In keeping with our Gratitude theme from Psalm 100, let me express how thankful I am for our CVF students, faculty reps, and professional advocates – many of whom I saw over the last month. We carried out all four of our fall school visits in October, with each group seeing growth in numbers and vibrancy this year.
There is a sense amongst the student fellowship leaders that God is asking them to be more bold in their faith this year. And that students are hungry for a Christ-centered community for support and spiritual growth. I would say this is evident in my interactions with students from all four schools where we have fellowships. Now, more than ever, it’s super important for us to be present as a support to them and their faculty reps as they share and grow together. And as they look for opportunities to serve using vet medicine, while walking through school.
In other exciting news, Real Life Real Impact 2026 is now open for registration! We’re taking the retreat to Saskatchewan next. Follow the link to see our schedule, speakers, and to register. We’d love to see you there in February!
Also, I invite you to take in our recap and photos from RLRI Atlantic in the feature below, which finally happened in late October. What a wonderful retreat time it was. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations – Psalm 100:5.
Serving together,
Lisa Balzer
CVM Canada Executive Director
Canada Feature: Repeat on the Retreat (this time it happened!)
By Lisa Balzer
The Real Life, Real Impact Atlantic retreat was a long-awaited and deeply meaningful event, originally postponed due to a severe ice storm but later held in a beautiful fall setting near Charlottetown. The retreat offered a refreshing break from daily routines, creating space for spiritual reflection, connection, and growth among students, faculty, and professionals. With hearts changed and relationships deepened, the group left renewed and ready for future challenges—now looking ahead to the next RLRI in Saskatchewan.