Update on 40-Day Fast for French Canada

Dear Watchmen friends:

We are now two weeks into our 40 day fast and we have received a number of encouraging reports that many Canadians from coast to coast have joined together in this important call for our nation.

- A church in Prince George BC has connected with a church in Hull, Quebec, and sent them a list of 40 people who have each agreed to fast one day and stand with the Quebec church. The joining of these two churches seems to be a wonderful picture of the new heart that God is releasing in Canada at this time.

- In this same church in Hull, the Lord moved very powerfully upon a youth meeting. As the Lord brought them into a time of deep repentance they placed the flag of Quebec on the ground, laid their hands on it and wept over it. Then as prompted by the Spirit, they took the Canadian flag and tied it with a knot to the Quebec flag and hung them together on the wall. The flags will remain in this position for the whole time of the fast.

Finally, the following article appeared in the October 22, 2001 edition of Maclean's.

Montcalm joins his soldiers at last For 242 years, the gravesite of Louis-Joseph Marquis de Montcalm lay within the isolated confines of a Quebec City convent. But now, the lieutenant-general has been reunited with the men he led in the most pivotal battle in Canada's history. On Sept. 13, 1759, Montcalm was wounded in the losing struggle with the British under Gen. James Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham. He died the next day. Last week, Montcalm's casket, covered with a white-and-gold Fleur de lis, was borne on a carriage drawn by four horses through historic Old Quebec. The two-block-long procession was accompanied by a military honour guard in period uniforms and carrying regimental flags for each of the units Montcalm had commanded. The remains -- described as only a skull and leg bone -- were placed in a grey stone crypt in a small cemetery in the Lower Town. The ceremony drew hundreds of dignitaries, historians and even some of Montcalm's descendants. Among them were Guy Bertrand Marquis de Montcalm and his wife, who flew from France for the occasion. "We're enchanted and proud to come and commemorate this," he said. "But what's extraordinary is that we're commemorating the memory of a loser. It was Wolfe who won. I think we should do the same for him." Wolfe, who died on the battlefield, is buried in Greenwich, England. Although the official surrender of New France to the British did not occur until the Treaty of Paris in 1763, Canadian historians universally view the Battle of the Plains of Abraham as a defining moment in Canadian history. The battle, which followed an 81- day siege of Quebec City by English forces, lasted only one hour and resulted in casualities of about 650 per side. "Measured by the numbers engaged, the Battle of Quebec was but a heavy skirmish," wrote historian Francis Parkman; "measured by results, it was one of the great battles of the world."

Could it be that once again events in the natural are pointing to the spiritual realities in our nation? General Montcalm's defeat ushered in the painful period remembered by French Canadians as "the Conquest" during which time the English sought turn Quebec into a model English colony. Montcalm, shot in the battle and told he had less than 12 hours to live replied only "much the better. I shall not live to see the English masters of Quebec". Could it be that God is sending us a signal as this French hero is being honored and laid to rest more than 250 years later, even as the Church of Canada has determined to stand with Quebec to see her complete restoration and release into full destiny?

Over the remaining weeks of the fast, we will be endeavoring to provide more information to help increase the understanding, especially of English Canadians, of the issues that lie at the root of our struggle for French/English unity in Canada. We hope to post articles on historical roots of the conflict, but also to provide some perspective on the rich spiritual heritage we have as Canadians as represented in the lives of the many missionaries God sent to New France/Canada so many centuries ago. As well, we will attempt to present a picture of the current state of the church and people of Quebec and also speak prophetically as to God's purposes and destiny for this vital part of our nation.

We also want to invite you to send scriptures, prophecies, rhema words and revelation or words of encouragement you receive from the Lord relating to Quebec and this fast to us at Quebec@watchmen.org. We will be gathering these and posting them as the Lord releases throughout the fast.

May the Lord continue to bless, strengthen and encourage you throughout this fast.

The Watchmen for the Nations Team