Mission: Provide volunteer help and encouragement to the relatively small Southern Baptist Seminary (students and staff) in Canada. The team painted two student apartments, cleaned two large kitchens, helped some of the staff move into different offices. We provides haircuts and grooming help to about 30 students/staff and fabricated a series of bicycle racks. We also hosted a barbeque for about 60 students and staff.

As one might expect, the mission team that went to Canada to give a small blessing to young future leaders of our denomination, really received a greater blessing from those folks to bring back home.

“Cochrane 2” got started on the weekend of the C4 Canadian Missions Conference when the mission committee of First Baptist Ocala hosted a group of Canadian brothers and sisters in Christ at our church to witness about the Lord’s work in Canada.

It was an exciting time to hear of the challenges and work going on in our neighbor to the north. It was sad to learn that only about 7% of our Canadian brothers and sisters have had exposure to Christianity!

Several of those in attendance talked to each other about how we could impact this situation and we looked into the idea of a mission trip to the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta, where the seminary trains young men to be tomorrow’s pastors and leaders in Canada. Eventually four couples signed on: Dave and Jan Hamrick, Roger and Joyce Gravenor, Paul and Lois Wilson, and Roy and Rachel Henderson. Interestingly, all of the couples were “retired,” thus proving there is no age limit for mission work.

This group of four couples gathered at Cochrane, Alberta on Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16. After a briefing from our leaders Jimmy Cobb and Perry Davis, we commenced for a week of work. The fellows painted two student apartments and completed the welding for several bicycle racks. The ladies cleaned a couple of large kitchens at the seminary, helped a couple of employees change offices, babysat some young children while a pastor couple took a much-needed break, and cleaned an overworked student’s apartment (four children under the age of five!). One of the ladies on the team provided about three dozen haircuts and some hair styling to staff, faculty, students and family. A busy week!

For fellowship and during off hours, the team hosted a barbecue for all of the resident students, staff, and their families (about 60 folks). The team attended a “cowboy worship service” across the highway at a ranch, which was an interesting service using our Southern Baptist Hymnal and following Southern Baptist worship guidelines, but also featuring a lot of cowboy music and instruments.

During the week, the team saw the answer to prayer through a minor healing experience and witnessed many examples of gratitude from the folks we served. The staff of the seminary invited the team to a luncheon/ice cream social in appreciation of our help.

It was a wonderful week and each of us returned to First Baptist Ocala thankful for all we have, renewed in our spirit by God’s grace and looking forward to our next opportunity to serve.

Dave and Jan Hamrick