Through the week, I preached for the Bulgarian Churches in Limassol and Nicosia, with some outstanding healings, especially arthritic conditions which people had endured for years being healed by the power of God. I preached for a Russian speaking congregation in Limassol, where we prayed with Russians, Ukrainians, Kyrgyzstani and other Russian speaking people. There was a beautiful healing visitation in this lovely Church. Deaf and partially deaf ears opened and other wonderful miracles too, especially neck and head. The Pastors of these Churches were deeply impacted by what God is doing. EXPECTATION is a powerful thing! When Jesus said to people “your faith has made you whole”, I’m sure that His healing power met with expectant faith and the miracles were instant.
On Saturday Helen and I took some Filipino Church leaders out for the day. Some have worked for their employers for up to 12 years, never going out of the city. Their whole world has been between their employer’s house and the church! So, we gave them a guided tour along the beautiful South West coast of Cyprus to Paphos. It was a memorable day.

Saturday evening we ministered at the lovely Calvary Chapel that evening. Believe it or not, Helen and I led worship with the keyboard and guitar! First time for about 9 or 10 years! We just picked it up where we left off… and it was anointed! God is good. There was some more healing ministry.
We’ve spent quite a lot of time talking with leaders of Churches here in Cyprus, praying with them and helping with advice. There are a lot of people here committed to God’s Kingdom.
Early on Sunday we shared the Orthodox Easter resurrection morning with a small Cypriot gathering then had a POWERFUL combined Filipino meeting at Judah Ministry, Limassol. Wow! God swept through. Such a service stays with you for life. GODLY SORROW was the message, from 2 Cor. 7:2-12. It’s all about responding to the correction of our Father. The impact of that meeting is still overwhelming and changing lives. To be honest, I still have tears as reports of such depths of repentance and sorrow for sin has revolutionised and keeps flooding over those lovely people.
On Monday, we drove over the Troodos Mountains to the capital, Nicosea for a special Orthodox Easter holiday service with Pastor George and Isabel and the Sri-Lankan Christian fellowship. The meeting went from 11am to 3.30pm. It was so wonderful. So many needs were met, and some new people saved. We love these Churches. Almost everyone in these groups is an overseas worker, in Cyprus as a house maid, carer for the elderly, construction worker or labourer. Almost all have been born again here. They were Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or nominal Christian.

By the time you receive this, we will have spent the weekend in Israel. We can’t wait! I will be preaching for Sri-Lankan and Ethiopian Jewish groups. Today, as we rest my voice and deal with some infection in the throat and chest, Helen and I are getting ready to go there for the first time.
Every person is precious. We are looking for the small among the big, stopping for the one. Doing all we can to be a reflection of Jesus.
Thank you to all who are praying for us. Thank you to those who have sent us.
Steve.

Dear friends,

What an incredible blessing to GO with the GOSPEL and have the privilege of seeing lives changed.

Helen and I have settled in to the lovely village home near the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus. It’s been graciously loaned to us as a “home base” for this six week ministry trip.

Our first weekend was all about the big combined Sunday celebration in the coastal city of Limassol. Over 600 migrant workers from churches through Cyprus joined in amazing praise and worship and victorious celebration with the wonderful Filipino fellowship with whom we serve. In such a vibrant atmosphere it was a privilege to preach the Word of God and see so many lives touched and changed. Filipino, Sri-Lankan, Russian, Bulgarian and British guests responded to the Word with immediate, enthusiastic dedication to a personal relationship with Jesus.

Through last week we established all the meetings for our time in Cyprus. We will share with Anglicans, Catholic Charismatics, Messianic Jews, Filipinos, Nigerians, Bulgarians, Russians, Sri-Lankans and Cypriots in Churches throughout Cyprus.

We are now with Kent and Ruth Hodge in London, where we had the great privilege of ministering with the Trinity Church in Brentwood Essex, yesterday. What a joy to preach the Gospel in this great Church. Worshipping with the 400 people was a huge blessing. We had the joy of praying for many people and had a truly beautiful day. Many people really touched and blessed by the Word.

We fly tomorrow back to Cyprus for the big ministry program now before us. We will spend next weekend at the lovely “Sanctuary” international church. An Easter Sunday ministering with people from all around the world!

Please continue to PRAY for a great anointing from the Holy Spirit. We want to see people changed, healed, forgiven, born again into personal relationship with Jesus and into the Love of the Father. Our preaching itinerary will be almost every day in different cities and towns, ministering to the many nationalities in this unique and lovely land of Cyprus. What joy!

We thank you all for standing with us, sending us, supporting us and praying for us. The fruit is to your account! Philippians 4:17.

Please continue to pray and give thanks for Jon (and Abi) who are doing a great job looking after everything “at home”.
Steve and Helen

 
One of the day time services at the Gandara church…

We also inspected the 3 rice fields and fish farm, which are now all fully operational. It’s outstanding to be producing an abundance for the needs of the ministry and for the mercy program to the poor. This will be an amazing victory as the program reaches full production, utilising our new rice drying and storage facilities.

 
One of our 3 rice fields

The new Junior School building is under construction, ready for the roof. It will be a large facility, providing for a 3-year program of early learning. This ministry has been operational for several years already, thanks to the vision and support of Alan Stothard, but the authorities will not allow it to run in the Church building any longer. We have become a registered Education Provider, and when the building is complete we will be able to teach 120 children at any one time. We reach many non-churched families, serving them in Jesus Name and we are already seeing families come to Christ through this ministry.
 
Mark and I spent a lot of time calculating and sourcing materials for the construction through to completion.

 
New Elementary school under construction.

The Miracle Haven Home is flourishing.
 
We are putting in place an outstanding management and accounting plan, which will include a full-time accountant and operations manager for the many programs we now run at Gandara.

Children in the home love to get gifts from their sponsors...
 

MINDORO ISLAND
It’s been almost 4 years since I visited the work at San Narciso, Oriental Mindoro. What a joy to see the on-going passion and enthusiasm for the work of the Gospel there! Following a fantastic Pastor’s and Leaders seminar, Mark and I went out with the Bible School students to some new outreaches, where they are planting works for the Lord. It was great to see new people coming to Christ. We honour the work of the director of this ministry, Pastor Letty Javier. She has great ability and anointing for raising up young people into effective ministry. We had the joy of providing support to start the work on the new Urdaneta Church building. This outreach was started when we visited Mindoro almost 4 years ago. New people are coming to Christ and the group shows the same enthusiasm and joy as the San Narciso Church! We enjoyed ministry to the youth and the children’s learning centre.

 
Urdaneta Church currently meet under a tarpaulin...

Mark ministered very effectively and prayed with hundreds of people through the course of the trip. He even had the joy of travelling by tricycle to the outreaches in Mindoro! In Australia we use mini vans to transport up to 12 people. The Filipinos use a 125cc tricycle to transport the same number!

 
No seat belts.

I love the Philippines. The wonderful people we work with are unique in their ability to use what is in their hands to great effect. Though they are poor, they are very, very rich in the things of God. They are workers. They are willing. They are joyful when they serve. The privilege we have is to stand with them and empower them to reach their communities with the love of Jesus.
 
Thanks to all those who support our work in the Philippines. Your giving is enabling the work of the Gospel, feeding and housing the needy, providing for the needs of the widows and orphans and helping us to reach out with the message of salvation.
 
1Thess 2:19-20
“For what is our hope or happiness or our crown of joyful triumph?
Will it not be YOU being in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
Yes, YOU are our glory and joy!”
 
This is indeed “our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing”, our “glory and our joy”. Knowing that these people are in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and will be with Him, in His presence forever.
 
Your friend and your brother,
 
Steve

Jonathan shared about the recent remarkable achievements at the Port Vila school. Also, he shared about the family’s move back to Australia to work from our base here. Jon has spent the past 10 years working in Vanuatu. We spent time in prayer with Jon, for him and Abi and the children.

It’s a big transition for them all. Jon is now at work, making improvements to our networking and running things in Vanuatu from here, through our team there. It is fantastic to have Jon’s capabilities and dedication, helping this ministry to flourish.

We also prayed for Kent and Ruth Hodge and the ministry of Christian Faith Institute in Jos, Northern Nigeria. This ministry is a Liberty Partner ministry. I am on the international board of CFI. We are praying for PROTECTION over Kent, who is there at Jos at present.

There is a large intake of young Islamic converts, all hungry to learn the Word of God and return back to their hometowns to start churches. Many thousands of leaders and churches have been raised up through Kent and Ruth’s work, throughout Nigeria and sub Saharan Africa. This is a CRITICAL TIME for Nigeria and neighbouring nations.
 
We took note of those at the meeting who have recently been away on trips and those who are involved in other programs. Sam Hines and Serah Hoffmann both recently returned from the Wototo project in Uganda. Nick and Heather Smith have just returned from India. Peter and Yolanda Watson recently returned from Kenya. Wal and Kaylene Korotkich are building a medical facility in Kenya. Dr Colin Kable is heading back to Vanuatu this weekend. Several others at the meeting are planning to be overseas ministering this year. It was also nice to have Terianna Tuprik (Abi’s sister) with us, visiting from Port Vila.
 
We enjoy the friendship of the wonderful people who PRAY with us, WORK with us, STAND with us and BELIEVE with us. We received a good offering for the work in the Philippines and also for Kent and Ruth Hodge. Generous gifts were given to others personally as well. Thanks to all who GIVE. God’s rich blessing be on you.
 
I shared about the last trip in 2011 where Helen and I ministered in EGYPT, CYPRUS, BULGARIA and TURKEY. Then we prayed for the trip to PHILIPPINES coming up this Thursday.
 
The new Miracle Haven Children’s Learning Centre is now under construction in Samar. I will be overseeing the first stage of the work with Mark’s help, during this coming trip. We’ll also make final plans for the refurbishments to the Gandara District Hospital. Our visit to Oriental Mindoro will be where we planted a great church, Bible School and children’s ministry program 20 years ago. There is need for us to complete a new church building in a neighbouring town, so plans will be made to get this work finished.
 
Liberty Nights are a great highlight for us. We enjoy the opportunity to get together and PRAY.  Prayer changes things.
 
Blessings also to those who were “with us in spirit”. We love you all.

‘Liberty nights’ are held in the Newcastle area every 2-3 months. If you would like to be kept informed of upcoming meetings, please CONTACT US.
 
Steve

We especially thank the sponsors who support us in this work. We are blessed beyond measure. The reward belongs to those who send. We give all the glory to Jesus for the joy of harvest and the honour of ministering in His Name.
Blessings, dear friends,
Steve

 
Through the two weeks we were able to renovate the toilet block, pour concrete connecting pathways between the buildings, complete the new classroom, including a new computer class room, build all new furnishings for the 72 students in the new building and complete more drainage and fresh water supply for the school.  Extra to this, we began further extension to our staff accommodation, which is currently being completed by Jon and his team.
 
Despite the very late arrival of our shipping container loaded with building materials, the team never missed a beat. It was truly remarkable that everything was completed, given that our materials arrived weeks behind schedule, five days after the team arrived!

The New Vine team provided financial support for our group of local workers to join the team. What a joy to see them learning to use power tools, assist with making all the desks and stools, painting, roofing, fitting wall panels. They enjoyed working side by side with the team. People in Vanuatu are always astonished at the incredible pace of our constructions. These are major constructions and everyone works very hard to get it done. The Christian fellowship is also a joy. On this trip we had team members from five different churches. They worked and fellowshipped as one.
 

 
During this time of intense work, we were dealing with Pastor Am Tuprik’s condition. Our dear brother (our daughter in law, Abi’s Dad) suffered a major stroke in Tanna, leaving him in a very serious condition, with multiple complications and with very inadequate medical care. We praise God that he was able to be medi-vac transported to Port Vila, where he was able to get specialist care.
 
People gave very generously to help with the large costs of this whole process. We are so thankful. We were able to put Pastor Am in a private room at Port Vila Hospital for 2 weeks, until he was safely through the most serious period of his recovery.
 
Medical services are very minimal, even in Port Vila, but we had on our building team a great brother who works with stroke victims in Newcastle. What a provision! He was able to train Pastor Am’s sons, Toaba, Jon and Daniel on correct massage and care for their Dad. Pastor Am is very happy, very thankful for all that has been done. Although he has a long way to go, we are confident of a good recovery. He and Helen (his wife) are staying in the new house at the Vila school. We have relocated the whole family to Port Vila.
 
Vanuatu is a place where stories of victory run parallel with stories of great challenge and need. Our school in Vila is thriving. Some others of our six schools are struggling, especially with community strife which impacts our efforts to provide spiritual discipleship and education to the children. Especially on Tanna Island, land disputes between families and villages frequently interrupt our staff and divide the communities. These disputes get very serious and have spilled over into violent actions. In a recent dispute at North Tanna, 25 youths attacked at our school, in revenge against one of our staff members whose brothers had burned some houses in a dispute. Situations like that are very difficult and are unfortunately escalating. We are aware that the total darkness and bondage that these people live under, is the very reason that we are there! But it is not easy. Please pray for our staff. Please pray for us, that God will give us wisdom. Helen and I spent 2 days at Tanna last week and have a clear understanding of the complex issues.
 
We look back at the past month with great joy at what God has done and in deep gratitude for the people who have given and the people who have gone to Vanuatu to work with us. We try to always comprehend the depth and height and breadth and length of our Father’s love, and not stress about the size of the task! We have never been more supported, honoured and trusted. The reward has your name on it in eternity. (Phil 4:17)
 
To see the joy of our students is like a farmer looking over a ready harvest. Seeing the new buildings fill with happy children and listening to the singing at the daily devotions fills us with that joy of knowing “we shall reap, if we faint not.” It is one of my most treasured blessings, to witness God at work in the lives of these lovely young people.
 
I want to acknowledge the fact that families sent out husbands and fathers to work with us. Dear brother Jim Beckwith, who begins the task of getting teams together many months ahead, leads the team with such a beautiful servant’s heart. Words are not enough, Jim! Our son Jon and our daughter-in law Abi are so deeply dedicated to the ministry in Vanuatu and work tirelessly with the teams. We praise God for them. Some members of the latest team have been to Vanuatu multiple times. Ian Edwards has been five times. Others have been several times. The dear family from Newcastle who came to support the needs of the team throughout the whole project, well done dear friends! We acknowledge and honour all who came and offered themselves to the Lord for His service.  As we also thank the families that sent them!
 
And those amazing donors! Our last shipment included over $20,000 of classroom supplies and computers from one donor. We sent new uniforms and supplies donated from friends in Orange, NSW. We sent new library shelves and will soon finally be able to set up an outstanding library at the Vila school. Once again the provision of building and electrical materials was exceptional. In all, well over $50,000 of materials and supplies were sent, plus the finances for all the Vanuatu costs of materials, concreting, plumbing, paints, desks, water systems, septic systems etc. Everything has been paid for. Over $100,000 of projects, have been completed in Port Vila in the past 3 months. What a shining light! What a testimony to the blessing of God and His wonderful people!
 
Much love to you all.
 
Steve.

The new home for children and widows completed in March last year is a wonderful facility. It has been kept immaculately and the children are still proud of their new home. We walked up the path and a small girl greeted us with “Welcome to our orphanage.” Children who have been saved from extreme poverty, abuse, child trafficking, abandonment and whose parents have been murdered are now in a safe home which offers Christ's love and a brighter future.
    

 
We met with the new Miracle Haven Community Ministries Board of Directors and discussed more ways we can assist them with sustainability projects. All were enthusiastic about purchasing another rice field, and setting up a fish farm to provide for the Children & Widows’ Home, community feeding program and other newly emerging ministries. The property has a small creek, perfect for fish farming. For a small outlay it can be dammed and produce over 10 tonne of fish a year. This will make it possible to increase the quality of food for our widows and children, at a saving of $600 every month. The Fisheries Authority will provide the small starter fish for free, and the fish will feed on the inner husk which is removed from rice at the time of bagging. A church member has a lot of experience with fish farming and will begin this work in the coming weeks. We are excited about the concept of helping the ministry towards more sustainability.
 

 
Some of you have met Ismael and Josephine Ramos, the Directors of the Gandara ministry, on their recent trip to Australia. Josephine is a registered nurse in the local hospital, and discussed with us some of the needs they have as the only Emergency Care provider in the community. The facilities are in quite bad disrepair, and they don’t have basic equipment. We toured the hospital (which is located right next to Miracle Haven) and spoke with the head doctor about renovating and equipping the maternity wing. The delivery room has very old, broken tiles, no windows for ventilation or air conditioning, and very old equipment. Of the about 50 babies who are delivered every month, many are born by candle light at night, so we are also planning on installing a large diesel generator which will feed both the hospital and Miracle Haven backup power during the frequent blackouts.
 
The long term vision of the Miracle Haven Community Ministries is to provide an increasingly effective base for refuge and outreach. The local pastors are enthusiastic towards growth and further church plants, however the area has no ministry training to help young people develop as the future leaders and pastors. We have evaluated the old run down facilities for what would be needed to get ministry training running, and are working towards a Church Leaders’ Training School starting in June 2013. The future of the Church is in the young people and with no available training the older generation of pastors is spread very thin (some lead 4 churches). Again this is a program they want, understand and need but have no means to make it happen without our assistance.
 
There is a lot to be done in support of this work, however we have come away excited about the future and comfortable that the people and processes are there on the ground to achieve a lot with our support, and to have a real impact on the community.
 
Jon

 
The new 5 acre rice field in Samar      Miracle Haven – home for 50 children, widows and staff

 
VANUATU. Our CCSV schools are anticipating several building teams, youth & school teams, strategic educators and ministry teams coming to help this year. The school in Port Vila has grown to 200 students, and there are many more children on the waiting list. Our focus this year is on spiritual growth in the personal lives of our staff and growth in their ability to impart that to the students, and equipping and training our staff so that they can be better educators. 
 
In January and February we hosted a 5 week holiday and educational visit to Australia by our Tanna schools senior administrator, Dorias Markson and his wife Joyce. Thank you to all their Australian friends who made their stay so remarkable! They visited tourist and historical sites in Sydney, Parliament House and other national sites in Canberra, Christian schools, several churches, coal, wind and hydro power generation systems in NSW & Victoria, the Victorian High Country, fruit orchards and factories, and dairy and other farming areas.
 

 
    Dorias with AJ from St Philips        At Steve’s family’s church in Victoria
 

CYPRUS. We will be in Cyprus again in late March, ministering to a large gathering of Filipino migrant workers at the International Christian Fellowship’s combined conference weekend. These dear friends are winning new people to Christ in great numbers. They are so alive in Christ, and so passionate about preaching the gospel. It is a great privilege for us to be a spiritual “Mum and Dad” to many of these lovely people. Continue to pray for Northern Cyprus (under Turkish Islamic control). It is so desperately difficult for the believers there.
 
POLAND. Our partnership with the churches in the Glogow region of Western Poland is a joy. We will be with them again at the beginning of April, with Pastors Mark and Roz Zaia from Macquarie Life church in Newcastle, sharing in a vital period of leadership and church planting training. Pastor Andrzej in Glogow whom we work with heads up a great church and leads the church planting ministries in his region. Poland has a population of 38 million people, and is the least evangelized country in Europe.
 
BULGARIA. Messiah Church in Stara Zagora is celebrating their 20th anniversary with a conference, 11th-15th May. We will be there, preaching and celebrating God’s faithfulness in this great church. Our friends Lyubo and Tanya who founded and lead the church now host Bulgaria’s only weekly National TV Gospel Broadcast, screened Bulgaria wide on the National TV network! It gives us great joy to see those we have supported flourishing. Lyubo and Tanya will visit us here in Australia in August this year.
 
Roger and Gail Dine, our dear friends from Taree, are moving to Bulgaria this month. They will work alongside local churches there in their ministries to desperately poor gypsies and other needy communities. Roger and Gail have invested a lot of time in Bulgaria in the past, and have now achieved being freed up to go on this term of full-time service in Bulgaria.
 

 
Roma in Bulgaria are desperately poor     Jesus makes all the difference!

 
NIGERIA. What a great joy it is to be helping Kent & Ruth get young evangelists and pastors trained and sent out into North Nigeria and other parts of the African continent. Our sponsors have enabled us to give very generous help to the Bible College needs in Jos. As well, last month we were able to purchase 10 motor bikes for evangelists and pastors Kent works with, who lead remote Christian outstations (photos to come!)
 
We love to identify key people in different nations and get behind them. They then do the work from a blessed position. We have seen incredible success in Belarus and Bulgaria, where in the past we have identified great potential and calling on particular leaders and invested into them financially and spiritually. Very large and significant soul-winning churches with community impact have grown from this.
 
Last Sunday, Pastor Anatoli and Nadia in Soligorsk, Belarus celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their great church. We sent the church a message of love and encouragement! We feel privileged to have been able to help them in their formative years, with ministry visits and financial support. Belarus’s doors are once again shut to most foreigners, so they need prayer.
 
This year is a year for 20th Anniversaries! In August we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of LIBERTY FOR THE NATIONS! Listen out for more news.
 
Steve and Helen

We sent a shipping container from Newcastle in May, filled with roofing materials, timber roof trusses, framing, doors, paint, tools etc. A huge 20 tonne load. The load was removed from the container in Port Vila and shipped to Tanna Island in 7 different loads, along with 8 tonnes of cement, windows, steel reinforcement and all large construction equipment. Small 4WD trucks delivered everything from the wharf along the slippery track to the school site, along with a further 80 loads of sand and coral for the concrete foundations and floor slabs.

Kumahau is remote. Transportation is expensive and slow. Bad weather can shut the village off for weeks. By God’s Grace, everything was on site for the concrete work (July 18 to 24). Then all materials were on-site in time for the large team of 14 men from Newcastle (August 15 to 28).
Many people supported the work in daily prayer. The weather was perfect. The progress was outstanding. Jonathan went a few days ahead of the large team and prepared sleeping quarters, kitchen, toilets, water supply, generators, tools etc. for the team.

New Vine Baptist Church from Maryland, Newcastle put together the 14 man team, gathered from several Newcastle district Churches. They were simply outstanding. Some were on their fifth consecutive year of team mission to our work in Vanuatu! This was the sixth large building that the team from New Vine have completed in five years.

Long days. Hard work. Frames up. Trusses on. Verandah timbers complete. Cyclone strapping secured. Roofing iron on. External and Internal linings complete. Doors and windows made and installed. Electricals complete. Painted inside and out. New desks and chairs, bookshelves, storage room, tables and storage units, all built on-site and varnished. The entire work completed within ten working days!

With great joy we shared a beautiful dedication of the new facility with the school community. It is amazing to see. A beautiful testimony. Everything brand new. Perfect. The building is fully equipped for 80 students and will fit another 16 when needed. We were able to install a new “inverter” Generator and large screen TV in the school for educational and inspirational DVD’s. That’s the only electricity in the area!

We PRAISE GOD for the incredible GIVING of both the finances and materials which made this new school possible. We have constantly prayed with thanksgiving for those who contributed.
Everything has taken a huge effort. From those who helped to load the container, to those who varnished the desks. We thank Nick King for his huge effort when we poured the concrete with the little army of local men. Pastor Paul Whiting has worked with his men on every trip for 5 years, as has Jim Beckwith. Ian Edwards was on his fourth trip. Many of the men have been two or three times! We HONOUR every one of the great men who have made the sacrifice of time and finances, to go in Jesus’ name and serve the communities in Vanuatu. Thank you to the families of the men who go. You are partners in the harvest.

Jonathan was God’s instrument to pull together this most wonderful completed project, in the most difficult location, on time and perfectly managed.

Just to “cap it off”, Jonathan lit up the jungle sky with fireworks after our dedication ceremony. The children ran for their lives! They had never seen fireworks! When they understood that the sky was not on fire, they clapped and cheered with each explosion of colour!

We pray that the Kumahau community will be powerfully affected for eternity as we offer the hope of Jesus and a life time of learning for the children.

Steve

We also made significant progress with the new workshop and storage building on the Vila school site. Jon will be completing this building with local helpers. Also during the next school holiday break (Vanuatu dates) the new preschool will be built at the Vila school.
 
It was so beautiful to watch the morning devotions with the staff and students in Vila under the giant mango tree each day. To hear the staff leading the students into faith and relationship with Jesus reminds me of what it’s all about! We are doing our best to develop our staff. It’s a big job, but vital to the future success of the schools. We have 55 fulltime local staff at the moment. We’re also training some great young people for teaching positions in the future.
 
ONGOING WORK
One of the great testimonies of the work in Vanuatu this year, has been the financial support so generously given as unto the Lord! What a difference it makes, to have the money in hand to complete the projects. The cost of shipping from Australia to Vanuatu and then on to remote Kumahau was all covered. We received incredible supplies of materials for the work. Most of our work for this year is now fully funded. Praise God. Thank you to those who gave. We treasure every bit of financial support, prayer support and physical work which makes the beautiful ministry in Vanuatu continue to make an impact!
 
Another challenge is to continue to build excellent community relationships. We are Christian Schools, offering to provide discipleship and education to the families that need it most. We are there for them, in Jesus’ name. We are striving to represent the love of Jesus without denominational preferences, which can be a challenge in Vanuatu! We are there for the “custom village” children and the “cargo cult” children.  What a privilege. Please pray for outstanding Christian teachers to be raised up as ministers to those children.
 
Jon and Abi are working  long, hard hours. They get little rest, as the daily needs of the schools and preparations for teams this time of the year can be almost overwhelming. We are on a major development time-line, which is requiring a lot of dedication to the task!  Please continue to pray for Jon and Abi, Alyssa and Jeremy.
 
Helen and I will return to Vanuatu next month for another 3 weeks.
 
Steve
 

“This is the most beautiful children’s home in the Philippines!” declared an awestruck Pastor Constantino Ramos, our dear elderly friend and founder of numerous significant ministries throughout the Philippines. Pastor Ramos had joined our team in Gandara, Western Samar for the opening of ‘MIRACLE HAVEN’ on Feb 20th. In his remarks to the excited crowd, Pastor Ramos gave all the praise to Jesus for the outstanding miracle of the magnificent home ready to receive its precious widows and children.

How this story unfolded...

CYPRUS

The Saturday program was a Pastors’ and leaders’ seminar. Only 34 attended due to very heavy rains but it was a time of rich blessing for us all. God spoke to hearts about “love for the community and love for the lost”. We experienced a very strong sense of God’s anointing and blessings.

Sunday was very evangelistic with virtually the entire crowd responding to the Gospel. It was a scene of true repentance, forgiveness and release. Sunday afternoon I returned to Manila.
Early Monday morning I took the 5 hour bus trip north to Binalonan to speak at the Faith Theological College’s graduation celebrations and the 37th Conference of World Missionary Evangelism. Thank you to the donors of 15 new leather Bibles for the graduates – an investment into the future ministry of the graduates! More than 1,000 people have graduated from the college and lead churches throughout the Philippines and around the world. It was a magnificent graduation. About 400 were in attendance with former students from several nations present.

The conference ministry program included speaking at morning and afternoon sessions and the nightly meetings. Although the heat was at times very difficult, the people took in every word with enthusiasm. The Filipino Christians are truly wonderful, dedicated followers of Jesus. I love them. We experienced some Heaven together!

The conference was one of the best I’ve experienced in the Philippines. My thanks to Rev. Constantino and Mrs Ramos for the privilege of ministry with them again.
I was able to have 3 days with Ps Ismael Ramos making final plans for the brand new Children’s Home and widows’ home at Samar. This is a major project. We had 5 new children arrive last week and another very needy widow. The circumstances of these precious people are heart breaking.

Chris Bridge from Newcastle was in Samar at the Gandara project for nearly 3 weeks. We thank Chris for a wonderful contribution once again to the work there. Chris preached a few times and I’m told he was “very full of the power of God”! We travelled home together.
I will be back in Samar in mid June again with Pastor Greg McKewin from Baylife church in Port Stephens. Together we will break the ground of the new children’s home and get things underway with the building foundations.

Thank you everyone, for your prayers for me while I was away. When I am out there I am very aware of the encompassing prayers of God’s people, keeping me, encouraging me and enabling me for the work.

Feb 2009 - Jon Blake

Abi’s sister Lena has joined our Port Vila operations, moving from Tanna into our house at the CCSV Headquarters. Lena will be working in administration both at the headquarters and also within our Vila school. She will be studying computing and learning accounting software. Having someone we trust training into an administrative role in Port Vila allows Abi and I to be coming and going between Australia and Vanuatu knowing that office procedures and systems are in place for the work to continue in or absence.

Dad was able to preach in Evangel Temple in Port Vila on Sunday’s morning service. This vibrant church has a big impact in the Port Vila region and the packed building enjoyed Dad’s message.


We had the chance to visit our school at North Efate, assessing classroom furniture needs and work required to complete the building. Last year’s building team in North Efate also opened the door for one of the team members, Jamie, to help the local pastor with a small egg farm to provide for his family. Jamie manages a large chicken farm in Australia and came to Vanuatu volunteering to build, not knowing that his area of expertise would open this door to work with the pastor and develop a sustainable small business model. Jamie’s trip coincided with our visit so we were able to take him there and get some photos of him working in the new chicken farm. It’s always great to see friendships and relationships continue to grow between our communities and visiting team members.



The trip also gave me the chance to get the house ready for March, when I will return with Abi, Alyssa and Jeremy for a more extended period.