Our Move Across Canada
Dear Friends,
Throughout life, there are a number of significant decisions you will make that will take part in shaping your future. These moments have the potential to alter your entire trajectory. They are not subtle, but they can be missed.
The amount of thought and planning that prepares you to make these course alterations is significant. Life decisions can seem sporadic and to turn on a whim, yet what God has done to prepare your heart to enter “the plans that no man can imagine,” is meticulous and exact.
Ten years ago, I moved to Canada to intern with Streams Ministries Canada. The decision to move was made with much trepidation and my own internal voice saying, “Is this the right thing to do?” We tend to stumble around in the midst of these transitions without realizing how clearly God led us all along. Hindsight is truly 20/20.
Recently, on a trip to Prince Edward Island, the Lord revisited one of the most significant encounters I have had with him. Before moving to Canada in 2007, my summer was full of much prayer, fasting, and time spent in intimacy with the Lord. One night, while laying on my bed, I had a significant internal vision. Two angels appeared and lifted me off my bed and took me to a large log-cabin style dwelling. While I was still aware of my body and my physical location in my room, I was intensely aware of what was happening around me in this encounter and in this house. The Lord met me and led me through three different rooms, each one displaying something different regarding my life.
The first room He showed me was what I came to know as the covenant room. This room reflected my view of covenant relationship, and it was in a poor state. The room was drab and dreary, full of cobwebs, the furniture was falling apart, the walls were dusty, and the whole room felt stale.
Over the summer months, God would take me back to that room frequently. I noticed as he began dealing with the issues in my heart towards my parents divorce, my own failed relationships of the past, and the anger and pain that had resulted, that the nature of the room began to change. The fixtures were more firmly placed, the furniture was cleaned and rearranged, and the tables were no longer dusty. The Lord was dealing with my heart.
Fast forward ten years to this past August
As I was standing during worship in a service that John Thomas and I would later minister at prophetically, I was caught up into this covenant room again. Sure, I was still aware of worship, but the feel of the room and the house were fare more tangible than the room I was actually standing in. The room looked elegant, reflecting the gut-wrenching work the Lord has done in my heart over the last ten years.
I noticed a fireplace with a warm fire across the room, and two wingback chairs facing each other, angled towards the warmth of the hearth. Sitting on the left chair I could see the side profile of Father God. He beckoned for me to come and sit next to him. I walked over and sat, feeling the texture of the fabric of the chair against my skin.
The Father reached over, placed his hand on my knee lovingly and said,
“We have much to discuss.”
And then we sat, in familiar and comfortable silence. After a few minutes, the vision faded and I was left standing, wondering at the nearness of God.
Ever since last summer, the Lord has been unfolding a love in our hearts for the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada. We have spent our whole lives on the west coast. The Lord has been speaking to us, and to me in particular, about the need for prophetic ministry and spiritual maturity to rise up in the Maritimes. We have felt for a long while that we would leave the west coast, even as far back as 2011 when an eventual move was prophesied to Erin and I. However, the opportunity has never presented itself. Well, now the opportunity has arrived, and after much thought, prayer, consideration, and outside counsel, we have decided the move is necessary.
The nature of my position and how Streams Ministries International functions has been changing for some time. We have been in talks ever since John Paul passed away about the direction of Streams Canada and Streams in general. All of that culminates in that, at the end of the year, my present employment with Streams Canada will end. The transition is a welcome one, albeit a hard one. We love Streams, the Streams board, and John Thomas, the president of Streams Ministries International.
I will continue to teach the Streams courses as always, and my relationship with Streams and the leadership of the ministry remains strong. My goal is prophetic reformation in Canada, and I have seen very few ministries that are capable of that. That is at the heart of Streams and the vision of John Paul Jackson.
Erin, the kids, and I will be moving to Summerside, Prince Edward Island at the end of November. There are three areas we will be focusing on. We will be coming alongside and assisting Summerside Community Church, Andrew and Shirley Bryce (the head pastors), and the leadership team to teach, train and equip in the spiritual life. I will be continue to travel throughout Canada, and especially the Maritimes and the Northeastern US training, equipping, and releasing as I have been. Additionally, I will continue to focus on writing, especially with a focus on unearthing what ancient Christianity has to tell us about Christian spirituality today. My goal is to publish a three-book series on the lives of the desert fathers by the end of next year.
Why do I write this letter?
Because we need your help. We are setting off on an adventure into the wild unknown. Our goal is to launch a ministry that will raise the spiritual water level across Canada through writing, teaching, and traveling, with a specific focus on ancient Christian spirituality, prophetic ministry, and inner healing/spiritual formation. My mission in life is to equip people to experience God so that he would receive the reward of his suffering, our hearts.
Our areas of greatest need are prayer and financial support. The most immediate consideration for financial support is the actual move across the country. But the more significant financial need is an ongoing base of support.
We are asking you to consider the following:
Pray for us daily, that God would grant wisdom, protection, and favor. Wisdom to act on the plans he has laid out, protection to keep us safe in the midst of this transition, and favor to open the doors across the Maritimes, Atlantic Canada, and Northeast USA.
Donating to our moving cost. All told, the expenses seem as if they will add up to somewhere north of $6,000-$7,000. This can be done through our website: http://joshuahoffert.com/donate/. We are moving on November 20, 2017. Please keep that in mind as you consider assisting us.
Partnering with us on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis. We are currently working to put together a fund that can be donated to in order to support us. Without ongoing financial support, it will be impossible for us to accomplish this. There are a number of different ways that this can be accomplished. A pledge from you will help greatly in establishing what is needed going forward.
You can give directly to us via PayPay, however, it is not tax deductible.
Please contact us to indicate if and how you would like to be involved with our adventure. From there, we can point you in the right direction.
Feel free to forward this message along.
We are excited for what the future holds, and to partner with you in seeing God’s glory cover the earth.
Blessings,
Joshua and Erin Hoffert
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