Dear Praying Friends,
It is strange to be saying goodbye to July when the weather has been so cold. Someone reminded me that my anniversary is coming up quickly and I had to stop and think about it because of the difference in temperatures. September is usually a warm month after a warm summer, so I have been thrown off a bit by the cold in my thinking. Amazing how that happens.
Thank you for your prayers for the activities of the month of July they were truly blessed. The church game night was very well attended and it was a great time of fellowship. You really get to know someone when you face them in a game of Monopoly or Uno. Also, the go karting activity was chilly but went well. The final activity of this busy month was the Creation Ministries presentation. This was also well attended and there were several visitors. Please pray with us that we can reach out to those visitors that signed our guestbook and those who did not would return soon. Also, most importantly that the message presented would continue to work in hearts.
August is a little slower with activities, but please keep the transition of Grace in your prayers. Thank you again for visiting this site and your prayers are much appreciated. May God bless you for your prayer support.
In Christ,
Mark Pitts and Family
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Dear Praying Fiends,
We are enjoying our first full autumn and winter here in Melbourne, Australia. It is chilly and windy at times, but overall it is not even close to the cold we experienced in the Midwest. There are several trees that have changed color and lost their leaves, but many still remain. It is odd to be heading into July and be in winter. So, we are still adjusting to living on the other side of the earth.
On May 25 we celebrated Australia's National Day of Thanksgiving. It is not like the United States Thanksgiving Day, but it was a day that reminded us to thank God for who He is and for His wonderful gift of salvation. The ladies prepared three fruit baskets for different community servants. Don and I delivered one basket to the local fire brigade, our local police department, and to Watsonia Primary School where we meet on Sundays. After hearing that some of the groups would most likely refuse to take the gift, we prayed that the Lord would allow us to be a blessing and He answered. Each group received the baskets gratefully and we shared with them that we were thankful for them and that we would be praying especially for them on Sunday.
From May 31 to June 2 the ladies went to the Refresh Retreat. It was held at a camp at Mount Evelyn and several other churches from the state of Victoria participated. There was candle making, games, food, and Beverly Shoaf was the speaker for the conference. The ladies came back and shared testimony the next Sunday of the blessing they received from spending time in fellowship at the camp.
June 6 Sara's parents arrived to visit and will be heading home on June 26. It has been a wonderful time taking them around to see all the things that we have experienced in our short time here in Australia. We have enjoyed introducing them to our new friends "down under" and showing them the ministry that the Lord has called us to. They have been able to see the different landscape here in the Melbourne area from the downtown city to the beach all the way to the mountains. Also, we have been able to see much wildlife both in the zoo and in the wild. Please pray for them as they travel back to the States and readjust to the time back in Illinois.
We have several upcoming events that we would love if you could pray for. On July 7 we will be having a church family game night at our house, and on July 12 we are trying to plan a go karting activity and have a barbeque. Our big activity for July is on the 28 we will be having a group from Creation Ministries in the share on Sunday night. It should be a very informative time and also a great opportunity to reach out to the lost souls in our area. There is one more big request for this upcoming month and that is the transition at Grace Baptist Church. Our friends and coworkers Don and Lola Winans will be shifting over to cover for another missionary couple that will head home for furlough. This will leave us to lead Grace Baptist Church, but truly we will be led by the Lord Jesus the true head of Grace Baptist Church. Please pray that the Lord would give us wisdom and that His blessing would be on this local church.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and learn more of what is happening in Melbourne, Australia. May God bless you for taking part in this ministry through prayer.
In Christ,
Mark Pitts and Family
We are enjoying our first full autumn and winter here in Melbourne, Australia. It is chilly and windy at times, but overall it is not even close to the cold we experienced in the Midwest. There are several trees that have changed color and lost their leaves, but many still remain. It is odd to be heading into July and be in winter. So, we are still adjusting to living on the other side of the earth.
On May 25 we celebrated Australia's National Day of Thanksgiving. It is not like the United States Thanksgiving Day, but it was a day that reminded us to thank God for who He is and for His wonderful gift of salvation. The ladies prepared three fruit baskets for different community servants. Don and I delivered one basket to the local fire brigade, our local police department, and to Watsonia Primary School where we meet on Sundays. After hearing that some of the groups would most likely refuse to take the gift, we prayed that the Lord would allow us to be a blessing and He answered. Each group received the baskets gratefully and we shared with them that we were thankful for them and that we would be praying especially for them on Sunday.
From May 31 to June 2 the ladies went to the Refresh Retreat. It was held at a camp at Mount Evelyn and several other churches from the state of Victoria participated. There was candle making, games, food, and Beverly Shoaf was the speaker for the conference. The ladies came back and shared testimony the next Sunday of the blessing they received from spending time in fellowship at the camp.
June 6 Sara's parents arrived to visit and will be heading home on June 26. It has been a wonderful time taking them around to see all the things that we have experienced in our short time here in Australia. We have enjoyed introducing them to our new friends "down under" and showing them the ministry that the Lord has called us to. They have been able to see the different landscape here in the Melbourne area from the downtown city to the beach all the way to the mountains. Also, we have been able to see much wildlife both in the zoo and in the wild. Please pray for them as they travel back to the States and readjust to the time back in Illinois.
We have several upcoming events that we would love if you could pray for. On July 7 we will be having a church family game night at our house, and on July 12 we are trying to plan a go karting activity and have a barbeque. Our big activity for July is on the 28 we will be having a group from Creation Ministries in the share on Sunday night. It should be a very informative time and also a great opportunity to reach out to the lost souls in our area. There is one more big request for this upcoming month and that is the transition at Grace Baptist Church. Our friends and coworkers Don and Lola Winans will be shifting over to cover for another missionary couple that will head home for furlough. This will leave us to lead Grace Baptist Church, but truly we will be led by the Lord Jesus the true head of Grace Baptist Church. Please pray that the Lord would give us wisdom and that His blessing would be on this local church.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and learn more of what is happening in Melbourne, Australia. May God bless you for taking part in this ministry through prayer.
In Christ,
Mark Pitts and Family
Monday, May 6, 2013
Praying Friends,
The time is flying by here in Australia. April was a busy month and May is shaping up to be just as busy. During the month of April we had several activities that took place at Grace Baptist Church, and here are some highlights: The first of many youth activities took place at our home. We were able to help and enjoy the Easter-egg hunt at Cornerstone Baptist Church, a sister mission church about thirty minutes drive away. Sara met with some of the ladies from Grace to go to a sewing event in a nearby town. They had a great time of fellowship and also gained new ideas for more crafts. Grace and Cornerstone joined together for a joint bowling activity, and on the same day the Sara and the ladies went to Miss Marple's restaurant for a lunch. Many other activities kept us busy, but it was good to have some face to face time with the people of Grace. It is difficult to get to know someone when you only see them for a few short hours at church and these activities helped us to get to know them better.
The Lord provided opportunities to meet more people who are searching. One evening I went to a local restaurant to order some pizza. I was wearing my Grace Baptist Church jacket, and the lady that took my order asked me about it. She is an Iraqi woman that is born again, and she has been looking for a good Baptist church that she could attend. I was able to share with her what we were all about, and she asked for prayer that her husband would come back to the Lord so that the entire family could attend. Another opportunity came when a man actually came to my door. He was a salesman and we got to talking about Islam. The man is from Pakistan and he claims himself to be a liberal Muslim. He shared with me many things that I did not know about Islam, and I shared with him how he could know Jesus as his Savior. The seed was planted. I gave him my contact information and now I am praying that he will contact me to talk further.
God has been good to us and much better than we deserve! Only just three days ago we received our container with all our household items. It was like an early Christmas with all the packages to open. Now the house is full and we are sleeping in our own beds. We have come to realize that it is only stuff, and that a home must be built by God Psalm 127:1.
Thank you so much for all your prayers! We have seen visitors at church the past several weeks and two families have started to visit regularly. Please pray that the Lord would work in hearts. May God bless you for taking the time to read about what He is doing here in Australia.
In Christ,
Mark Pitts and Family
The time is flying by here in Australia. April was a busy month and May is shaping up to be just as busy. During the month of April we had several activities that took place at Grace Baptist Church, and here are some highlights: The first of many youth activities took place at our home. We were able to help and enjoy the Easter-egg hunt at Cornerstone Baptist Church, a sister mission church about thirty minutes drive away. Sara met with some of the ladies from Grace to go to a sewing event in a nearby town. They had a great time of fellowship and also gained new ideas for more crafts. Grace and Cornerstone joined together for a joint bowling activity, and on the same day the Sara and the ladies went to Miss Marple's restaurant for a lunch. Many other activities kept us busy, but it was good to have some face to face time with the people of Grace. It is difficult to get to know someone when you only see them for a few short hours at church and these activities helped us to get to know them better.
The Lord provided opportunities to meet more people who are searching. One evening I went to a local restaurant to order some pizza. I was wearing my Grace Baptist Church jacket, and the lady that took my order asked me about it. She is an Iraqi woman that is born again, and she has been looking for a good Baptist church that she could attend. I was able to share with her what we were all about, and she asked for prayer that her husband would come back to the Lord so that the entire family could attend. Another opportunity came when a man actually came to my door. He was a salesman and we got to talking about Islam. The man is from Pakistan and he claims himself to be a liberal Muslim. He shared with me many things that I did not know about Islam, and I shared with him how he could know Jesus as his Savior. The seed was planted. I gave him my contact information and now I am praying that he will contact me to talk further.
God has been good to us and much better than we deserve! Only just three days ago we received our container with all our household items. It was like an early Christmas with all the packages to open. Now the house is full and we are sleeping in our own beds. We have come to realize that it is only stuff, and that a home must be built by God Psalm 127:1.
Thank you so much for all your prayers! We have seen visitors at church the past several weeks and two families have started to visit regularly. Please pray that the Lord would work in hearts. May God bless you for taking the time to read about what He is doing here in Australia.
In Christ,
Mark Pitts and Family
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