November 25, 2024 -- Urgent Prayer Request & Update

Visa Update Just moments ago, I learned that Harbour City Church's application to renew their sponsorship permit (ability to sponsor foreign worker visas) was rejected. As my visa application is tied to HCC's sponsorship, my visa will also be rejected. The reasons for the sponsorship rejection are financial. When reviewing the financial records of the church, they see a lot of funds going out (donations to various ministries). Additionally, a visa sponsor is responsible for paying the salary of their sponsored workers, and for paying for their moving expenses out of the country if their visa expires or is rejected. We provided documentation that MTW pays the entirety of my salary, and also for my repatriation, should that be necessary. It appears that either the government looked no farther than the ledger sheet, or they are not satisfied with a foreign entity being financially responsible. However, HCC has sponsored missionaries in the past, and with a much more tenuous financial condition. The church is able to appeal the decision, which must be done within 28 days. We will be looking into the situation to determine whether we believe we have grounds to appeal. In the meantime, I have not yet heard anything about my visa application; there is no way of knowing whether it has been processed, or when I would be notified of the rejection. Once that happens (if we do not successfully appeal the sponsorship visa), I will have 28 days to leave the country. I appreciate your prayers for this situation. I am in Australia at the will of our heavenly Father. He brought me here, and he is able to keep me here if that is within his greater plan. I see many opportunities for ministry here, and desire to be a part of that. But I also know that God's plans are far greater than anything I could ever imagine. Pray that I will make the most of my opportunities, wherever they may be, and that I will be open to the will of God. Ministry Update City Sanctum has been meeting for over a year, post-Covid. Our November meeting brought participants eager to hear about how to cope with toxic work environments. It was discouraging to hear of so many difficult work lives; we live in a very fallen world. And yet we were able to encourage each other to be faithful in our Christian calling, working our best, loving our neighbors, and taking every opportunity we are given to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ. (Audio of past talks is available on the website, as well as on Podcasts and Spotify.) I had many opportunities to teach at our university ministry the last several months. I did a three-part series on the gospel and apologetics, as well as talks such as "When I Doubt," and "Looking Out for #1" (honoring God's name). If able, I am scheduled to speak at summer camp (January) on (1) calling and vocation, (2) the gospel and my testimony, and (3) apologetics. I'm thankful for the many diverse means in which God provides ministry opportunities such as leading a men's small group, participating in our cycling club, or spending time with a young man as we build a "Setters of Catan" board and a chess board. Please pray for the Holy Spirit's work in these young lives. USA Trip I was able to travel to the US in October, spending a week in Iowa with family to celebrate my mother's 90th birthday. 28 of us spent the weekend at Inspiration Hills, outside my hometown. Lots of memories were recalled and made. We are very grateful for God's grace upon our mom and family. From Iowa, I flew to Atlanta, rented a car, and drove to Charleston, SC to see my college roommate and his wife for a couple of days; then it was on to Jackson, MS for 12 days. It was good to catch up with friends and a couple of supporting churches, and to accomplish some much-needed work at my house. It was back to Atlanta, the first weekend of November, for MTW's Global Missions Conference. 1,700 people gathered to worship our merciful God, and to learn what he is doing around the world. MTW Australia had a booth in the exhibit hall, as well as several smaller breakout opportunities, to share about opportunities for ministry here -- everything from university interns to longterm missionaries. Please pray that God's call to "GO" and to "SEND" will be heard. Prayer Points Pray for wisdom in regards to my visa, and the church's sponsorship  permit. Pray that God will direct us well in whether to file an appeal, how to go about that, etc. And pray ultimately that I will be receptive to where God is leading me -- whether that is continued ministry in Sydney or elsewhere. Pray for Harbour City Church members to be spurred on to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth. Pray for my mom, as she had a health scare on Sunday morning and is currently hospitalized for testing. Praise God for healing mercies for my back and knee (following a cycling accident in July). I'm at nearly 100% -- trying to regain lost leg strength.

July 21, 2024 -- Ministry & Injury

 

Bicycle Accident & Injuries On Friday morning, while biking to the church, I rounded a corner too fast and with the inside-of-the-curve pedal in the lowest position causing it to meet the road, followed by my body hitting the road as well. The driver behind me and three nearby city workers all came to my assistance. I denied their suggestion for an ambulance; after lying on the sidewalk for 20 minutes, and attempting to stand, I booked an Uber to get me home. That evening, when I still couldn't put any weight on my right leg, I determined to go to a clinic the next morning just in case there was a more serious injury than scrapes and bruises. With pain in my leg, lower back muscles, and rib cage, I had a CT scan, among other tests. These showed that my liver and pancreas had not been injured, but that I have five somewhat minor fractures: Small crack in my fibula near the knee Small crack in my femur near the knee Three vertebrae with minor cracks None of the fractures require surgery or really any treatment beyond a splint to keep my leg fully extended. I will be seeing a specialist in the next couple of days for an MRI to determine whether a ligament has also been damaged. While five fractures may sound awful, I'm not feeling all that beat up. I'm using crutches, as I can't place much weight on my leg, and my lower back muscles are sore. But I'm really not that uncomfortable. I am thankful to God for protecting me from more serious injuries, and from serious pain. And I'm intent upon using my recovery time wisely -- being in the Word and in prayer more often, reading, etc. I'm also somewhat regretfully thankful for God forcing me to depend upon others more than I'd like. I have always tried to be independent, not a burden upon others, while also desiring to help those needing assistance. I'm reminding myself that this is time for me to experience the grace of God and his church, and to be gracious in accepting that help. I appreciate your prayers for my recovery and patience during the process. MTW Regional Retreat Every four years, MTW missionaries from the Asia-Pacific region gather for a retreat. This time is meant to be a refresher for all of us -- relaxation away from ministry, worship of our God, seminars, fellowship with fellow missionaries, friendships for missionary kids with other kids who understand their unique life circumstances, etc. The 2024 retreat was held last week in Indonesia. Dr. Julius Kim, a PCA pastor, former professor and Dean of Students at Westminster Seminary California, and former president of The Gospel Coalition, was our lead pastor during daily worship services. Sandra McCracken and her husband led music during worship and an evening hymn sing. Email Address Please note the new email address -- brent.kooi@MTW.org. I will also retain my old Gmail account (and most email will go through that account), but MTW has issued email addresses to all missionaries, and newsletters will now come from this address. You may want to save the address to your contacts list to assure updates don't end up in your spam box. Follow FB Group Ministry Opportunities   In addition to regular ministry events such as City Sanctum and teaching opportunities at the church and university ministries, I've recently had regular times with a few young men doing woodworking projects. With the tools acquired during the church renovations last year, projects have included tables, a chess board, and a board for "Settlers of Catan" (board game). But more important are the relationships that are deepening, conversations about relationships and faith, etc. This is a great combination of tangible projects and relational ministry. Visa Update   The application for my two year short-term worker visa was submitted on June 28. Instead of needing to leave the country every 90 days, I'm now restricted from leaving without a special travel visa (needed for MTW retreat last week). There's no telling how long it may take for the application to be processed. I could hear tomorrow, or, as was the case for MTW friends in Perth, it could take 8 months. In the meantime, I live in some limbo, but trusting that God is sovereign over this process. Calendar Oct. 10 - Nov. 4 USA trip for my mother's 90th birthday and MTW Global Missions Conference. I'll also spend some time in Jackson, MS between these two events. Global Missions Conference I encourage you to consider attending the MTW Global Missions Conference in Atlanta, November 1-3. I'd certainly love to see you, but more importantly, the conference is sure to be a blessing to attendees as well as they hear how God is working around the world, how they can pray, and even be involved in the work of the gospel mandate. Click here for more info. Prayer Points   Praise God for protecting me from more serious injury, and pray for quick recovery. Praise God for great ministry opportunities with the young men at Harbour City Church and SOW university ministry.

 May 2, 2024 Newsletter

In This Issue: Talk Preps, Talks, & Talking Prayer Point -- Team Leader Sabbatical Global Missions Conference Island to Island

Talk Preps, Talks, & Talking Anyone who knows me knows I like to talk. And these days, God has been making good use of the gift for gab that he gave me. Much of my time is taken up with preparing for various talks. Over the last few months, my speaking engagements have included: Student Outreach to the World: Our university ministry chapters at University of Sydney and Macquarie University do not have their own campus pastors this year, so I have been a regular, filling in for them. After their weekly worship times, I'm able to join the students for dinner at nearby food courts -- more talking, and building connections with the university students, answering their questions, etc. Recent talks (sermons -- but I'm not ordained) at each of them have included: 24 Karat Hope -- 1 Peter 1:3-9 Lessons in Obedience -- Jonah 1-4 When I Doubt -- Luke 7:18-28 Equip 315 (our new evangelism training ministry at Harbour City Church): In our last quarterly event, I demonstrated a full presentation of the gospel, using the Evangelism Explosion model. Topical Bible Study (monthly event at Harbour City Church): I recently spoke on "Engaging with Cults," a talk I had previously done at the SOW summer camp in January. SOW Leadership Training: I was asked to speak this past week on Evangelism -- what it is, and why it's important right now for university students. Growth Group: I recently started to co-host/co-lead a men's growth group from Harbour City Church. On months when I host the group, I also lead the discussion on the past Sunday's sermon, and facilitate our prayer time. City Sanctum: Our current quarterly theme is "When Work gets Difficult." Recent talks included "Building Resilience into our Work," and "Burnout." We will have a guest speaker next week for our May meeting. Dr. David Hilmers is a former US Marine Corps pilot, NASA astronaut (4 missions to space on the space shuttles), and now a medical doctor, frequently traveling the world to provide humanitarian aid in developing nations. Incidentally, he's also a fellow native Iowan! David and his wife, Alice, attend Harbour City Church in Sydney. As our Harbour City Church pastor, and MTW team leader, began a much needed sabbatical this week, I've been assigned to fill the pulput next week Sunday, May 12. My assigned passage is 2 Peter 1:16-21. I appreciate your prayers for my prep and delivery, so that it will be a blessing to our people. Preparing these talks can be exhausting, as doing research is not necessarily my forte. But I am seeing the blessing, particularly that the sermon preps are for me personally, as I listen to various pastors preaching on these passages and explore through some commentaries. Prayer Point My primary prayer point this month is for our church and MTW team: that God will bless and sustain us during the next five months as our pastor and missionary team leader and his family take a much-needed sabbatical. Pray too for them, Jim & Claudia Jung, that they will be refreshed and well-equipped upon their return to minister in Sydney for many more years. Follow FB Group Global Missions Conference Do you love missions, hearing about the working of God around the world, supporting missionaries? Do you ever sense a calling to be more involved in missions, as a sender, advocator, prayer, or perhaps to go yourself? Make plans to attend the 2024 Global Missions Conference, November 1-3, in Atlanta, GA. MTW missionaries from around the world will be speaking on various topics, and keynote speakers will include MTW Coordinator Lloyd Kim, PCA pastor Russ Whitfield, and others. I've been asked to lead a panel breakout session about serving overseas as single missionaries, so I hope to see many of you there! Register by May 31 for an early registration discount. Group prices are also available. (Click image below.) Island to Island My MTW Sydney co-worker and I spent Easter weekend in Samoa, attending a "Resurrection Conference" at a church planted just a year earlier. The church is a partner in our MTW "Island to Island Partnership," a ministry to spur on the work of the gospel in a number of island nations in the South Pacific. A highlight of the weekend was singing with the Samoan people. They are known for their singing, especially in their native Samoan language. Check out the video below of "It is Well," and from the YouTube video you should be able to navigate to one of five other similar videos.

February 12 Missionary Update

"Unashamed" at SOW Camp I recently spent a week at the summer camp for our university ministry. Student Outreach to the World (SOW) actually preceded Harbour City Church by a few years, and has grown into a ministry at five Sydney universities. About 100 students attended the five day event at a Bible camp located in a rural area near Sydney. The theme was "Unashamed," from Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of god for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." The keynote speaker was Chad Brewer, the assistant coordinator for RUF International & Global. He spoke on evangelism, giving many great examples of God working through him and his wife in the lives of their own families. I spoke twice at summer camp, once on "Engaging with Cults," and "Calling and Vocation." But more importantly I was so encouraged by many conversations with uni students at various places in their spiritual walks. City Sanctum Since relaunching City Sanctum in September, we have had five monthly dinner events. Our theme for the first quarter of 2024 is "Healthy Work Habits." In January, I spoke on procrastination, and in February on "Work Hard or Work Smart?" Attendance has seen a slow increase, with 14 participants at both of our 2024 events, including several new people from outside of Harbour City Church. Calendar February 13 I'll be flying to Japan for one week. This will hopefully be my last "must leave Australia every 90 days visa trip." The first several days will be spent in Chiba, helping missionary friend Matt Chase with demolition work; his team has bought an old house, next door to his family's house, to be used for university ministry. The latter days will be spent with friends in Osaka.   February 24 For City Sanctum's second "Equip 315" quarterly event, I'll be teaching on the basics to cover when sharing the gospel.   February 29 For HCC's monthly "Topical Bible Study," I'll be teaching part two of "Handling Difficult Questions" when sharing the gospel. Prayer Point   Pray that our HCC church members and City Sanctum participants will be equipped to share the gospel in their every day lives.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and financial partnership

December 2023 Missionary Newsletter

City Sanctum Up & Running Thank you for your prayers for the relaunch of City Sanctum. We were able to relaunch in September and had subsequent meetings in October & November. Our theme for our first three months was "God's plan for work," using Tim Keller's book Every Good Endeavor. I spoke on the first and third parts of the book, while Harbour City Church pastor and MTW Sydney team leader Jim Jung spoke on the second part. Part 1: God's plan for work -- designed good, with dignity in all work, for our good and the betterment of society. Part 2: Our problems with work -- our sin brought a curse upon our work, and we use our work for selfish goals. Part 3: The gospel and work -- how God can redeem our work, and we as Christians can impact God's world through the work he gives us. (See audio links below if you'd like to listen to any of these.) Our attendance has been steady at 11-12 per meeting so far, largely from Harbour City Church. And we are quite happy with our restaurant venue, which allows us to grill our own steaks for $10 off the menu cost, and just has a pleasant vibe for our purposes. The theme for the first quarter of 2024 City Sanctum meetings will focus on work habits, discussing procrastination in our January meeting. Please pray that the talks will be beneficial to attendees, and that they will invite their not yet saved workmates who can encounter this "back door" entry to the Christian faith. We also implemented our first quarterly evangelism training event, calling it "Equip 315," using 1 Peter 3:15 for our theme: "...always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." In our Equip 315 events, I will be sharing various methods of sharing the gospel. In November, I focused on how to discern whether our prospect is likely already a Christian or is in need of hearing the gospel, and how to "earn the right" to share the gospel, using the Evangelism Explosion model (video link below).  14 people attended the November Equip 315, including one young man who has been attending our church for a couple of years but is not yet a Christian. We have had a number of conversations in recent months about the gospel and his resistance to embracing the promises of God. End of Year Giving Thank you so much to all those who have been partnering with me in the gospel by way of financial contributions. Missionaries do not go out without such partnering. I also am so thankful for those who regularly lift me up in prayer. Missionaries cannot be effective without their prayer warriors. If you would like to make an end of year contribution, I do appreciate your consideration. You can make an online contribution by clicking on the photo below. Follow FB Group for more regular updates Calendar Thursday, January 11 City Sanctum meeting Topic: Procrastination Jan. 29 - Feb. 2 SOW university ministry summer camp (I'll be speaking on discerning a calling into ministry) Thursday, February 8 City Sanctum meeting Saturday, February 24 Equip 315 training Prayer Points   Praise God for his blessings on the re-launch of City Sanctum, and the first Equip 315 event. Pray that he will grow the ministry to be a blessing to our members and to reach many lost with the hope of the gospel. Pray for my preparation of upcoming talks including the "procrastination" talk for City Sanctum, and the university ministry talk on "discerning a calling into ministry." Pray for a couple of young men at HCC who I am mentoring. Topical Bible Study Harbour City Church holds quarterly "TBS" events. In November, I was asked to speak on "Handling Difficult Questions" when sharing our faith. I had prepared to address 17 different common objections; surveying our attendees during the event, I had time to speak on just three, including "Why does God allow bad things to happen," "The church is full of hypocrites," and "I don't believe the Bible." (Video link below) Filling the Pulpit With HCC's two pastors both out of the country earlier this month, it fell upon me to fill the pulpit one Sunday. I was assigned "Zechariah's Song as part of our Advent series on "The Songs of Christmas." (Video link below) Bali Surf Camp With my current visa, I must exit Australia every 90 days. In September, I took the opportunity to attend a five day surf camp in Bali. I was relieved that I wasn't too old to learn (although I'm certainly still very much a beginner); but even better than the surfing, God allowed me so many opportunities to share the gospel! Of particular joy was sharing with a 20 year old young man from Munich who is half Jewish and half Chinese. Colin is a very bright young man and was very curious about the Bible, having forgotten most of what he had learned studying for his bar mitzvah. He asked many questions. Please pray that he will continue to seek after the God of his fathers.

Links to above mentioned speaking engagements: September City Sanctum: Every Good Endeavor, Pt. 1 (audio only) October City Sanctum: Every Good Endeavor, Pt. 2 (audio only) November City Sanctum: Every Good Endeavor, Pt. 3 (audio only) Equip 315: Earning the Right to Share the Gospel (video) TBS: Handling Difficult Questions (video - note that there's no audio until 3:23) Sermon: Zechariah's Prophecy (video)

September 2023 Missionary Newsletter

City Sanctum Set to Relaunch! Covid restrictions were rough on Australians, and on City Sanctum as well. With tight restrictions on public meetings (or even leaving one's home at all), City Sanctum met via Zoom for some time. But as people became "Zoomed out," and as I was unable to enter Australia to assume leadership of the ministry, the difficult decision was made in July 2021 to take a hiatus. And now, more than two years later, City Sanctum is about to relaunch! In early 2023, a new City Sanctum steering committee was recruited, and we've been meeting regularly to pray, dream, and plan our relaunch. The previous steering committee laid a strong foundation, upon which we've been able to build. City Sanctum will largely look very much like it always has, but a couple of changes we are excited about include: New location: previously, City Sanctum met in the Sydney CBD (central business district), near the famous opera house. Our new location is a restaurant near our church. When City Sanctum members bring friends to our new location, it's more likely that they also live nearby and could come to Harbour City Church as well. Quarterly training: one of City Sanctum's goals has always been to help its members navigate an increasingly secular work world and to be ambassadors of Christ in their daily lives. Our new quarterly training will equip members with skills to share the gospel with their co-workers, to answer their difficult questions, etc. The theme for the remainder of 2023 is "God's plan for work," using Tim Keller's book Every Good Endeavor. On Thursday, September 14, at our relaunch event, participants will enjoy a free dinner (compliments of an MTW grant), and then I'll be speaking on the first section of Keller's book. Please pray for our ministry: that we will have a good turnout on Thursday; that the talk will be a blessing to the participants and their efforts to work as for the Lord; that City Sanctum will be a place where non-Christians will encounter the God who made them and loves them; and that City Sanctum participants will be equipped as missionaries within their workplaces and communities. THANK YOU for your continued prayers and partnership in the gospel! Church Renovations   Little did I know, when renovating my basement apartment during Covid, that those skills would be so useful in Sydney as well! Over the last few months, a significant portion of my time has involved construction work in the warehouse where Harbour City Church meets. Improvements included building an AV mezzanine above an existing block of rooms, constructing a new, larger children's classroom, as well as a cry room with a large window into the worship area. The renovation work was a great time of building relationships with church volunteers and teaching some of them a few useful skills.   Calendar   September 14 Relaunch of City Sanctum September 15-16 Harbour City Church session & staff retreat (local) September 18-23 Vacation in Bali: This is a 90 day "must exit the country due to my visa" trip.  I will be taking surfing lessons (hoping I'm not too old to learn!), and planning to put that skill to use with the surf club at my church. October 19-24 Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) for a family wedding. November 13-19 MTW leadership training in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

May 19, 2023

Ministry in the Small Things Believe it or not, it has been 10+ months since I arrived in Sydney. I'm feeling more and more at home here, especially as relationships deepen and ministry opportunities increase. Effective ministry often happens in the unplanned occurrences of life. Of course we must live our lives -- plan our lives -- in such a way to encourage those unplanned occurrences. Some of my opportunities lately include: I started a bicycling club at Harbour City Church.  Our third outing is this weekend, and so far has been a great opportunity to deepen relationships and to invite unsaved friends. Each member of Harbour City Church staff spoke on various topics at our recent church retreat under the theme "Fully known, truly loved." Relationships in my men's growth group are deepening.  I'm encouraged by the transparency of the young men. I spoke on "handling difficulty questions" about the gospel at a recent university ministry event. THANK YOU for your continued prayers and partnership in the gospel! Calendar June 8-26 I'll be in the States for the PCA General Assembly in Memphis (6/12-15), with a quick weekend in Jackson prior to GA, and then some time in Iowa with my mom. Prayer Points City Sanctum: A new steering committee has been recruited and started meeting earlier this month. We anticipate rebooting ministry meetings in August. Australian Visa: Pray that my application for a two year worker's visa will be approved soon. Application was submitted several weeks ago. Island to Island Forum: Praise God for a successful gathering of ministries in the South Pacific island nations. It was an encouraging time of dreaming and planning for cooperation in ministry to strengthen the churches of the region. WPC National Assembly: Praise God for the opportunity to attend the recent Westminster denominational meetings in Brisbane, learning much about the challenges and opportunities within our partnering denomination. 2023 Missions Trip: Pray for development of a church missions trip I will lead at the end of the year -- location and ministry.