By Mary-Grace

Wow - we've slipped into a routine...I actually enjoy the library! I'm a bookworm from way back and I'm loving exploring some of the issues. We've been looking a lot at the first few chapters of Genesis and asking loads of questions...I'm really enjoying the time to explore some of them more deeply, challenging what I see as important or true. I am really being challenged in my OT reading that God is not of my own creating, but amazing and purposeful. I think I find it easy to box God in a list of attributes or something equally as limiting. I'm a nerd, and enjoying memorising Greek...Toby's already known as the greek man in the class, so it's fun competiting in the Anderson household to know our vocab. Toby's made a computer program to help him learn Greek...he wouldn't buy one - he wanted his own...you should ask to see it next time you chat. He'd be chuffed.

Anyway, love to hear what's happening in your life.

We always appreciate your prayers, espeically for our neighbour. We feel powerless to help her in her sickness, but we know God is working out his purposes. Please pray for God's strength, love and care for her.

It's been a while since we've last blogged. We've been away a lot since we finished up with EU Grads Fund the week before Christmas.

We had an amazing week at Tarcutta with summer mission, strengthening relationships and sharing fellowship with our brothers and sisters there and helping them in the continual work of making a difference for Christ in their community.  It was lovely to have two of the teens decide that following Jesus was for them. And their overjoyed mum who was so proud to tell us. Please pray for them and so many people that we were able to share life and the gospel with.

We've also been holidaying. We planned on camping with a good friend, and were washed out, so ended up staying with her parents on the coast, which was really lovely. Then Toby and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary  by holidaying at Manly for the Australia Day weekend. The weather was lovely, and it was nice being right near the beach.

And last Wednesday we started some intensive Greek...I'm really enjoying it, and I'd forgotten how Toby loves learning...so he's been having a ball.  It's a lovely community of very diverse people who are being changed by God's love, and it's a real priviledge to study and 'live' with them (we're still living in the inner west, so 'living' consists of lots of meals and fun and chatting). Where else would I have lunch with a firey, a sparky, a teacher, a physio, a burger maker, a zooligist, a marketing researcher, all ages and backgrounds? It's great getting to know these people, who God made with heaps of different interests, personalities and stages of life, and a place where people are keen to learn, and share life honestly with each other.

Love to hear how the new year's shaping up for you. Much love.

National Training Event was a great opportunity to meet with almost 1000 uni students in Canberra and hear from God's Word. Then we've just got back from 5 days helping at Ashfield Anglican. It's been a real priviledge. If you want to see some of the fun and mayhem that we got up to go to our facebook group....'NTE Ashfield 2007 AD'. It was hard work but a real priviledge to go doorknocking and speal with people about Jesus. I also realised that so many people are hard against God, which was a sobering thought for  many on team. Praise God for one girl that my doorknocking partner and I spoke to who came to church and wants to come back.

Thank you to all of you for the last two years. We couldn't have been on campus if you weren't helping that happen, with your prayers, money and love.

Just to let you know that we're planning on studying at SMBC (Sydney Missionary and Bible College) next year. We've signed up for a one-year course, which is really the first year of the masters course.

Please let us know what's happening in your lives

I had a wonderful night last night with the Economics EU guys

We had dinner at a lovely 'al fresco' place in glebe, and had so much fun together. It was wonderful for the 6 of us who were leaving to be each prayed for, and given a beautiful pressie and card. Please pray that each of us leaving would continue in Christ, and see our new workplace, or place of study, as our missionfield!  Two are getting married, one is moving to Canberra, two of us will do further study elsewhere, one hasn't yet found employment, and all of us want to continue in Christ.



It was also lovely to see some key first and second years there. One of the guys went to the 'evangelism summit' last week and keeps asking how he can get more involved in EU. Keep praying that these keen guys will continue and build and strengthen and grow the ministry...that many Ecos students will hear of Jesus, Christians will join in our mission, and God's Spirit will be at work in the faculty. Pray that people don't lose their excitement over summer, but continue in serving, and are a blessing in their holiday activities - work, camp, relaxing whatever. It was also great to have a good conversation with someone about relationship with their parents. It's a hard time of life in moving from childhood to adulthood and independence.

See many of you on Sat!

Just a thankyou for the year and an invitation to lunch at our place Nov 3. 12.30 onwards. A chance to hear about what God has been doing, and fellowship. See the invitation below! Let us know if you plan on coming, so we can happily feed you

And keep praying for us in this final week with students before exams! I am so thankful to God for his work in his community of saints. Chat soon!

It was a huge and great week. I was just sharing with a friend that I have the best job in the world.  I get to see people grow in Christ.

On Wed, I was priviledged to see an Economics girl say thankyou and turn to Christ for the first time. Please pray for her, that she'll have Jesus as her foundation, and God will bring her to maturity in him. Pray that I'll be wise in helping her feel more a part of the Economics EU community and help her be part of a good church.

On Monday, I went to a friend's father's funeral. Please pray for the family, as her response to her dad's death is to live every day as though it is your last. Pray that God will use this time to bring them to a living faith in Christ. Pray for me and her other Christian friends to be loving, prayerful and speaking words of life.

Conversation with some EU students who are part of the Catholic church - was really great...we chat again tomorrow. They have all finished the book and leant it to others...I think there's big issues floating around in people's minds. Particularly pray for a girl who keeps wanting to chat through the logistics and emotions and relationship upheaval of leaving and is seriously considering it.

The Economics evangelistic event Thursady 2pm - thanks for your prayers. There were about 30 students there, with some not-yet-Christian friends and a guy who is searching from my bible study group. Keep praying for those conversations, especially with the guy from my Bible study group.

The ISM planning night was helpful. Pray that the team works hard and strategically. We forsee a lot of interest and need to be prepared, especially for the start of next year. Also pray for the summer holiday ISM plans!

And meet a friend week at ACES was great. Friends came to Bible study, hang time, conversations were had and Jesus was on the agenda. Hopefully it encourages this to be a normal thing we do!

Pray for this last week in Semester, that we would finish things well!

...not Calcutta. Yep - we've just spent an awesome weekend in Tarcutta. Where is that - you ask? Well, that means we haven't yet cornered you to ask you to join our summer mission team to Tarcutta. It's a small country town half way between sydney and melbourne. It's another place in the world where people need to know Christ. It's another part of the world where life can be difficult, and many people rarely think of God except when the census comes around.

It's a place where drought is taking its toll, and where God is at work. 25 or so people landed in Tarcutta this past weekend to pray, meet and plan for mission on 12-20 Jan (it's not too late to join! Hint, hint, nudge, nudge!)

We had such a great time! And we are such a diverse group!

We were warmly welcomed by the Christians with bonfire and camp cooking and bush poetry. I learnt about droving, prayer and depression. And I learnt that God can work through all sorts of people.

It's also really special to have my parents join us on team.

Please pray for our preparation.

I came back on Sat from the ISM trip to Canberra! It was wonderful!

We went to all the tourist attractions and unusual places like...the institute of sport, lake eucumbyne.

We enjoyed Christian community and time together. Even one of my friends became a Christian! That's so exciting! They're all asking when the next trip is.

Read more about it in the newsletter attached.

Enjoy the photos.



Winners All Round at the Australian Institute of Sport.



A Dangerous Pose at Lake Eucumbyne in the Snowy Mountains.



Most of us at the same lake - we had so much fun!



Enjoying Floriade.



One of the students up Black Mountain Tower. The moon was so beautiful.



Megan (my co-worker) and I "blown away" by the view up Black Mountain.

Hello everyone!
Thanks for all your prayers.

I wanted to attach a photo of the new Economics student leaders. They were voted into their positions this afternoon. Please pray that they will grow Ecos EU for God's glory

Thanks for all your support.  We've both been in the haze of sickness on and off for a few weeks, but we know that despite how we feel, God is always working his purposes out, and he doesn't need us, but graciously uses our weak efforts. We've been reflecting on God's goodness in our training over the last 2 years, as we think forward to the future. We are thinking hard about how we use these skills in service over the next couple of years, whilst we hope to be further trained in knowing, loving and serving (a lifetime pursuit, I know, but thinking particularly about Bible college). I'm also thinking hard about knowledge management. I used to work in the area...one of those 6 month job placements in 2002. I want to make sure that all that I've learned I can share with others, through forums, common ownership of files, personal conversations, and how I use my skills in the future.

So, next Thursday, we're having a ISM morning training, where all local students involved in the international student ministry can shar, pray and be trained particularly for this minstry. Pray that God would really use this to help us be initiative taking, risk taking, loving and sensitive as we seek to share Jesus and our lives. Pray that God would build the international student ministry for his glory!

Just yesterday, I was talking to a Christian Korean guy - he's been in the country 1 week, and came along to our Bible study group. His English is poor, but pray that we were able to encourage him and build him up in Christ. We were looking at Colossians 3 - thinking about our new identity in Jesus...

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory..."

He was so nervous, but managed to understand the change based on some fantastic diagrams, and analogies about taking off old clothes and putting on new clothes.

Here's some of the questions that were asked by the others in the group:  How can we have died with Christ? Hasn't he died instead of us? I'm alive now, how is my life hidden? How is Christ my life?

Because their grasp on English is developing, it really makes us think hard about what the Bible says. Praise God for that. But it was so encouraging to see them wrestle to understand the Bible.

I'm very thankful to my assistant leader, who prepared a summary of the events of the Bible - creation, sin and it's consequences, Jesus' life, death and resurrection, Jesus' return and the last days, what it means to live now in repentence and faith. We plan to refer to this overview each study, to help them see where in God's story we are, and what events it looks back on and looks forward to. This is how we helped them find the answers to their questions, by looking at the framework. Please pray for God to be continuing to work in them so they can read God's word without feeling completely confused. Thank God he has brought my entire group to faith in Jesus.

Toby beat me to posting!

Anyway, just love to let you know about 1 or 2 people in my life you can pray for.  We've had 3 weeks back at uni this semester...I started a God's World (investigating Christianity course) in week 1. There were 3 of us. Week 2 they asked another friend, so there was 4. Last week another 3 friends came - there were 7. There are another 2 joining us this week...and I wouldn't be suprised if God brought along the whole friendship group...they're a bunch of double degree engineers who are high achievers (sounds like me when I was at uni). They're all Asian-Australians. God seems to bring me into relationship with these people so regularly for which I am grateful. Pray for the Christians in this group to remain faithful! And pray that God will continue to change the  hearts and minds of the not-yet-Christians coming along. Praise God.

It's also been really encouraging to see the girls who were investigating Christianity last semester join small groups, and really grow in their new-found faith even in the last couple of weeks. They've all signed up to do the Leading People to Christ evangelism course and are loving the challenge of understanding the gospel more fully and thinking hard about how to use their friendships to talk about Jesus. One of the people in my God's World course currently is friends with them, and I'm sure God is using the change in their lives to help him consider the climas God has on him. Please pray for these lovely girls, that nothing will snatch them from whole-heartedly following and loving Jesus.

THanks for your prayers...you are just as important in God's work on campus as the role we play...never underestimate the effective prayer of God's saints...thanks guys

Hello all...we've had wonderfully refreshing holidays. We did the Sydney tourist thing...the powerhouse museum, the maritime musuem, the art gallery - I think my favourites were the giant steam engine and the submarine. I can thoroughly recommend these places for holiday visits.

We also went up to a friend's parents farm...I like to fool myself that I'm a country girl...but I am so so not. We went for a walk in the bush for about 1/2 hr...I keep sliding down the hill (it was muddy!) and Toby came back with 7 ticks! Ooops. But God also used the holidays to teach us a lot about ourselves, particularly some inadequacies in how we have been relating to each other. We're thankful to God and are striving to put changes in place.

And hello - it's one week till AnCon! How did that happen?  We're busy writing seminars, we spent today training the review group leaders, and we have meetings to prepare for next semester this week. It's an exciting time.

Please pray that God would use AnCon for his glory as we learn about the Resurrection. You can even come along yourself on Wednesday night, 7.30pm at the Tops Conference Centre (stanwell tops) to see what God is doing.  We'd love to see you there.

God bless

MG

I've just been reflecting on what it means to be honest to God...I've been reading some really helpful books...and writing a seminar...

Here's the blurb advertising it -

Honest to God: Are we really living out our faith?
Do you find yourself knowing the good you should do and fail to do it?
Do you know the gospel, have even done LPC, but struggle to remain sexually pure?
Do lies slip off your tongue like water?
Are your quiet times a pretense, a mere ticking off a to-do list?
Is being a Christian just something you do around other Christians?
Do you know plenty of information about God but don't feel as though you know him?
Come along as we get real with God, real with each other and make real commitments for change.

I'm excited about addressing this in my own life - spending more time in reflection and prayer, attempting to be more real and honest with others in my ups and downs in the Christian life.

Please pray for myself and those I'll be ministering to - that God's Spirit will make us people who love God and our neighbour with all our hearts, minds, strength and everything in us.

Ta.

Just for your info, this is the blurb for Toby's seminar:

History or Mystery? Does the New Testament record what really happened in the first century?
It is essential for Christianity that events recorded in the pages of the Bible did actually take place. How far can we trust the apostles and how much has what they wrote been distorted over time?
Who decided which writings are God-inspired scriptures and which are not? Come on an adventure into the past and find out how historical your Bible really is.

Yep - uni has finished for the semester...and the students are busy studying for their exams.

It's been a great semester. A few things to pray for at the moment:

• Give thanks for my God's World course that finished this week. The three girls coming said that they really understood what being a Christian is now and want to live God's way. They have all come from nominal religious backgrounds, and so see this point as a recommittment of what they never understood previously. Praise God for his divine intersections that led to this group forming and the awesome relationships built, not just between us but with God. They're all coming to Annual Conference, so pray that it'll be a time of great growth for them.


• ACES has decided that we will start 2 new small groups next semester, so we've been asking more people to train in leadership. Thank God for the growth that has led to this and for the leaders, many who are lacking confidence. Pray that God will grow them and always remind them that he will equip them for his work. Give God great thanks for the 1st semester of having assistant leaders in ACES and the way people have grown through this! What an investment for the growth of God's church now and into the future!


• On the staff end of things, thank God that we have a new administrator! And continue to pray especially for our senior staff who really do stretch themselves, that they would be relieved of some of the workload as the new administrator gets a handle on things. Pray for rest for them at some point over the next few weeks, especially those with young children.


• I was just having a chat with another Howie and they were struggling to make ends meet, and just that day, God had provided them with some one-off work to help them. Thanks for your prayers and support - God does provide for all our needs, whether we are in plenty or in want. Thank God for the Christian community.


• Thank God for our good health, a great place to live and for your support! What a blessing it is to be able to serve others from a full-tank. Please pray that we would be able to be generous.


• Pray for Ecos, that more people would come to Annual Conference and be built up in Christ and into the Ecos community!


• Thank God for ISM this semester. There will be 5 or 6 of them at Annual Conference. Pray for wisdom as we prepare review material for them especially. Pray for creativity as the ISM planning team meets for an all day meeting on 10 July.