What a fabulous term!
In a few days Christine and I are going on holiday to ride motor scooters around Lombok, an island next to Bali. The school term is just about to finish. There is a teachers’ strike tomorrow so our last week will be just Wednesday and Thursday, then we’re off.
Easter is upon us and we’re teaching the story of Mary meeting Jesus after his resurrection.
We’ve had over 1000 visits so far this term. We’re learning new names and new people continue coming. Long time regulars are hanging around and we’re jumping rope. Such a great activity. No screens. Cooperating together. Learning new skills. Getting exercise.
God is blessing this beautiful ministry. Next term we’re focusing on “Stuff Jesus Said.” Thanks for helping us plant seeds of faith in these little ones, giving the Holy Spirit something to work with downstream.
In the photo, Christine and I are showing off a gift we were given by a tiny little girl at Bus Stop Cafe. She said, “I made this for you two!”
Fire in the ‘hood’ – names have been changed for anonymity
“Angus, there’s a fire!” cried Alice, a six year old girl outside at Bus Stop Cafe. People were running to the house two doors down from the church. I saw Michael and Janet running too, parents who we’d come to respect over the years. Izzy was also running. She had just bought the house next door!
So I dropped everything and ran to the smoke. People were everywhere, pulling at the fence, trying to break into the garden which was filled with broken TVs, old mowers, fuel canisters, dead fridges encircled by weeds around waist height.
Children were crying. People were yelling, giving advice.
“Don’t worry about it”, said the stoners amidst the fire. “It’s our fire. It’s under control. Go away”, they said, staggering around. Flames were licking sideways among the weeds and rubbish. Smoke billowing above the fences.
Izzy said, “I don’t care what they say. I’m calling the fire brigade.”
“Yes, do that”, I told her, following Michael into the neighbouring property. We tried to look over the fence but thick white smoke burnt our faces.
There was a garden tap, but no hose so I ran back to the church and grabbed our super awesome hose reel which I use to water our garden. Christine was looking after the children at the church and I told her what was going on and to stay put.
I raced back to Michael who said we needed the attachment to connect to the tap. “There’s one at the church,” I told him pointing.
While he raced off, Janet and I paid out the hose. Michael returned, attached the hose and we tipped two wheelie bins on their sides so he could get above the fence.
Michael began putting out the fire directly beneath him, then jumped the fence, attacking the flames which were spreading quickly among the rubbish. Seeing Micahel had this area under control, I went with Izzy and Janet around the other side of the property. We found a hose and Janet forced open the gate. I grabbed the hose and started fighting the fire. Flames were everywhere, but with Michael on one side and me on the other we were winning. Watering the rubbish, the mowers, TVs and weeds, the flames died down.
The two stoners were overwhelmed with all the activity. The fire brigade and police arrived and thanked us for putting out the fire. They interviewed the stoners and Izzy and others. If we’d been 5 minutes later, buildings would have burned down.
We went back to church, taking our beloved hose reel. People were crying, but the peace of God’s presence in the church compared with the trauma we’d been dealing with was confronting.
Six Filipino Pastors Visited
Praying about how to entertain their 4 visiting Filipino pastor friends, our friend Pynqi from Wynlife Werribee heard God say, “Why not take them to visit Angus?”.
So all six of them came and watched and prayed and talked. Fifty five kids and parents came in and did a “Jesus Challenge” to get a chocolate milk.
It was a lovely time of fellowship and laughs but the thing which I want to share with you is this: One of the pastors who has a church of thousands in the Philippines talked to me afterwards. He said that they have a ministry where they give snacks to children. But he said, “We’re not going to give them snacks anymore. We’re going to get them to do a “Jesus Challenge” and earn the snacks.
Praise God for the influence we’re having on leaders near and far.
Would you like to help us financially?
Name: Little Miracles Community Inc.
BSB: 633 000
ACC: 205 402 357
Thank you for helping us teach more kids about Jesus!