Prayer Letter – Feb 3

Posted on February 1, 2005 by Troy

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.

Ministry Update – The countdown continues..

Posted on January 24, 2005 by Troy

The countdown coninues.. As of today (Jan 24) we are now 49 days until the expected due date for our child, March 14.

Naomi is doing well but feeling all the typical discomforts of carrying someone around inside you. She has not been sleeping well for a while now and is really starting to look forward to the birth day. Just over a week ago our neighbors and co-workers, Jonathan and Melissa Ward, had their first child, Andrew Ward. Naomi has appreciated the fact that there was someone else on property here at Word of Life that has been experiencing the same things and they have spent quite a bit of time comparing notes about pregnancy.

This week will be the first Snow Camp of the year. After classes this Friday the students start working on converting all our Bible Institute facilities over to camp. This can be a tiring time of the year for the students as they are in class all week and working on the weekends in the Snow Camp program.

Prayer requests:
Please pray that the baby continues to grow normally and Naomi has an uncomplicated birth. And that I make it through the delivery as well..

Pray also for me as I continue to help lead the church while we look for a pastor. Once the baby is born I suspect that I will have a little less time for meetings and such.

God bless.

Troy & Naomi

Ministry Update – Christmas plans

Posted on December 8, 2004 by Troy

Our Fall Quarter wrapped up on Friday, December 3 and the students have gone home for a few weeks break. The students are doing really well in their studies and the ministry opportunities that they have had this past quarter. They will be returning on January 2 to travel to our Schroon Lake, New York campus where they will join our students from Parole de Vie and the Schroon Lake students for the annual missions conference, a time where the students are challenged about world missions.

This past Monday we began painting the interior of the small house that Naomi and I are going to be moving into in another week. The house is just across the yard from the apartment that we have lived in the last two years, but it will provide us with a lot more room to grow.

Yesterday (Dec. 7) Naomi and I spent 6 hours in a prenatal seminar. It was.. interesting. umm.. I’m not going to say anything more about that..

Lord willing, we will be boarding a plane to travel to Alberta for Christmas on December 23. We are really looking forward to visiting family and friends out there and just relaxing for a few days.

Thank you for your prayers for Naomi and I as I continue to be involved with the leadership of our church and Naomi as she continues with the pregnancy.

May God bless you this Christmas season.

Troy & Naomi

PS. As of today, December 8, there are approximately 96 days until Naomi’s due date!

Ministry Update – back from the conferences

Posted on November 9, 2004 by Troy

Like many people in Owen Sound, I am looking for winter tires. The weather has really changed over the two weeks while we were in New Brunswick and Quebec.. our first day back saw the first snow of the year, and this morning there were three inches of fresh snow on the ground.

While away, we were involved in two missions conferences at supporting churches and two conventions. We enjoyed the fellowship and opportunities to share about our ministry with friends and supporters at the churches and people that we met at the conventions.

Back in Owen Sound, we are hoping to start our move from our apartment to a small house across the campus by the end of the month.

Naomi is doing well and is currently in the 6th month of pregnancy. As of Nov. 9, there are approximately 125 days until B-Day.

Recently I have uploaded over 100 photos to my photography website. Check it out at
www.troyandnaomi.com/photography

Prayer Letter – October 04

Posted on October 1, 2004 by Troy

New News from the Johnstone’s
If you were to ask us, “What’s new with the Johnstone’s?” you’d probably end up talking to us for a long time…

New Addition
Our most exciting new news is the expected addition of our first child to our family! We are looking forward to this new baby due in mid-March. We thank God for this wonderful blessing. Please pray with us that things would progress along safely.

New BI Class
On September 10, thirty-seven new students enrolled for our third year of our Bible Institute. They seem to be a very talented and keen group of people. We look forward to seeing the growth and change the Lord brings about in their lives as they study God’s Word and get involved in ministries at Word of Life Bible Institute.

New Home
We look forward to moving from our apartment into a house across campus late this Fall. This move will provide us with the additional space we need as our family grows. With this new location, our rent will also increase, so we trust the Lord to provide as He sees fit.

New Vehicle
The Lord has gone before us and provided us with a new-to-us vehicle, a ‘97 Dodge Caravan. It is a gift from Naomi’s parents and is in great condition. The van will be much more practical for helping students out when they need a ride someplace. And what a blessing it will be when the baby arrives!

New Pastor?
We would appreciate your prayers as our church seeks a new pastor. After 10 years of faithful service, the Lord led our previous pastor on to another church. This situation keeps Troy busy, as he is currently serving as Chairman of the Deacon’s Board, and is on the Pastoral Search Committee. Troy will also have more teaching and preaching opportunities at the church. Would you pray for stamina and wisdom for Troy as he fills these roles? Please also pray that the men in leadership would have discernment as they seek to find a godly man to fill this role.

We were able to visit family and friends in the Maritimes this past June. It was a great time. We even got a chance to travel with Troy’s mom to Cape Breton for a few days. What a beautiful part of our country. For more pictures from our vacation, click here.

New Support Needs
With a baby on the way and other new expenses, we are feeling the crunch. We know that life will only get more expensive from here on. We are at 80% of our current support goal of $3000/month. We would like to see our goal met fully in the next few months as we prepare for our new arrival. This means we need to raise $600 more per month, the equivalent of 30 people each giving $20. Would you pray with us for increased financial and prayer support?

New Challenges
So, we are facing many exciting and challenging days ahead. More than ever, we are aware that we could not fulfil this ministry without you who faithfully stand behind us. Thank you for your constant support, prayers, and encouragement.

Troy & Naomi Johnstone

We were refreshed and encouraged at our staff conference in June. Pictured here are most of the Word of Life Canada staff,representing both the English and French divisions of our ministry. We thank God for the ministry He has given us to do and those who work side-by-side with us in this endeavour.

Naomi enjoys teaching Sunday School for Grades 2 and 3 kids. She also helps out in various other ways around our church.

Naomi had an opportunity to play for the wedding of some friends of ours.

Naomi pours a lot of her time and energy into creating a yearbook for the students each year. The students above have just received their own copies and are eagerly looking through this great collection of memories. We trust this book will encourage them and remind them of all the things they learned throughout the year here.

Once again, Troy had an opportunity to help teach a Creation-to-Christ method of evangelism using the book The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. This class, taught at the beginning of the year, gives our students a strong foundation as they seek to deepen their knowledge of the Bible. It’s also essential in helping them clearly communicate the Gospel to those whom they will be ministering during the year.

Upcoming Events:

Oct 21, 22 – Drive to New Brunswick

Oct 24-28 – Missions conference at Main Street Baptist Church
Oct 28, 29 – Represent WOLBI at a Christian school convention
Oct 31- Drive to Montreal, Quebec
Nov 1-4 – Represent WOL at a church convention
Nov 4 – Arrive home in Owen Sound
Nov 18-19 – WOLBI Campus Days
Dec 3 – End of Fall Quarter at WOLBI
Dec 22-Jan 2 – Christmas in Olds, Alberta