We are thoroughly enjoying our time with Living Hope Baptist Church! It has really been a very ideal situation for a missionary family that has just arrived on the field. Under the leadership of Pastor Syd, we have and continue to learn “the ropes” in church planting. The church has welcomed us with open arms, and we have been able to get involved straight-away. Through much prayer, our church now has a permanent place to meet! Our pastor has sacrificed and risked a lot for our church to have this new place. They’ve personally taken out a loan, and the Lord has allowed them to purchase this property for the church. The Lord has worked greatly in this situation—from providing a God-fearing realtor to keeping other people from being interested in this property. God is good!
As the COVID pandemic is becoming a thing of the past, more and more people are starting to visit our church. Some members who have had some fears about the virus are starting to feel comfortable enough to come back. Having an internet presence has helped greatly in people finding our church. We have had several people visit our church, simply by looking us up on the internet. Please pray for a lady named Susan, whom I met while out street preaching. She is a Christian, but she has been struggling in her walk with the Lord. We picked her up for church last Sunday, and she was thoroughly blessed by the service. We had seven visitors last Sunday!
Please pray for our soul-winning efforts. We have met many folks on the streets, but many seem to be apathetic toward the things of God. Yet every now and then, the Lord blesses us with a great contact such as Susan, as mentioned earlier. We are running out of tracts and are due to order new ones. Of course, with the new property and internet presence, there is some information that needs to be updated. We are also in the middle of finalising the design of our new church logo. Things are just getting more and more exciting here at Living Hope, and I’m excited to be a part of it!
Every month we take a survey trip to visit a place of interest in terms of starting a new church. This past month, we visited a town called Kempsey. Please continue to pray for the Lord’s leading in this matter. The need is truly great here. One Sunday, I had the honour to fill the pulpit for Southland Baptist Church in Sydney. They are currently seeking a pastor at the moment. Please pray that the Lord will provide the right one for them. We thank you so much for your continued prayers and financial support!
Your servant in Christ,
Garry Tingson