Mike McLoughlin's Blog :: A brief tour of my life

Welcome to my Blog. This is my New Year’s resolution. I want to write! I have some ideas that burning inside of me. A fire shut up in my bones that cannot be contained. So, here goes!

This is my life.

I am recently 46. (Birthday - November 20^th) I was born in 1958 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Vancouver. My mother is a graduate of St. Mary’s University in Halifax. My father is a graduate of UBC Law School. I have one sister, Margo, who was born in 1960.

I grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, and attended St. George’s Private School. I learned to ski at Grouse Mountain and I learned to sail in English Bay.

I started university at Queen’s in 1976. Spent my second year at UBC and finished my program in Geophysics at University of California where I was the Student Body President in my senior year. During the summers I worked for companies in Mining and Oil exploration. I completed a Masters in Business Administration at UBC in 1983. I spent a summer working at the Bank of British Columbia (now Hong Kong Bank BC). My first regular day job was with Canadian Tire Warehouse in Burnaby. I filled orders for car batteries.

In June, 1983 I was married to a wonderful person named Sue. She is the delight of my life.

My first real break at work came when I was hired by the Canadian Cancer Society as their Administrator for Fund Raising. I managed the BC portion of the Stephen Fonyo Journey for Lives (and Cancer Research) event in 1985.

My son Sam was born May 15^th, 1985. It was 10 days before my wife graduated from Medical School and right in the middle of the wind up of Fonyo’s run across Canada.

With another baby on the way, we moved to Kelowna, BC in 1988. I took the job as the Executive Director of the Central Okanagan United Way. Ben was born on July 5^th, 1988.

My time with the United Way ended abruptly in April 1989 when I was fired. Since that time I have been self employed.

In January, 1990, our daughter Stephanie was born.

I started my own business, Okanagan Target Marketing. It was a direct marketing company that sold advertising and direct mail services. I also managed a 16 acre Cherry Orchard that my father owned called Knockie Cherry Orchard.

In 1993, I put that business on hold and Sue packed up her medical practice and we joined Youth With A Mission (YWAM) to prepare for a time in Africa.

From 1994 to 1995 we lived in the nation of Zambia serving with YWAM. I developed and conducted a seminar to equip entrepreneurs in Planning A Successful Small Business. Sue worked part time as a Doctor at a rural health clinic and looked after our three small children. I helped to start The Christian Enterprise Trust of Zambia which is Zambia’s Bank for the poor.

We returned to Canada in late 1995. Sue started work as a family physician and I stayed with YWAM serving the volunteer organization in British Columbia. I launched a ministry with YWAM called Marketplace Mission. The Scruples Web site is one of the services it offers the faith at work community. (See link on the side bar)

In 2001, we opened our own medical Clinic called Medi-Kel. I play the role of Business Manager. Sue is an owner physician. We have 4 other physicians and we are looking for more!

My son Sam is in a first year program in Social Justice at King’s College. Ben & Stephanie attend Kelowna Christian School. We also host the son of our friends Derek & Gladys Mutungu from Zambia. His name is Lumuno and he is also attending Kelowna Christian School.