To download a printable PDF of this prayer letter with pictures and full graphics, please click HERE

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

~ Psalm 116:5 ~

The past few months have given us the opportunity to experience the grace of God in ways that we have never before needed. Through it all, the Lord has continued to teach us that He alone is sufficient for everything that we need. Whether it is comfort, strength, wisdom or guidance — He is sufficient for what we need, when we need it.  

As many of you may know, in late October, after going to the emergency room for other symptoms, my (Matt’s) Dad was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of melanoma. After a very brief, but valiant, battle with the cancer, Dad entered into the presence of his Saviour on December 27, 2018. 

At Dad’s memorial service the following Sunday, we were  overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from our church family and many family and friends who came from far away to honour Dad’s life and legacy. While many more were not able to attend because of the short notice, a vast number wrote and shared personal stories of just how much of an impact Dad had in their lives and ministry. Although not in vocational ministry, Dad’s life was a testimony of service and love for people. As I read through the pages of notes and memories, I was amazed at the far-reaching impact that Dad had in so many lives and ministries. I am truly blessed and thankful for the Godly heritage and example that has been passed down to me by my father, and I look forward to the day we will be reunited again in the presence of our gracious Saviour in the splendor of heaven. 

Through all of this, we praise the Lord that He gave us enough flexibility in our travel schedule to be able to both spend some quality time with Dad before his home going, and help my mom take care of the many business affairs of the estate afterward. We are so grateful to all of you who were so gracious in allowing us to reschedule meetings and juggle things around so that we could be with our family during this time. 

We resumed our full-time furlough travels at the beginning of February, and we have put on the miles since then. Our travels have taken us from eastern North Carolina, to Delaware, to Arizona and back again. March will find us in Florida for almost the entire month and April and May are spent mostly on the east coast with a trip to Vancouver and California at the end of April to visit a couple of new churches. 

As always, we covet your prayers for safety on the roads. We have driven through bright sunny days, winter storms with icy roads, severe fog and wind and seen many wrecks along the way. We do not take protection on the roads for granted, and we praise the Lord for the safety He has given us thus far.

Important Prayer Request

I (Matt) have been having some neck and shoulder issues on my left side ever since waking up with a severely stiff neck almost a year ago. Massages, stretches and other treatments have helped some, but it still has not been quite right and it really seems to get worse with the long hours of driving and holding my arms up to grip the steering wheel.  

At my yearly physical a couple of weeks ago, I talked with my doctor about it and he ordered an ultrasound on my neck to see if anything out of the ordinary showed up. The ultrasound showed the presence of a 2cm x 6cm soft tissue mass which is pressing against the jugular vein on the left side of my neck. Upon receiving the results, the doctor immediately ordered a CT scan for more details and I am scheduled for the CT scan this coming Tuesday, March 5. 

At this point, nothing more is known other than the presence of the mass. The CT scan will reveal more details and we will proceed from there once that is known. While we are resting in the Lord, knowing full well that He is in control, I would be lying if I said that we have not had our moments of worry and fear. Please pray with us that the doctors would have wisdom and properly diagnose what this is, and that God’s grace and presence would be evident as we learn to trust Him in a way that we have never before had to experience.

Furlough Scheduling

As we look towards the end of our furlough time, we still have a few churches that we have not been able to schedule yet for a meeting. If you are a supporting church and would like to have us come and report back to you, please contact me as soon as possible so that we can schedule you in the last few openings that we have available.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support. We are truly blessed to be His servants and your representatives to the people of Newfoundland.

Please be sure to download the PDF version of the prayer letter HERE to see all of the pictures and graphics in the print version.