Update January 26, 2024

God blessed us with a wonderful holiday season and provided strength for extra ministries even as we dealt with some of the sickness going around and as I fought a sinus infection for nearly two months.  Our Canadian health cards were not renewed when we came back to Canada last August — we were told simply that our visitor records did not qualify us for the health cards.  This makes it difficult and costly for us to see a doctor or get medical help, though, thankfully, we are reimbursed by insurance in the US.  It was wonderful to have Adrianna home for two weeks and have her participation in our ministries.  We praise the Lord for His protection for her as she made the roundtrip from Greenville, SC by car and for His help and provision for her with a daunting school and work schedule.  It was hard for us to see her leave again, but God gives grace for the separation.

We are thankful for some progress with our paperwork for our residency status.  It is a complicated and very costly process without any guarantees but with the aid of a helpful immigration consultant we do see a path forward and are seeing things move now. 

It has been encouraging to see some growth in the French ministry, including a few visitors. On December 31 we hit 20 in attendance in our afternoon service for the first time since we began it in September.  We can see a strengthening of relationships within the group as we take time to fellowship.  God is giving spiritual growth too through the study of His Word both through our services and in the ladies’ Bible study.  We are sorry to see the retired couple from Madagascar return home this weekend but God has used them to encourage us and our group through their faithfulness and zeal.  We pray that God will bless them as they return and also continue to minister to hearts here and build this ministry. 

Praise for

• 
  the number of people that have been faithfully attending our French ministries: Sunday Bible study, afternoon service and the bimonthly ladies Bible study. Praise for the time that R and Y from Madagascar were with us and for their participation in Espérance Vivante. Praise for some growth in number and for a couple of visitors.
• Caleb and the full-time students at EBBI and for this time of being equipped to serve the Lord.  Praise for the Lord’s help for Adrianna in her studies and work, along with service responsibilities at BJU.
• some progress with our paperwork for Canadian residency, for helping us to find a path forward that seems hopeful.
• improved health for Jonathan after several weeks of struggling with sinus infection, and for Cherith and the boys from some harsh colds.
• a church school in CT that is preparing to send a high school group on a missions trip to help us here in Moncton.

Pray for

• God to continue to work in hearts to give spiritual growth to believers and to continue to draw souls to Him.  Pray that we will see more involvement in ministering to others.
• our boys as they homeschool, and that God will continue to work in their lives to mold them into His image.  Pray for Adrianna and the EBBI students that the Lord will help them to grow and prepare to serve Him.
• God to continue to move our paperwork forward and that we won’t run into big delays. Pray that we will soon be able to get health cards in Canada, without which medical care is even more difficult and costly than it is for those with them.
• God’s provision of wisdom to move the French ministry forward and for health and strength to keep up with each responsibility.
• God to send laborers to help us to reach the French speaking people of New Brunswick.