Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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This summer was amazing and I am absolutely thankful for all the amazing people I met. Out of all my years of teaching this one was probably the hardest just because I had more clubs than usual. Also throughout I just felt really inadequate for the summer that was ahead of me. But everyday it caused me to rely more and more on God and His strength.
For my last blog I want to share one last story that happened at my second club last week. So there was a unchurched girl there who I has taught for a day during week 5 with Shamus. She had been listening so well and has shown interest during the invitation. So on the Friday during snack time I pulled her aside and tried talking to her because she had raised her hand again. When I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus into her heart she said no. I won’t lie, I was pretty sad about that because she seemed to be understanding more that week. But I found out that she actually lost her Bible so Grace and I gave her a new one. There were also 2 sisters that heard me offering Bibles and explained that they only have a picture Bible at home. I was more than happy to share God’s Word with these kids and give them ones for themselves.
Even though we had a lot of unchurched kids at this club, none of them made decisions that week. But this club just reminded me of the fact that I’m not the one changing these kids hearts. It’s entirely the work of the Holy Spirit. I’m just called to present the Good News like Philp did for the Ethiopian official. It’s up to that person to respond to it, and if they choose not to that doesn’t mean that I was ineffective. You never know how God might use last week later in these kids lives. I just need to be faithful in what God has called me to and leave the results up to Him.
I am absolutely thrilled about how this summer went and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. God taught me so many things and I am so blessed to be able to have had such an amazing summer. I want to say thank you to Vangi because every single year you work so hard and diligently praying for us and the work that you do is amazing. Thank you for the support and encouragement that you give. I also want to thank my CG for praying for me every single day. There were times that I honestly felt incapable but knowing that I had not only God but also other people supporting me was such a great encouragement. Words could never describe how much I appreciate the amazing gift of prayer that you given to me for so many summers. And big thanks to everyone else who prayed for me this summer.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Hey so today went really well, and I’m not as tired today so thank you to everyone who prayed for me. It’s crazy to think that tomorrow is the last day of clubs so I absolutely want to end off strong. God has been doing some amazing work and this week I’ve been so excited to see how these kids are beginning to understand for the first time.
Club 1: So with this club we have 9 kids who have come and it’s exciting to just encourage them in their walk. Doing Pilgrim’s Progress from last year was the perfect story for them, because it talks about the journey of our faith. Honestly by going over the story again I’v been greatly encouraged too. It’s going to be hard leaving this club cause their these kids are the best, but I know that God will use them to do amazing things even at their young age. (:
Club 2: With this club we had 16 kids here today, and I felt like I was trying to yell over them at points. But when they were focused, they were attentive and engaged. There was a girl who put up her hand yesterday during the invitation and because of the short travel time I couldn’t talk to her yesterday or today. She had come to a club Shamus and I taught last week and she didn’t want to talk to us about it. So pray that tomorrow I can speak to her and that the Holy Spirit will do a work in this girl’s heart.
Club 3: At the beginning of this week these kids were hard to teach. But as the week has gone along it becomes more and more evident that this club is needed. All the kids are unchurched and I mean completely unchurched. But it’s cool because these kids are being to understand and they seem to like the songs a lot which is awesome. Due to the lack of attention spand we have been playing games with them to start out. So one boy came up to me and asked if we could listen to the CD while playing hide and go seek. Clearly these kids need some love shown to them and this club had shown me that. I found that my heart wasn’t entirely in it and I was kinda wishing for a more tame club. But right away I prayed that God would just change my heart to have a burden for these kids like He does, and honestly I’m now pretty sad to leave them tomorrow. But I know that the work we have done here has not been in vain, so continue to pray for these kids.
Club 4: We had no kids come again and we decided to just play on the play structure with the host’s daughter. His son had some friends who came to the park, so Grace and I decided to start the club. The moment we were about to their mom called them back home so that was pretty disappointing. We went ahead with club anyways when there were 2 girls that came to the park. The one girl was on the swings as Grace was telling A Little Rascal, and listened to every word she said. Please pray that tomorrow we will be able to talk to this girl and at least give her a package.
As I was preparing for Pilgrim’s Progress this morning, there was a part where Pilgrim asked Evangelist if there were more trials they were going to have to go through. Evangelist tells Pilgrim that will be the case but to “..Be faithful even to the point of death, and [the King] will give you life as your victor’s crown” Revelation 2:10. I want to always be faithful in the things God calls me to no matter how hard it may be. This summer has been one of my hardest ones, but I’m so thankful that as I look back that it was only through God any of that was able to happen. And I want tomorrow as my last day to be the exact same. As this summer comes to an end thanks once again to everyone who has prayed for me. I’m been so blessed to have that kind of support throughout the summer.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Hey I won’t lie but this week has been stretching me just cause I have no energy and it’s been hard to go into every club with enthusiasm. So please pray that I can keep going and do my absolute best at each of these clubs, cause I can just see how much these kids need love shown to them.
Club 1: So at this club we actually ended up being late this morning and that was entirely because of traffic. We left at our usual time and took our normal route but traffic was badly backed up. After being on the road for 1 hour, we finally made it with only 30 minutes left of club. I won’t lie I was pretty frustrated heading in but the kids were absolutely great. Because the kids here have all been to a 5-Day Club on their street this summer we decided to do our extra story from last year, Pilgrim’s Progress. As I was getting to the part about Pilgrim meeting Apollyon one kids spoke up and shook his head saying:
“That’s the Devil’s work.”
Honestly, that was the best response I have ever heard to any story. And it’s awesome because the kids are all engaged and listen super well. So pray that we will be able to encourage these kids in their faith.
Club 2: The kids here are awesome and I feel blessed getting to teach them. They calm down during the stories and listen so well. Yesterday I had one unchurched girl and she said:
“I really liked the story of Zucchini.”
I tried not to laugh but at least she enjoyed the stories. I do have 2 boys at this club who don’t really listen and I taught them both last week. Please pray that they won’t be a distraction as Grace and I teach them.
ChangChang Adventures: So our travel time between these clubs are way too close, and it’s almost impossible to make it on time. So on our first day we actually took the wrong way on the freeway and had to reroute later on. I was so stressed out and we ended up being late as a result. ): But today we made it there before the club actually started which was a major win for the ChangChang’s.
This club has been an adventure of it’s own because the kids have been off the wall. We had one boy who brought a pocket knife to club the first day and was whittling a stick. These kids hit one another and there have been points where I wasn’t sure if we would have to call a doctor. But today the distracting kids weren’t here and we only had 4 kids. All these kids are unchurched and on the first day they all had no clue what a Bible was. We have just gone over a song, contest and Bible verses just because they honestly don’t understand. But today went a lot better and during it they asked some good questions like how Jesus got up to heaven, and how we could talk to him if he’s in heaven. It was awesome to see them being engaged so continue to pray for these kids.
Club 4: This club has been in the park and for the last 2 days we haven’t had any kids. The 2 that came said their grandmother was coming to visit so they weren’t sure if they could come back. So we just hung out with our host’s kids and to be honest aren’t too sure on what we should do. Please pray that more kids will come and for God to guide us in how we should handle this situation.
I’m so glad to see God working in the lives on these kids and how this summer has gone. I can’t believe it’s almost over but I’m praying that every single worker will finish off strong.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Grace Sichangwa
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I can barely believe that it is already Week 6. This summer has been hard, and filled with hard work, but God has been good. It has been so encouraging to rest in Him, knowing that He supplies all that is necessary for His work… Today was rather eventful. Here goes… (And yes, I posted 2 blogs tonight in order to make up for my lack of internet last week).
Club 1: I had taught in this neighbourhood earlier this summer, so Gwyneth and I decided to be prepared for repeat kids. We had gone advertising with out hostess the night before, and it seemed fairly promising. The kids came gradually as the club progressed. We initially began with three kids, and thinking I was so clever, I brought the Do What’s Right visual. In the middle of explaining the song, half of the visual comically fell out of the book… To be honest, I wasn’t too sure if it was a sign of what was to come for the rest of the day, haha. The total attendance for this club was 6.
ChangChang Adventure: While we were waiting for the next club, we decided to wait in a parking lot. I tried to park into the tight lot, and I underestimated the amount of room that I need to turn. As a result I technically had my first collision 🙁 I scraped the back end of the car 🙁 As I have learned from my vehicle issues in the past, I immediately called Mr. D, unsure of what to do. I began to write a handwritten note with my number on it, and I saw the owners of the car come. I spoke to them, and showed them where I had impacted their car. Clearly in this situation God was at work, because after I explained to them, I could not believe their reaction! They looked at it for a bit, said it was okay, and told me to have a good day! Ha! God is awesome, clearly even when I am not. After this, we headed to the next club…
Club 2: Gwyneth had taught a few of the children in this club earlier, and these kids were a blast! They were full of energy, but as a result, time seemed to constantly run out. It was encouraging to hear Gwyneth share about the different things that she had seen God do in the lives of the kids in the past – it is awesome to get to watch what God is doing in these young hearts. Out total attendance is 10.
Club 3: After a real time squeeze in arriving on time, Gwyneth and I ended up making it to this club (Side note: Praise the Lord for Google Maps for Smartphones!)…. and man, I have experienced tough clubs, but this one was tough. The brokenness that I could sense from some of these kids, was crazy. I knew it was going to be a tough club, but it was realized fairly soon. When I mentioned a Bible, and showed it to the kids, most of them had never seen or heard of a Bible before…. This club was tough. It was a real learning curve. But at the end, one of the kids explained, “Club was fun. It was kind of boring at times, but pretty fun.” I’ll take that review, haha! Our total attendance is 7.
Club 4: This club was out in Sherwood Park, in a park near our host’s home. We arrived, and for the longest time, it seemed as though the only people visiting the park were dog walkers. At one point, I noticed a boy playing at the playground, but since I had no invitations, I thought it might be weird to this child if I tried to invite the child (especially since no parent was in sight). With about 20 minutes to go, a boy walks into the park, and asks if we are having a 5 Day Club, and that same boy on the playground… well, apparently they were brothers. It was encouraging to have club with these boys. Our attendance for this club is 2.
Prayer Requests:
– Praise the Lord that my mistake while driving worked out well. However, I could use prayer for concentration and focus while driving – I know I’ve covered at least 6K since training began.
– For the kids in Club 1 & 2 that have attended prior. That they would be continue to learn more about the Father throughout club this week, and that the Holy Spirit would give Gwyneth and I wisdom in how we can facilitate that.
– Club 3; overall we just need wisdom in how to teach, and run this club effectively. Pray for the Holy Spirit to open the Spiritual eyes, and ears of these little children. Many of them have never heard about God before.
– I had been suffering from some head pain, and irritation since my accident, haha. Prayer would be appreciated that the Lord would give me protection, and healing.
– Overall energy, passion, compassion, and Holy Spirit awareness as we finish off this summer.
Praise be to Him! The One who alone refreshes, and sustains!
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Hey so last week was a fun time of teaching. Sorry I didn’t really post, but I thought I should give a quick conclusion before talking about my clubs today. At my first club last week I had a mail box decision there as well which was super exciting. It was a good week of teaching that was super exhausting, but to know that 2 new names are now written in the Book of Life makes it all worth it.
This week the ChangChang’s are back to teach one last week in Edmonton. We have 4 clubs and I seriously have no energy left, so please pray for strength, energy and just patience with the kids.
Club 1: This club is on the exact same street of a different club Grace taught a couple 2 weeks ago. We decided to bring in our extra story from last year Pilgrim’s Progress. It was great that the kids are engaged so please pray that we can continue to encourage these churched kids in their faith.
Club 2: At this club I had a great surprise when the girl I lead to Christ last week came. It was so awesome to see her understanding and growing even in that short amount of time. Continue to pray for this girl and just that Grace and I can continue pouring into her life. The kids we do have are very energetic so pray that they will calm down for tomorrow. There are also lots of unchurched kids so pray that their hearts will be soften and receptive.
Club 3: This club had 7 kids but during the club there were 3 that left. But these kids were all over the place and it was very hard to get through the small amount we did. But during the club all of the kids asked us what a Bible was. I was a little shocked by this so we just went through a verse and the Wordless Book. The one girl there said that it was fun but boring at some points. I was glad that for her first time being exposed to Christianity she was excited for tomorrow. Pray for these kids as we continue to just plant seeds at this club.
Club 4: For this club we are in the park and for the first 30 minutes or so we didn’t have any kids. As we waited there was a boy who came and talked with the host’s son, but didn’t want to stay the moment he knew it was Christian. Please pray for this boy and that he will come to know who God is. But with this club there ended up being 2 brothers with our host’s 2 kids. We didn’t have time to go through a story but it was a good time. So pray that more kids will come and that we can continue to encourage these kids.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Shamus Westra
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Well, my week was off to a crazy start before it even began!
As you may know, I went on a trip last week to Seattle and Victoria. As we were waiting for the ferry back from Victoria, our group of five teenagers decided to play tag at the park. I was running barefoot (because running in flip flops is so inconvenient) and when I went to turn quickly mid-run (some of you may want to not read the rest of this paragraph) I ended up landing oddly on my right big toe. As a result, my toe looked quite broken, and I ended up breaking skin. We naturally went to the hospital, where I learned that my toe had not been broken, but dislocated! This meant that I would still be able to function normally this week (albeit with some pain), and the only medical attention I required was seven stitches! This was an answer to prayer for me, as it meant that I could still teach this week!
So, I got home late Saturday night, and began teaching on Monday. I would leave home around 6:45-7:00, pick up Gwyneth, drop her off at a church in Edmonton, and then get to a VBS in Calmar around 8:30. This club had 26 kids come all week, and they were a great group. They listened well during stories, and said lots of memory verses. They would go through almost a pack of Pass it On Cards every day! Most of these kids went to church, but a few of them didn’t really know much about Jesus at all. One of the helpers was worried that the way I presented the invitation to salvation was very effective, and none of them really showed interest in making a decision, so please pray that God would continue to work in their hearts!
After I picked Gwyneth up, we would go to a club in south Edmonton. This club ended up having 24 kids, and a few of them had come to a club before. This group was a bit younger, and as a result sometimes had difficulty focussing. Some of them raised their hands when we asked if they wanted to invite Jesus into their hearts, but either had already done so, or would back out. Once again, pray that God would continue to work in the hearts of these kids.
One Monday, we went home after this club, but found out we were supposed to go to another club at 4:00 that had not been on the itinerary. So we went to this club starting on Tuesday, and ended up having 14 kids come. One of them had raised his hand when we asked if anyone wanted to ask Jesus into their heart, but had already done so before. Pray that this boy would continue to be strengthened in his faith!
Our final club was an evening VBS in a park in Edmonton. This club had no kids on Monday and Friday, but had 6 kids come all week. They were all churched kids, some of whom were quite young, and the rest of whom seemed to have a really strong foundation for their faith.
All in all, I was grateful to get through this week, as I was feeling pretty tired and had lots of teaching to do. it was slightly discouraging not to see any decisions, but I know that God will still work in these kids. Thanks to all of you who prayed for me this week (in particular to my CG, Ryan Jeffery, for all the praying you have done even when I didn’t hurt myself).
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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Hey so today was a good day of teaching and I’ve been pretty tired, but it’s been fun. These past couple of weeks have been really hard and challenging, but they have helped me to trust in God more and to rely on Him for all I need. (:
Club 1: So at this club yesterday there were lots of kids who had come to 5-Day Clubs and were distractions. Well today they weren’t here today and to be honest that was a good thing. I had 13 kids with 2 of them being new, and I was able to get through everything. So there was a girl there and her parents have no religious background at all, but they have nothing against it. But last year her dad took her to a VBS and this year she came to this one. Well when I gave the invitation she put up her hand and I got the chance to talk to her afterwards. In the end she made a decision which is super exciting! Please pray that she will grow in her faith. I know without a doubt that God will place the right people in her life to keep that seed growing. (:
Club 2: So we taught this club and the kids actually listened super well today. I was happy to see that this was the case with this club. It honestly was a fun club to teach and I’m excited to go and teach there tomorrow. We had 10 kids come today with 11 already signed up. There is a brother and sister there who don’t go to church but are listening so well to everything we say. Clearly God is doing something in these kids lives and that’s really exciting to see. Continue to pray that God will soften these kids hearts.
Club 3: This was the new added in club and we had 8 kids come today. They were awesome and were super engaged. During the contest Shamus decided to tell the kids they could pie me if they got to 20 kids. So we will see if they are able to reach the goal. Because we couldn’t go home for dinner we got to hang out the hostess’ kids and that was really fun. These kids seem to really be having fun during this club and that’s always exciting.
Club 4: This was the VBS that we teach in a park. Today had 3 kids which was super awesome and from the sounds of it they have some church background. As we went through the Bible verse one of the boys was saying how he had a dog. Then his friend said:
“I only have a pet fridge.”
Honestly, I tried so hard not to laugh about that comment, but that really made my day.
This week has been hard so far, but I’m really happy about the kids I’ve met, and I honestly would never take it back. We were able to move the time of a club so now we can go home for dinner but it’s still lots of travelling. Continue to pray for energy and enthusiasm during these clubs, and thanks to everyone who has prayed for me this summer.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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So this week is really going to stretch me, because I am teaching with Shamus and we have 2 VBS’s and 3 clubs. In the morning we teach by ourselves then afterwards we teach together for the rest of the day. So it’s interesting and tiring but I’m really blessed for this opportunity of getting to preach the Good News. (:
Club 1: Since Shamus is teaching in Calmar at 9, I have to get dropped off at my 10:30 club about two hours before it starts. I got to the church, and had a good time of prayer and devotions. There were 22 kids who came which was so exciting. I taught 3 of the kids my first week and some of them have been at 5-Day Clubs before. As a result many of these kids were distractions during the club, so please pray that they won’t be tomorrow and that I can find ways to keep them engaged too.
Club 2: Shamus and I taught this one together and we had 10 kids come. There were 2 brothers that I taught last week with Grace last week. So during the club one of the brothers said:
“Hey where’s Grace ? I thought you guys taught together all the time.”
Haha I’m pretty sure everyone thinks that. The problem was these 2 boys was they were a distraction at points during the club, however they listened well during the stories. So just pray that we will do our best to teach them, including the churched kids and encouraging them in their faith.
Club 3: So this one is a VBS so we came to this one in the evening. It’s at a park, but when we got there the park was empty. So we prayed for the VBS and for that community specifically. It was a good time, and later a family did come. Even though they were invited they didn’t come, so that was pretty disappointing. So pray that kids will come to this club.
We are going to be having another club this week, so it’s lots of driving for Shamus. So pray for him having energy during the clubs, and just for kids hearts to be soften to the message.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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So a couple of days ago I was doing my devotions and reading Genesis. The verse that caught my attention was Genesis 2:1 which says “And so the whole universe was completed.” I began thinking about the fact the that the world is not complete without God. Our lives are not complete without Him too, and it really got me thinking about these kids. They need to know who He is for there lives to be complete and this verse really kept me reminded of that.
Club 1: So the moment I walked in through the door, one of the boys said:
“Hey why are you wearing your pajamas?”
Now I was wearing some pants that had a pajama like design but you could tell they were pants. At least 3 times during the club the asked that same question but eve. With the teaeing this club was honestly amazing. We sang 3 songs at the beginning of club and had a great time doing different voices for the memory verse. At the end of club we even had a dance party to the Stop song and Do What’s Right. It was a great club to be at and our hostess even shared with us a bit about the amazing things God has done in their lives. This club was a super encouraging club and it was a great way to end off a Friday.
Club 2: So we got one more kid today so they were able to get the hackey sack which was awesome. There was a boy who was there on Thursday, but he went inside the host’s house because he didn’t want to be apart of the club. I was pretty sad to see that and prayed that God would bring him. Well that’s exactly what happened today and at the beginning he seemed like he could be more of a distraction but by the stories came around he listened well. He even told me a verse and it was awesome to see him opening up. This was a fun club and I’m glad we got the opportunity to teach it.
Club 3: With this one we ended up being about 10 minutes late trying to grab some dinner for later. It’s been such a rush from club to club so we hurried over and in the driveway were 2 new kids. One of the boys had invited them so we had club with the 3 of them. As we were going through the memory verse, the new boy began asking lots of questions like “Does God hate Satan?” and “If God could forgive Hitler?” We wanted to make sure we answered him properly and didn’t brush off his questions. It was a really good club and we had some awesome discussions with our hostess this past week, that have been encouraging. Honestly this was a hard itinerary but an incrediblely rewarding one.
Club 4: This club in Millet has been a bit challenging but the kids are lots of fun. We went through the club and it just felt like it was dragging. The kids were pulling out the lawn and wrestling one another at a point. I honestly wasn’t sure what to do, but we decided to head straight to the Bible story and everyone started listening attentively. At a point one girl even said how she really liked the stories. I was amazed at how I felt like not much was being accomplished, but in all reality things were. These kids were understanding more things about God so that was awesome to see. Afterwards we played Hide and Seek with the kids which was a great time to really hang out with them (since we never really had time for that). Even though last week was a hard week with lots of driving, these kids are honestly one of a kind, so it was totally worth it. (:
This week is busy once again with early morning clubs and late evenings, so please pray for energy to teach this week. Also big thanks to my CG for diligently praying for me this summer. I’m so thankful to have that support.
God Bless,
Gwyneth
Posted By: Gwyneth Sichangwa
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So yesterday was a good day of teaching clubs. Grace’s bad headache passed over and we had a fun day of teaching.
Club 1: At this club it was an all boy club and they are a great group of kids. They are engaged in the stories and prizes. For some reason they all wanted God’s girl collector cards and I had to run to the car and search for more. I was only able to find one more and the boys were competing on who could tell the memory verse first. Grace and I were very amused and it’s going to be sad leaving them today, but I know that God had them in His hands.
Club 2: So we got to this club and had 7 kids come. They have all been doing their lessons and saying verses which is great to see. So as I was telling the Bible story of Philp, and trying to give the invitation they all started to have questions. One kid wanted to know if I was saved, another wanted to know if I’ve been baptized. So I tried to continue on with the invitation when I kid asked:
“Wait, are we going to get baptized after this?” Then one boy pointed to the kiddie pool in the back and said:
“There’s water over there.”
I had to explain to them that I wasn’t going to baptized them. Afterwards I got to talked to one boy who had made a mailbox decision and it was good just to go over some stuff with him.
Club 3: We had 3 kids come today so that awesome. There is a 4 year old there and as Grace was telling the Bible story she was craning her head to see where I was. Then she spoke up and said that she wanted to sit by me so I moved my chair and sat by her. These kids are very attentive and engaged, so it’s really encouraging to teach them. The 2 brothers didn’t come but one of the boys is going to ask them to go come today. Please pray that will go well, and for this neighborhood. Lots of Muslim families live there and they need to hear the Good News.
Club 4: We drove out to Millet and we had more kids come so that was awesome to see. The girls were a little less hyper at points but overall it felt like it went a lot better than some of these other days. Once I began the Bible story they all were quiet and began to listen really well at the beginning. Closer to the end of the story they all started asking why baptism is done with water and why we don’t use mud. Honestly Grace and I tried not to laugh and answered the questions as best as we could. We talked to the hostess afterwards and she said that there is only 1 girl there who hasn’t made a decision from what she knows. So pray that God will soften this girls heart to be receptive to the spiritual truths.
Today is the last day for this week and it’s crazy to think how much this week has flown by. The summer is going by fast but it’s amazing to hear about all the things God has done, and is doing in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
God bless,
Gwyneth
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