Giving back to the community
By Joan Janzen
The folks at Kindersley Christian Fellowship hosted a free turkey supper with all the trimmings on Saturday evening, November 25th, at their facility. It is their way of giving back to the community. Approximately 170 guests were welcomed to sit down and enjoy the delicious meal and entertainment.
Country singer-songwriter Troy MacNaughton from Canora, Sask, provided the entertainment. Troy spent twelve years working alongside some of the world’s greatest country music artists, including Charlie Pride and others. But after twelve years, he decided to leave the intense pressure of Nashville and returned home to Saskatchewan.
Steve and Karla Stoffelsen shared their personal story of infertility and becoming pregnant with their son after waiting for 16 years. Photo by Joan Janzen
Now, he enjoys playing at community celebrations like the Christmas supper in Kindersley. He has also produced country gospel CDs and a Christmas album.
Troy was joined by special guests Steve and Karla Stoffelson, who live in Guatemala, where they have a street ministry called ‘House of Refuge.’ Their motto is “Loving the unloved and reaching the unreached.”
On Saturday evening, they took the opportunity to share their personal story. Steve, who is a Canadian, and Karla, who is from El Salvador, have been working together as a married couple for nearly two decades. They wanted to start a family but agreed to wait a year before having a child.
They waited three years, then five years, ten years; soon, fifteen years had passed by. At that time, Karla became pregnant but had a miscarriage; it was discouraging. But after almost 17 years of waiting, Karla and Steven’s miracle baby, Caleb, was born.
To women who are facing infertility, Karla said, “Don’t lose your faith. Every time I went to the hospital in the middle of the night during my pregnancy, I kept speaking life over my baby.”
Karla and Steven also spend their days speaking life and hope to people who have lost their families and live on the streets due to addictions. The couple provides a place for them to stay and receive life skills and trades training so they can become productive citizens and be reunited with their families.
Karla reaches out to prostitutes, visiting them in bars and clubs. However, this is not easy since the bar owners control the girls and provide room and board. Over the years, Karla and Steven built relationships with the bar owners, who now permit Karla to share breakfast with the women once a week.
During that hour, Karla reaches out to these women who are mothers and shares the promises of God’s love to heal their hearts. Some have the courage to leave behind their lifestyles and begin a new life and learn a trade.
At the end of the evening, the guests left the church with their stomachs filled with good food and their hearts filled with renewed hope and the love of Jesus, who is the reason for the season.