華神校友宣教士

∼澳洲／楊美莉校友／2008年二月代禱信

親愛的弟兄姐妹們, 新年平安!

雖然知道台北這陣子的天氣又濕又冷, 仍希望各位無論在哪裡過春節, 都有美好的時光.

保羅和我一星期前才又回到中澳, 暫時離開, 不是為要避開最熱的時候, 是參加在南澳省New Creation基督徒團體所辦的夏季研經課程, 在那裡, 靈命再次被餵養, 有一群可以自由交談的基督徒朋友, 並且有段只有我們兩人的安靜時間, 為此深深感謝 神.

我為很久沒能和各位連絡致歉, 有時我真希望有隻快筆, 能將這裡所發生的事告訴大家, 然而過去那一年發生的事真是不少, 沒來得及或不知如何告訴各位的事, 希望在新的一年裡有機會說明, 特別謝謝弟兄姐妹們寄來的聖誕節卡片及禮物, 在極孤單難受的時候, 它們的到來, 真像荒漠中得甘泉.

最後, 謝謝各位在沒有我們的消息時仍繼續為我們禱告, 願 主記念各位

主內
美莉敬上
2008/2/8

感恩與代禱事項:

1. 感謝 神, 賜給我們時間, 可以安靜, 休息, 重新得力.
2. 請為Pintupi-Luritja地區的教會, 牧者及弟兄姐妹們能在環境急速的變化中仍能緊緊抓住 神, 剛強壯膽, 興旺福音禱告.(明天早上(2/9五 )Mt. Liebig, Papunya, Haasts Bluff三個教會的牧者及同工將舉行一個重要的會議)
3. 請繼續為FRM(Finke River Mission)差會、差會負責人、差會委員及南澳省的信義會教會領袖禱告. 還有剛被免職的同工David Roennfeldt能從這突如其來的決定中, 快快平靜下來, 並見伸冤的 神為他安排的更美旨意.?
4. 請為支持我們在中澳傳福音的教會:天母感恩堂(母會)及台北基督徒石牌禮拜堂感恩, 當然還有許許多多的團體與個人.
5. 請為保羅和我在新的一年裡, 與彼此, 與人, 與 神的關係禱告.

P.S. 若要更詳細為這裡的事工禱告, 請看英文代禱信, thanks!

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Paul and Mei-Li's prayer letter for February 2008

Sunday Haast's Bluff. ?Give thanks that Peter Turner is now back with his wife, and that Pastor Trevor’s preaching headed up the annual Christmas celebration. Give thanks that Pastor Simon Dixon was able to organize an evangelistic trip to South Australia in December and January. (Many Pintupi-Luritja people accompanied him.) Please pray for those who work in and run the art gallery here. Finally, give thanks for the well-attended service held at Umpangara just before Christmas, and please pray for the little boy who was baptized during that service, as well as for his family.

Monday Papunya. Give thanks for the initiative and leadership shown by many here over Christmas, especially in the regular nightly gospel singing. But pray for Pastor Graham, as he often struggles with sermon preparation. ?Pray too for pastoral trainee Stanley Roberts and retired pastor Phillipus Tjakamarra, who are both under major family-related stress at present. Pray that all church leaders would have the courage to enact Christ’s discipline where necessary; also that parents would learn to imitate the Father’s loving discipline of His children in their own families, as well as in the school.

Tuesday Mount Liebig.? Keep praying for Pastor Roderick Kantamara, evangelist Jerry Bennett, and for the many faithful women in this place. Give thanks for the gospel leadership shown here recently by evangelist Frank Eggley. Praise God that virtually the whole community attended the New Years’ Eve celebrations, where God’s Word was front and centre. But a young man died here in January. One day he just stopped breathing! Pray that in a world with no answers, his family might yet trust in Christ as their Comforter in this world, and as their Answerer in the world to come.

Wednesday Kintore. Give thanks that Nyilari (see Dec, Friday) seems to have exchanged alcohol for the Word of God. Pray for young men like Preston Nolan, who help in the evening singing. Pray that church members would remain lovingly faithful to their marriage partners. Pray for Lance ?Abbott and Raymond Maxwell to be settled in the gospel, despite all the change they see going on around them. Pray that Kintoreites’ response to the Government Intervention would be that of rightly discerning what they should and should not be ashamed about – and how to deal with it in Christ.

Thursday Kiwirrkura Continue to pray for Pastor Jim Brown. Pray that he would know when and how to speak up on important issues. Pray also for the West family, Neil Minor (and for our teaching of him), Kenny Lillius and his wife, and for the new whitefella workers in this remote community. Pray especially for the staff and students at the school. (The WA school year begins on 4/2.) Pray that we would easily be able to find accommodation when we stay for several days later this month. Pray for gambling here to cease, and for gospel stability in the life of Warlimpirrnga (see Dec, Friday).

Friday Staff Tony and Rebecca Qualischefski, who taught at Yirara College at Kintore in 2006, are back in Central Australia. Pray for them both as they begin new tasks at Yirara’s main Alice Springs campus. Pray for new Alice Springs Pastor David Kuss, and his wife Ilona, as they too settle into new jobs. Pray that both might quickly be accepted by the Pintupi-Luritja people they meet. Pray for the Father’s blessing upon David Roennfeldt, who left the Finke River Mission on 31/1. Pray for wisdom for the rest of us at our staff meeting on 15/2, and for the FRM Board as they meet later this month.

Saturday Us, Praise God for a great holiday break! It was enriching, relaxing and renewing. (We really appreciated your prayers for us in this.) But while we were away a group of children vandalized the old caravan that’s permanently stationed in our yard. Pray for wisdom for us as we try and speak to their parents. Also, pray that Mei-Li’s application for permanent residency might be effortlessly expedited this month. Most importantly, please pray for our relationships with each other, with other staff, with the aboriginal people and with God, as we do His work in 2008.
P.S. While praying for all the things listed above, there is one other thing you could pray for – on whatever day you wish! It concerns the whole Pintupi-Luritja area. Every year there is some tension between the two western and the three eastern settlements over the location of the Easter singing. (Westerners want it at Kintore; easterners want it at the Haast’s Bluff missionary memorial.) We had assumed that this year would be different, but it seems that it could be as bad as ever. Please pray that we might be able to resolve this thorny issue, and so make plans for next year. And pray that in Christ there would be no lasting ill-feeling between the two groups.