April update

Thank you for your prayers for us through this very full month.  We are amazed by the way God has protected our family from sickness as Covid and various colds and the flu went through our circles.  Other than some mild symptoms, God has kept our family healthy and able to serve at each service.  Cherith continues to deal with much congestion which is a drain on her energy at times, but God has supplied strength according to the need.

The month began with Emmanuel Baptist Church hosting the Spring Bible Conference for the first time since Covid hit (normally an annual conference).  We had heard much about these conferences (there are others in the year hosted by other churches) and the great singing and fellowship as people gather for fellowship and spiritual refreshment, many from very small churches.  It was a great weekend with more than 240 in attendance from around the Maritimes, after which we were both refreshed and exhausted.

The Lord blessed our Easter Choir initiatives though with all of the sickness going around, I don’t thing there was one practice that everyone was present for!  We prepared three choral anthems, one with some members of a sister church for the special combined Good Friday service, and then for our Easter Sunday service.  We had 25 in the combined choir for Good Friday and 21 for Easter Sunday.  This was the first time the choir has been able to sing since Covid restrictions brought the choir to a halt 2 years ago. We invited the whole choir and their families to a special choir get-together.  We prepared lasagna for everyone and others brought sides and dessert.  How good it was to see the great turnout of 37 people of all ages, enjoying fellowship and fun together.  We were blessed too by a special gift of a bouquet and French cheeses as an expression of appreciation from Pastor Eastwood and the choir.

Cherith has continued her Bible studies with D who is beginning to get involved with helping in the nursery at church.  Cherith was invited to speak at a Baby shower last week here at Emmanuel, as well as to the ladies of a sister church here in Moncton at their Mother/Daughter Brunch next Saturday. She is so thankful for these opportunities to share life-changing truths from God’s Word with other ladies and young women.

On Friday night we had the Spring Music Recital and we were so pleased to see the way God has helped the students to grow musically over the past year for His glory.  There were 12 students taking part and more than 50 in attendance, including a public school teacher and several people who had traveled from Nova Scotia to support their EBBI student.  

This week the EBBI school year comes to a close with graduation today. Praise the Lord for two students graduating with a four-year diploma and one with a one-year certificate.  We will greatly miss B who has also been a part of the church family at Emmanuel during this time.  She has invested herself in various ministries and has faithfully shared her musical talent in the orchestra as well as through special music.  Cherith and I accompanied the graduation ceremony on the piano and organ, and joined the families of students and staff for a luncheon afterward.  Pray for God’s leading for the graduates and the underclassmen as they serve the Lord in various ways this summer.  

With the end of the school year, M will be returning to Quebec to work and serve in his home church.  He will be missed in our French service, as well as our outreach.  He has helped with leading services and preaching once a month, and has been eager (with restrictions finally being lifted) to start going door to door to share the Gospel and invite people to church.  I have been out with him twice and we have been able to invite many people out to either our English service, or our French service, depending on their main language.  It is pretty strange for me not to know what language we will be met with when we knock on a door!  M has a deep love for the Lord and for the lost.  We hope we will be able to continue to get out with others in our group through the summer.

Adrianna is finishing up her semester at BJU and is scheduled to fly home to Moncton next Friday.  We are eager to have her home again though her time with us will be short before she heads off on her summer missions internship with Bibles International on June 11 first to Grand Rapids, MI and then on to Chad.  We praise the Lord for the way He is providing both prayer and financial support for her.  We have been encouraged by the way the Lord has been working in Caleb and Josiah’s lives as well.  Both of them met with the pastor and deacons of our church here last Sunday to give their testimonies of salvation and baptism as candidates for membership. The church welcomed them as well as 7 others into membership on Sunday evening.