You were right. So many of you warned us how quickly time would fly once we had children. It has flown, not just with how quickly Ellie is growing, but also in our areas of ministry with Word of Life Bible Institute.

On Sunday, August 21, we graduated our third class. Only a few weeks later, we welcomed our fourth year. This year’s class is smaller – 25 students – but we already see them making up for their small size with their huge desire to minister to those around them. The first week of October, the entire class made the annual trip to Toronto and other neighbouring cities for Open Air Evangelism (OAE). During their 5 days there we were excited to hear of the students’ boldness and strong desire to share the Gospel with others. It is hard to quantify the impact of their time on this trip, but they believe that at least 30 came to know the Lord and hundreds more were exposed to knowledge about God of which they were previously ignorant. We pray the Lord will continue to work in the lives of all those touched by this ministry.

Troy continues to find more work than time at his office. He has two great interns working for him in Admissions, which we’re thankful for. We are trusting the Lord for 45+ students for our fifth year of operation. To reach this goal requires a lot of time and work. Would you pray even now that we will meet this goal? If you know of someone who would benefit from a year spent studying God’s Word (isn’t that all of us?), please contact us for materials that you can pass on to them or better yet, arrange for them to attend one of the Campus Days events scheduled throughout the year.

Naomi spends her days trying to keep up with Ellie. Our daughter brings us so much joy. She has such a happy disposition and often has us laughing with her funny antics. Naomi still has a hand in a few graphic design projects, as well as the school yearbook.

We keep so busy and find that time passes with us hardly conscious of it. When we watch news of one tragedy after another, we are reminded of the importance of investing our time wisely in that which is eternal. We want our lives to count for eternity, not simply for the temporal. Will you pray that we would be discerning in how we spend our time and to which good things we should commit our time?

The Squeak’s Squawk: (“The Squeak” is a nickname of Ellie’s)
You won’t believe how big I’m getting! Mommie says I wear 12 month clothes even though I’m only 7 months. I think that’s pretty big. I love it when I get to visit with my Grandpa and Grandma and Nanna and my aunts and uncle. I like to talk to people and tell them everything that’s going on. Mommie says I’m very nosy, but I just don’t want to miss anything! I love to squeal and giggle, especially when Daddyplays peek-a-boo with me. My favourite toy is whatever anyone else is holding. I’m pretty sure Mommie and Daddy think I’m very special.

Praise the Lord with us for:

• We’ve gained a few new supporters!
• Ellie’s healthy and normal development.
• The Lord’s hand in bringing us the students He did for this school year. They have been an encouragement to us!

Please Pray:

• We would reach our goal of 45+ students in the ‘06-’07 student body.
• Wisdom as we choose from the many opportunities to be involv ed in the Lord’s work. We can’t do it all.
• Wisdom as we raise Ellie. Our greatest desire is that she trust the Lord as her Saviour at a young age.
• For our local church, as we continue to seek a pastor.

A Few Details…

After a relatively smooth labour, Ellie entered the world at 12:22pm on Saturday, March 12. The next few days were a mix of three words: overjoyed, overwhelmed, overtired. Through it all, we cherish our daughter more each day. We were thankful to have family here with us to lend a hand we’re not sure what we would have done without them. Please pray for wisdom as we seek to raise Ellie to be a godly woman.

In Other News

Other news? Didn’t the world stop just for this event? Perhaps not. And as we take a look at our ministry, we are encouraged with the things the Lord is doing in the lives and hearts of our students.

Troy’s big project this Spring was to launch a new website for Word of Life Canada. We’d appreciate it if you would take a look at it (go to www.wol.ca) and let us know what you think and how we can improve on it. Troy is looking at a busy Summer ahead. Another year at the Word of Life Bible Institute is almost complete and we look forward to meeting the students the Lord sends our way for the fourth year of the school. We are praying for 45 students. Would you pray with us that we would meet this goal?

Though Ellie consumes most of Naomi’s time at present, Naomi still helps in the area of graphic design. Please pray with us for the energy and wisdom this requires as she tries to balance new and old responsibilities.

We plan to travel out West this Summer from July 12 – August 2. We’d love to be able to visit as many people as possible and share our ministry in several churches as well. Please let us know if you’d like us to stop by and visit with you or share in your church. We’d love the opportunity to catch up and also introduce our little girl to our friends in the West!

For more pictures of Ellie, visit her site.

Ellie and her dad catching a nap.

Ellie at two weeks old.

Ellie at 11 weeks old.

Support Update:
We are thankful for the Lord’s provision. We’ve had several more people partner with us financially, increasing our overall support. We would also like to thank all of you who have helped us out financially or with gifts for Ellie. In the end, we’ve had to purchase very few items ourselves. What a blessing this has been!

Previous support level: 80%
Current support level: 85-90% approx.
Approx. amount left to raise: $300/mo

As always, your prayer support is vital to the effectiveness of our ministry. We have seen the Lord’s hand at work in so many ways and we know that your prayers have a major part in this.

Troy & Naomi Johnstone

Ellie Trivia:
Birth Weight: 7lb, 14oz;
Length: 20
What’s in a Name: Ellie means light. She has been a light in our lives and we pray that she will be the same to others as she shines the light of Christ into their hearts. Ellie’s two middle names are for her grandmas.
First Impressions: The general consensus is that Ellie looks like her daddy. She certainly has his long fingers and toes.
Ellie loves to stick her tongue out. In fact her tongue spends most of it’s time outside her mouth we call it her third lip. We’re not sure who she takes after in this regard.
Ellie is a very contented baby. She has been sleeping through the night now for over a month. Her parents can’t begin to express their excitement at this development!

added responsibilities
…same amount of time. As of January 1, Troy took on some new responsibilities at the Bible Institute, as well as a new title — Bible Institute Administrator. The new responsibilities mean Troy has less time for his old job as Admissions Coordinator, but two interns have joined our staff to help in that area. Please pray for Troy as he seeks to lead and train these young men and balance his new workload.

Naomi has also taken on new tasks. She now does almost all of the graphic design work for WOL, from Snow and Summer Camp brochures, to special mailings and the school yearbook.

We currently have 37 students enrolled at the BI. For seven weekends this quarter, they will serve in our Snow Camp program. Classes during the week and Snow Camp on the weekend makes for busy students. Please pray for the students as they seek to take their classroom experience and pour it into the lives of campers.

impacting young people
Troy helped Naomi’s father teach a TERM Creation-to-Christ seminar to our students. Here is some feedback we received:

Troy assisted John Cross in teaching a TERM Creation to Christ seminar to our students. (click any of the pictures for a larger image)

“ Thank you for helping me see God’s Word more clearly.”

“ …this study has given me a head start on how to win people to the Savior.”

“ I believe my knowledge, understanding, and faith in the Bible have all been strengthened because of this weekend.”

“ … it has enlightened my eyes, my heart, my life. I feel as I’ve regained my joyous countenance and am no longer lost, confused or unsure. I’m better rooted and can’t wait to be fed more…”

Open Air Evangelism in Toronto

Also, at our recent Missions Conference, we were excited to see 20 of 37 students commit themselves to reaching this lost world for Christ.

healthy as a horse
A second MRI in November came back clear, so for now Naomi’s doctor seems satisfied that nothing serious is wrong. At this point, her guess is that the numbness Naomi experiences is a side effect of working at a computer for long periods of time. We’re just very thankful that it seems to be nothing serious. Thank you for your prayers.

outside the WOL bubble…

Naomi still tries to keep up her violin skills.

We are grateful for a good local church. We’ve enjoyed getting to know the people there and developing some friendships. We both teach Sunday school and lead a small Bible study group. Troy serves as a deacon and Naomi plays her violin on occasion.

great is His faithfulness
We have been blessed to see our support increase over the past year. Currently, we are around 82% of our support goal of $3000/month. We are so grateful to those of you who give faithfully.

As always, we covet your prayers on our behalf. We plan to send short ministry updates via both email and snail mail to help keep you current. If you would like to receive these updates, please let us know. It is encouraging to hear from you that you are praying for us!

We pray that you will experience the riches of His grace this year.

Troy & Naomi Johnstone

We enjoyed a small garden this past summer under our apartment, which is located up the steps above the girl’s dorm.

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, & increasing in the knowledge of God.
Colossians 1:9-10

Dear Family and Friends
The first year of the Canadian Extension of the Word of Life Bible Institute is almost over. Classes finished on May 30, and the students are having a break before returning for the summer ministry quarter. This is an important part of the year for our students as they begin to take what they have learned in the classroom and pour it into the lives of young people at our summer camp. For much of the year the students have felt like they are drinking from a fire hose! They have covered a lot of material, and now they have a bit of time to think about what they have learned in the classroom and at the same time try to help campers deal with real life situations.

Please continue to pray for our students! They are not the same people they were when they arrived last September, and it is our hope that they continue increasing in the knowledge of God this summer.

Health Update
Thank you for your prayers concerning Naomi’s health. The mysterious symptoms that she was experiencing seem to be gone now, but the doctors were never able to figure out what the problem was, even after blood tests, a CT scan, Doppler ultrasound and a MRI. They think that the symptoms may have been a side effect of some medication that Naomi was taking several months ago, but they have now gone away. Thank you, Lord!

Our Personal Ministry
These past few months Naomi has spent countless hours working on the Yearbook. She even dreams about it at night! Thankfully she has had some students who have helped to put the memories of this first year on paper. We pray that the yearbook will help our students to remember what they learned here at the Bible Institute.

Now that the academic year is done, I am switching gears to focus more on admissions for next year. We currently have 20 more applications than we had last year, but we have a long way to go. We are praying for 50-55 students for this September!

Local Church
Naomi and I have been blessed with a local church here in Owen Sound that we can be involved with. I have been helping teach the Teen Sunday School class and am the leader of a small group of adults who will be meeting every second week for Bible study, prayer and fellowship. We are very thankful for finding a solid church in which we can be challenged, encouraged and also serve God.
As we review the year gone by, we would like to thank all of you who have stood with us and cared for us through your prayers, letters of encouragement and financial support. Truly, this is a team effort and we sincerely believe that you will also partake in heaven’s rewards for your part in our ministry.

That the Lord may receive all the glory,

Our Calendar:
June 13 – Fly to Alberta to visit family, friends & churches.
June 22 – Speaking at Olds First Baptist Church
June 30 – Return to Owen Sound
Aug. 17 – BI Graduation
Sep. 12 – BI Registration for our next class!