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Sunday, 4 October John
Hi, everyone! Once again I am living with the Christians (I lived with them once before just over a year and now I have been back with them for the past couple of months.)
I am not a member of the community, but I am a full-time Gospel worker like them, so we have much in common.
My work for the Lord consists mainly of going out on the streets daily, distributing tracts. I concentrate on ethnic people (who are usually more receptive than Australians ) and each day I take tracts in 84 different languages so that I'm prepared for practically anyone I meet.
I am very happy to be back at the Christians' place. Everyone here is very kind and it is most enjoyable to be surrounded by people that really practise Christian love and not just talk about it.
Monday, 5 October Joshua
I have nearly finished a wall on the castle I am building at the back of Stan's place. It is a really long and tall one, but the top is weak. We have also been digging up lots of Paterson's Curse. It is sometimes called Salvation Jane because when the green grass dies it is usually still good.
Friday, 7 October Euan
Josh and I went to the dentist because we had holes in our teeth. I was scared before we went, but they were friendly so I am not scared now.
One time I was in the house by myself and I saw a shadow that looked like God and I went to tell it to my dad.
Wednesday, 7 October Craig
The streets were good today. The weather was great. The people were fairly receptive. I am still maintaining a one hundred quota, each day I go out, which has been surprisingly easy to attain. Things have picked up since the days when we would slug it out in the C.B.D.
Thursday, 8 October Tim
I have come to accept that Jesus is my teacher. In the past I knew it intellectually, but felt that the gospel was just historical, that it wasn't living. I'm glad that's not the case. It is amazing how the Holy Spirit reveals truth to us.
I'm finding that I have to work more at forgiving others so that I can continue to be in a position to receive God's forgiveness. With this attitude I can love people more effectively.
Friday, 9 October Boyd
I've been thinking about the snare of materialism and how anti-love it is. While we seek material things to make us comfortable in life we push away thanking God for the things he has given us, and appreciating what we already have. I'm learning that the fewer material things I have, the more I appreciate the more important things: my life, the lives of other people I can show love to, and the freedom to use my time whichever way I think God wants me to. Materialism is a wedge that separates us from experiencing personal peace of mind which only comes through loving other people.
Friday, 9 October Kiera
We went to visit Margaret three times. She's the one that dad used to visit to get biscuits from, when he was a little boy. She gave me biscuits too. She's a nice lady. She love a lot of people. Stan and dad used to call her Frenta when they were little boys because she's a "friend ta" everyone.
Saturday, 10 October Sheri
God continues to provide for us. A couple of times I started to worry, but I really shouldn't have, as "Where God guides he provides." As kids we used to get excited when we'd run out of funds. We called it "miracle time." I guess it works, even for adults. God's a great boss to work for!
Monday, 12 October Kevin
I finally got around to doing inked work on Power to the People this week. I have had to accept the fact that I won't get this job finished before leaving for India. I'm starting to get anxious about all the things I still need to do.
Liz' sister, Rachel is getting married a few days before we leave. The wedding is going to be quite formal. I was wondering how to meet the dress code and decided to check out the local op shop. I walked directly to the jacket rack and pulled the first one off. It was a perfect fit and style. I soon found a pair of pants to match. The whole outfit cost $9.50! God provides!!
Monday, 12 October Craig
We had a stack of visitors over for our Sunday get together; Tony & Maria, Robert Coenrad and his wife, Carlionette, and their one year old daughter, and John & Joy and their six kids. It was a good opportunity to catch up with everyone. The discussion turned to last month's N.L. article. John defended the "once saved always saved" doctrine with a scripture that says "if we become unfaithful, he remains faithful; he cannot deny himself". I shared how I thought this verse was talking about the unchanging characteristics of God, but that it doesn't mean we can't choose to throw away our salvation. God remains ever hopeful that the "unfaithful" will return to him, but there is no salvation that overrides our freedom to choose hell.
Saturday, 17 October Nathan
I stay in Katoomba for long time. I do some school work. I did some artwork. I stuck some seeds to wood. I make some boat with paper. I play the drums on tins. I use some chopsticks. I like drawing and colouring things. I saw my grandmother at the airport. I like packing up. I like playing with Benny. I like doing what my mum and dad say.
Saturday, 17 October Tim
We got back from my mother's place yesterday and are all pretty tired after two days' work. I enjoyed the physical labour and am looking forward to doing free work when we go to Port Pirie. Some of the jobs were digging, mowing, cutting branches off pine trees and cleaning the gutters. I also cleaned a stack of bricks. I had a labouring job before I joined the community in which I had to do the same job. It was much better this time because the motivation was completely different. When I was working for a wage I resented my employer and hated the work. Whereas doing exactly the same job, but for God was great because I was positively motivated and wanted to help.
I was also exposed to the fact that I haven't been a loving son to Ruth in the past. Working for Love and following Jesus has brought to light the error of selfishness. It can be a destructive spirit that hurts not only ourselves but the people around us.
Sunday, 18 October Yesamma
Last week Craig's mothervisited us. After that we went to Katoomba. We were doing some free work there. Tim's mother was very happy. She was looking after us very well.
My Australian citizenship is on November 30 at 7pm. God gave me some good clothes to wear to the ceremony.
Friday, 23 October Joshua
I am in Bendigo. Last night we camped at Big Hill. This morning we saw a dam full of huge, green tadpoles. We could not get any because they were too clever.
We are visiting a woman today. She met us at the gathering last night. We have been given lots of things at the gatherings. One man gave us cloth shopping bags, other people gave us some chocolate bars, some bread, and 360 Christian stickers!
Wednesday, 21 October Craig
It looks like we'll be putting off the move to Port Pirie until after Yesamma's naturalisation ceremony.
I have been getting the lesson of late, from Malachi 4, about the end time spirit of Elijah turning the "hearts of the fathers towards their children". When we put things, projects, or work, on a higher priority than relationships we are actually going against God's Spirit. The whole purpose of God's Spirit is to reconcile us to Himself and with each other. Families are torn apart by the belief that parents need to commit their time to mammon to survive, which leaves no time for building and maintaining relationships. It is the grace of God that frees us from the system's upside down values. From the correct foundation of putting relationships FIRST everything else flows naturally without the stress that comes from being stretched thinly between both.
Sunday, 25 October Kevin
I had a few frustrating days this past week trying to sort out bank business for taking money to India. Exchange rates kept fluctuating, and I almost converted all our dollars into rupees when I discovered it could have all been confiscated from us at immigration! Aaagh! It is so much easier to trust God than to satisfy the fickle whims of Mammon.
We talked this morning about improving communication skills. The trouble with polite communication, is that it often denies deeper feelings. People can SAY they don't have a problem, but in a way that indicates they do. This process of suppression usually intensifies unresolved conflict so that when it is finally expressed directly it causes hurt feelings. We agreed to experimenting with a language shift, by discussing more freely our "feelings". This way we can be honest, but also less judgmental. Instead of telling someone that they were rude and insensitive, we can discuss FEELING that way about something they did. This way we can air a tension before it expresses itself as a fully formed judgement or label. Hopefully this will create more space for understanding, which should also tone down the defensive reaction that usually follows a direct criticism.
Tony and Maria came around this afternoon. Tony helped us set up a programme to help us post out an introductory E-mail to some people who are publicly listed on the internet in an international Christian interest mailing list.
Monday, 26 October Boyd
Last week we distributed in Bendigo for four days. We had gatherings in the evenings too, and they went very well.
There were some amazing coincidences. I received a letter from a bloke who had received tracts from us. Later that day two women came by and we got talking. We found out that their pastor was the one who had written to us. One of the women invited us to her house for a shower and a meal. When we arrived the Pastor's sister and a friend visited unexpectantly. So we shared with them as well. As we left one of the women gave us $40.
Thursday, 29 October Craig
Wow! More than 1700 visits have been made to our website since we sent off the introductory E-mail, and more than 200 have written back interested in further communication. It is a big job replying to them all. We've had a few late nights, as a result, but since we are reaching people in countries we could never travel to, it's all worth while.
Sister Winifred, a friend of John's has been staying with us for a couple of nights. She doesn't like Kev's cartoons, our Godspell outfits, and use of computer technology, but she survived our company and did a bit of distributing with John, before heading off this morning.
John will be hitting the road in a few days time, heading north to visit some of his contacts before going to Port Pirie where he will be welcoming us to his house in the new year.