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Weekly Prayer Points,
23 August 2010. G'Day from Steve
G'Day from the Matilda Highway.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58
We are over two weeks into the Heritage National Tour. At present traveling in Outback QLD doing evangelistic concerts in some outback towns. So far we've communicated to over 4,395 people in 13 towns and cities and seen 109 make decisions for Christ. Many more have received Bibles and others have taken information from the Missions Expo. Our boys have also been doing lunchtime concerts in local high schools in 6 regions with great response from students, teachers and chaplains. Praise God for every opportunity to share the Gospel and distribute Bibles. Praise God for the work of the Holy Spirit drawing people to that precious knowledge of the hope of Christ and the message of the Cross.
We would greatly appreciate your prayers for vehicles, fuel expenses and for fatigue as the team of 22 venture into some long distances on the 23,000km journey. This is putting faith into action in a very real way. As the team adjust to life on the road and the daily challenges of travel and adaptability we know we must get back to the basics of God's word.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 7
Thanks so much for standing with us on this major tour across Australia. We need your prayers as we seek to serve God in every town we visit. More of God's love and less of our own agenda's. Amen.
Godspeed,
Pictured: Some of the team and vehicles on the road between Blackall and Barcaldine. QLD.
Heritage Tour Diary - Week #1
Despite a few vehicle hick-ups, we've had a great start to the national Heritage Tour!
Check out the Heritage Tour Video Blog:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SteveGraceMinistries
A gift of Diesel fuel
Pictured: Fuel Truck Stop sign.
A local tradesman in Gympie approached us at the end of the concert last week in Gympie. He was so encouraged to see people making decisions for Christ and to see the impact of the event on the community. He could not come on tour with us but the next best thing he could do was fill all of the tanks of the tour vehicles with fuel. So the following morning we lined up in a convoy and each vehicle was filled.
This gesture of generosity absolutely blew us away as a team. Fuel is a huge cost when traveling on tour. $1.40 per litre or about $5 per gallon for US readers. So we simply want to thank our brother who helped us get to the next concert destination. God is good.
A familiar view
Pictured: The Wycliffe Bus and trailer on the Matilda Highway.
This coming week we have some big distances to cover and some ministry in some unique QLD country towns. As you read this we will be traveling from Longreach to Winton to Charters Towers on some very unforgiving roads. The days are beginning to get hot. A dramatic change from zero degrees temperatures we were experiencing in the first weeks of the tour. But we praise the Lord for safety so far. This will be a very familiar view out the front windscreen over the coming months. Thanks again to Wycliffe Bible Translators for the use of their bus and trailer. It is such a blessing to the Heritage Tour.
A Welcome Feast
Pictured: Dinner time at the Catholic Church Hall in Blackall.
The Catholic Priest, Father Matthew and an enthusiastic team of ladies from St Patrick's Church cooked up a "Welcome to Blackall" meal
we will never forget. The very best of home cooking and a beautifully presented banquet table in the church hall made us feel like honoured guests after a long drive from Emerald in central Queensland. After ample servings of shepherd's pie and some country dishes we were served hot apple pie!! It was a fantastic way to end the day.
The following morning Steve and Don had the privilege of ministering in the morning mass with all the Primary School students. We appreciate Father Matthew inviting us to sing and share the Gospel message with the kids. Amazing opportunity.
The concert that night, despite rain was well attended and the local Community Centre was full with a very appreciative crowd. Some families drove 350kms to be at the concert. The local churches all worked in unity for a wonderful event. Thanks so much to Phil and Rikki Walker for helping to organise our time in Blackall. We loved it!
High School Ministry
Pictured: Jordan and Chase and team ministering at a High School in Gympie last week.
Please pray for the team as they are given an open door to present the gospel in High Schools across Queensland. Jordan, Trent, Chase, Steven, Ryan and Jess have been performing songs and sharing their testimonies to packed halls of young Australians. The team has worked tirelessly and served with all their hearts to make these events effective. It can be difficult work connecting with hundreds of High School students yet the responses and feedback have been amazing. We value your ongoing support and prayers for the team as they do schools in Charters Towers and Bowen this week.
Vehicle Update
Pictured: The New Tour Pajero with our home on wheels for the next few months. Blackall Anglican Church, Qld.
A broken crankshaft in our old Mitsubishi Pajero has altered our plans but we have been able to secure a lease on a 2009 Pajero to keep us on the road. A big step of faith but we have confidence the Lord will go before us. It is always exciting to see his miraculous provision. Unfortunately the engine breakdown was not under warranty so we are waiting on a quote to repair the damaged engine in our 2003 Pajero. Thanks to all who have expressed concern over these transport challenges.
Thanks Martin and Kathy
Pictured: Martin and Kathy at the Wycliffe Expo stand.
We are so grateful that Martin and Kathy Snook of Wycliffe Bible Translators have been able to travel with us for a few weeks. They have recently moved to Cairns in North QLD to serve Wycliffe there. But a few weeks traveling around the great State of Queensland with our team was an opportunity they could not pass by. We're so glad as they have been a great help and encouragement to the team in these early stages of the tour.
Missions Expo report
Pictured: The Missions Expo at the Blackall concert.
By faith we are believing the Missions Expo will inspire many young people to get involved in serving the Lord. We've done the best we could to get various organisations involved including CBM, Wycliffe, MAF, Vision / UCB, Samaritan's Purse, Bible Society, YWAM, Pines College, Adventure Life and World Missions Int. We're excited to see what results will come from presenting these great ministries to audiences across Australia.
Heritage Tour - Outback Skies TV Vision
Pictured: Outback Skies website.
From Richard:
We had a great week filming with Steve and the team in Bundaberg, Childers and Hervey Bay.
Praise report for the wonderful stories that we had the opportunity to film:
- the Bert Hinkler Aviation story,
- the Florence Young abolition of Australian Slave Trade story – where a descendent of the original slaves arrived out of the blue as we were filming and shared his testimony with us,
- the Arthur Clarke artistic woodcarving story of the Great Barrier Reef,
- the Childers motorbike story where Nigel Allwood showed us a little city motorbike he invented and built from scratch,
- the Whale Watching story at Hervey Bay. The entire week of filming was a breeze and many many great stories unfolded before us. Nine of us went whale watching in Hervey Bay for free!
- the relationships and interactions of the touring team, their trials and triumphs, and the ongoing sense of adventure and teamwork that is building in the team.
Prayer for this project is the most important element of all:
- ongoing protection and guidance for our entire production team. We now have a team of 7 people working on Outback Skies on a shoestring budget. We need ongoing cohesion and the favour of God and the favour of man.
- ongoing protection for all of our families as they are at home without us, and as we sacrifice income that would help us to support them.
- ongoing protection for all of our equipment as we travel to diverse destinations.
- ongoing provision of cars, flights, equipment and teaching as we progress.
I’d like to thank Steve, Kerrie and the team for allowing us to capture their journey on this Heritage Tour.
Go to www.outbackskies.com
Heritage Promo Video
Watch the New promo video online:
http://www.theheritagetour.com/media/downloads/video/
Testimonies
We are constantly encouraged by some amazing letters in the mail from people who have been blessed by the ministry. As many of you pray regularly for our work we wanted you to also partner in the blessing of these letters. Thank you to each of you who take the time to communicate with us about what God is doing in your life. We really are encouraged by your words.
You can check out the new testimonies page by Clicking Here
Prayer Requests
- Ongoing financial support for all the projects and missions planned for this year.
- For 'grace' magazine.
- For the team serving in the Steve Grace Office as they continue co-ordinating and communicating with Churches across Australia. .
- For God's leading as we pray about plans for 2011.
Until next week,
Steve & Kerrie Grace
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