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Monday, January 13th, 2025
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Luis Vargas
Luis Vargas’ life began in a traumatic way – he was not receiving oxygen when he was born, and Luis remained that way for hours. However, Luis had a praying Mother and she prayed and asked the Lord to bring him back to life, promising Luis would serve him for the rest of his life if the Lord answered the prayer of her heart...He did!
Years later, in December 2019, Luis was placed in an induced coma and on a ventilator in for many days. From all accounts, Luis was likely one of the earliest cases of COVID-19 in Canada; this may never be fully proven, but one thing is certain, the Lord once again gave Luis fresh breath in his lungs and restored his health.
Luis lives his life for Jesus and thanks God for bringing him back to health. This experience has greatly impacted Luis, and he draws his perspective on what really matters from how the Lord leads his heart.
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Esther Mulli
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Tuesday, January 14th, 2025
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Bob and Trudy McLaughlin
Bob & Trudy have been married for nearly 50 years and are the parents of 4 adult children and 18 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Bob is a graduate of Briercrest Bible College (1983-1987) and holds a Bachelor of Religious Education Degree in World Evangelism. Shortly after Bob & Trudy married their lives dramatically changed when introduced to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in 1974, through the faithful pastoral ministry of Rev. Everett and Pat Palmer. As a result of their new life in Christ, Bob & Trudy’s pursuits of becoming successful in the secular world of the music industry were quickly exchanged for a deep desire to serve the Lord in full time ministry. In 1978 they began full time ministry serving in a variety of evangelistic ministries taking them around the globe and eventually founding the international ministry of Salvation Today Ministries in 2014. http://salvationtodayministries.org
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Wednesday, January 15th, 2025
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Allison Alley
Allison Alley is the National Advocacy Manager at Compassion Canada. Allison leads initiatives to raise awareness of God’s heart for children living in poverty. Allison was the driving force behind the "Eyes to See: Reflecting God's Love to a World in Need" Book and Film Series which provides fresh perspective on poverty, community, and generosity. “God has a beautiful plan for this broken world that He is unfolding even now, and He wants you to be a part of it.” The series dives right in, giving a broader understanding of poverty (head), a deeper love for God and others (heart), a deeper appreciation for their role in caring for the poor and vulnerable (hands), and a deeper commitment to an others-oriented lifestyle of love, compassion, and generosity (habits). www.EyesToSee.ca.
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Ria Kalaw
Ria Kalaw was born and raised in Baguio City, Philippines and is a proud Compassion alumna. Growing up in poverty, she didn’t always imagine a bright future for herself.
Everything changed when she was registered in the Compassion program at her local church and she was sponsored by a university student in the U.S. named Alvina. With Compassion’s support, Ria completed a degree in accounting. Today, she works for Compassion Canada as a Donor Relationship Facilitator. Ria lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband, John Ber, and they have two daughters, Lilo and Lira.
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Thursday, January 16th, 2025
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Friday, January 17th, 2025
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Steve and Karla Stoffelsen
Steven & Karla Stoffelsen are the founders of House of Refuge Street Ministries in Chiquimulilla, Guatemala. Steven gave up his life in Canada to respond to the call of God in 2002. Now he and his wife live in Guatemala full time. They also preach the Gospel throughout Guatemala, El Salvador, Canada and the USA.
Steven & Karla are voluntary co-pastors at a local church in Chiquimulilla where they train the staff and volunteers with programs, such as: discipleship, seminars and prevention programs.
The slogan God gave to Steve years ago when He placed this ministry in his heart is: “LOVING THE UNLOVED, REACHING THE UNREACHED!”
The Mission of House of Refuge is to deliver hope, restoration and opportunities for transformation to those without hope who have lost their families and loved ones due to drug and alcohol addiction. By providing life skills and training in trades, they prepare men and women to value their roles in society, contribute in a productive manner and, with God’s help, see their families reunited and whole.
Individually, Steven and Karla share powerful testimonies of how they met Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Together, they share an incredible story of how God introduced them, aligned their hearts with His own vision and heart for their ministry in Chiquimulilla, and most recently how God carried them through a season of deep loss which was followed by a season of divine restoration. Steven and Karla understand what it means to cling to God’s promises and praise Him even when it seems all hope is lost. They are witnesses to the fact that God’s ways are not our ways, but He always does things well. http://houseofrefuge.ca
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