The Okerrance (Jan - March, 2011)

Hello!

We do hope you are all keeping well. It’s been some time since the last oKerrance, so we have much to catch up on.

 

Ending Well

We shall start at the end…of 2010 that is.

2010 ended with the FOCUS Christmas carols. This is an annual event held at the university where we have a chance to openly proclaim the Gospel in a open air setting. We had about 150 people come, and they enjoyed dinner, a short kids talk, and of course many carols sung in different languages. This year, Jesus was testified to in song in Swahili, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese and of course, English! There was a short talk about why Jesus came into the world and many expressed an interest to either be involved in small groups, or to investigate more about the truth. We had

really great fun.

At the end of each year, the AFES (Australian Fellowship of International Students) hold an annual training event called the NTE (the National Training Event). This conference for students across the land (and also those from different lands!), trains them in different areas of theological thinking, be it from strand 1 groups which teach basic skills in learning to read the bible, to strand 4 groups that teach the meaning and implications of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Over 1200 students came to NTE 2010, and we were greatly blessed to hear the book of 2 Timothy exposited by Don Carson. I ran a FOCUS strand group and it was really encouraging to see so many overseas students from across different parts of Australia really enthusiastic and enjoying learning how to read the bible.

 Following NTE, we have the great privilege of going out in teams on mission to different parts of Australia. This year, I lead a team to Wilde Street, Maroubra (South East Sydney). We had about 10 FOCUS students from Wollongong this year on mission, and they all really enjoyed the experience of learning to share their faith, both in song at shopping centres (Singing Christmas carols), in testimony (at various events) and in speaking to people on the streets.

Sadness and Joy

Of course, as the year draws to a close, many of our international students need to return home, either for a short while on holiday, but also for good. Having been in this ministry for just a year, I had not had the experience of seeing many of those we have come to know and love in Christ, return home. There are many who come through the doors of FOCUS, and a number who stay to find out more. We had a number of students who became Christians last year and it was a great joy to see them established in the faith, albeit for only a short period in some cases. Two of those were Lany and Charlie.

Charlie returned home to Korea in February and Lany to China. It was amazing to see these two grow exponentially in their faith and biblical understanding in such a short time. The danger of course is that as they return home, that growth is stunted or even stops as the  pressure of work or family life gets on top of them. However, as far as we know, both Charlie and Lany continue on in the Lord, facing the trials that are so real for them. We learnt 1 Peter 2:21-25 this year at our NTE strand groups, so our prayer is that they too would continue to entrust themselves to the Lord in the face of abuse, ridicule or just being ‘different’, just as our Lord did. Perhaps you could pray that for them too?

Holidays

We never feel as though December is a holiday for some reason! Josiah’s birthday (18^th Dec) followed James’ time away at NTE and mission (2^nd-12^th Dec). This in turn is followed by all the Christmas preparations. We had Christmas with Maria’s father and her sister’s family this year, followed by Boxing day with many of the FOCUS students who had not returned to their home countries. 23 people turned up for a time of Turkey, Christmas puddings and games. By the end of December we were ready for a break which we had in the Blue Mountains with Maria’s sister’s family. Both Josiah and Jessica had an awesome time with their cousins, whilst their parents got to enjoy couple’s evenings out to dinner!

We also had the great joy of seeing old friends over the break. The Divyanathans from Singapore visited us in mid December, and we were able to show them a bit of what Wollongong has to offer, as well as to catch up and enjoy Colin Buchanan ‘live’ together (a Kid’s Christian song writer and performer). If you are ever in Sydney, do come and see us, as we always enjoy visitors.

January was less frantic overall, but still busy –

we got to go to New Zealand! We have good friends in Wellington and so we had a great 10 days both catching up with them and visiting parts of the North Island. We were so blessed to have accommodation organised for us, as well as enjoying the culinary delights of New Zealand together! Thank God with us for the opportunity to catch up with friends over December and January and to get a chance to have an affordable holiday away.

And… the beginning of ‘11

As usual the beginning of the academic year is full on. It is a really important time for us, to be out there on the walkways of the university letting overseas students, both new and old alike, know about FOCUS – who we are, what we do and what we believe.

 

This year we were invited to be included in the international clubs and Societies stores during International enrolment. This was a great way of advertising ourselves, and there was lots of interest.

We held a ‘Welcome to Wollongong’ seminar for arriving students, which aimed to inform internationals about what to expect as a student arriving in a new country, an introduction to Australian culture, and experiences of some seasoned internationals students. 

They were invited along to our Welcome dinner, and about 60 turned up for our opening meeting. In the opening few weeks of term, numbers of international students coming to hear the good news has been encouraging, not just in Wollongong, but all over Australia. Since then we have been averaging over 50 on Thursdays, with many newcomers returning and eager to study the bible in small groups, and that is SO encouraging. Do thank God for this increase in numbers across the country and pray that there would be a real repentance and faith in those who stay. Pray too for us as a staff team who have the joy of keeping up with so many! We have been looking at the first four chapters of John’s Gospel this first half of term and plan to look at Genesis 1-11 in the second half of semester.

This year, Jerry Lee has joined the FOCUS UoW staff as a ministry trainee, and seems to have settled well. Thank God for that. Please pray for him and me as I train him on a weekly basis, as Jerry is the first ‘official’ trainee on staff that I have trained before. Pray also for me as I make a very tentative start in learning to speak Mandarin… Yes, its finally happening!

Here are a number of other things that we would love you to pray for over the coming weeks,

·         Mid Semester FOCUS fun day – Nowra Wildlife Park followed by dinner and talk. Pray that FOCUS folks would invite their friends and that the Gospel would be explained on that day.

·         Our short break away in Sydney in mid- April – that we would have refreshing and fun time as a family.

·         My Sermon series in the book of Genesis – that I would preach faithfully and clearly and that many would see the impact that Genesis has on life.

·         Our annual ‘Meaning of Easter’ Dinner – that many would want to come and find out the meaning of this time of year.

And the Family

Jessica has started Kindergarten this year! (For our overseas friends, this means the start of 'big' school - going from 9am-325pm 4days a week in the first term and then 5days from second term onwards!) After a reticent start in her class, she is getting more used to it now and is doing well in her reading. She is also fully into her dancing now, with two lessons a week, and soon to be performing at four local dance competitions throughout the year!

Josiah has just finished his cricket season, and has thoroughly enjoyed the time over the summer. He was one of the most effective bowlers this year in the under 10’s. As I have mentioned before, he supports the Australian Cricket team and so it has been quite a subdued summer. For me on the other hand, who supports England, its been quite a good summer. The less said about that over here, the better…

Over to Maria!

Hi everyone, as you read from the above we started this year running and have been on a fast jog since – but it has been wonderfully paced out with rest & refreshment points! This year -although busy, I have been enjoying a more healthy balance of work & much needed exercise and time out.

In this oKerrance, I would like to share with you some of the things that refresh me and bless me!

Enjoying beautiful Wollongong

Walking soon becomes a lovely joy when you have scenery that takes your breath away each time. Although the sight & sound of water have a calming effect on my mind it also always reminds me of the awesomeness of the One who created it. ‘The sea’ in the Bible is often linked to the idea of chaos and havoc, and yet we know the One who has ultimate control over it and can calm it with a word. What a great priviledge! It takes the fear out of things we cannot control and enables us to enjoy that which He has created. I have been thankful that I am only 10mins away from a getaway if I need a walk, somewhere peaceful to read or a place for quiet reflection. Thank God for giving us good things to enjoy!

Enjoying another’s gifting - Books

I have always enjoyed books because we can share in the gift of insight and of the experiences that God has given to the writer. It is a great blessing that God has given us brothers & sisters who build us up in this way. Two books which I have read recently and have been blessed by is Feminine Appeal – Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife & Mother, by Carolyn Mahaney and Did I kiss Marriage goodbye? – Trusting God with a hope deferred, by Carolyn McCulley.

Feminine Appeal was a great model of Titus 2. Carolyn as an older woman shares her wealth of experiences & teaches us from Titus 2 of how we can be Titus 2 women! – Whether you are single or married. It’s like having an older woman by our side, guiding teaching & encouraging us to aspire to God’s created purposes for us. I felt rebuked at many points of the book, and my prayer is to give it a second reading and pray through the things that I need to change.

Did I kiss marriage goodbye is a book written by a single lady who struggles with her singleness but very helpfully suggests godly ways to respond to the gift that God has given her. I, having been married for nearly 12 years, have lost touch with a lot of the real struggles that our single sisters face and of how we can be intentionally helpful towards our sisters. Reading the book gave me real insights into practical ways of how we can affirm their singleness and encourage them to live out their gifts. Please pray that I will be sensitive & caring & more intentional in my prayers for my sisters, and that my speech would reflect my belief in God’s good purpose for their singleness. As I was reading, God brought to my mind lots of my current single friends who already use their singleness for God. I felt encouraged in heart & for them I gave great thanks to God!

Enjoying relationships & fellowship

I have been truly blessed with having so many sisters in Christ around me that I can chat with, pray with and read the bible with! This year, I have had the privilege of spending more time with 3-4 ladies on a regular basis. I am always encouraged when we share our lives, pray for each other and remind each other of our status in Christ. I was particularly encouraged by Kate, who asked to meet up shortly after she gave birth to her second child – we have been meeting together regularly to read through the book of Proverbs and enjoying it. Please give thanks to God with me for Jessamy, Belinda, Liz & Kate! Pray that I can be an encouragement to them as they have been to me.

Another highlight in terms of relationship and fellowship is the start of a new church bible study group at our home on Tuesday nights. We have had a steady commitment of 8-10 people come every week, and I have been blessed by their contribution and commitment to the group. We are slowly getting to know one another, please pray that as we grow together we would continue to support each other & to reach out to those around us.

A Winter’s End oKerrance

We hope this latest Okerrance finds you well – it is Spring in Australia, and we are glad to be through the ‘cold’ months of winter in more ways than one. We have now been here almost exactly one year, and it has flown by!

We are writing this ‘okerrance’ (Our newsletter name) just prior to our Annual supporters dinner. A yearly event that aims to update all  who have been involved in supporting Gospel work at Wollongong University - either in prayer or financially - and that includes you! So we want to say thank you to everyone for praying and supporting us even from overseas. There are great needs that I will highlight later on the financial front, but first lets update you what’s been happening here,…

  

At FOCUS… As mentioned in our July FOCUS snapshot*, we continue to give thanks to God for the many international students who attended the Mid Year Conference (MYC) this year on the ‘Cross of Christ’. Some non Christian students who attended were deeply impacted by the message of the Cross, and were moved to consider becoming Christians. They are currently looking into what it means to make that commitment, so do pray that as they investigate the claims and work of Jesus, the Spirit would convince them the truth about Christ. We thank God too, that some of the other students were very challenged by the implications of the Cross, compelling them towards change and in some cases to recommit their lives to Jesus.

(*FOCUS snapshot is a brief email sent out more regularly to update you on the news at FOCUS, Wollongong. Please email jimazkerr@gmail.com if you would like to receive this.)







Fun at MYC



 

Good News! Since our last newsletter, we have also been privileged to see a number of people turn to Christ at FOCUS! One man I have been reading the bible with since July, turned to Christ in August this year (Yuxiang). Praise God. As with all new converts, please do pray for him. He is a PhD student supported by both his parents and a scholarship, so the pressures on him to do well are great (like many international students who come overseas to study). Pray that he will learn to prioritise following Jesus with these pressures. Pray also that as he returns to China for a break, that he will make a stand for Jesus and have opportunities to witness Christ to his family. We also have had two other Chinese girls and one Korean Man confess Jesus as Lord! Thank God for his saving Grace and pray that God would root all of these young believers in the word of truth and that they would stand firm as they face new challenges in their situation. There are also a number of others coming to FOCUS who are very close to committing themselves to Jesus, so pray that the Lord will open their eyes to see and believe in the one and only Lord and Saviour.

As I approach the end of the first year at FOCUS, I have appreciated more and more the work that has gone on here over the years. We have such a unique opportunity here in Australia to proclaim Christ to all nations freely, and especially as they gather in one place at our universities nationwide.  So many internationals have come to Christ, out of the pressure cooker environments of their family homes, and societies that are not as open to the Gospel. That’s what makes this ministry so worthwhile so thank you for your partnership over the years with those who have been involved in faithful proclamation.



A typical night at FOCUS



Personal Work… It has been a joy to be able to meet up with four men on a one to one basis at the moment - a Chinese National, an Indian, a Hong Kong Chinese, and an Australian! One of those men is Jerry from Hong Kong, and we are so glad that he has decided to join the Wollongong FOCUS staff next year as an apprentice. Please pray in thanking God that since coming to Wollongong about 5 years ago, he has become a Christian, and now come to the point where he wants to spend time reaching out and building up students in Christ. Pray also that appropriate finances will be raised so he can join us!

Give thanks to God that a number of the Australian students (from the Evangelical Christian Union (ECU) at Wollongong University), have been meeting one to one regularly with some of the Internationals to read the bible. Most of these International students are not Christians, so pray that God would be gracious and open their hearts & minds. Pray too, that the Christianity Explained group led by one of the Australian ECU students and myself, will seek to be faithful to explain Jesus clearly and faithfully to around 3-4 students who want to get to grips with who God is and what Jesus has done. We are encouraged by the interest, so pray that these students would turn back to him as they consider the evidence.

Preaching Work… I have just finished a stretch of 7 sermons in 8 weeks which has been tiring but enjoyable. At the beginning of the term, we covered a series on ‘Knowing God’ as an introduction to Christianity for a number of new students joining FOCUS at the start of semester. We finished off Mark 1-8 after that, and now we are moving into 2 Cor 1-7 territory! I also preached at a guest service at the local Baptist church towards the beginning of September, do pray that those newcomers who might have never heard the Gospel before, were challenged to consider the warning about ‘all kinds of Greed’ that Jesus gives (Luke 12:13-21).

Persian Work… God continues to amaze us, as we have had several people from an Iranian background visit FOCUS this year. What we are finding, is that there is real genuine interest from Iranians to find out more about Jesus (not just students). This so exciting and there seems to be a real window of opportunity for us to reach out to them, so please pray, pray, pray(!) that God would give us great wisdom and sensitivity to reach out to those who are interested to know more.

Personally (James)…

In our last Okerrance, I (James) mentioned that I wanted to talk to someone regarding my own anxiety, and thank God, I got a chance to do that through some kind referrals. I found out that I was in the highly anxious, moderately depressed range. I mentioned in our last oKerrance that I had been struggling to settle in Wollongong, and this shed a lot of light on the reason why I was feeling the way I was. I think a lot of my character / personality flaws have been there for a while, but only surfaced more severely in our moving here. I think I also was grieving moving from Singapore, leaving behind friends and ministry networks that we had established over the last 13 years. I don’t think I was expecting that, nor did I have time to think about this when we first arrived because there were so many changes going on. Maria, on the other hand, was enjoying being back here, among a supportive environment, and was frustrated and upset that I could not settle, especially since we had moved so that she could get more support!

With all this being said, I think we are coming through the worst of the ‘fog’ we have been going through, and it has enabled Maria and I to work at our marriage in the ways we need to, and for me to address the issues that need to be addressed. At the end of the day, we are all weak, and its only because of God’s Grace and his strengthening that any of us persevere. I thank God that he has given me a godly wife who has persevered in doing what is right over the last few months, even though it has been hard for her to understand and accept the issues about me! Keep praying for us!

Finances… As many of you will already know, the organization I work for (Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) needs its staff to raise funds for the work on campus. I started this year with about 50% of the total required committed (A$ 60k per annum). I had hoped that this amount, along with the number of supporters, would rise steadily this year. Whilst we are thankful to God for those of you who have committed to support us, our overall support has lagged significantly behind over the year. We are looking to find 50 supporters giving AUD $100 per month to cover all our costs, but currently, we are only hitting about 60% of the amount we need to raise, with a projected shortfall at the end of the year of about AUD $18k. If you are in position to be able to support us in the work of the Gospel at FOCUS, Wollongong, we would love to hear from you! You can download an AFES supporters form at

http://www.afes.org.au/_donate/?sessid=02c79eea98eb8433824a67ab8f3e9fa4.

Alternatively, if you are in Singapore or want to remain anonymous about giving, then please do contact Lee Kengyi (kengyi@gmail.com), who is our funds co-ordinator in Singapore. Having said that, we are very thankful for your partnership, not just financially, but in prayer as well. We can plant, and others water, but it is God who makes the seed grow. Keep praying that much fruit would be born in Wollongong for his Glory.

Updates on the rest of the Kerr household

Jessica

Our little artist

Bikeriding

Our little ‘chilli padi’ (small & harmless looking but packs a powerful punch!) is blossoming into a big ‘chilli padi’!! Jessica is a cheerful bubbly soul, ever so full of energetic enthusiasm & determination. Jessica LOVES pre-school as it is her chance to socialise and ‘mother’ some of the other kids around her. Jessica LOVES anything arty or crafty – she is constantly drawing, cutting, sticking and gluing. Mummy, Daddy, Josiah & Fluffy (pet rabbit) features most in her drawings and paintings. Jessica LOVES physical activities – ballet, jazz, gym, playground challenges, swimming, scootering, bike riding, roller skating & ice skating. AND best of all, Jessica LOVES learning about JESUS!! It has been wonderful to hear her recounting what she has learnt from the bible at home/church/school and to see her inquiring mind at work. She is beginning to link ideas together and asks very perceptive questions about what she has learnt. I have felt so blessed to have this opportunity where She is asking the questions & attentively listening to the answers!  She even reminds us to read the bible to her every night. Please join with me to thank GOD for all that Jessica is and mostly for creating faith in her little heart. Do pray that she will continue to seek out who God is & love Him for herself.



Ice Skating



Josiah

Jos loves dogs!

Books, cricket, soccer, NRL (Rugby League), pokemon card games & star wars wii - sound like a typical list of interests for a boy turning 9 this year?! You bet! Together with all his academic achievements in school, Josiah is also very proud to be only less than 10cm away of being the same height as mummy and also the tallest child in his year 3 class! On our home days, he enjoys following Daddy around the house helping with manly chores of taking things apart, putting things together and fixing things. The rest of the time, he loves being outdoors in the sun and the wind. He hopes to save up enough money to visit his friend Jordon in New York one day, and often recall with fond memories his best friend Nicholas, who lives in Singapore.



Josiah & James

Recently, James & I have been discussing what areas of interest we should encourage Josiah to pursue – and also been casually asking Josiah what he would like to do when he grows up. Would he be interested in being a Vet since he loved animals, or something related to computers since he loved staring into screens?! ‘I don’t know’ seems to be the general answer – understandably. However, one night as I was putting him to bed and praying with him, out of the blue he said “Mummy, I know what I really want to do when I grow up – I want to travel around and tell people about Jesus!” Which mother’s heart would not be warmed in hearing these words! These will be memories I will treasure- ones which show a growing understanding of God’s words in my children’s lives and their blossoming relationship with God. Do give thanks with me!

Maria: Reflection of the 3 ‘R’s

James preaching at Deb & Ansen's wedding.

Relaxation

We had the great privilege to go back to Singapore for a quick visit & for James to preach at Deborah & Ansen’s wedding in July. Due to our short stay, our schedules were packed tightly so that we could make the most of our trip. However, having been in Wollongong for 10 months and having gotten used to the slower more relaxed pace – the contrast with Singapore’s pace became much more evident. When we were living in Singapore we knew we were busy, but being busy all the time just became a way of life. Being busy is not a bad thing (we are commanded not to be idle but to work), but busyness can get in the way of many good things – eg. time to sit back and reflect on God’s word and what it means to our everyday lives, time for others – really listening & understanding rather than ‘doing’ or ‘solving’ or ‘organising’, time to rest & enjoy the many good things & relationships that God has given us. We knew all these things in theory, but sometimes it takes coming out of a situation to really notice that we haven’t been doing those things well. Personally, its been a good time of reflecting and learning not to feel guilty about having time-out and to feel the spiritual benefits of a physically healthier mind and body. However, do pray with me that the urgency of the last days will always be on my mind so that I don’t get too comfortable in the ‘good’ life in Australia.

Next to the exciting event of the wedding, was the privilege of becoming godparents to little Nate! We were surprised and honoured to be asked by Steph & David, please pray that we would have the discipline to pray constantly for Nate, Steph & David even tho we are physically far away!



David, Steph & Nate!

Relationships

As many of you know, we have not been successful in staying in one place for more than 3 or 4 years! In the past 11 years, we have moved homes 7 times, moved countries 3 times, changed churches 5 times & James has had 4 different jobs! You must think we are either very fickle minded or we can’t keep still. The good news is – we are neither! We just didn’t know that that was what God had in mind for us! Needless to say, with every change comes the challenge of making new friendships and saying good-bye to old ones... however, we draw a lot of comfort knowing that we will see our brothers & sisters again when we return to our Father’s home! In the meantime, you remain dear to us & we are always so happy to hear your news!

God has blessed us tremendously in supplying us with a loving church family in our latest move here to Wollongong. We are still getting to know many of our brothers and sisters, do pray with us that relationships will continue to deepen in our bible study groups, in Sunday gatherings, having meals together and other various meet ups.

I have had the privilege of some ‘instant’ relationships with some sisters (ones where you just get on after a few conversations even tho we are so different & have not met each other before). And sadly, just when we are just getting to know each other better, they are saying their good-byes to me as God leads them elsewhere. It is strange to be the one staying when I have been accustomed to being the one leaving! But its been very good to be standing on the ‘other’ side, helps me to appreciate the ‘loss’ a lot more.

Resources

‘Rich’ is how I would describe the amazing resources and training that is available to us here in Australia. If you were a Christian conference junkie, you could possibly go to at least 1 major conference/retreat/church camp, a few seminars/workshops/women’s or men’s event a month every month of the year! We are so blessed to have so many able teachers of God’s word to equip us in every good work in Christ. The flip side of having such richness is that we tend to take it for granted (‘its always going to be there!’) and become lazy in our own study of God’s Word ourselves (‘Wow, these teachers are so much more gifted than me! I will just listen to another sermon rather than wrestle with the passages myself.’).

This past year, I have been able to attend a few women’s day conferences such as Equip & Women’s day (organised by the Baptist church), our church weekend away & a ‘Trellis and the Vine’ workshop. It is so great to spend a chunk of time- uncluttered by my daily concerns- being taught and having the time to reflect upon what we have learnt. I always come away feeling that I need more time to think through the implications of what I have learnt and how I could apply it to my daily attitudes and concerns. But as I reflect back, sadly as usual, I get zapped right back to ‘normal life’ and the impact of those teaching days are not as sustained as I would like – so that begs the question – “Am I being too Busy again!?”

Pray that I will put in motion both the disciplines of the study of God’s Word for myself and the discipline to think of how it should make my life different and set-apart.

[Thanks for reading this extra long oKERRance, till the next time- keep in Jesus! : )  ]



A Learning Okerrance

What has been happening in the lives of the Kerr’s over the last 3-4 months? Well, since we last wrote, we have settled down into more of a routine following the Christmas period. Jessica started at the Illawarra Christian School Prep school two days a week, which she is loving; Josiah is the same – enjoying the slower pace of school work. Cricket has given way to football for the winter months and he has a match every Saturday morning for the next 18 weeks or so! He is beginning to show promise in a ball winning mid field position – in other words his big size is good at getting in the way of the opposition! Jessica has flourished in her ballet classes, and will be performing soon! Maria has been beginning to build deeper relationships with some at church and she is enjoying the Women on Wednesday (WOW) group that has been looking at the Moore College Correspondence Course on Mark’s Gospel this past term.

James’ FOCUS on learning

Learning for me that is! People have been asking me how I have been settling in at FOCUS this year. And whilst I have often given the answer with what we have been doing and what we have been teaching, the truth is, I am the one who has been learning the most. The first four months have been packed full of good stuff. When we last wrote, I was planning the year at FOCUS and still finding my footing. Well, you might not be surprised to know that I am still finding my footing! I have much to learn about International work and how to best reach out to a wide variety of peoples from different countries. I find preaching to a group that is really diverse, challenging, mainly because there is no homogeneity in the group we speak to. Chinese, Papua New Guinean, Indian, Vietnamese with a spattering of local students who help out at FOCUS (which the staff deeply appreciate!). A large number who do visit us on Thursday nights are not Christians as well, so the level at which we pitch our talks and teach is always a challenge! Do pray for me especially, as I learn how to communicate the Gospel simply and clearly to the students with such a wide range of backgrounds.

Having said that, do praise God for this wonderful opportunity that we have at FOCUS, to preach the Gospel boldly and faithfully into the lives of believers and unbelievers alike. There is still a lot of interest by students from China to know Jesus, and that happens at both the smaller group level (we carry out Christianity Explained classes) and at the individual level (a number of the staff are meeting with those interested to find out more in one to one regular meetings). Pray for all those we have been meeting with this semester – that the Holy Spirit would convict them of the truth about Jesus, sin and judgment! One man from China I have been meeting with has been interested in Christian things for a while now, but unfortunately he is moving away from Wollongong soon. Please could you pray specifically for him, that the distractions of relationships and the world would not crowd out his enthusiasm to know Christ. Pray also for another from China who has been coming to our bible study group this semester - that although he is there for friendships and to practice his English (not uncommon at FOCUS), that somehow our witness to the word and our Christian lives would leave a deep impact on him.

To help us build relationships with the students (and to help them build relationships with each other), we meet together before our FOCUS meeting to have a meal together. This has been a terrific way of getting to understand how each student ticks, and how they stand with God and Jesus. We titled this gathering time as ‘Table Talk’, appropriately, because we try and centre our conversation on the main theme of the talk that evening. So far, table talk has been going well, so pray that God uses that time to build relationships with a view to sharing the Gospel. We also had FOCUS fun days to the Blue Mountains during the Easter break, which gave FOCUS regulars a chance to invite friends along and for their friends to get involved in real fellowship – I even had a chance to give a Sermonette on the Mount! To follow that up, we had a FOCUS games day and dinner which was well attended by Christian and non- Christian alike.

For those of you interested about my week you can take a look below. For those who are not interested, you can shift your eyes to the next paragraph! I have three staff meetings a week (of various kinds!), a bible study group, a Christianity Explained group, Small group leader’s training, helper’s training and of course, our main FOCUS meeting on Thursday evening. The rest of the time I have left is in preparation and one to one work! I will update you on individual aspects of the work through our FOCUS Foto snapshots I hope to be sending out every month from now on.

However, and more importantly, its not just about the ministry at FOCUS that I have been learning about over these last few months. I have also been learning about me in so many ways, not least my own weakness and failings through my own sinfulness as a husband and as a father. As many of you know, I am a fairly anxious person and this can be quite a challenge to cope with in ministry, which in turn can have a knock on effect to relationships and especially our marriage. In moving again, and changing jobs etc, you will always expect additional stressors to come. This has made me anxious unfortunately, and I don’t think I have coped with them that well. Its only now I am realizing that I need to address this issue, so do pray for me as I speak to the right people about how best to address it. Pray for me as a husband too that I will not be distracted or negligent towards Maria (whether by stress or anxiety), and that I will learn to love and to cherish Maria more and more, as Christ loved his own body, the church.

Over to Maria

Magnolia - I became an aunt for the 5th time when my new niece Magnolia Grace Finley arrived end of January. Its really lovely to be able to enjoy a baby without the sleep deprivation and the demands of a newborn. Being an aunt is a bit like being a grandparent. You enjoy all the perks of having a cute little bub to play with without all the hard work! Magnolia is now coming to 4 months old and looks very much like her older brother Oscar. Please thank God with us for creating another precious little life.

Making splashes – For those of you who have been praying for & asking after my health, thank you! God has been very gracious in the area of my health since arriving back in Australia. The reoccurring infections seemed to have come to a halt. I have also committed to doing aqua aerobics twice a week and have been amazed at how much it helps my energy levels. Please thank God for restoring my health and the opportunity to do regular exercise.

Friends & family – Arriving in Wollongong is like arriving home even though I have never lived in Wollongong before. We are so grateful for the church family here, it makes settling in and deepening relationships so much easier. I look forward to Women on Wednesdays (bible study group) and to our weekly gathering on Sunday mornings. At WOW, I have been challenged to think again about what following Jesus – discipleship – means to me at this point in life. Please thank God for the new family He has provided for us here, and pray with me to think through and to commit to changing areas of my life that needs changing as I follow Jesus.

FOCUS – Although I have little day to day involvement with the overseas students at FOCUS, I have had opportunities to build relationships through hosting meals, joining in the socials (recently to the Blue Mountains) and sometimes attending night church. I am especially enjoying getting to know one Singaporean lady – Xinyi - who attends FOCUS. Do pray for the students who are far away from home and missing family and familiar things. Pray especially that the time they have at FOCUS will help them Know God and to put their trust in Him.

Singlish weekend - One of the highlights in the month of May was when we had friends from Singapore visit & stay with us! We were especially touched that although two of our friends were actually on honeymoon, that they still took the time to come and see us! It was a great time of renewing our friendships in Christ and catching up with news and updates of our family in Christ back in Singapore. Thanking God for the oneness that we have in Christ and for faithful servants of the Gospel in Singapore. Please pray that the Gospel continues to gather people under the headship of Christ in Singapore.

The 2010 New Year Okerrance!

Happy New Year! 

Well its just under three months since our last update – THREE months already! At least an attempt at keeping up with you quarterly is not too awry! We trust that you are remaining faithful in Christ as this New Year begins, whatever your circumstances, and that Christ is proclaimed through word and deed in your lives.

When we last wrote we had only been in Australia for about six weeks and we were deciding what to do about work. As most of you know, we decided to commit to FOCUS AFES, beginning 2010, and James is now in the midst of preparing the plan for the year! Do pray for James for wisdom and sensitivity to suit the yearly plan to those we are ministering to. It is quite a different environment, different students and different team to be doing ministry amongst this year, so there are many changes to cope with for James. The only constant of course, is the living and enduring word of God that will not change or pass away! Pray that James will remain faithful in life and doctrine amid the changes.

Much of the last few months have been spent doing our level best to settle into our new home in fixing, repairing, buying, organizing, etc before work and school start in 2010! We feel as though we now need a holiday again, but of course it’s time to start work! James’ parents have been in Australia since the end of November last year, so we spent Christmas with them. It was nice to spend some of the Christmas period with Maria’s sister’s family for the first time too.

FOCUSsing in

I am only just getting started at FOCUS and having only visited the Thursday weekly meetings twice last year, I am still orientating myself to the people and environment at Wollongong University. Still, in that time, I have had the great joy of sharing the Gospel with nearly every International student I have met. Most are from China, and most have a genuine interest to investigate just who this man Jesus is as they have the opportunity to investigate God. After about 15 minutes of chatting with one of these students about all sorts of things during a thanksgiving dinner, he turned to me unprompted and said, ‘does Jesus judge people’. I sat there in stunned silence thinking, ‘I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it! how often do I get an opportunity like this? No prompting, no need to ‘turn’ the conversation towards the Gospel.’ Amazing as that was to me then, I have been here a few months now, and having spoken to past and present staff, I’ve realized this happens nearly every week. This is the value of the FOCUS work. Pray that this window of opportunity to reach out to other nationals will bear fruit as they come to hear of Christ the Lord and Saviour! At the moment FOCUS has an Indonesian fellowship, a Mandarin fellowship, an Indian fellowship and an English speaking group. We also have Japanese speakers at FOCUS, so they can always have a Japanese fellowship when the need arises!

I am so blessed to be amongst a godly team of people this year at FOCUS. Matthew Meek is my supervisor, he being the FOCUS national director (overseeing the FOCUS work across the country). He has been with FOCUS for over ten years, and I am looking forward to learning loads from him. I am also full of joy to have another co-worker, John Baird. John is one of the ministry trainees at Wollongong University, serving at FOCUS on a full time basis this year and it is great to have him around. We are also very blessed to have a female FOCUS ministry trainee, Phuong. Phuong is from Vietnam, but was converted and has grown as a Christian here in Wollongong. Please do pray for us as a team, that we will grow in love and service of each other, as we love and serve the students, especially since nearly all of us are new this year. Many of the team have moved on since last year, leaving gaping holes. But, God is sovereign so pray that he will use us to serve his Kingdom faithfully.

At the moment, we are in the throes of identifying and training students to take on the roles of leadership at FOCUS. With so many International students here for such a short time (perhaps on average 2 years), and leaving to return home or move onto other parts of Australia, this makes the task quite tough! International students find it tough to find work in Wollongong, due to the difficult economic environment down here. Humanly speaking, this process is important, and takes lots of time thinking through and prayer. We need to choose the right people from a biblical stand point, so please do pray that as far a possible we will be faithful, and that God will intervene if we are making the wrong choices. We thank God for the many volunteers (both students and workers alike) who have given time to serve at FOCUS in both big and small ways. Keep praying that our Lord will provide student servants for this ministry who can stay around Wollongong long enough to facilitate stability in the leadership.

I look forward to reporting more about FOCUS in the coming months, so watch this space. We will let you know how things are going…

Maria

The last move of 2009!

After 6 weeks of great generosity & patience from my sister’s family in housing us, the Jacaranda trees were swaying their goodbyes to us as we vacated Jacaranda Ave. The noise levels went down a few notches in the lovely suburb of Figtree and a whirlwind of activity & noise descended upon Cordeaux, the next suburb down. Our new neighours were regularly greeted with “Excuse me! Whats your name? My name is Jessica!” as our little girl shouted with excitement across the yard.

Our humble abode

The whirlwind continued - unpacking, shifting, cleaning, sorting, washing, shopping, doing admin and running errands through the months of November and December 09. Although the lists of jobs & boxes are still staring at us, the calm has arrived and we are 90% settled into the lovely home that God has provided for us. We are very thankful to God for a place which is close to family and schools, and big enough to be able to host visiting guests!

James’ parents were our very first visiting house guests shortly after we moved in. This year marks the first year both James & I could spend the Christmas season with family from both sides of the family! December was also a month packed full of family birthdays, so lots of celebrating and eating. Although busy, it was nice that we could end our year on the beach and watched a beautiful display of fireworks by Wollongong Harbour – the first time of its kind in Wollongong! 2009 was indeed a very memorable & busy year for us.

Boxing Day with Kerrs & Finleys

I am entering 2010 with a lot of excitement for the year ahead. I am looking forward to forming new relationships both with overseas students at FOCUS and also with members of St Michael’s Cathedral Wollongong. I will also look forward to the arrival of a new niece/nephew in the next week and the lovely opportunity to be geographically closer to my sister & her family. Due to our different ministry commitments, circumstances and geographical locations the past 15 years, we have not been able to support each other in practical ways. So it is really nice to have the opportunity to do so now.

Please join me in giving thanks to God for all the above. We are so grateful that He provided abundantly every step of the way. Pray also that in the year ahead, we will seize opportunities in our relationships with those whom we come into contact with.

Josiah

Moving and Grooving with Fluffy!

The last school term of 2009 was a very active one for Josiah. Dancing practice for a ‘Moove & Groove’ event, twice a week after school sports of soccer and basketball, a 2 week intensive swimming programme AND Saturday morning cricket! This will probably not be a typical term for Josiah, but it certainly helped him eat like a horse & sleep like a baby. He loves being able to do so much sport, and is especially taken with the game of Cricket.

Jos grooving away

Jos' 8th B'day

Josiah has also been asking persistently for a pet, specifically for a dog. We finally gave in to the pet idea but negotiated a dwarf rabbit instead. So for Josiah’s 8th birthday, Fluffy the rabbit joined our family.

Fluffy

Jessica

Theres no place like home…

Jess with cousin Rosie

It took Jessica a longer time to settle as she had to wait for all her immunizations to be administered before she could enroll into pre-school. She finally started school in October, two days a week. It is now 3 months into her new school and she is starting to enjoy it a lot more.

She is also a very ‘homely’ girl, she loves being at home and playing with all her toys. So after moving in & being reunited with all her usual belongings, it made her feel a lot more settled and secure. She is now enjoying her own PINK room and hopes to have her cousin Rosie to sleep over soon.

Just before we left Singapore, Jessica showed an exponential interest in swimming. So we decided to seize the moment and found a lesson she could join. To our great surprise, she was swimming confidently by the third lesson! She continues to swim every week and is making good progress.

Jessica the Rocket

Thank you for all your prayers for our kids in settling into their new home, surrounding and routines. Their moods improved leaps and bounds when we finally moved into our own home. They are also having A LOT of fun here with so many community programmes/ initiatives towards children and their growth. As I am writing this, Josiah is enjoying a Mecanno building workshop organized by the local library.

Please continue to pray that they will learn more about Jesus every day, commit to Him and submit under His authority in their lives. Pray too that we as parents will commit to being godly examples daily.