Ministry Update :: August 2023

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Naomi

Dear Friends,
We’ve stayed close to home this summer, but have somehow kept very busy still as we’ve tended to our garden, enjoyed time with friends, attended Naomi’s cousin’s wedding, and kept up with work and church responsibilities.

Ministry News

No Ordinary Story Series Audiobook
Last week we began recording book five of the eight book set, so we’re past the halfway point! It is slow going as we have to do at least two takes on everything, and we can only do a few hours a day before voices start to give out. I am discovering how many words I mispronounce! Naomi also spends time in the recording studio as she is the voice for all the Scripture in the book series.

Speaking Opportunities
I’ve had a couple speaking opportunities this summer, one at the church we regularly attend, and another one this weekend at a supporting church 1.5 hrs north of here.

Bible School in Texas
The last week of August I’ll be traveling to Texas to help teach a Creation-to-Christ course at 3D Training Center (Disciple, Develop, Disperse), a small 1-year Christian school. We will be kicking off their school year by teaching By This Name to the student body of around 20 students.

A Note from a Pastor
We recently received this note from a pastor in the US: “ I wanted to write to encourage you that your book has had a tremendous impact in the life of our church…. Many people, most likely hundreds, have come to know Christ in the last 15 years.”

Partnering with Missionaries Overseas
A few weeks ago, a missionary couple stopped by to pick up a large quantity of books for their ministry in Mexico. They, along with another visitor, joined us for a bite of lunch. As we all sat around, hearing about ministry in Mexico and how GS tools were used there, our other visitor commented, “This is what GoodSeed does!” As he observed in person how we partnered with this one couple to enrich their ministry and knowing that GoodSeed helps many more, he could see that GoodSeed is a multiplying ministry – helping others multiply their efforts for the Gospel.

Family Happenings

Ethan had a good week at a fly fishing camp with his grandfather who was the speaker for the week. This was followed up with Ethan volunteering at the camp for the next week which he really enjoyed.

Naomi, Ellie and Ethan volunteered at VBS at our church for a week and Adelaine has kept busy nannying twin girls of some friends of ours

We built a new greenhouse.

Prayer Requests

Family stuff:

That Ellie will be able to find a suitable job.
A replacement vehicle for Troy. If you know of something, esp. something AWD and less that $5000, please let us know.
That each one in our family would know Christ better and desire to serve Him.

Ministry stuff:

For Troy as he speaks this weekend and travels to and ministers in TX next week.
That we can get the audiobook recording finished. This project has had so many interruptions and obstacles.
For John Cross (Naomi’s dad), as he is making good progress on his writing of another book – Draft 1 almost complete.

We want to thank you for joining us in prayer and support for our ministry with GoodSeed and our family.

Troy & Naomi

P.S. A few photos from a family camping trip a week ago.

Geodesic Dome Greenhouse 2.0

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Troy

The greenhouse is dead. Long live the greenhouse!

After 9 years with us, and at least 3 years with the previous owners, our old greenhouse was rotting out. Spruce wood and high humidity don’t mix well, and some of the boards hardly had any solid wood left. But even in this condition, the dome could support my weight when I hung from the top.But it was time to go and in late May we tore it down and gathered materials to make a new one.

The new dome would be the same footprint, but with a different connection style. We used ABS pipes as hubs instead of having the wood come together in complex joints. This made cutting the wood pieces much easier.

The plans we used: https://acidome.com/lab/calc/#Flat_7/12_Piped_D90_3V_R2.75_beams_50.8×38

This dome is a 7/12th dome (just over half a sphere)

It is 5.4 meters across (or 18 ft, or approximately 1/20th a football field for my American friends), and just over 3 m or 10 ft high at the centre.

165 boards in 5 different lengths (would be just 3 but we want a flat base).

61 pieces of ABS pipe cut into rings as connectors.

Once the frame is up, you have to cover it. We ordered some greenhouse grade poly to cover it, but then there is the challenge of covering a partial sphere with a flat material. We ended up going in in rows.

The peak of our dome is a pentagon, so we decided to do one piece for the whole top to reduce the chance of leaks. This mean we had to do some folding to get it over the curve, but the folds are hidden under the cedar straps we put on. The plastic is stapled in place, then thin wooden straps to help hold it down in the wind.

The peak is hard to do as it is all ladder work. You could probably climb the structure, but cedar is a weak wood and I didn’t want to trust it.

We decided to cut the greenhouse plastic into strips rather than larger geometric shapes. It worked pretty well, and it gives good overlap from one layer on down. We were often able to do 4 or 5 triangles in a row at a time.

Putting up the center and the next layer down were the hardest, and that layer we had to work around the two windows. Lower than that it got much easier.

Putting on the plastic skin took a lot longer than I thought as each piece had to be cut out, stapled, and then straps put on to help hold the plastic in place.

Once the inside ladder work was done you can see Naomi at work planting tomatoes and peppers.

Ministry Update :: Fall 2021

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Troy

Fall 2021

We have been enjoying an unusually warm Fall here in Central Alberta, which was really helpful in doing yard work and cutting and splitting wood. Winter is coming, and they tell us it will be cold and snowy. Two of the kids have snow shoveling jobs, so they are hoping for snow!
Here are some highlights from the Fall:

Oct 19: We started an online weekly Bible study with two ladies through our church. We’re teaching them through No Ordinary Story. The material seems to be answering a lot of questions for both women and they are very appreciative.

Oct 29: Ethan turned 13! We’re so thankful for our growing young man (who has now surpassed in height all the females in the family).

These pictures are from the moment when we discovered he had grown taller than both his sisters in the previous month, and this was just a few days before his 13th birthday. Thrilled him to the core. The girls? Not so much.

Part of celebrating his birthday was going on an icy walk to the waterfalls in Johnson’s Canyon in Banff National Park, and Cows Ice cream in downtown Banff. A beautiful day in God’s creation!

Nov 2: New warehouse shelving arrived in our office, desperately needed to organize our very crowded warehouse. It has taken a great deal of heaving and hauling over many days to get cases of books lifted off the pallets on the floor and up onto the shelves, but our warehouse is becoming much more efficient and manageable as a result. With so many supply issues, and paper costs rising rapidly, we are thankful to have a full warehouse ready to ship evangelism resources.

Nov 11-14: “No Ordinary Weekend” retreat – We weren’t sure if we’d be able to have one in 2021, but thankfully 50 others joined in for this evangelistic weekend. The series No Ordinary Story was taught to the teens and adults, and The Lamb to the kids. Troy and Naomi assisted in the presentation to the adults and Ellie, Adelaine and Ethan helped with the childrens’ program. While it was a smaller group than previous years, it was clear that a number were coming to a clear understanding of the Gospel for the first time and we know there were those who “passed from death to life” over the weekend. And there is a lot of excitement and interest building for the one planned for February! Praise the Lord! Check it out at noordinaryweekend.com and talk to us if you want to know more.

Nov 15: Finally, after many delays, the Radio Theatre version of the No Ordinary Series arrived in our office. This dramatic/musical presentation presents a creation-to-cross message through the lives of 3 individuals. Their stories (based upon the true testimonies of 3 individuals) are blended with 17 songs to present the Gospel message. We look forward to sharing more about this new tool with you!

Thanks so much for your prayers and support for us. We are keenly aware that none of the great things the Lord is doing through the ministry of GoodSeed would be possible if it weren’t for people like you giving generously and praying faithfully for us and the ministry. We’re so grateful.

Troy & Naomi

Fall 2021 Family Photos

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Troy

Do I Really Believe This?

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Troy

About 15 years ago, a church in Des Moines, Iowa start using The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus as a key component in ensuring their people had a clear understanding of the gospel. Basically, anyone new to the church, looking to join a small group, or wanting to become a church member first gets funneled into their “Starting Point” class. Over eight weeks, the class studies The Stranger book, and that way the entire congregation has the same foundations on which the pastors can build.

Do I really believe this?
This is Tyler’s story, and it comes from a public Facebook post from this church.

I have been a church goer all my life. Thus, Jesus, or at the very least the idea of Jesus, has always been a part of who I am. I am also a very factual person. I question and look for evidence and proof before making decisions. This inherently lead me for a few years to occasionally ask the questions “Do I really believe this?” or “How can I be sure? I began to look at church as a chore and something I had to do. It was not a productive or fulfilling time for me. I didn’t seek out Bible study groups or spend any time in the word.

So, although I was a church goer, it wasn’t until I went through the Soteria’s Starting Point Class where things began to click. The factual nature of the “Stranger on the Road to Emmaus” started giving me the insight I was looking for. The ever-lingering questions of “Do I really believe this?” or “How can I be sure?” began to fade and were replaced by requests like “Lord help me understand” or “Lord use me to do your will”. Fast forward a few months or so and pastor Mike did a two-week series on “Can We Trust Our Bibles?”. This put the final nail in the coffin and gave my annoyingly inquisitive mind the resolution I didn’t realize I was looking for.

In summary, in the past I could put up a good front and say the right things when asked, but it wasn’t until recently that I truly believed for myself that Jesus dies for our sins and credited us his righteousness. There is a new energy in who I am. I am excited and eager to go to church, be part of a growth group, and spend time in the Word. I look forward to growing and strengthening my faith in the years to come and leading my family in a God fearing, God first manner.

It is amazing what a clearly understood Gospel can do for people, even for people who have been going to church their whole lives!

This church is not alone
It seems that their approach to using The Stranger has caught on with other churches around them. We recently had a large order of books going to a nearby church, and we gave them a call to ask what they were doing. The church secretary told us that about 10 years ago, another church in the area also created a “Starting Point” course, which studies The Stranger as well. They run 3 courses each year and often have around 30 people attend each course on average. She also shared a quick story of her own. Her daughter started dating a fellow who wasn’t a believer, but began coming to church with her. The mother taught him through the course and he became a believer by its completion.

In the past week alone, we’ve had orders from five other churches in and around Des Moines, Iowa, plus a number more in the last few months. We don’t usually have the opportunity to speak to those ordering the books, but from what we can see, it seems that this approach to grounding a congregation is catching on in that area and we think that’s pretty cool!

Together with you for the Gospel.

Troy & Naomi