Wednesday 28 May 2014

May Update


 
I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;” I Cor. 1:4,5 Rob is currently preaching through first Corinthians and these verses remind us of God’s provisions for us – and for you! How can we do anything but thank Him for the knowledge we need to speak His truths to a world that is lost without Him? What a blessing it is to know that as we share Christ with those on this side of the world, you are doing that same on that side!
 
Thank you for your prayers concerning our daughter, Tori, and her return to Australia . She arrived safe and sound and is feeling back to “normal” now. It is lovely to have both the girls with us. It was especially nice for Jackie to have them here for Mother’s Day! We would ask you to please keep both her and Stefanie in your prayers as they search for work. Stef needs something permanent and Tori desperately needs work over the summer to help with her college costs next term.
 
Now that we are feeling settled, it’s time to put our minds to the church and ministry here. We would ask that you lift us up in prayer as we seek to put together a calendar of events for the church – for outreach and “inreach” as we seek to be a lighthouse in our community. Rob has already been in touch with the principal at the school and we will be starting up our “grandparenting program” in the next couple of weeks. We are looking forward to being able to be a part of the lives of the kids at the school. Sunday we had a bbq at our home for our church family to see our house and know where it is since there are many things that happen here! Not everyone could come, but we managed to squeeze in about 30 people and had a great time of fellowship together.
 
A new house always means new neighbors. We’ve met some of the people on either side of us. It is our belief that God puts us in a house intentionally, because He wants us to be a witness to those around us. Please pray for direction as we meet our neighbors and seek for ways to get to know them better. Remember, it’s all about relationships in Australia !
 
Rob recently had a cuppa with the man who is pastoring the Baptist Union church that started up in Craigieburn about the same time we did. They have grown quicker than we have, but it was a bit discouraging to find out that most of their congregation comes from outside Craigieburn; in fact, he indicated that he had very few from here. God has given us a burden for this community; we would ask you to pray with us that God would work in the hearts of the people here, giving them a burden to seek out the Truth. Pray also that He would give us wisdom to know how to reach so many that are lost. As we look around, we see a community that is fairly bursting at the seams, but with seemingly no interest in spiritual matters. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be at work here as never before!
 
As a matter of praise, after our last prayer letter, a ladies mission’s group of one of our supporting churches decided to send us $500 to pay for our driver’s licenses! What an incredible blessing – and one we never expected! It is such a beautiful demonstration to us that you are reading our letters and praying for us. God continues to provide for each of our needs and we are so thankful for that. Thank you for your continued prayers for us and our ministry. Together, we know that we can Shine the Light Down Under!!
 
Rob and Jackie