Dear Church, Today marks a month since Connie was laid to rest at Mountain View Cemetery. It was a poignant moment when, sitting by her grave, my kids and I were enveloped by your singing: “my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness . . . on Christ, the solid rock …

Dear Church, It’s been a month since Connie took her last breath and the curtain was drawn on our life together. This is the most difficult experience of my life, especially when I think about navigating a future alone. Two weeks before the end she gifted me with a journal of reflections on our life …

Dear Church, After worship on Sunday I came back to our house and to the vacant family room that was Connie’s “home” for the past nine months. She wasn’t there to ask me about church … or about the message … or whom I’d spoken with. The happy sounds of grandchildren greeted me as I …

It is with sadness we announce Connie Lawson fought her last round with cancer late in the afternoon of Friday, February 5, 2016 . Her body has lost, but her soul triumphs through Jesus Christ, her Saviour, whom she loved and served wholeheartedly. Since receiving a lung cancer diagnosis in April 2015, Connie faced her illness …

Dear Church, This appears to be my final update before Connie’s transition into the presence of Christ. As hard as it is to write those words, the promise of her being with Christ brings comfort and hope. I’ve been thinking a lot about life and death, along with you. Connie and I have recurring conversations …

Dear Church, It appears that Connie is in her final days with us. A new pain pump allows self-administered morphine, as needed. She is completely immobile and has difficulty finding a comfortable position. The windows of alertness and conversation are fewer and narrower. Each evening I kneel by her bed to pray for her, and …

Dear Church (and Friends / Family beyond who journey with us), Some of the cherished memories that Connie and I share are our trips to Compassion’s field countries – Kenya, Uganda, Thailand, Peru. Every 3 years, as function of board development, the Compassion Canada Board of Directors take a trip to the field. It’s a rich experience …

Dear Church, On the brink of a new year and looking out to the horizon I have to wonder what the year ahead may hold. Our “year of tears” began last January when Connie stumbled on the basement steps. The resultant hairline fracture was the start of our challenges, and the rest is history. Recognizing …

January 3, 2016 Dear Church, If you call E-Free home, we trust that this news will not come as a surprise to you. As we have read “Journeying with the Lawsons” updates over the last several months, and heard Ian speak personally and candidly about their current reality, we expect you sensed this day was …

Dear Church, It’s been eight months since Connie’s cancer diagnosis and you continue to minister to us. You encourage us with words and notes, and with gifts of food and flowers. Beyond that, the way you pull together to advance our church mission is a source of constant joy to me. While I carry the …