Wesleyan Women Committee

Please pray for the Wesleyan Women Committee. We are getting ready to organize this years camp and we have found a venue and have set the dates for August 17-19th. It will be a fantastic weekend, but will require much work. This will be our 4th Womens Camp!  Our goal is to take atleast 30 ladies. So, pray with us that we would have intentional conversations with people and that we would get ladies to come that have not gone before.  The committee has stuck their neck on the line and we will be offering a discount to first time ladies as well as we are going to allow teenagers over 14 to come this year so mums and daughters can also attend together to build a bond there.   Pray for me as I seek where God wants the focus of this camp to be and as I prepare my messages etc for the weekend!  I already have two ladies who have never come before say they are coming. So pray that they follow through and get their deposit and registration slip in!  There are quite a few more I am working on as well! Pray that I can get them to see the important of coming away and growing in Christ!  Please pray for the Committee as well...Myself,  Nalynn, Gem, Glynis, Shannon, Elaine, Bethany, and Pellagia.

Wesleyan Women High Tea!

Today was the Wesleyan Women High Tea. We had 35 ladies come out! It was an enjoyable afternoon of getting to know people and building relationships among the women in our church. We had some guest music. Kids club girls sang and two young adults sang from the Inner City Church. We played games and then we settled down for a devotion.  God brought to my attention a message on balancing our lives.  God knew what all of us were going through and HE knew this was the message for us today! The food WAS also sooo yummy.  But most important God came and met with us and it was a LOVELY afternoon! I was really relieved that this went so well. I spent most of the week runing around, baking, finding, and creating thigs for this afternoon. So, was very pleased God honoured all the hard work we put into it!  

2Samuel 22:33-34 "God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer; enabling me to stand on mountain heights." 

City funding!

God has answered one of our big prayers today! We received a call from the City of Wanneroo (our local city) letting us know that we received a public grant for our Carols in the park in December!  Chris was really concerned as he was filling out the paper work we were unsure of whether we were going to fit their criteria being a church and all. But, apparently we did fit their criteia, because they are awarding us $800! This is VERY exciting. This will allow us to be able to hire some jumpy castles, and outdoor games equipment. She also said we can purchase food items for the sausage sizzle we do, etc. So, this is very exciting and just shows one way the City is supporting our church and the activities we are doing in the community!  God is good and he is breaking down the walls between us and the community!

Ladies Bible Study

This term Melissa is running a womens Bible Study on Wednesday mornings. We have three ladies attending who are studying "Friendship, Cultivating the Relationships that Enrich our lives." By women of Faith. Please pray for Melissa, Leanne, Carolina, and Debbie that they would be able to get others to join in and enjoy friendship while learning about God and how he is their best friend of all!  

Kids Club Awards Night

The term One Kids Club Awards night was held last night and we had a fantastic turnout! Four of the children shared about what they had learnt in the term.  The four special moments shared were...
1) Kayla shared about the easter baskets we made and how we put eggs with  special items to help them tell the easter story!
2) Luke shared how we made first aid kits that fit in their school bags so that they can help people in need and what the true meaning of the Good Samaritan was.

3) Rianna shared how Kids Club is her favourite activity of the week and she can't wait to come back each week.
4) Makayla share that because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross we have to make a choice, and she chooses to follow and love Jesus!

The children then sang two songs for their parents. "God is watching over you"  and "He reigns".

The we awarded the kids with their badges.
1) Their name badge they achieved by attending Kids Club on a consistent basis.
2) Their Matthew 19:14 badge was for memorizing. "Jesus Said, let the little children come to me!"
3) The helping hands badge- They learnt what it meant to serve their friends, family, neighbours, and by reaching out to help those who are "different" from us!  
4) Family Camp badge- By attending family camp this year they earnt a badge.
5)  The Cross badge. We spent a few weeks studying the easter story and what it meant to them. They had to be able to tell the story of the cross using their eggs that they made and be able to tell someone the importance of what Jesus Christ did for us!

The kids were amazing and we had over 40 kids earn badges during term 1.  12 of these 40 kids were new to kids club! 35 of these kids earnt 4 or more badges!

Praises and Prayer Requests

It has been brought to our attention, that those of you who follow our page don't receive the praises and prayer requests in your email messages. So, I will every also post them on our wall when I update them, so you can get them!    God Bless.

Prayer Requests


Pray for The Kids Club Awards night. It will actually be on Sunday April 29th at 5:30 pm. Pray that families would come and be open with soft hearts to understand that Christ died for them! And, rose again to give them a new life!!!!

Pray for Chris as we are attempting to get him a new insulin pump. The one he has he has been wearing for 9 years. They should be replaced every 3. Pray that this would be a smooth change over. We meet Tuesday morning to find out how a new one will work.

Pray that Chris and I would be able to connect with 10 churches and new individuals to pick up to be apart of our team!

Pray for Melissa as she puts together a woman's Bible Study to meet on Wednesday mornings. Pray that ladies would be excited to come and would be eager to learn more about God.

Praises

Praise God we had 12 youth attend this years camp and it was an awesome time of bonding and drawing closer to Christ.

Praise God Brayden was able to ride his scooter for the first time this past week! He is almost back to normal. Still has a small limp. But, is almost totally recovered.

Praise God that the WA family Camp was WONDERFUL!!!

Praise God that the first term of school, kids club and church have gone smoothly. Hard to believe we have already had 9 weeks of school!

Praise God the Easter Egg Hunt was a huge success with over 90 kids attending! And, we were able to share the true meaning of Easter.

Praise God we have 5 people meeting on Thursday nights to do a Bible Study.

 

ECHO

Western Australia

Youth Camp 2012

 Top: Youth making french toast on the outside barbecue.  Was very yummy!



Right: Playing Uno (Pronounced "You no" in Australia) while it was raining outside.



Bottom: Hiking Sand Dunes.

WA Youth Camp

This year we had 6 guys and 6 girls go on the Western Australia Youth Camp. 11 of these teenagers were from our church! It was really exciting as we prepared for camp. The teens worked hard at their jobs and fundraisers so they could attend the camp.  It was well worth their effort because they had an awesome time.

The teens had to prepare all their own meals, with our help as well as we did all kinds of group bonding games, and lots of exciting activities.  After cap was over I could barely walk. I realized that Chris and I are NOT as young as we think we are! We had played capture the flag, and climbed sand dunes, and done all kinds of crazy things, and our legs were sore for atlesat 3 days... :) And, we were exhausted. We are not used to only getting 1-2 hours of sleep! :)

The weekend was focused on the phrase ECHO.
His Words- My speech
His Walk- My steps
His Will- My Stay
I am - I ECHO

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children. Ephesians 5:1

 The teens made all kinds of personal commitments and I think Laura (Rachel's Sister) is very close to becoming a Christian. please pray for Laura as Chris and I share Christ with her!

Easter Egg Hunt

Landsdale Community
Easter Egg Hunt

This years Egg Hunt was a complete success. We had 109 children register and participate with their parents.  There had to be over 175 people in the hall because it was totally packed!   We had craft stations, Easter egg hunts according to age groups, jelly bean count , colouring in contest, free popcorn and drinks, but MOST importantly we had a story time where Melissa read the real meaning of Easter.  Each child was given an opportunity to make a choice and decide whether they were going to "believe" Jesus was alive.   "Kids Club" also sand two songs for the audience.  It was beautiful! The kids were fascinated and you could see their mind clicking over. It was a very busy,  but fantastic day.  Melissa and I have been organizing this for weeks and months, but we literally got up Saturday morning at 7:00am and never sat down till 9:00pm and that was with a WHOLE pile of everything left sitting in our living room at our house.   It is a lot of work to gather everything together and then haul it down to the haul for an event set up and then bring it all back.  We used every table and chair that our "rental" facility had to offer!

I also forgot to mention. We never did get our crafts that we ordered until 8:00am Monday morning. So, we had to go out and purchase all new stuff.  We had ordered three weeks ago our craft items and paid for three day shipping. But, UPS was very kind and ended up giving us back 1/2 of our shipping for not getting our package to us in a timely manner. 

We had quite a few emails after the event from people who have never participated in anything with us in the past and they kept commenting on what a great event it was and that the love of Jesus just poured out of our church family.  We have lots of following up to do!  So pray with us that we would be able to connect people to Jesus in a powerful way and that they would see the need for him in their lives. 

EASTER EGG HUNT - PRAYERS NEEDED

Pray for the Easter Egg Hunt that is this Saturday from 3-5pm. I am very nervous about it. Unfortunately our crafts have been held up and are not going to get here in time which is a huge disappointment. Luckily we have about 70 of everything left over from last year. So, Chris and I ran around today collecting some last minute ideas.  Please pray that our box would APPEAR in Perth today. For some reason it has been held up in Singapore and we still need it to clear their customs as well as Australia customs before it will get here. And in Australia Mail is not delivered on Saturdays.  The craft items were ordered weeks ago, but sometimes this is just what happens! :(

However, Pray that we would have new people come and that their hearts would be softened to hear the message God is going to use me to bring on Saturday.

Pray also that we would have enough helpers and be able to pull the event off with all the glory going to God! 

Bible Study

Thursday nights we are meeting together with 5 people for a Bible Study called a New Creation. We have met twice so far and have another 4 sessions.  It is written by our DS Lindsay Cameron and we are really excited so far in the questions and conversations we have been having with this group. Pray that these people would come to know Christ and that they would draw close to Him and realize that they need Him to be the one true God they worship.

New Insulin Pump

Today Chris met with his rep for the new diabetes pump he will hopefully get. She mentioned that they should be replaced every three years and that he has had his nine which is just incredible!   But, the time has really come that he needs to upgrade. The insurance company has been fantastic and has given him three green light and apparently will cover 100% of the cost of the new pump. Please pray with us that he will get the new pump smoothly and that he will be able to switch over to the new pump with no dramas or problems along the way. 

Landsdale Neighbour Day

Today our church partnered with the Landsdale Residents Association.   Chris spends alot of time building relationships with people in the community. One of the ways he does that is by sitting on the Landsdale Community Residents Association Committee. 5 years ago when they really wanted one he stepped up and played the role of president. Then, a lovely person named Jessica came along and she fit the role and would do a fantastic job so Chris kindly stepped aside and has stayed on the committee so the church can have a hand at helping within the community.  

Today was all about getting our name out there and building bridges to get to know people. We let the Residents association use our sound equipment and we sold drinks while many other community groups also participated such as the playgroup association ( Melissa is on their committee) as well as the Footy club and various other community groups. There were about 400-500 people that participated. Chris worked hand in hand with all the groups making sure the days performances by the school, drama groups etc went smoothly and I sold drinks, handed our information about our church and had people pre-register for our Easter Egg Hunt next weekend. It was a really fun day and Brayden actually limped around quite a bit! He made it from the hall down about 50 metres to go play some games! So, he is already improving! 

BRAYDEN IS 3!

BRAYDEN IS 3

Today  we had Brayden's 3rd birthday party. He invited 5 little friends from Playgroup to come celebrate with him. We decorated fruit boxes from the market to look like cars 2 cars and the kids raced around the yard. I got Brayden up on his feet for this picture but unfortunately he couldn't actually limp along and carry the box. His leg and ankle are still quite stiff. But, he was in pretty good spirits for the day!

Seems crazy and hard to believe all at the same time that Brayden is already 3!   I think Brayden turning 3 is scary enough just in itself because in less than a year he will be going to public school here in Australia and that seems totally crazy to me! He is our last little bub so he in our minds is just so little! 

He is an adventurous, wild, crazy boy who loves Jesus very much! I praise God for him and we are truly blessed! 

WA Family Camp 2012

FAMILY CAMP!

Family Camp was a blast! 70 of us came together to camp it out and have an awesome weekend together as the WA Wesleyan Methodist church family!  It was truly a fantastic weekend full of fellwship, fun, growth in who we are in Christ, and did I mention alot of fun!

  Dawson the very first night got eaten by  and we are not exaggerating atleast 100 mosquito bites. The poor boy itched ALL weekend. He looked so bad that the campground manager gave him free mosquito wristband to keep the mosquitos away. They were basically like cat flea collars! :) Brayden survived the EXTREME heat with his cast and Makayla had a blast with her friends!

It was a very busy weekend for Chris and I as we were in charge of lots of different parts over the weekend. But,   we also were attending with our family and trying to play that role as well! :)   We had 7 families from the Landsdale church attend the camp in the end and it was TRULY exciting!




Melissa did a great job with the kids programs. We did five Kids sessions. Each session had a theme, craft, songs, and Bible story to connect it all together. As well as we did a huge tie-dye session as a fun family craft.  This was not any little task. Tie-dying in a campground was alot of work! And,my hands were red, blue, and green, for days!!!      Chris organized family games, outings, and youth sessions.  Pastor Phil organized all the food and it was yum!  Rev. Lindsay Cameron flew in from Melbourne (five hour flight) he is our D.S. and spoke for our main camp sessions. He spoke all weekend on priesthood and God spoke to everyone in our church! It was a wonderful time. Everyone can't wait till next year! 


Because of your prayers God was there and working on us and helping us and molding us! We appreciate all your support and prayers that made this weekend possible!

FAMILY CAMP

This weekend is Family Camp. Chris and I have been working very hard to organize and structure camp this year.  I am happy to announce that we have 58 people attending the weekend! This is VERY exciting. And, we will also have day visitors. Our DS has flown in today and he will be bringing three messages over the weekend as well as I will be running a children's club program 5 times over the weekend.  The rest of the weekend is full of fun family activities shared meals(we cater the entire camp) families will be taking turns cooking the meals, and should be a time for us to grow as  the Western Australia churches and build relationships! I am really excited to say this year 6 of the families attending are from the Landsdale church! How exciting!!!!! Pray that God would move and work in their lives! This is a time of rejoicing. Pray specifically for these two new families that God would work in their lives and call them to a relationship with him!

Youth Group Banquet
The youth group banquet was a complete success. We were able to raise $30 for each youth to attend camp that helped for the evening!  Youth Camp will be held in April so the teens are looking forward to that.   
We had 20 people come out for the evening Chris showed some marriage video clips, the teens served  the adults and did an awesome job! The kitchen was calm and completely under control and the food was yummy. 

Most importantly 6 people who attended this evening are not Christians and not a part of our church yet, but they had such an awesome time they can't wait to join us again.  Chris promoted Fireproof and we will be starting a married couples night out with the movie and discussions in the near future! Pray that these three couples will come out and join us. :)

Brayden's Foot.
We finally got into the fracture clinic last Wednesday and were seen by the fracture specialist. They were happy to let me know that Brayden "buckle" broke his metatarsus and has chips.   It means really that the bone is broken in half and not all the way through and then is compressed together. So, basically the largest bone in the middle of his foot that goes to his big toe . He has to keep the same cast on for three weeks. They will not be putting another cast on.  So, they have wrapped it with a green non stretchy tape. Hopefully it will stay tight and hold up for the next three weeks.   They say the pain is normal and DEFINITELY no walking or pressure on the cast at all. Because this will still put pressure in the foot and just keep breaking the buckle that is healing.  Thank you everyone for your prayers.  

Please continue to pray for our banquet on Friday night.   This is the biggest fundraiser our teens do. All the funds made will  go to the youth center and to help them attend youth camp in April. Pray that they would make and serve good food. Pray for Chris as he bring a fun night for married couple and young adults together that focuses on God.  we have 5 couples coming that are not Christians yet. So, we would really like God to speak to their hearts.

Also keep praying for Brayden. Tuesday night your time at 7:50 he will be having his appointment with the Orthopaedic fracture clinic. It was supposed to be in a week. but, they have willingly brought it forward because Brayden has been crying and screaming he is still in pain.  Which had gone away and he was medication free for two whole days, but seems to be complaining of pain now in different spots like his heel and his calf now. So, they are going to do new xrays tomorrow and hopefully decide whether it needs surgery or not. Either way he should get his hard plaster tomorrow which will protect his foot more. So, pray for us as we go to this appointment.

We have some exciting news about family camp. It looks like we have 7 families participating from Landsdale this year! WAHOO!!! However, we only booked 9 campsites and we still have 9 tents from the inner city church to put up. Pray that God would show me how to make them all fit and guide Chris and I with an awesome family activity calendar of events for the weekend as well as all the children's sermons, and the items that we are responsible for on the upcoming weekend March 2-5th.

Pray for Brayden

This morning Brayden was playing quietly in his bedroom with his friend until I heard a great big crash!  I went in there and he had jumped off the top bunk bed.   When he did this he landed strange on his right foot and broke his foot.  Melissa took him immediately to the children's hospital emergency room. They have put a slab on the back and casted the foot for a week and then we will go see specialist who will decide if the foot is healing okay or whether it will need surgery. VERY FEW cases ever need surgery they said. But, because of the kind of break he has. He is not allowed to put ANY weight on his foot. This is ALREADY a hard concept for him. The pain has been unbearable so they have given us codeine to give him with the Tylenol and ibuprofen. As soon as he had the codeine tonight he was asleep immediately. So, please pray he can rest and is not too traumatized.   The whole time we were in the ER he kept saying he needed a big band aid "straight away!" to the nurses.. Now, that the cast is on... He needs it off "straight away!"    Funny part to this whole story is we had to have it casted twice. Usually the children lay a certain direction on the table when casting. But, because Brayden wanted to watch cartoons they put him on the table backwards. So, when we were all finished I was on my way to the car with him and realized they had casted the WRONG foot! So, we had to go back in and have the cast cut off and a new cast put on the right foot. Funny part is he had been so good for the first cast the nurses were amazed! But, he was good because there was nothing wrong with that foot!!! :)  We really appreciate your prayers. I am sure it will be no fun having the cast on his foot when we should be swimming, and playing at the beach, and the church camp is coming up in March. So, we need to find ways to keep him comfortable and happy!