Jonathan and Cherith Teachout's Ministry blog: 2024

Friday, November 15, 2024

November update

Monday was Remembrance Day for Canadians and thousands gathered in memory of those who have paid for our peace and freedom, many with their lives. Remembrance poppy pins, worn on lapels, are placed near cenotaphs at the end of these gatherings, in honor of the fallen, the wounded and those still serving. We are reminded of the sacrifice made by our Savior which makes it possible for everyone from every corner of the globe to find true peace for today and for eternity. It is a great privilege for us to be included among the soldiers of the Cross, bringing that message to French (and English) speaking Canadians here in Moncton.

In September, our French ministry, Espérance Vivante, completed three years of Bible studies and one full year of French worship services. Cherith restarted the weekly French ladies’ Bible study after the summer break, and also began an English Bible study with three young ladies in the church needing to be discipled. We are grateful for those whom God has brought us to minister to, including a few new people since August. We had a nice turnout to go apple picking as a group activity in September. It was a fun opportunity for our rather international group (7 countries represented that day) to experience a very Canadian tradition.

Before the cold weather set in, we were able team up with the open air evangelist in our church on Saturday mornings at the Moncton Market where we could pass out tracts and have discussions with market goers before K would preach the Gospel standing on a milk crate. There were a good number who took the tracts, some good discussions and lots of Gospel seeds planted. We are preparing now for an exciting evangelistic outreach on November 23 when close to 100,000 people descend on Moncton and Dieppe for the Santa Claus parade with 80 floats. The tract we gave out last year was only in English, but since Moncton is officially bilingual (the only city in Canada classified as such), we determined that this year we would have a bilingual tract to hand out. With none available, I translated the tract we gave out last year (with authorization) and formatted a bilingual Christmas tract for our outreach, a tract that should be understandable to anyone receiving it. It also has contact and website information for our French ministry (Espérance Vivante) and for the English ministry (Emmanuel Baptist Church). Please pray that we will have a good team of volunteers to get out many of the 5,000 printed tracts and that God will greatly use this outreach.

Our plans are coming together for a three-month mini “furlough” next summer to visit our faithful ministry partners. It’s hard to believe that in July it will be 4 years since we moved to Canada. God has helped us to nearly complete our travel itinerary with meetings already scheduled in most of our supporting churches. Lord willing, we will be able to connect with many of our individual partners as well as we visit SC, NC, VA, WV, PA, OH, MI and NY. Financially, we have been struggling due to Canada’s expensive immigration process and very high taxes. Over the past couple years, we have spent over $10,000 US and much time in our quest for permanent residency (PR) in Canada. The good news is that it looks like we have finally been approved for PR and our cards should soon be in hand. Besides immigration expenses, high taxes have raised our support estimate bringing our support level down to 93%. While we have had to function with less support, the Lord has provided for our needs through faithful supporters and several one-time gifts. Please pray that God will provide for this increasing need.

Another matter that we would ask you to pray for concerns the need for laborers. While we have clearly seen God’s hand in bringing us to New Brunswick to minister to the French population here, we cannot understand why there aren’t more laborers targeting this portion of God’s harvest field. Personally, we have always felt strongly about ministering on a team, yet God has brought us to a place where we minister alone. The spiritual needs are tremendous among French Canadians, yet working alone, we are extremely limited in what we can do. Please pray the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers to NB, specifically to team up with us. Along with that, since we do not have teammates, we need replacements to cover our ministry here while we are gone next summer to report in our churches during the months of May through July. Please pray that God will provide so the ministries we have started will be able to continue without interruption.

Thank you for keeping our children in your prayers as well. Adrianna, in her senior year at Bob Jones University, is heavily involved in student life and leadership as the ISC (Inter-Society Council) women’s director as well as leading Missions Advance, the student organization that gathers to learn about missions and pray for missionaries. Caleb went directly from a two week Paris Olympic outreach in France to begin his freshman year at Ambassador Baptist College where he is enjoying his classes as well as taking voice lessons and being part of several musical groups. He is also enjoying many opportunities to serve in his local church including soul winning outreach, running sound board/livestream, song leading and teaching youth. Josiah is in 10th grade and helps in our Saturday market outreach, sings in the choir, and is happy to lend a hand where there is a need. Please pray for God’s guidance in the lives of our children, especially as they look toward the future.

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Update July 2024

We are grateful for your prayers for our ministry over these past couple months. God has supplied sufficient grace and strength and we are thankful for His hand at work. While attendance in our French ministries has been down somewhat recently with summer travel, it is exciting to see the people God is bringing faithfully who study His Word with interest. Cherith is having weekly Bible studies with a woman who is struggling, and continues to work with several others. Our Bible studies sometimes reveal faulty understanding of the Scriptures. One reaction we have heard a number of times is "That is so true. I see it now -- I never understood that before!" This summer we have scheduled a number of opportunities for relationship building and service opportunities.

Praise the Lord for the safe return of the couple from Ivory Coast and Ph’s return from northern NB. Praise the Lord for D and Ph’s graduations from French universities here, for Caleb’s graduation from HS and for Dr. B. receiving high recognition by the Université de Moncton for his outstanding teaching career at the university. We thank God for what He has done for these individuals and for their part in our ministry. Pray for Dr. B. as he participates in our French ministry and for ongoing opportunities to reach out to his unsaved family and former colleagues. Praise God for the opportunities for building relationships in our French group this summer through special activities, including a pizza and film night this Friday.

Our friend Mt from Québec drove in from Nova Scotia to lead the service and preach while we were away to SC and Québec last month. He announced his engagement to B (a 2022 EBBI graduate) from Nova Scotia. They are planning an October wedding, as they continue their monthly involvement in our French ministry. Praise the Lord for His direction in Mt and B's lives to serve Him together. Pray for them to know God's clear direction regarding their future ministry.

Praise the Lord for His help for the Maritime G.A.M.E.S. the end of May, when young people presented various ways they are developing their God-given gifts. Our boys participated and we helped adjudicate and give feedback. Praise God for His work in hearts through the good messages by the evangelist speaker, and for a number of decisions that were made. Pray for the Youth and Junior Camp ministries in NB and NS this summer, for decisions to be made and for Caleb and Josiah as they help. Pray for their own spiritual growth.

Praise the Lord for Adrianna’s completion of three online classes while under a heavy workload, and for a missions trip with her church’s youth group to Utah in June. Pray for Adrianna as she continues her summer internship along with one online class and as she serves with the youth group at church.

The end of June we traveled to Québec for a Broeckert family gathering. We were 13 in all, including Cherith’s parents and all but one of her siblings. We praise the Lord for that time with family, some who we hadn't seen since 2017.

That Sunday, we were able to join the Eglise Baptiste de Saint-Augustin for services and fellowship. This was the church that sent their pastor and 15 others on a missions trip to Moncton in October 2022 to help us with our French ministry. It was great to reconnect with them and meet others, including the parents of the 4 children we hosted in 2022. Their connection to the Teachout family goes back many years to their Bible school training when they studied under both my Uncle Richard T. and my cousin Raymond T. What a blessing to see them serving the Lord faithfully and teaching their children to know and love God.

We were thrilled to get to a French Christian bookstore in Quebec City where we stocked up on some French Bibles, books and tracts, unavailable here in NB.

After Québec, Cherith’s parents spent a few days with us here in NB, including Sunday when they were able to connect with people in both the English and French ministries. We visited the remains of the first European (French) settlement on Prince Edward Island with them and learned more about the tumultuous Acadian history in the Maritimes, leading to the strong Acadian identity with culture and the French language we see around us.

Praise the Lord for the opportunity God has given to Emmanuel Baptist Church to reach out to the Acadian and foreign francophone population through the completion of EBC's first bilingual church flyer. Pray for God to use the bilingual church flyer to draw French speakers to Himself.

Much has happened and big changes are in store for our family regarding Caleb’s future, but God’s goodness and faithfulness have been evident. We are encouraged that He is never surprised and we have seen His guiding hand at work. Your prayers for us during these times are much appreciated.

The Lord opened the way for the four of us to travel to Greenville, SC by car the beginning of June for Caleb’s high school graduation from the Bob Jones Academy of Home Education. We are so grateful for God’s work in Caleb’s life and for His leading to prepare for full-time ministry. It was so good to see Adrianna again and have our whole family together for three brief days. On our trip back to New Brunswick, we saw friends and family and had a good visit with Pastor and Mrs. Rosenau, from our sending church. It was as our re-entry papers were being processed at the border that we received unexpected news. As we were handed our paperwork allowing us to live and work in Canada, we were told that while Caleb was now qualified to work in CA, unless he obtained a study permit, he would not be allowed to attend any post-secondary school including EBBI (the Bible institute here.)

We were shocked but the Lord helped us as we began to process all the implications and we soon began to see His hand leading and preparing all of us for this change. Though our hearts hurt to lose Caleb (at least for now) in our home and ministry (as he was serving in the local church and had begun to get involved in leading worship in the French services) and at EBBI, we are grateful for God’s clear leading for him to attend Ambassador Baptist College in NC this fall, not far from where Adrianna is at BJU. Currently away for three weeks of summer camp (camper, then two weeks as assistant counselor), he’ll have only 4 days to pack up and say goodbye here before leaving for two weeks of Paris Olympic outreachJuly 31. Lord willing, we will drive down with his things to meet him in Charlotte, NC upon his return from Paris, and see him settled at Ambassador.

Praise the Lord for the great turnout for Caleb’s graduation open house, including unsaved neighbors from across the street and a special visit from a couple that drove up from our home church in Springville, PA. Pray for the salvation of our neighbors, M and C, and for good opportunities for us to witness to them. Praise the Lord for His clear leading in Caleb’s life and for the many opportunities God has given him to serve and use his gifts for the Lord this summer. Pray for God’s protection and continued clear leading for Caleb as he serves Him this summer and as he prepares to leave home this fall. Pray for God’s provision for his college expenses.

Praise the Lord for His blessing of the continuing ministry in Bambari, Central African Republic where one couple graduated from the four year Bible School program and thirteen couples are enrolled to continue. Praise God for the completion of the school year for the new Christian school in Bambari.

Pray for Pastor D and his wife L as they prepare to move from Kouango to Bangui to begin studying at FIBAT, BMM's seminary there.

Praise the Lord! We just received an email that we were drawn today (July 18) and are invited to proceed with our application for Permanent Residency for Canada. Pray for us as we work on gathering documents required for the application, including police certificates from the countries we have lived and medical exams for each of us. If we get all the documents together before our French language tests expire August 3, we will not have to retake the tests.

Finally, we would appreciate prayer as we begin to plan and prepare for Home Ministry next summer as we will be completing four years in New Brunswick. Pray that God will guide as we set up our itinerary to connect with as many of our partners as possible in the time available. Pray that He will provide us with someone to replace us here during our absence here so that we are free to leave.

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Update May 2, 2024

Greetings from New Brunswick, Canada where we rejoice in all God is doing even while we seek His help. As we learn more about the Acadian history of New Brunswick and the Acadian presence that remains here to this day, still speaking French after over 300 years, we wonder how it can be possible that this group would remain virtually unreached today. The need just keeps growing for Gospel ministry among the large French speaking population of New Brunswick and the francophone immigrants, yet where are the laborers? Jesus’ words in Matt. 9:38-39 remind us to pray and how to pray. “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

We asked for prayer for the missions team of 7 from Waterford, CT that came at the beginning of April. The Lord used the four high school seniors and three adults to prepare our new postcard bilingual outreach flyers. They placed a piece of hard candy on each flyer and went from door to door in mainly francophone Dieppe, distributing hundreds of them to mailboxes.

They jumped right in alongside the youth group here for the church work day and ministered to the English church and French ministry through testimonies, special music and preaching. They got to visit some of the local sites including the giant lobster in Shédiac, observe the tidal bore in Moncton and see the Bay of Fundy at high tide and ebbing tide. They listened as our Acadian friend from church gave them an overview of the tumultuous history and spiritual needs among the French speakers here before visiting the Acadian Museum on the French university campus here in town.

God is helping our small group of believers through blessings and challenges. M and O from Madagascar welcomed their new baby boy, JM has been coming to Bible study even while his parents have been gone to Ivory Coast dealing with immigration issues, P and MC were granted the visa they need and will be returning to NB after 2 plus months, and Ph from Niger has travelled to the north of the province for a required internship. We are encouraged to see J coming more regularly to the group Bible study Sunday morning, and now attending the 3:00 service as well as the Ladies’ Bible study with Cherith every other Tuesday evening. We are finishing a series on John’s Epistles (1, 2 and 3) in our afternoon services and will be going through the attributes of God over the next few months. Mt, who covered for us while we were away last summer, has moved from Quebec to Nova Scotia temporarily and wants to be involved in French ministry here. He’ll be able to help with preaching and possibly leading worship too. I’m thrilled to have had our son Caleb take my EBBI class on Music Ministry in the Church and am looking forward to gradually working him into the program this summer.

Praise for

the privilege of serving God in a barren spiritual desert. Praise for the work God is doing in lives through this ministry.
for the Canadian government finally renewing our medical cards making it much less difficult and expensive to see a doctor! Praise for Jonathan’s education being approved and our file being now submitted to the government waiting to be drawn.
the help and encouragement hat God sent to us through a church school in CT that chose to bring their high school seniors to Moncton to see and help in missions here. Praise too for God bringing Mt back from Quebec and for his willingness to help in this ministry.
God’s help for Jonathan with adding the EBBI class on Music Ministry in the Church to his responsibilities in March and April. Praise for evidence that students are applying things learned as they lead others to worship our great God.
an excellent anglophone Spring Bible Conference hosted at EBC in April for Maritime Churches and for the youth retreat last weekend in Nova Scotia with 85 Maritime youth in attendance.
God helping our daughter Adrianna complete a heavy junior year at Bob Jones University this week and for all the opportunities He is giving her to serve Him and to grow.

Pray for

health and strength for us as we fight head colds and the viruses going around. Pray for our people as they face various issues including medical, immigration and lack of commitment for some.
Brother K who leads the summer evangelistic outreach at the Moncton Market as he is struggling with heart issues. Pray for the completion of the new bi-lingual EBC flyer and for God to use it along with our postcard flyers and social media. Pray for others in the church to join this outreach.

the EBBI students as they are now finished with another school year. Pray that God will use them in summer ministries and that they will apply the things they have learned. Pray that God will bring new students for the next school year.
Our support level (93%) to increase.
Adrianna as she begins a very full summer on Monday with two jobs and three summer classes.
Caleb as he prepares for a two-week missions trip to Paris to help in evangelistic outreach during the summer Olympics. Pray that God will raise up the needed funds for this trip by the May 20 deadline and that He would prepare Caleb for this outreach.

Our immigration status to move forward. Pray that the government will draw our names soon (they do monthly drawings) before our language test results expire and we have to redo them (very costly and time consuming)

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Update February 29, 2024

This morning, most of our order of 4,000 bilingual outreach flyers was delivered. They will be used, Lord willing, for canvassing the Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe Tri-city area. Since Moncton is officially bilingual and nearly every piece of printed media we receive in our mailbox is bilingual, our desire is to let everyone who receives one of our flyers know that they are invited to our services at Espérance Vivante (French speakers) and Emmanuel Baptist Church. We are looking forward to the visit of the missions team from Waterford, CT April 2-8 and the help and encouragement they will be to our ministry here. We praise the Lord that EBC is also redoing their brochure in a bilingual format for the first time, seeking to reach out to the French speaking residents and students. It is an honor to be able to help with preparing the French text. The church is also working on plans for a desperately needed new sign (which would include Espérance Vivante) to clearly identify the church on the high traffic crossroad where it is located.

Please pray for God’s continued provision of grace and guidance in the work here. We consider it a privilege to serve Him and we pray that others would know His calling and give their lives for Him to use as He chooses. May the Lord of the harvest send forth laborers into His fields all around the world, and may that include sending some to the long-neglected French speaking population of New Brunswick.