Update May 30, 2023

We praise the Lord for blessing the music recital Friday evening, May 29. The Lord helped the participants to do well and we were encouraged to have several of the church family join us for the evening.

One of the senior couples in our church were moving on Saturday morning, May 20, at the same time as the first Saturday street evangelism at the Moncton market this summer. Our family split up with Cherith and Caleb helping with the move while Josiah and I joined the team at the market.  Seeing uniformed military on street corners, we soon learned that Princess Anne was in town to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Canada’s oldest military regiment, which is based in New Brunswick.  The planned open air evangelism changed to an opportunity for handing out tracts.  We followed the crowd to City Hall where we were able to pass out a few hundred tracts to those attending the ceremony. It would be wonderful if some of those who came to see the sister of an earthly king accepted the Words of Life and became sons and daughters of the King of Kings! 

The EBBI team (with Caleb) traveled to Sourris, Prince Edward Island Saturday evening and presented the school in the church there in the morning service.  In the afternoon, they traveled to a church in Summerside, PEI where they were also joined by members of a church in Charlottetown. So God made it possible for them to actually share with three local churches that Sunday.

M arrived from Quebec last Wednesday, here for the summer to take the responsibility of our French ministry in our absence.  He is staying with us and will continue to live in our home while we are gone to the US.  We are furiously preparing to leave Thursday, June 1 for a full summer of visits, seminars, meetings and conferences. 

Cherith had her final Bible study with D last Tuesday, and the final Ladies’ Bible study was Thursday evening.  

Caleb and Josiah left for the Maritime Games at Forest Glen Bible Camp Thursday afternoon.  We followed them early Friday morning, arriving in time for the adjudicator meeting and orientation just before the first session of musical entries.  We took part adjudicating vocal and instrumental presentations by teens from several Maritime churches, with the goal of providing constructive and encouraging feedback to these young people to use their gifts and talents for Christ.  Our boys both had entries, Caleb (preaching and vocal solo) and Josiah (trumpet and Christian service). 

Caleb led the Bible quiz team from EBC (with two junior high girls and Josiah) as they prepared and they did a great job, especially for their first time quizzing against other experienced teams. Our group came in 3rd place out of 5 teams.  

It seemed strange yesterday as we had our French service and took part in the other services, to think it was our last Sunday at EBC until our return to Moncton in August.  We will miss our church family and ministries here where the Lord has enabled us to serve every Sunday since our arrival in July 2021. We look forward to seeing our family in GR and being with the church family in our home church in Grand Rapids, MI next Sunday.  Then begins a full summer of visits, meetings, conferences and seminars.  We appreciate prayer that God will give protection over the miles and that we will be used by Him to accomplish His purposes.  We are planning to attend BMM’s School of Church Planting June 5-7 in Grimes, IA in order to be better equipped for this ministry. One big prayer request is that God will call more laborers and send them into His harvest field in French Canada.  The francophone people of New Brunswick are in desperate need of hearing the Gospel with very little opportunity.  We need help and pray that God will lead others to join us in this work. 

Praise for

• 
  God bringing M safely back from Quebec to begin a summer internship here at Emmanuel which includes the French ministry. 
• a special opportunity for sharing tracts with the crowd gathered to see Princess Anne. 
• God’s blessing and protection of the EBBI ministry team (which included Caleb) as they ministered in three Maritime provinces this month.  Praise for good contacts in the churches.
• God’s blessing of the Spring Music Recital, for the opportunity to glorify God through music, for His help for each of the participants, and for their growth musically this past year.
• a the spiritual growth in D’s life through her Bible studies with Cherith this year, and for a good finish to the Ladies’ Bible study. Praise for the positive feedback Cherith has had from a number of the ladies.
• all of the preparation the youth put into preparing entries for the Maritime Games, for the opportunity we had to interact and encourage participants toward excellence in the use of their God-given talents for His glory.

Pray for

• M as he takes responsibility for the French ministry, and that God will help him with each of his responsibilities serving and helping the ministries of EBC. Pray too for B as he begins an internship in Saint John with a local church and summer camp ministries.  
• the hearts of those who have heard or received Gospel literature to be tender and responsive to the Holy Spirit. 
• God to direct in lives to bring new students to EBBI to study His Word and to prepare for ministry. Pray that God will send laborers to French Canada (NB and Quebec), and specifically that He will add to our team in this ministry.
• God to move our paperwork along for Canadian residency without long delays and without much greater cost.
• God’s protection as we travel this summer, that He will bless as we connect with so many people and that He will sharpen us and refresh us for the work He has for us here.

May 15

April seemed like a whirlwind around here.  We are thankful for God’s protection and for His provision of health and strength.  He is at work and we are grateful for the privilege of serving Him here in NB in this multi-cultural and multi-lingual setting. One thing that He is making very clear to us is the need for more workers, particularly in reaching the spiritual desert among French speaking people in NB.

French Easter Sunrise Service

God filled the church for the Good Friday service (English). We were joined by visitors plus people from two sister churches for a precious time of reflection on Christ’s suffering and the salvation He has provided for us. We had a French Easter Sunrise service for our French speakers while the others had a Sunrise service in English, followed by an Easter Brunch for all at 9 a.m. and an Easter service at 11 in which the choir sang two anthems.

The EBBI school year ended on April 28 with graduation.  My English Composition students were probably as happy as I was to finish the year with God’s help. My prayer is that they were able to improve their communication skills for their future ministries for God’s glory.  The student choir prepared for the musical ministry they had coming up, which includes graduation, Bible Conference, and summer ministry team.  Our son Caleb took a few dual-credit classes during the school year and participated in student choir, so he is part of the summer ministry team that is representing EBBI in churches in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island this month (May).  

M from Quebec defended his doctrinal statement before an examining council and did an excellent job articulating his faith and convictions despite English being his second language.  With his humility and teachability combined with his love for the Lord and a hard work ethic, we are eager to see what God will do with this life. 

He graduated from the four-year program so is seeking God’s direction for future ministry. This summer, he will be filling in for us here in our French ministry while also doing an internship with the English ministries and using his carpentry/building skills to help the church. 

April ended with the annual Spring Bible Conference and the 65th Anniversary celebration of Emmanuel Baptist Church. 

Having Pastor and Mrs. Roger Rosenau here from our sending church (Springville Baptist Church) was especially refreshing for us personally, as was having Pastor and Mrs. Friesen here from Regina, SK.

Praise for

• the finish of the EBBI school year (and my English class!), and for M’s graduation and testimony, and for celebrating 20 years since the beginning of the school. Praise for God’s helping the students on the summer ministry team to prepare for meetings this month in the Maritimes.

• a time of challenge and refreshment for Spring Bible Conference and for the 65th Anniversary of EBC. Praise for a visit from the Rosenaus!
• good contacts and opportunities to share the Gospel with both French and English speakers through door to door outreach. 
• Visitors that have come to our French service. S, a French Acadian, is looking to connect with to a French local church. D from Congo came to our English service for the first time yesterday — he needed the service translated into French and expressed interest in the French service. 

• a lovely Ladies/Mother-Daughter Event last Saturday with 35+ in attendance, including visitors.
• God’s provision of an excellent business internship for Adrianna that meets all of the requirements of her program. 
• a lead that God gave us through Pastor Rosenau that is helping us to move forward with our Canadian residency status.  Praise that we were able to connect with an immigration consultant (for a fee) for the help we need.

Pray for

• God to direct M regarding future ministry, and that God will use him greatly here this summer in our absence.
• good contacts and for hearts to be receptive to the Gospel through door to door outreach and through street evangelism this summer. 
• visitors, returning and new, to our French group Espérance Vivante, and that God will guide us and help us to reach the French population here. Pray that God will send laborers to French Canada (NB and Quebec).
• more church members to be motivated to reach the community around (both French and English).

• the EBBI ministry team (with Caleb) as they minister in churches around the Maritimes this month, that God will use their ministry to lead individuals to dedicate their lives to the Lord for His service and to enroll in EBBI for biblical instruction.

• the Spring Music recital on May 19 and for the Maritime Games youth competition where we will be helping with adjudicating on May 25-27 that seeks to encourage Maritime youth to serve the Lord with their God-given talents and abilities. Our church has a Bible quiz team that Caleb is leading, Caleb will be preaching, and Josiah did a kids program for a Christian Service project and will be playing the trumpet.
• the final ladies Bible study of the season on May 25.
• God’s help with moving our residency status forward without long delays and great cost.
• guidance as we prepare for our travels to the US this summer.
• Adrianna as she serves in her local church youth group ministry this summer. 

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.