Greetings from the Sydney International Christian Church! John 13:34-35 rings so truly as it states, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” It has been a RIDE of a roller coaster here in Sydney as all of the disciples have persevered through trials, embraced the victories, and have grown increasingly more and more in their love for “one another.” The joy that comes with fighting to live an obedient life for Christ has definitely been overflowing even into the streets and campuses of the place we can call home – New South Wales, Sydney! So much so that more and more guests come walking through our doors and are curious to find out why all the love? Why all the joy?
Last week we experienced the thrill of our evangelism hunt as the brothers from the North Region Macquarie University campus, courageously baptised our most zealous brother in the roaring waters (literally roaring) of Coogee Beach! Dean is our first Chinese male convert who can speak fluent Cantonese, Mandarin, and English! What is so powerful about Dean’s conversion story is that he was first reached out to by our baby Christian Maggie, as they have been friends throughout Maggie’s prior life in China. Dean is an individual who was completely atheistic and sincerely battled through what he had always “known” – that there is no God. During the fellowship he would ask several disciples why they believed in God but now, Dean is OUT THERE on campus and in the fellowship asking OTHER visiting guests why THEY don’t believe in God! It was such an encouragement boost to witness the changes that he had made!
Equally encouraging was the serene and beautiful baptism of our new baby Christian sister, Nonto! In the very middle of a sunset, the sisters from the Central Region Sydney University campus gently placed Nonto completely into the water in view of Australia’s glorious Anzac Bridge! God was literally making it so special as the Sydney disciples have been genuinely praying for a “Uni” campus student to be saved! Amazingly, Nonto is a talented woman who comes from the sovereign state called the Kingdom of Swaziland located in the South African region. It is so exciting to know that her hometown is just neighbors away from St. Johannesburg! Now, the sisters can rejoice together in God’s sweet victory over someone as precious as Nonto! Thank you for all of your prayers for us, and faith that God CAN do it!
