2023 Spring Sower

Sower.

This edition of Sower you are opening has made me ask the question: what does my future look like, and how am I approaching it? So, I’ll ask you the same question: what does your future look like?

Perhaps you are looking forward to milestones as your children or grandchildren grow, new opportunities to serve at your church, working diligently in your profession, or even anticipating retirement. Or perhaps you, like the children Bible Society is reaching around the world, face suffering and uncertainty in your future. How reassuring is it, that we can turn to God in these times of uncertainty, confident in his promise of love, trusting that he holds our future in his hands.

It is this reassurance that we want to offer to children undergoing treatment for cancer in Nicaragua, to children in refugee camps in Lebanon, to disadvantaged children in Sri Lanka, and to many more in Kenya, Tanzania, and Egypt.

As you read, you will catch a glimpse of how Opening The Bible with these children is equipping them with faith in God — faith to face their future. The value of that is immeasurable for these children struggling with poverty, dislocation due to war and violence, isolation, illiteracy, and illness.

Juanita’s testimony is powerful. Her eight-yearold son was diagnosed with bone cancer and underwent an amputation and further treatment, yet she is able to say, “The doctors would not give us any hope for Alexander, but God did give us new life for my child. God always heard our prayers.” Alexander now tells anyone who asks, “I want to speak about Jesus with my story, because Jesus has been good to me.”

We are reminded in Scripture of the value of teaching children from God’s word in Proverbs 22:6 (NIV): “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” This is what our partners in South Africa, World Hope Ministries, have been doing for many years as they distribute Bible Society Australia’s Memory Verse Calendars in schools, and encourage children to engrave God’s words in their minds and on their hearts.

In Egypt, Bible Society has been reaching children with literacy education which encourages participation. They are teaching children to think independently. The results have been incredible, with Adel, Bible Society Egypt’s Literacy Program coordinator, explaining that they teach the children to think “so that they can learn how to make decisions for their own lives, and confidently face the future.”

I hope you are encouraged and uplifted by the testimonies from around the world represented in this edition of Sower. They are a small sample of the impact of Bible Societies’ work, and show how God’s word is offering comfort, growing faith, and giving hope to children and their families.

GOD BLESS, Grant Thomson CEO, BIBLE SOCIETY AUSTRALIA

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

FAITH FOR THE FUTURE

FAITH FOR THE FUTURE

Facing an uncertain future with faith

The future is far from certain for any of us, and the ability to face it confidently is something we all strive for. For some families and children in Nicaragua, facing the future becomes almost impossible when they receive the fearful diagnosis: cancer.

Realising the desperate need of these children and their families, the Bible Society of Nicaragua (BSN) has founded the 'Hope and Smiles for Children with Cancer' project at the Manuel de Jesus Rivera La Mascota Children’s hospital, doing all they can to help these families face the future with faith. A team of doctors, nurses, pastors and volunteers assist with both practical and spiritual needs, providing extra nursing care, nutritional support and assistance with transport costs, free Bibles, prayer and the opportunity to read God’s word together with those who understand.

Alexander and Juanita – A new life and hope found in God

“I want to speak about Jesus with my story,” says eight-year-old Alexander, a survivor of bone cancer, and the amputation of one leg, “because Jesus has been good to me.” Alexander is a muchbeloved only child, whose future was thrown into uncertainty when an injury to his leg resulted in a diagnosis of cancer, with the immediate treatment of amputation. “We felt our world fall apart,” his mother, Juanita said, crying as she remembers. “We felt like we were losing our son, because we didn’t know what his life would be like without his leg. And what would our lives be like without him?”

“We didn’t understand what God wanted from our lives, because we felt like he wasn’t there in that moment.” The same day, volunteers from Bible Society arrived at the hopsital, and on hearing Alexander’s situation, prayed for him. Juanita joined the prayer group, and the meditations, to receive spiritual support. She received a Bible. “This is the way God has spoken into my life, and his support is evident,” she shares.

“Thank God, because he has made my son stronger to endure radiation therapy and other medication. Now my child is recovering. The doctors would not give us any hope for Alexander, but God did give us new life for my child. God always heard our prayers,” Juanita concludes.

Carlitos and Don – Realising God's goodness and presence

Don, from a farm community in Prinzapolka, has experienced the same helplessness and uncertainty. Two hours away from the capital city, he and his wife with their five children were content in their farming community and were dedicated to fishing. They had no need to go to the capital until their youngest son, Carlitos, continued to get weaker while playing, rather than better.

At six years old, Carlitos was transferred to La Mascota children’s hospital with suspected cancer. “We thought for a moment we would lose him,” Don says. “But God has been good, because he has been with us.” Carlitos was diagnosed with leukaemia. “When we came to the hospital we felt alone, but we knew about the ministry of the Bible Society where every week the brothers give us spiritual and material support. There we received my Bible, and my child’s, for free. I know that we are far from home, but I have also learned to trust that God is taking care of my family.”

Carlitos and his father, Don

Dayara and Yuri – Finding strength in God to overcome

When her five-year-old daughter, Dayara, was diagnosed with cancer, Yuri could only imagine death in their future. “I never imagined living the experience of one of my children going through cancer,” she says. Yuri felt completely powerless. With a cancer diagnosis for Dayara, and her health out of Yuri’s control, the Bible Society spoke into her life. “I felt alone,” Yuri recalls, “When the brothers of the Bible Society told me about Jesus, I had to receive him in my heart. Since the time I decided to meet Jesus, I have felt that only God has given me the strength to overcome the diagnosis of cancer — especially cancer in my most loved one, my child.” Yuri is a frequent participant in the Bible studies BSN runs. “I like to participate, because I learn more about God, and strengthen my faith in him.”

In fact, Yuri has done more than strengthen her own faith, with BSN volunteers reporting, “She is a very dynamic and active woman.” Yuri interacts with the other parents in the hospital wards, “motivating them to pray before going to sleep, and offering thanksgiving to God for each day in the lives of their beloved children, despite any situation.” With the doctor’s permission to take Dayara home, Yuri concludes, “God has been good, because even in these hospital walls, we know that God is with us always."

José and Fatima – A future filled with God’s word

Every day at the hospital, families are equipped with faith to face the future. Soccer-loving, José is a dynamic teenager who was brought low with leukaemia. A distinguished student at school, José’s future became uncertain and filled with pain.

Yet at the hospital, while receiving treatment, José and his mother Fatima were equipped with faith in God. “Every day we are trusting God that we can go home soon,” Fatima shares. “I remember when we arrived at the hospital, my son was on the brink of death, but God took care of him.” Bible Society volunteers gathered around

“... I learn more about God, and strengthen my faith in him.”

Yuri and her daughter, Dayara

José and Fatima, praying over him, providing moral and spiritual support through devotionals and Bible studies.

Fatima now looks to the future with hope. “When my son grows up, he wants to become a missionary of God, and I will be there to support him to fulfil his dream.” José now yearns to become an evangelist, a missionary who takes with him the word of God to people in need; the same way he received God’s word during his hospital stay.

Jake and Lizzethe – Learning to know and trust God at all times

“My son came to this hospital with a tumour that was almost twice the size of his head, with intense pain, and unable to do anything. I felt helpless in that situation that we lived,” Lizzethe said to BSN staff after a devotional time at the Manuel de Jesus Rivera La Mascota Children’s hospital.

Transferred to the hospital with only the clothes she and her son, Jake, wore, it was only when the BSN volunteers at the hospital began to share with them every week that Lizzethe began to know God. With the free Bibles she and Jake received, Lizzethe says, “We have learned to fall

in love with God for his goodness. In the midst of all pain and medical prognoses, God has cleansed my tears [and given me] joy in my heart.” Eightyear-old Jake is now out of danger, following surgery at the hospital. “The hospital has been a place of pain, but also a place where I have learned to know and trust God at all times,” says Lizzethe.

“We have learned to fall in love with God for his goodness.”

Jake and his mother, Lizzetthe

FAITH FOR THE FUTURE

FAITH FOR THE FUTURE

Facing the future with hope: Learning to read, learning to think in Egypt

Ten-year-old Sarah lives in a village in Upper Egypt and had difficulty speaking. Other children bullied her and made fun of her, and she lost all selfconfidence. She stopped speaking altogether. Her school attendance was off and on. She wouldn’t attend church very often. She never got involved in either. She refused to see a doctor.

“So many children get lost in the system,” says Amir, CEO of Bible Society Egypt (BSE). “They drop out of school because they are not being taught, or they are too far behind, or they are expected to help the family work at home … or for other reasons.”

For 24 years, Bible Society Egypt have been reaching children in poor and uneducated areas, helping them to learn and maintain literacy skills, and giving them the best opportunity to build their future.

“Because the teaching is all based on the Bible, there is the natural component of the biblical perspective on life, which is one of a future and a hope,” says Amir. “The classes connect people with the church, where they have fellowship and spiritual input. They get advice and help and wisdom — in class, from the lesson, from the discussion together, from each other, and also from leaders and priests.”

Adel, the program coordinator explains, “These children are facing difficulties and discouraging circumstances, and it is so important to encourage them and help them get through the difficult times, equipping them with training and tools to know how to deal with difficulties and to persevere.” He goes on, saying, “Our focus on the development of skills, whether it be intellectual skills or behavioural skills, all leads to stronger self-confidence, and real, positive change, bringing awareness and the possibilities of hope and a future.”

Sarah’s story took a turn for the better when she discovered Bible Society’s post-literacy class running at her church. In these classes, a different method of education is used than what is found in schools. Bible Society focuses on participation and application rather than memorisation, with students encouraged to think for themselves, discuss and participate in the process. Adel says, “This creates a safe, inviting and fun community, where students think together and learn to respect each other according to the class code, and together, their way of thinking and learning is changed.”

It was this class code of conduct which helped Sarah feel safe in the classes. Adel adds, “No one is allowed to make fun of anyone else, and students must listen to each other and take turns sharing and not interrupt one another. Teachers are deliberately trained to create a relaxed, friendly and fun atmosphere. Students know that no one will laugh at them or reject them. Students learn that their personal input is valuable and will be valued.”

In the small group time of participation, where listening and pronunciation were emphasised, Sarah was able to really hear the articulation of words for the first time. With the focused help of the teacher, Sarah slowly started to talk.

Sarah’s family — overcome with gratitude and emotion — saw this as a miracle, brought about by the protection and security of the class environment, and the methodology of Bible Society’s literacy course. By the time Sarah reached the second level of the program, she had gained such confidence that she would take the initiative to speak during class. Even better, Sarah naturally became more involved at both school and church.

“ The participatory approach of the program is especially designed to help youth and children

cont pg. 12

learn how to think for themselves, and not to depend on others,” says Adel. “When students come into our program for the first time, the majority of them have very little tolerance or ability to discuss,” Amir explains. “In all areas of life, people in this society are not expected to question or to disagree.”

In BSE’s program, students are taught how to think, by learning to focus and remember, learning to listen and how to pronounce the proper vowels, learning to discuss and understand together, learning how to apply, and how to make practical connections with

the real world. After participating in BSE’s course, students learn to become independent thinkers. “This is one of the things that we need most in Egypt for our youth and children to build a better future for themselves,” says Adel.

Adel poses the question, “Why do we place such emphasis on teaching the children how to think?”

Providing his own answer, he responds, “So that they can learn how to make decisions for their own lives, and confidently face the future.”

“This creates a safe, inviting and fun community, where students think together and learn ... ”

Will

Every $45

could provide regular and ongoing spiritual support to Nicaraguan children undergoing cancer treatment in hospital, providing Bibles and devotional classes.

Every $80 could teach girls and young women in The Gambia how to read, write, count, and engage with the Bible in their local languages.

Every $130 could share Bible-based productions with families living in refugee camps in Lebanon, helping them to forgive, heal, and trust in God’s loving provision for their future.

you help plant the seed of God’s word for children to grow their faith for the future?

FAITH FOR THE FUTURE

Impacting

FAITH FOR THE FUTURE

young hearts: God’s word gives hope and comfort for the future

One day, Lindokuhle came home from school in Johannesburg, South Africa, firmly fixed on a goal. He was going to memorise a Bible verse every week, so he could be part of a competition organised by World Hope Ministries, who had visited his school that day. They had gifted him with his very own Bible Memory Verse Calendar, complete with activities and illustrations for every month of the year.

For 12 years, World Hope Ministries has been reaching children in South African schools with these special children's calendars, which give them Bible Memory Verses to memorise. Each year, ten schools and 10,000 children are reached with the resource.

“Many of these children come from homes where their parents are alcoholics, using drugs, or simply not interested in the Bible or going to church,” shares Pastor Willy Dengler, the President of World Hope Ministries for Africa, and Pastor of Mayfair Baptist Church in Johannesburg. In addition to this, most of the children are involved in ancestral worship, which is part of their culture. “The teachers are seeking to help and support our children, as they are in desperate need of mentoring, and for Christians to speak into their lives.”

By sharing these Bible Memory Verse Calendars with the students, Bible Society Australia and World Hope Ministries are seeking to impart wisdom for these children to take into their future. “The Lord is true to his word,” says Pastor Willy. “Proverbs 22:6 promises that when you direct your children onto the right path, when they are older, they will not leave it. The right path can only be directed by the word of God, and when the word of God is taught, memorised and applied, our children receive wisdom which will last for a lifetime.”

This change can be seen among the children who have received the calendars and participated in the memory competition over the years, says Pastor Willy. “It is helping embed God’s words of life into the hearts and minds of our children, because we see the change in the children’s behaviour.” Teachers see first-hand the impact the word of God has in the behaviour, attitude and lives of the children. “They are growing spiritually in the wisdom and the knowledge of the Lord,” says Willy.

The Bible had a huge impact in Lindokuhle’s life the year he participated in the memory competition. “A love for God’s word and the desire to preach was born in his spirit and heart,” recalls Pastor Willy. Lindokuhle was not from a Christian family; his mother was a practicing sangoma, a healer who practiced traditional African spirituality and medicine. Yet when their son started memorising Bible verses, they saw a change in him. They wanted to have what he had, and as a result they visited Mayfair Baptist Church. The whole family was saved. Lindokuhle’s parents attended Bible School at the church, and Lindokuhle takes every opportunity to share what he learnt from the Bible Memory Verse calendar: “He is currently preaching God’s word in schools and any platform he receives,” says Pastor Willy.

Pastor Willy asks for continued prayer for the schools who receive the Calendars. “Pray they continue to stay in God’s word and set time aside in their busy schedule for the students to continue to hear, read and memorise the word of God." Many children experience challenging times at home and at school, Pastor Willy explains. “Our children feel really blessed to have their very own Bible, because it brings much hope, comfort and encouragement in their precious young lives.”

Pray With Us

In this edition of Sower, we are praying for children around the world in difficult circumstances. Whether it is sickness, poverty, or lack of education and opportunity, these children need us to pray for them. Most of all, they need to know God’s love for them, and be filled with hope for their future through the faith they can find in reading God’s word.

Nicaragua

Please pray that God’s love and mercy would fill the lives of children suffering from cancer in Nicaragua. Pray they would have the opportunity to know God through his word, and that his love would fill their hearts, and he would bring them healing and eternal life through faith in Jesus.

Sri Lanka

Pray too for street children in the slum areas of Sri Lanka’s cities, for children in orphanages, children from ethnic minorities, children with disabilities and children living in poverty. Pray that they would be protected, loved by their families in the way they deserve, and have the opportunity to learn to read and write. Pray that God’s word would give them hope, and form in them faith to face their future.

Lebanon

Bring before God the children living in refugee camps in Lebanon and thank God that Bible Society can reach into their lives and share words of love and reconciliation with them. Pray for strength and wisdom as Bible Society staff share drama presentations and shows based on the Bible, the book of hope. Pray that the program would help heal their wounds of trauma.

The Gambia

For girls and young women in The Gambia, please pray that discrimination around education would end, so they can learn to read and write. Pray for Bible Society’s work amongst them, that the Bible-based literacy program would be successful. Pray that each beneficiary would also encounter God and be filled with faith and hope for their future.

Egypt

Thank God for young lives being changed in Egypt, as they are encouraged to develop literacy skills through Bible Society’s program. Thank God that as students learn to engage, question and think about God’s word, they are also learning to read and participate in church life. Thank God that these children are learning the skills to build their future.

Kenya & Tanzania

Thank God for the Bibles which have been distributed to Kenyan and Tanzanian school students with Bible Society Australia’s support. Pray that having a Bible of their own would transform these students’ lives, as they seek God for their source of wisdom, love and hope for the future.

South Africa

Thank God too for the twelve years of distributing Bible Society Australia’s Bible Memory Verse Calendars to students in South African schools. Pray for the children memorising Scripture, that God would set them free and open their spiritual eyes as he reveals the truth to them through his word.

Will you plant the seed of God’s word for children to help grow their faith in God?

Your donation today will fund Bible Society children’s projects in Nicaragua, The Gambia, Lebanon and more, providing spiritual support and Bible-based literacy classes.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today at biblesociety.org.au/sow

Unlocking Bible Translation Through Literacy

Literacy is a key part of the work of the United Bible Societies (UBS), most notably because it is the link between Bible Translation and Bible Engagement. With much effort going into ensuring God’s word is available in heart languages, it is important to also ensure people all around the world have the skills to read God’s word as it becomes available to them.

To this end, the United Bible Societies is committed to running training in literacy work for local Bible Societies around the world. At a recent training event held in Cambodia, the Asia Pacific Literacy Advisor, Cito Casquite, presented on UBS Common Standards for Literacy Work and The Literacy Lifecycle.

“The training was an eye-opening opportunity for Bible Society literacy staff across Asia Pacific,” says Cito. “We hope to continue this kind of training, focusing on the different aspects of literacy, until our staff are wellequipped and empowered to implement their projects — creating sustainable impacts and replicable practices.”

“Being introduced to the Literacy Lifecycle ignited the passion to set things in order here in the South Pacific in the work we are doing,” says Teupola from Bible Society South Pacific (BSSP), who attended the training along

with fellow BSSP member, Ledua, who said, “The training helped me to understand the Proposal writing requirements and widen my understanding of the UBS Literacy process and knowledge about literacy training.”

One of the biggest things that struck Teupola was the statement that "Literacy is the link between Translation and Engagement." She says, “This foundation statement is what I hope we can implement into Bible Society of the South Pacific. There is a great need for Literacy in Bible Engagement because most Pacific languages are evolving so much that we are starting to lose our language.”

Ledua adds that in Fiji, “they are encouraging literacy at pre-school level, but all this is in English, not in the mother tongue of majority of Fijian children, I would say. But if Bible Society [can use] mother tongues for literacy materials, this would be great as a steppingstone to the second language.”

“Literacy projects will give Bible Society an advantage to help communities and churches in Bible engagement by helping communities use their mother tongue,” says Teupola. “This will help preserve their God-given identity (their language) and move closer to engaging with the word of God.”

The Literacy Lifecycle

Assessment

Monitoring & Evaluation

Post-literacy Plans

Follow-up

Background Research

Program Planning

Preparation

Awareness Raising & Advocacy

Partnership Development

Implementation

Management & Coordination

Documentation & Reporting

Literacy for Bible Engagement

Partnerships

Materials & Staff

Staff Recruitment

Teacher Training & Capacity-building

Curriculum Design

Learning & Instructional Materials Development

Accepted Orthographies

Community Involvement

Community Engagement & Participation

Jesus. All About Life resource reaches millions around the world

For the Jesus. All About Life (JAAL) campaign at Easter, the entire animated Gospel of Mark was created and made available for churches to use in their outreach and children’s ministry.

These videos have accumulated almost 19 million combined views on YouTube, and are being translated and shared all around the world in multiple languages.

These animated Gospel stories have been a labour of love for quite some time, with resources being produced progressively, and received so well they led to the animation of the full Gospel of Mark earlier this year. The earlier resources include:

• short Christmas and Easter animation videos, which were made to use in schools at special events

• a further ten stories about Jesus, produced under the title ‘Wild: Stories About Jesus’

• many of the characters in these videos were also used in the Big Rescue Bible.

Working on these animations, animator Phil Watson discovered a new appreciation for Mark’s Gospel. “It almost seems to be written for animation. It is mainly action and dialogue, and of course it is the most concise summary of the most important events and sayings of Jesus.”

These resources can be downloaded at biblesociety.org.au/resource/video-resources

Bibles distributed to thousands of Kenyan school students

In February and May 2023, Bible Society Kenya embarked on two arduous trips to Isiolo County and Makueni County to reach thousands of students from disadvantaged backgrounds with God’s word.

This project distributes Bibles through children's homes and schools (sometimes slum schools) with the hope of transforming lives through God's word. Kenya is a Christian country, where:

• over 15 million children can participate freely in Christian programs at school, yet

• 98% of public primary schools do not have Bibles available in the classroom.

Thousands of students now have their own Bible, which is often the first they have ever had in their homes. Alongside the Bible distribution, teachers were trained in systematic Bible engagement techniques.

• 9,616 children received an age-appropriate Bible or Bible portion in Isiolo county

• 10,162 students received Scriptures in Makueni County

• 52 high school students in Makueni County professed faith in God during the visit.

“Having a Bible of my own gives me hope, because it teaches me the word of God and how to relate well with others.” Eunice, age 12

To read more, visit biblesociety.org.au/blog

A GUIDE FOR THOSE WHO SUFFER

Here are two extracts from Simon Smart’s conversation with Professor Bruce Robinson, a doctor who’s been on the front lines of tsunamiand earthquake - devastated regions of Indonesia. Professor Robinson is also a lung specialist who has walked alongside many patients with terminal illnesses. His latest book is Behind the Tears: Understanding, Surviving, and Growing from Suffering.

In fact, Professor Robinson was in the midst of writing this book when he was summoned to provide emergency medical relief to survivors of the Central Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami in 2018.

BRUCE ROBINSON / I’d decided to take a week off. So, Friday at 5pm, I turned off my computer and went home and thought I would spend a week and break the back of this suffering book. At 5 or 6pm, the earthquake and tsunami hit Central Sulawesi. My team that I work with regularly in Indonesia got on the phone. I said, “You guys have got this,” you know, hoping that I wouldn’t go this time. And they said to me, “Bruce, to be perfectly honest, we need you. The team is worn out from the Lombok earthquake. And you know, you can hit the ground running, you speak the language, you can work quickly, see hundreds of patients, you mentor the young people, we really, really, really need you.”

With Prof. Bruce Robinson Life & Faith episode originally released 16 March 2023

And I honestly thought of the good Samaritan where there's this robber bleeding on the side of the road and a couple of priests walk by, they're too busy doing good things to help someone in need. So, I kind of smiled at myself and thought this is ridiculous, you know. So off I went, and it was the most gruelling of those trips I have ever done. So, it took me a while to get the book written, but the experience of suffering at the time helped me to really think through what I was writing, and it was more authentic. Even the meditations that I've written in there, I was practicing them every day myself.

Even ordinary lives – that might seem insulated from natural disasters – aren’t immune from suffering. Professor Robinson also had much to say about how people could prepare themselves for difficult times ahead, and the role of the Christian faith in that.

BRUCE ROBINSON / One of the things about Christian life is that you are promised that you are going to suffer. Christianity differs from other religions because Christianity says this is actually part of the journey: you will suffer, but you will grow from suffering. As hard as it seems, you will survive and grow and be a better person. There’s a phrase that I use in my book: “Grief, handled badly, makes people bitter. Grief, handled well, makes people better.” I have seen this so often.

A guy in his 50s, a neighbour, friend of mine came around. He was dying, had a week or so to live. He came and sat outside our house and he was afraid that his kids would be forever scarred by him dying while they were still young. I said, “there will always be a hole in their heart,

something missing, because they lost their dad early. But the way you’ve handled your death, you have talked to those kids and spent time with them, you haven’t pretended you’re not dying. You’ve talked to them and got them ready for it. They will be better for it. And as hard as it is for you to face this reality that you won’t see them growing up, they will be enriched in their lives. They will be more compassionate, wiser. There are all sorts of ways that they will be better for the way that you have handled your cancer.”

You see people who deny their cancer, they are bitter at the hospital, they’re bitter at the doctors, they’re bitter at God. And the kids end up sharing that bitterness and get locked into a prison of bitterness through the rest of their lives. And you don’t have to look far to see that. Listen to the news every night and they’ll put the microphone in front of someone who is locked in the prison of bitterness. There’s a good way to handle suffering and a bad way to handle it. And if you get it right, it can make you better.

Listen to the full episode on Life & Faith

Life & Faith is a weekly podcast from CPX featuring conversations that explore the beauty and complexity of belief in the 21st century. Listen to the full conversation at the QR code.

Faith Stories

Paulina's story is part of Eternity’s Faith Stories series, compiled by Naomi Reed.

“I am from Chile. I went to seminary there and I met my husband, Andrew, through mutual friends. We served for six years with CMS, in Bolivia and Chile. Towards the end of that time, I began to wonder more. I knew that Jesus was my Lord, but I didn’t feel that God was my Father. I knew that the Bible says God is our loving Father, but I didn’t feel it in my heart. I didn’t feel I could ask anything of him. I knew that he chose me, but who was I to come before him?

Then we found out I was pregnant with our fourth child. At 18 weeks, I had a hunch that something was wrong. The scans showed a white mark all over her chest. The doctors said she wasn’t viable. We talked to CMS and they advised us

‘FOR THE FIRST TIME, I WAS CLINGING ONTO GOD, LIKE A FATHER’

to come back to Australia. We packed up everything in our home very quickly. It was quite traumatic. We found someone to stay in the house and we left the cat in Chile.

In Australia, we went to see obstetricians. They said there was a large tumour where her lungs should be. It was really bad. She had no lungs or trachea. For me, it was like a crossroads. I needed to ask God for something. Would I ask him to heal our baby … or would I accept I had no standing to ask him for anything?

The obstetrician was advising termination, but we didn’t want to go that way. Every time we opened the Bible, it was about the breath of life, or about God being able to do it. For example, in Ezekiel 37, God breathed life into dry bones. I cried so much. Eventually, we began to pray that God would do his will. If it was his will to give our baby lungs and life, then please do that. If it was his will to take her home and spare her from the pain and suffering of this world, then please do that. Every morning, I would wake up and pray for a miracle, standing with my face to the sun and thanking God for his grace. Every evening, though, I would go to bed, thinking about her funeral. Who would we like to preach? It was both of those things at the same time.

I went into labour with a lot of peace, knowing that whatever happened, God would still be God. The doctors had told us that if she cries, they would know she had a small amount of lungs and they would give her a chance. If she didn’t cry, then they would give her to us and let her pass away in our arms.

She cried. It was a tiny cry, like a kitten. They wrapped her and took her away. Abi was alive. It was a miracle. But she was very, very sick. She had two large surgeries and then we

took her home at 6 weeks. For the first year, she vomited all the time. She couldn’t gain weight and she was very listless. We were devastated again, worse than before. Abi was always back in hospital, always about to die. It was during that year that I said, “Lord, you are faithful and good. I am not. Please don’t let go of me.” It was the first time that I was clinging onto God, like a Father.

Abi got better, slowly. She’s five now, in kindy. But for that whole time, it was like I joined Job in saying, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (42:5 NIV). The whole time, God sustained us. Even more than the miracle of her life and birth, he sustained us through the year of vomiting and being so near to death. He held on to me when I could do nothing. He showed me that he is my Father and I can come to him. He wants to shape me, like Jesus. I think it has changed me forever.”

Tree Tales

Sarah Raiter’s church once had a magnificent Liquidambar tree that was removed. Missing its vibrant presence that symbolised new life and seasonal transformations, Sarah realised that just like trees, there is more to a church than meets the eye — there are challenges and complexities, exemplified by the pruning and sacrifices made to embody a life of faith.

Day 1

A person’s days are determined; you … have set limits he cannot exceed … At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, … its stump [may] die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant. But a man dies ... and does not rise; till the heavens are no more ... (Job 14:5,7a,910a,12b, NIV)

Maybe eternal life is best understood through trees? After all, remember ‘in the beginning’ it was a tree of life that first introduced mankind to the idea. To stand under the canopy of this tree and wonder wasn’t enough. Nor was to ‘help ourselves’ to it. But by the end of God’s epic story, we are well versed in trees. And we are mercifully served up from the Tree of Life by our host — our living Saviour.

Pray the message of this song for yourself and pray it for those who haven’t tasted from The Tree of Life: 'Wood hath hope. When it's cut, it grows green again, and its boughs sprout clean again. Wood hath hope ... Root and stock although old and withered up, and all sunk in earth corrupt, will revive. Leaves return. Water pure brings life to them, and the tree lives young again.'

Day 2

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour… For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. (Isaiah 61:3b,11, NIV)

No matter the size, species or life-expectancy of a seed, it embodies nature’s near perfection: programmed for cell life … and death. So much meaning, fertility, potential, pattern, order, in such a small package. Christ’s church was birthed from such beginnings. Generations of lifecycles since, we’re still on our knees cultivating, nurturing and sowing.

Fling generative seeds on your good earth today, Lord, and enable me to notice, nurture and attend to the needs of your garden/your church.

Day 3

"The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:12b-13, NIV)

The only living organism that grows sturdier with age is … the tree. Each year, a new ring in the cross-section of her backbone tracks maturity and strength, stories and current events add to her unique signature.

So, steady on by nature’s design, because life and renewal is God’s ageless story. And fear the Lord. Revere our Creator’s glory. Because one day, every tree will meet its maker. One day, forebodes the prophet Malachi (4:1) of the arrogant and evildoers, not a branch or root will be left.

Refresh and renew me today and for a lifetime, Father, as I remember your ageless story; as I repent and forgive, mourn and rejoice, endure and hope. Mature your church with your ageless story, that she might withstand the winds of the world and the wiles of the Devil. Keep her repentant and forgiving, mourning and rejoicing, enduring and hoping until the day when we will meet our Maker face to face.

Day 4

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law, day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3, NIV)

Intricate. Imbedded. Inglorious. Indispensable. That’s the upside-down and under-groundedness of a tree. It befriends dark and loamy soil. It thanklessly burrows deep, dank tunnels on permanent night shifts, in search of moisture and minerals. That’s how it’s tenaciously connected to God’s good earth. And that be ‘blessed’. But better-blessed is the tree replanted — the new creation — whose roots feed on fountains of living water. Steadfast through cicada-hot summers and frost-bite storms. ‘Blessed’, those buried in Christ, ever new-born and thirst-quenched by streams of living water.

Prosper me and prosper your church, Holy Spirit. Establish us, dependent: hungry for your word and thirsty for your worship; naïve to evil but discerning of the Evil One and his world and ways. Bless and prosper us today.

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