Our Last Night in PEI

Tonight we finished the final service of the Bible conference at Grace Baptist Church in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Just a few minutes ago Marlene finished packing, tomorrow we turn in our rental car, and around noon we start the long trip back home. Before leaving this lovely spot, I want to say thank you to Pastor Stephen Bray for the invitation to come to the church and to the island.

Canadians generally are a bit more reserved than most Americans so while you are preaching, you aren’t sure how it’s going over. But after the services, the people are without fail very warm and friendly. Tonight I had a bit of a problem with the headset—it wouldn’t stay on my head, and every time I tried to adjust it while speaking, it got worse until the mic was sticking straight out, perpendicular to my face. Finally the pastor said, “Just take it off.” So I did and then it bounced from front to back while I preached. I think the people got a good chuckle out of that. 

We learned a lot about potatoes during our visit, and we ate our first poutine—a mix of French Fries, gravy and cheese curds. Very tasty—and good for you, especially on a chilly Saturday night. And we had squash soup—a first for me. I doubled or tripled or quadrupled my knowledge of Anne of Green Gables, a subject to which I had previously given no thought at all. 

The venerable Martin Stewart (Pastor Steve joked that he was as old as Methuselah), who hails from Belfast, Northern Ireland, sang “I Saw One Hanging On a Tree” by John Newton. Though he is somewhere north of 70 years old, Martin is full of vim, vigor, vitality, with an irrepressible sense of humor, a lilting Irish brogue, and a twinkle in his eyes. More than once this weekend, he shared with me a little acrostic that his father taught him when he was a young boy.

Jesus
Exactly
Suits
Us
Sinners

Evangelical churches on the island tend to be small. I don’t think there is a church that averages 500 on Sunday morning. A church of 300 would be large in this part of Canada.

Marlene enjoyed speaking to the women yesterday and several of them told me how much they enjoyed her talk. 

You never know the real impact of your ministry. In April 2007 I spoke at New Brunswick Bible Institute for their spring Bible conference. Tonight I met a 74-year-old man who has served as a missionary for 54 years. He has battled cancer, heart problems, and a stroke. Although he didn’t come to the Bible conference last year, someone gave him a set of my tapes on the parables of Christ. With great emotion, this dear saint gripped my hand and said how much the messages had meant to him when he felt like his service for Christ was over. His wife said they listen to them over and over when they travel.

So you never really know. Marlene often reminds me that we aren’t the best judges of our own effectiveness. I am glad for every chance we get to encourage people to keep believing when the going gets tough—which it does for all of us sooner or later. 

After the service tonight, a woman stopped me and said, “That message was exactly what I needed to hear.” To me that’s a sign that the Holy Spirit is at work.

It’s been a good five days on “the Gentle Island” and now it’s time to go home.