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.)
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| 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.
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| 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
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
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| Our little artist |
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| 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.
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| Ice Skating |
Josiah
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| 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.
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| 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
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| 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!
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| 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! : ) ]
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