Families are anticipating a wonderful day of fishing on the Red River in support of a ministry that blesses parents and children around the world.
"Fishin' for a Mission was born out of a need or desire to support Word and Deed," says Clarence Jonker, organizer of Fishin' for a Mission. "Word and Deed is an organization that focuses on developing countries. Supporting kids with before-school and after-school meal programs, Christian education and families in difficult, struggling circumstances."
Oct. 26, 2023, was the first Fishin' for a Mission event and $13,000 was raised for Word and Deed. Over 100 people participated in the event.
"The hope is to continue that this year," says Jonker. "The intent is to be a very casual day of fishing that's available to anybody. You might have no experience and no boat, and that's okay."
Seeing the Gospel Effect First-Hand
Jonker first heard about the ministry of Word and Deed through his church. Two years ago, Jonker was invited to be on the board.
"I've seen the organization grow and as it's grown I've been exposed to the reach it has in people's lives in developing countries. One of the differences between Word and Deed and other organizations is that they focus on building up our partners in developing countries. We use local resources and Indigenous inputs. We try to provide Biblical and practical training."
Two weeks ago Jonker went on a trip with the ministry to Colombia to witness first-hand what Word and Deed offer people.
"It was really humbling," says Jonker. "It was my first time to Columbia. I spent a week there with an employee and my main role was oversight of the project we were going to. They minister to over 3,200 kids there. They have a family protection mission that consists of a social worker, a psychologist, and a pastor. They'll go to homes where there's a lot of brokenness. We went to a place called La Guajira where only five per cent of the families have two parents at home, often it's just the mom. We're trying to work through the root cause of why this is happening."
Word and Deed is involved in 17 countries, including many in Central America and a few countries in Africa.
"The main highlight of the trip was seeing how God was working so clearly in a developing country. I thought naively that I would be able to go there and provide inputs on what could be done more efficiently. I came away from it all humbled by how effectively they're working and how they've been blessed."
Fishin' for a Mission will run on October 5 from 12:00 until 4:30 p.m. Particpants will meet at the Selkirk Park Boat Ramp. There will be a fish and chip dinner at 5:30 afterward. People interested in finding out more information or to sign up can do so here.
