. (What now God?)
March 2011-
*Over the course of 72 hours (March 23, 24, 25), the Lord provided us with a place to have our services (Heritage Hall in Pitt Meadows), and the money to rent it on Sunday’s from 4:30-9:00pm for 1 full year from the North American Mission Board ($12,000). (And God said, “What now, you of little faith!)
April 2011-
*We host our first of many block parties in the community and begin to build new relationships and outreach opportunities. (Families are still asking when the next Block Party will be, of course it is the middle of the rainy season that lasts for over 6 months, yes these Texans are still trying to adjust.)
*We purchased all of our sound equipment and supplies (have you ever set up a nursery and preschool area from scratch, that's a lot of stuff and a lot of work) that we would need for Sunday services. A special thank you to all of you that provided the resources for us to be able to purchase all of these items that came to a total of about $15,000.
*On the 24^th we have our official launch of our first Sunday service in Pitt Meadows. (The Canucks were also playing a game 6 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs where they could possibly win the series at the exact same time our services were beginning, and yes some people actually came to that first service, about 30 in all.)
*Another side note here. There were actually Canuck playoff games at the same time as our services, 3 out of our first 5 Sundays. (For those of you in the South, that’s a big deal here in Canada. Maybe our timing was not the best, but give us a break, we are from Texas and we didn’t think about things like that.)
May 2011-
*Let’s just say we were trying to get adjusted to Sunday Services (keep in mind this includes planning out our services, complete set up every Sunday, having our service, complete take down every Sunday, and wondering where we are going to put all this stuff and how we are going to transport it each week – lets just say the Cox and Arrington dining rooms looked like 8x8 storage units packed from the floor to the ceiling) while still having Kids Rock and Life Group on Thursday’s and continuing to reach out and minister in our community, oh yeah and by the way, planning out a summer that included hosting 2 interns and 6 mission teams. It was a busy month to put it mildly.
*And yes, as he always does, God provided again. We received a brand new utility trailer that was bought for us by 2 churches here in the Vancouver area and a family in Tennessee. (God provides in interesting ways sometimes.) This allowed us the place to store all of our equipment and supplies as well as a way to transport it to and from Heritage Hall each week. A special thank you must go out here to the Severinski family that allows us to store this trailer at their farm and then they tow it back and forth each week to the Hall using one of their vehicles.
June 2011-
* On Saturday the 4^th, with the help of a mission team from Faith Baptist Church of Iowa Park, TX, we participated in our first ever Pitt Meadows Day Celebration and Festivities. We had a float in the morning parade with our worship band playing live music and our kids from the Kids Rock Ministry shooting water cannons and passing out candy to the crowd of over 15,000 people that came out to watch the parade. We also had the opportunity to serve and be involved in many different activities and events throughout the day that ended with a fireworks show that evening. This event really gave us an opportunity to become known in our community and we began to see new families attending our services and Kids Rock program on a weekly basis.
*The end of our 1 year temporary visitor visa expired on the 13^th and we were still waiting to hear from immigration Canada about our extensions. (Let’s just say this was the beginning of a long, long, long, … you get the point, process.)
July 2011-
*On the 18^th- 21^st we were able to host our first Kids Sports Camp at the Ford Road Housing Co-op in Pitt Meadows. A mission team from FBC Holliday, TX came up and helped us put the camp on each afternoon. We had an average of about 25 kids each day and great relationships were made in the community.
August 2011-
*Let’s just say we took some much needed time off this month with the crazy schedules we had during the previous 2 months. It also gave us a chance to plan and get ready for a very exciting fall. And some other news came too.
*Josh received a letter from immigration Canada saying that his file was being transferred to the Vancouver office and that he would need to come in for an interview on Sept. 8^th.
*Jason received a letter from immigration Canada saying that his extension had been denied. (What?)
*Jason filed paperwork to restore his visa and let’s just say the wait was only beginning.
September 2011-
*On the 8^th, Josh went in for his immigration interview with our church planting catalyst, Ray Woodard. After answering questions for over 2 hours and the officer requesting even more documents we left the interview being told by the officer that he wasn’t too sure about us and he would make his decision and then send the results of his investigation in the mail; either a new 1 or 2 year extension or a "leave the country by this day letter". (This made checking the mail box each day, interesting… or maybe “nerve racking” is a better word.)
October 2011-
*On October 2^nd we had our first baptisms at COTR. We baptized 6 individuals that day. (Praise the Lord!)
*This month we began a new ministry in Pitt Meadows for teenagers and a new ministry for pre-teens. It was amazing to see different people in the church step up to lead out in these new areas. We now have a Wednesday night outreach for grades 8-12 and two Sunday’s a month we have a Pre-Teen Bible Study that is geared for grades 5, 6, and 7.
*Both of our families (Cox’s and Arrington’s) lost our insurance coverage beginning in October because of our immigration situation. (Thank you to so many of you that prayed for us during this time.)
*COTR’s Sunday Evening Worship Services had doubled in attendance since we began on Easter Sunday. It has been neat to see how God continues to stir hearts and bring new people into the church.
November 2011-
*On the 14^th the Arrington’s were approved another 1 year extension of their visas.
*The Cox’s were still waiting on their extensions; they had heard nothing since August. All they were told is that it is in a stack in the "big room" in Alberta waiting to be processed.
*New leaders were beginning to emerge in the church and live lives of impact in the community and take the light of the Gospel into dark places.
December 2011-
*On the 10^th we were able to be a part of an organization called Help Portrait and really impact our community in a positive way. This is a group of professional photographers that give away free photographs to any family or individual that is in need. It was a joy to get to connect with many people in the community and bring smiles to so many faces.
*Also on the 10^th a new little addition to the Cox family, Matai Allen Cox, was born, weighing in at 9 lbs 12 1/2 oz. (He is a cutie!)
*On the 18^th we had a special Christmas Service at COTR. It was a great time as we celebrated the birth of our Lord as a church family. It was also our last service of the year with the Hall where we meet being closed the final two weeks of the year.
*On the 23^rd we participated in a one float parade. Well actually we decorated a trailer with lights and garland, put our sound system on it, Jason played his guitar and led us singing and about 40 of us went through a neighborhood in Pitt Meadows singing Christmas Carols. We had a blast and are already looking forward to it again next year.
*Jason received a letter from immigration Canada at the end of the month saying that his Visa extensions had been denied again. (What is going on?) So we put more paperwork together and reapplied for the extensions once again. Please join us in praying for these extensions to go through and be accepted so we can move forward with what God has called us to do. Also pray for patience, endurance, and strength for Jason and Sarah as they continue this long, long, long… yeah you get the point, process that they are in. (The enemy is at work but we know that our God is greater.)
*We also found out this month that we have lost some of our partnerships and so the giving that comes in to support our two families to live here as we plant this new church has taken a significant hit. We are asking the Lord to provide $3,000 per month through new partnerships to get us back to where we need to be financially for 2012 and make up for this short fall. Please join us in praying for new individuals, churches, or associations to be burdened with a heart for the Vancouver area and join us in this work of church planting financially.
January 2012-
*On New Years Day, 25 of us from COTR served Dinner for the homeless at Salvation Army’s Caring Place in Maple Ridge. What a way to bring in the New Year! We couldn’t have services at the Hall but that didn’t stop us from having church that day.

Well there you have it, our 2011 year in review. What a year 2011 has been! We have seen God work in ways that have been beyond our imaginations. We have also been faced with the reality of experiencing the enemy at work as well like never before, but I guess that is to be expected when the kingdom of heaven invades dark places. Again thank you for your support, prayers, involvement, and partnerships. Without you all this would not be possible. Thank you for being obedient to the call of our Lord. We have an exciting year ahead of us and we are expecting God to do even greater things this year in 2012.

We love you!

Josh Arrington

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2011... A Look Back