The Greatest Story Ever Told...Merry Christmas...may you accept this gift today.

More Moments Down Under

Small Groups Amazing changes to our small group experience is upon us. Pastor Colin has started preaching on the End Times and will continue this series for several months. We have disbursed more than 175 Bible Study Guides and offered 15 small groups to assist people in the study and discussion in the Doctrine of the End Times. You can join us! Listen to the sermon and read the additional notes available for our church website.www.wbcinc.org.au.

Evangelism - Please pray for the upcoming outreach events!

This Christmas Outreach will involve:

Christmas Lunch to be held in the park. Our church along side several other several other churches will be helping with this event. We expect to serve 1000 people who are lonely and have no family to celebrate Christmas with this year.

Sunday Brunch - Matthew is preaching Dec 19th & 26th. On the 26th immediately following the service will be a Sunday Brunch. This particular Sunday is filled with visitors/extended family visitor and those that normally would NOT attend church on any other Sunday.

Mail Box Drops - Last year we delivered 4,000 fliers into mailboxes of surrounding suburbs inviting them to various events for Christmas. We hope to increase that number this year!

Carols Sing Along at the public park in a community of 1500. This year we will give out take away bags along with the candy cane story.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Thank you so much for all your prayers for our WOW (Women of Worth) Retreat.

The retreat was held on the weekend of Sept 18th. Lori was praying for 70 ladies to attend and God exceeded those prayers and blessed her with 78 ladies in attendance! Lori's mom was able to join her again this year as she was in the area visiting! They had the priviledge of having speaker Denise Glenn for the weekend. She is from the USA but her husband was transferred here for 3 years for work. Well, their 3 years ends this March and then they will go back to their home state of Texas. BUT not before David Glenn (the husband!) speaks for the weekend at our Men's Advance (men don't retreat...they advance:). Their website is www.motherwise.org for those interested. They are international speakers and authors. All Glory and Praise to our Lord for a WOW of a weekend.

(Photos: Lori/Annette (mom), Wildflowers in the area, Women of Worth)

Ministry Happenings...

Ministry to Men has taken off in a new direction.

It was 8 months ago, I called a few men together to discuss our "Ministry to Men". Out of that birthed a man's event almost every month starting with a Sunday afternoon Cricket match, Father/Son and Mate fishing trip, Golf Outing, and a Meat on a Spit Social.

Cricket was a blast with 24 or so men involved . I understand the highlight was how hilarious it was for most to see a Baseball player take a baseball stance and hit a few long balls before the "bowler hit the wicket" (struck me out). I then waited my turn to throw some MunnHeat (pitch) as the bowler. Humbly, I will say I gained their respect. However, I still think we should use baseball gloves over open hand catching!

I enjoyed planning the "meat on a spit" too, as the men came together for a great feast of lamb and a butt of beef cooked-up rotisserie style by a team of South African men and an Aussie. There where plenty of side dishes as well! Sixty + men cultivated relationships and responded well to two men sharing how Jesus has impacted their lives.

Then just last week about 50 men showed up to an impromptu Saturday AM “Man’s Breakfast" with a South African Evangelist/Pastor sharing about men of faith from the Scriptures. I took the opportunity to recruit men to join in "Ministry to Men" by volunteering to help lead in organized activities they themselves are interested in. We are looking forward to experiencing a greater depth of personal growth over the next few years in ministry to men.

Missions Ministry Team

I finally was able to propose a renewed vision & strategy for our Missions Ministry. Since then God has begun revealing the potential of new partnership in national and global missions.

We have begun partnering with Student Life (Campus Crusade AU’s) ministry to University students here in Perth. Without any SL staff on this side of the country, God has risen up a few students from our church to be the forerunners to this ministry among the 70,000 students. May God expand His kingdom from the labour of a few faithful students.

We have also identified a potential missionary couple to the indigenous people (Aboriginal) of AU. Lori & I were attending a denominational missions meeting to represent our church family. I saw a prayer card of a missionary couple who have recently returned to AU to carry the message of Christ to this aboriginal community. We recently shared our similar visions for the people of AU & were thrilled to discover they are known to some here and they too have adopted children. We are anticipating a meeting in December to move our partnership into action for the Lord.

We continue to keep our eyes open for opportunities to reach Muslims for Jesus in Indonesia even though God may have provided a local couple to complete that aim as well. This does seem to be a possible "crazy story of God" so we will let you know more if it develops into a partnership.

And how about this; as I proposed we bolster our Short Term Missions experiences, this past month we have been invited to partner in STM in South Africa & Zimbabwe more strategically. Hmmm. Seems God wants us to share our faith beyond our local community!

Unexpected Travel to the USA

Matthew flew to the USA on Oct 12th to visit his mother (Norma) in Placerville, CA. Norma battles with Lupus and has been struggling these past few weeks.

God's timing is always perfect in that Lori's mom and stepdad are in here in Australia visiting unil Nov. 9th. So, they are helping with the children during this time while Matthew is away until Oct 29th.

Please pray for healing for Norma and for Matthew to have a sweet time of fellowship with his family and for travel safety on the way back!

5 Months of Nothing?

Just pulled up our blog and see May was our last entry. Has nothing happened during that time? LOTS has been going on and this week Matthew will pen our ministry happenings these last months along with Praises & Prayer request. Thank you for waiting so patiently for word of what GOD is doing in our lives here in Australia.

Check back here the end of the week. Meanwhile here is a photo of our family taken in Sept for our church directory that Lori is working on.

He is wonderful and faithful,

The Munn's

Our Auntie Bev

Thank you all who prayed for our Auntie Bev. Last week she went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Tomorrow (Thurs) at 1pm is her memorial service.

Please pray for our family as the children will be attending their first funeral. The children are clear about the fact that Auntie Bev is in Heaven and healthy and praising Jesus. We are so happy for her but are sad in our hearts because we will miss her dearly! Here is a photo we took with Auntie Bev just before her health started to deteriorate. We cherish our memories and look forward to the day we see her in Heaven!

USA 2011?

We are still hoping for a visit to the US in May/June of 2011. We feel it is important to see you again. Mikah has lived in AU longer than in the US. Their US memories are fading & we wish to remind them of many important people in their lives as well as to give thanks to so many. Please pray we are good stewards of God’s resources as we have many outlays with schooling, immigration, and a remaining plan to fix our house with at least another bedroom.

We have developed wonderful friends here & Matthew enjoys the growing transparency, trust and partnership of the pastoral team. We are nearly certain he will be asked before August to sign a new 3-4 year contract to remain at the church. For those of you who have supported us over the years, you have blessed us greatly. Your partnership has made it possible.

Waiting Waiting Waiting

February 09 we applied to renew our temporary visa & received a temporary temporary visa until our permanent temporary (PT) visa arrived. Sometime later, we were notified we were in the country illegally, because they gave us the wrong temporary temporary. So, we started again & realized I could apply for a permanent resident (PR) visa so I asked the case worker & we did what we were told. July came & still no proper visa. I then discovered we did not have a PR application submitted but only an application for a temporary. So we started again for a PR & then amazingly & finally received our PT. We were told it would not be very long to receive a PR Visa. I asked how long is not too long? 5-7 months! After 8 months we were making calls and then received an apology that we “fell through the cracks” because I am not the Sr. Pastor & don’t pay enough taxes!

Well we answered these questions and now I pay more taxes! The promise I would have the PR Visa immediately upon immigration receiving the new contract apparently meant : I need to complete more work on our application, with finger prints, FBI check, character checks, renew my passport & redo Lori’s medical check up and x-rays, because they took long to process our application & these items expired. And by the way we need all our kids examined not by our GP for $60 each but by their GP for $183 each! Can you believe this is the short version of the story?

So, the good news we were hoping to pass on to everyone 5-8 months ago is still in process. Prayerfully, by Monday we will have everything in the mail and the final wait will be on.

Anyone want to get married in Australia?

This week Matthew received a surprise letter. He has been officially authorized as a Marriage Celebrant in Australia. Thus, he can now perform weddings. Crazy thing is even though he had his application filed, he had not taken the test! He called & told them but it’s a done deal.

(photo above by Lori Munn Photography)

Ministry Updates:

Our Men’s Fellowship has been reborn! After several years of up & down events & stalling out at men’s breakfasts, Matthew asked three men to join him on a Men’s ministry team. They put a few events on the calendar & saw an immediate response. The Sunday afternoon Men’s Cricket Match in April was a big hit with over 24 men playing. People enjoyed watching the American stand baseball style & smash a few long balls before he “flied out”. He also threw some wicked “bowls” (pitches like drop balls).

This past weekend was the fathers, sons & mates Overnight fishing trip in the dunes. The thunderstorms held off & those who attended had a great time.

In a few weeks, the men will enjoy a Sunday afternoon Golf Day for "hackers & golfers". We already have plenty of men signed up. Matthew is inviting Robbie & Mark our two neighbors that are married to Lori’s friends, Karena and Maryanne. Please pray for these two couples to come to faith in Jesus through our friendship.

Our Women’s ministry is running full steam ahead. With Lori & Shirley bringing a clear focus & ministry team approach to the group we are experiencing a lot of excitement, spiritual growth, & participation. Coffee & Chat Nights are held every 4th Monday of the month. This gives women opportunities to bring friends cultivate deeper relationships. This year we added a theme to each night. Next Monday is "Making a House a Home" hosted by an interior decorator. Lori is now planning the W.O.W Retreat for the Sept. 17th weekend. Denise Glenn from www.motherwise.org will be our speaker. Her talks will be based on her book: "Restore My Heart"- God's Passionate Love for His Bride. Last year, Lori prayed for 60 ladies to attend & God provided 60! This year please join Lori in praying for 75 women to attend. Women will have an opportunity to come to faith in Christ there too.

Matthew has proposed a new Vision & Strategy for Missions. He has one for National Missions (Australia) & one for Global Missions. Because there are 80,000 university students in Perth with very little efforts to reach them, he has proposed we partner with Campus Crusade for Christ Australia to establish a ministry here in Perth with some of our University students. Please pray we see movement on this by early June. He has already planting the seeds for STM opportunities in Thailand, sharing the life of Christ at youth camps with Buddhist young people! Harvest time in Thailand!

With Global Missions the proposal includes partnering with a ministry to reach the unreached of Indonesia.

God is Adding! Matthew continues to preach on average twice every five weeks. On Easter Sunday he gave an alter call! This is not an Aussie custom, but many people came forward in the 1st service and after the 2^nd service a man who has been prayed for years, came forward. Praise the Lord!

We are seeing some people come to Christ Jesus; Adults & Teenagers. We are experiencing Addition with anticipation for Multiplication after some more equipping of the saints. This Sunday Matthew challenged each believer to commit to praying for God to use them to reach three specific unchurched peers. After the service, a young man responsible for an Annual Sports weekend for hundreds of young adults, asked to meet with Matthew THIS WEEK to discuss how he can make it clearly evangelistic. This is an answer to pray as Matthew has encouraged them to do so for three years now! PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS MEETING TO BE GOD ORDAINED.

3%! Did you know only 3% of Australians attend an Evangelical Church?

Thank you to those who still send us emails, partner with us in finances & prayers. You really have helped us grow in our faith, ministry effectiveness & made this place a home. YOU ARE A BLESSING TO OUR LIVES & TO THE LIVES OF THOSE AROUND US!

Health, Kids & Schooling

In late April, Lori had her gallbladder removed. Doctor said about 150 stones! Recovery was for a week and Matthew stayed home to take care of his Queen. She has recovered and is back into the routine of things! (see photo of her stones!)

Kids are healthy. Maxwell is playing Footy. He is making sand jumps (not much dirt around) for his bike and the girls dance after school at church for $4 a lesson. We hope the girls will use it to invite their unchurched girlfriends.

Regarding schooling: It is clear we will not receive the educational assistance necessary in the public school (for special ed) & not in any Christian/ private school either. We will be checking out a Steiner school next week. An extra 10-15 minute drive to school and a big tuition bill, but we will trust the Lord to work this out too. This school approaches learning in a non-traditional format and we think it may be a better fit for our children with their needs. ( If there are any teachers that want to do a missions trip and homeschool our children, we are open to the idea!)

Happy Easter...

Christ the Lord has risen today, Hallelujah.

We had Communion Service on Thurs. evening, Good Friday services in the morning and

Ressurrection Sunday services today! Matthew preached the Good News of Jesus Christ and

gave the opportunity for an alter call. Two people became new believers and 21 people recommitted their lives to Christ. What better day than today to have a relationship with our Lord who gave so sacrificially and took our sins upon himself on Calvary. Thank you Jesus!

Thank you all who prayed for Matthew's preaching today.

We love you and miss you and will be posting updates in a few days.

Happy Easter!

Love,

The Munn's

Photos Contest Lori Entered....Please VOTE!

Our Auntie Bev

Auntie Bev (Bev Lunt) is very near and dear to our hearts as she is the one who found our rental property for us before we arrived in AU and took us under her wings when we arrived. She has also been adopted by our family as a surrogate “Auntie/Grandma” to us. We love her and are sadden to learn she has terminal cancer. She had bowel cancer a year ago and this past August we thought she was cancer free. Well, in Nov, she was told her cancer came back into her liver. The cancer is in 75% of her liver and is terminal. It is very progressive and the prognosis is 2-3 months but she is doing chemo to extend her time maybe another 3-6 more. She is at peace with the idea of meeting Jesus sooner than she anticipated. She is cleaning “house” and spending precious time with family and friends. Please remember her in your prayers and our family as the children do not know yet about Auntie Bev’s illness. Here is a photo of our Auntie Bev…isn't she precious?!

Lori's Photography Hobby

In Nov., Lori took 25 family portraits over the course of 2 weekends. This was done as a fundraiser for our church building project. People are thrilled with her work and this hobby seems to be turning into a business from word of mouth! Lori is excited about this business opportunity as our youngest, Mikah, will start school full-time this year AND we are saving $$$ for a much anticipated visit to the USA in Spring of 2011! Below are a few samples of her work…

More updates to close out 2009 and begin 2010!

Community Care Seminars

We saw 58 people attend the "Why You Need a Will" Seminar. Many whom I did not know and where from the neighbourhood. The speaker was amazed as he usually has 6-8 people! We are following up on those from the community who are interested in a personal money management help. Which brings us to...

$ Ministry Growth

We are thrilled to have 11 people respond to our goal to begin a Financial Management Ministry. This is in response to a community questionaire we handed out earlier in the year. Our strategy includes 3 sermons, a community seminar, mentorship for personal budgeting, small groups and a ministry for running a Business by the Book. Please pray for God’s point person for this ministry to respond by early January.

Blessings Thru Refugees

God has provided our church family with people from many different countries including Liberians. Lori has become a key point person to help assimilate them into the Australia culture thru meeting basic needs: furniture, clothes, toys, food and most important friendship. Laughter and joy is a regular part of this ministry. Please pray we are sensitive to God’s ways as we mix our lives together for Him.

Going Global

Several months ago, our mission committee ceased & I took the responsibility to redevelop a new mission ministry strategy for our church family. The aim is to involve our lives to reach the Unreached, remember the Persecuted, and assist in reaping the Responsive. National pastors, church planting, short term teams and university ministries are key elements to the proposal. Please pray our leaders are unified in our global vision to bring God glory & we are able to move forward in late January with the plans.

3 x 3 Basketball Outreach

January 23rd will be our third tournament. We now have unchurched people volunteering to help us run the event & outside groups wanting to sponsor the community event. We will also support a local basket ball league with some of the profits. What? The church giving money away to a non Christian program? Please pray for Blair (our church Chaplain) as he leads the way for us in this community outreach, the gospel seed is planted as we have more unchurched people attend than churched.

Personal Evangelism

Praise the Lord we completed training of a 2^nd group of people in XEE (personal evangelism). We are now looking into equipping all responsive people through small groups. We will see what happens in the months ahead.