Prayer points for Dongara

Dear prayer supporter,

The beginning of the year has brought a new resolve on our part to “share not only the gospel of God but our very lives as well” (1 Thess. 2:8) with the people of Dongara and Mingenew. We highly value your prayers and support. Thanks for you partnership in the gospel here.

Yours in Christ,

Matt and Corinne Malcolm (and Kate, Sam and Lucy)
Give thanks and praise:

· For refreshing holidays and renewed zeal for ministry in Dongara and Mingenew
· For the new group meeting to go through “So Many Questions”
· For individuals growing in Christ and for some “religious” church goers re-examining their relationship with God (preaching through Mark’s gospel and then Romans 1-8)
· For Kate going to Kindy at Dongara District High School – and the opportunities to engage the school community
· For Tyler, Penny, Elijah and Devery Swartzentruber – who continue to be a great support and encouragement to us
· For God’s faithfulness, grace and love to us through the Lord Jesus


Please ask God:

· That we might be faithful to Jesus and to his gospel truth, loving God and people around us
· For the “So many Questions” course – and the follow on to “Introducing God” next term
· For Barbara – that she might understand the gospel and put her faith in Jesus
· For good habits of Bible reading and prayer together as a family and individually for Matt and Corinne (and for the Swartzentrubers too!)
· For Corinne and Penny as they seek to see their friends come to know Jesus
· For Matt and Tyler as they seek to engage with the blokes at basketball and tennis
· For the retired clergyman and his wife as they contemplate living and ministering in Mingenew (and for a house for them in town)
· For strength and faithfulness in Tyler as he continues to serve at Geraldton Grammar School
· For faithfulness and perseverance as Matt teaches SRE (Scripture) at Dongara and Mingenew Primary Schools

M4M: Postcard from Gove

Hi Friends,
I've just arrived back in the 'Territory' after a week at home with some of you, for Nuffy and Karens' wedding. It was a great time away I'm feeling recharged for my next stint up here. This year has taken a bit of adjusting as I've settled into my third home in just over 12 months. I'm starting to feel more at home in the bush than the city now which I think is a positive sign. It's a way of life that is challenging, but laid back. It's often hard work but the weekends are usually great times of relaxing with countless hours spent at a beach, billabong or waterfall. I've had the opportunity to witness some unique Aboriginal culture during a number of ceremonies. Sadly all events have been funerals so far, as three of our patients have passed away. On each occassion a large group of traditionally dressed Yolngu men and women have been present. Typically if the patient dies in the hospital the relatives will be ready to immediately come and demonstrate their sorrow. On one occassion a terminally ill patient passed away and within minutes the room was filled with wailing and women throwing themselves at the deceased persons body to demonstrate their grief. One woman cut her head badly on the ground and required medical treatment. I was confirming the death of the patient as parents were holding their small children up to the body to allow them one final goodbye. A large group of men arrived playing didgeridoos and tapping sticks. They took the body to the morgue while dancing and chanting. One man had a small bag of bones from the deceaseds' ancestors which he shook in his teeth. The Aboriginal liason officer explained to me this was to call the spirits of the deceased persons ancestors so that his spirit would be able to find them in the after-life. On another occasion, in the Raminiging community, I was invited in to a funeral of a young girl who had committed suicide. All her mothers (women who belonged to the same skin group as her biological mother) were sitting in the middle room of a house with the body in a coffin covered in flowers. By traditional law they had to maintain a vigil by the body for the duration of the funeral which took a week. During the evening there was dancing outside the house with men in one group dancing in a line to didgeridoos while the women started on the edge of the gathering and slowly danced towards the men. The tempo increased part way through the dance and it became a fast choreographed routine which was quite amazing. It was interesting that at the funeral there was Jesus' portrait displayed which I think demonstrated the the mix of tradional religion with Christianity. I wasn't able to understand much of what I witnessed as Yolngu Matha is the only language spoken. Hopefully as I learn more language I'll be able to understand what it all means. I was told the the men and women dancing replicate different totem animals. Everybody at birth is given a particular animal name which becomes their totem for life. Dances for example, mimick the python (the men) or brolga (women). Totems affect hunting as well and certain animals are only to be hunted by some people. I had the chance to go hunting with some guys and learn how to throw the spear which is harder than it looks. I certainly couldn't see the fish and stingray that others were seeing all the time! I'm keen to get into more cultural activities and am trying to learn more about the language by doing an external course at Charles Darwin University in the Gupapuyngu dialect of Yolngu Matha. I'll let you know when I can say a few words! Otherwise I'm glad to be 'home' and will write again soon.

Cheers Daniel

Please pray for:-
Settling into church, a small Baptist church.
Help learning language and culture
Making relationships with local Aboriginals
Give thanks for such a beautiful place to live close to beaches and islands.

The Life of Jesus: A New Documentary with John Dixon

It’s been announced that a one hour excerpt from John Dickson’s new documentary, The Life of Jesus, will air across Australia on the Seven Network on Good Friday, 10th April.

Produced by the Centre for Public Christianity and Anglican Media Sydney, it’s an ideal way to start conversations about Jesus over Easter.

See the programme’s website for a preview

Click here for website

The Autumn Session May 2009

We invite you to The Autumn Session. This is a series of seminars in May 09 to help us think more deeply about important life issues so we can live life to the full. It’s about healthy relationships. 7:45pm to 9:30pm at St. Matthew’s Church Cost $5:

1. Raising resilient kids
Thurs 7th May, Dr. David Michie
Skills for parents

2. Surviving work/life stress
Weds 13th May, Dr. Daniel Morkell
Skills for the stressed

3. Helping Families avoid addictions
Thurs 14th May, Dr. George O’Neill
Director of Fresh Start recovery programme.

Skills for drug proofing your family

4. Make Poverty History
Weds 20th May, Steve McKinnon, Tear Fund WA
Poverty awareness raising

5. Living Together, Black & White.
Thurs 21st May, David Michie chairing an indigenous panel.
Awareness raising of indigenous issues in Perth.

6. Issues about Dying
Weds 27th May, Dr. Doug Bridge
Head of palliative care at Royal Perth Hospital.

Skills in Facing Death

7. Fathers and Daughters
Thurs 28th May Dr. Bruce Robinson
Skills in family relationships

St. Matthew’s Shenton Park
Cnr. Derby and Onslow Rd
RSVP Office 9381 2640
office@stmattsshentonpark.org.au

Reaching out to Aussies on holiday

Are you interested in spending part of your summer holidays telling other people about Jesus? Come to a Scripture Union information and planning meeting at Subiaco Church of Christ (260 Bagot Rd) on Saturday 4 April, 3.30-5.00pm. Hear about the Family Festival at Ocean Beach Caravan Park in Denmark and SU's plans to multiply this mission.

For more info contact Khim Harris 0433 033 174.

St Matthew’s Missions Working Group is offering an opportunity to experience life and ministry in another culture in a rural mountainous (2100m) area of West China.

Date July 10th - August 8th (plus travelling time)

Cost AUD $ 2600 (plus personal spending money)

Task Teaching oral English to low level English speakers. No teaching
experience, or training in ESL is required Team Up to 6 people some of whom could speak Mandarin.

Applications By March 31st

Travel By air to Chengtu, air to Xichang, then a 3 hr bus trip to destination

John and Blodwyn Timms are available to take a team to Szechuan Province, to a small town where OMF has been seeking to reach one of the minority groups - the Yi people They number 6.5 million but there is no viable church. OMF is the only NGO in the area and they are reaching people through a youth centre, community development and vocational and livestock training. The team from St Matthew’s would work with young people who are on summer holidays who want to improve their English. We would help in the programme which would be led by a small group from Canada who have run it in previous years. The programme would conclude with the famous Torch Festival. The lifestyle of the long term workers speak the truth of the message they bring.

St Matthew’s sees these short term mission trips as valuable ways of trusting God in new ways, and being trained in ministry. Those who would like to go are encouraged to gather a group to pray for them and to look to God for the necessary monies. The Missions Working Group is organising a Music Concert for 13th June and this money would be shared among those who go. There would be some orientation sessions prior to departure

If you are interested please contact John and Blodwyn on 9245 5330 or (M) 0422 798 169 / 0412 707 964 or jbtimms@australiaonline.net.au

Urgent CMS Prayer Request – Jono & Amy Vink

Urgent Prayer Request – Jono & Amy Vink
Tanzania – 2 March 2009

Amy and Jono were at my church in Terrey Hills
as supporters of CMS we have been sent this prayer request

GP


To our dear friends,

Thank you for your prayers. We are writing to let you know that we will unexpectedly be heading back to Australia arriving Wednesday morning. Amy has been having tests this week in Nairobi because of suspicious breast lump and the results were not looking good so Jono drove up to join her with the kids on Thrusday and we were told the final diagnosis on Friday that the lump was cancer.

We will fly out of Nairobi on Tuesday rather than spend another 10 hours returning to Musoma and 1 or 2 days madly packing and saying goodbyes and then another day to get to Dar on top of an already long flight back to Australia. However, this decision means we have left and packed like we are going away for a weekend rather than a couple of months, we have about 4 sets of clothes each and very little else and our house is not packed in anyway, so we have not emotionally or physically planned for leaving Tanzania or returning to Australia - please pray for us in this speedy transition.

Please pray also that we will be able to get into the public medical system quickly and begin treatment - we have no idea of how to do this and would appreciate your prayers for Gods preparing the way for all that needs to happen. Please pray also for fast and effective treatment but most of all that God will be glorified through our response to all that is ahead us.

Thank you for your prayers, love and concern. We are very aware of God sustaining us at this time and his goodness through Jesus Christ, we are thankful for his incredble care of us and promises in His word. We know He is a good God and will carry us through this time. Pray that we may live lives worthy of all He is calling us to.

Lastly we are very thankful for CMS' care and response to us, bringing a family of 6 back to Australia is a large and unexpected cost especially in these financial times, thank you for all who give and enable this to happen.

we love you all
the Vinksters