International Teams Canada’s national office staff often fly under the radar, but they play an integral role in supporting and leading our ministry partners around the world. Here is a peek into some of their favourite memories and an invitation to pray for them this year.

Sharon Wallace
Title: Director of Organizational Development
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: seeing how excited my 8 year old daughter was to raise money to help iTeams Canada’s Programs around the world through the Ride for Refuge
Prayer request: that God continues to bless and protect our programs around the world

Steve Van Bruwaene
Title: Online Services Developer
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: visiting projects in Athens and the Philippines
Prayer request: for God’s guidance in the project work I do

Janelle Weber
Title: Donor Services Coordinator
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: one of my favourite iTeams Canada memories is when the staff team rallied around what felt like an overwhelming challenge for me. During the printing of a mailing to our donors, the printer jammed and re-started the print job part way through, unbeknownst to us. It wasn’t until we were stuffing the mailing to be mailed out that we realized there were duplicates. With a couple thousand pieces of mailing to sort through and a limited time to get the mailing out the door the sorting job felt overwhelming. The iTeams Canada staff team jumped in to the rescue!
Prayer request: for adaptable resilience as I adjust to the change of balancing my ministry position at International Teams Canada and being a wife and new mom to my two favourite guys

Ron Johnston
Title: Director of International Programs
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: celebrating with Jen & Serge Kamari that the Pastor Training Program in Rwanda had become a reality after a lot of time and energy had gone into the planning of the program. Almost fifty pastors were receiving training as a result of the training program!
Prayer request: for wisdom and discernment as we plan for future growth in the number and quality of the Impact Programs

Shannon Gingrich
Title: Human Resources Coordinator
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: I always love hearing the stories from missionaries coming home. They serve as a great reminder for me as to why I do what I do, and the importance of the work iTeams Canada does.
Prayer request: for this year’s upcoming Christmas Gala and Fundraiser, that God’s hand would be in all the details, big and small, and that the event would be a blessing for everyone it touches

Wilma Findlay
Title: Human Resources (Member Care) and Prayer Coordinator
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: It’s hard to choose a favourite memory from 21 years, but I have really enjoyed seeing how God chooses to answer prayer requests through the years.
Prayer request: for wisdom in knowing how to use my time as I juggle varying demands on it

Lisa Barber
Title: Human Resources (Member Care)
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: coming home to our team house in Austria after a trip into Eastern Europe delivering Bibles and being greeted by team members who were eager to hear our stories of adventures and God encounters. Worship times with that team were pretty awesome too!
Prayer request: for health and healing, both inward and outward, that my life might bear good fruit

Rhoda Martin
Title: Human Resources Coordinator
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: one of my many favourite memories goes back to when we hosted the annual leadership conference in 2004. It was a huge job, but we all worked hard and had a great time! It was so exciting to meet so many International Teams folks from all over the world.
Prayer request: for wisdom and knowledge as my department updates our resources, and that all our members would be served well

Craig Bauman
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: working with members, training and preparing them to serve successfully in a cross cultural setting. I love hearing people’s stories, hearing how God has led them, and then seeing how God is using them in the context they are serving.
Prayer request: for wisdom for the iTeams Canada Board and all iTeams Canada leaders to strategize how to prepare for the next 5 to 10 years of impact

Karl Gingerich
Title: Director of Information Systems
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: one loooong night trying to fix an office server with Roy Campbell. We had come to our wits’ end and, after hours of attempts, were running out of silly stuff to try. We were quite literally calling out for the Lord to help. Roy tried Googling for an answer one more time and found a very obscure and seemingly unrelated reference that we would have normally glossed over. To our complete amazement, it actually worked! I love working with the team at iTeams Canada and moments like these remind me of how important that is!
Prayer request: that the Lord continue to bless the work of my hands to the benefit of His people, His Church and His Missionaries!

Jamie Sanfilippo
Title: Director of Short-Term Teams
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: each of my favourite memories centres around a moment when I’ve met some of the incredible leaders of partners of our organizations. It’s been humbling to sit with them and hear their passion for their people, their country, and the work that God is doing amongst them. And through it all, there is always a gracious invitation from those leaders for us to join with them and to experience their culture as we work together with them.
Prayer request: My prayer is that I would have vision and passion to provide opportunities for more people to become involved in Short Term experiences, creating a more healthy and holistic reality of the kingdom of God here on earth

Yvonne Ostrander
Title: Executive Assistant to the CEO
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: my first mission trip with iTeams Canada, taking our church youth group to Hungary, Romania and Austria in the summer of 1990. We helped lead a summer camp in the mountains in Hungary for Romanian children.
Prayer request: that Grace (our daughter-in-law) is granted a Tourist Visa to come to Canada in 2013

Neil Ostrander
Title: CEO
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: leading some of our first Short Term Teams to the Caribbean.
Prayer request: for continued passion and vision for the next phase of the journey

Elizabeth Poyntz
Title: Receptionist and Short-Term Teams Coordinator
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: when I started working at International Teams, I did not know much about computers, but Karl told me not to worry, he would help me with each step I needed help with.
Prayer request: that everybody that comes through this office will feel our passion to help the widows, orphans and refugees

Kim Loney
Title: Director of Urban Ministry Development
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: friendships around the world that have enriched my life, as together we are learning what it means to follow Christ in our varied contexts!
Prayer request: for renewed excitement, sense of specific calling, focus and vision to join God in what God is already doing in Canada and globally!

Chris Fane
Title: Director of Online Services
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: the enjoyment that comes from seeing leaders excited about the potential for using online services to better communicate and connect with their community and ministry partners
Prayer request: for help as I learn to balance my web development business, my role at iTeams Canada, and life as a new dad

Tarra Weber
Title: Director of Finance
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: Spending time in Rwanda and Sudan with our partners there and hearing stories of the impact that International Teams partnership has made in the lives of communities around the world
Prayer request: for wisdom and guidance and I continue to grow in my new role and as we continue to improve the processes of our financial systems to better serve our stakeholders

Renate Glas
Title: Accounts Payable/Payroll
Favourite iTeams Canada memory: just knowing that there is a meaning behind all our work makes it so special to work with International Teams!
Prayer request: may God continue and keep His hands on all of us here in the office and especially with all the missionaries all over the world so that their spiritual cup never will be empty and that together we can reach out to refugees, orphans and widows