Each one of these pictures has a story behind it... but I will only share one.
This past month has brought opportunities for me to preach in French and English at several churches, go to Florida for a global gathering for the Acts 29 church planting network with about 1,300 men and women from over 50 countries, serve our neighbourhood with a team of young adults on a mission trip to Montreal, visit Maine for a family vacation, explore a bicycle clinic as a way of ministry, I've started giving my muslim friend rides to the hospital twice a week which gives me a few hours each time with him and his brother... and more!
These were great but I really want to highlight a great story I would love for you to pray for. Last Monday I was studying at a cafe and exchanged only a brief hello with someone else at the table near me; a small gesture that may seem very insignificant. Then, two days later at the same cafe I saw this guy come in again that morning and we ended up having a lengthy conversation about life and faith.
This man, a quebecois born and raised, has lived probably one of the most alienated experiences from religion as he understands it; a foster child from 6 months old, raised and educated in the catholic church before the quiet revolution, coming out gay from his teenage years, a fashion designer in Montreal, and now retired in his 70's, living in our area.
Through taking interest in his story I was able to share with him how much of God's grace and love I see in his life. I shared how God, the ultimate "fashion designer," has created us in love in his image according to his design and purpose and that every good thing we experience in this lifetime is because of grace, a love from God that none of us deserves. And one day we will either enjoy the full presence of that love in Him, or apart from Him we will experience the complete absence of that love and grace.
I was in the cafe that week studying to preach on Ephesians 1:1-14 in which Paul writes, "in love He predestined us for adoption to Himself" and I can't help but see the amazing message that this is for someone like Marcel who himself has experienced great love through his adoptive parents. Through adoption, by God's grace, Marcel was chosen into a family with a future of blessings he otherwise would not have had. I shared this with Marcel as I turned the Bible to him to read for himself.
Marcel's response struck me as he said (at 72 years old) he's never met someone who shared God's love with him until that day. He also said "for some reason" I stood out to him that Monday and he didn't know what that "something" was, but that after our conversation and sharing God's love, he now knows what that "something" is.
This is why were are here. Even during Montreal's pride week which could seem like a hard time to share God's love with that community (an evangelist was arrested for proclaiming a gospel message in Toronto's gay village during their pride month in June), the Gospel is good news to all people, everywhere, at all times. Now, I gave Marcel a copy of the Gospel of John for him to read at home and we will meet regularly to talk more. My prayer is that Marcel would meet Jesus and know the love of adoption by God our Father.
This is just one example of the work God is doing here in our mission to introduce neighbours to Jesus and build up his Church here in Quebec through evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.
Thank you for being with us in your prayer and support!
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