God is so good! I hope everybody had a Merry Christmas and is having a Happy New Year. It is still hard for us to say Happy Christmas instead of Merry Christmas here in Australia. Here, merry means to get drunk, so I’m constantly correcting myself. Aussies laugh because they know enough American that they know I don’t mean for them to be drunk.
Laura came across a Christmas decoration, which was simple but looked very nice, to make for everybody at the nursing home. We gave out over 200 handmade Christmas tree ornaments with an invitation to the chapel service and a Gospel tract of ours. We only had one person tell us no thank you in the whole facility. I was very sad to see a lady named Eleanore pass away two weeks before Christmas. She was one of my first contacts there at the home. I did give her a Gospel tract, but as far as I know, she was unsaved and wouldn’t come to services because she was Catholic. It hurts me to see people so entrenched in their beliefs that they reject Christ all the way to the end of life.
Since our last letter, I got to enjoy meeting Bro. Hartman, a pastor from New Jersey. He was visiting my friend, Missionary Chris Eckels, on the north side of Melbourne. Bro. Hartman supports Bro. Eckels and wanted to visit the work and see Australia. He got to preach here at Calvary Baptist Church way out in Moe and see the local area, and I got to take him and Bro. Eckels up to Thorpdale, which is the Idaho—as in potato country—of Victoria. They have one of the best bakeries in Victoria, so he got to try our award-winning vanilla slice. He thought I was pulling his leg when I told him we had to take a 90- minute detour for a “snot block” (aka vanilla slice), but he loved it. To his last service, I wore my Cubs jersey over my suit with my Cubs hat and scarf. He couldn’t stop laughing because he is a huge Cubs fan and didn’t expect to find another one halfway around the world.
The Blanchards made it home safely, and we are so glad to have them all back. Please pray for them, as they are dealing with sickness and fatigue still. They did get to bring home their daughter Rachel and her husband Aric and their two children. I am so happy for the Blanchards to have their grandchildren near them. Please pray for Aric and all of the paperwork that must be completed, as he is applying to become a permanent resident.
Please pray for more souls to be saved and for converts to be baptized. My pastor has also advised me to ask churches if they would be able to help towards our getting a vehicle. I have saved half of what I need, we still need about US$6,000 to be able to get something decent.
Sincerely,
Ron Back
Missionary in Australia
