COVID 19: Count it all Joy?

Dear Friends,
  As we walk through this time of isolation together, there have been many different ways of coping with this "new normal".  I would like to call it a temporary normal.  I didn't think it was affecting me as much, because I have still been able to go to work, go to the shop, and we have no worries about toilet paper!  And yet, things are not "normal", and that has caused some odd feelings of unsettledness in my heart.  I know that God is in complete control, and I have nothing to worry about.  But I feel like one of the kids in the backseat of the car asking my parents, "ARE WE THERE YET?"  Perhaps I'm just experiencing fatigue from this new normal.  I know I'm not the only one. 

Fatigue from trials can cause us to act and speak differently than we would in regular situations.  I need to remind myself to be more patient, more understanding, show more compassion, and have empathy for others more often now.  The reminder is for me to continue to love people, and to love them with kindness and gentleness because I am not alone in these feelings of fatigue, stress, frustrations, and changed plans. 

The encouragement for me is, I don't have to walk this road alone.  God knows how we are feeling, and yet, His plan to perfect us until the day of Jesus' return hasn't been derailed as a result of COVID-19.  In fact, He is still pruning us. He is still walking with us through this trial.  My hope is that I will be attentive to what He is teaching me during this time.  I will pray we are all able to walk with each other as we grow in our perseverance.  This time is another example of what the Bible teaches in James 1:2-4

2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I ask myself, "Jared, are you 'counting it all joy'?"  How can we count it all joy when we are experiencing trials?  By keeping the end result in our hearts and minds: steadfastness and eventual perfection and completeness.  If I see my trials and say, "Okay.  This is perfecting me as I walk with God through it."  Then I turn my focus to God and ask, "Lord, what do I need to learn from this?  Help me to gain the wisdom I need from this trial.  Help me to use this to encourage others in the future and even now."

Steadfastness means that I am consistently resting in the sovereignty of God, and can have peace because I know who holds the future.  Steadfastness means holding on in the midst of a trial to my Saviour's cloak.  It means trusting my loving Father through it all.

I long to meet again with our entire church all at once,  to shake hands, give hugs, and hear a church sing with a group of more than 1.  But God is challenging me to be patient at this time, to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ, and to reflect on all the blessings He has given me:  I have my family here with me.  I have a safe home.  I can still go to the grocery store and buy food.  I have all things I need, and many things that are not needed, but are blessings!  This time is still a trial, but I will choose to count it all joy.  I want to develop steadfastness, and I want to be more like Christ in my life.  However, that will only come when I experience trials of various kinds.  

Friends, I hope this encourages your heart.  You're not alone, and together with God, we will make it through this difficult time.  I want to encourage us all to look to the blessings we have in our lives, remember to show extra patience, understanding, and empathy.  God is shaping us and molding us into His image, if we have called on Him as our Lord and Saviour.  We are being daily changed to be more like Jesus, and to grow in a deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father through these trials.  So count it all joy! :)

God's Work

So many times I feel like people say to me, "Wow, it's great that you found your calling, and you're doing 'God's work'."  They mean it in an encouraging way, and I appreciate it, but I hope they don't forget that they are doing God's work as well.  God's work isn't confined to Bible studies, preaching at a church, and doing baptisms for new believers.  Those are a joy and a blessing, and I love the fact that I've been given the opportunity to do those things.  God has been kind to me.  If I could just do that, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.

However, God has also blessed me with another job as a teacher.  I enjoy teaching and helping folks reach their goals through teaching language, literacy and numeracy.  I work in an office setting with many different people.  God has put me there.  I know I need to be a light at work and a blessing to those around me.  

God has put his children exactly where he wants them to be to accomplish His purposes.  There are people around us every day who have a skewed view of Christians and, even worse, a skewed view of who Christ is and what He's like.  As Christians, we are called to be a light.  We're called to be witnesses.  What does that look like?  Following God's Word.  What does the Bible tell us to do?  Love God, and love our neighbour as ourselves.  Pray for our enemies.  People will see a difference in our lives, and they will ask.  When they ask, we have an opportunity to share the gospel with them with gentleness and respect.  That doesn't mean we have to march through the four spiritual laws the first time someone asks if we go to church somewhere, or preach hellfire and brimstone at a person who is seeking(though that is a fact that will need to be shared at some point...with gentleness and respect).  

That may sound a bit scary, sharing your faith.  But usually(in my experience) the people who have asked me about it are my friends or acquaintances.  I already know them, and they aren't out to burn me at the stake.  The Bible tells us that we need to be ready to share our faith in and out of season, we need to be ready to give an answer to someone who asks us for the reason we have hope, when the rest of the world doesn't really seem to.  

Why do we have peace?  As believers, we have God continually living inside of us.  That is pretty amazing.  We are called his children and He is our loving Father.  He promises never to leave us.  He promises to guide us if we let Him.  We don't have to worry about tomorrow, because He is with us, and He knows exactly what will happen.  We are in God's hands, and no one can take us away from Him.  Ever.  

Our world is looking for peace.  They look in so many different places.  Money: if I can just buy happiness and peace, I'll be fine.   How many millionaires have committed suicide?  Money can't buy peace.  

Politicians:  if my candidate is in office, he/she will do what I want and we will have peace.  So far, no government has brought about lasting peace.

Family:  as long as I have family, I have peace.  But what about family feuding?  When one breaks out against the others, the peace is gone.

Religion: if I just live a certain way, follow the proper ceremonies, traditions and laws, I'll be good, and I'll find peace.  But how many religious fanatics die without peace?  How many are living in the turmoil of "If I don't make this sacrifice, my family will be sick." or "If I don't act a certain way, people will judge me and shun me, and my god will abandon me." Where is the peace?

True peace is found in Christ.  True peace is found in knowing that God is in control, and no matter what comes in the future, He is with me.  The Creator of all, is with me, and has promised never to leave me.  He knows the beginning from the end, and He is with me.  Jesus said, when we pray we're supposed to pray, "Our Father..."  God is our Father.  The God of all, calls me His son.  God is with us throughout our trials and troubles.  He will help us through.  So we have peace.

This world does not have our Father.  They do not have His peace.  The have turned their backs on Him.  They want nothing to do with Him and the only way they can come is through the Holy Spirit drawing them to Him.  So, we need to pray for those around us who do not know God yet.  Pray God would draw them to Himself.  Share the Gospel with them!  We can't change people's hearts, but we can pray for them.  Without the Holy Spirit working in their lives, all the talking in the world won't make a difference.  Trust God for peace.  Trust Him to lead you exactly where he wants you to be, and then look for those opportunities to share your hope with those who don't have Him.  

A Surprise Answer to Old Prayers! :)

I was reading through my old journals today, and I came across a prayer request/hope I was praying about that God has answered in a really awesome way!  We were still with Wycliffe when I wrote this journal entry on 8/19/2012:

"...We are very seriously considering moving to Katherine.  There is one specific home we are interested in..." (God gave us a home!!)
"...I would like to have a job somewhere else  and then have ministry with our church working with youth and doing praise and worhip leading.  Also if we could start some sort of indigeous outreach at the church(in Kriol) that would be great.
  Since there are so many indigenous folks in Katherine (Who may have left their communities for one reason or another) we could reach out to them, disciple them, and they can take Christ back into their communities!  How would/could we do it?"

As you all know, God has opened a huge door to share the gospel with men and women at the Venndale Rehab Centre 30km from Katherine.  Our church has been blessed to be going out there to lead church services for over a year now!  Praise God for His amazing answer to prayer!  I need to journal more often, and read through things to see how God has answered other prayers I may have forgotten I even prayed!

At the bottom of this certain journal there are verses on each page.  The verse at the bottom of this entry was Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you."

Prayer Update from the Mullets! :)

To all the folks I was blessed to talk with on our visit back to the USA, it was a real encouragement to come back for a visit!  Thank you so much for your reminders that you're praying for us, and check this blog every once in awhile to see how we're going!  Here's a list of the different praises and prayer requests:

PRAISES:
-Cheri is progressing in her mid-wifery studies and is half-way there to her degree!
-Jared is nearly finished with a graduate diploma in Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy education.
-Our kids are all healthy.  (for the most part!  Colds and other common sicknesses happen...)

-We have been blessed to continue our relationships with all the church folks out at Barunga.  The longer we are here, the stronger those friendships become.  My (Jared) favourite part of living here is building relationships with the folks around us.  Since we're living in Katherine, we see them 2 times a week (sometimes more).
-I've been working at Mission Australia for three years now, and have been offered permanent employment with them! :)  Up to this point it has been on a contract basis.  It is a blessing to know my job will continue even if our program ends, but as of right now, the program is going strong.

Prayer Requests:
-Please pray for continued growth in the church.  We live in a very transient area, and there are always people coming and going, especially in the dry season when the rivers aren't too high and flooding doesn't prevent travel between communities.  However, we have a great base of strong believers who want to see their community and their people come to the LORD. :)
-The Venndale outreach continues each Saturday.  While we were away in the USA, it went well, and for a couple weeks stopped, as there was no one to drive people out to Venndale!  When I got back to Venndale to teach, the students were asking me, "When are we having a service?  Are you and the olgamen (old ladies) coming this week?" Please pray for me as I prepare messages each week, and pray for the ladies as they build strong and lasting relationships with the people at Venndale.  Without them, this ministry would not be as successful as it has been.  Pray for health and strength for each of them.

-Please continue to pray for the men and women at the Venndale rehab centre.  We've now been going there for over a year as a church.  I was talking with one of the ladies who has been going out to Venndale nearly every week with us since the beginning, and she said she loves going out to Venndale to encourage the men and women, many of whom are her family through the skin system.  The people have specifically asked for "Nana" or "Auntie". :)  Praise the Lord for continued favour with the staff at Venndale rehab as well.

-Men and women come in and go out of Venndale on average of 3 months at a time.  After they leave Venndale, many return to their communities.  Please pray the gospel would spread through those who have returned to their communities, and God would continue to grow those men and women.  Also, please pray they would find their strength in Christ Jesus, and turn to Him when they are tempted to relapse.
-Pray they would find a strong Christian or church in their community where they can be encouraged, held accountable and built up.  In many communities, churches exist, but only meet sporadically, and may or may not have a pastor.  Going back to their communities without the proper support makes relapse common, but Christ can break the cycle!


Thank you all so much for your continued prayers.  The longer I am allowed to serve God, the more I see that it is only the Holy Spirit who can truly transform lives and change hearts, rescue the lost and hurting, and give lasting hope for the future.  Pray with us for God to be glorified in and through the ministry He has blessed us with.

By God's Grace Alone, Jared

New Prayer Update! :D

Quick update:

-Please pray for the Barunga Church. It's grown quite a bit in the last year+. It had about 6 people attending a bit over a year ago, and now Sundays it's about 40. :) Praise the Lord!

-God has given us a ministry at a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation center where we've been doing outreach for the past year...It will be one year this May! God opened the door for us to do church services in Kriol with the "clients" there. We have a new face almost each week, but then others leave. There are usually around 6-12 men and women who come to the service. Those men and women come from many different indigenous communities from all over the "Top End" of Australia. 

      As they leave and return to their families, pray they would continue in their walk with the Lord, and that there would be some kind of Bible based teaching and fellowship made available to them. Many go back to places where there is a church, but in some cases, there is no church in their community.

-Please pray for Cheri as she continues her study in midwifery. She's doing well, but still has a couple of years left before she's finished with the program and an official midwife.

-Please pray for me as I teach language literacy and numeracy at the very centre we are doing our outreach! God is good and opened that door for me to build relationships with folks in and out of church. :)

-Please pray for the ladies who come with me to Venndale that they would be an encouragement and encourage others at the Centre, and that we as a group would make an eternal impact.

-Our family is doing well, kids are all healthy and they are enjoying school! 

-Please pray for Cheri as she continues her study in midwifery. She's doing well, but still has a couple of years left before she's finished with the program and an official midwife.

I think that'll do for now! :) Thanks for praying for us! You know, I haven't sent out a prayer update in a long time. But we really need the prayers!  If you want to receive more frequent updates, please let me know through e-mail or Facebook!  Thanks again, folks!

God bless, Jared for the Mullets

Quick Prayer Update From the Mullets

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.

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)

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!
 

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.

A Christmas Mango

I was at work today, trying to stay focused on the write-ups I needed to finish for the pre-training assessments before the Christmas break, thinking of lessons, school, and it was a bit stressful...it seems everyone at the office is in the "just hang in we're almost there" stage of work.  We know there is a break coming, and there will be rest then.  But right now, it's "I need to get this done!"  It's really easy to get caught up in the monotony of everyday tasks that call for our attention, sometimes yell at us, especially near the end of the year.

In the middle of my dash to get things finished this morning, I was interupted by a co-worker who stopped at my desk and asked, "Do you know a Tom*?  He's out in the foyer waiting for you."  I hadn't spoken to Tom in months.  I hadn't even seen him around.  He had been over to our house some for a cuppa and a chat when I worked at the motel, and when I first started at Mission Australia.  He always called me, "Churchy" and has a grip of steel.  When we moved to our new house, Tom and I kind of lost touch.  I hadn't thought about him for months.

So, I went out to the foyer, not sure what to expect.  When he saw me he said, "Hey churchy!  How's the family?  How's the kids?   Just wanted to say Merry Christmas, mate."  With that he handed me a ripe yellow/gold mango, and shook my hand with his steel grip.  "Now don't say I never gave you nothin'!"  I told him Merry Christmas and thanks, and he joked, "Where's my Chrisy present, mate?"  and with that, he was off again.

I held the mango in my hand, brought it to my nose and smelled it.  Sweet and ripe.  I took the mango back to my desk, blessed by the gift from a friend.  Imagine I had told Tom I didn't want his mango.  Or what if I just didn't acknowledge that I even knew him, didn't even leave my desk to go out to the foyer?  Where would that put our friendship?

But Tom's gift reminded me of another gift given over 2000 years ago.  The mango from Tom was a gift that continued and reaffirmed a friendship, but the gift God gave us of His Son, Jesus Christ opened the way for a relationship with God Himself.  Imagine we ignore His gift to us, don't even bother with it.  Or imagine we go "out to the foyer" to chat with Him, and politely refuse His gift.  Where does that leave us in our relationship with God?

This Christmas season, in the midst of all the busyness and noise, I challenge you to "step out to the foyer", and think about how you will respond to God's gift of Jesus Christ. 

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us."
Matthew 1:23 (NASB)

A Jitterbug in Heaven

I recieved some very sad news this evening.  My Grandma Mary has gone to be with the Lord.  She was my step-grandma, but she will always be just "Grandma Mary" to me.  She immediately accepted me, Jamie and Jeremy into her family just as if we were her natural grandkids when my mom and Brad married.  I remember the first time I spoke with her on the phone, I said, "Is this Grandma Mary?"  and she replied, "Yes!  Who is this?  Jared?"

I remember having our Easter dinner at Grandma Mary's, and we would eat cold ham sandwiches from The Honey Baked Ham Company with perfectly buttery rolls.  At first I wasn't too sure about cold ham, but it grew on me.  
 
I remember that each birthday, she would give us one dollar for every year we were celebrating, and each of the one dollar bills were perfectly crisp and new, and sequencially numbered from 1 to whatever age we happened to be that year(I couldn't wait to be 100..).  She would wait at the bank or at King Soopers and specifically insist the numbers were in order!  She did that for all of her grandchildren. 

I remember when I was learning to swing dance in high school Grandma Mary said, "You know, I used to be quite the jitterbug when I was your age!  We used to do something called the Minneapolis stomp!"  And then she commenced to show me and my sister how it was done.  She was in her late 70's at the time. 

I remember that every present she wrapped was PERFECT.  There was no tape showing anywhere, and the patterns always matched up so you really didn't want to open it, but you really did, and it almost seemed like a shame to waste such a beautiful present... and I would aspire to wrap my presents just as perfect(never with such perfect results)!  Also, at every birthday celebration with Grandma Mary, there was the obligatory "cake picture" with us holding the cake up and smiling so Grandma could get a good shot. 

I remember when I was a boy she was shopping at the grocery store and noticed someone with a cart full of cake mixes.  She asked what all the cake was for, and the person flashed a nametag from a local cake shop!  Grandma went home and immediately called her friend, who called the cake shop and asked, "Are all of your cakes made from scratch?"  When the shop owner replied, "Oh, yes.  Of course."  Grandma and her friend both had a good laugh.
 
Even after we moved to Australia, I always knew she was thinking of me and my family.  When I spoke with her at my brother's wedding this past summer, she said, "I have your calendar up at my house!  I love looking at your family and your beautiful children." and she gave me a hug.  That was the last time I got to see Grandma and talk to her.  Grandma Mary was a blessing to me and our family.  She brought joy and laughter to our lives, through her quirky personality and great style, as well as her love for us... and mischeivous personality.  She will forever be loved and missed.  I can just see her in heaven taking Grandpa Dale by the hand and doing the Minneapolis Stomp!

$50.31

$50.31

It's a number I will never forget because it represents God's provision and a dear child of His obediently caring for our family.
My friend called me up one day while our family was raising support to come to Australia and work with the indigenous church developing resources in Kriol, and distributing the Kriol Baibul.  She told me that she had spoken with her husband about supporting our family in the work God had called us to do, even though she had just lost her job (and 1/3 of their family's income!).  She asked her husband, "Couldn't we just support the Mullets?"  But he was realistic (being an engineer--a generous engineer), "You just lost your job!  We should be cutting our support of missionaries, not adding another one."

My friend persisted.  "Couldn't we just live carefully, spend wisely this month, and see what we have left, and give THAT to the Mullets?"  Her husband graciously agreed.

When she called on the phone she said, "We usually support our missionaries with $50 per month.  But I wasn't sure what we would be able to support your family with...But God provided, and at the end of the month we had $50.31 left over after all of our expenses!  So, we are going to support the Mullets at $50.31 per month.  And I won't leave off the .31 on our checks to you, because it's a reminder to me of God's faithfulness."

Our whole family was blessed through this family's kindness toward us, and my friend's desire to give all she could.  She consistently remembered our family in prayer as well.  She would use landmarks or objects to remember to pray for people.  She told us that whenever she drove down a certain street she prayed for "so and so" because she had done something with her there.  Then she said, "And I remember to pray for your family every time I look at the word "Precept" because I first met Cheri at (Bible) Precepts class.  And since I'm a Precepts leader, you can guess how often I see that word!"

When our son went through kidney failure and dialysis, Tina was one who regularly read our blog and continued to pray for our son.  She was a blessing from the word go.

Tina Downey will be dearly and truly loved and missed.  Each time she is remembered, she will be remembered with love and honor.  She was a blessing in life and I am truly saddened by her passing.  However, she has blessed and inspired me and our family to trust the Lord, and give it all you've got!  May God bless and keep her family during this time of sadness and mourning.  We will be praying for you all and are so grateful for the chance we had to get to know Tina and your family.  We are looking forward to the day when we will meet again.    

Ministry & Family Update

Since my visit to the US for my brother's wedding a lot has happened, and I'd love to share with you all about it.

As you know, God has blessed us with a house in Katherine.  Only about a week after returning from my trip to the States, we were given the opportunity to host our first guests!  I(Jared) recieved a call from my indigenous dad, and he was looking for a place to stay during the Katherine Show.  When I asked him how many people would need to stay with us, he began listing more than just him and his wife...I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised at all, as that's the way it usually works.  We ended up hosting 7 people at our house, on couches, beds and on the floor.  You know, that's one of the reasons we asked for this larger house in the first place, and God answered our prayer.  It was an encouraging visit with my dedi and his wife, and we're getting to know their family better each time.  One of the people who came with them introduced himself and said, "Remember me?  You came and visited me in the hospital."  That made my heart glad because we had a chance to serve, and God used us!

When I first started to work at Mission Australia, I was told I would be stationed as a teacher out in Beswick (Wugularr), an indigenous community about 100km from Katherine.  Well, I've been working for MA for a year now, officially, and this week I will be heading out to Beswick to begin the process of starting the SEE Program(Skills for Education and Employment) out there!  FINALLY!! :)  And the most exciting part for me is the exciting news I recieved from my boss: "I want you to teach it in Kriol."  YES!!!  I was SO EXCITED!  I can't wait to start out there, and I started to translate our materials into Kriol last week.  I will use my notes to teach from, but also use the English "road rules" book so my students will be learning English reading/writing/numeracy as they study road rules to get their drivers' licences.  

On the church front, our family was involved this year in doing a VBS (Vacation Bible School) with our church.  It's the first one our church has ever done, and it went pretty well.  I was the emcee and the teacher for the 5-8 year old class.  It was a lot of fun, and I'm praying the Scriptures we looked at with the kids will stay with them, especially the ones concerning salvation.

Another exciting note:  the pastor and his family we have been waiting for has finally arrived!  We're really excited to have them after 2 years of waiting(on our half... the church has actually been waiting for about 4).  You can pray for them as they begin the ministry the Lord has called them to in our church.  Their names are Justin, Jessica, Colin, Elijah, and Aiden.  Cam has already made friends with Colin who is the same age as him.  Please pray for our church as we continue to minister in Katherine and share the gospel.

After much prayer and consideration, Cheri has decided to put her studies aside in order to focus more on our family and our home.  Perhaps she will return at a later date, but that hasn't been decided as of yet.  As a family we are seriously looking into becoming foster parents, and Cheri will be going to their office tomorrow morning to get more information.    There will be a special training over my birthday weekend(beginning of August) to learn more and prepare.  You can pray for us in this area as well, as it may be that we take on long-term care of some children.

On that note, please also pray for the Lord's provision of a 7-seater vehicle we can use both in town and community. Our landcruiser has seen it's last days, and our only other small car fits the 5 of us, with no room for extra children. 

Thank you to all who have been praying for our family and who have asked for an update on what we're doing.  We are so thankful for your prayers and I'm personally encouraged when I think of each of you.  God bless, yumob!

God's House

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We had not been seeking to purchase a house. Yes, in the past we had. Yes, it was a dream of mine to settle down and own our own home.  BUT all of the doors had closed when we tried to purchase a home. God said “NO… now is not the time.” We thought He might be saying “Never is the time.” We have always trusted in the Lord’s provision for living places, and as our journey with Him has taken us on a bit of a roller-coaster ride in regards to housing, we have learned that He will ALWAYS provide… He is our Father.  We looked to the verses “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.” (Matthew 6:19) We had some in savings, but decided against using it for a house downpayment, as we have been commanded to “lay your treasure in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). We had given up on the idea of ever owning a house in this life.

BUT then a Christian brother came up to us and said, “you need a house. God can do anything, and He can provide a house for you! This is a basic need, providing for your family.” Long story short, this was the spark that got us thinking again about purchasing a home. We thought, “okay, God, are you telling us now is the time to buy?” I thought we couldn’t afford it, and I have to pay for school as well. Jared said “If we’re going to buy a house it needs to be 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom, for guests.” I said, “yeah, right… do you know how much 4-bedroom houses cost? We can’t even hardly afford a 3-bedroom house!” BUT we looked at the market, and there happened to be a 4-bdr/2-bath house in a “lower” price range, with an open visitation that very weekend. So we went to check it out… we thought, “this would fit the bill.”

 I called a lender to see about a house loan… it didn’t look very good, however most of the “boxes” I had to have ticked, were.  After one disappointing night when I thought we couldn’t do it, and God was closing the door, I thought, “Why God, would that man say something to us, if this wasn’t your will? Why did we have to try this again, only to be denied again?”… I drove to the house and prayed. “Lord, this is Your house. I can’t do anything about it. I’d love it if you gave it to us, but if not, Thank you for the house you’ve already provided for us to live in…”  That very night we had a meeting with a broker who said, “Yes! You can do this! I’ll apply for a loan for you.” 5 minutes AFTER speaking with her, the real estate lady called: “What do you think about their counter-offer?” Prior to the broker’s meeting, I would have replied that we couldn’t do it.  However, I told her what the broker said, and she responded, “Great! I’ll start you on a contract on Monday!” I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe it. God was giving us this house, I knew it.

The verses that God gave me were “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33), but more than that, was this verse: “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:9-11) I kept these verses in my heart.

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Our loan application was DENIED by the bank. I almost thought God was going back on His Word to me. I thought, “Lord, didn’t you promise me this house through those verses? Am I doing something wrong?  Are You going back on Your promise?!” The broker appealed the bank’s decision. DENIED yet again. By this time I had real peace about it. I knew that if God wanted to provide this house for us, HE COULD DO IT. HE IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL CREATION. I didn’t need to fret just because of the bank people. So I didn’t. The mortgage broker apologized for getting our hopes up and counseled that if I worked part time for a few months, we could reapply… I informed her that I had previously had a part time job, but took a break during the school semester to focus on my studies, and was welcome back to work whenever I wanted to. She told me to get two payslips and a letter from the workplace stating that I had been an employee there, and she could reapply…. We asked the vendors selling the house if they were willing to extend the contract for this finance to be worked out… they agreed! Lo and Behold, I went back to work just a few days, the loan was approved, and now we’re moving into the house that God provided for us.

I am still blown away by the LORD’s provision. It’s a great house, but one that definitely needs some work.  We are not even worthy of anything in this life, and yet God is faithful to His children and provides their “daily bread.” He has done this time and again in our lives.  May we use this house He has provided for His glory, and may we worship Him in it. God be praised!

What's it all about, really?

Why did we stay here in Australia after finishing up with Wycliffe?  Why have we continued to stay when our entire family is still in the US?  Are we anti-social?  Do we want to avoid our family and friends in America?  Why have we decided to remain here, hopefully buy a house, and be in Australia a long time?
  Well, simply, we feel this is where God has called us to be at this time.  As he has proven time and time again in my own(Jared) life, I'll make plans, but God ultimately directs my steps...That sounds Biblical, eh?  So, though I don't know the future, it seems for now that we are called to remain here in Australia.  God has provided a job for me here, a place to stay, and a town where there are still many people who have not come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  AND He continues to bring them across our path.
  Many of those people have  been disillusioned by the traditional religion of Christianity, or rather the plain old meaningless dead ritual of Christianity they were exposed to.  They don't understand that it's not about a "religion" but a relationship with a Father who loves them, and longs for them to come to Him.  I realize I'm completely powerless to change anyone's heart or make them believe something, but God can.  I can and will pray for Katherine.  I will pray for the people God brings across my path.  We can see so much hurt here, because of alcohol, drugs, poor choices, ... basically, sin taking its course in people's lives.  Brings sadness to my heart, and we have the One they need.  But without the Holy Spirit moving in their lives, it's not going to happen.  Please pray with us for the town of Katherine and surrounding communities to come to the Lord;  and please pray for us as we endeavor to reach out to those who are seeking.  Pray for discernment, wisdom, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's leading.
   We know this world isn't all there is.  There is life after death, and that is either an eternal blessing and joy, or an eternal torment.  People are crying out for something, and there are all kinds of organisations doing good things and helping meet immediate needs, but leaving out Christ.  Without Jesus Christ, the best laid behavior management plan will fail... and even if it does change a person's actions for the rest of their lives, the world can't save anyone from hell because the world is powerless to do so.
  The only one who gives anyone true hope and peace, true joy and unfailing love is Jesus.  I wish people understood this.  I wish we didn't all choose to run away from God because we've done wrong.  But God continually reaches out for us, and waits for us to come, expectantly.  Christianity is not simply a list of "do's" and "don't"s... It is so much more than a set of rules.  It is about a living, loving relationship with the Creator of the universe, who as Christians, we can call Father.    Our relationship with God is the most important thing ever--and that isn't true only for Christians.
   Where do you stand with God?  The thing separating us from God is our sin.  The things we have done which are against what God has commanded us not to do in His Word.  Because of our sin we are eternally condemned and set apart from God, the consequence of our sin is death.  We are helpless to save ourselves, and God knew that.  So in His great love, He sent Jesus, his son, to take our place.  He lived a perfect life, died for us(defeating sin FOREVER) and then rose again from the dead 3 days after dying.  Through Him we are made righteous and acceptable in God's sight if we confess with our mouths and believe that Jesus is the Christ.  Perhaps you've known this before, eh?
  This is the message of the gospel.  As a believer, I need to share this message with as many people as God brings me into contact with.  He is the only one who truly saves, and we live in a world in need of saving.  And yet, I'm still powerless to change any hearts or MAKE people believe.  God must bring them, so I just have to pray.
  I know there are so many people all over the world that don't know Jesus Christ.  Perhaps you're in the US reading this.  God has put people in your life who need Him that I'll never meet.  God has put you there for the express purpose of spreading the gospel.  Tell them!  Pray for the them!  God will change their hearts, and He wants us to be involved.   

Priorities.

In a life that can be crazy busy, and everything is yelling out for attention or action, what stops us from going completely insane and running down the street screaming?  Priorities.

Currently, we are a busy family.  School is in session again, Cheri's  been studying hard for her classes and worked at McDonald's to pay for the schooling.  I'm working as a teacher at Mission Australia still, and really enjoying it.  By God's grace, my class has grown from 1 regular student to 7, and there are more coming.  In fact, my boss informed me that my class has reached it's full enrollment (15).  I was blessed with that.  By God's grace, work is going well.  He has given me favour with my bosses.  I was blessed to hear that people like, "That Yank who speaks Kriol with a funny accent." :)

As well as work is going, if left unchecked, it could take over a TON of time.  Except for priorities.  At the end of the day, (literally and figuratively) I leave work behind.  I come home.  Sometimes I worry about work and what I will teach the next day.  I wonder, "Should I quickly make up another resource for the lesson tomorrow?"...and just as I'm thinking I will do it, a small voice says, "Daddy?  Can we take a bike ride?"  Or, "Daddy, look at me!  Watch this!"  And then a small child does something hilarious, ridiculous, adorable, or all of the above.  I stop and think, "Before I know it, this small child won't be small anymore.  Before I know it, I'll be looking back wondering where the time has already gone."

I know my time on this earth is limited.  Jesus could come back at any moment.  Will I be found doing what He has given me to do?  Am I using my gifts and abilities to serve Him with all my heart?  God has blessed our family, and I know we want to be a blessing to others as well.

Priorities...  I've noticed that there are two ways of interacting with people, ignore them, keep your head down and just go through your own life, or look up, greet people, and get to know them a bit!

Cheri and I were taking a walk on the trail/sidewalk behind our house while her parents were here watching our kids.  As we walked down the path, I noticed that there was a group of about 6 indigenous folks, mostly men, ahead of us.  For a moment I asked myself, "Should we just turn around? Nah!"  So, we kept walking, and when we got to them, I greeted them all, and started talking with them in Kriol. :)  It turns out they are from Ngukurr (4 1/2 hours drive away out bush and across a large river that sometimes floods at this time of year), and we know some folks who live out there.  So, when I mentioned our friends, they said, "You with the church mob, eh?"  I said, "We lived in Barunga for 2 1/2 years, and we worked with the church there, and met the Ngukurr folks, too."  One of the men said to me, "Yeah, my girlfriend went to church, and she changed her life, but I haven't changed my life.  I'm still drinking.  BUT I listened to a beautiful Christian song by an African singer."

When I first greeted their group, one man (the oldest of the group) was sitting on the ground.  As I talked with them in Kriol, he asked me basic questions, "Where did you learn to speak Kriol?" "The old ladies in Barunga taught me." "Where are you from?"...all the time sitting.  As we chatted more, he stood up, and shook my hand.  I told him we needed to go, but thanks for the chat, and God bless.  The younger fellow who "hadn't changed his life yet" told me if he sees me in town, he'll show me that song by the African.  I hope he sees me in town.

We chatted a bit more, and then Cheri and I continued on our date.  I'm really glad we didn't choose to turn around before talking with that group.  Since Katherine is a small-ish town, and people get stuck here in the wet, I don't know when I'll see those folks again, but perhaps it will be sooner rather than later.