Dear Friends and Family,
When I left the beautiful people of Swaziland in August of 2010 I had no idea what the future would hold. 2011-2012 has been filled with changes, new adventures, a lot of learning and an exciting new opportunity that I want to share with you.
Upon returning home to Vancouver from Swaziland my intention was to find a job in the field of international development or further my education in the hopes of someday returning to the developing world with added insight and training in order to fight injustice in a greater capacity. However, God had a different path for me that would prepare me to do exactly that in the new role I am now stepping into.
In spring 2011, I began working as a part time Youth Pastor at St Mark’s Anglican church in White Rock, and simultaneously started working at Mercy Ministries, a residential Christian counseling home for young women with life controlling issues. After much prayer I put my plans to pursue school or international development aside and stepped into these roles. Together they have been a huge blessing and an incredible learning experience. During this time God has also increased my passion for mentoring, developing and equipping young leaders here in Canada.
As many of you know, the deepest desire of my heart is still to be God’s hands and feet to those suffering under injustice in the developing world - regardless of the cost. It is a desire that has continued to manifest in visible ways in my life over the last year. Even as I worked in Canada I continued to dream aloud and infect others with the dream of a world where children aren’t infected with HIV/AIDS, where young people are given the opportunity to go to school and break the cycle of poverty, where kids are no longer sold as objects and treated as slaves, where poor communities are given the chance to develop, thrive, grow, provide for themselves and have hope for the future. These things have remained a deep passion that have directed my steps so far and I have continued to direct my energy and focus to figuring out how to take effective action and inspire others to do the same. Sensing that my present jobs were only for a season I spent a lot of time praying about how I could combine my growing passion for mentoring young people in Canada with my heart for missions and social justice and spurring others on to help create global change.
With this in mind I would like to share with you an incredible opportunity I have been offered that will allow me to pursue both these passions through a beautiful organization called Loveworks. Recently, Graeme Watt, the founder of Loveworks, approached me and asked that I consider joining their staff team. After several months of conversation and learning more about the global mission of Loveworks and how my gifts and passions fit their current needs I have decided to accept a position as the Loveworks BC Director, overseeing public engagement and leadership development. Together, Graeme and I have crafted a job description that will best allow me to leverage my passions and gifts to share the love of Jesus in order to greatly impact young people in Canada as well as communities in desperate need in the developing world.
I believe that Loveworks has the ability to transform and empower thousands and thousands of young people in North America and in turn break the cycle of poverty for thousands and thousands globally while showing them the love of Jesus in practical ways. It is truly humbling to see how God is allowing me to use both my passions and strengths to serve him by being a part of this. This job is no small task but I am confident that God has been preparing me for this opportunity for many years and that I will thrive in this position.
My vision is to see Loveworks being used as a tool to equip local churches, schools, universities, and youth groups to spread the Gospel throughout BC and to help create global change. I believe that we live in exciting times where God is raising up a generation of passionate followers of Jesus who are responding to His call to put our faith into action by loving the least of these.
I am writing to you today because you have richly contributed to my life over the years in a number of ways. I value who you are and appreciate your presence in my life (even though some of you are half a world away!) and I feel like this is something that you too would be excited about and want to be a part of.
I would love the opportunity to sit down with you to share more of my heart and invite you to get involved in the vision of Loveworks. Thank you for all your generosity and support in my life through the years. I truly would not be where I am today without all the love and generosity you have shown me already. I pray that God is continuing to bless you and your family and that He overwhelms you with his love and kindness. Thank you from the depths of my heart for taking the time to read this letter and for considering taking this journey with me.
Much Love and Blessings!
Heather Davies
daviesheather@hotmail.com
