Building for Eternity
Missionary Connection
Updates from beyond the Parish
Melting Moments with Philip & Deanne Gerber CMS Missionaries Northern Territory
4 months ago
Philip & Deanne Gerber serve with CMS in the Northern Territory and we partner with them both in prayer and financial support.
Click on this link to hear about the latest work by the Gerbers: Gerber – Newsletter Sept 2011
CHARLSIES Angles – keeping in touch from Santiago – Chile
6 months ago
Michael & Jo Charles with their children; Sam, Caleb, Emma & Lola are serving with Church Mission Society in Santiago, Chile and are one of Dapto’s Link Missionaries.
We’ve just received 3 newsletters in quick succession from the Charles family in the field in Santiago, Chile.
They’ve had a busy few months with friends Rev Andrew & Heather Reid (Holy Trinity Doncaster, Melbourne) joining them leading up to Easter for an intensive course on the book of Exodus.
Great news about Jo’s women’s bible study group. The ladies decided to continue meeting while Jo was in Australia. A very big step for these ladies! They discovered that they didn’t need Jo to run this group and learnt instead to trust God. They are studying Isaiah and while a little bogged down are making great links from the Old and New Testament.
More recently, Michael reports on a mission to Antofagasta where they spent a week in evangelistic events. A highlight for Michael was being able to preach in English at a service held for nearby miners. It was great for the students with him to see a very different part of Chile and experience the difficult reality of a minig city where there is a high turnover of congregation members due to short-term contract work.
Why not check out their newsletters #77 to #79 for yourself by clicking on the links here.
Charles – Newsletter #77 April 2011
Charles – Newsletter #78 May 2011
Charles – Newsletter #79 May 2011
News from the Chins
6 months ago
As we support our Link Missionary Richard Chin – who works as the National Director for AFES; working to bring the gospel to the students attending our Universities, Richard and his family are struggling through suporting wife & Mum Bronwyn who has been afflicted with cancer. Read on and uphold Richard and his family with prayer.
Richard writes the following:
Dear brothers and sisters, I am so sorry for being out of touch.
Bronwyn remains fragile. She hovers around 39-40 kg and has chronic back pain. This means she is unable to sit in a chair or stand upright for long periods of time. Although we don’t know exactly what is causing the pain, a recurrence of cancer is at the top of the short list.We have a CT scan next Tue (12th July) which will reveal more. Either way the treatment is the same with sporadic chemotherapy.
However, although her diarrhoea is constant due to the surgery, her vomiting has settled (apart from when she has chemotherapy).But she remains (as always) in good spirits with good humour in the sovereign grace of God. She is also able to get to church and bible study most weeks.At church she sits in a bean bag in the office foyer listening through a speaker that broadcasts the entire service. We usually share this intimate ’church plant’ with some mums and babies.
In God’s kindness, our children remain well because of Bronwyn’s incredible endurance.
As I write, Naomi (15), and Grace (13) are at a CMS Camp called Triple M. Thomas (11) has enjoyed a local Christian Kid’s holiday club,and Rachel (17) is studying hard for her HSC.
Our church family continue to flood us with love – organising meals, a cleaner for our home, mowing our grass, and regularly praying for us.
I am weary but generally well and am due to speak on the books of Joshua, and Job, … and the mission at the Wollongong campus soon.
On the AFES front,
It is Mid Year Conference season across the nation. Students are engaging with God for a week in campus or regional conferences exploring great doctrines such as the Cross, church, relationships, and humanity.
Some dear supporters have enabled us to set up the “AFES New Ministry Initiative” to seed fund strategic staff appointments throughout Australia.
Please continue to thank God for
* preserving Bronwyn’s life and hope in him
* keeping our children well
* the opportunity to know Him better and make Him known at our Mid Year Conferences
* the generosity of friends to set up the New Ministry Initiative
Please ask our Father
* to cure Bronwyn if it is His will and alleviate her back pain
* to continually strengthen her with a steadfast joy in Him
* keep our horizons large with a ballast of humility and a sails full of adoration for Jesus
* to transform the lives of the thousands of students meeting at conferences this month into the image of Jesus.
* to raise up more workers for the University harvest field in Australia and overseas.
Thank you for loving us,
the Chin family.
Chin Prayer Update – 28th April, 2011
9 months ago
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
Bronwyn’s father sadly passed away early on Easter Sunday. Although he never professed to be a Christian, he read a long letter from Bronwyn explaining the gospel a few days before, and prayed with us in response to Psalm 23. He even asked God to have mercy on Bronwyn with regard to her cancer.
His funeral is on at 1:30 pm Tue 3rd May at St. Matthews Anglican Church, Manly. Bronwyn will be praying and I will give a brief talk from Psalm 23 at the service.
In the mean time:
* Bronwyn’s mother is still recovering from a triple bypass.
* Bronwyn is well enough to receive chemotherapy
* Her sister (Michelle) will be with our family whilst I am speaking at a convention for medical students and staff in Queensland this weekend (on the theme of suffering – teaching the
book of Habakkuk).
* Our children started back at school after a busy and fruitful break.
Please pray that
* the funeral service will glorify God and turn Bronwyn’s wider family back to him.
* the chemotherapy keeps Bronwyn’s cancer at bay and she has enough energy for the funeral.
* Richard will speak faithfully and well this weekend.
* Our children keep looking to Jesus.
Thanks for loving us,
Richard Chin.