January 2022

New Brunswick is getting a new blast of snow this weekend, adding to the several feet already piled up along the roads and sidewalks.  From my office window I can see the growing mountains of snow lining the church parking lot where the plows have piled it.  There is a winter storm warning out for tomorrow throughout the day and ending Sunday morning which might disrupt our plans for services.  They are very prepared for the snow here, however, and it doesn’t take long for the plows and salt trucks to come through (at least on the main city roads) and for the giant snowblower tractors to be out blowing the driveways of those with contracts (even at 3 a.m.).  We are grateful for God’s protection and His provision of a warm house and a vehicle with winter tires that runs well and handles well in the snow.

The Lord kept Adrianna healthy through her time with us for Christmas, but all too soon it was time for her to head back to BJU. With negative C-id test results in hand, she was able to return to South Carolina on schedule on Jan. 8.  She has a full class schedule this semester with some particularly challenging classes and extra choir practices for the Spring concerts.

Here, the year began with a number of ministry adjustments at both church and the Bible Institute.  There were a couple of C-id cases in our church here, so the schedule was pared down to only Sunday morning and evening services and prayer meeting Wednesday evening.  Then on January 14 our province was moved to level 3 winter plan for at least two weeks, to try to stem the advance of the O variant.  The new restrictions greatly limited physical contact outside the “home bubble”.  The services have all continued with livestream, but the Bible Institute delayed in-person classes and began with online classes and the homeschool Co-op was delayed completely.  As we have been on the program for helping with song leading and accompanying services, we have continued to get to the services, though our boys have stayed home.  

My Missiology 2 classes began on January 20 and will run every Thursday morning through March 10.  The lockdown which drove our classes online has been extended for two more weeks in other Maritime provinces, but thankfully, NB announced yesterday that it will end the lockdown tonight and return the province to level 2.  That means we will be able to go back to in-person services, classes and co-op, and we should be able to resume other activities.  For EBBI that also means we’ll have chapel again, as well as group music practice and piano lessons. 

One of the effects of the pandemic has been that the French outreach has been on hold this month, with plans to start up again in February, Lord willing.  We have been praying that God will help us to connect with people and that He will grow this ministry despite the pandemic and fears.  This week, I spoke on the phone with a woman from Ivory Coast who moved to Moncton with two sons a month ago.  She was eager to find an evangelical church with a French work and connect with believers.  We are looking forward to meeting Mar—Chan— and her sons and seeing how God can use us in their lives, as well as how God might use this connection to bring us in contact with others.  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from snowy Moncton! 

Our hearts have been humbled again by the amazing Gift of God of a Savior who “though he was rich, yet for [our] sakes He became poor, that [we] through his poverty might be rich.”  (2 Cor. 8:9) We are thankful for the many opportunities throughout this season to share this Good News and for the many unsaved visitors that have attended special Christmas events at church, despite the uncertainties facing our world.  On December 3, we held our first Winter recital with our music students which was attended by some unsaved family members and friends, including an elementary school teacher.  Both Caleb and Josiah took part in the Christmas pageant that the youth group presented on December 12, which they had prepared during the homeschool co-op.

We are so blessed to have Adrianna with us for her Christmas vacation from BJU — though our time with her is flying by way too quickly.  She flies back to Greenville on January 8.  We are thankful for the way God has blessed her very full first semester and for the way she is following the Lord.  One of the blessings has been singing in the University Singers Choir with nearly 100 other students and taking part in several concerts.  We were thrilled that she was here to join our family as we sang in the Christmas Eve Candlelight service. 

As we look to an uncertain future in a world shaken with fear and unrest, we rejoice to know the Sovereign God who is working out His plan while extending His love and grace to all. May He help us all to serve and glorify Him in the New Year as He tarries! Thank you for your prayers for our family and for our ministry for Him.

November 11, 2021

We are so grateful for today and what it represents.It has been great to learn more about the Canadian celebration of Remembrance Day.A tradition that was new to us is the wearing of red poppy blossom pins from the end of October until November 11 (actually at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month), in honor of and in memory of all those who served their country and in many cases died while serving.

 

A 2-week circuit breaker limiting contact with other people as well as travel in and out of our zone began on October 8 and continues to be prolonged one week at a time.  We were very sorry that Cherith’s parents had to cancel their trip to visit us the end of October.  Thankfully, ministries have been adapted and continue.

We are thankful for the opportunities and blessings God has given with our teaching ministries.  Missiology 1 finished the end of October while my class on music ministry and philosophy continues through the end of the semester.  I very much enjoyed the opportunity to challenge the students regarding their involvement in missions and their personal responsibility to serve the Lord. I am also grateful for students that are eager to learn about and engage in biblical worship. Our music students are working hard and showing good progress.  A young man from M’s church in Quebec recently visited the school for a couple days.  Pray for C who is very interested in returning as a full-time student next year.

 

The French outreach has continued, though the circuit breaker has hindered some from coming.  We are thankful for two French speakers that are in a new members’ class, one who is transferring membership and one that will be baptized the end of this month.  

We have been working with special groups to prepare special music for Sunday services. This has given many opportunities for discipleship.  The young men’s quartet included those that had never sung in a quartet before. We recorded each of the voice parts to help them practice separately. They worked hard and did very well singing “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”, and they are willing to start working on another song. Currently, there is a new Ladies’ Trio and a young Ladies’ trio (ages 11 to 16) that are preparing songs for the near future. Caleb helped Cherith to record parts from the keyboard directly to the computer for each of their songs to facilitate practicing at home.

The Lord provided in a special way for Cherith to get her prescription meds renewed for her respiratory issues — in the nick of time! In fact she had the renewal the very day some of her meds ran out.  We had been unable to get an appointment with a doctor, and even waited 5 hours in vain at the ER to see a doctor.  We started to wonder how the lack of meds would affect her breathing when they all ran out.  But through Pastor Eastwood, the Lord connected us to a Christian pharmacist in town that directed us to a website where we were able to secure a virtual appointment with a nurse practitioner who was able to renew the prescriptions.  Cherith will still need to see a doctor “in person” some day, but at least for now, she has necessary medications.

Adrianna and her roommate --
mk friend from Slovakia

Adrianna is working hard at BJU with a full class and work schedule.  She has gotten involved in her local church where she is helping with children’s ministries.  The University Singers, the choir that she sings with, had their first full concert this week and also sang in Chapel.  With extra practices on top of the already full schedule, she was pretty worn out.  We are thankful she will get to travel to MI for Thanksgiving and be with our family there.  While we will miss seeing her then, we look forward to her joining us here for her Christmas break.

The Lord has answered prayer for my cousin Michael in that he was able to come home on Monday!  He needs supplemental oxygen and is having outpatient PT and OT to increase strength and endurance, so he needs continued prayer.  But we praise the Lord for all He has done already. 

Tim Friesen, the former pastor from Emmanuel Baptist, continues to need much prayer as he is suffering with blood clots that resulted from his battle with Covid.  At this time, they are not responding to treatment which puts him in a dangerous situation.  Please pray that the Lord will intervene and heal Pastor Friesen according to His will and that God would be glorified. Pray for his family as they continue to go through difficult days with him.

October 18, 2021

Last Tuesday, many of our family members gathered in Kokomo, IN for the funeral and burial of our young cousin, Kaleb Teachout. We are grateful for the technology that made it possible for us and many others to join our loved ones over the livestream. Please continue to pray for Randy and Kari and their family as they continue to heal and seek God’s guidance and timing regarding their return to their ministry in South Africa.  

I have been preaching for EBBI chapel every other Wednesday during September and October.  I have enjoyed those opportunities along with my classes on missions and worship.  Cherith and I have been working with the students to prepare musical presentations (both vocal and instrumental) for them to present in the churches that they visit to represent the Bible Institute.  On Sunday evening, we went with them to another sister church here in Moncton.  The pastor, had asked me to share my testimony of how God led me to serve Him in missions and how He brought us here to partner with Emmanuel Baptist Church and Bible Institute.  It was particularly compelling to see the fruit of EBBI visible in that one congregation.  The assistant pastor and his wife are graduates, along with a few others and there were many who have taken or audited classes there. 

On Saturday morning Cherith needed to practice the special music for Sunday with the young couple that was singing, so we went over to the church as a family.  The boys helped me watch the kids during the practice.  Then Cherith and I went over the piano and organ music for the morning service, including the offertory.  Later Saturday, when we were about to head back to church to set up the chairs and instrument for the French service the next morning, the boys grinned sheepishly and let me know they had already done it.  They normally help us with the set up but this was the second time they had done it without us and without being asked.  We are sometimes discouraged by attitudes we see but what a blessing it is when things like that happen.  Last Tuesday was Josiah’s 12th Birthday. Please keep our boys in your prayers that God will continue to grow them to know and love Him more and more.  We had our French service Sunday morning and despite our numbers being down as Covid regulations continue to wreak havoc, we had a wonderful time of corporate worship and Bible study in French.  

We continue to pray for my cousin Michael.  He has begun to show some improvement and there is hope that he would be able to come off the ventilator very soon.  He is weak and still has a very long road ahead, but he has made progress and we are grateful for God’s hand on him. 

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.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

On Sunday morning our French meeting was interrupted with everyone going up to the auditorium for Pastor Eastwood to be able to share with the whole church what the church was facing in the way of new C-d restrictions, some of which had just come out Saturday afternoon.  We pray the Lord will continue to give His protection and guidance and the church will be a bright beacon of light to those in darkness.  

That evening, our family accompanied the students of EBBI and the family of the EBBI administrator as they ministered across town in an EBBI day at Jones Lake Baptist Church.  We appreciated the opportunity to minister with them and get to meet those in another church here in Moncton.  It was encouraging to meet a young man in his senior year of high school who is already planning to attend EBBI next year.   

Some other special opportunities the Lord gave us this past week included joining our friends at Plainfield Baptist Church at the men’s missions breakfast over zoom Saturday morning, helping out here at Emmanuel Baptist for a church workday and delivering a fresh apple pie from Cherith’s kitchen to the youth pastor’s family who just welcomed their third child. One of the week’s blessings was having a dental filling repaired that had broken the week before our move to Canada in July.  

We appreciate your prayers for our kids, Adrianna far away at BJU and our boys here with us.  Hockey is big (huge!) up here and the church started a new season of Monday evening ball hockey last week, which Caleb attended.  It is an outreach with a devotional halfway through the evening, and some come from outside the church. Caleb and Josiah enjoyed their first field trip with the homeschool co-op on Thursday as they went to an apple orchard outside of town and picked 20 lbs of delicious apples.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1).  As many of our family members are going through difficult days, we are grateful for God’s presence and help for each one.  He is answering prayer for my cousin Randy’s family as they prepare to leave SA for the US this week for the funeral and burial of their son Kaleb, scheduled for October 12 in Kokomo, IN.  Another cousin, Michael, was hospitalized on Saturday with C-vd and blood clots.  He is receiving good care but is on a ventilator and in critical condition. We have several family members that are battling cancer.  Pastor and Mrs. Friesen remain in critical condition in the hospital in Saskatchewan.  We covet your prayers for God’s help and care for these precious loved ones.

Praise and Prayer September 30, 2021

We are grateful for your prayers and for the Lord’s answers to prayer this past month.  Various new ministries have started up and we are being stretched but the Lord is helping us. 

The French Bible study was launched on September 12 during the Sunday school hour.  We are starting 15 minutes earlier than the other classes in order to give a full hour for our meeting.  M, is from Québec and is in his third year at the Bible Institute.  He is taking turns with me for leading the song services and is leading the Bible study about once a month. For some of those attending whose mother tongue is French, this has been the first time they have ever sung hymns or studied the Bible in French. We now have flyers to give out as invitations so we trust the Lord will use those to draw others in.

God is giving us many opportunities to use music in ministry, both in the church as well as in the Bible Institute. Pastor asked us to take over the leadership and accompaniment for the choir as they started back up after being out since Covid began.  Well, we prepared the fall schedule and had our first practice with 17 eager singers on September 19.  Then the government reinstated masks and choir was again suspended. 

Besides the piano and voice students that we have from the Bible Institute, Cherith also has 5 other piano students.  Last week, I was approached by one of the pastoral students who was interested in learning music so he could use it in ministry.  He had observed how Pastor Eastwood has used music in his ministry and realized it could be a real asset to his own future ministry.  I am delighted with his desire to learn and prepare for future service and started music/piano lessons with him last Friday.

The Bible Institute began September 6 with orientation classes, and regular classes beginning the following week.  I have two classes currently, Missiology 1 and Ministry of Worship besides preaching in chapel every other week.

Cherith is teaching both Music and French in the Home school co-op  which started up September 14 and meets Tuesday mornings.  It is a first for us as well as everyone else and we have seen God’s blessings through it already.

The Lord is sustaining us though our hearts are heavy.  One of the former pastors of our church here (Emmanuel Baptist) and his wife are in serious medical condition, both hospitalized in Saskatchewan (Tim and Verna Friesen).  A dear family friend and retired missionary (Clarissa Barton) is not doing well and getting weaker back in Michigan. And this week we received news of the tragic death of my cousin Randy Teachout’s 15-year old son Kaleb. With hurting hearts we cry out to God for His mercy for these loved ones and for His comfort and consolation for Randy’s (our) family at this time of great loss.