Ministry Update :: May 21 Family Happenings

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Troy

Spring continues to slowly make its presence known around our community and our yard, and we are enjoying spending more time outside. Life is busy (as it seems to be for everyone) but seems especially packed these days.

We have been busy doing lots of things as a family and have done some special events. The above photo is of us outside the Calgary Courts Centre where we went for a special open house, mock trials, and tours of the detention centres. Very eye opening and fun day, especially for Ellie as she thinks she wants to be a lawyer someday.

The law finally catches up with these hardened criminals.

Troy has been getting occasional speaking opportunities at a very small community church and our family has been enjoying that. He preached last weekend, and will be speaking there again this weekend. The following weekend there is a men’s camping trip and Troy has been asked to speak there as well. Please pray for him as he prepares messages for these ministry opportunities.

Some other exciting things for our family is that Adelaine was recently baptized! We had a really special day with family visiting, and over lunch, sharing their own baptism stories. We rejoice to see her take this step of obedience and faith.

Ethan was supposed to get baptized that morning as well, but three days beforehand, he got a…

Thankfully, it wasn’t a bad break, but it was a little wedge that cracked out right next to the growth plate by his elbow. He and some boys were running around at school and Ethan tripped over someone, put his arm out straight to catch himself, and physics said something had to give. He was in a splint for two weeks, and after another x-ray and consultation with a surgeon at the Calgary Children’s Hospital, it was decided that he could go without the splint. He is healing quick but still has some aches and pains in his arm. He is doing well and back to his usual (high) energy levels. Please pray for continued health and improvement.

First Job!
Naomi and the kids have taken on the janitorial job at their school. This have given the kids some tithing/saving/spending money, and some good work experience.

Spring time is also a time for our kids to be involved in school conventions and school events. At a school fundraiser, both Adelaine and Ethan performed some music in front of about 200 people. Adelaine has been taking piano lessons from Naomi’s mom (and practices on the piano given by Troy’s mom!), while Ethan has been taking guitar lessons for the last few months. This was Ethan’s first performance before a crowd, and they both did very well.

Ellie travelled to Manitoba to compete in a Sr. Convention (her first), while Adelaine and Ethan competed in the Jr. High Convention. These conventions are opportunities for the kids to develop a skill and compete against other students in that area (See some of Adelaine’s art). Ethan was disappointed to not be able to do some physical games because of his broken wing, but overall the kids did very well. Ellie got first place for a short story while competing against many students who were older.

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We are so proud of these kids and the gifts the Lord has given them.

Also in April we celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary!

Thank you for your prayers and support that enable us to serve. More ministry news in our next update.

Because of Christ,

Troy & Naomi

Thy Will Be Done – Short Story by Ellie

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Troy

(Note: this short story by Ellie, aged 14, won first place at her school’s regional competition.)

Thy Will Be Done

By Ellie Johnstone

Stephanie Lavalle was awakened early to the sound of cars beneath her window. Why are there cars below our window, she wondered, out in the country? Suddenly she was thrust out of sleep and became fully awake. She sighed, remembering everything that had happened in the past year.

They had lived on beautiful acreage that backed onto a lake. Stephanie lived with her two loving parents in a large house. From there, a ten-minute drive took her to a little private school where Stephanie had many friends, made good grades and was popular and well-liked. Life had been nearly perfect.

Continue reading →

Craftmaster

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Troy

Paintings, colourings pressed flowers, origami, quilling (things created with thin paper strips), string art, word art, knitting…

The other day I was sitting on the CraftMaster’s bed and started looking around and admiring all the art she has made. Truly multidisciplinary!

The Craftmaster herself

Origami paper flower lights

Quilling – thin paper strips are used to create the dress

The old cereal boxes used to store craft supplies

Ministry Update :: Easter is coming

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Troy

After one of the coldest months on record for this part of Alberta, spring is officially here in earnest. We shoveled off the trampoline, pumped up the bike tires, and are planting seeds for the greenhouse. We are all anxious to be outside again!

Busy with orders

With spring also comes Easter. This past Monday GoodSeed sent out a brief email about how churches often have lots of extra people visit at Easter and our small evangelism booklet, The Story that Matters, is a great thing to have on hand to give away. We have heard of many churches having stacks available for people to take, and others that give one out with every bulletin. We have sent out hundreds of these books in the three days since that email. It is exciting to see these evangelism resources going out. In fact, this is forcing us to do another reprint of books as we are down below a few thousand left and they may not last long.

Hundreds of books heading out across North America and overseas.

Life has been full of many challenges and trials, but we have had many fellow believers encourage us lately with notes and stories, and it has been much appreciated. We had a large donation sent the day before our furnace went (an answer before we prayed for it), and some dear soul sent us an anonymous gift of cash in the mail to help with our recent spat of renovations. You know who you are, so thank you!

GoodSeed is a small ministry with a big mandate. You can help us out by spreading the word about what we do! If you are on social media, you can follow GoodSeed and share our posts at facebook.com/goodseed, twitter.com/goodseed, or at instagram.com/goodseedintl.

Donate to support Troy & Naomi: goodseed.com/donate

No Ordinary Weekend

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Troy

Over the long Family Day weekend in February, we were part of an evangelism and discipleship retreat at a local Christian camp called No Ordinary Weekend. Sponsored and hosted by some local business people, we had around 65 adults and 50 kids under the age of 10. It was an opportunity to get away from daily life and distractions, and take a dedicated time to learn more about the central message of the Bible. Even child care was looked after by some Bible school students who taught the kids using GoodSeed’s children’s evangelism book, The Lamb.

The adults covered the new “No Ordinary Story – The Series” set of books. While these books are still being worked on and are not officially published yet, we had handmade copies for everyone. Each booklet is about 43 pages long and broken into 10 chapters, with each book taking about 60 minutes to cover.

The eight main books are:

No Ordinary God – Who is the God of the Bible? What is he like? (introduction to God’s character as revealed through the creation account)
No Ordinary Evil – Why is there so much evil in the world? Where does it come from? ( the fall of man, sin and it’s consequences)
No Ordinary Faith – Why is faith so important? What’s the big deal about trust?
No Ordinary Rules – Does God keep his word? What is the right way to live? (Abraham & Isaac, Moses and Exodus, giving and purpose of the Ten Commandments)
No Ordinary House – Is there a way out of this mess? What’s with the tent? (sin, works won’t do it, the sacrificial system, the Tabernacle the Prophets)
No Ordinary Birth – Who was Jesus anyway? How can we be sure? (birth of Jesus, start of His ministry)
No Ordinary Death – Why a Cross? Can a dead man live again? (death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus)
No Ordinary Plan – Why the lamb? Is it really that simple? (putting it all together)

We also covered two other books:

No Ordinary Book – What’s the Big deal about the Bible?
No Ordinary Return – Where is Jesus now? Is he coming back to Earth again?

The No Ordinary Weekend (NOW) went very well. We were so encouraged to see so many intent on gaining a clear understanding of the Gospel. Many saw their confusion surrounding God’s Word sorted out in their minds; others crossed from death to life during their time with us. What a thrill to see the pieces fall into place for so many and lives changed for eternity! To God be the glory!

One family group came, consisting of two brothers, one with his common-law wife, and the other with a teenage daughter who was very unhappy to be there. None of them were believers. It was clear they had all done some hard living, but they were open, apart from the teenager. By the end of the first day, the young woman had done away with her resistance and had become a keen listener, along with her family. Partway through the sessions, her step-dad said he was just waiting and ready to hear how he could get to Heaven. He was so eager! As the weekend drew to a close, all four members of the family indicated that they had put their trust in what Christ had done on the cross and they are hungry for more!

We were also so impressed to see how many young people sat in the sessions, listening closely. Personally, we were thrilled to see all our children, especially our youngest (aged 10), listening intently and following along. Our girls had two young friends sitting with them who are not believers; we were excited to see those girls also following along. We are praying they will place their trust in the Lord. Please especially pray for their mom, a dear friend, as she tries to help them understand the gospel and what it means for them, as they have other close family members who are strongly opposed to the Bible’s message.

Moving forward, we have a “Next Steps” study starting next Tuesday (March 12). This study will take new believers a little deeper and help them navigate the truths of the Bible for believers. Part of our study will involve GoodSeed’s new book, “The Captive and the King’s Will,” which follows the life of Peter. Our entire family is planning to attend.

Last but not least, so many of you expressed concern for us personally, as we felt a little beset by so many “cares of this world.” December to February had a number of challenges for us! An unplanned bathroom reno, and the day we were to finish the grout in the new shower the furnace died, then a few days after the furnace was replaced, our fridge gave up.

Thank you for your expressions of concern, as well as those of you who spurred us on and encouraged us to keep our focus on eternal things. We need those reminders and encouragements. An update: after 2.5 wks without a furnace during the coldest February since the Great Depression, we are now back to feeling cozy with our new furnace. (Neat story: we later found out that the day before our furnace quit, a supporter had sent us a gift, feeling a burden to help us out in an extra way. Truly, “our Father knows our need before we ask Him.” Matt 6:8). We are thankful!

Once again, we are so thankful for so many of you who pray, partner and encourage us. We are blessed!

Troy and Naomi