Monday, October 11, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving in Canada!  We are thankful for God’s bountiful goodness to us each and every day and for the assurance that He is at work here and around the world.

On Friday evening, our city entered a 2-week period of a lockdown “circuit breaker” with limited social interactions outside the home, families restricted to themselves, and church activities limited to services only.  While many activities were cancelled, we were able to have our French service on Sunday before the English service at 11 a.m.  We wondered if anyone would come out and if they would want to continue but were pleased that there was a good group out and high interest in continuing.  The morning English services were well attended as well, though some were out due to health concerns and risk.  On Sunday evening, we had a special Thanksgiving praise service with music and testimonies.  Instead of singing favorites, there were more special music numbers and many shared testimonies of God’s blessings and faithfulness this past year.  We sang and played as part of several special numbers, including a father and son duet with Caleb.  

As many family gatherings for Thanksgiving were cancelled due to the “circuit breaker”, our family was invited for an early Thanksgiving dinner with the family of the pastor of a sister church here.  We enjoyed getting to know them better, especially since there is a US connection.  It was especially nice for our boys.

It is encouraging to see the students making progress in the piano and vocal lessons.  One student told said he was so excited about learning the piano because after trying to learn several other instruments in the past, he is actually seeing progress!  We are happy to see the motivation they have, especially for using music in ministry for God’s glory, which makes teaching a real joy for both of us.

This past week we had word from a dear pastor brother in Bambari, CAR who told us of a vicious rebel attack on a loaded truck not far from Bambari.  Passengers were killed and the truck burned.  

The population of Bambari has been forced to hunker down, not knowing when and where the rebels will strike next.  Physically, this makes life even more difficult as most people’s livelihoods are connected with their garden fields outside of Bambari, which they are unable to get to at this time. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, and for peace and security to return so God’s work can continue to go forward. 

Center 1 Baptist Church, Bambari

Michael and Sarah

We appreciate your continued prayer for our loved ones.  My cousin Michael has had a difficult week and remains in very critical condition needing a miracle. Yesterday, the Lord chose to heal Mrs. Verna Friesen by calling her Home to Glory.  Her husband (Tim) remains hospitalized in fairly critical condition though he has made a little progress. We appreciate your prayers for Tim’s recovery and for God’s comfort for the whole family in this time of sorrow. His family is connected to ours as his daughter Nicole is married to my cousin Rob Teachout. 

Randy's family

The Lord brought Rob’s brother Randy and his family safely home to IN on Friday where they are preparing for the funeral for their son Kaleb tomorrow.  We are very sorry not to be able to attend the funeral, but are thankful for the comfort and healing God is giving to the family. 

We appreciate your prayers and know that God is at work.