Mission Moment

December 2011

Craig and Jane Sheppard
Craig and Jane report that they have settled in well in their base in Kenya
and mention the following to guide our prayers:

The need for wisdom to identify the areas of need which they are able to assist in.

The need for discernment on how to make positive contributions to what is already being done there by the locals.

The need for continued health—they are both still fighting off viral bugs from before they left Melbourne.

For words of encouragement as they strive to work alongside the Kenyans.

For their eyes and hearts to be open to what the Lord wants to teach them while they are there.

Mission Moment

November 2011

Michael North

This week Michael returns to Burma to continue his support of the Mae Nyu Hta School, which serves villages where Internally Displaced Persons live inside Burma.
This is demanding work and your prayers would be valued.

Craig And Jane Sheppard

Craig and Jane depart for Kenya on Thursday. They will be working in a rescue centre for abandoned babies.
Please pray for them.

Mission Moment

June 2011

Don and Gail Patterson give thanks for positive enjoyable interactions with colleagues and students over meals and at picnics. Please pray that their Chinese language studies go well, after a short break, and for their relocation to another University—where other team members are located—which means saying goodbye to new friends. The Pattersons will be back in Victoria for a month, from mid-July to mid- August.

Mission Moment

April 2011

A piece from the Pattersons Don's office at the new campus is working out very well. Amenities have been made available & conversational results are good. Students are showing progress in their confidence in speaking & listening to English which adds enjoyment to teaching. Gail is getting used to having Don absent for extended lengths of time & housework, cooking language practice & admin. jobs fill the rest of the time. Language development is satisfactory, even if at a low level, indicated by the fact that Gail can buy meat & vegies at the market by herself (even if using hand signals.) To acquire the basics of a language, one must be immersed in the culture, which is where Don & Gail are at. Please pray for future direction as the Uni. would like them to continue with them next year but the company wants them to move to the same Uni. as other members of the team. Remember health matters re dry air & its effect on their skin. Keep in mind that being immersed in a foreign culture is not easy & pray that God's will be done in the environment in which they work. Mission Moment March 2011 Since cyclone Nargis, the interest in Christianity has increased, especially in Burma's Delta Region, the area hardest hit. Many of the people assembling in the new churches being planted are Buddhists, seeking to know more about Christianity and Jesus. The government has not allowed any house churches to be built since 1965 thus the locals are forced to worship in secret. According to Human Rights Watch, since the cyclone “Burma's dismal human rights record worsened” including a doubling of political prisoners, especially civilians, belonging to ethnic minorities like the Karen. In the eastern Karen state, widespread abuses include forced labour, sexual violence against women and girls, murder, torture, and confiscation of land.About 40% of Karen people in Thailand are Christians; they are Burmese but have been chased by the military into neighbouring Thailand and many are children. Despite their experiences, these children are incredibly forgiving of their enemies. And, despite the military’s efforts to rid Burma of Christianity, there is a growing receptivity to the Gospel. A challenge issued by an evangelist in Burma is for us to pray for, and be exposed to, what is going on in Burma and the Thai refugee camps.