June 9, 2025 Missionary Newsletter

Sydney Wrap-Up & Departure April was a flurry of activity as I worked to wrap-up or hand off various responsibilities in Sydney before returning to the US. City Sanctum is continuing during my absence, with the committee members taking on more planning and implementation. Pastor Jim Jung gave the talk for the May meeting, and one of the committee members will be giving the talk this Thursday for the June meeting. Even before my departure, our committee had been planning to encourage some of our regular participants to take on occasional talks, so this is a good way of kickstarting that initiative and for our committee member to lead by example. Please pray for Jung and Monica as they work to minister to the City Sanctum community. They eager to not just have City Sanctum continue during my absence, but to flourish. In the weeks leading up to my departure I had many meetups with young men from the church -- many of them at their initiative -- to catch up, talk future plans, and see how God is working in our lives. Right about the time I should have started packing up my apartment, the church's music ministry asked me about building a new "drum cage" that would be large enough to fit a new drum set being donated to the church. Not one to miss a building opportunity, I squeezed the project into my second to last week before departure, using the opportunity to work with several young men on the project -- teaching new skills and building upon relationships. One week before my departure, I finally got around to packing up my apartment. As it seems very likely that I will be able to return to Sydney in the next year, everything was placed into storage. Unfortunately, my car did not sell, despite several price reductions. It was legally signed over to my team leader, who is able to use it as a second vehicle for his family, and should be waiting for me upon my return. Home Ministry Assignment IOWA On May 5, I flew from Sydney to Sioux Falls, SD, spending several weeks in NW Iowa near my mom. In addition to quality time with her, I bought a car, prepped for my church visits during this "HMA," and gave updates at two supporting churches in the area. MISSISSIPPI At the end of May, I drove my new (to me) car to Mississippi and took over my house from my renters. I spent the first week of June doing fix-up and clean-up, settling into the house, and preparing the guest suite for a one-year medical resident tenant. ATLANTA On Sunday, June 8, after giving a brief "missions moment" at my home church, I drove to Atlanta. All this week, I will be involved in MTW's "Kingdom Foundations Orientation," the beginning of the training journey for all new MTW missionaries. I will be serving as a cohort co-leader for seven new missionaries over the next ten months. We will meet online every two weeks to discuss assignments, support raising, discouragement and praises, and general preparation for moving to various parts of the world where God has called them to share the gospel. CHATTANOOGA After a quick trip back up to Iowa to be with my mother during her shoulder replacement surgery on Monday, June 16, I'll be in Chattanooga for some MTW committee work followed by the PCA General Assembly, where I'll be manning an exhibit for recruiting new missionaries to Australasia (Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific Islands). RECRUITING Additionally, I anticipate visiting many seminaries in the Southeast US during my HMA to recruit missionaries for our region. THANK YOU for your faithful prayers and financial partnership in the work of the gospel! Follow FB Group Calendar June 9-13 Participating in Kingdom Foundations training of new MTW missionaries (Atlanta) June 14-20 In Iowa during my mother's shoulder replacement surgery June 22-23 MTW "Healthy Teams" committee work (Chattanooga) June 23-26 PCA General Assembly recruiting of new missionaries (Chattanooga) July 11-13 MTW East Coast Missions Conference recruiting of new missionaries (Centreville, VA). Click the link and plan to attend if you're in the area! July 14-18 MTW "Refresh" retreat for missionaries on HMA (north Georgia) Prayer Points   Praise God for a sweet time of passing off responsibilities in Sydney and quality time with people before my departure. Praise God for a safe return to the US, quick recovery from jet lag, provision of a new (to me) car, and good time with my mother. Praise God for the return of my home in relatively good condition, for a place to call home during HMA, and a one year tenant in the guest suite that will more than cover my mortgage and housing bills. Pray for twenty-one newly approved missionaries going through training this week, and as they raise their support and prepare for ministry overseas. Pray for me and my colleague as we co-lead a cohort of seven of these new missionaries over the next ten months. Pray for safe travels as I'll be putting many miles on my car and some in the sky. Pray for our region's recruiting efforts, not only for Australasia but for missions around the world. Pray for my visa issue -- that Harbour City Church will be able to get their sponsorship reinstated, and then that I will be able to get a visa to serve in Sydney. Both of those endeavors is likely to take about six months to accomplish. Pray that I will lean fully on God to provide for my needs, my support, and to work in the lives of those whom he is calling to go overseas with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Support Raising It is the nature of missionary life that while on HMA, additional support must be raised. Some attrition of a missionary's support network is normal; cost of living increases also necessitate adjusted budgets. Before I return to Australia, I need to raise an additional $843/month. If you would like to partner with me in raising up church leaders and missionaries among the Asian-Australian population of Sydney, I would love to talk with you about what that would look like.