WHEN: 2018 Year in Review

Jan 22, 2019


Praising God for WHEN’s 10 Years

WHEN Celebrates 10 Years!
Summer 2018 was a time of celebration for us as we marked 10 years of the Women’s Heart-Engaging Network. On August 11, we were able to gather almost 60 women from our different teams for a time of worship – looking at the past and looking towards the future.

We praise God for all that He has done in the lives of women through this ministry!

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story, whom He has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. – Psalm 107

 

Founding Director Janet Fierbach with Founding Member Kari Leoganda

Jesus has gathered women from every corner of the globe to be involved in WHEN. As we share the stories of our lives and how He has redeemed us, women who do not yet know Him have the opportunity to hear, experience and embrace His grace.

Women of all ages at the Cantonese Event
Enjoying a special moment at the Spanish event
Showing off dance moves at the Filipino event
Sharing common ground at the Intercultural event

Finding Salvation in Jesus
Our 10th anniversary last summer launched us into one of WHEN’s busiest fall seasons yet with 5 events in 3 languages! 440 women attended the events, including over 200 who were not yet believers.

I brought my neighbour and she believed in Christ!

My non-believing friend expresses that she wants to have eternal life!

I grew up in a similar household like Praise (speaker), where both my parents are Christians but they never forced me to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Hearing her today, reminded me that perhaps I should reconsider my relationship with Jesus. Thank you for Praise coming here, for her time to share her stories.

Overall, during 2018, 589 women heard the gospel message through our events, and 49 individuals made a decision to receive salvation from Jesus! Another 98 renewed their commitment to Christ!

I understand how I have to let it go and leave it all to Jesus to guide me in my daily life.

Another 40 women wanted to join Discovery Groups after the events!

Members of the Cantonese Coquitlam team at their 5th WHEN event

Living WHEN’s Mission
Sometimes God begins to work in women’s lives even before the actual event! When our Cantonese Coquitlam team went to look at a venue and discuss the menu for their dinner in October, they began speaking with the staff about WHEN, and why we host events. During the conversation, one of the servers was so moved she made a decision to follow Jesus! She worked at the event as a fellow believer in Christ, so it was a very special evening.

It was also a significant evening for another woman who had become a Christian at a previous event in May. She attended our discovery groups, connected with a church, and invited a group of her not yet believing friends to the October event with the hope that they would find the same hope in Christ she had!

Filipino Team’s 14th Ladies Night Out

Ladies Night Out
More than 100 Filipino women attended the annual Ladies Night Out in Edmonton last November, and heard how Dr. Leonila Ramos Mateo left her successful dentistry practice in the Phillipines out of duty to her family.

Dr. Leonila Ramos Mateo sharing her story

Dr. Mateo recalled the struggles of being a newcomer in Canada, and especially adjusting to winter! She says it wasn’t easy, but one of the keys to her success is her continued faith in Jesus Christ, and making her Saviour the centre of all her endeavours!

The event and Dr. Mateo’s personal story were featured in the November 2018 edition of Alberta Filipino Journal.

 

10th Anniversary Celebration

Memorable Moments
After each WHEN event we asked women what was most memorable:

The prayer at the end! I have anxiety depression. I want to surrender, but I can’t. I pray everyday, read my Bible, and go to church. But I am scared to hand over control, especially as a mom.

I appreciate how women are both empowered and celebrated at the event.

Hearing about real honest struggles from a Christian and hearing hope. I was encouraged by her strength.

It’s great to know that there’s a network of women that encourage, support, and strengthen each other.

Amazing Ladies Night Out! That’s why I keep coming back.  

Please continue to pray for the women who attended each WHEN event…that the planted seeds will continue to grow in fertile soil. Pray also for our volunteers who diligently follow up with their guests, connecting them to bible studies and churches!

Lighthouse Christian Church Partners

New Lighthouse Christian Church Partnership
We are so excited to announce our newest Church Partnership Team at Lighthouse Christian Church in Surrey! This team was formed under the leadership of their Chair, Malou Cruz, who has faithfully been praying for a WHEN team for several years. Their first event was held last September in Surrey, and we look forward to many more events to come!

Kari Leoganda, one of WHEN’s founding members

If Not Now, WHEN?
Since WHEN began in 2008, founding member Kari Leoganda says their vision has been to reach out to women who aren’t ready for church.

We desire to create something where women want to attend, where they know they’ll have good company and a nice meal, and where they’ll want to bring others as well. We are doing outreach, but ultimately our goal is to connect women to Jesus and back to the local church. – Kari Leoganda

Armed with her vision, Kari connected with Janet Fierbach, a long-time Power to Change staff member. Together with Kari’s business acumen as a financial planner and entrepreneur, and Janet’s ministry experience, a dream began to take shape: to create intimate meetings where women could engage with each other, heart to heart.

At the end of our first brainstorming session, we came up with the name WHEN. We wanted to be a Women’s Heart-Engaging Network, and our key phrase was, “If not now, WHEN?” When God gives us a desire, He surrounds us with people to do it. We are never working alone. – Kari Leoganda

 

Cantonese WHEN Team

The ministry began with a Cantonese event and before long expanded to Spanish, Filipino and English speaking women from different ethnic backgrounds.

In celebration of WHEN’s 10th anniversary, Power to Change interviewed Kari about the ministry’s beginnings. Her inspiring story was featured in the summer 2018 edition of Power To Change Magazine!

We praise God for the past 10 years and eagerly anticipate His work in the future. The best is yet to come!

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Power to Change

Power to Change

At Power to Change, we're wholeheartedly committed to telling people about Jesus. It is His example that we follow, and His exhortation that spurs us on. "Go and make disciples of all nations."