G’day Mate, I hope you are doing great! Here is another wonderful update on what the Lord is doing here down under. We are overwhelmed by the encouraging responses from last month’s newsletter. We are thankful for your encouragement and support. It has not only uplifted our spirits, but also put the wind back in our sails to keep pressing on. It’s so easy to get disheartened, frustrated, and tired when you’re on the frontline getting hit, knocked down and criticized. As a good friend said to me, “Satan is a loser”. Whenever we are going through a difficult circumstance or a time of discouragement, please let’s come together pray and encourage one another. Amen. ...

Greetings Friends, I hope you are doing great! Each month we write this newsletter to let everyone know what is happening with us and the ministry here in Australia. Its always a great opportunity to personally recap what the Lord has done, is doing, what we have planned for the next month, or what is happening with our family. I would like to let you know that we are so thankful for your interest and support in the work here. (photo below; Snday service) ...

It has been an awesome journey and an adventure here in Melbourne. I’ve been so stretched, challenged, overwhelmed, discouraged, and pumped up all at the same time. I see how the Lord is blessing the church here and how the people have grown in their walk with the Lord. But over the past month, I’ve sensed the Lord doing a radical work in my heart, in my life and in the ministry. I believe I have grown more in my walk, my faith and my love for the Lord than I have in a long time. The intimacy and the presence of the Lord has been so real and refreshing to me. ...

Wow What A Month! Greetings from the Russell family, This past month was one of excitement and momentum. To start out, we had a team from Refuge (our home church) that came to help and serve. We did a lot of practical service projects, which made a huge impression on the local community and school where the church is currently meeting. The second week the team was here; they helped run a youth camp down at Philip Island. It was a fruitful time and many teenagers came to the Lord. The team did a phenomenal job in serving, connecting and sharing the Lord with people here in Melbourne. ...

New Facility for the Church We serve such an amazing God! He has blessed the church exceedingly and abundantly above all we could ever ask or think. The Lord opened the door for us to move to a bigger facility with more potential for growth. We are now meeting at a primary school, and have access to the gymnasium and three large classrooms. In the past week, we have added four youth to the congregation. It is so exciting to see what the Lord is doing and how he keeps adding to the church. We are overwhelmed by God’s grace, guidance, and goodness. ...

What a year last year was…. Wow what a year 2006 has been. It was an adventure and a roller coaster all at the same time. The whole process of moving your family to the other side of the world and transitioning to the role of senior pastor is mind boggling. The challenges, the set backs, the frustrations, the emotions, and the excitement. It’s hard to understand sometimes why God in His divine sovereignty chose us for this awesome opportunity to pastor here in Melbourne Australia. One of the hardest things about moving to a new country and having a new and demanding role is the family dynamics. We are blessed to have the office in the home, but trying to find balance between the ministry and family hasn’t been the easiest. There is so much to do in pastoring the church and it never seems you can get caught up or ahead. Even if I put in ninety hours a week, there is always more to do. My focus this year is to have better balance with my family time. My family is my ministry. They are the most important thing in my life. They need me and I need them. What would it profit if the church became the largest church in the region and I lost my family in the processes. Again – we all need balance. Being away from family during the holidays was hard. We had some tough moments. But we know the Lord has us here for a reason and purpose. We do love the assignment that we have. We do have moments when our emotions get the best of us. We must keep pressing on, and continue to be focused. As you know from the last newsletter, we had a team from Calvary Chapel West Grove come out. It was an awesome time of ministry. I would have to say it was one of the best teams I’ve seen. Being on the receiving end was very different than being on the sending end. I loved putting together the agenda, the strategy, and the schedule for the ministry. It was great to see the team execute the plan and objective, and I look forward to seeing more teams come out. ...