Monday, June 18, 2007

Tim's turn!

Summer in Québec is absolutely beautiful. The flowers are blooming and we have discovered a whole new part of the city…because it isn’t covered with snow anymore.

Mikaylah has found some beautiful parks that were also covered with snow. She loves to go to each one on different days. We praise God that we do have these free parks for her to play in since we don’t have a back yard.

Language Study

The French language study is going well for us. Tim is actually gaining confidence in using the language with some of the Québecois. He is presently taking some extra classes at a different University in Old Québec while Laval is on break. This school focuses more on conversation and a little grammar while Laval teaches a lot of grammar. Between the two schools, it is helping Tim to gain the confidence he needs to speak to people. Please continue to pray for Tim to hear and understand more each day.

Janice is speaking rather well. While she gets corrected quite often, she is not shy about speaking with anyone around. Her tutor has had her read from scripture, memorize it, pray and give the plan of salvation.
That doesn’t sound too bad because a missionary should do all those things, right? But try doing all that in French! It is so difficult to convey just the right concept in another language.

Janice’s tutor, Suzanne, told her that she is ready to give the good news of salvation to a Québecois! Pray for us as we build relationships with people here in Québec and that God will grant us the opportunities to share the gospel with them.

The kids

Jayson and Mikaylah are doing great! Jayson is growing like a weed and is now beginning to crawl around to get to his toys. Actually, he is just doing the one armed army crawl to scoot around the room. He is full of smiles and laughter. Yesterday, he was presented to the church by all the dads and moms. I thought that we just had to stand there and let the pastor do all the talking like in our church. But no….Pastor said, present your baby…I am thinking…in French??? You have got to be kidding! Fortunately, I have a wife who isn’t shy and gave a wonderful little speech. If I had said anything, I would have told them his name and age and then sat down. But Jayson was very good until the prayer, of course.

‘Mikaylah is growing up too fast!’ That is what she often tells us. She is beginning to speak a little bit of French. She is funny because she will often want to watch a movie like Winnie the pooh, in French. Other times, it has to be in English. She is able to understand the difference now.

This past weekend on Father’s Day, the kids got a visit from their three boy cousins from Toronto. They really had a great time playing together. You can tell, because we are still finding toys all over the place! It was great to see family again.


Business

Our support level is continuing to increase. With the value of the Canadian dollar today, our support is over 96%. However, we have kept the dollar at the same we have always had it to be safe. As they say, what goes up, must come down. Our support level currently sits at 94.1%. That leaves us only $250.00 per month to raise. We praise God for the faithfulness of so many people who have caught our vision of reaching MK’s around the world. We are praying by next spring, we will be ready to leave for Africa. That means Tim has to get much better in French and our support has to be at 100% of the minimum required to go. If you have been thinking of supporting this ministry please let us know how we can help you! You can give now directly on line through EBM’s website, www.ebm.org and receive a US receipt. Just follow the links to the giving section to our name and follow the instructions.

That sums up our lives now. Please continue to pray for us to have opportunities to share the gospel with people at school as well as our neighbors. We thank all of you who faithfully pray us each day. It is so encouraging to hear of people who tell us that they are praying for us every day. Thank you, we love you all!

In His Grip,

Tim, Janice, Mikaylah and Jayson


Jer. 29:11 Car je connais les projets que j’ai formés sur vous, dit l’Éternel, projets de paix et non de malheur, afin de vous donner un avenir et l’espérance.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good letter. Are you sending this one out ?
I love the pics, especially the one of you two in front of the falls.
Have a great time with Tim's brother. Enjoy the break.
We're looking forward to seeing you on the 28th.
LYM,
Mom

Unknown said...

Janice, it's so neat to see your pictures. I'm Alison and Ethan Ralph's mom (ICA days). I know you wouldn't recognize me by my maiden name. We spent 3 semesters at Laval (1983-84) before going to Guinea. Alison was just 6 months old and Ethan just 3 at the time. Seeing your pics brings back memories. Ethan is married and in Regina, SK and Alison is heading off to university this fall in Winnipeg. I'll be staying in good ole' Burlington. God bless. Judy

Angie Velasquez Thornton said...

hi guys! we miss you! great to read an update.