Thank you to everyone who has continued to pray for our family and for the ministry God has given us here in the Northern Territory, Australia. Just a quick update for you so you can pray for us more specifically. :)
PRAISES!!
-Praise God the church has been growing A LOT. Just a year ago we had our family, 2-4 ladies from Barunga sitting around a table praying, reading and studying the Bible together... This morning we had close to 50 people at church! Cheri had 23 kids in Sunday School.
-The kids Bible club each week has been growing as well! Two weeks ago they had 40 children attend the club. Praise God for bringing in the kids and also their mums/dads. It's a huge blessing.
-Praise God for Pastor Patrick and his wife, Jen, who have done an excellent job connecting with the community and helping the church to reach out more!
-Our church outreach at the Venndale Rehab Centre has been going well, too. Saturday we had close to 12 men attend the service, and our church works well with the staff out at Venndale.
Prayer requests:
-Please pray for continued growth in the church. There are still 300+ people in the community who aren't attending, and we want to reach out to them as well.
-In a neighboring community, our church has been asked to take services at their church. Pray for the people we need to be able to meet this need. At this time, everyone feels "flat out" with what we're up to already! :)
-This Friday is the beginning of the teen group out in Barunga. Pray the teens would come to know the Lord and make a decision to follow Christ with their lives. Pray for Patrick and myself(Jared) as we lead the group. Pray for continued strong relationships to be built with the youth and for the Bible to set roots deep in the students' hearts.
-Please pray for all the men and women out at Venndale, as they are separated from family, going through treatment, and "turning things around". Pray for continued positive relationships and for men and women to grow in the Lord, as well as to turn to Him if they don't know Him yet!
-With all these awesome "ministry" opportunities, pray that our families
would find a balance and stay strong and healthy.
If you want to pray more specifically, comment below, and I'll contact you.
Thanks for your prayers, yumob! (y'all in Kriol) We'll keep you updated.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Sunday, September 20, 2015
A Song in His Heart
I continue to go out to Venndale Rehabilitation Centre (Drug and alcohol related) each Saturday with the church leaders to share the gospel with those clients. I began with a question, "What is God like? What do you think God is like?" and then, from their after sharing about my own assumptions of who I thought God was, I simply said, "Well, what does the Bible say? What does God tell us about who He is? Because that is the true measure of who He is, not just what we think he is like." So we looked at Creation, what does that teach us about God? What does that teach us about ourselves and our relationship to our Creator?
With each week, we could have as many as 10-12 people come to the service, 15, but they were just "checking it out". We've been doing the Venndale outreach now for 2+ months, and if ever we need to cancel it, there is always someone asking, "Are you coming again next Saturday?" There is a regular group of about 5-8 who attend most Saturdays. As you know, the services are conducted completely in Kriol, because that is the first language of many of the clients at Venndale, and a common link for many of the clients.
We open the service with prayer and song, and then after singing, I share from the Bible or one of the church leaders will share. It has been such an amazing blessing to have those ladies coming with me on a regular basis. Each week, at least 3 of us go to Venndale together, we are allowed to be a group of four, but not more.
After many weeks, I began to wonder if God was really working in their hearts, and if I was preaching what He wanted me to preach. After dropping the church leaders off in Barunga, as I drove back to Katherine I just asked God, "Please give us a break through! I want to see something happening in these men and women's lives. Please, Lord!" As they say, "Aibin geda shok" at how quickly God answered my prayer.
The following Monday (two days later) I was out at Venndale teaching Language, Literacy and Numeracy. One of the men who would frequent the service on Saturday, but was very quiet and sat in the back with his sunnies on, and cap backwards, approached me before class and said, "I wrote a song." Inside, I was like, "WHAT?!"
But on the outside, I said, "Oh, wow! That's excellent! What is it about?"
The man said, "I wrote it when I was in prison. It's your song now. I'm giving it to you. God gave it to me." He borrowed a guitar from another client, and then began to play the song God gave him. I asked if he could write it down, and he said, "It would be faster if you did." So, I typed it up. I asked him if I could share the song with others, and he told me that would be good, and that is why he gave it to me.
The following Saturday, we had the service as usual, and at the end, asked him if he wouldn't mind sharing his song. He agreed and played and sang beautifully. It went so well the church leaders asked if they would be allowed to translate it into Kriol. Praise God! The lyrics to his song are as follows:
"Jesus, you're our Savior
Our King from heaven
And we will praise your name forevermore our Lord
'cause you have died on the cross for us, on Calvary.
Oh my Lord I wanna be with you on a paradise.
And let your light let it shine on us to follow you our King.
We believe in you our King, we believe in you. (x2)
And we have seen the light on us, we will carry on.
'Cause you have shed your blood for us on Calvary.
And we will pray to you our Lord, to wash away our sins.
I believe in you my King, I believe in you.
Oh my Savior, my Lord, my King. "
Praise God for His faithfulness and his kindness to us, I am so thankful that he kindly let me see Him working in the Venndale Saturday services, and I'm so glad our church is blessed with this opportunity. Please continue to pray for us and for the Venndale folks as well. Thanks, yumob! (y'all in Kriol)
With each week, we could have as many as 10-12 people come to the service, 15, but they were just "checking it out". We've been doing the Venndale outreach now for 2+ months, and if ever we need to cancel it, there is always someone asking, "Are you coming again next Saturday?" There is a regular group of about 5-8 who attend most Saturdays. As you know, the services are conducted completely in Kriol, because that is the first language of many of the clients at Venndale, and a common link for many of the clients.
We open the service with prayer and song, and then after singing, I share from the Bible or one of the church leaders will share. It has been such an amazing blessing to have those ladies coming with me on a regular basis. Each week, at least 3 of us go to Venndale together, we are allowed to be a group of four, but not more.
After many weeks, I began to wonder if God was really working in their hearts, and if I was preaching what He wanted me to preach. After dropping the church leaders off in Barunga, as I drove back to Katherine I just asked God, "Please give us a break through! I want to see something happening in these men and women's lives. Please, Lord!" As they say, "Aibin geda shok" at how quickly God answered my prayer.
The following Monday (two days later) I was out at Venndale teaching Language, Literacy and Numeracy. One of the men who would frequent the service on Saturday, but was very quiet and sat in the back with his sunnies on, and cap backwards, approached me before class and said, "I wrote a song." Inside, I was like, "WHAT?!"
But on the outside, I said, "Oh, wow! That's excellent! What is it about?"
The man said, "I wrote it when I was in prison. It's your song now. I'm giving it to you. God gave it to me." He borrowed a guitar from another client, and then began to play the song God gave him. I asked if he could write it down, and he said, "It would be faster if you did." So, I typed it up. I asked him if I could share the song with others, and he told me that would be good, and that is why he gave it to me.
The following Saturday, we had the service as usual, and at the end, asked him if he wouldn't mind sharing his song. He agreed and played and sang beautifully. It went so well the church leaders asked if they would be allowed to translate it into Kriol. Praise God! The lyrics to his song are as follows:
"Jesus, you're our Savior
Our King from heaven
And we will praise your name forevermore our Lord
'cause you have died on the cross for us, on Calvary.
Oh my Lord I wanna be with you on a paradise.
And let your light let it shine on us to follow you our King.
We believe in you our King, we believe in you. (x2)
And we have seen the light on us, we will carry on.
'Cause you have shed your blood for us on Calvary.
And we will pray to you our Lord, to wash away our sins.
I believe in you my King, I believe in you.
Oh my Savior, my Lord, my King. "
Praise God for His faithfulness and his kindness to us, I am so thankful that he kindly let me see Him working in the Venndale Saturday services, and I'm so glad our church is blessed with this opportunity. Please continue to pray for us and for the Venndale folks as well. Thanks, yumob! (y'all in Kriol)
Saturday, July 18, 2015
God's Perfect Plan (That I often don't see!)
Throughout my life, I have been blessed to be part of things that God is doing because He has been kind to me and allowed me and my family to join in! Sometimes I don't see how God is working in different situations, but at other times, I catch small, "Oh! Wow!" moments. I don't know what is going to happen in the future, but I know God does, and everything works together for the good of those who love Him.
Something He has placed in my lap is the opportunity to reach out through the Barunga Church to the Venndale Rehabilitation Centre. I am currently working for Mission Australia as a teacher of English language, literacy, numeracy. I was teaching the Skills for Education and Employment course in Katherine, and really enjoying it.
One Sunday, a lady from our church expressed interest in reaching out beyond Barunga, with a Kriol service out at a local alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre. I spoke to the manager as well as the main person in charge at Venndale, and they were very encouraging. After several weeks of chats, getting things organized and making things "official" we were blessed to do our first Saturday evening service out at Venndale. That first service was myself, my pastor, and two of the olgamen (elder ladies) from the Barunga church--including the lady who wanted to start the outreach. :) Praise the LORD!
The Monday following our first Saturday service, my boss at Mission Australia called me and another teacher into the conference room, and we were told I would be sent out to Venndale to carry out the SEE Program there instead of in Katherine! Praise the Lord!
Through my teaching at Venndale, I have been able to build some relationships with the people there, including the staff at Venndale. On average we have had around 6-10 people attending the services, with many of the attenders being, "repeats". This is an excellent opportunity to share Christ with people who are eager to listen. Please pray for the gospel to take root, DEEP root, in their hearts, and for them to come to know the Lord or be brought closer to Him through this outreach that God has so kindly blessed us with. :)
As the folks leave Venndale, they may return to Katherine, or back to their community (Barunga, Beswick, Manyalaluk, Weemol/Bulman or even Alice Springs). Over 90% of the clients at Venndale are indigenous, and our church wants to effectively minister to them and help them to grow closer to the Lord. We covet your prayers for the men and women at Venndale, both the staff and the clients, and for our church as we reach out to them.
Praise God for this opportunity to share the hope of the gospel, and to see Him work in amazing ways!
Something He has placed in my lap is the opportunity to reach out through the Barunga Church to the Venndale Rehabilitation Centre. I am currently working for Mission Australia as a teacher of English language, literacy, numeracy. I was teaching the Skills for Education and Employment course in Katherine, and really enjoying it.
One Sunday, a lady from our church expressed interest in reaching out beyond Barunga, with a Kriol service out at a local alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre. I spoke to the manager as well as the main person in charge at Venndale, and they were very encouraging. After several weeks of chats, getting things organized and making things "official" we were blessed to do our first Saturday evening service out at Venndale. That first service was myself, my pastor, and two of the olgamen (elder ladies) from the Barunga church--including the lady who wanted to start the outreach. :) Praise the LORD!
The Monday following our first Saturday service, my boss at Mission Australia called me and another teacher into the conference room, and we were told I would be sent out to Venndale to carry out the SEE Program there instead of in Katherine! Praise the Lord!
Through my teaching at Venndale, I have been able to build some relationships with the people there, including the staff at Venndale. On average we have had around 6-10 people attending the services, with many of the attenders being, "repeats". This is an excellent opportunity to share Christ with people who are eager to listen. Please pray for the gospel to take root, DEEP root, in their hearts, and for them to come to know the Lord or be brought closer to Him through this outreach that God has so kindly blessed us with. :)
As the folks leave Venndale, they may return to Katherine, or back to their community (Barunga, Beswick, Manyalaluk, Weemol/Bulman or even Alice Springs). Over 90% of the clients at Venndale are indigenous, and our church wants to effectively minister to them and help them to grow closer to the Lord. We covet your prayers for the men and women at Venndale, both the staff and the clients, and for our church as we reach out to them.
Praise God for this opportunity to share the hope of the gospel, and to see Him work in amazing ways!
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
A 7-Day Refresher
Dear Friends and Family,
The Lord provided both of us a time to get away from the small town life of Katherine. We needed this. A break from work and ministry and children. Jesus is the reminder to us all that we need to take times away in order to be useful in the work.... He often went alone to pray to the Father, to escape the many people who "needed" him. We need to get with Him on a daily basis, but He was kind enough to us to let us escape and go somewhere else :). We chose to go to Brisbane, because that is where we were provided completely free accommodation, as well as a beautiful prayer retreat to end our trip with, in order to "get alone" with the Father. We count it a blessing that friends we trust were able to care for our children while we were away for 7 days! That is quite a lot to ask of friends... but it was such a blessing to know that our kids were safe and well-cared for while we were away. I hope and pray that God provides for them in their needs as well. Here is a daily run-down of our trip:
Day 1: We ventured out to Ipswich, QLD, where our lovely unit was waiting for us... took some time to rest from our midnight flight, and then walked on a path (in the rain :) !) to scout our some pizza for lunch...got lost, but made it anyway!
Day 2: Had a relaxing morning...then took the train to Brisbane... saw the "Wheel of Brisbane," an art gallery, and the city botanic gardens. We finished our day at a local Korean BBQ where we felt like we had left Australia and gone to Korea! EVERYONE in that restaurant was Korean, except for us. What does that tell you about the food? It was excellent! We cooked it ourselves, right on the table!
Day 3: Whale Watching Day! Lots of travel just to get there... including a long walk, as the bus didn't go near the pick-up spot. (we walked a lot on this trip :) ) But it was most definitely worth it, just to get up and close to God's beautiful creation of whales, and see them in their natural environment. Amazing. This was also the day that a U.S. aircraft carrier was pulling into the Brisbane port to drop off American military boys for the weekend... the local newspaper said, America's invading Brisbane! Oh no! :) But we saw the invasion up close and personal as well, as it delayed our travel out to the island for a bit...
Day 4: Our last full day before heading to the prayer retreat, so we decided to take it easy and stay in Ipswich, instead of heading into Brisbane again. We took a relaxed morning, went out for coffee (again) :)... and then decided to catch a matinee of "Inside Out." I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie, but it beat my expectations to say the least. We approve...not that you need our approval! :) Just a nice, relaxing day... we ended it with a short walk again.
Day 5: Early morning service at 8:30 am at a local church... rush, rush, get to the bus... miss the bus! Miss the train! Can't make it to the prayer retreat on time! ... Call our friends who live in Brisbane area... get invited over for lunch (American hot dogs, which Jared was thrilled about!)... have a nice visit with them... catch the last train to Gympie! Arrive at the prayer retreat at 8:30 pm.
Day 6: A beautiful location, for focused time in prayer with our heavenly Father. No distractions. Had a good day in quietness with the Lord, both separately, and together. Invited over to the hosts' place for dinner... which turned out to be a Bible study at their house and lots of people we didn't know! Good times though. Partook of communion as a group... sang a hymn... prayer... and looked at the Lord's prayer in Matthew. Various denominations represented. It was a very nice way to conclude our day there.
Day 7: We spent the morning at Eaglemount Prayer Retreat... then hopped on the train to get back to the Brisbane airport and head home! Arrived in Darwin at 12:30 am the next morning... drove straight home and got to our house around 5 am. Needless to say, we were tired. Picked up the children that morning... great to be back with them again. Thank you friends who watched them! We really had a nice time away.
The Lord provided both of us a time to get away from the small town life of Katherine. We needed this. A break from work and ministry and children. Jesus is the reminder to us all that we need to take times away in order to be useful in the work.... He often went alone to pray to the Father, to escape the many people who "needed" him. We need to get with Him on a daily basis, but He was kind enough to us to let us escape and go somewhere else :). We chose to go to Brisbane, because that is where we were provided completely free accommodation, as well as a beautiful prayer retreat to end our trip with, in order to "get alone" with the Father. We count it a blessing that friends we trust were able to care for our children while we were away for 7 days! That is quite a lot to ask of friends... but it was such a blessing to know that our kids were safe and well-cared for while we were away. I hope and pray that God provides for them in their needs as well. Here is a daily run-down of our trip:
Day 1: We ventured out to Ipswich, QLD, where our lovely unit was waiting for us... took some time to rest from our midnight flight, and then walked on a path (in the rain :) !) to scout our some pizza for lunch...got lost, but made it anyway!
Day 6: A beautiful location, for focused time in prayer with our heavenly Father. No distractions. Had a good day in quietness with the Lord, both separately, and together. Invited over to the hosts' place for dinner... which turned out to be a Bible study at their house and lots of people we didn't know! Good times though. Partook of communion as a group... sang a hymn... prayer... and looked at the Lord's prayer in Matthew. Various denominations represented. It was a very nice way to conclude our day there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)