G’day Praying Friends:
We pray that you are enjoying your summer holidays! It is
the middle of winter for us😊 Today is a high of 54 with a low of 47 and
rain. Not complaining, though, as it will get colder! Yesterday we had a big
wind storm come through, which is always interesting. It’s always funny for us
to see pics of our friends and family in the States at the beach or enjoying
other summer activities. It warms the heart – if not the hands😊
Thank you for your continued prayers for us, personally, and
our work here, Cornerstone Baptist Church. We are excited about what God is
doing amongst us. The ladies just finished their Bible study last night on the book
of 2 Timothy. It has really changed our hearts, I do believe. I see God
touching the hearts and lives of our ladies and it just encourages me so much.
The men have 2 more lessons. Continue to lift up these godly men as they study
God’s word so they can be fantastic leaders in their homes and church.
In May we had a first ever Mother/Daughter afternoon tea. It
was one of those “ideas” that popped into my head very last minute – and I recruited
ladies from our church and our sister church to put the creative touches to it!
I’ll put some pics on our blog: ernstfamilydownunder.blogspot.com. For our
first effort, it was pretty good. We had 50 ladies attend from both churches
and everyone had a great time. I shared some encouragement from God’s word, we
played games, had a “photo booth” and LOTS of lovely afternoon tea foods! There
were calls to make it an annual event between the 2 churches, so that was good
feedback.
We’ve begun preparations for our outreach – Malcolm Creek
Mini Show – coming in September. Our theme is going to be space, so we’re
enjoying coming up with ideas for the games, activities and food! The kids will
be “astronauts” and enjoy (prayerfully) themselves. Jackie and one of the young
adults will be giving the gospel presentation (he will be dressed as an astronaut).
The thought is to show the kids (and their parents!) the beauties of God’s
creation in space, then focus on His best creation yet – them! Please be in
prayer for all the preparations – our church family is super excited about all of
it and have already done so much! Pray for the kids to come, along with their
parents. We have so many that come to this outreach (and also the Easter one)
that this is the ONLY time they hear the gospel. So many seeds have been
planted through the years. Join us in praying for fruit for eternity! The date
is Sunday, 22 September.
On a personal note, we would ask prayer for Jackie. She’s
had some issues and will be seeing a rheumatologist today, actually. Also, she
has her 3rd year visit with the oncologist on Tuesday, 16 July. We
are so thankful for God’s watch care over us!
Does anybody else have the feeling that our time is short?
More and more we feel like there is not a moment to waste. Maybe this is a
reflection of our study in 2 Timothy, seeing Paul’s heart knowing that his end on
this earth was near. I would encourage you to take another look at 2 Tim. 4:1-5.
Oh, friends, before we know it we will see His wonderful face! Fulfill YOUR
ministry!
Shining the Light Down Under,
Rob and Jackie Ernst
