The Ring!!

For some reason, unknown to me, people keep on asking for pictures of the ring?!!! Must be a girl thing!! Anways, here is a shot of the ring and another one of us!! I am not gonna lie, God has blessed me with one good looking fiance!!!
JR

Big Announcement!!!!!

Friends, I just wanted to let you all know that last Sunday, July 24th, I proposed to Avin Leigh Houghland and thank God, she said "Yes!!!" So we are pretty excited these days about being engaged and are hoping to get married sometime in October!!!
When I was in Thailand in June, for a PAOC missionary retreat, I went to Bangkok for a few days and with the help of Cavelle Dove, got an unreal ring made in China town. Thank God Cavelle was there because I had no clue about diamonds and bands and all that stuff!! I got a crash course in rings and we ended up getting a sweet ring made!!!
I asked Avin's Dad two weeks ago if I could marry her and he gave me his blessing and some fatherly advice which I really appreciated.
So on Sunday morning I typed out a letter to Avin that expressed how I feel about her and what I am believing God for concerning our future together. It took me a bit longer then I thought so I was a little late for Church, which really had her wondering what was going on!!! So after meeting her at Church, I went and got Gas in my Dads truck, thanks Dad!!, and then picked her up at her place in White Rock. She had no clue where we were going!!! I just told her to wear clothes that were suited for physical activity and being outside!! It took us 2 hrs to get to Stanley Park from White Rock which is just horrendous!! The rush hour was unreal!! After finding a parking spot we walked to Lumbermans's Arch and while Avin was in the washroom I set up the picnic blanket and our picnic lunch. She came back and was pretty impressed by the whole set up!!! We prayed and had a great lunch together, including sparkling apple cider and some great sour dough sandwiches. After eating we played Bocce Ball for a while and then headed back to the truck so we wouldn't get towed.
We watched a street entertainer for a while at English Bay and then walked down to Denman street where we stopped at the Italian restaurant where our first date was. We weren't super hungry so we just had Pizza which was really good. Then we got some Gelato Ice cream and walked back to the truck. We drove back to the Park around 11pm and took out the picnic blanket and some candles and went down to the water. I put candles around the blanket in the sand and after talking for a while and looking at the stars I took out the letter I had written and gave it to her to read. She was in tears in minutes and then out of no where, 6 russian guys in their 20's show up. Most of them were smoking and they were all laughing and talking a good 50 feet from us!! I tried to ignore them and then shared some scripture with Avin from Psalms. When I realized they weren't going away any time soon, I was like. " We need to get out of here!!" So we blew out the candles, packed up the blanket and walked back to the truck, when one of the Russians spoke English for the first time and said something really rude. Avin fired back that he shouldn't talk like that and we just kept on walking!! I think I was in shock that he said what he said!!( You don't want to know!!!)
So we went to 3rd Beach and laid out the blanket and set up the Candles again. All of a sudden we see a flashlight and then a homeless guy starts looking for bottles right beside us, for like 5 minutes!! He left eventually and when I thought we were all alone, another homeless guy showed up looking for bottles. This guy was really thorough and was hanging around for like 15 minutes!!! It was unreal!! I just laughed!! Finally we were by ourselves and by this time it was almost 1am Monday morning. Finally I got the ring out of my pocket and asked Avin if she would marry me!!! After a real awkward embrace, JUST JOKING!!! JUST TRYING TO KEEP THIS BLOG ABOVE REPROACH!!!!! we waded into the ocean and I washed her feet cause I just wanted to symbolize that I wanted to serve her for the rest of our lives.
Then we packed up and I dropped her off in White Rock!!!
It was awesome!! Will keep you guys posted about the wedding details! Please be praying for us!!

Update from Harley Voogd!!

Friends!! Here is a brief update and some pictures from Harley, showing and explaining what God is doing through the ministry in Cambodia.


Hello from Poipet, Cambodia

God is working in Cambodia, and He is continuing to build His kingdom. Poipet is one city where God is moving in a powerful way. Sometimes it is difficult to see His work. A tsunami wave cannot be seen when it is still moving through the deep ocean waters. It only becomes noticeable when it reaches the shoreline. It is the same with God's work here in Cambodia.
Our church members continue to grow in their faith and understanding of the gospel. Our visits to the surrounding villages continue to reach people who know nothing about Jesus so that they can hear the good news. We love to have meetings with the local youth to teach the bible, and just have fun too.
Please pray for the work being done in Poipet, and ask God to prepare the hearts of the Cambodian people to accept the gospel. We believe that Cambodia will be a powerful Christian nation in Asia. The tsunami is working its way to the Cambodian shoreline!

April '11 Trip!!

China/Thailand/Cambodia!!!!

Friends!!
Here are some pictures from my last trip to Asia. I left on April 4th with 27 people, most of whom are doing an internship program at my home church, Christian Life Assembly in Langley, BC.
We first flew into Hong-Kong and then the team made a few trips into mainland China. The mission was successful!! Thank you Jesus!!!
The Thai team that I co-led with Avin worked with Imagine Thailand in Mae Sot, a town that runs a long the Burmese Border. We were originally going to help with a massive youth Camp in a refugee camp but our plans changed so we did a 4 day Camp at a Karen School. It was a great time that Dave and Loralee Hanson with Imagine Thailand helped organize.
We played lots of freeze tag, duck, duck goose, some pretty sweet kids songs with actions, crafts of all kinds, Bible lessons and even had a graduation type ceremony for the kids, followed by Ice Cream and in Thai tradition, joined in the 'Song Krahn'
(A nation wide water fight) spirit, and had a big water fight ourselves!
We visited a Church in Chonburi where Justin Reimer preached and after that rode Elephants in Pattaya and ate dinner by the Ocean,
After the CLA team left for Canada, Avin and myself visited my friends in Sriracha, where I lived for 5 years. Then we headed to Poipet to visit Harley and the rest of our Church family. It Was a brief but really good visit and its awesome to see how Jesus is continuing to change lives there and build His church.
After we spent time in Bangkok visiting Avins friends and fellow missionaries and got to ECB on Easter Morning.
Thanks for praying for us.
JR

Missions Board!!

This is a picture of the guys on my missions board. There are a few members missing but, these folks are not only awesome friends of mine, but also people who have a lot of wisdom about how to go about doing the Lords work overseas. This year we are believing God for new ideas, new strategies and new exploits that will bring Glory to God and many people from darkness into light. Please be praying for all of us as we pray and meet together about the next steps for the ministry in Cambodia!
Blessings
JR

Home for Christmas!!!

Here are a few pictures from this last Christmas! Was amazing being with the family!! Ate a lot of great food, laughed a lot with my sisters and watched more Hockey than I have in the last 10 years! Gotta love Canada!!
Blessings
JR

Celebrate the Birth of Christ!!

This season, unlike everything that western culture has made it to be, is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ! The whole story is so mind-boggling when you really think about it!! We have gotten so used to hearing the 'story' of the birth of Christ that I believe we have lost the 'Awe' factor!! How it all came to be that God, was born to a Virgin, in the middle of no-where, and God himself chose to let the most unlikely people know that it was occurring is just so cool! Hollywood would never have dared to write a script like the script that was written surrounding Jesus coming to earth! It would have seemed to far fetched!!
I realize more and more that I desperately need a saviour to save me from myself and my wicked inclinations and a God who also is able to love me and be gracious towards me like a good father who sees the best in his off-spring!
I want to wish all of you a blessed Christmas and my prayer is that you would fall more and more in love with Jesus Christ and may we all just surrender to His ways and live life abundantly!!
JR

Change is a Coming!!

I think that is the famous line from an old folk song from the 60's or 70's!! If you have no idea what I am talking about, forgive me!!
I meant to tell all of you about this a month ago but just never got around to it. As you might have seen from an earlier posting, I have met a great woman of God!!! Avin Houghland and myself have been 'going out' ( if you can call it that when you're 30 plus!) for 2 and a half months and its been pretty amazing!
Due to that fact, my original plans of going to Perth, Australia to do a "School of Music in Missions" with YWAM has changed! It doesn't make a lot of sense anymore to fly around the world, when something I have been believing God for, for a long time, has happened here in Canada.
So this coming January I will be staying in Canada and will be finding a job of some kind. For those of you who have already donated funds for me to go to Australia, I trust that you understand the situation and would be praying for Avin and myself.
If you have any questions about any of this, or words of Knowledge for myself, prophecies ect., seriously contact me here or at joel_reimer@hotmail.com.
Blessings
JR

God is Good!!

We say 'God is Good!!' sometimes as Christians in such a casual way. Lately I have gotten the absolute, Holy Spirit given Revelation, that the God I serve, the God who calls me 'His son' , the God who loved me enough to die for me, really is GOOD!! Like He's REALLY GOOD!!! You are probably like, 'Dude, I get it already!' but man, when you get this revelation in your Spirit you just want to be the most radical, faith-filled Christian, who is willing to make sacrifices, and become a living sacrifice, so that the whole World will know that Jesus Christ is Lord!!!
I have been crying a lot lately, which is always a good sign that my heart is soft and my spirit is in tune with the Holy Spirit. I hear a worship song, and I will just feel the Love of the Lord all around me, I will share a story at a meeting and God just turns me into a wreck!!! Its humbling to lose it in front of strangers but I wouldn't change that intimate feeling with the Lord for anything in the World!!
Here are some pictures of a girl who the Lord has given me the honor of getting to know in the last 2 months. Her name is Avin Houghland from White Rock, BC. She served with Imagine Thailand (PAOC) in Thailand for 14 months and is currently back home working and serving with an emerging Church in Vancouver called 'More than 12.' Would really appreciate your prayers for us and for Wisdom and Discernment.

Blessings
JR