Aaaaand....We're Back!

Well, we’ve been back for about a month now, but I assure you we've been very busy.

First, I'd like to thank every one of you who prayed for us as we were away. We had a great time with some new Aussie friends, and more importantly we were able to get some clarification as to what the Lord would have us to do. God is good. Brettnay and Eden stayed healthy throughout all the traveling! We could not have had a better time with the Hullana's and the Marshall's during our stay in Australia.

The Hullana Family

Eaj and Doris Agatep

Our first week was spent with Hernan and Azariah Hullana in the Sydney area. They are Aussie born, not missionaries, so it was great to get their perspective. We spent most of our time tagging along with the Hullana's and helping in their ministry in whatever ways we could be of assistance. We had the opportunity to sing, and I preached once as well. The Hullana's opened their home to us, which was our immense pleasure as spending time with the kids was a riot! We did a few tourist type things as well, but obviously, that was not the focus of this trip. Mainly, we just wanted to experience the people, culture, and most importantly the spiritual need of the area. All those desires were met thanks to the help of the Hullana's and a few other of his friends and staff, namely Eaj Agatep and his lovely wife Doris.

Joe Marshall and Tony Evans

Our second week was spent in the Brisbane area with the Marshall family. Joe and Mellissa Marshall are missionaries from the States who have spent the last several years in Australia in various parts of the country. They have an obvious heart for the people of Australia but more specifically for the quickly growing area of Brisbane. One of the things I most enjoyed about this portion of our trip is that Bro. Marshall took me out one day just to show me all the places where homes are being built in the area. He and another gentleman I'll mention in a minute talked for hours about how many people will be moving right to that ministry's backyard! A great work is ready to be begun if only people will get excited about it, and pray that the Lord send forth laborers into His harvest. I also had the unique experience of meeting a missionary to Japan named Tony Evans (the gentleman I just mentioned) while attending the missions conference at the Marshall's church in Brisbane. Bro. Evans is an Australian born man who has spent the last 25 years ministering in Japan with his wife and family. He also had his daughter along who was a real blessing as well. We've since stayed in touch and I look forward to corresponding with him for many years to come.

The main thing I'd like to speak to in this update, however, is what we believe the Lord has done in our hearts in recent days. Although we'd love to go to every place we had an opportunity to see, we know the Lord has something very specific for us. We believe the Lord wants us in the city of Parramatta, NSW, Australia. Parramatta is a major suburb of Sydney and is a business hub as well as a university town. There are quite a few businesses that call Parramatta their headquarters. As such there is a busy hustle about the place. There's also a large student populous as there are a few universities as well. When we visited with the Hullana's, at first, we were a bit surprised by the size of the "small town" we were visiting. One of the main things that affected me was the many similarities I noted to a little place called Knoxville, TN. It wasn't long before I could hear the still small voice speaking to me letting me know that this was the place. It's a university town, there's a populous business district, and there are beautiful landscapes and sculptures everywhere. Those things are great, but the truth is I didn't even take many pictures (one of the things I regret). I was too busy looking at all the people around who had probably never once heard that Jesus loved them and died for them. Pastor Hullana probably thought I wasn't listening to him as he told me about the population, the area, and the work he'd like to see done there as I was so distracted by what was going on in my heart. Shortly after we got back and were in private, I told Brettnay that I thought that it was the place.

We've taken several weeks to pray, consult with our pastor, and try to get ready for this baby to arrive. Brettnay and I wanted to be sure that this is what the Lord wanted for us before we announced anything publicly. So here it is, Brettnay and I will be going to the city of Parramatta as missionaries for as long as the Lord would have us be there. I do not have specifics on how soon any of this will take place, where exactly in the city we will live and minister, or even what will be our first focus when we get there. I know that the Lord has all those answers. For right now, thanks to the advice of our pastor and parents, we'll be taking things slow and having this baby girl first. We have corresponded with people back in Australia to keep communication open with everyone involved. 

We’ve got a long way to go, and a lot of decisions to make in the next few months regarding deputation, boards, travels, church meetings, mission conferences, etc. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we pray and work through these things. I've attached a link here to all the pictures we took while we were there. Some of them are here in the blog, but I knew many of you would want to see them all. Thanks again for your prayers.