Last week I was back at my old stomping grounds at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Ontario to help teach the book By This Name to a new group of students and a few visitors who travelled for the seminar. We are so appreciative for the opportunity to teach the students, especially at the beginning of the year. This Creation to the Cross teaching gives them a good framework to build on the rest of the year, and helps ensure a solid understanding of the Gospel before they dive in to the many ministry opportunities they will have through the school.

Here is some of the feedback we received from students:

I understand now that all the Bible’s stories are connected with the gospel.

The Old Testament is more real and I love all the connections that By This Name made apparent.

This study has been beneficial for me because it really helped me put all the information/pieces together – the Bible makes a lot of sense.

I know how to explain the gospel in more depth.

I have learned how to clearly present the important key facts of the Bible to a non-believer in a clear, caring way.

The study of By This Name has helped me to further understand exactly why Jesus had to come down to save us from our sins, and just fit most of the unsolved answers in my mind about the Bible together.

I have learned the many ways in which the Old Testament and the New Testament are connected. I had not realized the importance of the story of Cain and Abel or the tabernacle and this study has helped me see all of the ways the OT points to Christ. Also, this study has made it even clearer to me why Jesus had to die, how he did, and how God had it all perfectly planned out. Thanks for your dedicated teaching 🙂

Very thankful for the testimonies of a clearer understanding of the Gospel. We look forward to hear how the rest of the year goes for this group.

Troy & Naomi

Awhile back we wrote about our Cavalier car that was neither quite alive nor dead. A few months ago it developed a really nasty knocking sound and the mechanic told me I should only drive it around town as it could die out at any time. Well, the Lord has answered our prayers, and has provided us with a reliable vehicle, and just in time. We were given a 10 year old Buick with only 80,179 km (49,820.905 miles)!

The timing was great because a few days after we were given the newer car we decided to take the old car on it’s final voyage to an auto wrecker, but it didn’t quite make it all the way there under it’s own power.

There was a loud bang, then I coasted to a stop and waited for the tow truck. An oil slick remains at the scene…

Earlier in the same week that we wrote about our car troubles, a family had been talking amongst themselves about how they should see if any of our missionaries needed a car that they were not really using. After receiving our email, they called us up to ask if we could use their car!

We would like to thank this family for their generous gift and we thank the Lord for his answer to prayer and the provision of a car that should last us many years, delivered with perfect timing.

Troy & Naomi

P.S. If you missed our last update, you can see some pictures from our trip to Ontario and New Brunswick on our website at: troyandnaomi.com/2014/07/ministry-update-july-30-2014/

Back in the West

Watching our plane

Most exciting thing about flying seems to be the tv…

Silly travellers

Ontario

Family in Huntsville

Fun Friends

Cooling off at WOLBI where we used to work.

Durham

At the petting Zoo in Stouffeville

South End Fellowship ready for VBS in Owen Sound

Visiting friends in Durham

Former neighbors

New Brunswick

Visiting my family

Story time with Grandma J

Breathing in that wonderful salty air!

Renewing old friendships at the church picnic

Anne with an ‘e’

Island girls

PEI Sunset

“Coincidentally” running into other missionaries from my home church on PEI.

Touring Sackville

Canada Day in Sackville

Family Time

Great Grandma J

Maritime delights that we ate: shrimp, Cows Ice Cream, Lobster rolls, grilled balogna, mussels, clams, and other deep fried seafood goodness!

Thank you!

Our trip (I hesitate to call it vacation) was so packed that we couldn’t cram much more into it anywheres (notice the proper Maritime plural of where). Our visits were often too short but the fellowship was sweet, and we hope to come back again in a few years.

Thank you for your prayers as we travelled, for the hospitality of those we visited with, and for the good memories of our time away from home.

Keep up to date with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/gstroynaomi

P.S. The week after we got back we put a new roof on the house! Thankful for the Lord’s provisions and to those who helped and for safety as we worked on two roofs.

Interesting in supporting the Johnstones? Please visit oneinsixty.com

Traveling East:
Later this month we will be traveling to Ontario and then New Brunswick. One highlight of our time in NB will be attending the re-opening of the park in Sackville, New Brunswick that is named after my father. They have completely renovated the park, and we are looking forward to having Bill Johnstone’s grandkids play in his park and participating in the opening ceremonies on July 1. We also look forward to spending time in supporting churches and catching up with friends and family alike.

We will be in Ontario (Stouffville, Huntsville, Owen Sound areas) from June 23-29, and in New Brunswick from June 30 to July 16. While our time out there is short, we would love to meet up with as many friends and supporters as we can. Please let us know if you are available to get together with us – we’d love to catch up with you and update you on our ministry.

We will be attending and speaking at these three churches on our trip:
June 29 – South End Fellowship Baptist Church, Owen Sound, Ontario
July 6 – Main Street Baptist Church, Sackville, New Brunswick
July 13 – Woodpoint Baptist Church, Woodpoint, New Brunswick

Please pray for our family as we travel–for safety, health and good spirits.

Other Modes of Transport:
The Lord has blessed us with a few vehicles in the past 8 years that we paid very little for and have been very reliable. Now, in the past month we have been having numerous issues with both of them and it looks like we will need to retire both vehicles soon. The Cavalier I now call my zombie car, it is neither really dead or alive, but the mechanic told me I might as well drive it until it completely seizes up. We’re looking to the Lord for guidance and provision as we consider how we can best replace them.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Troy & Naomi

The last few weeks have been busier than usual around the GoodSeed office. We had a TERM evangelism training seminar scheduled for April 3-5 and the lead-up to it is normally intense as we get ready for it. However, the format has changed since last year and a decision was made to try and record the first day of the seminar. This prompted a bit of a scramble to secure a venue and set up the stage, get projection gear and even some new camera gear.