Anniversary

Today we celebrated out 9th Wedding anniversary. We were able to go out for lunch and Brayden slept the whole time in his stroller while we had lunch on the beach and relaxed watching people surf. It was a wonderful time. Time seems to fly. It honestly doesnt seem like it has been 9 years!

Birthdays, Birthdays, The most important Birthday of all!

On the 22nd we celebrated Chris's birthday. We spent it with our "Australian family". We had an American meal of taco salad, and a yummy white mud cake. Chris was spoilt. Everyone including myself all went together and got him a new barbecue to go on the porch. He loved it! His old one was not working anymore. So, needless to say for the rest of summer, I think Chris will be doing the cooking!

NOW to the most important

Birthday of all!

On the 24th and 25th we celebrated Christmas. Our kids sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and we told them the story of Jesus Birth. And, we told them why it was so important for Him to come! Christmas Eve we spent with friends and family that we swapped present with. Our children were spoilt and had fun in the swimming pool and eating all sorts of lollies.

On the 25th we had a Christmas service at our house. There were 18 of us that met together and we sang some carols and chris preached to all of us. It was a wonderful service and it was even more special to have it in our home. By having it in our home it meant we did not have to rent the hall and set up and tear down for church. But, with such short notice we probably could not have booked the hall anyways. But, it was a wonderful time and our church is our family here! We were spoilt by them and also by all of you our prayer partners and supporters.

THANK YOU

TO everyone who sent a special Christmas gift to us! We were blessed beyond belief. With that money we were able to get Brayden a crib and a mattress, and Dawson his big present this year was a bean bag (WHICH HE ULTIMATELY loves), and Makayla received a Disney mix max that she can listen to music in her room on it plays kind of like a CD player would. But, at least mummy and daddy can choose what music goes on there! With all the money we were given we didn't want to just buy lot's of little things. So, we went together with it all and got our family a Wii. It has been heaps of fun, but also it has been a thing that we can do as a family and it costs us nothing now to go bowling, or to play the games. So, that is exciting to know that we can do a family things and it is not going to cost us anything. Especially when it has been 105-8 here many days, it is WAY to hot to go outside. And, Brayden is still trying to adjust to the heat. So, we have been trying to keep him in as much as possible! But, thank you to everyone who spoilt us! We are truly blessed by your generosity!

Hard to believe we are REALLY HERE in Australia!

It's hard to believe we left the USA three weeks ago to come back to Australia! God has been doing so many wonderful things.



Makayla was able to participate in two weeks of school. This was a wonderful opportunity for her to reconnect with friends and also to learn the schedule of school as next year she is in grade one and will no longer be in the fenced in Kindy/PrePrimary area of the school. She will now be in the larger area of the school. She had a wonderful time and was like she had never missed a day of school. On our walk to school the first morning we had 10-12 cars drive by and yell out their window. IT's Makayla George!!!!! The children were super excited to see her, and the same for her! She could not wait to see her friends!





The church participated in a bake sale! Melissa spent two days cooked 96 shortbread trees, and 44 mixed spice cutout cookies. They took a bit of work to do the details. But, two ladies in the church made cupcakes and fudge, and another lady made fruit cakes! We sold almost EVERYTHING we had. And, the church made almost $200 from the event. But, it got our name out into the community. It was a lot of fun and a joy talking with people. Here is a picture from the evening. The shirts you see people wearing are what Chris and I gace the chuch people for christmas! We had alot of fun having them made in the USA and brought them back in a suitcase! Everyone really enjoys them! And, now when we do functions or ministries or outreach we can all look the same ane people will know, " We are the church, in Landsdale!"


Dawson had his 4th birthday. We had friends over for pizza and prezzies and ice cream and cake! We let Dawson choose two friends and their families to come over. So, he choose Cian and Callum, and then we had the pastor of the inner city church and his whole family over! We also had the couple living with us from Singapore and then a family from the church stopped in and joined us! So, it was a lovely time! He was spoilt and we are truly blessed to be able to have Dawson as part of our family! His big gift this year was a scooter we brought back in our suitcase with us! He has been riding it every day and asks all the time to go for walks. Dawson woke up and said he was TALLER by 4 feet, and everything does he says he can do better, or faster now because he is 4. He is incredibly cute in his own way. But, He was so cute opening his presents. He was TOTALLY surprised on every one. And, every toy he opened he wanted to play right away. he didn't want to open the next one! It was a wonderful evening with church family and dear friends!

As a side note: I think Dawson has found moving here hard. He asks when we will go home to see his grandma's and grandpas. Dawson loved living with his grandmas and grandpas and every morning he walks around the house asking to go see them... Pray that he will settle in. He has made a very closer relationship with Cian. And, that I think is helping relieve his anxiety of being here!


Brayden's tummy has not handled the big move very well. He has lost three pounds. But, we think he is starting to put his weight back on. He has had a runny tummy ever since we arrived. He goes through 12-15 diapers a day! And, diapers here are expensive. So, please pray that his tummy would settle down. When we first arrived anytime we went outside he cried the entire time we were out there. but, a lovely couple who are our friends who gave us a car seat for Brayden also gave us a sun covering that is upf 50. So, we have been putting that over the stroller and it has made it bearable now for him to go out. But, the 100 degree temperature days... Brayden is not comofortable in and spends most of the day crying.. So, if you could keep him in your prayers that would be great as well!


We have had three wonderful weeks of church! Chris is doing a sermon series on advent! It felt like we were home this Sunday! At first it didn't feel all so real that we were back in Australia, but slowly we are starting to feel like it is real! We are looking forward to the christmas day service. Where we will all get together on christmas and have church. This is very much an Australian thing. We do not have a christmas eve service.. But, we have a christmas day service.


We are still trying to settle our house. You could pray for this to happen. Many of our things were put in storage in a closet in our bedroom. however, we had a bad tenant that stayed here before the pastor had come and they moved all of our belongings to the back yard! So, our crib, high chair, stroller, bikes, dawson's bed.. many items sat outside all winter. Becuase then when the pastor arrived.. He thought we had put them there to stay while we were gone. So, that was a bit dissappointing to return to such a mess. And, my dining room chairs all have holes burnt in them! So, we are quickly trying to put our house back together and find things. We have yet to find the tray to the highchair or the straps. Hopefully we will find that soon, so Brayden can eat more comfortably.


Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us! this move has happened so quickly and everyone is really starting to settle. I believe it is because of your prayers. Thank you.

Fire Extinguished!
The fire in Landsdale seems to be extinguished. To make a long story short.
Friday evening a car was moving VERY quickly down the main road that borders our suburb and it blew a tire and hit an electricity pole. What should have been a simple clean up within minutes turned disastrous. We had very hot weather and westward winds. And the fire just lit up the "bush" ( Pasture like land) behind our house one street over. The thing is that we have many church people that live between us and the bush. We had 4 families that bordered the street and it took 45 fire departments on duty for three days to get it out. We had helicopters coming in to the lake across the street from our house sucking up water every few minutes to dump on the fire and usually if there is a fire the helicopters will return to the airport to refuel. But, you know a fire is bad when they brought fuel trucks RIGHT here in front of our house and refueled right here to save time! We were on standby at all hours for evacuation. If you went outside the sky was bright orange it looked seriously like our back yard was on fire. I will go take pictures to send to you. But, here is what your prayers did!

Also, the wind was blowing in the correct direction. Our God moves even the wind in the right direction! Had the wind changed directions our house would have definitely been in danger!

1) Ebert Family.-- Family in most danger. The fire stopped 1 FOOT from their yard. The firemen actually stood a meter apart putting out fire to save this families home.
2) Mahood Family- The wife of this family is the high school chaplain. Fire jumped the road and their fence 3 times! And, they were there waiting with water hoses to put it out.
3) Preston family saved
4) One family neighbours to the Ebert's. The first stopped 1 foot from their home!
5) And, most of the suburb was unaware that there was even a fire for 5 hours due to the electricity being out. Most people thought because it was such a hot day it was a normal power outage!
God is good and thank you for your prayers!
God was protecting these families, and your PRAYERS were moving the hand of God!
Thank you.

PLEASE PRAY IMMEDIATELY!
There is a bushfire less than a mile from our home. Here is the link to read about it. But, please pray for the safety of everyone in Landsdale. Last evening the sky above our house was BRIGHT orange. And, our children have been very scared. The temperature today is over 100 degrees which does not help the fire. They are flying helicopters into the lake in front of our house to suck up water to dump on the fire. But, we are unable to run our air conditioning due to the fire because if an ember flew in our air conditioner our house would start on fire! Please keep us and the community of landsdale in your prayers. Also, please note three of our families that attend our church live between the fire and us. So, they are also in danger. Thank you for your prayers!
click on the following link:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/6579006/lansdale-residents-on-standby-as-bushfire-burns/

Flying to Australia!
Thank you to everyone who prayed for our safe travel to Australia. We know that you all were praying for us!
1) WE got 4 inches of snow on the drive to the airport from Houghton-Buffallo. The roads were terrible and we fish tailed and slid through a red light and still arrived there safe and in one piece! God was good. The airport was semi open, and our plane took off. I will attach a picture to show how much snow was on our airplane when we boarded. They had to de-iced the plane 3 times before we took off! So, we had a bit of Australian weather before we even left New York because when they de-ice the plane it gets VERY HOT inside the plane. The was just a small airplane that sat 20 people!. Then we were on our way to JFK!

2) We loaded the plane at JFK. Chris sat with Dawson and I sat with Makayla and Brayden. Brayden slept the first 4 1/2 hours straight of the 12 1/2 hour flight. The kids were fantastic and we landed in Dubai!

3) Makayla was walking out of a store in Dubai and she was missed within inches of being run over by a people mover! The guy was driving over 20 miles per hour in an pedestrian area. But, she was kept safe.

4) We loaded the plane for a 10 hours flight to Perth. Everything went excellent. The kids watched many movies and the time was just incredibly relaxing even though we were EXHAUSTED!

5) The runway in Perth had a terrible side wind the pilot tried to land the plane and we got a HUGE gust of wind which knocked us off the runway. So, he had to speed up quickly and took off and we did not land the first time we tried to land in Perth. So, we circled the airport for 10 minutes. And, the pilot tried again. Second time landing successfully.

6) We got to Perth, and they lost one of our pieces of luggage. So, instead of standing in customs lines we were standing waiting to receive a lost luggage form. However, when we got the lost piece of luggage. Because we had 10 suitcases and 5 carryons, a stroller, and a car seat, and three children. They took us to the front of the line. Put all our bags on, NEVER OPENED ONE bag and away we went! INCREDIBLE!

7) We were met by three families who helped us get all of our luggage in and our children home safe.

Thank you for your prayers! They made a difference in our life while we were in such a big transition. WE can't wait to see what God is going to continue to do with your prayers!

PASSPORTS (10 days left!)
This morning my dad came in the house and asked us how long we have been waiting for a delivery from UPS. And, Chris and I said we weren't sure we were waiting on one. Then he says, well I was in the entry way and in the window under a piece of wood was an envelope delivered form UPS. So, we went out there and would you believe it! OUR PASSPORTS! I am so glad my Dad saw them! We would not have even looked out there. We thought the passports would be coming via USPS. So, the good news is we have our passports!

Pray for our Children (11)

In the past our children have been small when we travel and have been pretty at ease about the whole situation. Please pray for Makayla as she has LOTS of questions and concerns. Let me share her most recent one...
"Mommy, this is the last week I get a bed!, I like having a mattress!" Makayla
"You will have a mattress in Australia!" Mommy
"I didn't the last time we were there..." Makayla
"That's because we had packed all of our things up and we slept on the floor one night before we got on the airplane, But don't you worry... You will have your own bed !"Mommy
"Okay..." Makayla
But, this is just the start. Wednesday night she did not go to bed till 11:45 and she as in bed at 8:00 in the dark. She came down over 35 times with all these crazy questions about Australia. WE are not used to having children who worry about ever part of our leaving. Please pray that Makayla will have a peace from God about her and that she will sleep, so she can stay healthy! She is very concerned about how her cousins will get by without her! She is concerned her friends may have new friends... She is concerned that her family will miss her so much that they will be very sad. These are all REAL issues to her and they are very important. Most of all pray that Chris and I would have an understanding of her concerns and be able to give the answers God wants us to give her!

Countdown Begins (12)!
This morning we rose bright and early to take our kids to my aunts for her to have a special day with them. Then we went to Buffalo to be commissioned by all the pastors in our district at LDJ. It was a wonderful time of hugs and thanking pastors for their support, and for their churches support! But, it was such a family moment! Chris and I come from a district who loves us, supports, us and believes in that! How tremendous to have such a Godly group of Men and Woman standing behind us cheering us on! We are blessed.

Yesterday we hurried to get our shipping labels together and on boxes! Only to find out they did not come pick up our belongings. So, we called the shipping company and they confirmed the would pick up on thursday between 3-4pm. So, Thursday came along and 4:15 came and they had not appeared. So, I called the company again and they confirmed someone was on their way to pick up our belongings. So, a Rig comes at 5:30 and we load the boxes int he pouring rain. 18 boxes with all sorts of things in them. One is all VBS materials donated to us. ONe was Hands on Bibles 30 of them which were donated to us to give to the children at Kids Club. One had 35 Youth Bibles called Revolve, and at the moment I can't think of the boys one.. Some of these boxes have our personal belongings.. Our wedding Album which we never had in Australia all this time, and some different things that are very important to us. Last but not least, two boxes have all the kids Christmas stuff in them from their Grandmas! Which was an error in my judgement, becuase I got the Estimated date of Arrival in Fremantle, Australia and it is January 20th! YIKES! The stuff DEFINITELY won't be in Australia for Christmas! But, I am glad to say that 700 pounds of Ministry tools and personal effects are on their way! How exciting! We are one day closer to departure.

Financial Clearance!

As we have been travelling, sharing, praying, speaking, and having a very unusual routine for the past 11 1/2 months with out kids God has called, God has blessed, God has met our every need and surprised us in ways we never expected. But, today on November 18th at 11:30 in the morning we received financial clearance! A half our after that we received an email from the embassy that our VISAS were GRANTED! And, then an hour after that we received an email tha we had permission to purchase airplane tickets! What an amazing God, that HE directs all three things to happen in the same afternoon! Isn't our God amazing!

So, what does this mean? This means we are in the midst of a little bit of organized chaos! It is all good, but every moment has been busy and we are today making a calendar of all the things we need to do before we leave, since we are departing on December 1st and that is only 13 days from today.

Packing.... Packing.... Packing...

Brayden is doing better and has been off breathing treatments for three days, but tonight he started running a fever again tonight. So, I am hoping that it is just teething, but we really need to get Brayden healthy before we fly. The kids seem to be doing well and Chris and I have gotten over our head colds. So, please keep praying that we will not get the flu, and that we will stay healthy to fly.

The awesome news is that we only need $2,700 more in Faith promise in order to leave for Australia. We are hoping to receive our VISA and then book our tickets and be in the air on December 1st. We have been madly packing our things because we have been given clearance to ship our items to Australia! So, on Wednesday a truck will come, pick up our items, take them to a warehouse, shrink rap them into a pallet, load it onto a boat, and it will arrive in Australia in 8 weeks! This was the cheapest way for us to send all of our luggage without us having to take suitcases when we fly... So, we will see how that goes.

As, I said we are still waiting on our visa. The Australian government has our applications for Australian Police Clearances. These should be processed within 14-21 days. They have had them now two weeks. So, please pray we hear any day on the Australian Clearances. As soon as the Immigration department has the Police Clearances then we can get the stamp in our visa and have that all taken care of.

Thank you to all of you who pray. This thanksgiving we have so much to be thankful for. I will write on that another day. But, we truly are grateful to all of you who will be reading this and keeping our family in your prayers!
Thank you!

Pray for Brayden

Brayden has been sick this past week with an upper respiratory infection. He has had croup and has been on steroid and breathing treatments. Please pray that he would get better. So, that as soon as we hear we have 100% support we can leave for Australia!

The good thing is we had our first sunday off since we have been home from Australia, last December! The only reason we had it off was because a church cancelled at the last minute. But, it gave our family a day to attend our home church and lay low. We are now spending two days at my sisters since my brother in law broke his ankle. So, she is being his escort to some ver important meeting he had to be at in Baltimore for the Youth Convention and we are laying low with all the nieces, nephews, and my sisters day care kids! We are just blessed to be able to help out when they need it! :)

As of today November 2nd. We have no churches booked. Please pray that we would be able to fill up our schedule and visit places and pick up some new support! The important thing is that we are at 87% Faith Promise. Please pray that we would pick up the last 13% in the next few weeks. There are a few churches we have visited that have not made decisions yet. So, pleaes pray that they would pick us up and that we would be able to visit some new churches that are looking to support God's vision for Perth Australia.

We are so greatful for your prayers, and giving! We had another month where we were only short $400 of reaching our monthly total income needed for the month, that is awesome! When we still need 13%! Thank you so much to everyone who support, prays, and is praying about going!

Wonderful Weekend!
We had the wonderful opportunity to speak this week at 3 new churches!

-Wednesday night we spoke in Wellsville, NY. It was a wonderful time to connect with a group of people who are excited about missions and what God is doing around the world. Because this church was so close to Chris's parents, our kids had a wonderful evening playing with grandma and grandpa and we were able to share from our hearts what God has been doing in Perth, Australia.

-Thursday Chris went and paricipated in the WNY LDJ meeting. He was inspired that the "church" needs to work together so that we can use the best of our abilities to reach the communities around us! Instead of churches working against each other in competition etc.
While Chris was at LDJ he was able to connect with many of the pastors of churches that support us from our home district and update them all on where we are with our support.

-Friday morning I spoke with the Womans group at Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church, what a time of friendship! I sat around the table I was sitting at with 10 ladies and we answered questions to get to know each other. There was then a missions panel and I participated on that sharing about our ministry in Australia. After words, all the woman were able to ask us many questions. Then to close we went around the table and shared prayer requests and praises! I then closed the time in prayer. It was a wonderful moment for me, becuase my hearts passion is to see Woman walking with the Lord as their saviour and serving him with everything they have, and I felt like this was a time where God met with us and reached his hand out to those who came with needs, and lifted up those who needed some encouragement. I praise God for Friday morning and the connection I was able to make. When I left almost everyone at the table had wanted to pray for our ministry in Australia. What an encouragement! I felt very loved on and knew that these ladies were earnest when they said they would pray for us!

-Friday night we met with the missions committe of Eastern Hills for Dinner. There were 15 missionaries there and the committee. It was a wonderful time for us to share from our hearts as families and be prayed for by the missions committee! What an encouragement and TREMENDOUS reminder that God is providing, and caring, and taking care of his fold, and HE is calling us to do nothing but Love him.

-Saturday morning, Chris joined about 150 men from the Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church for breakfast. It was a great time of fellowship together. The worship and the atmosphere was great and all of the men in the room were encouraged to follow God's leading and plan for their lives.

-Saturday Evening the family shared with the Eastern Hills Church "Taste of Nations". After the great time and wonderful foods from around the world, we were challenged and inspired at the Saturday evening service. We had great opportunities to talk with individuals and share our heart and passion for Australia.

-Sunday morning, we were 5 hours south of there in Wyalusing, PA. The Herrickville Wesleyan Church is a wonderful body of believers that has great passion and this is a church full of young families! We travel many churches. This church had EXCELLENT participation in Sunday school. Chris challenged the sunday school class to step up and answer God's call on their lives. He shared about their individual potential, and what it then looks like when our potential is teamed with God! Then, Chris preached during the service about prayer, and God is still doing the Impossible. It was truly special to see how much they love Jesus and others in their church. We also had the special treat of meeting a couple who had lived in Australia while they were deployed!

Most importantly God spoke to our hearts, and although, we were very busy, we were completely encouraged! God is still calling people to be apart of what HE is doing in Australia. And, many people committed this weekend to be prayer partners and faith promise partners!

Thank you to the churches we visited for sharing your lives with us, and passion for seeing people come to Christ!

BUSY WEEKEND!

Please pray for our family over the next three days as we have many opportunities to share with people what God is doing in Australia. Pray that these people we meet would see God's vision and join the team, to help us go and minister in Perth, Australia!

Please Pray for us specificaly over the next few days for the upcoming missions events we will be participating in.
Friday 9:00am-Woman's Missions Panel
Friday 6:00pm- Missions Committe Meeting Dinner for Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church.
Saturday Am- Men's Missions Breakfast
Saturday 6:00PM-Taste of the Nations Missions Conference
Sunday 9:00am Herrickville Wesleyan Church
Pray that our children would have the strength to survive the crazy schedule and business and non routine they will have over the next three days.

FBI-Fingerprinting!

Well, we mailed off today our FBI fingerprints. We paid to have them delivered one day. Because the processing time is 3-4 weeks! we now have 20 days to get them turned in. We heard good news from the department that if we put the date we need them turned in by on the outside of the envelope that most likely they will be processed quicker! So, please pray that this would occur in a timely manner! Tomorrow we head down to the police department in Wellsville to get clearances from the police department to say we do not have any criminal record, and then we will fax those to the DIMIA office! So, all is looking good on the VISA end of things! Thank you to everyone who is praying! Thank you for being part of the network! We couldn't do it without you!

VISA!

We received a letter yesterday on our visa. They would like us to go get Federal clearance in the US and also in Australia, and finger printed, and a few other things. But, they have given us 28 days to get these in. So, THANK YOU for your prayers, because God heard them and they have started to FINALLY proccess our Visa. But, please pray now that the FBI will get back our paperwork and Australia will get it back in in the next 28 days!

They have also requested our ACTUAL passports now, which is a pretty good sign that they are going to put the VISAS in them as soon as they receive this paperwork!

Driving Through God's Beautiful Countryside!

This past weekend we visited Perinton Community Church and Millerton Wesleyan. We had a lovely drive in between churches. We drove through some mountains next to a finger lake, so it was beautiful with the trees changing. But, what is more beautiful, is the fact that every where God send us, he speaks to peoples hearts! We had many people sign up this weekend to be prayer partners! They joined the network! This is exciting! Becuase, God has not just given us a vision to GO, but he has given us and others a vision to GO and minister in Australia. Whether we are praying, giving, or going. God's word is going to the people of Australia, and lives are being changed! We are so glad you are a part of this! Thank you!

Global Positioning Systems?
Today we had the privilege of speaking at Angola Wesleyan Church. This church has supported us for the past 5 years! It was exciting to go and share with them what God has been doing in the "Land Down Under!" But, most importantly God spoke to my heart about a few things we do in Australia. Here they are!

1. We must follow God's word!
On the way to the church our GPS could not get a Satellite! Do you think we had a map? No. So, we would drive a ways and then stop and ask for directions! But, what we should have done was pulled out our map and looked to see where we were supposed to be going! God has given us His instruction book for life! By serving in Australia we are bringing God's word to the people of Australia and sharing with them the news that Jesus Christ died on the cross for them!

2. We were right where God wanted us to be!
We didn't get mad at the GPS we didn't really panic we just knew that God would get us there! And, sometimes... life is just like that! Sometimes we know where we are going. But recently being a missionary feels like stepping out into new territory. And, all we have is faith in Jesus to know he will bring us through the other side!

3. Serve with everything in us!
Later that morning the church service started and on the first song they apologized for not having a pianist and they sang with no music. Now, I could have sat there and told God my gifts and talents were not good enough. But, I got out of my seat and went and sat at the piano, and for the rest of the service I played. I have not played a piano since we left Australia! I missed it, and I felt so involved in worship in a way I haven't in a while. Because, I used the small talent God wanted me to serve Him with! We are getting ready to go back to Australia. There are going to be many days we feel inadequate. But, God placed a call on us and he will supply all we need! Even on the other side of the world!

Who knew a drive without a GPS could teach us so many lessons!

Brookside Junior Church!

This weekend we had the privilege of going on a church outing as sponsors for the Brookside junior church because we are their missionaries! This was a wonderful day because they faith promised to support us! We love travelling and challenging churches, but never did we expect a Jr. church to become a part of our network and support us! We spent 3 hours in the van driving with boys in our back seat and they were SO good! But, also it was a blast to answer their questions and get to know them. We then went to an indoor swimming park and had a blast for 6 hours and then got back in the car to drive home 3 hours! It was a wonderful day and our kids had a blast! But, what I just can't stop thinking about is the fact that out of those 25 people who went. Who is God going to call next into ministry, or to be a missionary. I wonder who these children will be when they grow up. My prayer is that they will follow Jesus with all of their heart. And, that they will follow the calling on their life! But, in all they do, that they would be a missionary where they are and around the world!

The Wesleyan Church of Orchard Park

Last night we had the privilege of visiting The Wesleyan Church of Orchard Park. This is a church that has been faithfully supporting us for the last 5 years! It is soo exciting to go and see people we know and recognize. Our kids had a blast becuase it was their missions festival so they had hay rides, and they had a Christian juggler come and do all kinds of fun and cool things for the kids. Our kids talked about all the items the man juggled the whole way home from the church. Thank you Orchard Park for stepping out in faith and being a part of the network ministering in "The Land Down Under!" Here are some pics from the night!

Chris and I after the ordination service with the cake for all our friends and family.

Whirlwind of visiting new Churches!

The last 3 weeks have been very busy. We have been travelling new churches. God has brought us together with many wonderful people, missions committees, and churches. Many of them are prayerfully seeking God's guidance and direction on whether to support us. This is an awesome thing to think about! Our support has reached the 75% mark! This is very exciting. I would like to share with you a few thoughts from the road. Our chldren love to listen to the Crocodile Dock CD from VBS this summer. But, what I find interesting is, it seems to speak to my heart even as we are driving.

1) When you get down, you get back up! Chris and I were a bit saddened at the reality of not reaching Australia this month. We wanted to be boarding a plane and be reunited with the work. We really miss being involved every week with the Church God has asked us to serve in. The reality is, that even though we felt down, beat, sad, and exhausted. The truth is we have to get back up, make more calls, contact more churches, and work just as hard as we have been! And, about the moment we started to feel down. God has reached out and spoken to us. He has reminded us of the call HE has given us! And, God gave us an awesome day last week where pastors answered the phone, spoke with us, and let us email them our info! Not only could our ordination come at a better moment. We were encouraged and loved on by so many pastors in the district that it just was a great big PUSH for what God has called us to do. He never said it would be easy. He never said it would be always full of joy. But, God is moving, funds are still coming in, and God is impressing on peoples hearts to give! So, here we wait patiently to show all the new churches we know He will connect us with.

2) There is a song that talks about Faith. It goes... "Faith to see beyond what I can see. Faith to see that God will do great things! I will trust the Lord I will always believe... as I hold onto my faith, Jesus you are holdng on to me!" This song is always a reminder to Chris and I, that this is what we do! We step out in faith, everyday knowing that God is going to provide. And, so far he has.. We went 8 months without being paid, and God has taken care of every moment. We have always had food, shelter, and God has been meeting every need. But, a special moment for me was at the end of the song, there is just music, and Chris and I could hear from the back of the van Makayla praying. She was praying for her friends, and for a safe trip driving, and for her family. God is definitely working in their hearts and times when we think about this lifestyle and how it is SO hard on our children. God works in them and is growing them into beautiful children who love Him with all their hearts.

Pray for Greenwood High School in, Landsdale, Australia

Please keep our local highscool school, greenwood high in your prayers Liesl Mahood from our church in Australia is a Chaplain there full time. She would really appreciate it if we would pray for her, the students, and the staff. They had a massive racial fight on the grounds on Tuesday, the police and police helicopter were called in. Some of the staff got hurt in the scuffle too. It has really been a very very rough term and the cracks are starting to show with some of the staff.

Landsdale Primary here we come!

Praise God, and Thank you for all your prayers! Our children were accepted this week into the Public school system in Australia! This is a big deal. Not every child gets accepted into Kindy. So, Dawson getting to go is a huge praise! This will help Dawson adjust to Australian culture quicker! Makayla will be going into grade 1 and Dawson will be going to Kindy. The brings on a new prayer request. The kindy system is changing. they will be going to school one more day longer! Dawson was going to go two full days and now he will go three. Pray for me as he is still so little and I will miss having him at home! But, he will have so much more fun at school learning and making friends.

Ohio-Indiana Trip!

What a wonderful time was had in Indiana. Unfortunately the Habitat Team fell through for this week. So, we really need your prayers and hope that some teams will come together in the fall and also in the spring and summer next year to go work on a habitat house. Since we had churches and appointments out in Indiana to speak at we went out there and stayed on the Fairmount campground. While we were out there we met with some important friends who have supported us in prayer over the years. WE also spent the afternoons working on some repairs on our personal house in Indiana, since we didn't have a team to work on the "habitat for missionaries" house. We also visited 4 new churches. Please pray that these churches would pick us up for support! We then made the long drive home to NY. Thank you so much West Chester, Lighthouse, Tipton Trinity, and Mulberry for the wonderful visits we had. We were loved on by all of the churches and had a wonderful time sharing with them God's call on our lives to Australia.

God Moments!

The weekend we had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Lynn, IN to speak at Lighthouse Wesleyan Church. We had a wonderful visit and met a lovely group who are committed to lifting people up in prayer. We are honored to have them on our team and to have them pray for us and be a part of our network! On Thursday we found out our Sunday night service had fallen through. So, it was very exciting to find out that we were only two hours from Lima, OH. So we hopped in the car and went and celebrated with family my cousins daughters birthday, Kate Foster. We had a wonderful time catching up with the family and seeing everybody. Everytime we turn around God is blessing us by being in the right place at the right time. Which brings me back to two God moments we had on Friday 8/7. We were in Noblesville, IN and we happened to run into someone who attends the church in Elwood, IN we pastored 5 years ago! How cool is that! And, the other people we ran into. We happened to at the last moment decide to eat dinner at Golden Coral. And, wouldn't you know there having dinner was the ENTIRE staff from Trinity Wesleyan Church Daycare. This church provided day care for our kids during orientation back in February. And, Makayla always talks about how she would LOVE to see them again! And, there in front of her in line getting her food was her teacher! So, we were able to share with them all what God has been doing and how we are at 65% and Makayla was able to give her teacher Denise a hug! How cool! God knows just what we need when we need it! IF you read this and you think a God moment you have had this week... Would you post it??? We would love to hear what God has been doing for you! The Georges

Makayla Turns 6!

Saturday was Makayla's birthday. And, we were incredibly blessed to be able to stay in Shunem. We were able to rest, from Thursday night to Saturday. But, it was extra special because Shunem had two things Makayla loved. One is the pool and the other was a Wii. So her birthday started Friday night with us taking her to an Indianapolis Indians game, and then on Saturday we did all the things she loves. We swimmed in the pool 2x! We played the Wii, we had her favorite foods steak, coleslaw, corn on the cob, and chips, and we had a new things. we had ice cream that was called "ice cream cake!" It was alot of fun. And, she was spoiled by Jim and Jeannette Vermillya! I would say Makayla was one very blessed girl. Unfortunately we were on the road so she was not able to spend her bday with her grandmas and grandpas. But, we celebrated last week with the Wildays and will celebrate with the Georges when we get back to NY. Here are some pics from her festivities!

Western Pennsylvania
What a wonderful weekend we had at Warren Wesleyan and at Coleville.
At Warren we had the wonderful privilege of Chris sharing in the Teen Sunday school class, and I shared with the children. And, then Chris preached the morning service! It was a wonderful time. And, please pray that this church will pick us up. We are on their list to be a possible candidate to be picked up. But, if this church does pick us up we are one step closer to landing in Australia. So, please keep this in your prayers. We then had lunch with a wonderful couple from the church! We then loaded up and headed to Coleville, near Bellefonte PA. We must have been exhausted from camp, becuase we the kids and myself slept the entire way to the church while Chris drove! :) Glad he was driving! But, Coleville has been a faithful supporter of us for the past 5 years and it was a joy and an honour to visit with them and share all the WONDERFUL things God has been doing in Australia! Thank you for keeping us all in your prayers.

Also, over the weekend we stopped in Saturday afternoon at my sisters in Hyde,Pa for free accomodation, but also we celebrated Makayla and her Grandpas birthday which is this saturday the 8th! Yeah, Makayla is going to turn 6! What fun!

FAMILY CAMP!

What can I say! we had a wonderful time! We met so many great people and built better connections with so many more! So, what did we do for one week!

Chris- Did some seminars on Building Lasting Relationships with Missionaries. He also had a tremendous joy connecting three new missionary couples with our district.
Joel & Kerry Lord - Czech, Jessica Lord-Bosnia, and Steph Geary-New Zealand. These are all new missionaries going out from our District (WNY) How exciting! Praise God!

Melissa- I did 9 18 mon-3 year old sessions! We spent the whole week studying Australia and Learning that we should Love Jesus, Follow Jesus, Praise Jesus and Share Jesus! I had a great group! The most we had was 19 kids at one session! But, we did lot's of cool Australian crafts and had a ton of fun!

Makayla's highlight would be that she won the turtle race for her age! She came in first plae and won a whole box of chocolate turtles! A turtle race is a wooden apparatus and it is on string and you walk it down by moving a rope. I will post pics!

Dawson's highlight was spending his time with mommy and he was my helper for my class even though he was suppossed to be in my class.

Brayde's highlight was spending his week getting lots of extra hugs and kisses from grandmas, aunt melissa, and spending his first time ever in the nursery! Which he did pretty good. He only cried a little bit!

Thank you for praying for this week. Please pray that we would make some new connections from camp with a few churches that still do not support us from our home district.

Approved for Ordination!

We were unanimously approved for Ordination at our District conference on Friday. We were so excited and it was awesome to see our fellow pastors and see all the wonderful things God is doing through the WNY district. We have wonderful leadership. And, it was just awesome to be home and vote and do those "business" measures that we have missed out on! I think we miss our church that about right now any type of "church" work feels good!

This weekend we drove up to Grace Wesleyan in Watertown. What a wonderful experience we had and were incredibly spoiled by a tremendous lunch by the pastor and his wife. The weekend was also extra special because we brought our niece on the weekend trip with us! What a joy it is to share with her what a life is like for a missionary kid. But, the whole time we travel with her we pray that God would give her a passion for missions some day and that the experiences she has now with use will be just small stepping stones to the big picture God has for her life!

After driving an 1 1/2 hours this morning we jumped in the car and drove 4 1/2 hours back to Houghton for the start of family camp! Please Keep our family in your prayers this week. Chris is doing two seminars one Monday morning and one Tuesday morning on How churches can partner and team up with missionaries. He is showing many things.. Like, What is GP? Vision, Goals, 80/80/80 plan and many other things. Also keep myself in your prayers as I have 8 more children's sessions to do this week! Tonight was pretty easy. We only had 7 18 mo.-3yr olds. But, we are going to learn to Love Jesus, Follow Jesus, Praise Jesus, Serve Jesus, and Share Jesus! It is almost to the end of the month and we still have many openings in August we were hoping to fill. Our goal is at least 20 speaking engagements.. So, please pray that we would find churches to book right away or individuals to share Gods vision for Australia. Thank you for your prayers and for being part of our network. We definitely feel God using you to impact our lives.

Central NewYork!

What a joy it was this weekend to visit two churches from the District Melissa Grew up in. If I flash back and think of memories. I participated in "Believers!" from Gates Wesleyan when I was a teenager. We travelled and sang at churches all over the district, ministering to familes, teens, children, and adults.

Then the second church we were at Buena Vista. I have fond memories of learning how to shoot a bow at camp from Pastor Dan Pickering and from his wife earning my CYC badges. They also have children who have impacted my life VERY MUCH in going into ministry! So, we had a wonderful weekend. We had a huge bonfire at Buena Vista and the kids were so excited to eat smores! We do not have these in Australia. We cannot get hte graham crackers or the marshmallows like the ones here!

The kids were excellent in the car. Dawson had a little bit of a meltdown. So, we have decided the rest of this week, we will stay home. So, please pray for Chris today and tomorrow as he heads out to ENYNE district conference at Glen Falls, NY all by himself. Pray that we would get connected with new churches, and individuals for Faith Promise!

Sunday morning at 6AM!

A weekend in Western Pennsylvania!

We just arrived home yesterday from 4 churches in 5 days! What an awesome time we had in Western Pennsylvania. We visited Loganton, Ashland, Hillview, and Mount Union. What a wonderful time meeting people and sharing with them. We also had a wonderful time helping Pastor Dave and Melinda Finlay at Hyde Wesleyan get ready for their VBS. It was exciting to help them becuase we miss being involved in outreach ministry in Australia right now, so it was fun to help decorate and do lot's of various other things. Not to mention our children had a WONDERFUL time playing with their cousins. So, it was a great journey and wonderful people were met! Not only were wonderful peope met, but 3 of them are faithful prayer and support partners and the 4th looks like they will join our network! PRAISE GOD! Where He leads we will follow! Continue praying for us to be able to pick up support quickly every day we receive more emails from Australia asking if we will be returning any time soon. God knows when we need to get there. Please pray that we would be faithful to scheduling churches and individuals to share the vision of God's calls for us to minister in Perth, Australia!

Good Ol' Chambers Camp!
This past weekend we had the special privilege of visiting Chambers Camp. This is the campground I grew up on, and gave my heart to Jesus in the Old Tabernacle there. We had a wonderful time connecting with all the people we know. And, God opened an opportunity for Chris to share a few moments in the evening service. I had the opportunity to do the evening kids program during the service. So, I had 60 kids and had a blast! God is so good. He provided me with wonderful teenagers who helped me and were amazing! God is good all the time.

On Saturday our kids participated in the camp play. Dawson was a cow and Makayla was a lady bug. I will post pictures later today.

On Sunday morning we spoke at Grace Lee Memorial Wesleyan Church. Pastor Matt and his wife Carmen were my youth pastors when I was just a teenager. It is an honor to see where God leads those who follow Him and how He Blesses them. The Pickering's have been blessed with a giving church who really has an interest in missions and also a beautiful family.

Today God kept our children safe!

Today our children went on an outing to a movie with the McGrady's, Pastors to Missionary's. And, while they were on their way to the movies a car lost control on the highway and just started spinning. Marlene and the children said the car was completely out of control spinning all over the place. Apparently when it came close to the van, it just all of a sudden stopped spinning and the driver had control! Praise God he loves and looks after our little ones!

Psalm 116:6 NIV

6 The LORD protects the simplehearted;

when I was in great need, he saved me.

PRAISE GOD!

We received very exciting news this week that a new family visited the church in Landsdale on Sunday. The most exciting part is the fact that Pastor Keith went and visited them on Monday. When he was making his pastoral visit he explained to them the Salvation plan. And, the parents decided to accept Christ as their savior! how COOL! We are thrilled and you should be too! Becuase, it is your prayers for the people of Australia that are moving and changing hearts on the other side of the world! You are advancing the kingdom with your support! And, it is you who are obeying what God has called you to give, and do in your life! Thank you for being a part of our network! Isn't our God amazing!

MTI-Week 2

"Missionary Hostage Training"

Rule #1-Always carry a water gun.

Rule #2- Always carry two water balloons.

Rule #3 always have a gangsta baby!

Now, on a much more serious note! We had a wonderful week learning about Muslim traditions and beliefs. Many of us that are going to the field will be in Muslim countries. So, we have had to open our minds and learn a bit, so that we can understand the people and their culture. We also did some learning on contextualization, and various other things. This week the kids have done really well. They were super excited becuase the pastors to Missionaries took our children to a movie and to the zoo this week. So, they had a blast. The pictures above were taken on Friday night after a long day of work! So, the kids had a blast. Also, I would like to mention is has been in the high 90's the whole time we have been here! So, playing with a bit of water tonight was REALLY exciting! Thank you all for your prayers. We have one week left! So, keep us in your prayers, as each week our kids are getting a bit more tired, but we are able to see the light coming at the end of the tunnel. Things you can pray for.

1) We will be at Chambers Camp next week. Please pray for us to connect with new churches in the CNY district and for them to pick us up!

2) The clock is ticking. We need 45% more of our Faith promise and we need it by September or else the churches in Australia will be with out a pastor for a few weeks. Pastor Keith is going home tomorrow back to Melbourne which is going to leave our church with Phil Hotchkin filling in until we return. However Phil and His wife have already booked their sybbatical in Europe in September.. So, if we do not return, there will be no one to pastor the churches in the city of Perth. So, please pray hard!

3) Pray for us as we go to WNY district Conference and also to ENYNE district conference. Pray that we would pick up new churches and new support.

4) Please pray for us as we call through a list of churches we were given from some missionaries who are coming off the field. Prerfully consider picking us up financially. Again, we are so grateful you are a part of our team and keep us in your prayers. We continue to keep all of you in our prayers.

Missionary Training Institute Week 1

This week has been AMAZING! We have learned and talked about so many topics this week. Every day we have been in sessions from 8:15 in the morning till 4:30. And, then we have been spending our evenings talking, sharing, and learning from our fellow GP family, missionaries. Topics we have trained on are:

-Cross Cultural Evangelism -personal security -spiritual warfare
-Missiology -intercultural communication -working in teams
-Purity -Language learning -spiritual development
-conflict resolution -Hostage Survival


A highlight of this week was training from Dr. Lo. He has played a very key important role in our lives and in our spiritual walks, and with our decision to become missionaries in Australia. Dr. Lo has been a spiritual leader in our lives. Melissa worked as his administrative assistant for World Impact for 4 years while we were at IWU . And, Chris took many classes from Dr. Lo. He inspired us, stretched our hearts, stretched our minds, and left us with many things to think about, pray about, and work on in our lives as we venture back to Australia.


Thank you to everyone who is praying for us. Brayden has been very content except for when we were trying to take his picture! And, the children are loving "school" is what they call their day care class. So, thank you for your prayers God is hearing them and answering them. Because, this week could not have gone any better!

Facing Impossibilities.

It is a distinct priviliage to travel to many different churches and tell people about what God is doing in Australia and be able to challenge them to pray and give to what God is doing. I have been sharing the story of Peter in prison and what happened after the church began to pray. I truly believe that we serve a God that still has the power and desire to work through our 'impossible' situations and show the world what He can do.

This morning I received our finalized budget that we need to raise before we can return to Australia. We knew that it was going to go up with our career status but weren't quite expecting it to be as high as it is. I found myself in my head saying things like, "man, there is no way we can get back to Australia by July" or "with the economy the way it is, raising a budget like that is impossible". Well, you could say that I was challenged today as God gave me a slap across the face and simply asked me what I have been telling His body of believers as we travel around.

Our God still works miracles and still answers prayers. Please pray with us that as we face "impossibilities" that God would make them possible and bring them to pass.

Brayden Charles George, 4 weeks

Makayla, Dawson, Brayden

Introducing Brayden Charles George

At 1:50 pm on March 23rd 2009, we welcomed our son into the world. Brayden Charles George was 9 lbs. 6 oz. (4.24 kilos) at birth and measured in at 21 inches long. Melissa and I are so excited to be parents of another bundle of joy. Makayla is again a wonderful big sister and is already asking how she can help and is so gentle. Dawson took right to Brayden and I can see already that he is his 'buddy'. I was so proud of Makayla and Dawson for being such great big sister and brother. Melissa is doing very well after her c-section and is on track with her recovery. I love my family and can't wait to grow up with these kids as we serve the Lord.

A Working Retreat

Melissa and I are so blessed to have a wonderful home district that takes care of us through their prayers and support. We are so thankful that we were invited to join the pastors from the Western NY district of the Wesleyan Church at their pastors and wives retreat earlier this week. Rev. Steve DeNeff from Indiana shared his heart with the pastors and challenged us to holiness and to the teaching of holiness. It was great to spend a day away with my parents and relax a little bit before our son arrives. The hotel had a beautiful pool, but we had forgotten our suits.

While it was a retreat and it was relaxing, it was also a great opportunity and a priviliage to sit around the tables with pastors from our home district and share our heart for Australia and what God is calling us to be a part of there. I was given an opportunity to share what God is doing in AUS and challenged the pastors to join the network and get behind what God is doing. I challenged those who don't currently support us through faith promise to get on board and those that do to prayerfully consider increasing their faith promise amount. We are trusting God to supply what is needed to get back onto the field so we can serve Him in AUS.

Family News

I set up the crib last night and we are ready (or as ready as we can be) for the arrival of our son on Monday, March 23rd at 1:30 pm. Please be in prayer for us and our family as we meet this new little man for the first time. If you have any names to suggest, we are still open to hearing them.

Home Ministry Notes

Thanks so much for your prayers and your support for our family as we are on home ministries. We had a new church join our team this week and are so thankful for support as they step out in faith to see what God will do. Thanks Big Tree Wesleyan.

This week we are in Avon, NY and the following week we are in Fillmore, NY. For more information on our schedule go to http://www.praygivego.com/ and click on 'missionary scheduling' and find our names.

My grandfather was able to make it up to NY last week for a short visit. It was great to see him and spend a bit of time with him. Thanks for making the trip grandpa, we miss you already.

Global Partners Missionary Orientation!

Chris and I just finished our week of Missionary Orientation out at Global Partners. So many exciting things happen in the GP office. We are backed by a staff that loves God with all their heart and are so real in seeing the word of God go out around the world. They are truly a group of people that we could not minister in Australia without! We are truly blessed to be partnered with such a wonderful organization. Just for basic information I thought I would post GP's
Vision and Mission.

The GP Vision:
Every Wesleyan serving in fulfillment of the Great Commission.

The GP mission:
To exalt Jesus Christ by calling and mobilizing believers to global ministries of evangelism, church planting, leadership development and ministries of compassion.

Thank you for your prayers for the Flame Class!

As you all prayed Chris and I were able to take our last Flame class. God was so good. We came home feeling refreshed and renewed and we learned lot's of exciting things about Holiness in the Wesleyan church.

Our children slept well, (all the way through the night). And, when we came home they weren't even ready to leave. So, they had a bit of tears every day, but that is probably normal.

We were able to connect with pastors and also one of our mobilizers Tim Hibschman while we were at Flame. We were able to make some appts. to speak and then also we were able to pick up some awesome prayer partners along with make some contacts for future support.

Thanks you to everyone who prayed.

DOCTRINE OF HOLINESS
This week Chris and I are taking a FLAME class through the wesleyan church at Table Rock Campground in South Carolina. We are very excited! This is the last class we have to ordination. Some prayer requests are:
1) For our children as we have left them in Roanoke VA with Melissa's Aunt and Uncle. Pray that the kids would sleep well, and get along well without us. This is the first time in two years they have been left for more than 1/2 a day! Pray that Dawson will go to bed without Mommy!

2) That Chris and I will fill renewed and learn exciting things to take back to Australia.

3) That we would connect with Pastors and make contacts for future church support!

On The Road Again!
Our Children are becoming very accustomed to this saying! We arrived home safely in New York on December 8th and have been travelling ever since. Please pray for us as we are travelling trying to raise support so that we can return to Perth, Australia in July. We have been busy making phone calls and trying to connect with new churches and new pastors as we will need to raise the level of support that we currently have. Some praises since we have been home!

1) The guys staying in our house in Australia have passed their first inspection! :) And, all was well. So, that is a praise... (We do not want to loose our rental house in Australia. As it took us 7 months to get the house we currently have!)

2) We have settled with a Dr. for the birth of our baby in March. When we left Australia our unborn baby was in a bit of danger because the placenta was antenatal and low lying. It is still antenatal, however the baby is doing well and Melissa is feeling great. PRAISE GOD for A God who cares about EVERY DETAIL!

3) We have been picking up prayer partners!

4) God provided us with a vehicle we can drive while home in the US.

5) Praise God for providing us with finances to survive on so far for the last 6 weeks we have been home!

PRAYER REQUESTS
1. For our Church in Australia and for Pastor Keith McClaughlin our Assistant D.S. who is arriving on February 1st to fill the pulpit in our church in Perth, Australia.

2. Safe travelling mercies

3. That we would be able to fill our speaking schedule

4. Financially that we would be able to pay our bills in Australia and in the USA. Since we will not receive salary from Global Partners while we are home on furlough!
5. Melissa has started to sell Pampered Chef to raise money for the cost of the birth of our baby. Pray that she would feel well enough to host shows as well as be able to raise enough for the 20% of the cost of C-section delivery that will not be covered by our insurance. (If interested in have an online catalog show or have a pampered chef show email melissa at georgefamilyinaustralia@hotmail.com or check out the PC website at www.pamperedchef.biz/melissageorge