Reflecting on the past 8 years

I have now been in Canada 8 years! Wow, I can't believe it. If someone would have told me that I would move to Canada for seminary and end up staying, I probably would not have believed them...but, it was these two dear friends pictured with me who knew I would be here! I met Alisa D Taylor and Alisa Harrison Gillis while in college when I knew them as Alisa D and Harrison! We ended up being at Morrison Heights Baptist Church together and shared an apartment in Clinton from the fall of 2000 to summer 2001. It was during this time that God was dealing with me about Canada and I do recall the girls telling me that I would be in Canada. They knew how much I loved Canada from my summer in Vancouver in '98, as well as the mission trip to Cochrane while in Montana during summer '96. Canada never really left me. Once you get a bite of it, watch out! Taylor and Gillis, you girls knew, and how cool it was that you were able to come visit me when I first lived in Calgary and get a taste of my life here! I love y'all!

I've been thinking a lot about the past 8 years and the journey that God has taken me on and how He has been so faithful in so many ways. I could write a book on all I've seen Him do during my time in this wonderful country! My plan was to come for seminary and go back to Mississippi and be a children's minister in a church. I got hooked on mininstry in Calgary and specifically at Mountain View Christian Fellowship. It was an overall wonderful experience for me during those 5 years at
that little church. I made some incredible, life-long friends at seminary and MVCF. My life has been forever touched and changed. The staff and congregation of MVCF allowed a seminary intern and fresh-out-of-seminary grad to lead the children's ministry and grow together! What a joy to be a part of Meleah becoming a Christian, seeing God at work in lives, having the privilege to baptize Ben and Shay, lead in VBS, sports camp, block parties, MS mission trip for Katrina relief work, seeing my church back home come to MV 3 summers, help in church plants, and more! God has been so good...

Just a few highlights of sem and MV days/friends:











I left Calgary and MVCF in December '06 to take on a different adventure on the other side of Canada. I now know that one reason God allowed me to be in ministry in Atlantic Canada, a pioneer area for our convention work, was because He was preparing me for my current ministry with the CNBC. I now have a bit more taste of our work across Canada. The move to PEI gave me a much needed break from a city of 1 million people! God allowed me to meet some incredible people and again, make life-long friends, in Prince Edward Island, as I served at Community Baptist Church. He allowed me to be in ministry again with dear seminary and former staff members of MV, John and Erin Evans.
What a joy to be a part of VBS, sports camp, community outreach, church planting, convention meeting in PEI, children's lives and much more! God is so good!







In the eight years I've been away from my Southern home, the Cone family has grown by 3, or really 4, since my sister got married just over a month before my parents and I traveled up to Cochrane! Nathan is such a blessing to our family. Rosalyn will be 6 in a couple of weeks, Katie will be 4 in October, and Knox is 18 months. Wow! They are the joys of my life. Since maybe before Rosalyn was born, I have prayed that my sister's children will know who I am--seeing that I live so far away from them and time between visits can be long. God has answered that prayer! I'm not just a name or face! They are precious and though it's sometimes difficult being so far from my family, I'm thankful for modern technology!






For whatever reason, God has placed me with the Canadian National Baptist Convention as missions ministry leader and SEND team assistant. It will soon be a year since being back in Alberta! I have the privilege of helping educate our churches across Canada about missions, coordinating our missions offering efforts, "rubbing shoulders" with our missionaries around the world (mainly via email), and working with an incredible group of people. I got my start in missions while in college. University ministries falls under the SEND division, so I somewhat feel like I've come full circle as I get to interact with our university ministry leaders in different ways. God is stretching me with having me in an office job from 8-4, 5 days a week, but I have enough variety in my job that I don't mind it. Though I'm not in children's ministry full-time, I have different opps with my position to still be a part of children's things through missions education. Of course, I am involved in children's ministry at my church, The Pathway Church in Calgary. I've been at the church for a few months now and am enjoying getting to know folks in this church plant of about 4 years or so. And yes, I am living back in Calgary, but not so much in the city as I used to live. I live on the outskirts of the city, in a subdivision that is only 20 minutes from Cochrane. As I drive to and from work each day, I get to see the city skyline and then drive down the big hill into Cochrane and then back up a hill to our office, just across the field from the seminary I graduated from, and get to look out the window at the town of Cochrane. Seeing both Calgary and Cochrane each day has me "claiming" these places for Christ!

I thank each of you for your support, love, encouragement, and prayers through these 8 years. It is not always "easy" to be here, but through your prayers and more, God shows me that He wants me here. Folks ask, "how long do you plan to be here?" I don't know...I just know God has called me here for this time of my life. It is a joy to serve Him!