Enjoying the Outdoors!

The past few days have been rainy and chilly. From what we hear on the news, the average temperature for the month of June was 5 degrees colder than normal for this time of year (so much for Global Warming!). Today's temperature is 65 degrees and the sun came out for most of the afternoon. After working on prayer letters and some French, I joined the kids outside in the yard and we played basketball, picked field-strawberries, and Kami challenged Josh to a game of one-on-one basketball (Kami lost but was so excited she scored 6 points!).

We have a couple of doctor's appointments that we have scheduled on July 9th in Jackman, Maine. While in Jackman, we have planned a family camping trip. We found a wonderful campground with 4 "remote" tent sites. We are all excited about our "wilderness" camp-out and Josh is very excited to use his new flint & steel to start the camp fire. Beth is excited about helping set up the tent and Brenna is excited about the bears (okay.....she really doesn't like the idea of camping in the woods....she is scared to death of bears invading our camp!!!).

Tomorrow, Missionary John Gibson and his family will be with us at church for the evening services. They are missionaries to the Jews in New York City. He will be preaching in English with Pastor Roy translating the services. We are looking forward to the fellowship and service.

I Love to Preach!!!

Today (Sunday) I had the opportuntity to preach at Eglise Baptiste de la Vieille Capitale here in Quebec City. The Pastor here, Pastor Cote', was out of town for a marriage he was to perform in another city. He asked me to fill in for him while he was gone. I eagerly agreed and am so thankful for the opportunity to preach.

Kami and the girls were at our church in St. Augustin because she is the piano player for the month of July. Josh and I went to the services here in Quebec City (this is the same church that our family went on soul-winning/distribution with when we first came to Canada). It was a wonderful service and the singing was so wonderful as everyone sang from their hearts. The song leader was my interpreter and the Lord gave us a great service. Everyone gathered after the services and sang Happy Birthday in French to Joshua.

We had a wonderful day in the Lord and Pastor Roy preached a great message tonight on the "Critical Spirit vs The Thankful Spirit" (we are so thankful that he translates his messages for us as he preaches!). I am looking forward as we will have Missionary John Gibson and his family with us on Wednesday evening. Pastor Roy has also asked me to preach next Sunday evening and I am excited for the upcoming opportunity. We just want to praise the Lord!!!

Silas is a Daddy's Boy!!!

Kami has put in a lot of time in trying to get Silas to say, "Ma-Ma". She even enlisted the ladies at church who work in the nursery in her quest for those words, "Ma-Ma". One of the ladies at church had nursery duties about a week ago and she told Kami that she kept repeating "Ma-Ma" to Silas during the services. She even encouraged Kami that with their best efforts, "Ma-Ma" would be his first words.

Each of our other 3 children have all said "Da-Da" for their first word. I would like to announce that Silas in the presence of all the members of our family, uttered those sweet words...not just once, nor twice, but all through the evening.......yes, he said "Da-Da". He is a Daddy's Boy!!!!!!!!!

A Mess of Fish!

After the evening services on Wednesday, our landlord (Mr. Dion) came by and gave us some fresh fish that he caught earlier that day at his fish camp. In all, there were about 10 nice size rainbow trout. We seasoned, fried, and devoured all of the fish for lunch on Thursday after my French classes. What a treat....if only I could get out and catch some myself!!!

My Son...Joshua

Joshua is growing up so fast, his birthday is tomorrow (June 27th) and he will be 13! I could not have asked for a better son, especially a first-born. This past Wednesday, the church here in Quebec met at the pastor's house for a campfire, devotions, and fellowship. Wednesday was the "Independence Day" for Quebec and it was a great chance for a campfire and church fellowship.

At the campfire service, Joshua was asked to give his testimony of salvation, his call to preach, and he brought the evening message as well (which was interpreted by Pastor Roy). Joshua is a great testimony of what a young man should be for the Lord.

Yesterday evening, we had a "birthday party cookout" for Joshua and invited a couple of families for this time of fellowship. We grilled out hamburgers and hotdogs and had a wonderful time with Joshua. We played basketball games and I do have to say that Kami and I won for the couples competition at "21" in basketball (I know that Pastor Roy will be reading this so I just had to mention that we won...since he beat me at horseshoes a couple of weeks ago!!!)

Last night after everything was over, we sat in the living room and talked about our evening and just had "family time". We then put the kids to bed and as I went in to say one final goodnight to the kids for the evening, Josh caught my attention and I noticed he was very emotional. I asked him what was wrong and he gave his mother and I a very big compliment. He stated, "I don't want to get older, I am having so much fun as a kid, and I love our family, I love what we do." In an age where we see so many young men who want to grow up, get out of the house, or even get away from parents, there is a young man right here in our very own home who loves the Lord, loves his life as a missionary, loves his parents, sisters, and brother and wants nothing more than to enjoy his time as a "kid". I don't really know of a bigger blessing than having a son who is saved tell us that he enjoys the sanctity of his home and that he doesn't want to leave.......I love you to, Joshua!!!

Brenna's Gift To Kids W/ Cancer

Brenna has been for some time now, been wanting to donate some of her hair to "Locks of Love". This is an organization that takes donations or hair and makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments. She has spent a lot of time thinking this over and today she gave over 10 inches of her hair for this great cause. We are very proud of her for making this sacrifice and she looks so cute in her new hair style!!!

A Great Father's Day

I had a wonderful day for Father's Day and God has truly blessed me with 4 wonderful, fantastic, God-fearing children who truly love me!!! Not to mention that I have the most amazing wife in the world!

On Saturday, Josh gave me the father's day gift he bought with his own money, a new hockey stick. He gave it to me early because we had a hockey game to play at 6 PM and I normally borrow someone's hockey stick...(Josh has his own). My new hockey stick allowed me to score my very first 2 goals! I also had two assists for goals as well! Thanks Josh!

Silas gave me a pair of slippers to keep my feet warm when I walk around the house (I am not sure if he wrapped the gift himself or not!!!). Elisabeth and Brenna combined their money to buy me a very nice pen/pencil set (the most expensive WalMart had to offer!). Kami bought me a tower fan for our bedroom.

On Sunday morning, I was also treated to breakfast at A&W's. What a great morning for our family as we headed to church and heard a great message to fathers and what we should be in our homes. For lunch, Kami made me garlic-mashed potatos, home-made coleslaw, green beans, home-made ribs and cheese cake for dessert! It was a wonderful day!!!

Getting Warmer...It's Bloom Time!

Well, it is definitely Spring time here in Canada and working quickly into Summer. The weather today was around 80 and there was a nice breeze to go along with the sweltering heatwave we are having here in Quebec....(I just had to put that in for all of you in the south with 95 degree temperatures!!!) We have had the windows open and it can get a little warm in the house if we don't keep them open.

The only problem is that things are in full bloom here and yellow pollen is everywhere. All over the van, house, driveway and with the windows left open, in my nose. My allergies are now getting into full "bloom" as well.

We stopped on the way home from church tonight and put 19 gallons of gas in our van. That was $80 worth of gas and it didn't even fill up the tank. Gas here is now at $4.22 a gallon. (compared to the $4.19 a gallon we paid last year in North Carolina at this time of year, summers are a killer!) Hopefully the prices will come down soon.

I have my French class in the morning and Thursdays are test days for me. I am now having a hard time with phrases. I seem to have trouble with keeping them straight and not getting them mixed up. It can get frustrating at times but we are still excited to learn the language. Thank you all for your continued prayer support! Please continue to pray for Gabe, our neighbor, that he will accept Christ as his Saviour.
A fin de semaine!
Frere Patrick

Josh's First Try At Goalie !!!! / and a prayer request...

Josh and I went to play hockey this evening (some Christian young men get together on Saturday evenings to play indoor hockey). One of the guys who normally plays goalie couldn't make it tonight so Josh put on all of the pads, gloves, helmet, etc and jumped right in at goalie. He did a great job! 22 goals were scored on him, but that's not bad seeing as how 17 goals were scored on our goalie who does this every week! Josh was wiped out from dropping to the floor to block goals and cover the loose ball. Then he would have to jump right back up for the next shot on goal. He was exhausted and I was a bit worried about him over heating, but he drank plenty of water and kept with it!!!! It is a great feeling to have a son old enough to play sports with and to fellowship with, even though he did block all of my 4 shots on goal!

On a serious note, please pray for our neighbor who lives upstairs. His name is Gabe and he is a very nice young man. I had the opportunity to present the Gospel to him this evening before leaving for hockey. He is from the St. Louis area and moved here to work studying some kind of local fish in the rivers. He said he doesn't believe in Heaven or Hell or even that people have a soul. He is convinced that evolution is real and has been proven, even though he admitted it was still a theory. It was a great conversation that we had and most importantly, he heard the plan of salvation and the Word of God. I am asking all of you to pray that the Word of God would prick at his heart and that he will get saved. My heart is burdened for him. Please keep him in your prayers.

Remembering My Dad....

Every so often, I get to thinking about my dad who passed away on May 1st. The other day I was eating a mango and got to thinking about him (he loved mangos). Then yesterday I looked at some pictures of a 1951 Crosley that I used to have, it was one that my dad and I restored together when I was 12. I do miss him. He took with him to the grave a wealth of information and knowledge, he could repair or fix anything you put in front of him! He was a hard worker as well and was never scared of a challenge.

I wish he had spent the last couple of years of his life serving the Lord. He had backslidden and was not living for the Lord. In fact, he had gotten to a point where he resented me being a preacher and serving the Lord with my family. Even though these were hard times for the past few years, I know that today, he is my biggest supporter! I was able to lead him to the Lord in 1995 and he became a "new creature" in Christ. He was in love with the Lord, however through a series of events, he became bitter and left his "first love", the Lord. Now that he is in Heaven, I know that he is excited once again about our life serving the Lord. He is rejoicing in Heaven and he is once again focused on the Lord!

Ministry Opportunities!!!!

When you are in a different country, don't speak the language, and attend a church that uses a language you don't understand, you really don't get much of a chance to participate in the "ministry".

I did get to preach several weeks ago with Pastor Roy as my interpretor and I enjoyed it so much! We also go out on "distribution" every week where we put the Gospel and information about Reformer's Unanimous on doors in neighborhoods. This is great but we really don't get much of a chance to participate in the "dealing with people" part of the ministry.

Pastor Roy has for the past week interpreted the main points for us when he preaches. This is such a big blessing for us because it is very tough sitting in a church service week after week and never getting anything from the messages! I used to come up after the services to him and comment, "I didn't get a thing out or your message today!" So now he translates his main points for us. Even with just the main points, the Lord still convicts our hearts and we get fed spiritually!!!

This past week, Pastor Roy has asked me to teach the Teen Boy's Sunday School class for him. He normally teaches it but he will now have to teach the adult Sunday school class for the summer and needs me to fill in for the Teen Boy's class. Since the boys in the class speak English I can teach in English for now and hopefully I can incorporate French as I learn it.

Pastor Roy also asked me to preach a 15 minute devotion for the Men's Prayer Breakfast on the 20th of this month and he will interpret for me. I am looking forward to this opportunity. A preacher loves to preach and when you are unable, you feel like a "fish out of water". I am looking forward with great enthusiasm to be able to have a hand in the ministry!
Bon journee!

Happy & Disappointed

I did great on my French Test today. I memorized all of the pages of information from the past 4 classes and I was able to give an oral answer for every question asked! I am excited because I was not even sure that I was going to be able to keep everything straight in my mind much less be able to match all of the words and phrases together. My Reward.......several more pages of information to memorize and more homework in which I must form sentences with the prepositions and articles that I have the most problems with.....

As for the disappointment......well, it all starts with Facebook...... Kami has a Facebook page that she uses to keep up with old friends, family members, missionaries, preachers, and past classmates as well. It is a great thing when trying to keep in contact with so many people at once. This afternoon, Kami and I were on the computer and I began to look at some of the "friends" that she has on Facebook (friends are merely people whom she has allowed to communicate with her and we can also view their personal Facebook pages). It is often neat to see what old friends are up to these days and where people are across this great nation.

I guess I am truly amazed & disappointed to see some of the people that we once knew as Christians, who do not live for the Lord. It is saddening, even sickening, to see folks mar the name of Christ with their personal testimonies and lives. I have in just the short time of viewing some people's comments and Facebook pages seen those who once claimed the name of Christ, curse, blaspheme God's name, support homosexuality, consume alcohol, promote their sinful lusts, and brag about their ungodly lifestyles. One young man in particular (whom you would not even recognize as a Christian or belonging to Christ) stated that his lifestyle is the way that he reaches others for Christ is a "real way". He doesn't lead anybody to Christ nor has he helped any one to get closer to the Lord! Maybe the problem lies with the fact that some or even many of these people were never truly saved to begin with........and others, due to sin they let in their lives, turned their back on God for the pleasures of this world. If not for the Grace of God, I too could be as one of these. I am determined more than ever to live a life for Christ!!!
I like that old song.. "I am resolved, no longer to linger, charmed by the world's delight.." I love the Lord Jesus Christ and I am not ashamed to live for Him!

Silas Laughs & My Homework Is Not Good

We put this little video of the girls getting Silas to laugh. He just enjoyed getting his face whacked with his little teddy bear!

As for my homework, well it didn't go too well. I have a big oral test tomorrow in French class and I had homework that I had to have accomplished. I had to form sentences using a given verb (ie: visiter {pronounced - "vee-zee-tay"} means "to visit"). I must use different pronouns and subjects for each sentence. I took them to church tonight to have Pastor Roy look over my work but it seems I am still having trouble knowing when to use the "le, de, a, de la, des, au, aux,". There are rules of when to use these articles and prepositions but there seems to be more exceptions than you can shake a stick at. By the way, is the phrase "shake a stick at" one that is used in French? I thank those of you who are continually praying for our family to be able to learn the language. We covet your prayers and we look forward to the time when we can share the Gospel in French!

Language School...Shall I Say More???

Bonsoir!

I attended my language course today and with every class, I seem to get more overwhelmed with the amount of material to be memorized. I am learning that with every grammar rule their are plenty of "exceptions"! After about 6 hours of studying and memorizing after my class, I am tired and not going to touch any more books until tomorrow. Of course, it is now 8:30 in the evening (Il est huit heures du soir) and I am ready to head to bed to get some sleep. I hope that in the morning, all of the words, phrases, numbers, verbs, etc are not a jumbled mess in my brain. One of the hard parts of french is knowing when to use "de, du, de la, de l' , des, au, aux, le, les, la," in front of nouns......

Here are a few pictures of the kids that we took today and a video of Silas that is real cute. I hope that you enjoy!

Bon Soiree!

frere Patrick

My First Hockey Game

Josh and I had the opportunity to play hockey tonight....I just want to say that I now realize how important it is to have someone that you can change in and out of the game with because you get really tired. I think that I did pretty good for the first time even holding a hockey stick! Josh scored two goals and everyone was so proud of him...that's my boy!!! I did take a shoulder to the face but I didn't lose any teeth, therefore it wasn't considered much of an injury! Our goalie was in full Detroit Redwings gear and I thought about taking a picture with him to say I played with the Redwing's goalie but I didn't have a camera. We had a great time of fellowship with Christian men and a great time playing with my son...Josh is a very fine young man who shows great character and a true love for the Lord.

The Pot At The End of The Rainbow!!!

Finally someone has photographed the pot at the end of the rainbow! My father-in-law sent this to me, I thought it was hilarious. As I was posting this picture just because it was funny, I realized that there is a huge spiritual implication with the picture.......Many people spend their lives chasing what they think to be riches, blessings, and success trying to find their pot of gold, just to realize that this old world will lead you to shattered dreams and ruined lives. As the scripture says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." There are no broken and ruined lives with God!!!

Patrick sings in the French Choir!!!

Yes, it's true..............I sang in french in a church choir.....and I know what you are thinking....I can't even speak french nor can I sing!!!

This past Sunday evening we joined Egilise Baptiste de la Foi (Faith Baptist Church) in Trois Rivieres for their 1-year anniversary. Our good friend Pastor Jason Hamby (another missionary with Macedonia) celebrated their 1st anniversary in the city of Trois Rivieres about 1 hour & 20 minutes from us. Pastor Roy moved our evening church services to be part of theirs and celebrate with them. We arrived at 3 PM and everyone brought their favorite dishes and desserts and we grilled hamburgers and hot dogs! (Yes, a Baptist always loves to eat no matter where in the world they are from!!!) We played horseshoes, volleyball, football and fellowshipped with brothers and sisters in Christ (as best we could considering the language barrier!). We ended the day with a service that included testimonies and prayer.

However, when Pastor Hamby found out we would be attending, he asked Pastor Roy if everyone coming from our church could sing a choir special. Pastor Roy called and told me he would like for our family to be a part of the choir. Yes, I did tell him that we can't even speak, pronounce, or even recognize any French words much less sing. With him being the Pastor and the whole authority thing, next thing you know I'm in the choir singing in french!!! Needless to say, we did our best and learned a song while we were at it. It was a blessing for those of us who sang and for the church celebrating their first year anniversary!