It’s Focus on the Family Canada’s 40th anniversary! That’s four decades of helping Canadian families thrive. I’m continually amazed at how God has moved throughout our country over these past forty years. One of the ways I most see God’s hand at work is through the testimonies of my Canadian brothers and sisters in Christ. God continues to reveal himself through the ministry of Focus Canada.

Below are just a few portraits of God working in lives and communities across our country. I pray you’ll be encouraged by these stories.

Evangelism

Supporting families and saving the planet, one can at a time
Seven years ago, Al and Gay Ruff were thrilled to hear that their son and his wife wanted to expand their family through adoption. Al and Gay determined to find a way to help financially and committed to raise a certain amount of money towards that goal. What started as a way to help fund this adoption turned into a major ministry: Al and Gay raised $62,300 which was divided among many charities, one of them being Focus on the Family Canada.
Read their story

Marriage

Amanda and Bob experienced a marriage-saving miracle through Hope Restored
Separated for a year and a half, Amanda and Bob were at a loss in their marriage. There were lawyers involved and papers were ready to be signed. Despite going to counselling and trying to work things out, they kept having the same fights again and again. They didn’t know what else to do or how to make a positive change in their relationship. While Amanda was ready to move forward with the divorce, Bob was holding out hope. He spoke with his counsellor who told him about Hope Restored.
Read their story

Parenting

Focus resources helped this woman reach her children and her community
Manon first heard about Focus on the Family Canada when she saw copies of the Focus on the Family magazine at her church in Quebec. “I’m a real fan of the work of Focus on the Family and it’s a blessing for me and my family,” she says. She then got the free subscription so she could get the magazine at home, keeping all the copies so she could share them with others later. Little did she know how she and her family would quickly become avid fans of the ministry’s content – especially for francophone Christians.
Read her story

Ministry leader support

How Kerith Retreats helped this pastoral couple discover rest
When Paul and Julie signed up for a Kerith Retreat in 2017, they were already on sabbatical from 20 years of ministry. Paul had a double role as lead pastor and executive pastor, and Julie helped lead worship along with supporting women’s and adoption ministry. They loved their ministry but were feeling the weight of service. To begin their three-month sabbatical, they saw Kerith Retreats as a time to recharge.
Read their story

Life challenges

Gayle found guidance with end-of-life questions
For nine years, Gayle watched her mother struggle with the degenerative effects of dementia until finally going home to the Lord eight years ago. Ever since then, Gayle has wrestled with planning her own end-of-life decisions. However, when she started asking herself those larger questions about when and how to die, she couldn’t find guidance in the Christian community as end-of-life decisions are a difficult and uncomfortable topic. Additionally, the closure of many local Christian bookstores has made it difficult to access biblically based resources on this topic. That’s when she came across a flyer from Focus Canada, which helped her find the guidance she needed.
Read her story

Thank you for your support of Focus on the Family Canada. I can’t wait to see how God continues to use this ministry to encourage and support Canadian families.

Jean-Paul Beran, MA
President
Focus on the Family Canada