Dear friends and partners:

God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good! We are praising the Lord for His protection a couple of weeks ago when a severe storm hit the east coast of Australia. It started north, and barrelled down the coast, with driving rain, high winds, and "king tides" which devastated many areas, brought flooding and erosion, and made life particularly difficult for a few days. We still had church Sunday morning, but our attendance was down due to power outages and general unwillingness to come out on such a stormy day. But God IS good, and He is in control of the wind and the waves.

We did take advantage of the high seas on Monday, and visited a nearby coastal "blowhole," where the water was gushing and churning through the rocks. It was amazing to see this display God's power.

We are praising the Lord for a new lady at our church, Living Hope Baptist. Pray for Carol, as she is fairly new to the area, has a lot of questions, and seems to be happy to join with us. She even came to our Bible study last week, where we are now studying Revelation.

We are praising the Lord for the opportunity to acknowledge those in the medical field and "unsung heroes" at our recent National Day of Thanks. We produced some certificates to present to people and they were all received with gratitude and amazement. Many here don't even know Australia has a National Day of Thanks, and so it's fun to explain it to them and to thank them for their contribution to our community. It gives us an opportunity to share God's love with them. Each year there is a different focus, and it was fun to have so many in our small congregation that work in the medical field! And also to be able to go to our various medical practitioners and thank them for their work.

Most of the ladies at our church attended a day of the annual AFBC ladies retreat.  It is good to have the ladies of our church enjoy the fellowship of ladies from like minded churches around the country.  Since it is held only 20 minutes up the coastal road from our church, the ladies have easy access to a good spiritual challenge and encouragement.

We have had the opportunity as a church to come to the aid of some who were in need of temporary housing. The "cottage" at our church has been well used over the past couple of months. What a blessing to help out a Chinese couple, with a newborn, as they waited for passport/visa for their new daughter. The father had to return to China, while mom and baby stayed behind to wait. The paperwork has now come through, and the family is reunited in China.

Just as they moved out, an ABWE family en route to Papua New Guinea had to make an unexpected layover in Sydney. This family of 5 plus a father-in-law was able to stay in the cottage while they waited for their next flight on to PNG.

God has blessed us with this cottage to help out in times of need. Pray that in January, when we are expecting a work crew to come and help, we can get a wall rebuilt and remodel the kitchen and laundry.

We have one month before we head back to the states for a three-month "mini-furlough," which also includes going to the Rio 16 Outreach. It will be good to catch up with a few of our church and individual partners, as well as Amy and Luke and other family. Pray that all our preparations will go smoothly. There is a lot to do before we leave.

We will be in the USA from July 10 2016 till Sept. 29 2016. We will be visiting our Michigan churches as well as those in Oregon and Washington. Here's a glimpse of our schedule:

10 July, Attend San Francisco Bible Church AM service
Amtrak across the USA
13 July - 15 July with Matt’s parents
15 July - 16 July, with Brian and Stephanie Cannon
17 July, AM, Mammoth Baptist Church, Pastor Curtis Wilson
17 July, PM travel by car to Wexford, PA,
18 July - 21 July, travel to McLean, VA,
attend ABWE’s Missionary Enrichment Conference,
22 July, ABWE Headquarters & Golf Scramble
22-23 July, return by car to MI,
24 July, Hastings Baptist Church, Nashville Baptist Church
Amtrak to Albuquerque, 30 July 3:55 PM
30 July - 6 August, with Casey & Amy Cundall
7 August - 17 August, Rio 16 Outreach
18 August - 19 September, stay in Salem, Oregon, (location unknown at this time)
28 August, First Baptist Church, Tumwater, WA
11 September, First Baptist Church, Gold Beach, OR
12 September, Baptist Network Northwest Pastors & Wives Retreat, Cannon Beach, OR
19 September, travel to Windsor, CA (accommodation unknown at this time)
Sending church, First Baptist Church, Windsor, CA
Fly from San Francisco, 28 September, 11:25PM, to Sydney, 30 September, 7:00AM

Amy and Casey were able to make a trip to Idaho for Casey's sister's wedding. We were invited to view the wedding on-line, which worked well, and we were even able to get a glimpse of Amy and Casey during the ceremony.

Luke is plugging away on his own in Salem for the summer. He has worked for a political candidate, getting some work experience for college credit (not paid). And he has a job at Wendy's near where he is staying, but they have not yet given him any hours! He also has a possible paid position with another political candidate.

Thanks for your prayers!

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia   &
Sports Event Evangelism

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Douglas Update
21 Jan 2016
Our Hot Summer Is Here!

Dear friends and partners,

Thank you so much for your prayers. We have had some ups and downs over the past month or so. Keep praying!

It was great having Luke here for a couple of weeks over Christmas. The time went all too quickly, though, and he is already well in to the Spring semester at Corban. We had some good times together. It was nice just having him around the house again!

Amy and Casey are doing well. We're praising the Lord that Casey got a new job with a private company working with background/security checks, which would mean working from home. This would be fantastic for them after a year of night shift. Amy is still working at Starbucks. They're taking next week off before the new job starts and traveling to Casey's family in Idaho. Pray for their safety on wintery roads!

Church is going well. Two of our members are really growing spiritually and we are so thankful for their input and contribution to the life of our church. We continue to have visitors, but only two who are "sticking around" for more than one week. God is growing our church slowly. We have one new person coming along to our mid-week Bible study.

In December, we interviewed a couple to come and help us in an internship/assistant pastor role, with the hope that they might stay as pastor. Unfortunately, they chose not to come. We're trusting the Lord to bring just the right person to lead Living Hope Baptist Church into the future.

We enjoyed our Christmas day service, and then had three from church spend the day with us (one of our members, an Indonesian woman and a Chinese man). We had a great meal, and good fun and fellowship.

Our summer outreach at Living Hope Baptist was a special speaker that addressed the Christian Heritage of Australia.  While we were not founded for Christian freedom as the USA was, we have had godly people who have made a big difference throughout our history.  As missionaries to this great country, we learned so much.  It was a blessing to the small group of people who came.

Matt is anticipating a study through the Book of Joshua in the new year. We are thrilled that our co-workers, the Webers, have arrived back in Australia. It is nice to have our ministry partners back again! Pray for our planning of events and activities throughout the year that will be good for outreach and evangelism in our community.

Matt has been struggling with some health issues related to heliobactor pyrea, and bad reactions to some medication he was taking for that ailment. Please pray that he will get back to normal soon!

Thanks again for all your prayers!

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

  & S.E.E.

DOUGLAS UPDATE
23 Oct 2015
Springing into ministry

Dear friends and partners,

God is so good! We have much to praise Him for!

Thank you for your prayers and partnership with us. While we will be short-handed over our summer months (a family must be gone for the next three months), we are looking forward to the Christmas season. Pray that we'll have an impact in our community, and will have opportunities to proclaim Christ and His salvation.

We have been struggling through the last Seminary class we must take to be eligible for our Master's Degrees. Pray that we will persevere. Less than two months before we must complete the class.

Only five more teaching weeks for Scripture classes this year, and then there will be an end-of-year program. Pray that Barb will choose carefully the lessons to teach and the children will listen well. Pray for children's hearts to be changed.

FOCUS ministry is winding down for the year as well with our last night set for November 19. We had a unsaved visitor from FOCUS on Sunday. Pray that he was able to understand the gospel as it was presented, and that Matt and others will have a chance to follow up with him.

Thanks for praying!

27 May 2015

Dear friends and partners:

Thank you so much for your partnership in prayer with us! We are needing special grace as we deal with two separate heartbreaking tragedies. We can't go into detail, but two of our church attenders have been severely tested recently. We know we can count on your prayers for us and them.

Barb was away mid-May for her Sweet Adelines convention/competition in Hobart, Tasmania. Then the day after she returned, Matt traveled to the Central Coast (about three hours north) to attend a 3-day church planting conference. We are happy to be back together again!

Continue to pray for the growth of our church - Living Hope Baptist Church. We are welcoming a short-term ministry helper from the States today. We are eager to give him opportunities to help in outreach, maintenance, and however else the Lord leads. He will be staying 3-4 months.

Barb has taken two more Scripture classes--four Kindergarten classes in all now. One class has a couple of autistic students. Pray that she will be able to meet the extra challenge that that brings. Pray that these precious children will understand God's love for them.

Barb's health continues to be good; sometime next month she'll go back to the doctor for an ultrasound to see if the blood clot in her leg has dissolved.  Matt has had an ear infection for a month and then came down with the local cold that has been making the rounds, but he is on the mend now.

Most of the ladies at our church will be attending the annual ladies retreat on May 30 (just for the day). Sunday the 31st is Australia's National Day of Thanksgiving, where we have the opportunity to say thank you to a designated sector of the population. This year the theme is people who work in finance and accounting. We are inviting bankers and accountants with whom we have worked.

Please pray for the Sports Event Evangelism ministry. Registration is underway for the Rio 16 Outreach. The "earlybird" registration closes on June 1 (next week!). Close to 50 have already signed up! Continue also to pray for the funding of the material we will be handing out. The booklet is finalized and now being prepped for printing in 10 languages. Check out the website: gofundme.com/rio16outreach.

God has been good in providing our needs. We know that He is always good.

Thanks for your prayers!

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia   &
Sports Event Evangelism

22 April 2015

G'day all!

Thank you for your continued prayers for us. We are amazed at how good our God is! We are enjoying being back in Australia, back in our home, and back in our church. We've had some encouragement that there are people we've been in touch with who are interested in attending church. Our recent visitor, John, has been absent for a few weeks, but is looking forward to coming back, and he is active in inviting others as well. Pray for Chris, an accountant from China who just moved into the area and was looking for a Baptist church. He's taking his CPA exam this week.  A newlywed named Sam has promised to visit soon and another lady named Bev is excited about visiting soon.

At our Annual General Meeting last week, we discussed the remaining items that need to be tackled as far as repair, renovation and maintenance at the church. We have been busy getting quotes and learning just what it will take to complete these jobs. It all takes money, time, tools and manpower. Pray for all these. We are looking for teams to come help us.

Coming up this week: A church planting conference in Sydney on Monday, Scripture classes starting up again after the two-week autumn break, FOCUS at the University, ANZAC Day (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) service on Saturday at the rest home (this is a big holiday here honoring those who fought at Gallipoli, and celebrates its 100th year this week), and Matt will be preaching again on Sunday from Ephesians 3.

Thanks to those of you who have contributed towards Barb's medical expenses. God has moved the hearts of several to make a massive difference.  We rejoice in God's supply once again!  

Luke is busy finishing up the semester at Corban University. He's planning to go back to Matt's parents' house in Michigan for summer break. Pray that he'll be able to find work for the summer. Amy and Casey are doing well, we think. We don't hear much from them because they don't have internet at home (what in the world did we ever do without internet?). Amy is involved with a local theater production as an understudy and backstage help, which she is really enjoying.

Thanks for your prayers. We appreciate them very much.

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia   &
Sports Event Evangelism

Term 4

Jan 9 2015
Health update

Dear friends and partners,

We've had quite a roller coaster ride over the past month. Some of you may already know, but here's an update on Barb's health:

On December 17 Barb was diagnosed with a blood clot (DVT) in her left lower leg. She was immediately put on a newer blood thinning medication, and given the ok to travel as long as we took breaks every 1-2 hours. On the 21st we began our (Matt, Barb & Luke) journey by car to Albuquerque New Mexico to visit with our daughter Amy and son-in-law Casey, who had just moved there from Ohio. We really enjoyed Christmas together as a family, and were able to help Amy and Casey move into an apartment on the 30th. Over that week, Barb was troubled by some unusual symptoms, and we went to an Urgent Care Clinic. She was seen much quicker than we anticipated (the line was very long), and they immediately arranged for her to be transported by ambulance to the hospital. After a CT scan, two more clots were discovered, one in each lung! After two days in the hospital, and a change in medication, we were encouraged to make it back to California where she could settle and get care from a "regular" doctor. (On furlough, nothing is "regular"!)

We are now back in Windsor, CA, and Barb is getting more rest and care. She is on Warfarin (Coumadin). This requires regular blood testing to see if the blood is appropriately thin enough to prevent further clots, and the body will eventually take care of the existing clots.

What does this mean for our return to Australia? We are trusting that the doctor here will give us the okay to continue with our plans to return early February. A long flight means getting up and walking up and down the aisle and stretching regularly. We are looking forward to getting back to Australia where Barb can see her regular doctor there!

Pray with us that this will resolve quickly.

Praise the Lord that we have now completed reporting to our supporting churches and don't anticipate any other travel before our return to the field.

Our time this month will be spent in partnership development. Our support is still far short of what we need to live and minister in Australia. Please pray that God would supply the financial partnerships we need to return fully supported. If you are interested in talking with us about partnering, or know of someone who would like to learn more about our ministry, please let us know! Or you can contact ABWE:

WEB: abwe.org/give (our account number is 0110321)

PHONE: 1-800-901-2293 (donor services)

EMAIL: donorhelp@abwe.org

ADDRESS: PO Box 8585, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8585

Thank you for faithfully praying for us. We give glory to God for His love, care and provision for us.

Matt & Barb
ABWE Australia

17 Oct. 2014

Further Furlough Travels

Hello everyone,

Thank you for being so patient with us as we have been traveling around the past several weeks. We have neglected to keep in touch to let you know what God is doing. So sorry! Our time in Alaska was a blessing. We stayed with some great people and enjoyed telling churches and individuals about the ministry. Thanks to Calvary Baptist in Kenai for increasing our support, and for some new individual partners from Homer!

After Alaska, we spent time with Matt's family in Michigan, and with our daughter and son-in-law in Ohio. That was a wonderful time. Amy was Aunt March in the university's production of Little Women. What a delight to see her acting! Amy is close to finishing her degree, and she and Casey will be moving to Albequerque NM just before Christmas.

Luke seems to be doing well in his first semester at Corban University. We don't hear much from him, so he must be keeping busy.

We have been asked to head up a new ministry: SEE (Sports Event Evangelism). This will be the Summer Olympic Games outreach that has previously been sponsored by Answers in Genesis under the direction of Dr. David Crandall. He would like to retire, and we have been excited about this ministry since the 2000 Sydney Games. As you know, Matt has also been going to the FIFA Soccer World Cup events since 2006. We are still church planting in Australia, and will be able to direct this new ministry from there. We have seen such great results from each event since 2000, and we are eager to take on this new role.

Below is our schedule for the rest of the year. We would ask you to pray for continued safety as we travel, and also that God would supply new partners in church planting in Australia and SEE. Our support needs have increased this year with the new ministry and the rise in insurance and housing costs. Please pray about whether you or someone you know might be able to partner with us so we can return to the field by mid-January.

October 19: Highland Baptist Church, Hayward, CA
October 26: Calvary Baptist Church, Paradise, CA
November 2: Orchard Ave Baptist Church, Vacaville, CA
November 9: San Francisco Bible Church
November 10-15, Salem, OR, attend Corban University fall production of Camelot (Luke is in the play!)
November 16: Sunrise Valley Baptist Church, San Jose, CA
Fly to Michigan
November 19: Nashville Baptist Church, Nashville, MI
November 21: Attend Amy's Senior Theatre Project at Cedarville, OH
Thanksgiving with Matt's family
Fly to California

Thanks for praying!

Matt & Barb
ABWE Australia

18 Sept 2014

Autumn Ministries and Travel

Dear friends and partners,

We thought we'd send you an update of our upcoming meetings and travel.

Tuesday, September 16, travel from Salem, OR to Roseville, CA.
September 19, fly from Sacramento, CA to Kenai, Alaska
September 21-24, Calvary Baptist Church, Kenai, AK
September 28, Berean Baptist Church, Kodiak, AK
October 5, Glacierview Baptist Church, Homer, AK (Also our 29th anniv.)
October 6, fly to Sacramento, CA
October 8, fly from Sacramento, CA to Grand Rapids, MI, visit with family and partners in the area
October 10, attend Cedarville University fall production of Little Women
(Amy is in the play!)
Saturday-Monday, visit with family and partners in MI
October 14, fly from Grand Rapids, MI to Sacramento, CA
October 19: Highland Baptist Church, Hayward, CA
October 26: Calvary Baptist Church, Paradise, CA
November 9: San Francisco Bible Church
November 10-15, Salem, OR, attend Corban University fall production of Camelot (Luke is in the play!)
November 16: Sunrise Valley Baptist Church, San Jose, CA
Fly to Michigan
November 19: Nashville Baptist Church, Nashville, MI
Thanksgiving with Matt's family
Fly to California
November 30: Vacaville, CA

There's a lot of traveling going on for us in the next few months.
Please pray for our safety!

We have heard of some blessings resulting from Matt's time at the Soccer
World Cup in Brazil: To date we are watching as followup is underway, or completed, with around 75 + people who have come to Christ.  God did a wonderful work!!!  Let me share just a few of the most recent results.  These are all direct results of our sharing the gospel with people and or giving them a tract.

* Pastor Benitez from Paraguay, recently sent news that 2 families have professed salvation in Jesus Christ! He is praising God that we reached out to these families during their travels to Brazil.  They are attending faithfully.

* In San Juan, Paraguay 5 people are saved and now connected with the local church.

* A pastor in Atibaia, Brasil has seen a marked difference in interest and involvement because of the number of people saved during the FIFA World Cup. He continues to disciple each to strengthen them in the faith.

* A pastor and missionary serving in Ivoti/Porto Alegre, Brasil said, “We are doing really well and everyone continues the spirit of reaching out to others that you ignited while you were here. We had 48 teenagers show up on Tuesday at our “Soccer Ministry.” Before the World Cup the youth group was just a handful.

* In Asuncion, Paraguay, Brother Michael Meiers says, “We already have 5-6 people wanting to go out as missionaries because they have seen the results of the outreach to the FIFA World Cup.”

We are so thrilled to watch God work.  We hope you feel intimately connected with these results.  God is changing lives for eternity, and you have been a great part of making that happen.

Pray with us that God would fill our weeks with opportunities to share with potential new partners. We desire to continue in ministry and our partners are a very important part of helping us serve!

Thanks for praying!

Matt & Barb
ABWE Australia

Furlough is half over; ministry continues

July 2014

Hello friends and supporters:

Well, the Soccer World Cup outreach has come and gone.  What a whirlwind of activity and travel for the opportunity to share Christ our Redeemer with people from all over the world!  Matt had a fabulous time.  There were many memorable experiences, like: I was on the streets of Curitiba Brazil the day of the Nigeria VS Argentina match in the local stadium.  I remember one person I handed a tract to, but because I could not speak Spanish I was unable to talk with him.  About a half hour later I noticed he was having a conversation with a co-corker who has a little comprehention of Spanish.  It was great that the man I had handed the tract to sat down and read it.  Being convicted of the need to look further into matters of eternal life, he sought out someone else that was also passing out tracts that could speak his language.  We pray that God will continue to do a work in this man's life as He draws this man through the power of the Holy Spirit into a saving relationship.

Two days later, we were in another city witnessing.  I came across two Korean individuals that could not speak the local language and had very little English skills.  When I gave them a tract in Korean they became very excited.  I communicated that it was a great idea to have a read of the booklet, and they were thrilled to go over to the curb and sit there and read.  As I continued to pass out tracts, I would glance their direction from time to time.  As they read it, they began pointing out to each other things that they were interested in.  Both men teared up as they discussed the booklet together.  After some time they came up to me and asked if I had more information on "these things."  Oh how I wished I could speak Korean!  I pointed out the main points of sin, redemption and forgiveness.  They nodded their heads in agreement, and yet wanted to know more.  As they left with tearful smiles on their faces, I prayed to God to save their souls, and give them a wonderful church to grow in as they return to their home country.

Lastly, on the last day we were able to pass out tracts, I made a mistake of handing a tract to a FIFA official.  That caused us to be ejected from the area we had been witnessing in.  We did not worry about this as God had already opened up so many doors that day that we were running very low on tracts.  As my coworker and I walked out of the restricted area and around the corner I noticed a group of school children on the opera house steps.  We handed out a few more tracts and eventually I spotted the teacher of this school excursion group.  I approached her with an offer to give each child a wordless bracelet and a tract that explained it.  The teacher was suprised.  She asked if I had enough to do that.  As I assured her that I had plenty, she told me that the group was actually a small Baptist day school that was made up of mostly unsaved street children.  She was thrilled with the opportunity to talk with the children about the meaning of each of the colors.  It would give her an official "excuse" to talk in detail about the gospel with the children and make sure they understood it.  The children were very grateful to get a free gift.  The teacher was ecstatic to have an opportunity to visibly share the love of Christ.



Thank you for praying.  Matt had to leave two days later than planned because of Brazilian Visa issues.  He traveled 50+ hours by bus to get from one venue to another, usually at night.  His wallet was stolen out of his pocket, and he was twice caught in the pepper spray used to control the crowds near Copacabana Beach in Rio. (Someone said he should stay out of the crowds--but that's where the people are who need to hear the gospel!!)

Our furlough is half over.  We've had several Sundays free this summer, so we've enjoyed fellowshipping with our home church in Windsor, CA.  Please be in prayer, however, about our support.  We are still severely short--we need over $1300 per month.  If you feel God leading you to support us on a monthly basis (or increase support), please contact us and we will give you the details how you might do that.  Or write to ABWE, PO Box 8585, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8585, and indicate your intention to support Matt & Barb Douglas, account number 11032.  We also need one-time gifts to be able to replace a car and broken appliances when we return to the field.  Thanks for your prayers in this matter.  It is still our desire to return to Australia by the end of the year.

God is so good!  The ministry at Living Hope Baptist in Corrimal is continuing in our absence.  Pray that there would be continued growth in the lives of the people, and that there would be some numerical growth as well. We heard that they did have a visitor last Sunday that is interested in bringing his family back with him next time.

Amy and Casey are doing well, with 3 part-time jobs between the two of them for the summer (only amounting to about 40 hours a week), they are keeping busy.  Luke is preparing to begin Corban University this August and has been putting in some good hours at Walmart.

We will be relocating to the Salem, Oregon area for August and part of September.  We hope to see many of our friends from that area, along with ministering in our supporting churches in Oregon and Washington.

Thank you for your continued prayers for us.  Pray that God would direct our way back to Australia.


In His service.
Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

June 9 2014

Traveling On And On

Hello friends,

We have returned from our very long road trip back east and up into Montana.  We have covered many miles, met many wonderful people, renewed acquaintances, and ministered in a number of churches.  God has been so good in protecting us over these thousands of miles.

It was a joy to see our daughter, Amy, graduate from Cedarville University and then a week later be married to her man, Casey. It was a beautiful wedding.

Our son, Luke, who just celebrated his 19th birthday, has fared very well on his own while we've been away.  He flew out for Amy's graduation and wedding, but then flew back to continue working at Walmart to save some money for college.  He will be attending Corban University in Salem, Oregon in the fall (we graduated from there when it was known as Western Baptist College).

We have been encouraged by some churches who have increased our support, and some new individual supporters.  We are still at about 84%.  We will need around $1400 per month to return to the field. Please pray that the Lord will continue to raise up this needed support.

We were also encouraged to be at our ABWE headquarters, and to take part in a "Mobilizers Summit."  We were challenged to encourage others to consider missions, either as short-term helpers, or long-term co-workers in the harvest fields around the world.  There are so many opportunities everywhere in the world!

Some of you know we had car problems in both directions across country. The first repair in Denver was expensive, and the repair in Kalispell MT was not an expensive part, just costly labour and a worrying time delay. It all makes getting back to our place in California all the more comforting.

Barb had the opportunity to visit the town in Iowa where her mother was raised.  We found the property where she would have grown up, and we found the cemetery plot where Barb's grandparents and great-grandparents are buried, as well as grave markers of three of her mom's siblings who did not survive childhood.  It was very interesting.

We are amazed at God's provision.  Matt was just about ready to give up on the idea of going to the Soccer World Cup in Brazil.  We just didn't have the funds.  On that very morning, we got a call from an individual who offered to pay for the trip!  We are so thankful for this provision.  Matt will be in Brazil from June 19 to July 1. Pray that all the logistics will fall into place, as time is short to make all the necessary arrangements and to have tracts printed. The big thing he needs at this time is a Visa to enter Brazil. God needs to guide all his paperwork through as it is scheduled to arrive back the day before the flights.

Thank you all for your prayers.  Not only is God keeping us safe, but we have seen His supply of our needs throughout our many journeys. We have seen the beauty of His creation and enjoyed the comfort of family. God is amazing!!

In His service.
Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

April 23 2014

He has Risen!

We trust that you all had a great Resurrection Sunday! We enjoyed the day with Matt's family, and Amy and Casey came up from Cedarville.

Thank you for praying for us while we are traveling around the states on furlough. We have already put lots of miles on our car, and we had some car problems on our way to Michigan, but God is good and we were able to keep to our travel schedule with only a few hours' delay to get the repair work done. Of course we have a bill for around $730 as well, but we are safe and it could have been worse.

Our meetings are going well. We appreciate all the support and encouragement we've received. We've been blessed with many good supporting churches and individuals, and have seen a slight increase in our support. We still estimate we need Thank you all for your partnership in the ministry in Australia.

The next big thing for us is of course Amy and Casey's graduation from Cedarville University on May 3, and their wedding on May 10. Please pray that all the preparations will go smoothly and that it will be a glorious day of celebration! We are very happy for them.

Pray for Luke as he is on his own in California, working for Wal-Mart. He will join us in Ohio on May 2 for the graduation and wedding.

We have been having a problem with our email. It should be working again now, but if you sent something since Palm Sunday (April 13), we likely did not receive it. Can you please resend it?

In His service.
Matt & Barb Douglas

April 4 2014

G'day to our faithful prayer supporters:

Thank you for supporting us with your prayers.  We have been blessed with great meetings so far on this furlough.  We have been excited by the response of the people in our supporting churches toward our ministry.  Keep praying that we would continue to enjoy the opportunity to reconnect with our churches.

We are praising the Lord that Luke has been hired by Walmart.  He's been working for over a week now, mostly in training and orientation, but it looks like he'll be working as a cashier.  It is our hope that when he goes to Corban University in Salem, Oregon, he will be able to transfer to one of the Walmart's there.

We are gearing up for our big trip back east to spend time with Matt's family in Michigan, report to our two supporting churches there, and to attend Amy's graduation at Cedarville University on May 3.  Of course, we'll also be busy helping with preparations for Amy and Casey's wedding on May 10.   For our full schedule check out the "furlough" tab at:  www.abwedouglas.net

God has been good in providing us with a comfortable place to live for these few months, and a supportive sending church who is eager to help with our needs.  For example, Barb needed to have a laptop computer to use (it was getting difficult for us to share one laptop while doing a seminary class on Hebrews), and someone in the church gave us one to use!

Please pray for our support to increase.  If each of our supporters raised us just $30 per month, we would have 100% of our support.  To date only one church as talked with us about raising our support.  We know God will provide in His perfect timing.

Thanks again for your prayers.

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

March 24 2014

Hello all,
We are enjoying our furlough.  So far the travel has been pleasant and the drives have not been so long that we can't stand our car.  Sure we get tired of that much time on the road, but we find the views of the redwoods, the herds of elk and the rolling green hills quite nice to look at.

Our meetings have gone very well.  We are enjoying seeing our supporting churches once again and catching up with the people who have been faithfully praying for us over the years.  Many of these first church we are reporting to have been supporting us for over 20 years!

Our upcoming schedule is:

March 30    Clearlake Baptist Church, Lakeport, CA
April 7        Grace Baptist Church, Redding, CA
Week of April 7    CARBC meetings, Grace Baptist Church
April 13        Vina Community Church, Vina, CA
Week of April 13    Travel to Michigan/Ohio
April 27    First Baptist Church, Hastings, MI
May 3        Graduation Ceremony, Cedarville University
May 10        Wedding - Amy and Casey Cundall

We were thrilled recently to have Amy and her fiancee here with us during their spring break.  We enjoyed some family time, and had an opportunity to do some wedding planning.  Amy helped Barb pick out a dress for the wedding.

Luke had chosen to go to Corban University in Salem, Oregon.  He just landed a job at Walmart here in Rohnert Park to help with college expenses.  Pray that he would also be able to find some extra scholarship/grant money.  College is very expensive!!

Our car seems to be holding out all right so far, although there are indications that there may be an electrical problem, which could be an expensive repair.  Pray that we won't have any major problems, as we are going to be putting a lot of miles on it this year.

We are getting good reports from the Webers who are filling in for us at Living Hope Baptist Church in Corrimal.  A new middle aged man has started attending.  They have slotted in well to the ministry and are praying about new ideas for ministry and outreach.  Pray that the church will grow.

Thanks so much for your prayers!

In His service,

Matt & Barb

March 10 2014

We appreciate all those who pray for our ministry and want to follow what the Lord is doing in and through our lives.  You may know we are on furlough throughout 2014.  We had a problem transfering our email address books to the laptop for furlough.  We found out after it was too late to do anything about it that our address book files are a jumbled mess or missing altogether.

We are needing to ask all our prayer supporters, and those who want to be, to reply to the following.  Without it you will not receive any emails from us during 2014.  Please copy the following and reply to sender (NOT TO ALL)

"Send me email:

____ Bi monthly

____ Monthly

____ Quarterly

____ Please delete me from all lists"



Thanks for helping us through this difficulty.  We appreciate your prayer very much.

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas
ABWE
Australia

Feb 27 2014

Furlough has begun!

Hello friends,

It has been a long while since we have sent out an update. Let us fill you in on what's been happening.

From Christmas until we left Australia on January 14, we packed and cleaned our house, tied up ministry at the church, and shipped two barrels back to America (since Luke is going to college in the states, he wanted to take most of his personal belongings—which includes lots of books. We also needed to have a way to ship extra clothes for our year in America).

On January 14 we left Sydney and travelled to Wellington New Zealand, where we spent three days vacationing. It was a very relaxing and very enjoyable three days.

We arrived in San Francisco on January 17, and began the process of settling in to American culture again. The first two weeks were spent traveling. We went to Salem Oregon the first week so Luke could see the campus at Corban University, for us to begin the process of getting expired drivers licenses renewed, and to purchase a vehicle. The Lord provided a 2007 Chrysler Sebring that had low mileage. So far it seems to be working out well for us. It was also nice to touch base with a few friends there. The second week Matt and Luke flew to Houston Texas, where Luke could see the campus at Houston Baptist University. He has since chosen Corban University to attend this fall.

We have been blessed by our sending church, First Baptist Church of Windsor, CA. They have helped us find and move into an apartment in Santa Rosa, CA. They have provided some of the things we needed to set up housekeeping (we have a trailer full of household goods we have had in storage during our time in Australia, but we are lacking in some necessary items). They have been a great encouragement to us in welcoming us as part of the body.

We have begun traveling each weekend reporting to supporting churches. We are in Northern California until Easter. The furlough page in our web site has a list of our schedule. It has been a blessing to reconnect with friends at these churches, some of whom have been supporting us for over 20 years!

Luke has been trying to find a job so he can have some savings before he starts college. So far he hasn't found anything. Please pray that he will.

Amy and her fiancee, Casey, will be flying to California for their Spring Break this weekend. We are so looking forward to seeing them, and being able to spend some time helping them in wedding planning. Pray that the weather will cooperate as there are storms forecast for both the Midwest and San Francisco.

Thanks for your prayers. We'll try to do better at keeping you updated through this furlough year!

In His service.
Matt & Barb Douglas

13 Oct 2013

Towards years end

Dear friends,

Our holiday is over and we're trying to settle back into the next few months of preparing for furlough.  There are lots of details to work out, projects to finish and arrangements to make.  Please pray that we'll work wisely and efficiently.

We were blessed to have Matt's family here with us for a few weeks. It will probably be the last time his parents will visit with us here due to age and finances.  Matt's sister and brother-in-law were fun to have around, and we got to know two of his cousins as they spent time with us as well.  We all went to our national capital, Canberra, for a day; made a few trips into Sydney, including seeing a play at the Opera House; and spent five days in Cairns, including a trip to an island to see some of the Great Barrier Reef.  Fun memories.

The church is going well.  We just had another opportunity to provide a meal for the FOCUS Bible study group at the University. This is a great way to bring our people together for a common purpose, and it worked out beautifully.

Coming up in November we're going to be showing some DVDs on Sunday evenings to try to bring some people from the community into the church.  We'll also have our biannual Barbecue Birthday Bash where we celebrate birthdays from the last half of the year.

Please pray for Luke as he begins his "HSC" exams on Monday.  Over the next four weeks he'll have seven different exams which will give him his placement in university here in Australia.  He'll be going to college in the US for at least one year, but it will give him the option of returning to Australia to finish up his degree.  Pray that he will study effectively.

Luke also is looking for a job--he had an interview on Wednesday. If he secures a good job, he'll probably stay in Australia for the beginning of our furlough and join us in April in time to get to Amy's graduation and wedding.

The spring school holidays are over now, so Barb has begun her final term of teaching Scripture classes.  This week was a focused presentation of the gospel using the "wordless book."  Pray that the students will understand their need to make a choice to trust Jesus.

Thanks for your prayers for us.

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

11 Sept 2013

We serve a great God!

Dear friends,

We have a great God who encourages and strengthens us.  We are continually blessed by His great love for us!

Sunday the 8th was the annual community festival, Spring Into Corrimal.  The activities began at 10 am and continued until 4 pm.  Since our church borders the boundary for the downtown festival, we used the opportunity for the third year in a row to "give a cup of cold water" to those who passed by.  We gave away almost 500 bottles of water, and cooked up and served almost 200 "sausage sandwiches" (an Aussie favourite).  The weather was perfect--overcast and not too hot, but no rain.  There seemed to be a greater number of people out this year, and there were many opportunities to talk to them.  This year, many more seemed to ask about our church service times.  One of the church's neighbours, Kelly, came again and confessed that she is an agnostic with lots of problems.  She "loves us" as her neighbours, but is not willing to come to church.  A family who attends the Salvation Army church inquired about a Bible study--their church's study is not held at a convenient time for them.  Please pray that there would be fruit from this huge outreach event.

Our new tenants living in the church house seem to be settling in all right.  However, a big plumbing problem has been discovered, and we will have to be spending what we get in rent to get it repaired. Pray that this won't be too expensive!

We are looking forward to a two-week vacation beginning next week while Matt's family is visiting.  It will be good to spend time with them; we're traveling north to Cairns for four days during their time here.

Luke is graduating a week from Thursday (19th).  Pray for direction for his future (and a good job would be nice!)

Amy and Casey celebrated their 21st birthdays (yes, their birthdays are on the same day!).  It sounds like they had a nice day together, and threw a party at the school.  Casey has begun a paid internship in his field of study.

Scripture classes wind down next week for the two-week spring school holidays.  This week is Lazarus, and next week we cover the resurrection of Jesus.

Matt is still involved with the FOCUS Bible studies each Thursday evening, with many opportunities to talk with international students.

We appreciate your prayers for us.

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

15 Aug 2013

Dear friends and supporters:

We have an amazing God.  We are constantly reminded of His power and beauty as we marvel at His creation.  And we are so blessed to have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe!

We're praising God for a new person in our church!  She's a single lady who just recently moved into the area.  Matt and I actually knew her from when we first arrived in Australia, but haven't seen her for many years.  She seems eager to be a part of our fellowship, and we are happy to have her!  Please pray that we can minister to Ainslie.

Next month is our Spring Into Corrimal Festival outreach. Even though money has been very tight, the church voted to fund the outreach again this year. We are grateful that the church takes seriously their need to be in the community and inviting people to "give God another look with us." Pray not only for our preperations but also for a great impact on Sept 8th.

We want to let you know that our computer was hacked recently, and so if you receive emails from us that are inappropriate or spam, we do sincerely apologize.  We are taking measures to tighten security, so we trust that we will have no further problems.  If you see something that you wonder about, please let us know.  Thanks!

Pray for our furlough plans. We need to get the churches booked over there AND also cover our ministry here for the time we will be away. Luke is unsure of his role in our furlough next year, whether he will travel with us some, or not at all.  He'll start college in the fall next year, and getting a job would certainly help out!

Pray for Amy as she begins her fall semester at Cedarville next week.

Pray for Matt's parents as they move into a new house starting this weekend.  They will be visiting us in September. We look forward to some vacation time with them!

Luke begins final exams next week, with more exams to come in October.

The church has secured a tenant for the house.  They will be moving in around the 23rd. Pray for a good relationship with them, and that they might be interested in attending the church.

Thanks for your prayers,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

29 July 2013

A slower pace after a fast winter start

Hello,
God is faithful and He is always at work.  We may not always see how He's working, but we can be assured that His is! We tend to believe that we are often looking where we want to see Him work, rather than having our eyes on Him and therefore seeing all He is doing. We do have some praise and prayer requests for you as you are "watchful in prayer" with us.

We are grateful that after all the work the teams were able to accomplish God gave us a couple of weeks to slow down and only work at about a 50% level. It really helps these aging bodies to get teh extra rest and let the stress of ministry slide off for a while.

We are thankful that the Australian dollar has weakened so our paychecks are coming to us a bit fatter than they have been over the past year. Being as under supported as we are (over $1100 per month), this exchange rate movement back towards "normal" helps a lot.

We are thankful for our home and our neighbors.  Praise the Lord that the other Christian family in our neighborhood invited our neighbors to their church to witness their baby dedication, and they all came!!  During the week many had quick private conversations with Matt about what to expect at a "Baptist" church. It was good fun to witness to them in their anticipation. Of course, since Matt was preaching at our church, we couldn't be there, but we joined them for lunch afterward. Pray with us that God would use us to reach our unsaved neighbors.

We are thankful for our children.  Amy is now visiting with Matt's family in Michigan up until she starts school again in late August. Matt's parents will be moving during this time, so Amy will be able to help with that.  Luke is in the midst of some major assessments and study for "trials"--like final exams.  He's feeling the stress. He's also doing more research on Christian universities.  Pray that he'll make a wise decision.

We haven't seen any more numerical growth in our church, but we are thankful for the spiritual growth we've seen in some of our people. We have a quarterly business meeting this Sunday, 4th of August.  Pray for unity and a good outcome.  The "parsonage" at the church is being advertised for rent.  Pray for a good tenant who will care for the property and pay their bills.

Matt is still enjoying FOCUS--the international student Bible study at the University of Wollongong.  He and our church member, Mehdi, had a chance to talk with a Muslim last week.

Barb will be teaching this week on John 3--what it means to be born again--to her Scripture classes at the public schools.

Please pray as we prepare for furlough.  We will probably be leaving here shortly after Christmas.  There is much to do, from preparing the church with a "relief" pastor/missionary, to preparing our home with a renter and packing up and storing our belongings, to scheduling meetings.  It's a big job.  Please pray for a smooth transition. If you are wanting to see us during 2014, please email and find out when we can make it to your area.

We're looking forward to Matt's family visiting in September.  Luke will be graduating on the 19th and they'll be here for that. We will be taking some vacation time to enjoy them while they are here.

Thank you for praying for us.  We are both experiencing some physical ailments--just nuisance things that tell us we're getting older!

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

1 July 2013

G'day all,

It has been a hectic couple of months, but very rewarding.  We're now done with two ministry teams that came from the US to help us with some renovation projects at the church.  The work completed is such a huge blessing to our people here!  Thank you to the Cedarville and First Baptist Windsor teams!  We really appreciate you and the sacrifices you made to help us here.

Now life can get back to "normal."  It's nice that there's a two-week school break, so ministries can slow down and we'll have a chance to catch our breath.

It was nice to chat "face-to-face" with Amy the other day over Skype and catch up with her.  (Isn't technology wonderful--when it works?!)  She and Casey are having fun with wedding plans.  She's taking three classes this summer, so she keeps pretty busy with that.  Pray that she may be able to pick up some work as well.

Luke is happy to have a three-week break from school.  He hopes to do a lot of school work, though, over the break, in preparation for his final term of high school, which will involve lots of exams and assessments.  After the break, there will be nine weeks left until graduation!  Pray that he will do well on his exams, and that the Lord would give him direction for his future.

This week is our once-a-month ministry at the local retirement home.  We so enjoy ministering to these dear ones.  Pray that we will be an encouragement to them.

Please pray that our church would see some new people come through the door.  We sometimes wonder what God is doing in keeping our group so small, and yet we know that He is working.  Our people are growing spiritually.  We are preparing one of the houses on the property to rent because the small church still can't pay the annual insurance bill--pray that that goes smoothly.

We are beginning to plan for furlough next year.  Our thoughts are gearing up for scheduling meetings, finding good air fares, where to live and what to drive. We want to connect with as many people as possible during 2014. This month we start making contacts for meetings and making other arraignments as the Lord leads.  Please be in prayer for God's direction, and if you or your church can help with any of the above, please let us know.

Thanks for praying for us.  We are so blessed by your support and prayers.

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

FBC Windsor Ministry Team - June 2013

8 June 2013

G'day all,

Well, May has come and gone and the cooler weather has set in.  Before the month of May began, we were wondering how we were going to manage all that was expected to happen during that month, but God is our great Source of strength. We had a wonderful time with the team from Cedarville University. They rebuilt our stage, refinished the front wall paneling in the church, began painting one of the church houses to prepare it for renting out, and helped with some finishing touches to the church kitchen!  What a blessing!

We both enjoyed a weekend getaway to Perth for Barb's Sweet Adelines convention.  Their chorus came in 3rd in their division and 5th overall in the country.

Barb also enjoyed the annual ladies' retreat.  One of our other ladies from the church also went for the first time.  It was a great weekend.

Thank you for your prayers about our house.  We have finally received approval from the local council to occupy our house, which is a good thing since we've lived in it now for over 6 months! lol We are only waiting now for some final paperwork.

We are pleased to announce the engagement of our daughter, Amy, to Casey Cundall, also a student at Cedarville.  He was part of the team, and while he and Amy were here, he asked Matt if he could ask her to marry him.  He did, and she said yes!  The plan at this stage is to have a wedding next May.

Luke is busy with school work in this last year of high school.  He is also taking the SAT and ACT exams for entrance into US universities if that's where God is directing him.  He will graduate on September 19, and be finished with his exams here on November 4. (Yes, that seems backwards, but here university entrance exams happen AFTER graduation).

Our next ministry team, from our sending church in Windsor, CA, arrives Wednesday evening the 12th of June.  We're looking forward to work being done in our church Sunday School classroom, nursery and office areas.

The FOCUS ministry to overseas students on the University campus is going very well. Each week we are making a difference as we help make the gospel clear to people with limited English skills. Though the whole purpose is to explain Christianity and what Christians believe, we have been running around 70 to 80 each week with about 2/3rds unsaved.

Our ministry to the Diggers Retirement Centre has also been a blessing. It is a joy to see hearts moved as they sing the old hymns and listen intently to the Word being taught. Matt has been teaching them a condensed sermon on the 1 Peter series that He is preaching at the church on Sunday mornings.

Thank you so much for your prayers.

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

Cederville University Ministry Team - May 2013

8 April 2013 update

25 March 2013

G'day to our faithful prayer warriors,

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for us and for Living Hope Baptist Church.  This past week was another Chamber of Commerce Market Day in the park.  Again, we bought space to set up a stall. It was a beautiful autumn day, and we gave away over 300 bottles of water.  We also had a table set up for children (pre-school age) to be able to decorate and take away a "hat" for their Easter Hat Parade during the morning festivities.  It was a hit, with many children wearing their crowns for the parade.  We had some great conversations with people from the area.  There seemed to be a greater interest in our church this time, with several saying they would come to visit.

This week is Easter, and as we have the past two years, we're going to have an "Easter Hymn Sing" on Good Friday evening.  We've sent out invitations to three sister churches, as well as to the community.  Pray that we would see visitors, and also have a good attendance for Easter Sunday.

Barb was just diagnosed with strep throat (!).  She's had a sore throat for nearly a week, and finally went to get it checked out. She's begun a course of antibiotics.  This is a busy time, so pray that this will be cleared up quickly.

Plans are underway for our next ministry team, coming in May.  This will be a team from Cedarville University Theatre Department--not to put on a performance, but to rebuild our stage in the multi-purpose building and rework the panel on the front wall of the church building.  The exciting part of this is that Amy will be part of this team.  She's actually coming a few days earlier than the team and, depending on whether she gets a job there for the summer, she'll stay a few days after they leave.  If she doesn't get a job at Cedarville, she may stay with us for her summer break.  We do pray that she can get a job there, because there would be slim to no chance of getting a job back here in Australia for those months. Pray for her as she anticipates taking two or three classes on-line over the summer.

Luke performed well on his mid-term exams for year 12.  He's got just over two more terms of formal education left, graduating in September.  Then beginning in October are the HSC (Higher School Certificate) exams, which are a gauge for university placement here.  He still isn't sure what he'll do yet, but will most likely go to college for at least a year in the States.

Matt is continuing to attend the FOCUS Bible studies on Thursday evenings, and has had a number of opportunities to talk to international university students about the Bible and Christianity. Three students from 10/40 window countries have accepted Christ through the FOCUS outreach in March alone. We would love to see some more of these students attend our church.

Thanks again for your prayers.  We would ask you to pray for our support situation.  We are truly grateful that there has been a slight increase in support, as well as some generous individual one-time gifts.  However, our overall support picture is well in the red.  As we anticipate furlough in 2014, please be in prayer about what you might be able to do to raise our support, or to begin supporting the ministry here in Australia.

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

9 March 2013

G'day all,

We have something special for you this week. Every year we are required to submit a video report for some of our supporters. We gladly do this as it is a great way to see and hear what the Lord is doing in this place. This year we have completed the video and made it viewable to those whom we wish to see it. Due to the sensitive nature and ongoing persecution of some people seen in the video we have had to limit the viewing to avoid escalating the persecution of some in the middle east as well as students in our church here.

Even though it is a simple video update, we ask that no one post this on their personal or church website or share it on their Facebook/twitter or other public site.  To access the video you will need a password.  Please email me to get the link and password.

Our supporting churches have permission to download the video to show for missions updates, morning services, Sunday school, prayer meeting, home Bible studies, etc.

Thank you again for your prayers and support!  God bless and enjoy the video!

In His service,
Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

26 Feb 2013

Hello friends,

Thank you for praying for us.  Please continue in your prayers for the growth of our church.  While we don't focus on numbers, this little church needs committed members and attenders to keep going. We are so thankful for the 16-20 we are seeing regularly now, but many are retired, on fixed incomes, or out of work, and cannot help the church along financially. Their age is also slowing them down physically.  There are three, possibly four work teams coming out to help us this year, which is always a challenge and an expense. We are trusting the Lord that these teams will be able to do the necessary work on the property at little expense.

Pray for Barb as she teaches four Scripture classes, and one of our other church members who teaches three classes.  What a blessing to go into the classroom in a public school and proclaim the truths of Scripture to these students, and to the classroom teacher.  Pray that Barb and Fiona will learn the names of their students, and will be clear in presenting God's word.

Matt has begun attending the FOCUS Bible studies at the University again.  Pray that he will have many opportunities to clarify the gospel to many overseas students this year, and that we may see some trust the Lord and come to our church. The biggest attendance of the year is usually the last week of Feb or the frist week of March!

We have a huge list of "to do's" around the house and around the church.  Pray that our priorities would be where they should be. Matt is beginning a series in the book of 1 Peter on Sunday mornings.  We are studying through the book The Story of Hope on Tuesday evenings, with a view to sharpening our discipleship skills.

Matt is really enjoying his discipleship with Masoud on Sunday afternoons.  Please pray for Masoud as he experiences persecution from Muslim family members, and needs either work in his engineering field, or to get a scholarship to continue his studies at the University.

Thanks again for your prayers.


In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

PS. By next week we will have a video report online for supporters, churches and friends. It covers a bit of what God is doing here in a nice short 3:33 segment. This can be viewed from any computer and/or be downloaded for your church or small group.

30 Jan 13

Hello friends,

Thank you so much for your support.  We not only value the financial support that some of you send regularly, we especially value the pray support from all of you who pray for us.

Here in Australia we've recently seen a great contrast:  Bushfires have ravaged our countryside in many areas.  At one stage there were 139 fires burning throughout our state alone!  Cyclones drenched the far northeast, bringing torrential rain and flooding.  In our local area, we've had some very hot temperatures, and now we're getting drenching rains, effects of the cyclone up north. He have been spared from the worst of it all.

In addition, we hear of freezing/below-freezing temperatures in the midwestern and northeastern parts of the US.  (Poor Amy is not enjoying this one bit!)

Even through all the contrasts, all the changes, all the difficulties, God is in control!  He knows what we're going through wherever we are and whatever we're doing.  And He is always good!

We are so thankful for His care for us and the part we can play in His work in the world.  We have had extra witnessing opportunities with our neighbors because of the severity of the weather this week. We are encouraged by the growth and enthusiasm of Masoud--only four more books to read in the New Testament, and then on the the Old Testament!  He "feels he's so far behind and wants to catch up."  Please continue to pray for him; and pray for Mehdi, his friend, who has been bogged down with university work and his employment and doesn't have as much time for Bible study and discipleship.

January is always full of reports, planning, and extra time in relationship building. As you would expect, some things are easier to do than others. The challenge has been to keep the focuse that "whatever you do - do it as unto the Lord!"

We will soon be having our annual business meeting at church.  Pray that we will see a spirit of unity and cooperation among our people as we discuss a slight constitutional change that is needed. It represents a departure in attitude from where the church has been in the past.

Also pray for the upcoming "Market Day," February 14, where we will have another chance to be in the community. One of our hopes for this ooutreach is to do a small community survey. We have an android tablet. If you know of a good yet cheap survey app we would love to hear from you! We would also like to hear from anyone who has done community surveys.

Again, thank you for your prayers.

God is good!

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

PS. We want to say thanks to those who have responded to our last letters request for help! There is still time if you would like to help also. any extra gift can be sent to ABWE. Please make a note with your gift that it is for our church planting account.

12 Jan 2013

Greetings to our faithful supporters,

Our apologies for the lack of communication over the past several weeks! With Christmas and New Years and just moving into our new home . . . well, enough of excuses.

We did have a lovely Christmas. It was nice being in our new home. We invited Masoud and Mehdi for Christmas dinner, and they thoroughly enjoyed it. It was all very new to them. They had never had a “traditional” turkey dinner, and they had lots of questions about Christian Christmas traditions. They are so keen and eager to learn. Matt has had a fantastic time discipling them.

Luke has been away at Camp Toukley this week as a cabin leader. He’s texted occasionally through the week, telling us of at least three salvations in his cabin alone! We’ll get the full report today when we pick him up.

Amy has begun a new semester at Cedarville. We are so proud of her good grades for last semester (straight As!). She spent Christmas in Boise, Idaho with a friend, and New Years with Matt’s family in Michigan. We missed having her here with us.

As we look ahead to the next year of ministry, we have several things that need to be completed, some of which will take some extra finances. Please look at the list below, and see if there are any projects you would be willing to help with. We need to wrap up some of these loose end this year, as 2014 will be another furlough year for us.

Support shortfall: $1036 per month

We have done the walls, cupboards, flooring and more.  We now need the following for the church kitchen: 

• Oven                $500
• Stovetop          $400
• Sink                  $150
• Tap                    $75
• Plumber           $250
• Electrician        $250
• Cart                   $100
• Fridge               $200

               TOTAL        $1925

January is typically slow month for ministry, but this year we are not feeling slow at all. It is school holidays, and many people are away. It’s a good chance to evaluate goals for the coming year, and to enjoy the beach. We are trying to get settled into our new home. There are still many small (and some big) jobs that need to be done.

Thank you so much for your prayers for us. We greatly value your input into the ministry here in Australia.

In His service.

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

Christmas service attenders 2012. A long way up from 3 people just 2 years ago!

Christmas dinner guests. Faces blurred for safety.

27/11/12

What a great weekend it has been!

On Saturday we had a work day on the gardens at the church.  There is still much to do, but we did make a dent in it.

On Saturday evening we took part in the FOCUS (Fellowship of Overseas Christian University Students) carols night at the University.  (Yes, it's a bit early for it, but the University has just finished for the year, and they wanted to do it before many of the students left the area).  We both were asked to lead the singing for the English-speaking portion of the program.  There was also singing in Korean, Chinese and Indonesian.  It was a great evening, with a sausage sizzle dinner included.  A few of our church members also came along and enjoyed the evening.

We are praising the Lord for the first baptism our church has seen in countless years.  Our two new believers, Med___ and Mas____, were gloriously baptized on Sunday afternoon.  They were so thrilled to be taking this positive step of obedience after receiving Christ three weeks ago.  They both gave solid testimonies of their faith in Jesus alone to save them from their sin.  We are thrilled to have two young new believers as part of our church!

After the baptism we enjoyed spending time getting to know our new friends, the Lesters, who are considering coming alongside to help us here at Living Hope.  We played some games and watched a rivalry football game (Michigan vs Ohio State) via the internet.  (Isn't technology amazing!)

Luke starts work on Saturday!  He did get the job at Jamberoo--the local water park--working in food and beverage.  We trust that he can get some good hours, especially when school finishes up the second week of December.

Amy has just enjoyed Thanksgiving break with Matt's family in Michigan.  It was good to catch up with her on the phone the other day.  Pray that she'll persevere through this semester, and through the cold, snowy winter months.  She's been feeling discouraged lately.

In His service.

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

Fist pump of excitement!

Faces blurred for safety.

11/11/12

Hello to our faithful prayer supporters,

We’ve had an interesting time over the past few weeks. With a robbery and stolen credit cards and valuables, our time has been consumed with replacing the cards, changing PINs and passwords, and pursuing an insurance claim for the valuables. It is certainly a time-consumer.

We were thrilled and blessed to have two middle-eastern university students receive Jesus as their Savior! They are so excited about their new faith–they say it is so much easier than trying to live up to the demands of the Koran. They are attending our services regularly. We have had many wonderful "talks" about what it is to live as a Christian.

In church we had 2 first time visitors today. They are people Matt knows through his contacts at the University. Last night (Nov. 10th) we had a social event and had the Buckley family back (the young family who used to attend and then decided to look around at other churches for a while). We also had as visitors an unsaved couple - neighbors of one of our members, and another family that the next paragraph talks about.

We may have a co-worker to come alongside us to help! Pray for Pastor Gary and his family and for us as we pray about their making the move to help us here at Living Hope Baptist. They are from North America, but have dual Aussie citizenship like us. Their family recently moved back here to Australia and is looking for an opportunity for ministry.

Luke has been offered a job at Jamberoo, a theme park (mostly water-based) nearby! He is thrilled, as are we. Tuesday is a full day of orientation–I suppose he’ll just have to miss school that day. Aw shucks!

Amy is struggling with the weather getting colder there at Cedarville, as well as feeling kinda blue. Please pray that she will not lose heart and will keep up with her studies. She is also waiting to hear about a new, better job on campus starting next semester.

Thanks for praying,

Matt & Barb

ABWE Australia

31 Oct. 2012 AD

The GOOD and the bad!

Well, in one day (Sunday) we had so many emotional ups and downs our heads are still spinning!

We were contacted by a young Muslim international student who had questions about Christianity.  He saw our church sign (Living Hope) and he thought that sounded good--something his religion doesn't provide.  He and a friend had read the Book of John, had lots of questions, and wanted to meet with Matt. They arranged to come at 3:00 on Sunday afternoon.

During church that morning, our house (the parsonage right next to the church) was broken into and we were burglarized.  Talk about spiritual warfare!!!  The thief took our wallets (with of course all our ID, credit cards, and some cash), Matt's camera and laptop, Luke's waist pack with his Epipen medication (for his peanut allergy), driver's license and bank card, Luke's PSP and game, and Barb's jewelry, and even one of our checkbooks!  Sounds like someone's trying to steal our identity!  Well, between church and 3:00, we were on the phone to credit card companies and banks, and the police (who came and took a report and fingerprinted).

At 3:10 our Muslim friends came, and Matt and another friend witnessed to them for 2+ hours!  At the end, they both gladly, excitedly received Christ as their Savior!!!

We received a lovely email from one of the young men, who is excited to come to our church (after university exams), and also is very keen to be baptized!!  Here is a quote from his email:  "I am now proud of myself to say I am a Christian because it is a religion of peace . . . Today was a reminiscent day in my life, and I wanted to tell you after our discussion we were ready to baptize wholeheartedly . . . I will try to participate in your weekly holy rituals after the exam duration and learn and grow my knowledge more about my new religion to be qualified to justify and encourage some of my other friends who I trust them to this religion . . ."

Wow!  We are "over the moon," as they say here!  Praise the Lord!

We are also excited about the progress on our new house.  Matt is in the middle of laying the timber flooring, carpet will be installed in the bedrooms on Saturday.  The electrical work is all done (we now have lights, etc, so we can work on it in the evening!) Plumbing should be completed this week.  It's looking very beautiful and inviting (especially since we've just been broken into here at the church!)

Also, we have a potential co-worker/associate!  More details next time . . .

Thanks so much for your prayers,

Matt & Barb

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

• Please pray for our new baby converts!
• Please pray that the thief will be caught and some of our belongings returned
• Please pray that our house will be ready to move into soon
• Please pray for Luke who has a second job interview on Thursday at a nearby amusement park
• Please pray that the potential associate will work out according to God's plan

16 Oct. 2012

G'day everyone,


With ups and downs in the weather (a typical spring), we've had storms with thunder, lightening, wind and rain, as well as gentle breezes, clear skies and warm sunshine.  Our life can tend to be like that, too.  We are so grateful for the God of Creation who brings both storms and sunshine into our lives to teach us how to be more like Him.  He knows what we need and when we need it!

We were blessed by a visiting parent of a fellow missionary who was excited about the work we've done and yet needs to be done at Living Hope Baptist Church.  He is a handyman, and is now considering bringing a work crew out next year.

We are saddened that Luke and Hayley have decided to look further at other area churches before deciding where to attend.  We've missed them.  Pray that God would direct them.

We are so thankful that work is progressing on our house.  We may be able to move in by the end of the month!

We are saddened by the lack of interest and great amount of apathy in our community toward spiritual things.  We are seeking God's wisdom in how to reach out and bring the gospel to this place.

We are thankful that Matt has begun a Chaplaincy course which will bring greater opportunity to minister.

We are concerned for Living Hope Baptist Church as we anticipate our furlough in 2014.  That seems a long way off, but it will be here before we know it, and our desire is to have a pastor in place for them, or at least an interim to fill in during our absence.

We are encouraged by the good spirit among our members here.

God is good!

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

Interesting bits from the local news/trivia:

• The Sydney area is now the second most expensive city in the world.
• Matt assists at a Thursday evening outreach Bible study at the University of Wollongong.  This university ranks 38th best in the world.
• Education is now our area's number one industry replacing steel at the top of the list for the first time ever.

26 Sept. 2012 AD

G'day everyone,

Thank you so much for your prayers.  We could easily "grow weary in well doing" were it not for your continued prayers and support. Please pray for our church to grow!  We are struggling with the Lord about how to reach the people of our community!  There is such apathy toward the things of God, such lack of conviction and commitment!  Our small flock could easily become discouraged.  Pray for revival and zeal among our members.  Pray for God's direction and blessing!

This Sunday we'll be having a church planning meeting in which we will set out goals for the coming few months.  Pray for unity and a positive spirit.

We have been in contact with some in the States who want to come for a ministry trip next year.  Pray for these early days of planning for them. If you, or your church, were interested in a trip to visit before our next furlough (likely 2014) please be in contact SOON!

School holidays this week and next gives a break from Scripture classes for Barb, but pray that the next 8 weeks (the last term of the school year) will be fruitful in presenting the opportunity for the students to make a decision for Christ.  The FOCUS Bible study Matt attends at the University also has a break, but continue to pray for opportunities to lead these international students into a relationship with Christ. Our Diggers Rest Home ministry was canceled last time as they went into "lockdown" over all the cold and flue that was going around. It just opened back up and we learned that at least 5 have died - one was a godly encouraging lady.

Next week we celebrate 27 wonderful years of marriage!  We have been so blessed to have had so many great years together!  Barb also celebrates her (?)th birthday.

God is good.  Thank you for your partnership with us in the ministry here in Australia.

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

19 Sept. 2012 AD

Hello to our faithful supporters,

We've settled back into somewhat of a routine since all our travels and ministry during the Olympics.  Matt's eyeglasses were broken (literally scattered down the aisle of the airplane!) on his last flight, so we were blessed when, after ordering new ones, they came in 3 business days instead of 10!  Matt was having trouble seeing with an older prescription.

Matt has also been suffering with allergies this past week.  He saw the doctor this morning and got a prescription which should help. We both recently had blood tests (because we're of an age where it's just a good idea to get everything checked out), and we're both healthy.  God is good!

Our Spring into Corrimal outreach last Sunday was great.  We didn't see as many out as last year, but we still ministered to our community with bottles of water and sausage sandwiches.  Many of our church people were sick that day, but we had enough help throughout the day, and ended with a worship service at 4 pm.  So far we haven't seen any visitors from this outreach, but those who received water bottles received our web address.  We're trusting that God will stir the hearts of people to contact us.

We would ask you to pray for Luke and Hayley (the new couple that has been coming to our church).  They've recently moved into the area, away from family and friends, and are hungry for friends their age.  Unfortunately our church can't offer them those kinds of friendships (we just don't have other young families as yet).  They are torn because they really like the church and the teaching from the Word of God; however, they may start looking elsewhere to find a church that meets their social needs as well.  We know God is sovereign, and He will build His church.

Our Luke is in his last week of Year 11.  These past two days he's been taking a first aid course that the school offered.  He's looking forward to two weeks of school holidays.

Barb has given her scripture classes an invitation to trust Jesus on Wednesday morning (your Tuesday evening).  Pray that this impacts those who listen, and there would be no hindrances to decisions which may be made!

Praise the Lord our house is looking more and more like a home all the time!  We should be able to move by the end of October, barring any unforeseen obstacles.  God is good!

Thanks so much for praying,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

Coming Events

• SRE (Scripture classes in public schools) gospel presentation (19 Sept.)
• FOCUS Bible Study at university (20 Sept.)
• Spring School Break (24 Sept. - 5 Oct.)
• Next FOCUS Bible Study at university (27 Sept.)
• Preaching from end of Romans 15 (23-30 Sept.)
• Diggers Rest Home Outreach (2 Oct.)

7 Sept 2012 AD

Back at it!

Hello,
Thank you everyone for all your prayers for us as we were traveling, first to London for the Olympic outreach with Answers in Genesis, and then for Matt as he traveled to the States for his nephew's wedding and some meetings with supporters.  Matt has returned to Australia safe and sound, and we're gearing up for what's ahead here.

This Sunday please be in prayer for our Spring Into Corrimal outreach.  We will postpone our service time because the community passes by our door from 10 am to 4 pm.  We will offer free barbecued sausage sandwiches and water bottles again this year, and have the opportunity to talk with those who pass by. At 4 PM we will have our church service for the day. Last year this outreach really lifted our profile in the community. Pray we make an impact!

Matt was encouraged by his time back in the States.  We have some great supporting churches, and individual supporters.  Thank you for all your support both financially and in prayer.

On the home front, we are missing Amy now that she's back at Cedarville, but she's enjoying it.  Luke has finished his final exams for Year 11, and is waiting for the results.  Two more weeks of classes, and then in October he'll begin his studies for the Higher School Certificate (Year 12).  We were pleased that he handled being on his own responsibly while we were both away.  In other words, he didn't burn the house down or smash the car!

Our house is underway again.  Interior walls, doors and trim are up, and exterior rendering (a stucco-type finish) is being applied.  We are thrilled that it is moving ahead once again.  We are praying that we can be in by Matt's birthday in December.

God is good, and He is faithful to us!  We are trusting Him for great things ahead here at Living Hope Baptist Church!

In His service
Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

18 July 2012

Australians would say we are "Flat out!"

Dear friends and supporters,

Thank you for praying for us.  We are counting down to a number of things right now:

Luke will take his driving test on Tuesday (24th)--please pray that he passes the on the first try!

Amy leaves for the US on Wednesday (25th)--please pray for her safety!

We leave on the 31st to go to London via Seoul Korea and Paris--please pray for our safety!

We meet with the Answers in Genesis group on the 3rd of August to begin outreach to the London Olympics--please pray for safety, good health and great opportunities for witness!

We arrive back in Sydney on the 17th of August--please pray for safe travel

Matt leaves Sydney on the 18th of August to travel to the US for meetings and the wedding of his nephew--please pray for safety, good meetings, and an increase in support. There have been 3 supporters dropping over $600 per month recently.

Matt arrives back in Sydney on the 6th of September--please pray for safe travel.

Corrimal's annual Spring into Corrimal Festival is on the 9th of September--please pray for another good outreach into our community on that day!

Whew!

We were thrilled to see our visitors, Luke and Hayley, return on Sunday morning!  They seem interested.  Please pray that they will choose Living Hope Baptist as their new church home!  We also had another couple visit who were just passing through the area.

We actually signed further mortgage papers so we're thinking the bank will finally be releasing money to continue work on our house! Please pray that this will indeed be the case and that work will proceed!  Nothing has been done, except for a few minor incidentals, since before Easter!!!

Barb starts another term of Scripture teaching today.  Please pray that it will be a fruitful term.

Thank you so much for your prayers.  We are blessed to have such faithful prayer warriors!

In His service
Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

Coming Events

• Next FOCUS Bible study (19 July)
• Luke's first attempt at his driving test (24 July)
• Amy back to USA for another year at Cedarville University (25 July)
• FOCUS Bible study (26 July)
• Matt & Barb to London games outreach (31 July - 17 Aug.)
• Matt to USA to report to supporters (Aug. 18 - 4 Sept.)
• Corrimal Festival Outreach (9 Sept.)

9 July 2012

G'day everyone,

Well, another week has come and gone.  We've said goodbye to our ministry team.  Their work for us was invaluable.  They began the process of remodeling the church kitchen, and did some major painting and cleaning up in the multipurpose building.  The new kitchen floor and cabinets are stunning!  Now please pray that the funds will be available to finish the job (countertops and appliances).  We have a colleague sewing a new curtain for the stage which will also bring a great transformation to the room. There is still a great need for more teams / visitors to help refurbish this place. Go to: ABWE Australia Construction Project

Now we press on toward our departure for the London Olympics. During this week, while Luke is off of school, we will be supervising his final hours of practice driving with the intention for him to get his provisional driver's license next week.  Please pray that he will pass the driving test!  It would be good for him to have the license before we leave him on his own for 17 days.  He has bus transport to and from school, but just in case there's an emergency.

All the airline tickets are booked for both Amy and ourselves.  Amy leaves here on the 25th to fly back to Michigan.  She'll then meet us in London on the 3rd of August with the Answers in Genesis group.  We are excited to be able to work with this group.  They have 97 coming along to witness and hand out booklets from the 3rd to the 12th of August. For more info: Answers in Genesis outreach to the London Games.

The day after we arrive back in Sydney (17th), Matt departs for the US primarily to perform his nephew's wedding, but he will be reporting to several of our churches and supporters during his 2-1/2 week stay there, both in California and in Michigan.  Please pray for us as we do all this traveling!!

Matt has been attending a Bible study led by an organization called FOCUS on the University of Wollongong campus. This is an evangelistic Bible study that reaches out to overseas students. Last Thursday night, there were two fellows at his table who had lots of questions and Matt was able to share the truth of God's Word and the gospel with them.  They did not make decisions for Christ at that time.  Please pray for"Joe" and "Alan."  One other gentleman "Alex" did receive Christ while talking to another attendee. All three students are here from mainland China.

A very big praise:  We had a young family visit our church yesterday, Sunday 7th.  They are new to the area and looking for a church.  They have visited several.  They are a bit discouraged that so many of the churches here are so small.  They really want to be able to connect and make new friends with other young families.  He has been listening to Matt's sermons on the church website and enjoyed them. LHBC   Please pray for Luke, Hayley and their two little ones as they make this important decision.  Of course, we would love them to be part of our church!

Also, please pray that a substitute Scripture teacher will be found for Barb's 2 Scripture classes for the three weeks we'll be away in August.

In His service
Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

27 June 2012

Serving a great God!

Hello everyone,

Sorry we've not sent any updates in a few weeks.  We've had plenty on our plate!

The first thing to report is the Creation Ministries International meeting we had at our church on June 16.  What a blessing to see the room crowded!  We had around 50 people in attendance.  With one of our members a science teacher, and our church as a whole concerned about the doctrine of evolution that is being upheld on our world, it was a great evening of information and encouragement.  There was at least one family who was looking for a new church home--their current church is becoming "high church"--more like Catholic.  Pray that we will see them visit on a Sunday sometime!

We are currently hosting another ministry team from the States.  The 6 of them are busily remodeling our church kitchen and doing some much-needed cleaning and painting in the multi-purpose building. What a difference it will make!

Luke is on school holidays for three weeks.  We hope to get him to complete his learner driving hours so he can try for his license.

Amy's time with us is going so quickly.  In less than a month she'll be flying back to the States, and then meeting up with us in London for the Answers in Genesis evangelistic outreach at the Olympics. Then she'll be heading back to Cedarville for her sophomore year.

On the home construction front, the bank is still dragging its feet in releasing any more money to us.  We have been given verbal assurance that the loan is going through, but SHOW US THE MONEY!  So construction is still pretty much at a stand still until this can be resolved.

We are in the depths of winter here, which means temperatures in the 50s.  It's not so bad, but homes here are not well insulated, and it's often colder inside the house than outside!  We're looking forward to spring!

Thank you for your prayers!  God is indeed good to us!

In His service
Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

6 June 2012

In The Lord's Service

Matt is enjoying doing small jobs around the construction site. It is a relaxing distraction from the pressures of ministry. We have had some very serious issues in the lives of the people of our church and a lot of time has been spent in loving pastoral care.

Barb is enjoying singing once again with the Sweet Adelines group here in our area.  She had quit for about 5 years, but has found the Wollongong Harmony Chorus here, and is enjoying getting to know the ladies and building friendships.

This weekend we will attend the wedding of a fellow missionary's daughter. We look forward to that! Next weekend we have a special Creation Ministries International meeting at our church. We are trying to advertize this far and wide with the hopes that God will build His church and encourage His people.

In His service
Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

23 May 2012 AD

Australian National Day of Thanksgiving

G'day Friends,

This weekend is Thanksgiving! Of course it is much different here than in the USA. While we always celebrate it about this time of the year, in Australia our government recommends a particular focus that they encourage everyone to be thankful for. We have chosen the government's focus on chaplains this year. We will celebrate chaplains in schools, universities, hospitals, clubs and more. Pray with us that our congregation would be thankful and that we would praise God properly for these servants.

Many in our congregation are going through some difficult circumstances right now.  Please pray for the people of Living Hope Baptist Church.  Pray that we will see growth in numbers as we reach out to our community.

Feeling the pinch! While it is nice to have the Australian dollar heading back in a direction that will help us on payday we are also keenly aware of our needs. Supporters may have been late in sending in support to ABWE, or something, but we have fallen into the red for the first time since before last furlough. Add to this the fact that our projector blew up last weekend (we had several elements we wanted to use it for during our Thanksgiving service this Sunday) and we are still around $3200 short for our London Olympic needs. We do not enjoy these financial pressures, but we trust God to show Himself Mighty. Pray with us about these matters. If God lays it on your heart a few extra dollars sent our way right now would be a BIG blessing.

We are excited to report that our house is finally at "lock-up" stage.  That means we need a key to get inside the doors!  There is still much to do, and the bank continues to give us grief about our mortgage, but we'll get there.

We are so blessed to have Amy with us for a couple of months.  The time will go all too quickly!  She's getting some hours in working at our new house, but still no other job to speak of.  Luke needs a job as well.  Please pray!

Thank you for your prayers for us.  We have been feeling the stress of the ministry, as well as stress involved with building our home.  Pray that we will place all things in the Lord's hands and let Him work through each situation.


In His service
Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

16 May 2012 AD

Ministry that touches people

If the gathering hadn't been in a church you wouldn't have known the people were religious.
They are just ordinary down-to-earth people.
It was a great night out
We really enjoyed that game, where did they get it?
and this from Tony "I told Dianne on the way home, if we ever decide to get religious then that's where we will be going."

I wanted to thank you again for coming to Corrimal to work with us.  I know I have been kicking and screaming a bit along the way but I am excited at what we are becoming. 

[Tony and Dianne]  were a bit put out that I didn't tell them people were bringing food so that they could contribute.  Had to explain that we as a group decide in advance who brings what so we can provide what is needed and we always have a little extra to invite friends. I think they will be back!!  Thank you for helping us become somewhere that I can invite people and know that they will be welcomed without the old fashioned "Bible Bashing" that went on in the past.

1 May 2012 AD

Hello everyone,

I saw a window sticker on a car this morning:  "Surfing is my religion."
What a sad commentary on our world.  For most in our society there are so many things, activities, and relationships that are way more important our God.  I'm thankful I don't practice a religion, but that I have an ongoing relationship with the Creator and Savior of the world!

The past couple of weeks have been full of study.  We are trying to finish up our papers and reading for our Ancient Church History class we're doing through Asia Baptist Theological Seminary.  May 15 is the deadline for everything, but we hope to be done before that!

Amy is coming home!  She'll be landing on the 10th and we'll be able to enjoy her company until the end of July.  Pray that she can find work here.  Luke needs a job as well.

We're having our bi-annual Barbecue Birthday Bash this Friday.  It's a chance to celebrate all the birthdays that have happened over the first half of the year.  It's a great time of fellowship and "body-building" for our church.

Progress on our home is slow but sure.  The roof should finished by mid-week, and the siding will be delivered on Saturday.

Please continue to pray for our funding for the London Olympics.  Thank you to those who have contributed.

We are so blessed by those who faithfully support our ministry on a monthly basis.  Thank you everyone!

In His service

Matt & Barb Douglas
ABWE Australia

17 April 2012

It's been a crazy couple of weeks.

We've had beautiful weather, until today, so much progress has been made on the building of our house--subfloor, frames and trusses are done, but now that the rain has started, we'll have to wait to get our roof and siding on!

But the good weather allowed our work crew from the states to get a lot of work done on our church building!  They reworked, renovated and improved on every window in the church, plus replacing an emergency door which was unopenable, and taking care of many small tasks that have just been left undone.  We are so thankful for our friends from the Woodland area who have helped so diligently on this project.

With Easter comes a lot of extra preparation and services.  We enjoyed our Easter Hymn Sing on Good Friday evening.  It was a wonderful time of worship. Our service at the retirement home was also well attended and enjoyed because of the good ministry.

Resurrection Sunday service was poorly attended.  Many of our regular attendees were out of town that weekend.  We still enjoyed celebrating our Savior's death and resurrection.

A few more have given towards our evangelism outreach in London.  We appreciate all that has come in.  It's not too late to give toward this ministry.  Please send your gifts to our Evangelism and Church Planting account (006).

On the family front:
Amy is still deciding whether she'll come back to Australia for her summer break.  We would surely love to see her, but she's weighing up job options and what's going to be the most cost-effective. Luke would also love to get a part time job. Pray for God's provision.

Matt is taking a couple of weeks off from preaching.  We're needing to get our seminary class wrapped up--we're taking our final exam this Saturday, and then there's some extra reading and a major paper due by May 15.

Thanks so much for your prayers.  Pray that we can see fruit from all the events which we have had over the past month.  Our little church is still little!  We would love to see a full building!

In His service

Matt & Barb Douglas
ABWE Australia

Click on a date to see the update:

3 April 2012 AD

28 March 2012 AD

21 March 2012 AD

15 March 2012 AD

20 Feb 2012 AD

G'day Friends,

Our new church name has officially been recognized by the New South Wales government!  We are now LIVING HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH.  We now have the amazing task of changing our sign, letterhead, advertising and look.  Thanks for praying with us for this!  We have submitted our constitution for review by the government as well, and expect to hear within a week or two whether it's all up-to-date and legal.  We are looking toward sometime within the next two months having a new "opening" service to announce the new name to the community and to officially "restart."

Our block of land has taken on a new look.  We had an excavator on site to do some digging and reshaping, and it looks like we can actually put a house on the block now!  However, please pray for the rains to stop!!!  After a heavy downpour last night, some of the excavation work was ruined!    And as we type this email, it looks as though it will start raining again soon.    We need dry weather for the next steps in the process of building our home!  Please pray.

We have one of our colleagues preaching for Matt this week, so that gives Matt some needed time off to regroup and work on other much-needed items.

We are awaiting our first exam for our Ancient Church History class to arrive so we can carry on with our class.  Pray for us as we prepare for it and take it.

Please pray for Matt as he prioritizes his time this week.
Please pray for Barb as she ministers in Scripture classes and builds relationships at the gym and chorus.
Please pray for Luke as he gets more experience in driving, and for his studies.
Please pray for Amy as she studies at Cedarville.

Thanks for praying,

Matt & Barb Douglas

ABWE Australia

13 Feb 2012 AD

Hello,
What a week it's been!  The highlight of the week was yesterday's annual meeting at church.  We voted to change our name from Illawarra Berean Baptist Church to Living Hope Baptist Church.  And we voted to accept all the amendments to our constitution that we have discussed over the past year.  These are big things for a tiny church that has been in existence for some 30 years.  We have seen such growth in the people, and believe God has great things for the coming year!  We now have to submit our revised constitution for approval by the New South Wales government.  We trust that it will be merely routine and that they will sign off on it with no problems, since we've had an attorney go through it with us already.  And we must request for the name change to be registered as well.  We trust that they will approve of the name (the only hitch would be if there was another entity with the same nameand we don't believe there is because we have already purchased the web domain name).

Since we got permission to build our house, the weather has not been cooperative.  We've had a very wet month so far.  This makes it difficult to even get on the block to do the excavation and layout of the house and drilling of holes for the piers (foundation).  We trust that we'll be getting some dryer weather ahead!  We have made selections for our bathroom fixtures and tiles, and today we go to do the same for the kitchen.

We are enjoying our seminary course, The Ancient Church.  This week we'll be taking an exam, and then we'll continue with lectures and writing papers!  It is time consuming, though.  Pray that we will make wise use of our time!

Barb begins teaching scripture in the public schools again this week.  She'll have two classes (4th grade) at two different schools, one of which is just across the street from us!  We trust that this will give opportunity to bring some new people into our church through contacts with the children and their families.

Thanks for praying for us.  We're feeling quite weary with all that is on our plate, but God is our strength!

In His service,

Matt & Barb

7 Feb 2012 AD

Hello everyone,

Well, if you haven't heard through Facebook or otherwise, we finally got permission from the local government to build a house on our block of land!  We are excited about that, and thankful that it didn't take as long as it could have--only three months, rather than up to 18 months!  Now comes the part where we have to get it built! We need it to stop raining so we can do the earth works and foundations. Forcast is for rain almost every day for the next 21 days. We've ordered a "kit" home, but we're having a builder build it for us.  He's a Christian gentleman who was associated with our church in the past.  Matt will of course be helping where he can to make it cheaper on us.

Luke has started school again for his 11th grade year.  He seems pleased with his schedule and the classes he has.  Here in 11th and 12th, you're allowed all elective classes except English, and he's chosen to take Extension English above the normal English class!  He's also taking Ancient and Modern History, Business Studies, Math and Drama.  As the school year has started up, we're trying to get him to drive to school to get him more practice with us in the car.  Pray that he becomes more confident, and that we won't be so nervous riding with him!!

The church is doing well.  People are growing and learning.  Sunday will be our Annual Meeting, where we will vote on all the constitutional changes we've worked on throughout the year.  If it passes (which it most likely will, since we've discussed it as we've gone along), we then must submit it to the government for approval, since we're incorporated as a non-profit association.  With all this will come the change of our name to Living Hope Baptist Church!  Pray that all goes through smoothly.

We're looking forward to another work team coming from the States to help with some of the renovations on the property.  They'll be here late March-early April.

Thanks for praying for us!

In His service,

Matt & Barb

28 Jan 2012 AD

Dear friends and supporters,

It has been an eventful week.  With Luke gone to Camp Toukley for the week (more on this later), we caught up on some things, as well as spent some quality time just the two of us.

We spent a great deal of time working on the church constitution, including meeting with a Christian attorney to go through his suggestions to make the document legally accurate.  Meeting with our church people on Sunday, we were able to get approval for some necessary changes.  We're well on our way to finalizing the constitution, which we will vote on at our annual meeting in February.  Then, as an incorporated body, we must submit it to the government authorities for approval.

We are trying to spend one day a week on our seminary studies.  We have to be diligent to keep up with the lectures and reading--we can't afford to fall behind as we must complete the course by mid-May.

We have received verbal approval from the local council to build on our property!  It also shows on the government web site that approval is granted. This is a great relief to us.  We must wait for the official paperwork to come through, but we can start thinking about and planning for the actual building process.  We have hired a Christian builder in the area to do the construction.

Luke spent the week at Camp Toukley, a Christian camp which ministers to mostly DOCS (Department of Children's Services) kids from around the state.  It was their biggest camp to date--150 3rd-6th grade children.  Luke and 2 others were leaders over 15 boys.  Thursday 101 children and 3 leaders from Mission Australia trusted Jesus as their Savior!  God is amazing!  Luke came home encouraged, wanting to go back in April during our autumn school holidays!

School starts up again for Luke next Wednesday--11th grade this year!  He never got a summer job--oh well.

Thanks for your faithful prayers for us.  Pray that we will not grow weary in well doing!

In His service,

Matt & Barb

18 Jan 2012 AD

G'day,

It's been a good week.

During the week we enjoyed a visit from friends and coworkers for a couple of days.  We always have a great time playing games and visiting new places with them.

Saturday we drove Luke to Camp Toukley--a Christian kids camp about 3 hours north of us.  He'll be spending the week there as a leader for primary-aged kids.  Pray that it will be a fruitful week--growth for himself, and salvation for the children.

We had a missionary speaker on Sunday morning.  He shared their ministry in Vanuatu, and was very encouraging to our people.  On Sunday afternoon we viewed the second of two DVDs by Louie Giglio (Indescribable! and How Great is Our God) which was also a great encouragement to us.  We have such a big God!

Amy is not really enjoying the snow in Ohio, but she is enjoying her new semester of classes at Cedarville.  She will be in their production of The Crucible at the end of the month, so she is full on with rehearsals and preparation for that.

We're still waiting for approval to build our house.  Everything slows down in January and people are away on vacation, so approval takes longer.  Pray that we will hear something this week!

Our annual business meeting is coming up in February.  We have many proposed changes to the constitution that need to be implemented, mostly to meet the government regulations for non-profit corporations.  Pray that we will make wise decisions.

Thanks as always for your prayers for us!

In His service,

Matt & Barb

10 Jan 2012 AD

Enjoying our summer

28 Dec 2011 AD

Have a wonderfully blessed new year!

G'day,
Well, Christmas has come and gone.  Today in Australia (the 26th) is Boxing Day (another day for Aussies to take off work!)  Traditionally it's when you were supposed to box up your gifts and share them with the poor.

On Christmas Eve, we continued our Australian family tradition and went to the beach in the late afternoon.  The weather was perfect, there wasn't too much of a crowd, and the water was nice!  We enjoyed strolling along the beach, and then a seafood takeaway dinner from a great fish n chips shop.  We watched "It's a Wonderful Life" that evening.

Sunday we had our service earlier, at 9 am.  We did not have any visitors, but we enjoyed a great time of worship and celebration of Jesus' birth.

We did miss Amy being with us this year.  We talked to her on our Christmas day, and on the US Christmas day, both.

Matt has been sick with a bad cough for the past month.  It's been determined that it's NOT whooping cough, and he'll go in for a chest x-ray Wednesday to try to help determine the cause.  It could just be allergies.  He has been feeling quite a bit better over the past few days.  He still struggles with singing and preaching at times.

For New Years Day we will have our regular service with a focus on what the Bible says about goals and plans. The church has been through a lot of changes over the last year. Pray with us that this year will see us build on the spiritual growth of last year with a greater spiritual and numeric outcome!

Thank you for your faithful prayers for us.  Please continue to pray that this coming year we will see the Lord building His church in Corrimal!

In His service,

Matt & Barb

Dec 20 2011 AD

Merry Christmas!

Hello friends,

Our sausage sizzle and singalong was a fun evening.  We had some good food and fellowship, and an evening of singing carols, focusing on the reason for the season.  We had most of our regular group, plus the Weber family (another ABWE missionary family) and five visitors.  These five were from a small home church that is considering disbanding and joining with us.  We invited them along so they could see a bit of what we're like.  And it was good for us to get to know a bit of what they're like!

Sunday evening our church traveled to a sister church 45 minutes away for their carols service.  We enjoyed fellowshipping with them.

We are missing our summer!  It just hasn't happened yet!  Most days have been cold, rainy, windy, cloudy--nothing like summer here should be!  Everyone is commenting on how this "global warming" is really affecting us!

We are missing Amy as Christmas draws near.  She is with friends and family back in the States.

Luke is having a relaxing school break so far.  He hasn't found a job yet, but is gearing up to go once again to Camp Toukley, a kid's camp which ministers to many needy and abused children.  He will be a cabin leader again this year.

Our construction certificate and development approval for the home we want to have built is close to being approved.  We may even hear some good news today!  The council employee in charge of our application has been told he must clear off his desk before Christmas break--so this may mean we'll get the rubber stamp of approval this week.  Praise the Lord!

Our church people will be going to the rest home on Thursday morning to sing some Christmas carols for the residents there.  This is the same place where we have a monthly chapel service.  We are praying that our singing will not only cheer the folks there up, but also be a witness to the staff.

Pray for us as we minister to our community this Christmastime.

In His service,

Matt & Barb Douglas
ABWE-Australia

7 Dec 2011 AD

December, can you believe it?