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September 4th, 2005

Dear Friends of Canadian L'Abri,

In reading up about our new home, we have discovered that Bowen Island
and its forests which flank us, is part of the lush West Coast temperate
rainforest that grows from Alaska to Northern California. More than
merely finding ourselves located in this stretch of forest, Bowen actually
lies between biogeoclimactic zones: the Coastal Western Hemlock Zone and the
Coastal Douglas-fir Zone. As a result, the Bowen forest shares
characteristics of both and is home to a diverse species of wildlife
(the Curry & Ryan families not counted!).

At home in the forests of Bowen are a number of generalists; species
found in a wide range of habitats and thus spread generally across the
island. Other species are specialists; that is, they have more restricted
habitats and tend to be found in specific locations and as a part of certain
more specialized ecosystems on the island. For those who may be interested,
examples of the later include: the Great Horned Owl, the Barred Owl,
the Calliope Hummingbird, the Western Tanager, and (for the less
ornithologically inclined among us) the Douglas Squirrel, the
Northwestern Garter Snake and the Pacific Tree Frog.

During the past four months of living on Bowen I have often scratched
my head over the peculiarities of living on a small island. Although not
immediately plain to all, yet one of the thoughts that have helped me
adjust and to focus on the work ahead of us are the similarities between the
nature and mission of what we are attempting to be and do in L'Abri and the
nature of our surroundings. Like Bowen itself, L'Abri finds itself between
"two zones" -that of the Church and the world. Already the many visitors and
overnight guests who have come in and out of our home have served to
remind us of the unique space that L'Abri occupies between the believing,
worshipping people of God and the questioning, still searching,
citizens of this world. What a privilege it is for us to have members of both zones
be able to come and walk, talk, study and work alongside each other.

Further, like the various species that call Bowen home, we who live and
work at L'Abri tend to fall somewhere between being "generalists" and
"specialists." On the one hand we live and move and have our being
across the island and even further a field. We are generalists in that we are
not restricted to working and serving within the four walls of the main
L'Abri house, or even within the confines of the Christian community we have
come to know. Just recently we have had opportunity to speak to budding
Hollywood screen-writers, to Regent College students, and soon to downtown
churches and an environmental group from the USA. On the other hand we are
specialists in so far as we are intent on making our particular habitat
and our specific environment as welcoming, sustaining and nurturing as is
possible. With our autumn student term only a couple of weeks away from
beginning and with dates already set for Winter, Spring and Summer
terms in 2006, we find ourselves having to balance wider opportunities with
ongoing property maintenance, developing our library, and preparing for the
students that God will send to us.

On a more direct note, this leads me to both update and thank all of
you who have contacted Canadian L'Abri to express your prayer and practical
support for Doug and Maggie Curry and their need of a home for the winter. With
a definite solution still nowhere to be found, we are all continuing to
look to the Lord for His leading and supply. At present, Doug is modifying
the cabin so that it is more suited to family life and he is preparing to
heat the yurt that serves as an additional sleeping space.

Also, as you pray for the Curry's physical needs, do remember to pray
for them as a family. Pray for Doug and Maggie as they direct the work
here; for Gordon, attending English L'Abri this fall; for Beth, Susanne and
Catherine embarking on a new school year. (Pray especially for Beth and Susanne
who must both attend school off island).

In a related note, we would ask you to continue to pray for Canadian
L'Abri in terms of covering our basic running costs from month to month. For
as George Bradford noted in our June newsletter, two families places a
greater strain on the limited resources that we have available than did just
one. Our hope in coming to Bowen Island was to assist L'Abri in getting
started and becoming established (not to sap it of what resources it has) and
so we invite you to join us in asking the Lord to provide for the Curry's, we
Ryan's, and for our students, guests and visitors.

Lastly, we would ask you to join with us in giving thanks to God for
all that we do have and for many wonderful opportunities ahead. In
particular, pray and give thanks for:

Lynn Hortop ~ our helper for the autumn term. Lynn is from Ottawa, but
has just returned from teaching in New Zealand. She has graciously agreed
to acclimate herself back into Canadian life by helping us throughout the
term. Do pray for her.

Autumn Term ~ our autumn term is only partially booked (there are still
some spaces) but seems already to have great potential under God's hand. We
are excited about our links to the broader Bowen Island community, about
our lecture schedule, and about those who have already committed to coming.
Pray that God would bless us and be with us in all that takes place over the
term.

Special Focus Weekends ~ over the weekends of October 7-9 and November
11-13, we will be hosting special focus weekends addressing various
topical issues. The October weekend will focus upon Islam in Canada while the
November weekend will focus upon Biblical Interpretation. Guest lecturers
will join us on both occasions. Pray that both series would be used of
God to help us think about these important topics.

Thank you for praying with us and for us. Thank you also to those who
have expressed their interest in the work of Canadian L'Abri by way of
encouraging emails, monetary gifts, donations of books to our library,
and attendance at our work days, etc. Every expression of interest is an
encouragement to us.

In Christ,
Mark P Ryan