Doug and Sheryl Braaten are actively serving with Operation Mobilization in the Canadian home office in Ontario.

Doug was born in Calgary, but raised in Germany where his parents were missionaries with the Janz Team.  After high school, he moved to Canada, attended PBI, and later moved to Calgary, working at various jobs and attended Parkdale.

Sheryl was born & raised in a rural Manitoba Christian home, & came to Calgary to attend Berean Bible College.  They met at Parkdale & attended here 14+ years before mission work took them to Ontario.  In 1986 they were married in Banff, and now have 2 children, Tessa (14) & Trevor (9).

Ministry: Doug & Sheryl spent 14 years serving with Gospel for Asia in their Canadian office.  About a year ago, God directed them to work with OM Canada.  Doug is involved in representing the work of OM India, particularly with national workers among the Dalits, across Canada.  He is also setting up a Planned Giving Program for OM Canada.  Sheryl helps out in various ways at OM as well, but her primary responsibility is their home and family.

Needs and Challenges: "Prayer support for the Spiritual battle we are in worldwide to spread the Gospel.  Our financial support to be fully met on a monthly basis.  Pray for wisdom for Doug as he is still setting up a lot of new systems. Pray for Sheryl’s health issues - she has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which can be very challenging.  Godly wisdom in raising our children, and that they would follow the Lord."

Ed and Linda are missionaries in Niger, Africa with SIMAIR, SIM’s aviation branch. Ed is a pilot and aircraft mechanic. World Partners with EMCC

Ed grew up in Three Hills Alberta where his father was a professor at PBI.  He accepted Christ at the age of 12.  After completing 4 years at PBI he came to Calgary to attend SAIT – Aircraft Maintenance and worked for Kenn Borek Air Ltd.  as mechanic and pilot.

Linda grew up in a Christian home in rural Ontario and came west to attend Briercrest Bible College before coming to Calgary and working  in oil company offices.

Ministry: Ed and Linda spent a 2 year term (1994 – 1996) in Niger with SIM, then returned home for a few years before returning to the field as career missionaries in 2001.  Ed is one of the mechanics and pilots for SIM and flies missionaries, supplies, & medical patients (even doing some charter work for companies when time allows to help with the financial part of the Mission) in the north west part of Africa. Linda works in the office of SIM and leads a ladies Bible Study plus is homemaker for their family.

Needs and Challenges: For both Ed and Linda being so far away from family and friends is difficult.  Linda really feels the extreme heat they have there.  Prayer for safety for Ed while flying and for their children as they grow up in Niger.

Robert and Ruth are serving with OMF in southern Asia.  World Partners with EMCC. (Robert is an Ordained Minister with EMCC)

Robert and Ruth Erion were born and grew up in Central Alberta. Robert left for Asia in June 1975, and was involved in Thai Church Planting ministries until 1985. Ruth went to Asia in 1978 and served as a dorm aunty at Chefoo School, Malaysia (for OMF missionary elementary children).  Ruth moved to Bangkok for language studies in mid 1979 and later they were married in May 1980.  Robert and Ruth served in Thailand until 2007, when they stepped down as Field Director and moved to Singapore.  During their years in Thailand their main focus was church planting among Thai Buddhist.

Ministry: Since 2007 Robert & Ruth have been walking along side OMF leaders, mentoring and encouraging them.  Robert also has had involvement in building relationships with sending missions in Latin America.  (Minister at Large for OMF)  From June 2010 – July 2011, Robert is the Deputy International Director for Mobilization at OMF International, Singapore.

Challenges: Wisdom for challenging decisions regarding far reaching implications for people and ministry.  Seeking continual spiritual formation as they grow in their walk with God.  And being away from family and friends.

Family: Son Tim with wife Andrea presently live and study in the US.  Daughter Melissa is a nurse in Port Moody BC.

Equipping Sunday School Teachers and a Bible School teacher.

Dorothy grew up in Melfort, Sk. and became a Christian at 5 yrs of age.

When she was 10 years old, God called her to be a missionary.  She attended  Bible School in Eston, SK. for three years and then worked there for ten years in the kitchen, studied French and took several Mission Classes, Christian Education Courses and Child Evangelism Courses.

Ministry: In 1982 she became full-time missionary in Africa. She teaches Bible School, trains children’s Sunday School teachers along with her full time co-worker, Pascal, in seven different districts.  She is affiliated with the Apostolic Church of Pentecost.  She will also be teaching at the Bible School again, when classes begin in October.

Challenges:

1. Need for wisdom in training teachers and recruiting new Sunday School teachers.  The value of children’s ministry in Burkina Faso is just beginning to be recognized so we need a real vision for people to dedicate themselves to this ministry.  There are 7 million children in Burkina and very few who are learning about Jesus.

2. Need for wisdom to know how to communicate wisely and to be able to work with the Africans with love, grace and humility-that people would come to know Jesus as their Personal Savior.