| Dear friends, We’re in the midst of the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter. During this time, many followers of Jesus practice various disciplines in prayer and meditation, fasting, solitude, or the giving up of conveniences and comforts. In Psalm 139, though written around a thousand years before the coming of Jesus, David well expresses the heart of the Lenten season: Search me oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24). Lenten practices make room for God to work. They can help us grieve our sin and remember that we need Him. In giving up something of the life of our flesh, we invite God to change us, transform us, and lead us in the life of his Spirit. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:24-25). If you haven’t yet created a space for God to meet you at a deeper level during this season, I encourage you to take a step toward Him today. In this update, our UCVM student group is looking for help with volunteers and support for the Maskwacis First Nations clinics, April 25-27, near Edmonton, Alberta. See the banner below to sign up or to help out with the clinic costs. And, you won’t want to miss our missions feature story, from the February Mexico outreach trip! Dr. James Vandergraaf shares a riveting account of how God stretched the team’s faith and answered his prayers in a challenging situation. Serving together, Lisa Balzer CVM Canada Executive Director  2025 Maskwacis Clinics – Your Help Needed  Join in the ministry to our indigenous community! The UCVM student fellowship invites you to get involved with the Maskwacis First Nations community veterinary clinics April 25-27, 2025. We have opportunities for veterinarians, technicians, and students to serve in small animal vaccine & wellness, and/or equine dental float and vaccines. If you would like to volunteer for this ministry, please contact Grace-Anne Szojka at graceanne.szojka@ucalgary.ca. To make a financial donation toward the clinic costs, designate your gift through our CVM Canada donation page and specify UCVM Students in the designation drop-down box. Gifts are tax deductible. Give now! Canada Feature Where is Your Confidence?   By Dr. James Vandergraaf Over the last three years, our team had tackled hundreds of ovariohysterectomies and orchiectomies to help combat the canine and feline overpopulation issue in the community. Even though we did this work in very different conditions compared to our cushy Canadian hospital settings, and even though things would inevitably get dicey from time to time, we always knew we had Dr. Connery, a board-certified surgeon, as our incredibly experienced team lead. He had previously led us through numerous surgeries that had started to go sideways, and I will speak for myself when I say that a lot of my confidence during these trips was rooted in knowing he was always there for us. Read the Whole Story Here |