It was a wonderful wintertime while we were back in Michigan with family for the holidays. I had the honour to update some of our local supporting churches and to preach in various ministries at our home church. I preached a simple Christmas message in high school chapel about the significance of the shepherds. Not a lot was said about salvation, but afterwards, a young girl who had been in church all her life got saved. It’s amazing how the Lord works! We also had a great refreshing time reconnecting with many friends and families. The children also had a wonderful time reconnecting with friends and family, but they also had opportunities to serve at our home church. Rhys got involved with the youth group, and he even got to be a runner on the bus route with his grandpa! Our short trip to the States was just what our family needed. Thank you to those who gave extra in our support as a Christmas gift. The Lord truly is good to us!

During our time in the States, I was able to receive wise counsel from our pastor and some key men about our next term in Australia. As mentioned in our last prayer letter, the work in Port Macquarie has now been handed over to a national pastor, and the Lord has now called us to the capital city of the state of Queensland: Brisbane. Brisbane is a major city of Australia and has a population of about 2.7 million people. Our family will be based at one of our supporting churches, Good Shepherd Baptist Church.

When we returned back to Australia, we were greeted by the leadership at the airport and immediately felt welcomed. Our children just started school at Good Shepherd Christian School and have settled in there quite nicely, meeting new friends and loving their new teachers. Mindy has met some new friends, with some originating from America also. I have begun having talks with the leadership as to our plans for our ministry in Brisbane. It will definitely be a big change for our family, and we will make our transition as smoothly as we can for our whole family.

Some short-term plans include helping with church-planting endeavours (one being in a couple of months in the city of Geelong, Victoria), teaching nationals in their Bible institute, and helping with their printing ministry (the only one of its kind in Australia). I will also be involved in other ministries, including outreach and the youth ministries. This will be a great transition for us as we continue to “learn the ropes” here in Brisbane. Please continue to pray for this transition.

Trying to acquire a house rental here in Brisbane is quite competitive, but by God’s grace, we were approved for a house in just a day of applying for it. Praise the Lord! Please note the change of mailing address, which can be found on our webpage below. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. We look forward to updating you on what the Lord is doing here in Brisbane, Australia!

Your servant in Christ,

Garry Tingson