Spring 2009
God’s Promises
John was asked by our pastor, Ray Coster, to fill in for a few months at the church plant in the nearby community of Papamoa. As John was praying about this, he felt God gave him a vision for this congregation as they regroup after the departure of their pastor. John discovered a fascinating painting of Vincent Van Gogh which he felt was relevant to this church. In this painting Van Gogh represents the landing of refugees from persecution on a peaceful shore of Southern France. In time the village adopted the symbol of a cross with an anchor to represent the anchoring of faith in the certain hope of Heaven. The anchor goes deep into the Holy of Holies where Christ is our High Priest always interceding for us. The great thing about a good anchor is the harder you pull, the deeper it goes!
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed.” (Psalm 46) The news is filled with “earthshaking” news of global recession, but we are drawn back to God’s promises that He is still in control of each of us personally as well as the course of human activities. In Hebrews 6:18-19 we read, “We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm, and secure.”
Thank you for standing with us in this time. God is using it to stir up faith in His people. In the midst of your personal storms, we pray you anchor your souls deep in the eternal hope we have in Christ Jesus.
Don and Carol Richardson
John has worked with international mission agencies in Christchurch, Tauranga, and Auckland cities to host Don and Carol Richardson for two and a half weeks in May. We have found a great level of enthusiasm to have a mission focus presented to our nation and are especially excited to have Don lecturing at our Bible College. Please pray for Don’s strength as he shares his vision for reaching the lost throughout New Zealand.
Bible College and Camp!
We have begun another year at the Bible College and are again blessed with a sharp and enthusiastic international student body. It is a very busy term as John is lecturing on Biblical interpretation and languages, church history, and missions. Pray that God will use our graduates to reach many in their home nations for Christ. The Rushes left for Camp Keswick two days after Christmas. John was the main speaker for this week-long, annual family camp on the shores of beautiful Lake Rotorua, and Lauren and Shari came along. We rang in the New Year with a light rain falling on us, enjoying a time of prayer and a sausage “sizzle.” One of the free time activities was to build a raft and race it on the lake.
Vanuatu Teams
We are so pleased to be making plans for two ministry teams to serve in Vanuatu this June/July. One will be a student team from Faith Bible College who will also be receiving instruction in cross-cultural communication from Jack & Kay Rudd. The other is a team of hard working men who are anxious to help with much needed construction efforts.
Lauren is off to YWAM
Lauren completed her high school education, and she has applied and been accepted to a couple of universities in the USA, but she is feeling God leading her to take a year off from school and explore some other opportunities. She has been working hard this year to be able to take part in a Youth with A Mission Discipleship Training School which starts in April. The course is designed to establish a solid Christian foundation along with a cross-cultural opportunity to share the gospel. She still needs some financial help for the fees and travel expenses involved. If you would like to help Lauren, please send a check to Mountain Christian Fellowship (address below) and include a note indicating it is a gift for Lauren’s DTS. Thank you and God bless!
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