Havilah is a ministry rooted in restoration. From garden to garden - from Eden, through the fall, through the cross and into the restoration of all things - Havilah exists to create spaces where people may encounter God through presence, Scripture, reflection, community and lived experience.
What began as a simple prayer has slowly grown into a collection of ministries centered on healing, mercy, discipleship, grief, hospitality and return.
Some gatherings are quiet.
Some are sorrowful.
Some one day will be joyful.
But all are rooted in the same longing:
to create spaces where hearts may turn toward God again.
Havilah is not built around performance, personality or perfection. It is built gently - through people, through community, through shared burdens, through open hands and through the belief that restoration is still possible.
What is planted here is meant to grow slowly, deeply and with care.
How the Garden Began
Havilah began with a simple prayer.
After returning to a deeper relationship with God, I began asking Him to lead my life toward something that would be larger than myself - something rooted not in personal ambition, but in His direction. At the time, I only knew the name "Havilah" from Scripture. I did not fully understand why it had settled so deeply in my spirit, only that I felt drawn to it long before I understood what it would become.
Over time, God began weaving together things that once felt separate: grief, hospitality, gardens, Scripture, restoration, stillness, community and the quiet work of walking alongside others. After moving to Edmonton, the seeds of horticulture and restoration began taking deeper root through relationships, learning and prayer. What first began as a simple vision connected to biblical gardens slowly unfolded into something much larger: a collection of ministries centered on restoration and return.
Holy Tears became one of the first of these ministries to take form. What began as the idea of a "Grieving Garden Gathering" eventually deepened into a carefully guided, experiential space for grief to be acknowledged, witnessed and gently carried in the presence of God.
The vision of Havilah continues to unfold slowly and prayerfully. Some parts are already taking root. Others are still seeds resting quietly beneath the soil. But at its heart, Havilah remains what it was from the beginning: an invitation to return toward God - from garden to garden.
The First Expression: Holy Tears
Holy Tears is one of the first ministries within Havilah to take form - centered on the Beatitude:
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Matthew 5:4
What began as a quiet vision for a "Grieving Garden Gathering" slowly grew into a guided, experiential space where grief could be acknowledged honestly and carried gently in the presence of God.
Not a sermon.
Not a counseling session.
Not a place where sorrow is rushed toward resolution,
but a carefully held space of Scripture, silence, reflection, lament, stillness and compassionate presence.
The Holy Tears Grieving Garden Gathering follows a gentle journey through grief:
from The Breaking of the Heart,
through lament and longing,
toward the subtle Turning of the Face back toward God,
and finally into The Garden Reborn.
Each gathering is rooted in the belief that grief does not need to be corrected. It needs to be witnessed. And through that witnessing, many quietly begin to discover that hope has not disappeared - only gone silent for a time.
Holy Tears is only the beginning of what Havilah may one day become, but it is the first seed to break through the soil.
The Wells of Provision
“Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”
–2 Corinthians 9:10
Some gifts are placed gently into open hands, and others are found hidden along the path - yet both come from the same Source. Whether through generosity or divine encounter, each provision is part of God's unfolding plan for Havilah. These moments remind us that what is freely given and what is quietly revealed are not different kinds of blessings, but different ways He chooses to provide.
Roots of Gratitude
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
–Luke 6:38
These are those who give simply because the Spirit moves them to - without expectation, without recognition, simply in love. Roots of Gratitude is where their giving takes form in the soil of Havilah. Each act of generosity becomes a seed planted in sacred ground, growing unseen until the right season reveals its fruit. here we honor not only the gift, but the heart that sowed it - for every offeng given in love becomes part of God's harvest.
With Gratitude
What began as a simple inquiry became one of Havilah's earliest blessings. The owners of Alternative Route Coffee Co. (Edmonton International Airport) offered their burlap coffee sacks as a gift - the very fabric now woven into the tunics and plant wrappings of Havilah's gatherings. Their generosity carried the quiet fragrance of kindness and community, reminding us that sometimes God's provision is waiting in places we pass every day. Each thread now carries their kindness forward, a small act of giving that became part of Havilah's story of grace.
Hidden Springs
“Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, though Your footprints were not seen.”
–Psalm 77:19
There are moments along the journey when the path seems dry, and then suddenly, a spring appears - hidden beneath what seemed ordinary. These are the places where God reminds us that provision is not always handed freely, but sometimes discovered quietly, through the kindness of others, the stillness of waiting, or the unfolding of His perfect timing.
Hidden Springs is where Havilah pauses to remember those sacred intersections - the ones not born of donation, but of divine orchestration. Each story here tells of a moment when God whispered, "See? I am still with you, even here."
Aspen Coffee Roasters - Edmonton, AB
In a quiet industrial pocket across from the CP rails sits a little gen called Aspen Coffee Roasters. What began as a simple stop to pick up burlap bags became a moment of unexpected blessing. The kindness of those inside, the scent of roasted coffee and the rhythm of nearby trains reminded me that even in places built of iron and stone, God plants beauty. Aspen became one of Havilah's earliest waypoints - a reminder that the journey is made holy not only by what we received, but by those God weaves into the path to remind us of His nearness.
What is planted in love is often found again in grace.
Witness Stones
Along the journey toward Havilah, there have been moments of obedience, preparation and public witness that helped shape the courage, posture and faith required for what is now unfolding. The reflections and teachings shared here are not presented as performance or platform, but as small witness stones along the path - moments where God asked for faithfulness before the full picture was visible.
The message below what shared publicly at the church I attend during one of those seasons. While it was not connected directly to Havilah itself, it remains part of the journey that helped prepare my heart for the work God would ask me to carry.