Jesus Strong and Kind

For a video of us sharing with one of our partnering churches, visit here!

Do you ever hear a song so many times that you start to dread it? It’s one of the more unexpected joys of parenting, especially in our house, where Aloysius listens to a particular collection of songs every time he goes to the toilet. One of these songs has become a comfort and an encouragement as we have continued to settle and adjust to life in Melbourne. The chorus goes:

‘For the Lord is good and faithful,
He will keep us day and night,
We can always run to Jesus,
Jesus, strong and kind.’

In his kindness, God has given us a church community that loves and embraces us, and has already become family to us. Prompted by Aloysius, the congregation learned to sing this very song using key word signs, and it has been so powerful to see the whole congregation sing using the language of our son.

Jess, Aloysius and Lilah have also joined the outreach playgroup and are loving the opportunity to connect with other young families in the area and get to know some of the key members of the church. Jess has also started reading the Bible with someone at church and they are able to encourage each other to keep running to Jesus. We love the way that gathering on a Sunday is an opportunity for our family to run to Jesus as we sing, read God’s word and connect with his people.

Praise God for the gift of our church family and the friendships that are forming. Please pray that we would continue to invest in church, and connect with new friends, for wisdom in how to serve, and for opportunities to point to Jesus at the playgroup.

Big world, bigger God

In the first weekend of May, Wycliffe Australia held their biennial gathering, where members gathered from all over the country and world to celebrate all that God has been doing. For us, it was a moment to lift our eyes from the details of data management and dirty nappies, and see what God is doing all around the world to bring his word to every language, people, tribe and tongue.

Praise God for his bigness – that he does awesome work beyond what we could imagine or hope for, and that we get to be a part of that!
Pray that we would keep our eyes fixed on the bigger picture, and not just the details before us.

Supporting the Frontlines

The team is also thankful to have two new volunteers join recently! It’s been great to have fresh skills and enthusiasm helping to build these systems.

Beyond dTrackerPlus, Jarod has also been supporting others at the national office by building small apps and automating workflows that help make day-to-day tasks easier. One such app takes audio and transcribes or translates it using AI, so that meetings can be transcribed easily. It is all done offline, so sensitive information can also be included in the audio recordings.

Jarod has joined the communications team as well, mainly assisting with the technical side of the website, though his past experience has been helpful in conversations about how Wycliffe Australia develops communication strategies for the future.

Praise God for the new team members and the progress made on our system.

Please pray for wisdom and focus as Jarod balances his roles at Wycliffe Australia.

Aloysius’ birthday

Special visitors

We have had a busy, yet delightful, July with visiting friends and family. One of Jess’ friends from her early uni days came with her three boys and they joined us for lots of adventures in local playgrounds, op shops, farms and the mud! It was a delight to watch the kids playing together and a gift for Jess to spend quality time with an old friend. Jess’ mum, aka ‘Nanna’ also came to visit, and spent hours reading stories, singing songs, and building towers with Aloysius and Lilah. We are thankful for the quality time and connection, and are settling back into the rhythm of regular life as term 3 begins.

Please pray that we would be wise in staying connected with people in Perth, that we would find our rhythm again in Melbourne, and that God would help us to keep connecting with people here.

Prayer summary:

Thank God for:

• the gift of our church family and the friendships that are forming
• including us in his big work beyond what we can see
• the joy of watching Aloysius and Lilah grow in their love for God and each other
• Jarod’s new team members and the progress made on their system.

Please pray for:

• wisdom and opportunity to keep connecting and serving at church, and for Jess to be pointing to Jesus at the playgroup
• focus on God’s bigger picture, and not just the details before us
• wisdom and focus as Jarod balances his roles at Wycliffe Australia
• wisdom, grace and strength as we teach and care for Aloysius and Lilah
• wisdom in balancing relationships in Perth and Melbourne in a season of limited energy
• that each of our training courses will be fruitful.