It has certainly been an interesting start to 2022. Pandemic hysteria morphed into pandemic fatigue, with protests popping up all over Canada, only to be replaced by wars and rumours of wars—and we’re only in March! Only the Lord knows what’s in store for us in 2022. In the winter months, Pastor Johnston and I have been visiting church families (regulars and absentees), as well as visitors who came to church recently. It’s been a blessing to build a closer relationship, minister together, and learn what a pastor’s heart for his people looks like in action.
After a successful Christmas play in December, we decided to do another program for Easter with our teens and adults. For the past couple of months, we’ve been working to memorize and encourage our teenagers to once again stretch themselves and be used to give the Gospel through a series of monologues centered around the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. My wife has been working tirelessly to make costumes for the play, using all of her shopping and sewing skills to purchase sheets from thrift stores, tear them up, and then cut and sew them into authentic-looking costumes. I’ll be taking a speaking role myself this time around, and I’m excited and nervous all at the same time!
Teen IMPACT is going well, as we’ve recently finished the Biblical Answers series and have been going through a series of lessons on “Developing the Heart of a Missionary.” They’re memorizing verses like crazy, reading books of the Bible, and reading a book about praying for the lost; and some are still working to get out the little Gospel of John books. I’m encouraged by their progress, and I’m praying for these actions to develop into habits that last a lifetime.
The second round of Gospel postcard mailing (thejohn316story.com) is still ongoing in our surrounding areas. We’re getting them out on foot and door to door as well. Many thousands of homes have received some form of Gospel literature either in the mail or door to door in the past couple of years since COVID began.
Prayer Requests
• Teen Gospel Outreach: Pray for those who’ve received one of the Gospel of John booklets already and for those we’ll give out in the days ahead. Pray for the teens in the Greater Toronto Area and for us as we try to do our part to minister to them.
• Gospel Light Baptist Church Youth: Pray for new teenagers in our youth group, as well as for the older ones quickly approaching graduation and the next step of their lives. Please pray that they would know and follow God’s will for their lives.
• Teen IMPACT: We will finish the 2021/2022 season at the end of March. Please pray that the lessons will have an impact on their spiritual walks and challenge them to jump in headfirst in serving God as missionaries either at home or abroad.
• Gospel Mailers: Please pray for God to move in the hearts of people. Many are slow to respond when they’ve either been witnessed to at their door or have been given a Gospel tract; some have taken many months before reaching out or visiting.
• Easter Program: Pray that we will do well memorizing and reciting our lines so that the Gospel is clearly presented.
• Soul-Winning and Faithfulness Rally: On April 2, our church is holding this rally to encourage our church family, along with other sister churches in the area. Pray for more home-grown labourers to get into the harvest field.
• Permanent Residency: Pray that God would show us a way to be able to stay in Canada long-term. In our current state, the government could simply decide we don’t need to be here anymore and send us away. We need much wisdom.
For the Cause of Christ,
Brian Hebert
