Equipping to the Ends of the Earth

In This Issue: International Student Ministry HMA is NOT a Vacation Visa Update Calendar Prayer Points Support Update January 6, 2026 Is this email not displaying correctly?  View it in your browser.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MINISTRY I'm very excited to announce that upon my return to Sydney, I will have a change in ministry focus! During my first term in Sydney, I was the director of the City Sanctum workers' ministry. I enjoyed the ministry, and believe in the dual goals of 1) equipping Christians to be competent workers, and effective evangelists in a work-world that is often hostile to Christianity, along with 2) being a non-threatening place for workers to bring their workmates where they can be exposed to the hope of the gospel. Upon my departure from Sydney in May, my City Sanctum committee took on primary leadership, with me assisting online from a distance. They have done excellent work to the point that the Session of the church asked them to continue leading in order to free me up to focus on university ministry. During my first term in Sydney, I helped out with "Student Outreach to the World" (SOW) by speaking periodically at weekly meetings as well as teaching at missions training and summer camp events. Engaging with university students was one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. The church Session has asked that I focus on developing an outreach to international students. With SOW chapters at four universities, internationals comprise 20-50% of the student bodies, many of them coming from China, as well as other countries that are difficult for missionaries to reach. I'm very excited about this new opportunity, and looking forward to involving our church members and university students in this exciting new ministry! HMA is NOT a Vacation! Every missionary periodically spends some time back "home." These furloughs, or as MTW calls them "Home Missionary Assignments" (HMAs) are not vacation, but involve different work. What does that look like? For me, I'm keeping busy with: Training of new missionaries, leading them online through various coursework in preparation for work on their respective fields. Recruitment of new missionaries Reporting back to supporting churches MTW committee work (healthy teams initiative) MTW Asia-Pacific member care Readiness Evaluation assessor for new MTW applicants Involvement at my home church -- teaching Sunday School on missions, choir, Bible study, growth group, men's book discussion Maintaining connections in Sydney Raising additional support While HMA is not the primary work of a missionary, it is critical to the ministry, and critical to promoting the future of missionary work. Visa Update I anticipate that Harbour City Church will be able to apply for sponsorship in the next few months. This is necessary for them to sponsor my visa. However, the church was recently notified that their lease will not be renewed for another year, and will need to vacate in several months. Finding a new venue is an important priority and may delay progress in the sponsorship application. I remain hopeful of a late summer departure. Calendar Sunday, Jan. 11 Crestwood PCA Edmonton, AB February 5-7 Readiness Evaluation (Online assessment of MTW missionary applicants) February 15-21 Highlands PCA Ridgeland, MS Missions Festival February 21 - March 1 Briarwood PCA Birmingham, AL Global Ministries Conference Prayer Points   Praise God for three new partnering churches (Mississippi, Michigan, Georgia). Pray for God's grace on upcoming travel, including flight to Edmonton, Alberta later this week. Pray for the new international ministry I'll be developing in Sydney -- that God will use it to draw many to salvation, and for those students to take Christ to their nations. Pray for the process of gaining a visa to return to Australia later this year. Pray for Harbour City Church as they have lost their lease and need to find a new place for worship.   Support Update During my first term in Australia, my budget was supplemented by excess one-time contributions and previously unused budget monies to the tune of about $1,000/month. With those funds now depleted, and inflation decreasing the value of contributions, while simultaneously increasing ministry and life costs, I am in need of raising up additional support from new sources as well as increased support from current partners. I am currently in need of an additional $1,335 per month in pledges. Would you consider joining my team of ministry partners, or perhaps increasing your current level of giving? To make a contribution, or to change your level of giving: Follow this link to contribute on the MTW website. Above my name, you can choose "recurring;" then you can indicate how often you would like your contribution to recur. Or if you prefer a less technical method, email me or email Cara Christiansen at MTW. Tell us how much you would like to pledge on a monthly or annual basis.