God is so good! March and April have been so busy! Just trying to get Internet and utilities back in order from our move seems to be a full-time job, as we have moved shires/counties. We finally finished moving halfway through March and are still unpacking. The house God has given us is smaller than the house we were in so my skills are being put to the test with placing furniture and things.
The fires here in Victoria in March were going on at the same time! The flames came within six miles of our house and seemed to dominate the lives of everyone for over a week. Our town had fires burning in areas all around, and we are in a bit of a bowl with the mountain ranges around us. The smoke was very intense, and at one point, there were embers landing at the church building. It was really wonderful to see how the country pulls together when there is a disaster. We weren’t able to drive the highway, as the fires were across it at several points. Bro. Blanchard’s two oldest sons, who stayed in Australia while they were on furlough, stayed over with us for two nights when their area was evacuated. Most of all, we want to praise the Lord for how God provided and kept the homes of everyone safe and the people safe as well.
Winter is rapidly approaching; everything is turning green. The snow season starts in June. It’s still strange to have my birthday in winter and Christmas in the summer.
Laura had a great 52nd birthday. We received two wonderful care packages and many cards, which really made it special. The care packages were sent by a sweet lady in Tennessee and made Laura cry. I am weird, because I still enjoy things like Vienna Sausages and Spam, and this sweet lady sent us heaps of cans and some beautiful handmade aprons, which my girls just loved!
In the midst of this chaos, we were still seeking souls and door knocking. We knocked on the house of one man, whose name was Rajib. His story is pretty interesting. He was born in Fiji and raised in Malaysia. He is Indian by heritage—not Muslim and not completely Christian. We tried to give him the Gospel, but all he wanted to do was complain about the Hindu spiritual leaders not following their own teachings. We finally got him to talk about where he went to church. He said his wife went to a Pentecostal church near Longwarry, but he no longer goes because he feels he can worship his deity in ANY church or religious service. He did invite us to come back and share some more of our beliefs, and we are happy to do so. Please pray for Rajib to be saved.
We are finding so many people here with a mixture of Christianity and everything else. It is helping me to understand Paul trying to win the Greeks and having to go back to Creation to even prove there is a God. Please pray for us to be able to give the Gospel to more people, as we believe there are many people out there who want salvation.
Sincerely,
Ron Back
Missionary in Australia