Keeping Up With the Andersons

Did you know it costs $7 for a Bible for a Chinese believer? The Bible League also has people who teach and explain God's Word to these believers.

On March 31, Toby, myself and many from the Economics faculty are doing a 7km Walk for Bibles at Sydney Olympic Park. It's a beautiful track (we did it about 2-3 years ago) and a great time of fellowship, but a great time to raise funds to help our brothers and sisters grow in Christ. Please come and join us. You can register online. It's a fundraising walk so you want to get people to sponsor you as you walk.

Over the next few weeks, we'll let you know what time we plan on meeting, and we are hoping to have a picnic lunch afterwards.

Today is supposedly the biggest day in the international students o-week! We are expecting many students from China to come past our stall and sign up to find out more about Jesus. So many students we meet have already contact with Christians - their friends, a grandparent, a teacher...what a blessing that they have already been thinking about God. Just some background info - they are taught a subject called Marxism all the way through primary and high school, where they are taught that there is no God, and that everything is a big cosmic accident. They are questioning and have been impacted by the kindness of Christians. Please pray for the many people who will sign up today.

Our stall at the international student week is in the far corner of the room, where they've put the clubs and societies. We have a Catonese speaking Chinese Christian group on one side (fantastic - although a minority in the international student population these days - Chinese students mostly speak Mandarin) and the Hindu society on the other. We're opposite a very colourful stand for the Hillsong group on campus. Pray that these various groups won't confuse the students, and that we would work hard at meeting them and caring for them and leading them to Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

We have tried to have conversations with Western international students (from UK, America, Europe) and they are so often not interested...they think it's so passe...they were 'indoctrinated' as a young person and now at uni is the time to throw off the shackles of religion. We need to persist with them though, because if there is one interested person, that is worth it, and also, you never know what impact that conversation and challenge to investigate Jesus as an adult may have on them. Pray that they may experience the kindness of Christians in their classes and may be led to know Jesus.

O'day went really well from my perspective. I got to meet heaps of new first year science students, and I'm really excited about serving them this year. We had heaps of fun as we learnt about different aspects of the EU and explored relevant parts of campus. Thank God for how that went.My next big thing on the calendar is a training day for the Bible study leaders in Science. It's in two days time and I have lot's to prepare for that, so pray that I will find enough time tomorrow to do it. I'm glad that I have this opportunity to get the leaders geared up for the really important work they're about to embark upon.

Staff Planning days was really productive. One of the many things we looked at was the "Innovative Ministry Strategist" part of our vision. We spent a lot of time disscussing how, as a team, we can flood God's church with Chritian leaders who are innovative ministry strategists. Pray that we'll be able to do so.

Tuesday is O'Day (which stands for orientation day) This is when all of the new Christian students who have already heard about the EU come to the university to get introduced to the EU. This our our first opportunity to meet some keen new first-year students. Pray that relationships will be built and the new students will want to get involved in all the EU stuff that happens during semester.

This next week we're going away with the staff team to the Blue Mountains to plan for the year. I'm really looking forward to getting to know the girl staffworkers better. Pray that Satan will not bring division into the team, but that God will enable us to love each other and desire to work together in "flooding God's church in Sydney, Australia and beyond with lay and vocational Christian leaders who are biblically and theologically mature, servant hearted and innovative ministry strategists".

It's been a great week of spending time with students, supporters and friends, in prayer, encouragement and joy in this year. We're now have many faithful people committed to praying for us! Yay! And we are now up to 69% financial support pledged with 2 more weeks to go. Thankyou.

Tomorrow I have an all day meeting with the International Student Ministry Team! A great passionate bunch of people...with big plans for the year to bring people to know Christ!  Pray that our planning is productive and we don't forget people in the midst of planning for events. We have an international student orientation week at the uni in 1 week! Pray that many students would visit our stall and hear about Jesus - many for the first time ever! Pray that many would join in with our meetings and bible studies and get to know us, and most of all, come to know our living and saving God.

I just got back from Science Committee Retreat. It was a fantastic time of planning and fun. I think all of the committee feels much better prepared for the year as we were very productive in our planning.

We also had heaps of fun, particularly when dave took us rock climbing. Here's a photo of the whole committee just after climbing.

To see more climbing photos visit the gallery
Thank God for such a great weekend. It really served to bond the committee together.

Praise God for his faithfulness! He always provides.

It's such a priviledge to work with God's people in a full time capacity. I personally really struggle to talk about money, to ask people to support EU Grads Fund. Why? I think it's because it's hard to be dependent on people. But that's when God reminded me the other day that we are partners in the gospel. Your prayers and giving make you just as involved as we are. We are your representatives in the ministry on campus which will lead to God's worldwide church being flooded with mature Christian leaders. Praise God!

And when I meet with students, to plan for the year, to see how we can share God's grace with more people and build them up for Christ, I think - they're worth it! These students, God's people, are worth my discomfort. They're worth my asking for support. Please pray for us as we raise financial support.

Here's the stats: we need to raise $30 195 by 23 Feb to continue our work on campus this year.

Where are we currently? Generous-hearted people such as yourselves have pledged $14 670, almost 50%! Thank you!

I'm going away for three days from Monday to Wednesday with the Science committee to plan for the rest of the year. Please pray that God would give us wisdom and that we'll be well prepared to lead the Christian students in science over the next year.

The retreat will be in Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains. Luke's family has a holiday house there. I'll let you nkow how it went when I get back.

Hi everyone

Toby's just told me how to put messages on the blog. We've been talking about having a blog for a while now. We want to keep in touch with friends, we want to let our supporters know how God is at work in our lives and at Sydney uni...we thought this would be more helpful, and more informative for your prayers.

This is a place where we'll share stories.

So, welcome!