Mission Statement
"To lead individuals through the raw reality of trauma and divine silence toward a life of restorative purpose, proving that God’s grace is found not just in the miracle, but in the middle of the fire."
Julia Deimert: Grace in the Unknown
As the Program Director for Livingchannel.ca, Julia lives in the daily, "minute-by-minute" reality of faith when healing does not come. Raising children with a rare metabolic disorder, she navigates a world of medical complexity where the future is often unknown. Julia speaks candidly about the relentless exhaustion of caregiving and the battle against the "false guilt" that can haunt parents in the pews. Her message is a lifeline for those waiting on a miracle, offering a raw and honest look at how to find God’s sufficiency and restorative purpose in the middle of a permanent storm.
Esther Gasangwa: Survival and Radical Obedience
Esther’s life is a profound map of navigating God’s silence in the midst of extreme trauma. A survivor of the Rwandan genocide, she has walked through the crushing uncertainty of the Canadian immigration system and the deep, personal valley of child loss. After moving through a season of intense depression, Esther found that God’s silence is not His absence, but an invitation to a deeper trust. Today, she speaks with radical obedience, sharing how God takes a life marked by survival and refines it for a global mission. Her journey challenges us to see our scars not as signs of defeat, but as a bridge to healing others.
Susan Friesen: Hope and Nurturing Grace
Susan’s life is a beautiful map of how God’s hope can rewrite a story of early struggle into one of enduring strength. Married at sixteen and a mother of two by eighteen, she navigated a background marked by the confusion of abuse and pain. Yet, in the middle of that brokenness, she encountered the restorative power of Christ—a decision at age eighteen that set her on a lifelong path of being "grown up" by the Spirit.
With the same grit that saw her return to school to serve as a nurse for over thirty years, Susan now pours her life into the art of restoration—both through her hands and her heart. From the bedside of the elderly to the sewing tables of her home studio, her mission has shifted from physical healing to spiritual accompaniment. Today, she stands as a pillar of encouragement, offering a "shoulder to lean on" for women navigating their own storms. Her journey reminds us that no matter how early the trauma or how long the road, God’s sufficiency is a steady hand that leads us home.
Chyanne Paterson: Redemption and Reclaimed Identity
Chyanne’s life is a testament to the transformative power of God in the wake of devastating loss. After years of being entangled in false beliefs and a hidden identity shaped by deep personal trauma, she found herself at a sacred breaking point. Through the heartbreaking loss of her son in a custody battle, the unimaginable pain became the very soil where healing took root. In that season, God exposed and broke the generational patterns and spiritual strongholds that had long operated beneath the surface.
Now walking in hard-won freedom, Chyanne carries a powerful message of hope and restoration. She is passionate about helping women uproot the lies that have defined their past, empowering them to step out of the shadows of their history and into their true, God-given calling.
tentative schedule
8:30am: Doors open, coffee available
8:45 -10:15am: Session 1 “The Weight of Silence”
10:15-10:30 Coffee
10:30am-11:30am: Breakout 1
11:30am-12:45pm: Session 2 “Redefining the Miracle”
12:45-1:30pm: Lunch
1:30-2:30pm: Breakout 2
2:30-3:45pm: Session 3: From Ashes to Impact
3:45-4pm: Coffee
4:00- 5:00 pm Breakout 3
5pm Closing Prayer and Dismissal
Linda Pagoda: Healing and Restored Calling
After growing up in an alcoholic home, Linda vowed to live life differently. But after raising three children, she unexpectedly found herself in a marriage that had become abusive, as her husband struggled with addiction, trying to medicate the pain of an abusive childhood. At the same time, the ministry she had loved and served with for nearly a decade fell apart. She embarked upon a journey of healing, realizing that even if her marriage did not survive, with the help of God, she would. This led to the realization of a long-held dream to attend Bible college. She graduated with a Bachelor of Christian Ministry, Counselling and is now studying for her Master of Counselling Psychology Degree, aspiring to help others navigate their own trauma, with love and hope.
Rose Schroeder: Purpose Beyond the Shadows
For much of her life, she carried a story marked by deep pain—enduring abuse, torture, and ongoing stalking in her teens & adult years.
Though she once believed these experiences would remain buried forever, she made the courageous decision to speak out, hoping her journey would bring hope and healing to others. Her message is simple yet powerful: survival is possible, and even the darkest past does not have the final word.
Married at just 17, she has now shared 45 years of marriage. While quietly battling depression for much of her married life, she continued to persevere with strength and resilience. Today, she speaks not as a victim, but as a survivor—offering encouragement, honesty, and a living testimony that with God's grace, healing and purpose can rise from even the deepest wounds.
flyer verion of bios
Chyanne chronicles her path through deep personal trauma and the loss of her son in a custody battle, revealing how God exposed generational strongholds to replace a false identity with a powerful message of redemption and restoration.
Esther shares her journey from the Rwandan genocide to the crushing uncertainty of the Canadian immigration system, moving through the deep depression of child loss to a place of radical obedience.
Julia explores the minute-by-minute reality of faith while raising children with a rare metabolic disorder and navigating her own chronic pain, offering a raw look at finding God’s sufficiency in the midst of a permanent storm.
Linda traces her journey from the cycles of an alcoholic home and an abusive marriage to a reclaimed life of purpose, exploring how the collapse of her ministry became the catalyst for her Master’s studies in Counselling Psychology.
Rose recounts a journey of surviving profound abuse and years of stalking to find a life of purpose, sharing how 45 years of marriage and a quiet battle with depression became a testimony of God’s grace and the power of speaking the truth.
Susan reflects on 49 years of marriage and a 31-year nursing career, sharing how she overcame a background of abuse and early hardship to become a pillar of encouragement and a steady voice of hope for women.