Cheery Cherry Blossoms

Spring is here and so are the cherry blossoms.  The Japanese have celebrated cheery blossoms for hundreds of years as a symbol of new life.  Viewing these pretty flowers is a special event in spring for them.  In 1959, the Japanese ambassador to Canada presented 2000 trees to Toronto as a gift of friendship from Tokyo.  Many of these can be seen, only virtually this year, in High Park located in the western part of Toronto and in Centennial Park near there as well.   Why not pop your family into the car and head out on a cherry blossom hunt to see how many trees you can count?  You can travel to Joyce Archdekin Park in Brampton, Kariya Park in Mississauga, the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton or even Niagara-on-the-Lake plus taking the Niagara Parkway to Niagara Falls. 

I have mentioned quite often that I am always struck by the beauty, variety and colours of the flowers in God’s garden for us to enjoy. Cherry blossoms only last up to ten days before they gently float to the ground like snowflakes in a snowfall.

Jesus Christ has given us new life through his death, burial and resurrection.  He said of Himself in John 10:10, “… I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”  Many of you know the old favourite church hymn, He Lives, written by Alfred Ackley, a pastor and famous songwriter in 1933. He was answering a young man’s question, “Why should I worship a dead Jew?”  The words to the second verse are:

In all the world around me I see His loving care
And though my heart grows weary I never will despair
I know that He is leading, through all the stormy blast
The day of His appearing will come at last.

We see weary hearts all around us due to COVID and so it is all the more important to get our Milton church plant well established this year. People need a living Lord to believe in who will give them new life. We have received approval for the Canada Summer Jobs program again which is very similar to last year’s program.  We hope to start reaching out to neighbourhoods in June.  If you know of a student who wants to be trained as a missionary to work, let us know.  We have two students already interested. Also, Scott Lockhart, our Outreach Director has been busy renovating his Timmins house this month so he can rent it out again.  Praise that he has found new tenants that are willing to finish the renos and move in tomorrow.  Thank you for praying.

So hurry up and go be cheered by finding some cherry blossoms which will uplift your spirits. The wind may blow them away before you know it!

Wendy

Wendy.carter@kainos.org