Do we have to go home?
In early May, we had the opportunity to travel to Melbourne for a week. We were able to visit the church we are planning to join. We are sad to be leaving Perth, partly because we will be leaving a great church, but it was such an encouragement to feel at home already at a church in Melbourne, and to get to know some of our new family.
Jarod completed the Partnership Development Training during the week, where he had the opportunity to think through his own journey to where we are now, and across the week to put together a 10 minute presentation that he shared on the final day. It was a great opportunity for Jarod to build his confidence in sharing about what we are going to be doing with Wycliffe Australia.
We also discovered that Aloysius loves the cold! He was happiest when out for a walk through the bush property, meeting kangaroos and making new friends with anyone who would smile and wave back at him. Seeing Aloysius in his element was another level of confirmation that this would be a great move for our family.It was such a positive trip that in many ways we wanted to just stay and start work straight away!
Please pray for patience as we wait for the right time to move to Melbourne.
Jarod’s Partnership Development class
Marathon Moments
Who loves a good marathon run? The last 5 years has felt a little like a marathon, where the finish line was joining Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia. But it turns out that the finish line is not joining Wycliffe Australia. It’s much further ahead. In fact, our whole life is a marathon run, with the prize being eternity with Jesus. So in what feels like a marathon run to get to Melbourne as soon as we can, we want to keep our eyes fixed on the true goal of eternity with Jesus.
Please pray that we would keep our focus on living for Jesus in all that we do, not just getting to Melbourne.
Just as distance markers in a marathon run motivate you to keep going, so do milestones in life. God has given us lots of little milestones to encourage us in raising Aloysius. Of the many things he is learning, watching him bloom in independence in feeding, and his progress in learning to walk has been so motivating in our own lives.
In the second half of May we began really intentionally seeking out partnerships with people, starting with our church family. We presented what we were doing at church one Sunday, and spent the following two weeks visiting small groups and having conversations with church members. We had the chance to share our heart for making the Bible accessible to every person and show the gap between the Bible translations we have access to, and the lack that many people groups face. It was both humbling and incredibly encouraging to have so many different people express interest in partnering with us.
We even had one of the kids say to us that they did not want us to leave, but then gave us a little envelope with some of their pocket money. It was a little like the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41-44 – it was one of the most encouraging partnerships we had, even though it was the smallest amount.
Please pray for us as we continue to share with individuals and churches, that we would have boldness and wisdom, and that God would lead people to give generously as they are able.
“So, when do you move to Melbourne?”
This is probably the most frequently asked question! We have been blown away by the generosity of people who have partnered with us financially, and the increasing number of people committing to partner with us in prayer. So to those of you who have partnered with us in some way, Thank You! You are both an encouragement to us on this marathon journey, and are enabling God’s life-giving words to go out to people who can’t yet access it in their heart language.
As of the start of June, we are at 8% of our financial target. So the simplest answer to when we move, is when we get to 100%. If you are someone who has been thinking about it, or has said that you are interested, we would love to chat more about how you can get involved. If it is on your list of things to do, but just hasn’t made it to the top, why not visit our member page now?!
What next?
Jarod will be finishing up his work at Providence City Church at the end of this month, so from July we will have more time and energy to invest in building partnerships with you! We are hoping to have many more individual conversations, have people over for meals to share our heart for this work, and visit some other churches. If you would like to be one of those people, please get in touch with us (details below).
Please pray for Jarod as he finishes up his work at Providence City at the end of June, and that they will find suitable people to take over his responsibilities.
Visit our prayer wall for more ways you can give thanks and pray for us.
Contact us:
jess_hortin@wycliffe.org.au
jarod_hortin@wycliffe.org.au
heyhortins.com/partner/
wycliffe.org.au/jarod-jess
Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia:
70 Graham Rod, Kangaroo Ground VIC 3097
https://wycliffe.org.au/
Hey Hortins 
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