We pray that this new year is going well for you. At the beginning of January, we had the added bonus of a second visit with Jason's sister, as she was delayed due to the winter storm on the East Coast! So, after a hard good-bye, we were able to welcome her back to our place for extra time between aunt and niece. It was also nice having Jason & his sister together, as their grandpa passed away at the beginning of the year. We continue to pray for their grandma and look forward to when she can visit or we can see her. We celebrated Lydia turning one year's old and are waiting with excitement for her to still take her first unassisted steps. We will let you know when that happens!
Here is a picture of Lydia, us and Mamie, that Andréa's uncle took on the day that Lydia turned one:
Our days and house have been filled with French language school since the second week of January. The hours of schooling are starting to pay-off, as Jason has just recently felt like he got over one of the learning blocks. Please pray that he will continue, in diligence, to learn and expand in his abilities. Andréa is thoroughly enjoying developing the curriculum for the Fleur de Lys program, as well as teaching from the comforts of home. It has taken a couple of weeks to get into a groove of balancing the different teaching hours, prepping hours, Lydia awake/nap time, and all of the other aspects of the day, but we are feeling more comfortable as February is underway.
A big theme for this month has been joy and asking God to give us His joy, especially during this time of learning and waiting (waiting for improved linguistic capabilities and for physical healing). It is very easy in our sin nature to focus on the challenging things around us and Satan likes to manipulate and use those to steal our joy. We have been both digging into the eighth chapter of Romans for 2018. And, so very à propos, is how Romans 8:36-39 discusses how we are "regarded as sheep to be slaughtered" but in Christ "we are more than conquerors". Consequently, we are focusing on putting on the full armor of God every morning and not to be swayed by the distractions but to strive to attain God's joy, because nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
Some "newness" from this last month that we are excited about is, first of all, a Family on Mission course that we doing over the course of three months. For this we get to be with leaders and church members from three churches in the greater north shore area. It's enjoyable hearing and being involved in the direction of local churches and the greater goal of multiplying the church in Québec. Here is a picture from our first meeting, that the pastor of our church took. If you look closely, you will find the head of Andréa and Lydia:
Another exciting addition, with much thanks to God's providence, is that the mom's group that Andréa has been helping lead is adding on a second group. We are excited to be offering a different time (afternoons), day, and location that will be able to meet the needs of other moms who haven't been able to make the current group time work with their schedule. If you are praying for the moms, here, please continue to pray for us as we continue to meet on Wednesday mornings and now on Tuesday afternoons! God is at work, as there are many moms who feel isolated at home all week and are searching for belonging, support, and Truth.
Last week, Andréa received a phone call for a colonoscopy this coming Friday, February 16th at 12:30 pm (EST)!! Please pray with us as we manage the preparation and recovery of the procedure. We are also praying that the Lord will guide the doctor in seeing particulars and also his recommendations. This GI doctor is the best lead we have had since arriving in Québec and it came along providentially through Andréa's BSF leader's husbands internship at a hospital in Montréal. The doctor won't consult with us until the procedure is done, so we pray that he will have plenty to talk about, based-off of what he sees!
February is proving to be a VERY quick month! We appreciate your prayers and thoughts as we look forward to some added/new activities:
- Continued language learning and joy in this period for Jason.
- Healing and recovery after the colonoscopy for Andréa.
- Lydia walking?!
- A yearly pastor/leaders + wives/kids retreat, an annual church meeting, our Family on Mission training.
- A visit to Québec's winter carnival with friends!
We are ever so grateful for your prayer and support in our lives! We love hearing from you! Let us know what is going on in your lives and how we can continue to pray for you in specific ways.
For His Glory,
Jason, Andréa & Lydia Maul
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