March 2023

Winter is hanging on here in Moncton but even as the snow melts the ground is showing signs of Spring.  The amount of snow this year has been much less than last year and it surprises us that we are actually sorry to see winter coming to an end! The new life and growth that come with Spring are very inviting, however, and are a beautiful reminder of the new life and miraculous work that God is doing in our lives to make us more and more like Christ.  

Our church is preparing to host the annual Good Friday service, when we will be joined by two sister churches in Moncton for this special occasion followed by a potluck fellowship. We are looking forward to having a Sunrise Service and brunch on Resurrection Day, a first for our church, at least in many years. The choir will be singing for several special occasions in April; besides the Good Friday service, we will also be singing for the Easter Sunday Service and for the 65th anniversary celebration of the church at the end of the month.  The church will be hosting the Spring Bible conference at the end of April for churches around the Maritimes immediately following EBBI graduation on April 28.  

April is a full month for EBBI, including the preparation of a team of students to represent EBBI in several Maritime churches during the month of May. Part of our responsibility is to prepare them musically for these ministries.  Please pray that God will bless these preparations and that He will use the team’s ministry to lead individuals to dedicate their lives to His service and to enroll in EBBI for biblical instruction.

We asked for special prayer for Caleb and me as we traveled to the Holy Land this month for a special group tour of biblical sites led by Pastor  Eastwood.  We are so grateful to the Lord for making it possible for us to make this trip.  The only down side for me was not having Cherith there to experience the trip with me.  The experiences and sites have forever changed my outlook and understanding of Scripture as I have my personal devotions or prepare to share God’s Word with others.  Caleb too was changed and is eager to share his experience with others.  At prayer meeting this week, several of us gave testimonies of how God used the trip in our lives. Caleb had the main part of the service and gave his report with pictures, in partial fulfillment of one of the EBBI classes he is taking this semester for dual credit.

B, a sophomore at EBBI this year, used his Spring break to take a missions trip to France to work with our friends the Laases in Draguignan.  Although B’s family is unsaved and not excited about his faith, we were thrilled to see the way the Lord guided and provided to make this trip possible.  B returned eager to share both what God is doing in France as well as his increased burden for the spiritual needs there.  We are encouraged to see him continue to seek God’s direction for his future.

Praise for

• much improvement in Cherith’s health, and for good doctors that are following her here in Moncton now.
• signs of spiritual growth resulting from Bible studies.
• safety and blessing for the Israel trip (Jonathan and Caleb) and for a wonderful missions trip to France for B, second year EBBI student. 
• God’s help for Cherith and Josiah as they cared for two active boys while the parents were in Israel.
• opportunities for door to door evangelism as the weather warms up, and for opportunities to share the Gospel.
• healing and strength as we recover from sinus infections. 

Pray for

• good contacts, opportunities to share the Gospel, and receptive hearts through door to door outreach.  Pray for the salvation of Adi, our Israeli tour guide.
• God’s blessing of our French group Espérance Vivante, and that we will see visitors come (and keep coming!).
• preparations for Good Friday and Easter services, and for the anniversary celebrations for the church and Bible Institute.
• the final month of classes for EBBI and for God’s help as we prepare students for summer ministry team opportunities to represent the school in Maritime churches. Pray that God will use the team this summer.
• 
  the Lord’s provision and leading of Adrianna to the right business internship for this summer. 
• God’s help with our residency status and that we will be able to get the help we need without too much cost.
• preparation and scheduling for our trip to the US this summer.

February 2023

Warm greetings from Canada on this cold February day.  We are thankful for God’s help and care for us here in Moncton over a particularly challenging time.  In early January, I was approached with an emergency request to teach English Composition in the Bible Institute this semester just days before the semester was to begin, since the scheduled professor was unable to teach it.  The Lord led me to accept the course and I soon found myself working frantically to plan the course and trying to prepare myself to teach the class.  Cutting time out of my schedule for the prep time, teaching and grading each week has been a challenge but it is encouraging to see students make progress in their English and writing skills.  Several have taken up the challenge to do their research paper assignment on topics relating to ministry that they want to learn more about.  My prayer is that God will use this class to help equip these students for ministry.

The French ministry continues to meet weekly.  With the temperature up to 32F on Monday, our two students from Quebec went with Caleb and me to go door to door with bilingual Gospel tracts and church flyers in a rather rough area of town.  We spoke with quite a few people, and while some were quite closed, others were more open and receptive.  Pray for eternal fruit!  We would like to get out regularly again soon, weather permitting. The high tomorrow is only 14F but the days are getting longer and Spring is coming.  It is encouraging to see the burden for the lost among the students (and Caleb) and the desire to get out to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to those around us.  We are thrilled that one of our students is preparing for a ten-day missions trip to France over the March break. Another student, who had taken the missions trip to the Gambia in November, has changed his outlook to now being open to God’s calling him to the mission field.  

Cherith is encouraged with the spiritual growth in a number of the ladies of the church, both through weekly Bible studies with D, and through the monthly Ladies’ Bible study.  The ladies have their meeting this evening (always the last Thursday each month) to continue their study on gratitude. A few weeks ago, Cherith was approached by R, one of the ladies in our church, about doing something to encourage some of the widows. A couple weeks later, Cherith gathered some card-making supplies given by some of our dear friends at Plainfield Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, MI and joined several of these women at R’s house to help them create greeting cards to use to encourage and bless others. Within a few days, we began to see some of the cards they created being shared at church to encourage and edify others. French classes continue weekly in the Homeschool Co-op, which has grown this semester with the addition of several elementary age children from three families.

God gave us about three weeks with our family all together at Christmas time when Adrianna was home on break from BJU. She has a full schedule of classes and work, plus church choir and violin lessons.  We appreciate prayer for her as she  searches for a required business internship in Greenville this summer. 

Praise for

• 
  the way God has answered prayer for Cherith’s health.  The pulmonologist she began to see when she got sick last October has been able to diagnose her respiratory issues, and though there is no cure, he has been able to get her on a treatment that has helped her more than anything she has been given in over five years!  We praise the Lord for the improvement in her breathing. 
• God’s blessing of the Teen Retreat at Emmanuel Baptist in the fall, for the excellent attendance and for God’s help for Cherith as she spoke to the girls on purity and biblical womanhood.
• God’s blessing of Caleb and the other men on the missions trip to The Gambia from November 21 to December 1, and for all that they were able to accomplish in the church construction and in Gospel outreach.  

• The opportunity at Christmas to send Christmas cards and calendars with beautiful pictures and evangelistic readings to a number of our friends in France (and with neighbors here).  It has been encouraging to receive positive responses from nearly all of them.
• The weather warming up and the opportunity to get back out to go door to door.  
• God’s help for us with the full loads we are carrying.
  

Pray for

• God’s blessing as the church grows, and that He will help there to be unity of spirit and purpose.
• Warmer days coming and for good contacts and opportunities to share the Gospel with door to door outreach. Pray for visitors and that God will cause others in the church to be burdened for the lost around them and get involved in this outreach ministry. 
• Our discipleship ministry, and that we will be able to impart  a vision for striving for excellence in all we do for the Lord.
• Caleb and I as we travel to visit the Holy Land from March 6 to 15, on a guided tour of biblical sites led by Pastor Eastwood with about 25 others from churches mainly in the Maritimes.  Pray for Cherith and Josiah as they stay behind, and will be caring for 2 active little boys whose parents will be on the trip.

October update

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isaiah 41:10). As October whirled in, we had no idea how God would show us His help and strength nor did we know how much we would need it! He has reminded us again of our full dependence on Him for health, strength and care as well as His faithfulness and help.

The Lord sent us a missions team of 16 individuals from Quebec on October 7-10 to assist us in our French ministry. They helped us in door to door outreach in parts of Moncton and Dieppe and in street evangelism at the Dieppe farmers’ market.  They brought joy, love and passion, as well as language skills in French and many in English as well.  There were a number of opportunities to share the Gospel verbally and we estimate that close to 1500 bilingual flyers and tracts were given out that weekend alone.  Pastor Roy (from Quebec) preached in our French service on Sunday and their group shared special music and testimony in both the French and English services. Cherith was responsible for feeding meals to around 25 people, including several from our own group.  She was thankful for those from the church here who helped as needed. What a joy to see God blessing this collaborative effort and the mutual encouragement between the two groups.  We pray the Lord will continue to give lasting fruit.

On October 14, Cherith and I both were involved in speaking to a pastors and wives fellowship hosted at Emmanuel Baptist Church.  Then on Saturday, the 15th, we both took a high stake English language test (IELTS), one of the requirements in our application for extended Canadian residency. The Lord gave strength and help through the long tests (which are costly and non-refundable) that day and got us home safely just before Cherith was hit with feeling sick and extreme exhaustion.  She became quite ill over the following week and was in bed for most of two weeks.  Through a series of divine interventions (another story!), the Lord made it possible for Cherith to see the leading lung specialist for our area that next Wednesday and he has now taken her as a patient.  Along with the respiratory and asthma issues she has been fighting for several years, she was also fighting pneumonia and possibly a flu going around.  The specialist was able to adjust her medicines and get her on an antibiotic, and she began to slowly improve.  Stamina continues to improve, but she has been able to return to her ministries since Sunday.  We praise the Lord for His healing and for all the ways He has ministered to our family this month through our church family and even sending Cherith’s Mom to us for 8 days. He truly has helped us and upheld us with His right hand!

Praise for

• God’s blessings of the evangelistic outreach with the Quebec missions team who came to assist in our French ministry. Praise for the many who heard the Gospel or received it in writing and for the team’s ministry in our services. Praise for the joyful collaboration of these two churches in the Gospel ministry.
• three young adults that were baptized October 23, including two saved in February. Praise for these and several other new members that have joined the church. Praise for good attendance for the French ministry and for several visitors.
• God’s help for the EBBI students as they presented the school, preached and shared special music at Grace Baptist Church October 16 and at the Prince Edward Island Bible conference October 21.  Praise for God’s helping us to be able to have these ministries while Cherith was ill.
• Praise for God’s help with our English tests.
• Praise for God’s help for Cherith with the heavy load she carried through the middle of the month, and for His care and healing for her through this time of recovery. Praise for the provision of a lung specialist to follow her as a patient.
• Praise for God’s help for Mrs. E as she led the Ladies Bible study October 27 as Cherith was recovering.
• for God’s provision for the financial needs for Caleb and The Gambia missions team, and for Caleb’s visa coming through.

Pray for

• God’s continued healing and strengthening for Cherith.
• good contacts and opportunities to share the Gospel with door to door outreach. Pray for visitors and that God will continue to grow this ministry.
• the Teen Retreat that Emmanuel is hosting this weekend with around 80 teens from all over the three Maritime provinces.  Pray for Cherith as she speaks to the girls on biblical womanhood and purity in a divided session this Saturday and that God will work in the hearts of the teens to seek His will and glory. Pray for the EBBI students as they lead various activities and as they share special music in each session.
• a team of 7 men (including 3 EBBI students and our son Caleb) that will be traveling to The Gambia on a missions trip to help build a church building from November 21 to December 1. Pray for good health, protection travelling and that God will use this trip in the lives of these men as well as in the lives of those they minister to for His glory.

September 30, 2022 Praise and Prayer update

God is at work in Moncton and we are excited to be a part of what He is doing here.  We are very thankful for all of our prayer partners and it has been excited to see more commitment to prayer among the people with whom we are working. The men’s prayer meeting that began in August on Tuesday mornings at 7 a.m. continues for those who are able to make it.  Regular Wednesday night prayer meetings moved back to the pre-covid format with the men and women splitting up, then forming small groups for prayer after Bible study.  The men students of EBBI along with our son Caleb started a weekly prayer meeting on Thursday afternoons. And the ladies had their first monthly Bible study fellowship just last night which included a time of sharing and prayer. It is wonderful to see God’s people coming together to seek God’s will and to pray for one another, but it is even more thrilling to see God at work, guiding and blessing according to His will.

The French ministry has had an increase in attendance this month, with several visitors and two church members who have joined our core group.  Last Sunday, there were 16 present!  Last month we mentioned visitors to our French ministry from a church in Quebec that were in Moncton on vacation. This month, one of those visitors (who is a pastor) contacted us about doing a missions trip to Moncton to help us with this ministry with their youth group and some young adults.  There are 16 of them planning to be with us from October 7-10, Several church families in our church here are joining us to open our homes to host the team. With their help, we would like to canvas much of the greater Moncton area with flyers and tracts. We have been working to get those materials prepared, including a two-sided flyer presenting our ministry for French speakers (Espérance Vivante) on one side and the ministries for English speakers (Emmanuel Baptist Church) on the other side, along with websites, maps and contact info.  This flyer along with the bi-lingual Gospel tract that M (EBBI student from Quebec) prepared, will be included in packets delivered to doors and mailboxes across Moncton.  

Another way that God has blessed was through His provision just last week of French Bibles for us to give away. We hadn’t been able to find them at an affordable price and had just received word that a lady from Cameroon had asked an usher for a French Bible the Sunday before.  That same day, a man that has been attending church for several weeks asked me if we had a need for French Bibles!  He manages a thrift store ministry in Moncton and had just received a box of them and wanted to offer us some.  I picked up 12 copies last week and on Sunday, a student from Niger was back and he requested a Bible. We are so grateful for God’s timely provision!

Praise for

• a renewed commitment to prayer among God’s people here and for God’s Spirit at work.  Praise for visitors in both the English service as well as the French service, and for the addition of two members to our core group for French ministry.  Praise for the two that were baptized September 11, and for another baptism scheduled for October 23. 
• the Lord’s help for Cherith and for the excellent attendance and  good interaction between ladies for their first monthly Bible study fellowship last night with 27 ladies present.  
• God’s protection for us and many others during and after “historic storm” Fiona came through last weekend.
• God’s help for the EBBI students as they ministered in music, testimony and preaching at Emmanuel on Sept. 18.
• a good kick-off to the new year for the Homeschool co-op with 15 children participating.

Special visit from Mike and Elva Farrell

Pray for

• God’s help and guidance for the French ministry.  Pray for the special evangelistic outreach with the Quebec missions team on October 8 and for their ministry in our services on October 9.  Pastor G. will be preaching and they will be singing a couple of numbers in our French service as well as one song with some English and French in the English service.
• our work to prepare EBBI student musical groups and for opportunities for them to minister this month in the pastors and pastors wives fellowship on October 14, at Grace Baptist Church for EBBI Sunday on October 16, and at the PEI Bible Conference on October 21,22.
• all of the areas in Atlantic Canada that were hit hard by Fiona that are dealing with the devastation left behind.
• Caleb as he prepares for a missions trip with two pastors and three EBBI students to help build a church building in The Gambia, West Africa November 22 to Dec. 1. Pray that God will bring the necessary details together, including finances (about $1000 still needed) and getting the Gambian visa.
• Paperwork for our Canadian residency.  Pray for us as we take a required high stake English language test on October 15. Pray for our formal education assessment to be completed and submitted.  

August update

The Bible Institute (EBBI) welcomed four new full-time students and three returning students for classes which began on Monday. They all jumped right into serving along with the staff, as one of the senior ladies at Emmanuel is moving to a new apartment this week. Everyone served with a smile helping to load and unload the truck yesterday.  There will be a softball tournament held September 5 (Labor Day) with several Maritime churches participating and a luncheon offered by EBBI.  The purpose is to strengthen church-school relations and encourage prayer and financial support for the school.  This semester we are responsible for preparing the students for music ministry through weekly choir chapels, and giving piano lessons.  I will have the two men that started lessons last year and Cherith will be giving piano lessons to 10 students outside of EBBI, all of them children of those in full-time ministry.  

Regular attendance was down for the French ministry in August, but the Lord sent us visitors from Quebec churches for three of the Sundays.  A special blessing was learning of a music ministry in Quebec that is working hard to write, translate and record music for French believers in the “language of their heart”. They have made their resources available online at cantiquenouveau.com.  We are thankful that three of our students at EBBI are French speaking and will be participating in our French ministry.  Two of them are returning and one is a new arrival from Quebec.  We are asking the Lord to burden several French speaking members of our church to join our core group for this ministry for one year.  Also this month, we published our new French ministry website (Espérance Vivante) and prepared outreach business cards for the church family’s use and prepared signs that can lead people to the website and to the ministry location. We continue to use the FB page of the ministry to publish attractive posts to communicate Gospel truth and seek to increase visits to the website.

Praise for

• the visitors to church over the summer, many who continue to attend. Praise for the completion of another new members class, with a baptism scheduled for September 11. Praise for several men that are participating in a weekly men’s prayer meeting that started in August.
• the salvation this week of one of the men that has been attending church for several months.
• God’s help with our French competency tests and for blessing with good results. 
• the safe travels for EBBI students coming for the new year, both new and returning. 
• a safe return for Adrianna back to Greenville and for God’s guidance and help as she begins her Sophomore year at BJU. Praise for a good beginning of the  homeschool year for Caleb (11th grade) and Josiah (8th Grade).

Pray for

• our work with preparing EBBI students for music ministry and for our ministry with the church choir that begins again in September.
• God to guide us with the French ministry and that He will lead church members to join our core group for a year.
• a new women’s ministry that Cherith will be starting (first meeting at our house on September 29) with regular monthly Bible studies. Pray that God will use this ministry to deepen relationships with Him and with each other.
• God to move other required documents ahead so we can move ahead with applying for Canadian residency.  Now we are waiting on the assessment of our formal education to see how it compares to education in Canada.  This could take 30 weeks but we know the Lord could move it quicker if He chooses to.
• God to bless our interaction and discipleship opportunities with the EBBI students, and for great growth in each one.  

 

July update

Summer camp ministries that began last month with Family Camp, continued this month with Teen, Junior and Middle school camp.  Along with several counsellors and other campers from our church, Caleb and Josiah both enjoyed participating.  God is working in their lives and they both benefitted greatly from this fun time away from home with plenty of biblical counsel and spiritually challenging preaching.

On Friday, July 15, Cherith led the first Women’s Bible study fellowship at Emmanuel.  It had been several years since the women have had this ministry and it was very well received.  They are looking forward to having regular studies together beginning in September.

July 20 marked one year since our arrival in Moncton. This opens the door for us to apply to Canada immigration services for a resident visa. Currently we are on a restricted, one-entry, visitor visa valid for two years.  One of the criteria to be evaluated is our competence in the French language.  Cherith and I are registered to take this test (TEF Canada) on August 3. We have been working hard through online classes to prepare for this test. Once we have the results from this testing, we can then begin the application process for resident visas.

Praise for

• Summer camp ministries, for several young people getting saved and for the spiritual impact on our boys.
• the wonderful visit we enjoyed from Cherith’s parents who traveled up from Michigan to spend a week with us here.  
• a great kickoff to the Women’s Bible study fellowship ministry.
• God’s blessing and protection for Adrianna on her summer missions internship with Bibles International, and for her safe return to the US this week.
• the opportunities God has given Caleb to serve as a volunteer both at summer camp and at a sister church in Fredericton to help with VBS this week.
• the near completion of the website for our French outreach.

Pray for

• God to continue to work in the hearts of our children, and that they would progress in their walk with the Lord.
• our preparation for and the taking of the French competency test August 3, and for our visa application process.
• Adrianna as she returns to BJU August 12 and for Caleb and Josiah as they begin their new school year August 15.
• our preparations for fall classes and music lessons.
• continued contact with our neighbors and for opportunities to witness to them.
• the completion and publication of our French website, for the preparation of printed outreach materials and for God to help us to connect with the French speaking population around us.