This summer we were privileged to host some of Naomi’s family from Alberta and her cousin who brought her family from Connecticut. Here are some photos from the time together.
Family visits
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Author Archives: Troy
How does your garden grow?
Most of the garden is growing very well again this year. Naomi is going with more indeterminate tomatoes (climbing up instead of bushy plants), and we are attempting some sweet potatoes! Not normally grown in Canada, this is a special variety that has been bred for Canadian summers. We only found out after we ordered that they were not good in greenhouses, but in Alberta, that is the only place we will be able to grow them.
We moved our shed up beside our house and made the land where it was into a garden. It was a late start as we only got the shed moved in early July, but the plants are making up for lost time after being planted in warm soil. Nice to have a potato patch in the yard.
We have expanded the foodscaping with a new garden in the front yard this year. This has been the sunniest part of our property, but has only been a patch of lawn. The kids don’t even play out on it as it is right next to a very busy street, so it is very nice to start making it productive. Once we cut down our sickly poplar earlier in the Spring, we could finally begin to put in some bushes and other plants. To start, we just have three types of cherries, three blueberries, a couple goji berries, and some strawberries. Oh, and some flowers and rose bushes. Next year we will mix in some more edible landscaping!
[click an image for a caption]
New front yard garden
Ministry Update :: And then we translate
Naomi and I work in an office in small-town Alberta. We directly interact with only a few hundred people regularly. We often do work that can seem mundane: proofreading, writing, photography, shooting video and editing, 3D-modelling of books, meetings, and helping keep computer systems going. Not real exciting when you take your eyes off the big picture.
However, there is a much bigger picture and we consider ourselves privileged to play a part. We think of ourselves as multipliers.
In police and military training, they talk about using tools as force multipliers.
Force multiplier: A capability that, when added to and employed by a combat force, significantly increases the combat potential of that force and thus enhances the probability of successful mission accomplishment.
I guess you could consider GoodSeed tools as force multipliers. Work done here is multiplied over and over again, helping those in the trenches become more effective and successful in their ministries.
Let me explain.
One training session we do overseas better equips dozens of locals to be more effective in their outreach. We help multiply their efforts.
One book written here in Alberta is translated and made available in numerous languages. The book becomes a vital tool in the ministries of thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands!) of lay people, pastors and missionaries around the world.
The videos Troy works on are uploaded to the internet and can be seen by thousands around the world. Sometimes we’re able to add subtitles so they can be viewed in other languages. Naomi’s proofreading and writing can be read by many thousands of people and translated for use overseas.
It takes a great deal of work to get a video, book or even a simple article ready for public consumption. And for our translation department, when we produce a new tool, their work has only begun. They must carefully consider which tools to translate into which languages, balanced with the limitations of time, money and expertise we have available. It’s a lot of work, but boy is it worth it!
While our contributions may seem small at times, when we strive towards this goal with you as our partners in ministry and with our coworkers, together we can work as force multipliers for the sake of the Gospel.
Troy was recently reviewing the books we have available in various languages and decided to compile them into a few images. It was incredibly encouraging to be reminded of all the languages and worldviews we’re now able to reach into. We hope you’re encouraged as well!
The first image shows translations that are either in print or very near completion of our main tools written for the Eastern or atheistic worldview, a Christianized worldview, or an Islamic worldview:
Because Troy is naturally quite curious, he looked up the number of native speakers for each of these languages (according to Wikipedia).
English: 400 million
Portuguese: 220 million
Chechen: 1.4 million
Turkish: 80 million
French: 80 million
Romanian: 24 million
Chinese: 1.2 billion
Spanish: 470 million
Lithuanian: 3 million
Thai: 20 million
Albanian: 5.4 million
German: 95 million
Farsi: 60 million
Korean: 80 million
Arabic: 290 million
Dutch: 22 million
Russian: 150 million
Mongolian: 5.2 million
Hebrew: 4.4 million
That’s around 3,210,400,000 people who could find one of these books in their native language.
The image above shows GoodSeed’s children’s book, The Lamb. It has also been translated into the following languages (with language populations in parentheses):
Lamb black covers: Chinese, English, French, Luxembourgish (390,000), Portuguese, Spanish
Lamb brown covers (left to right, top to bottom): Amharic (25.8 million), Balkar (310,000), Chechen, Czech (10.6 million), English, Faroese (66,000), French, German, Italian (85 million), Kabardin (1.6 million), Russian, Ukranian (30 million).
This adds another 153,366,000 people who have GoodSeed evangelism resources in their native language.
The booklets below are now some of the first to be translated into a new language.
What Are Christmas and Easter All About?
Laos (25 million), Chichewa (12 million), Chinese, English, French
The Story that Matters
English, English with KJV, French, Hungarian (13 million), Lingala (5.5 million)
Again, this adds another 55,500,000 people to that list.
Obviously, GoodSeed does not have 3.42 billion books in print, but we are encouraged with the vast potential and worldwide reach we as a team can have, even if our part is in small town Alberta. Please join us in thanking the Lord for the work done, and that he will continue to multiply our efforts as we partner together!
Stay Connected!
Keep up to date with us here on our blog: www.troyandnaomi.com or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/gstroynaomi
To find out more about supporting our ministry with GoodSeed, please visit: http://www.oneinsixty.com/
Karate Tournament and End of Year
The end of the regular year of classes is over for the summer, and we wrapped it up with a tournament on June 11th and presentation night for students to advance in belt levels the next week. Overall, the Johnstones did pretty good.
Adult division
Jr. Division
A photo of Ethan made it into the paper.
Oops.
Ellie didn’t compete this time round, but this was the second tournament for dad and Ethan, and Adelaine’s first tournament (the girls only started going after Christmas).
Adelaine: first place kata, 2nd place kumite (sparring)
Ethan: 2nd place kata, 3rd place kumite
Troy: 1st place kata.
The next week we had our last presentation night of the year (usually three presentations a year). If you work hard, it typically takes a year to move up belt levels, and to encourage kids with a sign of progress, children can get a stripe on their belt with three stripes needed before moving up to the full next belt level.
white – yellow – orange – green – blue – brown – black
Ellie moved up one level to white belt with two stripes, Ethan moved up one level to white with three stripes, and Adelaine (who has taken to it like a duck to water) moved up two levels to white with three stripes. After the next session there should be a couple yellow belts around the house.
I first earned a green belt in Shotokan Karate probably 26 years ago, but haven’t practiced any karate since the early ‘90s. The style we have been learning since last September is Wado Kai Karate which is largely similar, but with some subtle and important differences. After knocking twenty years of rust off, and relearning slightly different movements and kata, I was promoted to a blue belt. I expected that this would take another year, but with a lot of sweat, a few pounds, a few poundings, a pulled this and that, and bruisings. Thank you to the instructors for patiently teaching the old dog a few new kicks in a different karate style. Next stop brown belt, then black!
Gallery Opening Reception
During the month of May, I am one of the featured artists at the Motion Gallery in downtown Calgary. Here are a few photos I managed to take in between conversations during the Opening Reception at Motion Gallery Eau Claire Market. Most of the photos were taken late in the evening after most people had left. We had a really wonderful time. Thank you to the staff at Motion Gallery for the great night!
