Russ & Meredith Martin - Singapore

Friday Night Community Group
After a grueling week of work and late night calls with colleagues around the world, the last thing we often want to do on a Friday is have more people to care for and interact with in our home. However, by faith, we have stepped into leading a community group through the church plant we are involved in.

Each Friday 15+ adults squeeze into our tiny flat to enjoy a meal together and interact on God’s Word. We have recently been doing a series on gospel emphasis exploring how the gospel isn’t a philosophy, but a person.

It has been rewarding to watch our friends internalize that Jesus (through God’s Spirit) is with us in all moments and aspects of our life. This changes everything and makes his resurrection power available to us. We have seen the group really bond well together in gospel friendships.

Women's’ Discipleship Group
Piano notes and 12 ladies' voices filled our neighbour's homes every Tuesday at 9am as our women's' Bible study of Ephesians started with a song of worship. Meredith has been helping to champion the development of women's’ discipleship at church. 

This past year God gave us a wonderful flat, centrally located, with a wide living room and just the right furniture (2 couches, large table) to become a key hosting location for the new community. Beyond coffee and croissants we feasted on truths that Christ is the cornerstone, our identity is in him and of the Holy Spirit's available power to life in unity with others in God's Kingdom.

Heath’s Medical Emergency on a Ferry
Recently Heath has had some sudden and significant challenges breathing while we were out-of-country on a church retreat. (Since Singapore is an island, people often leave the country to go to a neighboring country for respite).

While we carry a variety of medical supplies for emergencies (Epipen, puffers, etc…), it was a tense situation. On the ferry return to Singapore, we were thankful to have two doctors (pictured above) from our congregation (one works in the emergency room) with us to monitor and advise. Upon arrival into Singapore Heath went to the children’s hospital and stabilized in about 4 hours.

We are thankful for the proximity to good medical care in Singapore and God’s protection of Heath.

WBC Friends, we are thankful for your prayer and financial support that enables us to use our home to be a blessing to others as we lead the next generation of missions in Asia.

Recent Highlights
A. Mother's Day cake by Gwenyth
B. Wyatt's Japanese Baseball League
C. Time with friends on a church retreat

Raul & Jessenia Espinoza - Guayaquil, Ecuador

Espinozas in Ecuador

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” 
1 Chronicles 16:34

Hello dear praying friends!

It’s been a while, so it’s time for an update! This new year has been a bit of a whirlwind; one with lots of changes and good things.

Firstly, the school year ended in February, and with it came the end of an era at the school as the only principal the school has ever had, retired. Her going away party, though sad, was also a fullfilling time of remembering how God has been faithful throughout the school’s existence.

The next months were very busy for Raul and the school board as they took on the role of organizing the school in the principal’s absence until a replacement could be found. Thank you for your prayers in this matter- at the beginning of May, the school board decided to offer the position to Maritza, a woman who has known the school since it’s beginning and has been working at our school this past year in a leadership role. She accepted and we are encouraged by her servant’s heart and eager desire to help in serving the children of Bastion. Our hearts are full, having seen God’s hand in bringing Maritza to leadership at the school and we are looking forward to what God has in store.

In March, our church held a VBS and many of our youth volunteered to help out. We were so encouraged to see them having fun serving together. In a neighbourhood where they could have been doing many unhealthy things during their school vacations, it filled our hearts to see them choosing to spend time with their church family. In doing so, they strengthened their friendships with each other and we hope that as we go into the new youth season here in June, these friendships will continue to grow and help ground these young people in the path they are choosing to stay on.

At the beginning of April, we were privileged to host the Wallenstein team who came to help out at El Faro Camp.  Due to Covid, visitors from Canada have been sparse for the last 3 years, and so it was so fun to once again be the bridge between Canada and Ecuador as we introduced our Canadian friends to our Ecuadorian ones. It was also good to be back at camp with the children and be reminded of how many of them come from difficult backgrounds and how the love they receive at camp is a blessing for them.

As soon as camp ended, we whisked our family onto an airplane with the Wallenstein team and headed to Canada for Jessenia’s brother’s wedding. Though colds made us have to cancel a few plans, we had a great time making quality memories with Jessenia’s family, and the highlights were definitely the wedding and seeing our children connect with their Canadian cousins. Also, our boys had their birthdays! We can’t believe we now have a 3 year old and a 1 year old in our family.

Now we are settling back into work here in Ecuador with hearts grateful for our support system up in Canada and ready to plug into life here again.

Prayer requests for what comes next:

• Safety- the gang situation in Guayaquil has grown concerning in the past year. We are saddened by how it has touched Bastion. Though we do not live in fear, we do find we need to take extra precautions when we do things, “just in case”.

• The new youth-group season is starting. Please pray that God would work in these young people’s hearts and they would make following Him their life’s purpose.

• That the school year would continue strong and that the teachers would keep Christ foremost as they teach.

Thank you for your prayers for the work here in Ecuador!

The Espinozas (Raul, Jessenia, Tiago, and Danilo)

Charlotte Martin (Power to Change)

On the road to Ottawa

As you receive this update I will be on my way to Ottawa to visit our PRAXIS mission trip which has seven students and four staff participating in the five and a half week trip.

This mission trip focuses on helping students grow as missional leaders by integrating spiritual formation with missional practice. The trip helps participants go deeper in knowing God by incorporating spiritual practices like sabbath and Examen into their weekly schedule as well as living out a communal rule of life together. For ministry activities, participants will be engaging with different urban ministries across the city that are serving vulnerable populations. 

I am looking forward to joining this group for a few days of ministry as well as their mid-point retreat. Here’s what a few students said in their applications about why they applied for this mission trip:

"I realized part of my initial reluctance to go on missions was rooted in my desire for control. I already had a plan that I wasn’t excited about redoing . . . I realized this trip was a unique opportunity to deepen my faith and gain valuable skills to better share Christ's light with those around me." 
Emily, 4th year
University of British Columbia
Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Health

"I want to learn more about how to live missionally in my community. I will be finishing university at the end of this semester, and I want to see how to live on mission afterwards."
Alana, 5th year
University of Saskatchewan
Education

"I fell in love with missions during PRAXIS Edmonton [last year]. . . . This year I felt God calling me to Ottawa, but I was fearful of the unknowns. In response, God challenged me and asked: ‘Do you trust me?’. . . I let go of my perceived control and trust that God is guiding me. He reminded me that ‘growth does not happen in comfort.’ So, as a leap of faith, I am applying for PRAXIS Ottawa."
Jeneya, 3rd year
University of Alberta
Economics

Here are some prayer requests for my time in Ottawa, May 30 - June 5:

• Pray that I would see opportunities to serve and care for the participants and leaders. Pray for good connections and conversations and that I could be an encouragement to those I interact with.

• Pray that scheduling would work out so that I could experience some of the ministry opportunities along with the team.

• Pray for safety as I drive to and from Ottawa

Excited to serve Him,

Trevor & Hannah Martin - Power to Change

Engaging The Campus

Just as Jesus had compassion on the crowds, Laura and Kayla looked at their campus and knew they needed to do something.  They worked hard to rally other Power to Change students to join them to engage the campus in spiritual conversations using a tool called 'Perspective Banners'. The Banners lead people through a conversation of their views on the nature of God, meaning of life, state of human nature, view of Jesus, and source of spiritual truth. It is rare opportunity for people to have deep yet open conversations on campus, and many people shared how much they appreciated the conversations. 

Kayla is with Aman and Kat in the picture above. Aman and Kat are on the Laurier varsity basketball team.  They took time out of their very busy schedule of school, training and competition to have conversations with people. In taking this step of faith, they not only got to talk to people that day, but also learned how to have deeper spiritual conversations with their friends. We are excited to hear what opportunities God brings for them to have conversations with their friends. Please pray for these Christian students as they continue to find ways to help their friends take their next step towards Jesus. 

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PRAYER REQUESTS

1) For Daniel, a Laurier student, who is recovering from a stroke and heart surgery this past semester. Plus his mom who also had a stroke not too long ago. 

2) For Jared and Carissa, new staff on the Waterloo team, who are building their support team so they can be full-time on campus in September!

3) For Amelia who has been having nosebleeds almost every night. It is interrupting her sleep which has been impacting different areas of her life. 

Do you have a a prayer request? Please drop us a line and we'd be happy to pray for you.

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FAMILY FUN

Robert & Susan Martin - Kingston Prison Ministry

Dear friends,
 
We are rejoicing in the splendour of the changing of seasons and the new life springing up around us.
Of greater splendor is the sacrificial death of our Saviour that brings newness of life to each and every believer in Him. Furthermore, Jesus Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of ours!  What an incredible hope we have because of Him.

"But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.
He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died."
1 Corinthians 15:20 

The Lord is continuing to provide opportunities to have meaningful contacts with those whom society has rejected because of their unfortunate choices. 

A recent contact is Kevin. He was raised in a faith-based family and was involved significantly in his church. His parents taught and lived the example of what it means to be honest and hardworking. In his twenties he had a serious accident, which caused him to doubt God’s goodness and it was at this time that he allowed the world to squeeze him into its mold. 
 
His lifestyle steered him in the direction towards crimes, which eventually brought him to prison and this has humbled him immensely.  He has acknowledged his errors and sin. Through Bible study he is seeking God’s wisdom and strength to honour his senior parents and reconnect with his adult children. 
 
Kevin values our attempt to understand and support him on this journey. One on one visits and prayer times together are often bathed with tears.
Kevin is one of several individuals in similar situations. We know God loves and cares deeply for men like Kevin and we have seen the lifechanging results of the gospel in the hearts of men who have humbly repented and come to trust in the Saviour. 
 
Thank you for praying for us. We are grateful for your interest and support of our ministry to men in prison. We need His grace and wisdom to accomplish His will for His glory. 

May God bless abundantly in each of your lives as well.

With love in our Saviour,
Robert and Susan

Our mailing address is:
Prison Minstry, Kingston
PO Box 20051
Kingston, ON K7P 2T6

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