neufelds.github.io

Another New Season

2018-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Hi, Hello.

(I know we are quite sporadic. Sorry.)

Well, I don’t know how to begin this other than by sharing that I’m now a part-time associate pastor at Truro Alliance Church. My focus is technically young families, including kids to young adults. It’s been really great to work with all the people here in Truro, NS. Aly and I have both been blessed thoroughly by the church folk and doubly blessed to be offered a job right here! I’m SO excited to work here. I think it is pretty special that I can continue with the same people I have grown close to throughout my internship.

My Internship has officially been completed. At this point one class stands between me and a Bachelor of Theology degree. I’m excited to reconnect with some dearly missed professors at Ambrose. Finishing my degree will have some seriously bittersweet feelings. Although my internship has been completed, I’m still being mentored by Jacob Birch and Scott Penner, and both have been phenomenal influences in my life - spiritually, professionally, and personally.

Aly and I are missing summer terribly much - neither of us are good at coping with the dreary season called winter. We stay cozy warm with a wonderful pellet stove, and a great deal of coffee and tea. We miss our friends and family, but one of the upsides of moving to four different provinces has been that Aly & I have gotten really close and have only fallen more in love.

Other random things you might like to know about our recent life:

We got a pair of 10 foot long saltwater fishing rods for Striped Bass fishing! (Thanks JTF!)
Aly is on semester 2 of her program!
We made mini baked alaskas for Aly’s birthday - google it if you don’t know what a baked alaska is!
The temperature keeps swinging from -10 to +10 and every other week we have green/brown yards. (if either of us was still in elementary school, we would actually get snow days out here)
We ate Storm Chips in a storm - one more maritimer item checked off!
We won 12 bags of ethically sourced locally roasted coffee from Aroma Maya which we have been thoroughly enjoying!
Tim has been pretty much entirely social media absent for the last six months. Sorry I’ll try to post a bit more.
We have a semi-working aquaponics system, which looks cool, but is not producing quite as well as it should be. A problem with our bendy U-syphon.
Aly assembled a custom computer! Woo! (it looks better than mine!)
Our Chickens are still laying a ton of eggs! (only 4-5 a day)
Luna is getting little white bits in her moustache, Teddy is more annoying than usual.
We have taken more photos this year than ever before!

Specific prayers:

We are thankful for Tim’s Job!
We are thankful for all the cards and blessings that we have received despite our distance!
God is great!
Searching for Perfect Part Time Jobs!
Solutions to pay off Tim’s Student Debt!
For Aly’s academic future and vet school application!

We are heading to Calgary during February - Let us know if you want to connect!

And feel free to send us an email or chat with us on any sort of messaging service if you want to connect in general!

Thanksgiving Update

2017-10-24T00:00:00+00:00

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving

(I know we are quite late)

As I (Aly) was sitting here, on thanksgiving, missing my biological family and childhood friends, I realized I shouldn’t. I don’t mean that in a “I don’t care/want to see them” way but rather a “I need to live my life” kind of way. We have had such a great year and a great time here in the Maritimes. We have had many family members visit and some friends as well. There is really no reason for me to be sad about “missing out” on family.

I have often thought that once I moved away from my family, I would be missing out on so much. In some ways I guess I am, but I am also experiencing so much more, and what I am experiencing has helped me grow and realize that family doesn’t just need to be biological. I know this is something you often learn about in church. People say “The Church is your family” many, many times. It has never really clicked to me though. Sure, it’s easy to say, but is it easy to treat the people in the Church as your family? Is it easy to forgive the people in a Church for saying something you found rude? Is it easy to love the people in the Church unconditionally? It really isn’t. I can forgive my biological family members without a second thought, because the mental category they are in means that “we are family // no matter what we do // you’ll be there for me // I will be there for you” Lyrics from Family by Tasman Jude. It’s this definition of family that is difficult to live out in church settings.

We were invited over to a Thanksgiving feast from someone in the Church. It was sort of a “family gathering” because the people who were there didn’t have family in the area. It was such a good time and really reminded me of being at home with my family, the only difference is that this was the Church family we have always been told about. We are beginning to latch on to this broader life principle.

I may be in love with Truro Alliance Church. They have some great people and some great practices. They have been teaching me what the Church family is, over and over again. They are such a loving group, so casual, so welcoming, and so real; just like family ought to be. From day one we have felt very included, and it feels like they have adopted us as family members. Our church is a great example of living out the concept of the Church family. It is not because everyone there doesn’t have family in the area, lots of people have family close by, but they are just amazing at treating each person like a part of their family. They get the concept that we are the Children of God, and “are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household” Eph 2:19.

Sometimes our definitions of family are selfish, because we hold onto an unhealthy ideal of what our perfect family should look like. I am not trying to say that Truro Alliance Church is perfect, after all what family is perfect? None. I definitely am saying that they are doing something right. Although I felt lonely at the start of this Thanksgiving weekend, God is showing me how to truly believe that His Church is my Family.

Now for the hard part - WE need to be people that reciprocate this sort of action. WE need to treat the people in our church like family right back. This is the only way this larger concept of what a family is can live on. I’m so thankful that God has expanded our definition of what family is, but now we need to live it out - here, and in the future.

I challenge you, reader, to ponder whether or not your definition of family is too exclusive. Family means vulnerability, love, kindness, and an honest raw-ness. These are hard things to express sometimes, and are usually easiest with blood connections - but maybe you need to treat your sister-in-law like honest family, maybe a best friend, maybe someone at church. Maybe it will hurt, but maybe it will help you grow.

There is neither European or American, there is neither white collar or factory worker, there is no Froese or Neufeld, for you are all one in Christ Jesus - loose paraphrase of Gal 3:28

End of Summer Reflections

2017-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

Here We Go…. September Brings Change.

As summer draws to a close, Aly and I greet the new things September brings. For her, that means diving into her studies at Dalhousie Ag, and for me, that means beginning my much anticipated internship at Truro Alliance.

We have had a fantastic summer, and we are sad for the changing of seasons, but also excited for what the future holds. Aly is taking a full course load - genetics, statistics, calculus, agricultural science, & The Horse (literally what the course is called). We toured the school together a few weeks ago - they do all sorts of things. A few that stood out to me were the mink research center, sheep, trout, salmon, and an algae farm to feed the various molluscs they grow.

Jordan, Aly’s brother, came to visit and we had a great time exploring our beautiful province with him. He enjoys photography, so we had the privilege of seeing some great pictures he took of various Nova Scotia landmarks. Peter and Jenna, our friends and old neighbours from Calgary also came to visit for a day, which was a lot of fun as we explored halifax together. I love the privilege of cooking big meals for guests. It’s so much fun to me – even more so when I get to use garden fresh ingredients and local produce. For Peter, Jenna, Jordan, Aly and myself I made (with help) homemade english muffins, bacon, backyard eggs, hollandaise, blueberry-capital-of-canada blueberry reduction, crepes, coffee, etc. It was great, and we had so much fun around that table. It’s a genuine pleasure to share my home with guests.

I’m going to get real for a second: life is different after the classes are done. Now that I’m entering my internship, everything feels unfamiliar. I keep asking myself if I’m prepared for these next steps, and I am not sure if I am. University was great for me, but I’m not sure if I had a great endgame mentality - I lived in the moment, focused on my classes, but didn’t spend enough time thinking about what comes next. I keep thinking that I should have asked just one more question to this professor, or watched more closely how that person conducted themselves. I studied the principles more than the practices. I’ve got some great mentors here, so I’m not too worried about it, but I wish I came to this place feeling a little more ready for the next steps. I guess just another area for me to think bigger than myself, and rely on God more and more. I’m thankful I’m not in this alone!

Two highlights for me since the last post are Island Hill Farm - a goat farm that blew my mind (and now I want some goats but Aly is saying no) and peach picking. The goat farm was fascinating because of how many uses goats can provide - meat, milk, & wool/hair. I’d love to get a few and make my own goat cheese – which would pair nicely with my fresh picked peaches. Peaches are my favourite fruit, so to be able to pick them in my new home province – all while within view of the ocean – was simply a stunning experience. I got a little crazy, and at $1 per pound we wound up taking home 29lbs – for two people. I’m averaging 2-3 peaches a day right now, and just loving it.

Photo Cred: Jordan Froese.

At this update comes to a close, I’d like to ask you all to keep Aly and I in your thoughts and prayers – September is when everything changes and we learn to sink or swim. In all of this I ask that you remember to pray for us to take time for ourselves and each other, that Aly would find some great friends, and that we would be full of grace & truth as we share our lives with others.

Midsummer Day Dreams

2017-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

Midsummer Day Dreams

How are we doing? Busy!

It has been a great couple of weeks! We have been extremely busy working. I (Alyson) have been working at McDonalds and have had shifts of odd hours but almost full time! The air conditioning hardly works at McDonalds and I work mainly on grill, which is insanely hot and really drains a person!

I (Tim) have been working maintenance for the church, which has involved everything from landscaping to drywalling to woodworking and beyond. I’ve gotten to use some forgotten skills, as well as develop a great deal more niche skills. I’ve enjoyed my time in this role, but also eagerly anticipate the shift to internship in September.

We recently got 5, 18 week old laying hens on August 1st. Aly has earned the title of Chicken Chaser. A few have gotten out and she has been able to round them up and bring them back. The chickens have just begun to lay, and we have our first half dozen of eggs!

We have been enjoying the water out here, we have had a few beach days, a day canoe trip with the church, and we went kayaking with people from the church as well! The weather has been lovely and we’ve been enjoying every day off with fun activities!

My (Tim’s) parents came out, which was really great to show them our stomping grounds as well as get acquainted with the church I am working in. We were able to do a lot of things we wanted to, but left enough for them to come back again! :)

After my parents left, we had the opportunity to try out our new car camping setup and go to PEI. Our purpose to head to the island was dual: for exploration and to meet with some ground-level church planters. The meeting was inspiring, and I’m thoroughly excited with the concept of church planting with the coffee industry. It’s in its infant stages, but it has some serious potential.

Our Garden is getting there, but every once and awhile the deer come back and trim it a bit! But it will be what it will be! ☺ We have had bountiful harvests of dill, kale, lettuce, carrots, radishes, and the tomatoes, melons, peppers, and zucchinis are getting there. It’s pretty awesome to literally go outside and get ingredients for supper. I’m glad Aly doesn’t mind the gardening, because I really like the fresh produce.

We’ve really been enjoying getting to know the church! We also visited another Alliance Church in the area. It is a small church that gets together in a community center. They are small but a very close knit family, they are all insanely nice and super inviting. This month we have met half a dozen missionaries from almost every continent – it has been great to hear their stories and learn how we can support them here and now.

God has really been showing us the beauty of this planet! Our one repeated question as we have been exploring is this: “why don’t more people live here?” It is so beautiful, the people are so friendly, the real estate prices are so reasonable, it just doesn’t make sense why the Maritimes are not at max human capacity. On second thought, it’s nice the way it is.

Some Prayer Requests we have are:

Transition from work to school for Aly
Transition from job to Intership for Tim
Finances
Continued stirring of our hearts for the global church

Vlog Update

2017-06-22T00:00:00+00:00

Family and Friends,

Aly made our first Vlog while I was at work, so here is a 15 min rundown of some of the cool things that have happened in the last month!

The Trip

Truro

Cape Chignecto

Edits & Additions from Tim

The population is actually 20,144, Aly forgot to include Bible Hill and Truro Heights as part of the Truro population. We live in Truro Heights technically, but you will never be able to tell when you cross between these, as they are all connected.
We got our car window fixed now!
Cape Chignecto is a 52km hike - and was thrilling. Anyone wanna go?
Halifax is really cool, and we have a bunch of things we would like to show you all! (yeah, we went to Peggy’s Cove, and I ate a lobster roll)
I cut my thumb on a glass light fixture (low ceilings) and opened up a small artery in my thumb as well as cut part way through my tendon - stiches for 10 days and minimal movement.
The Betta’s name is Pike
Fish cakes are delicious with Chow Chow pickles on top.

Since the vid…

Aly got a job at good old McDonalds
We went to visit our cousins in Yarmouth and had a great time!
Tim Started working for the church, mostly fixing things and painting things during the summer
Aly planted a big garden! (the deer keep eating bits of it)

Thanks for watching, we want to stay connected with you people! Thank you for your continued prayer & support!

Timothy & Alyson Neufeld

P.S. We would love to continue to update you with Vlogs/Blogs! If you would like to get updated please subscribe by entering your email in the subscription box down below!

The Eve of a New Adventure

2017-05-19T00:00:00+00:00

Hey Everyone,

I figured we ought to put a new post up, seeing as we leave in just a few short days.

Here are some facts:

Our boxes are gone.
Our car is half packed. (just finished changing the transmission fluid, filters, and brake light)
We are sleeping on ultralight camping mats (which are remarkable comfortable)
Our Apartment is clean (thanks Aly)
We still have too much food left over
We are stressed out & excited
We will be just fine
We will miss our Calgary friends and family
We are extremely excited to make new friends and meet a new church family

I (Tim) have just finished my exam for my second last Ambrose University class, which is a huge relief. Aly has been awesome and took care of 80% of the packing and cleaning. She’s great.

This is by far the biggest move we have undertaken. We are trying to have some fun with it, do some camping an hiking along the way.

Side note: We will have been from Victoria, BC to Truro, NS in a single year, with the very same car. Our life has been a wild and fun adventure, and I’m so glad I’ve got a great partner to go with me.

I don’t really know what to say, so I think I’ll stop for now. Below are some things we would love some prayer for.

Please pray that:

Our little car makes it the whole way without issue!
The weather remains decent while we camp
Luna and Teddy don’t drive us insane and stay healthy on the trip.
Remain focused on God in this time of transition.
Aly can find work for the summer.

Thank you for your continued support!

Timothy & Alyson Neufeld

East Bound!

2017-03-23T00:00:00+00:00

Family and Friends,

Because of our increasing geographic distance, we thought it would be a good idea to update everyone on our lives.

Tim and I have both been attending school this past year, which is always demanding, and quite busy. Along with school, I have been working, and we have still been fostering dogs! We were reunited with Teddy (my cat) this year, which was exciting.

I have successfully made the house a zoo on numerous occasions, currently with a large turtle we are taking care of. I continue to remind Tim he was warned of this happening!

In school I have been taking general studies, so a bunch of random intro courses, mainly in science and math. Tim is finishing up the academic portion of his Bachelor of Theology degree this year at Ambrose University.

The final part of his degree involves taking part in an internship. Through prayer and searching for something that will work for both of us, God is sending us to the East Coast. We are moving to Truro, NS! In Truro, I will be attending Dalhousie University for a BSc. in Agriculture and Animal Science. Tim will be interning with Scott Penner at the Alliance Church in Truro.

We are both extremely excited for this change in our life, and are looking forward to seeing where God takes us from here. This is a significant life change for us, and we would like to ask for your support in prayer.

Please pray that we can:

Develop new and fruitful relationships
Continue to connect with friends and family
Have safe moving travels with Rhonda the Honda and the zoo
Raise $300 a month for the Atlantic Development Fund (that sponsors Tim’s Internship)
Find Jobs – Tim’s internship is 5 months long, but he will need to find a job after that. I will also need to find a job for summer.

Thank you for your continued support!

Timothy & Alyson Neufeld

P.S. We would love to continue to update you with newsletters! If you would like to get updated please subscribe by entering your email in the subscription box down below!

Donation Instructions

2017-03-22T00:00:00+00:00

To support Tim and Aly’s internship and get a tax receipt using your credit card do this…

Go to: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/eastern-canadian-district/
Pick either Donate Now or Donate Monthly
Enter the amount
Then from the drop down menu pick Atlantic Development Fund

Note: ECD are subsidising their internship church $300 a month out of that fund to bring the Neufelds here.

Click Continue with My Donation
On the next page you’ll enter all your credit card information.
Click Donate.
Viola! You’ll receive your receipt in your email right away and each time you make a donation.
Thank you for supporting the ministry of Ambrose University and the Eastern Canadian District.

OR to use cheque or money order send the donation to…

Eastern Canadian District
11 Stanley Court
Unit 12
Whitby, ON , L1N 8P9

Make chq payable to “Eastern Canadian District” and put “Atlantic Development Fund” in the memo.

You’ll get your receipt by February 28th 2018.