Soccer, Sustenance, and Salvation!

Hello Dear Family and Friends!

It’s time for us to remind you again of our deep appreciation for you in our lives! I, Phil, have been slowly writing my autobiography for my sons and our future grandchildren. Each page and season of our life has many tales of meaningful relationships, encouraging stories, and uplifting celebrations! Though I don’t list you all by name in my autobiography, I can affirm that you can never under-estimate the power and value of your support and encouragements! Thank you for being a part of our lives! We treasure you.

As the apostle Paul writes in Philippians 1:3-6,

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

And all God’s people say “Amen!”

Quick Updates:

David and Jonathan - post soccer moment

Our boys are a delight! David is a very good soccer player for his age! I coach his U8 soccer team with Jonathan as my assistant. Our team is dominating the soccer games.  Last week I couldn’t make the game and the coach I recruited to take my place wrote, “We had to put David on ice because he was on fire!” lol David is a very good player!  Playing soccer together at night has become a new, enjoyable family rhythm. Pray that David may excel in both character and team leadership as he matures.

Jonathan has a very inquisitive mind and a tender heart.  He has joined a Chess Club and is in a Scratch Coding group that develops simple video games. Jonathan also plays U10 soccer, but you can often find him at half-time with his arm around his friends talking about life. His soccer team started the season losing their games and Jonathan was getting quite discouraged. Therefore, I asked his coach if he would like to recruit David as a U8 player and if he would like my support as an assistant coach. He answered “Yes” to both requests. I am pleased to say we have won our last 3 games! I find great joy at encouraging and building up the players on Jonathan’s team who are mostly relational minded players.  David also loves the challenge of playing with older players! In summary, we know that Jonathan’s tender heart is a tremendous gift of God, but its shadow side is big feelings when life is difficult.  Pray that God may show Jonathan how to live compassionately while guarding his heart from the devil’s fiery darts.  We love our boys so much! ❤️❤️

Celebrating her 46th Birthday!

Melanie has a heart of gold and is so patient with us all! She invests herself in navigating and developing our boys in their clubs, music lessons, and play dates. This summer she has been experimenting with making ice cream and sorbet with her new birthday gift. She also has a garden and multiple fruit trees, raspberry and blueberry bushes but to date animals and birds have harvested everything! Melanie enjoys the hope of growing food for her family as she sees her boys appetites growing. Melanie has also arranged for us to host a 16-year-old male high school student from Spain in the Fall for the 10 months of school. Meaning, between church life, home life, and part-time work, Melanie is busy to make us all better at life. Our lives are indeed better because of God’s graces working through Melanie! Please pray with us as Melanie still seeks God’s divine healing as she manages her ongoing pain and migraines.  We love her so much! ❤️❤️

Phil is so grateful for all of God’s loving kindness! In recent church life, I have had the honour to hold a precious baby being dedicated, or to offer comfort to community families in grief, or to journeying with a wide range of practical and emotional needs. It is an honour to serve God’s people! ❤️ The full life that Jesus promised in John 10:10 becomes real for me when I arrive at the soccer field and kids from multiple teams run up to talk to me because we celebrated life together at our church’s Kids Group ministry. ❤️ Or again, God’s joy overflows when our church serves the community with a free BBQ and an outdoor worship service. I meet multiple neighbours who are so grateful for a church that loves God and loves all people. When we all sing together a song like the “Goodness of God” my heart reverberates with gratitude. ❤️ We’ve witnessed new salvation testimonies and have had newcomers desiring to be church members because they love God’s church! ❤️ Suffice it to say, I’ll never grow tired of sharing God’s good news because it always bears fruit through the Holy Spirit’s ministry. Pray that I may proclaim God’s good news boldly as I ought.  We love God and his Bride, His Church! ❤️❤️❤️

Celebrating Father's Day with Dad Styles

Lastly, Jonathan, David, and I will be going to Algonquin Park in August with my brothers Ken and Paul and my nephew Nathan for a 4-day canoe trip! Pray for our safety and the joy of reflecting on God’s glory in nature (Psalm 19). If we make it out alive, we’ll send you our next update in September or October.

Thank you again for your prayers and support! We send virtual hugs your way! May the joy of God’s presence fill your hearts and homes!

Love ❤️❤️,

Phil, Melanie, Jonathan, and David Styles