PhilippePaquette.com
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Hey you,

This article is for those who ask about who I am.

It is very kind of you to express such interest. Please let me share the following information with you, but I have one essential item to mention before I do.

I am of no importance to anyone “down here” since my only objective is to please my Lord, and my sole aim in my Christian efforts is to point you to HIM, not to me.

He is the only important Person, and knowing more about Him will change your life for the better and forever.

But, since you asked, here is my Christian bio. Remember that as the Apostle Paul wrote, I am among the least in the Kingdom of God.

This profile is only a part of my synoptic Christian bio. There is more to it and more to my life in general.

I am French Canadian. My parents exclusively spoke Canadian French. My mom did take English lessons in her 60s.

I don’t remember when I learned English. I was too young. In Canada, some cities are bilingual (English and French). I was born and raised in one of those cities, so I learned English as a toddler.

My primary school (in Ottawa) was in French, my High School (in Hawkesbury, Ontario) was in both languages, and my College and University studies were in both languages. I also studied at St-Paul’s University in Koine Greek. My online post-secondary studies were all in English at the following Universities: Ottawa University, Ohio University, California Institute of Technology, and Simon Fraser Institute.

I am married and in love with the same woman and have been since we were both 14 years old in our first year of High School. That was more than over half a century ago, and I am still crazy “in love” with my incredible wife and my very best friend.

We have four children and four grandchildren: two boys and two girls in both cases. Our last child has Down Syndrome.

I came to the Lord simply by reading the New Testament when I was 21 years old. I was in my last year of college. I was not “seeking” Christ; I attempted to prove a point to my brother and help my mother.

I had an inner battle that I would describe as “psychologically violent,” at the very least, lasting for interminable weeks. I did not want HIM… too demanding… I loved my life just the way it was; why change anything?

Often, I would throw my little blue New Testament with all my might on the wall and weep like a child. I felt HE was calling me to serve HIM… and I did not want that AT ALL.

That “fight” lasted for months. Every time I would get back in my bedroom (I was living in a Commune at the time and was a student at college), I would get back to my room, and there it was, waiting to be picked up, right there on the floor.

That horrible little book of power. It was beyond me. It was stronger than I. It makes no sense, I know, but trust me, Jesus is magnificently and beautifully strange 😉

I just “had to” pick it up (New Testament) and read more lines, more verses. I felt utterly overwhelmed by the Love of the One I wanted to reject, and the battle continued. “Throw that damn book away again,” and I would fall asleep crying.

Logically, at least to me, I had to conclude. “This guy is either a lunatic, or He is who He says He is.” There are no other choices. Someone teaching you to love your neighbour can conclusively not be insane.

When I got to the 4th book, the Gospel of John, the following words suddenly arrested me in my battle. I was “taken prisoner” by Christ instantly. The words were: “I am the way, the truth and the Life” …

That was too powerful! Only God can utter such words.

Deep inside, I know that someone with such a message cannot be a lunatic, beautifully and mysteriously strange, maybe, but not a crazy man.

I knelt beside my bed, crying (again), and told Him: “Take me. I want to serve you until my very last breath.”

Remember, I was 21 years old at the time. I am now in my 70s, and I have never regretted one single second of becoming a Christian. On the contrary, my life has been full of blessings since that day. Some days were challenging, but I had a wonderful newfound friend by my side and in my soul—Jesus of Nazareth.

Yet, my initial hesitation in believing in Jesus was because I thought following Christ was a life of misery. As CS Lewis noted, I was “surprised by Joy.”

I left college (2 months before graduation) – a mistake – because I felt a calling to distribute tracts on the street and preach, attempting to bring others to Christ. I had to give my entire life to HIM.  He was too beautiful to me. He was to become the center of the rest of my life.

All my interests changed. All I wanted, now and forever, was to be a Bible geek and promote Jesus. That’s all. I had found my purpose in life.

My family by now rejected me because I told them that I was now a Christian and no longer a member of the family’s religion. Upon hearing this, my mother asked me to leave immediately. “I was no longer her son,” – she said… but I did tell her that she could remarry according to the New Testament. I explained to her that celibacy is a gift from God, and if it was her gift, then she could remarry the man she now loves, and she did.

Here I am, on the streets and penniless, literally.

Where will I eat? Where will I sleep?

The good thing was that this was now summer, so park benches would be just fine with me. The problem was food or, more specifically, the lack of it.

So, I ended up at the “Mission for Men” (refuge for street people) and never expected that they only offered a bed in a room of 50 stinking other men with dogs running around all night long. So, ask me if I slept that night. That was a horrid first night. And to my shock, they didn’t serve breakfast or any food!!!

The following day, tired, hungry, and broken, I walked and walked and walked the streets of Ottawa for the entire day until sunset.

But something happened that was about to change my life.

In High school, I was very attracted to the most beautiful girl in the entire school. All the guys tried to hook up with her, but she liked me. Since our path had been different, I had not seen her for some time until that lonely day. As I was walking with tears in my eyes and an empty stomach, I looked up, and right before me, there she was—a corner of Rideau and Cumberland. I was crossing the road going east, and she was westbound.

She was walking to her university classes but changed her mind, and she instantly took me in and gave me food and shelter. So, we lived together and became “an item.” She also became a Christian through our evening readings. (We have been together for nearly 57 years [in 2022].) I am more in love with her today than ever.

He agreed to give me the full 90 minutes of the class at college.
I did agree to share my experiences with Jesus with the class (hesitantly, trembling)

A few weeks later, one of my past fellow students and friends shared my conversion to “Christ” with the entire Class of Philosophy and asked the Professor if he could invite me to class to explain my experience. The teacher thought it might be an engaging “philosophical experience,” so he agreed to give me the full 90 minutes of the class at college. I did accept to share my experience with Jesus with the class (hesitantly, factually trembling), being so young in the faith and “scared deeply,” but I prayed for guidance.

I remember taking the bus and debarking many stops before the college to give me time to think and pray as I walked towards the large building, Bible in hand. I remember telling the Lord, “Lord, I can’t do this.” I had tears again, but I heard a soft voice: “Philippe, you don’t do this; let me do it through you,” and my courage returned.

I addressed my fellow students for 1.5 hours. I could respond to each of the many questions they posed, surprisingly. Many of them became believers in Christ during that class, and many joined my meetings. The meetings were at my girlfriend’s apartment. Before the meetings, we would go on the streets and invite everyone, including vagabonds and all. It didn’t take long before the apartment was full to capacity with dogs running around. We simply shared biblical passages and had wonderful discussions relating to our Lord. There were so many people at those meetings that I was afraid that the floor of our old building would collapse.

As time went by, I created a non-profit organization and with financial support, I purchased a store on William Street in the Byward Market in Ottawa and opened a Christian book store (see William Street below) – a few feet from the Parliament Buildings (and eventually, we created a chain of Christian bookstores in Quebec). We met many people, and they were added to our movement. Eventually, I hired an architect to draw plans for a church building and purchased a lot in Gatineau. The brothers and I started to build that church (physically). We had many excellent skilled workers, all licensed and professionasm.

I then started to publish a Christian magazine in French, and it became very much in demand. We eventually distributed this Christian mag. in over 25 Francophone Countries around the world.

Our group was non-denominational. Many were converted. We were all young, in our 20’s. By now, we were numbering the hundreds.

Some of us lived together, and we would get up at 5 in the morning to study the Bible each day.  The movement was growing at a fantastic speed. The conversions increased, and many came to the Lord and churches were established in different cities in Québec.

But somehow, decades later, something happened that made me leave the movement. Outside foreign influence came in, and I felt as if the freedom of the Holy Spirit was lost. The movement became a religion.

What a sad story.

But I shall serve my Lord until my last breath.

CURRENT MINISTRY:

Missionary work (Pakistan and India):

I also attempt to support four young non-denominational Churches in persecuted places worldwide. If you want to help, they urgently need your support.

One of these assemblies constitutes young Christians. There are over 100 in a village of 400 residents. I got them 140 Bibles, but they need far more than Bibles. These Christians live where extremist Islamists are very active (see note 1 below).

Two years ago, ISIS entered the neighbouring village (only 7 miles from one of the four supported Churches). ISIS killed (decapitated) hundreds of Christian Fathers, Mothers, and all their children and burned down 200 houses, killing all the Christians in that village close by. The same group entered another village, kidnapped all the Christian children between 4 and 14 years old after killing all their parents, and then invited the villagers to come to the local open arena. Once all the bleachers were complete, they decapitated all the children to the cheers of all the onlookers. There were many dozens of young martyrs that afternoon. For these murderers, it is a show resembling our Hockey game.