To download the prayer letter in a printable PDF format with picture and graphics, please click HERE

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God…”

~ Isaiah 61:10 ~

Over the past couple of months, we have seen the Lord continue to work in the ministry of Grace Baptist Church and provide new opportunities for ministry and outreach.  We are praising the Lord, that in March, Newfoundland lifted its state of medical emergency and removed all Covid restrictions!  It has been tremendously encouraging to see peoples’ faces again in our services as we gather together and sing, preach, and worship the Lord!

At the beginning of April, we hosted a Ladies’ Luncheon together with New Hope Baptist Church of Stephenville.  The theme was “Create in Me a Clean Heart,” and Katie and her sister, Emily, did a wonderful job with the luncheon.  Many of the ladies from both New Hope and Grace attended and were encouraged by their time together.  

With Easter Sunday falling in the month of April, we had another new opportunity for outreach.  Culturally, in Newfoundland, Good Friday services are an important part of Easter week, so we took the opportunity to have a service that day that focused on the cross of Christ and His substitutionary death.  While we didn’t have any first-time visitors, it was encouraging to see our entire church family attend.  On Easter Sunday, we hosted a brunch at the church before the morning service, and it was a good time of fellowship and joy as we celebrated the resurrection!  In the weeks following, we have had several Sundays with a full house, which has caused us to need more chairs for our auditorium!  Thankfully, another church in the area was selling some of its old chairs and we were able to get them for a good price!

In May, we launched our Outreach Project at Grace which, over the next few years, will result in mailing postcards to every residence in Corner Brook and following up on foot by placing door-hanger packets at every address.  Our people are excited to begin and we have chosen to try to reach about 1400 houses this summer!  Please pray with us that God would bless this outreach, and that we would see a harvest of souls as a result.

At the end of May, the O’Briens will be returning to the States for furlough to raise some much-needed support, so our family will be covering the services at New Hope Baptist in Stephenville until they return.  Please pray for strength, wisdom, and safety as we travel back and forth to Stephenville and oversee the two ministries.

Family Updates

If you ask the kids what the highlight of the last few months has been, they would say without hesitation, “Mimi and Bumpa!”  

Katie’s parents arrived last month and we have enjoyed spending some family time with them and the O’Briens together.  One special treat was that we were all able to take day trip to see a massive iceberg in a bay about 2.5 hours away!  Both of Katie’s parents are retired and plan to spend the entire summer here in Newfoundland, helping out with the ministries.  They both have served faithfully in their local church for many years, and it will be a tremendous help and blessing having them here.

On the immigration front, we were excited to receive an extension to our original Visitor Record (temporary residency).  Because of the move to Corner Brook, we had to update our VR to reflect our new ministry location.  When we received them in the mail, not only were they updated, but they were extended until 2025!  We praise the Lord for this because it allows us a little bit of breathing room to try to work out the finer details of applying for permanent residency.  Please make our permanent residency a matter of prayer as we continue to work through the application process.

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

____________________________________________________________

To download the prayer letter in a printable PDF format with picture and graphics, please click HERE