July 30th 2022

“We’re alive but not living,” stated the mum of a Ukrainian family I (David) read about recently. She had lived near Donetsk and fled with her family to the safety of the west but they found themselves paying rent where there were no jobs to provide income. She returned with her family back home to the – under fire and Russian controlled – Donetsk region, and sadly one of them died. When we hear stories like this, we can sometimes feel so helpless to do anything. But we can.

On August 9th we go, taking a team of twelve into western Ukraine for two weeks, to do what we can to help these people live rather than simply be alive. To build, deliver food, move them to safety.

Reflecting on the past couple of years, our society’s been conditioned to take care of ourselves above all else – to isolate, mask up, socially distance, […]

April 6th 2022

Natasha is a Ukrainian and works for the Christian television network – she’s over here in Poland so we met with her a few days ago. She put it very well I think, when she said; “Ukrainians they’re quite overwhelmed, they never ever expected anything quite like this to happen. They’re still struggling to come to terms with it.”

Their husbands and fathers prevented from leaving the Ukraine, the women, often kissing their husbands goodbye at the border, take their children across the border into Poland. Precious families without their fathers, husbands and grandfathers, pouring across the border – which I’m told is the busiest Polish border from the Ukraine. So when they hear that the Russian troops are withdrawing from Kyiv, it brings hope.

Last time I was on the border, many were queueing to go back across into Ukraine, because they’re hearing about ceasefires. Hopes are building […]

The Ruach has arrived in PNG!!
A lot has happened since we last updated everyone!! Our sailing vessel the ‘Ruach’ arrived in late January, and has since been fitted out ready to be deployed in PNG. She left Newcastle in mid September, had a brief stopover in Townsville, and as of today….. HAS ACTUALLY ARRIVED IN ALOTAU, PNG!!! We are so excited for the vessel and team to get started on fulfilling the purpose God has for them.

We had the privilege of being given the keys to the City of Newcastle recently. Newcastle Lord Mayor presented the key to the Ruach and YWAM Newcastle as part of the Ambassador Program, which recognises organisations who represent the city in a positive way.

 
A New Home….
Several weeks ago we heard the wonderful news that Mayfield Baptist Church had received the occupancy certificate for ‘Kara’ the property adjoining Lewis House (where we have lived since […]

It’s been a full on season for us as a family. Back in May, David and Carrie made the trip over to Turkey for an ANZAC conference. It was a great time of getting Aussies, Kiwis and Turks together for reconciliation and renewing our call to work together. Carrie spent her birthday in Istanbul with a bunch of YWAM friends – definitely a different but fun birthday!!

Then in June, Carrie started making the trek back and forth to Melbourne as her mum wasn’t well. In the midst of this time, David’s mother became ill as well. The short version of the story is that both of our mothers passed away within a month of each other – July 25th and then August 25th. We are so grateful for such amazing mothers. They were both faithful Godly women, who passed on a priceless inheritance to their children and grandchildren. It’s quite an adjustment not having […]

I’ve enjoyed the great opportunity this week to be reflecting on Beth Moore’s book, “Jesus, the One and Only”. Early on in the book, she brings us into the life of Jesus, and recounts a scene in the life of John the Baptists’ father Zechariah. It was Zechariah’s turn to offer the incense at the daily sacrifice. “An individual priest could offer the incense at the daily sacrifice only once in his lifetime. Zechariah’s only turn had come. Surely he was overwhelmed.”

 This really struck me.
 I have enjoyed the truth that over my lifetime I could pray whenever I wanted to. The Lord is constantly accessible. And that’s mostly true. But deploying that assumption hasn’t always helped my prayer life. Beth Moore recounts that during her trip to Israel, she went to pray at the Wailing Wall. She pondered on the privilege of this time with the Lord in that […]