December 2006

I would like to fill you in on some of the prayer requests of the recent past. About Rachel and her father: Rachel has a continued “clear” from the MRI in regards to her recent tumour and two brain surgeries. Her pastor father has just been released from the hospital after some five to six months with TB meningitis. After three weeks he will be readmitted to a rehab hospital. The disease brought on a stroke, so he can’t walk and one arm is also incapacitated. He has made much progress and is blessed to be alive and improving, thank God!

In regards to the Iraqi couple and son who disappeared, their remaining daughter is now in Australia with relatives. She is a first or second-year university student. We met her in the Arabic church and tried to be of comfort and encouragement to her. Her parents are Christians, and nothing has been heard or known of them since they disappeared while driving home from a church camp in Iraq.

We were so proud of the Arabic church that hosted the National Baptist Fellowship recently in Sydney. About a thousand were in attendance for a wonderful Fellowship meeting. A pastor father and son from the USA were the special speakers and were a great blessing. I could not but think of thirty years ago and the founding of the Arabic ministry in Sydney when they were new immigrants who did not always enjoy the acceptance of the Australian society, which is a fairly normal reaction in any society where new immigrants are entering and getting jobs and starting businesses.

Now, thirty years later, this church hosted the three-day meeting on a level that has not been paralleled, in my view, during the thirty years I have attended these meetings. The large number of members involved in the work was fabulous. The zeal, the warmth and the efficiency of the host pastor and church were all of unusual stature, and we were so thankful for what God has done and is doing through them. They are displaying the meetings of the Fellowship on their web site at: http://www.faithbaptist.org.au/nbf.shtml I spoke on Tuesday evening about one hour and fifteen minutes into the session on The Ministry and The Earthen Vessel just in case someone is interested. It can easily be downloaded if a fast internet line is available.