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. 

June Update

We are thankful for the health and strength God has provided us with as it seems we have been pulled in many directions this month.  God protected Adrianna on her trip to MI (June 11) where she began her summer missions internship with Bibles International, and then on to Chad, Africa (June 18) where she is helping with translating literacy workshops and helping the local B.I. team with instruction on the use of spreadsheets, etc. for financial reports. We are thankful for God’s care for the team, led by Cherith’s sister Hadessah, for the way He is using each one in their service for Him, and for all of the learning experiences they are having.

We are making progress in the French ministry despite losing F last month, and the absence of M and B, our two Bible Institute students.  M and B are both involved in pastoral internships this summer in other churches (Quebec and NB).  Dr. B, a retired French professor who is deeply burdened for the French community, is getting more involved.  He led the Bible study for us one Sunday for the first time and did an excellent job.  The A family from Ivory Coast invited our family for dinner before Adrianna left and we planned a picnic fellowship for the group in our backyard (which quickly moved indoors when a flash rainstorm blew in! See picture below!).  

D, the young lady Cherith is discipling, continues to show much progress in spiritual growth and integrating into the church.  We are moving forward for more of an online presence for our group, as we try to reach out to the French community around us.  

We chose a name for our group with input from the others, created a Logo and prepared a public Facebook page which was launched last week.  Please feel free to search for our group on Facebook (Espérance Vivante Moncton) and Follow and share posts, if you have French speaking contacts! I am working on a website and other material as time permits.  This is not my area of gifting, so I am thankful for how-to instructional videos which have been a big help. 

We pray God will use these tools to help us reach French speaking people in the area.

On June 3 we ministered in music at the funeral of one of the charter members of Emmanuel Baptist Church (she was 99).  Then on the 12th I preached the morning service while Pastor Eastwood was away with his family on vacation.  We had a surprise opportunity to connect with the seniors when they invited us to their fellowship on the 17th, and asked me to bring the devotional.  At the potluck that evening Cherith was able to connect with the ladies about starting up a ladies’ fellowship/Bible study.  They haven’t had a special ministry focused on the ladies in many years and were thrilled with the possibility of something starting up. This is one of the ministries that Pastor Eastwood had mentioned to Cherith one of the first times he talked to us. She is planning the first evening of fun and fellowship for July 15.  

Summer camp ministries are starting up this week. We are attending Family Camp for the first time ever — and wishing Adrianna could be with us! Caleb and Josiah are both panning to attend camp for their age group in July.  We are thankful for these opportunities, and pray God will use the messages and fellowship in each of our lives.  Caleb has also volunteered to help out at a camp in Nova Scotia for their week of Junior camp.  

Thank you for prayers for us and for the work God has given us here in New Brunswick.

 

May update

May has been a bit of a whirlwind but we have sensed God’s blessing and help.  Spring came! 

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

We welcomed Adrianna home from college for a few short weeks before she leaves June 11 on her summer missions internship with Bibles International in Chad.  Cherith was delighted to have Adrianna go with her as she spoke at a Mother Daughter brunch at a sister church on May 7.  The boys finished school (7th and 10th grades) and we had a number of guests for meals.  Cherith continued her Bible studies with D and the French work continued, though we said goodbye to M, our student from Quebec, for the summer, and even more difficult, we said goodbye to F, one of the faithful members for our group, as she moved to Nova Scotia. We did welcome MC’s husband P from the Ivory Coast, as he is here to visit his family through the end of June.  B, an EBBI student from Moncton, lead the singing for one of our French services for the first time.  He too will be leaving for several weeks for a summer internship at a church in Fredericton.

God blessed the Evangelistic Meetings with Mark Herbster last week  with good attendance and messages that had challenges for all of us.  There were a number of decisions made for which we praise the Lord.  We hosted one of the cottage prayer meetings the week before in preparation for the special meetings.

After the special meetings ended here on Wednesday, our family traveled to Nova Scotia to help with the Maritime GAMES (Games – Arts – Ministry – Excellence – Service), on Friday.  We took advantage of our first visit to Nova Scotia to see Peggy’s Cove (see photo) and a bit of Halifax on Thursday which was also our 21st anniversary.  Friday morning, we made our way to Forest Glen Bible Camp where Adrianna, Cherith and myself help with adjudicating solo, duet and group entries in piano, instrumental and vocal.  Our boys enjoyed interacting with the more than 40 teens that were gathered for the Maritime Games and even got to participate in some of the sports competition.  Mark Herbster was the special speaker for the event, which included four meetings, and did a great job challenging the teens to live lives of godliness and service to the Lord.

This week Dr. Larry Oats is here from Maranatha Baptist Seminary in Watertown, WI, to teach a Master’s level class on Systematic Theology, hosted by Emmanuel Baptist Church for pastors and others wishing to further their education or just sharpen their biblical knowledge for ministry.  That is my desire as I audit the class this week and it has already been very helpful as we study the doctrines of anthropology (man), harmartiology (sin) and soteriology (salvation).  Cherith is providing the coffee breaks and helping with meals.  Today, she prepared the noon meal with help from our kids.  

Our days with Adrianna here are dwindling quickly as she prepares for her summer ministry trip to Chad.  Tomorrow she’ll be getting the 3 vaccines (or boosters) that she needs for a visit to Chad.  

Thank you for your prayers!

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.