Australian Trip 2010

We have now completed our last full week on this mission trip. We were involved in a variety of ministry activities including home studies, corporate assemblies, a men’s fellowship, and Bible Institute classes. We have been extremely well received by the brethren in every situation.

This trip has been very enriching personally. Mona and I have had more time to spend personally with friends we have made through the years. We stayed in the Toowoomba area more than usual, and that has allowed us to get even more involved in the lives of the brethren. There are many special needs that members of the Eastern Downs church have right now. It has meant a lot to us to be able to share with them as we have.

Yesterday we got to take our first day for sightseeing this time. We went a couple of hours out toward the Outback. It was an enjoyable tour, and we got to see areas where we had never been.

Being in the southern hemisphere the seasons are opposite of what they are in the U.S. Spring arrives here September 1. It has been cooler here overall than usual, and there has been a record amount of rain for August. The past two days have brought dramatically warmer temperatures, and it appears spring is here. On our trip to New South Wales earlier this month we actually drove through an area where there were snow showers.

As this trip winds down we praise God for His grace that has allowed us to come to Australia and has used us to serve here as we have. The folks here are longing for us to return, and we trust that in God’s time it will be possible.

Thanks for your continual prayers on our 2010 Australian mission. God blessed us with a good week last week. We were able to conduct home studies and teach for the Southern Cross Bible Institute. Those were all well-received, and it is amazing how God providentially works so that the lessons taught are pertinent to the situations the students are dealing with. Yesterday we had a super day. There was a combined worship assembly of the house churches Jim & Becky normally work with and two non-instrumental groups joined with us as well. It was exciting to have a much larger group than usual at any one venue. We shared good fellowship, a wonderful dinner, and then I led a seminar. It was a full day that was physically exhausting, but it was very spiritually uplifting. It is my prayer that God would use yesterday as an open door for deeper fellowship and a stronger witness for Christ in the Eastern Downs region of Australia. Please join me in prayer that the seeds sown yesterday will bear much fruit for the kingdom.

This week I will still be teaching on James for the Southern Cross Bible Institute. We have home Bible studies set up as well, and I will be speaking at a men's fellowship, and we have a meeting with an elder from a non-instrumental church in Brisbane. Every day this week has us teaching or preaching in some way. I had anticipated a slightly lighter schedule on this trip than our previous trips, but God has graciously allowed us to be involved in more work than I had imagined. This time we haven't travelled away from Queensland for as long a time as we have in the past, but our time here has been extraordinarily busy with more home studies. It has been a very productive time meeting more specific needs. Please pray fervently that this last full week here will be the most productive ever in helping people grow into Christian maturity.

God continues to bless us with a wonderful trip to Australia. Following our trip to New South Wales we have been involved in work with the Southern Cross Bible Institute and the Eastern Downs Church of Christ. I am teaching an SCBI class on James. It has been well-received, and it is encouraging that there have been participants who have never been involved in a class before.

The Lord's Day, August 22 will be a very special day. All of the house churches will be joining together at the Hodgson Vale Sports Club Centre for a combined worship assembly. We will also be joined by a couple of non-instrumental groups. The fellowship of these brethren is is a very recent development. I can't really explain how encouraging it is to meet other brothers and sisters in Christ. For many of us in America it is hard to realize how few people there are in our fellowship. We will have our regular worship assembly (in which I get to preach) and then share a fellowship meal. After the meal I then get to lead a two-hour seminar on prayer. The title of the seminar is Progressing in Prayer...Using the Model Prayer as a Model of Prayer. I love teaching this, and am trusting God will use it to bring His people here closer to Him, and help them be more effective in prayer. We have distributed flyers throughout Hodgson Vale hoping to reach people in the community.

During the week I will continue to teach on James for the Bible Institute. Jim Newman and I will also be meeting with an elder from a non-instrumental church in Brisbane as well. We have a couple of other appointments in homes, and still will be going to Pittsworth to share with the brethren there on our final Lord's Day here. There is so much to be done here, and Mona and I are very blessed to get to help in a very small way. Please pray for physical strength for us, wisdom to be effective in what we do, a receptive field to receive the word, and faithfulness to God in all things.

To view Southern Cross' latest newsletter, visit http://scmaustralia.net/News/files/August2010.pdf

Model Prayer Seminar

Charlestown Church Service

Our mission has started very productively. Yesterday we participated in two house church meetings. Spiritual growth continues to be evident, and we met three new families since our visit last year. It is very exciting to see the church progress as she is. We were also able to pray with two of the brethren who are battling serious cancer problems. One of them had a mastectomy today. This lady has five children ages 8 and under. The other is a Christian brother who has metastasized melanoma. Some other brethren are dealing with some other issues. It seems like the timing of our visit is critical to bring emotional and spiritual encouragement. We have truly built strong personal relationships with these brethren over the years, and it is really good for us to be here with them now.

Tomorrow we leave for our annual journey into New South Wales. During this time we probably won't have much internet access. We'll be gone about a week. I will be teaching and preaching in a variety of circumstances. We will get to share with some non-instrumental brethren as well as instrumental. Friday night I will be talking with young people so pray for that to be effective.

Mona and I are both tired as we try to adjust to the time difference and recover from jet lag. Pray that God will bless us with strength to be effective in our work. We are grateful to be entrusted with this ministry. There are many open doors for us to share Christ in a variety of circumstances. Please pray! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ~Kerry Allen

We have safely arrived in Australia. No problems in travel. Road construction delayed our trip from Brisbane to Toowoomba. We showered went to lunch, took care of some business details, and made a visit on a church family dealing with cancer. I have just now gotten on line. We are ready for dinner, then hopefully we will go to bed before long. It is 6:35 p.m. here, and we have been up now 48 hours non-stop. Keep us in your prayers. I start teaching and preaching on Sunday. ~Kerry

August 3rd:
Please remember Mona and me as we leave on our Australian mission. The schedule has us leaving Cincinnati at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. We fly to LA then on to Brisbane. We should arrive in Brisbane a little after 5 p.m. Thursday (American time.) Please pray for safety and strength in travel, and for God to use us in a way that glorifies Him and builds His kingdom on earth. I will be teaching extensively from James on practical Christianity. Pray for the church to mature through the teaching. I will also be doing many small group studies as well as preaching every weekend. We have a couple of meetings set up with non-instrumental brethren as well. Pray that God will use it all in ways we can't even imagine. Thanks so much. ~Kerry & Mona