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Thanks Church! God is praised in you…

Yesterday I walked away from the church marvelling at what God does through his people. Yesterday many would only have noticed the 800-900 who attended, the people who spoke at the front, and those stricken with grief for Matt Stanley and his family. Less visible were those working behind the scenes: a group in the kitchen, guys doing traffic control, young people greeting those who came, musicians, sound and visuals. Some people cancelled other things just so they could be there to assist. People rang and emailed, asking how they might help out. The body of Christ was very much alive!

Friends, it’s a joy to be part of this community, and it thrills my heart to hear the warm expressions of thanks from Paul, Kay and Nick Stanley for everything. They remarked that they couldn’t have had Matt’s funeral in a better place. Friends, your ministry has opened the door to further ministry. It’s a reflection of new community, and embodiment of God’s love and grace for people. A beautiful thing – and I praise God that even in this context of grief, his grace is both seen and felt.

Please pray…

I had an email this morning that there has been an armed raid on the Solomons Base, where Kevin and Machi Rietveld are serving. There has been significant damage to the home, buildings and vehicles. Phones, computers and radios have been stolen. The intruders basically looted and trashed the base.

Obviously, the base cannot be contacted directly. We have been asked to pray for the following:

a) a sense of peace and security for our missionaries,

b) a continued knowledge of God's care for the SWIM team, and another team on Guadalcanal,

c) restoration of communication for them,

d) minimum delay in the matters of replacement for all those credit cards, air tickets and passports (especially the SWIM team from the NSW Central Coast, who with the Jack Visser were completing work on another island),

e) comfort for the relatives of the families of all the people involved,

f) reduced antagonism in the Solomons, and foreign teams who are there to assist the country

Dave