Yay, springtime is here to stay!! Granted, we still had cold weather in April and some snow but we are officially out of the long winter, here in Québec. Which means that everyone is out and about after the long months of hibernation. We hope that you are doing well and enjoying some spring weather. The trees received their greenery in a three days span (last week!) and we are looking forward to the flowers to blossom just as fast!
We are so grateful for your continual support! We can’t believe it’s been one year since moving here (May 1st)! Here are a few pearls of wisdom that we have learned in retrospect: our timing is not God’s timing (Jason would love to know more French than he currently does, at this moment, but that wasn’t His will; we would have loved for Andréa to have found treatment at the beginning of the flare, but He had a plan throughout this process and still does!), the cold weather wasn’t as difficult as imagined and we enjoyed the exciting, new adventures that it brings (we shall see if that rings true next winter or not), the people of Québec are warm, family-oriented (and we are honored to be serving alongside them), and God is always equipping us for future kingdom work (the years of teaching French in Vancouver has gone directly into developing the curriculum for Fleur de Lys); our experience as new missionaries here has helped us in supporting the missionaries that are in transition in Québec before going on the field). So, the big question is, what is He equipping us for now? What is He equipping YOU for now?
At the beginning of April we took part in a three-day Pastoral Conference (for Pastors and their wives). It was an enjoyable time of connecting and worshiping with other pastors throughout Québec. The focus of the talks were on taking breaks, avoiding burnout, what it means to be a leader, and how to build a support system as a pastor. If you would like to see a short video of this time, here is a link to the highlights of the conference.
We had our first work crew come from Ontario to sheet-rock the entire second and third floor of the new construction of the church! We are now expecting two more crews in May and are very thankful for the way God has provided the means and hands in finishing-up this project so that way we can serve the community of Saint-Jérôme.
April was the last long stretch for Jason in his language program. We had to sadly say goodbye to his cohort classmate who is on her way to the field. They both showed a ton of growth in this last month of language acquisition and are more confident in social situations. This means that we are waiting for his temporary residency permit to go through and therefore allow him to start classes through the government. In the meantime, he is studying, meeting with people, and being immersed in the language, in context, as he joins leaders/pastors with their schedule. With how his language skills grew in the last month this is an ideal time for him to grow in his understanding in practical and tangible ways. We thank God for His timing in all of this.
We appreciate all of your prayers and support for Andréa’s health! The week that we sent out our last newsletter she received her first infusion for treatment! She has gone twice now, has one more “loading dose”, and after that it will be every eight weeks. It is too early to see any improvement but, thankfully, she hasn’t had any bad side effects or symptoms. She is slowly going off of the current steroid, so you can pray that her body will allow her to do that without a cause of increased symptoms (she has two weeks to go). Please join us in prayer that she will be able to see her symptoms dissipate altogether and have total healing.
We had the very unexpected surprise of seeing Jason’s sister in April! We thought we had said goodbye to her back in December for an entire year but she had an unexpected break in her schedule and said why not go to Québec! Of course she had much studying to do and we were busy with activities but it was great having her here in our every day lives.
Here are some prayer needs for this next month:
- Jason’s temporary permit process will be expedited so that way he can enroll in the government French courses (all in God’s timing, of course!).
- Our moving from one house to the next in the next month will go as smoothly as possible, especially with a walking toddler!
- Prayer for our marriage as we move towards French only (except for Saturday, family day!).
- Jason will be gone for four days as he joins the youth in serving (12-hours north of us) the Uashat people.
We
appreciate you and think of you often. We pray for how God is working
in your lives. Please let us know how you are doing and how we can pray
for you more specifically.
For His Glory,
Jason, Andréa & Lydia Maul
Jason, Andréa & Lydia Maul
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