Prayer Update - March

It's been a fast start to the year...

I am finding this year just as ejoyable as last year, but there seems so much more to do and so much more expected from you!

I guess I don't have the excuse of settling in/ finding feet etc. So I am just expected to go about all I do and some more!

I am really excited about STREET TEAMS. Marty and I are organising community outreach for LIFE'S GOOD WEEK coming up in May. We have several dates for groups from Morning Church and Evening Church to go doorknocking to invite people to Life's Good, to proclaim Jesus and to promote St Matthias. Pray that many would sign up to help reach Paddington with the gospel.

PRAISE GOD for TAT. The women in my group this year are a joy! I have been so encouraged by their enthusiasim to grapple with the big issues and doctrine found in Genesis. It has been exciting to see these women try and hold Genesis and the rest of the bible & Christ altogether. I have really enjoyed the studies I have led these women in... WORK & REST and WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD... I did a short video/photoslide of images that contridict and support Louie Armstrong's lyrics and we tried to work out why this world has so many contrast of good and evil - joy and suffering.

PRAISE GOD for SCRIPTURE @ PADDO - this year as been dramatically better than last year. I think the hard work Doreen and I put into the lessons last year is reaping fruit this year. The children in our class seem so keen to uderstand what it means for JESUS to be the Son of God and interacting with the truths of the gospel. Pray that the seeds planted here would not be stolen, strangled or snatched by the evil one.

PRAISE GOD for SCRIPTURE @ ROSE BAY - The high school kids seem to love us much more this year. Discipline is far less a problem. The youth are more engaged, prepared to listen and think hard about the gospel. Today, I was able to clearly present the gospel using 2ways 2live (the first ever I have used it from begining to end with drawings) and my group of girls iteracted with the gospel. They asked all the 'right' questions. They wanted to know "what gives God the right to be so egotistical?" - one of the girls (not from Xn background) said 'well he is God isn't he, if he didn't demand our respect then he wouldn't be God, he created us so of
course he has the right"... "Will God really leave us dead in our sin?" perfect lead into box 4.

I have also given my testimony at these sessions and it has been really cool to see the youth keen to work out why I would choose to follow Jesus. It has been really rewarding to share with them how God has so graciously been at work in my life.

Drama is moving on well... lots of fun! We are having a Sunday School Social on this Friday and lots of the Drama kids are keen to come pray that they would come and build good relationships with the other church children.

ISCF @ Randwick Girls - please pray for this group. Not many have been coming or commited to the group on Friday lunchtimes. Lots of school things are on and distract girls from coming. Pray that the 30 or so girls that came through the doors last year would return.

YOUTH GIRLS - pray for these girls as they are in the middle of HSC half yearly exams. Pray that they would not stress out, that they would have good recall of all they have studied, that they would study diligently and that they would be reliant and dependant on the Lord in prayer during this busy and stressful time. Pray that Jesus would stay #1.

I'm Tired...

Started at 8:20am today!

Over to Rose Bay Secondary College. Year 9 and 10 Scripture Seminars!

They went well... good conversations had with many of the students. We had 40 year 9 come and about 60 year 10 - PRAISE GOD!

I had one guy 'Jordy' in my group who was asking really great questions. He said he has been seeking God but just hasn't got anywhere... He said he was an atheist, no no then he said he was an nihilist. Then said how can I know God, just having to believe in Jesus is too easy. Pray that he might go to the lunchtime group, pray that God would reveal himself to this boy and pray that God may place Christians around him.

Then came back at 2pm for Paddington Primary Scripture... with my year 3&4 class.

We did the lame man narrative of John 5... it was a classic. I had different outfits for the different people in the account: Jesus - blue sash; Pharisees - Brown turban and the Lame Man had a beige shirt thing. Doreen was the narrator. The kids really liked it - they actually listened and could even answer my questions.

We have been learning JESUS IS THE KING, off 'Meet the King' Album by EMU. I absolutley LOVE it, and hope the kids do too. At least they get the song stuck in their heads and sing it as they leave the classroom to go home: "Jesus is the King, ruler over everything".

Then straight after Paddo Scriputre was DRAMA.... eek! Where was my energy to come from. Well I decided it was time for a lunch break at 3:30pm. Got through Drama and now am ready for my day off tomorrow which should include a visit to my grandpa and my Scottish dance class (except I won't be able to use my arms as back is still sore from stitches.

Lipoma...

Got pathology results back - I'm fine.

Praise God!

Better Out than In...

That was the comment my doctor made when he was examining a lump the size of a $1 coin on my back.

What better way to spend my day off this week than in my doctor's surgery room. My doctor got more than he bargained for - not one lump BUT two removed from near my right shoulder blade - apparently they grow in families? The happy little family is now being tested at pathology.

Don't stress - it should be all okay, apparently benign growths of soft tissue are quite normal?!? They grow slow, don't turn cancerous, grow on anyone at any age and the cause is really unknown.... When I asked my doctor why I might have one, my doctor said "hmm... just cause".

Local anesthetic was all that was needed - weird sensation you can't feel pain, just tugging!

Now I just got to be careful I don't rip out my stitches, amazing how much you use your back muscles... like all the time.

Sleeping is uncomfortable and how on earth are you supposed to wash your hair while keeping your back dry and not stretching your arm (back muscles)...

Dancing...

My dancing feet...

I've decided to take up Scottish Highland Dancing again.

It is fun way to keep fit and a helpful way to step outside my Christian bubble, oh and meet some folk in the East.

So on Thursday nights I will be found in a church hall in Waverley trying to dance the fling, gillie challum, sean triubhas, flora mcdonald fancy, sailors hornpipe, irish jig, scottish lilt, wilt thou go to the barracks, Johnnie, village maid and lots more...

I haven't dance in 7 years but it is amazing the amount of steps and dances I remember and my feet just do stuff without me even thinking too much about it... It's quite fascinating that it all just floods back!

It's been interesting to get back into the swing of building relationships with people, who you don't necessarily have to make friends with, you don't see often... it's like building friendships with people when working in an "office" where you only get snippets of who they are & what they think in passing conversation and since we are there to dance our conversations are usually about dance steps, our poor muscles, new stretches, competitions and displays.

It's nice to have a dose of reality with the way the world build friends rather than the church way - which is so personal and intense. It's good to remember that relationships take time to build.

Pray that I would strive for genuine relationships that God may choose to use to bring more into his kingdom.