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Reaching youth with the truth -- the Gospel of Christ |
Marton, New Zealand. Phone (+64-6) 327-7624
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Making Christ's last command our first concern |
 Bevan and Audrey Smith  Lynnea Smith  Callum Smith  Amelia Smith |
Dear Friends, |
Hi there from Marton. We are all well and have been busy with various ministry activities lately. |
Touch Tournaments |
The main ones have been Leadership training for all the Word of Life Clubs to start the new year, speaking at Stoney Creek Ranch Teen camp (seventy kids) just last week and Touch Rugby Tournaments throughout the country. Touch Rugby continues to be the fastest growing sport in New Zealand and is very well suited for evangelistic purposes. I had the privilege of preaching the gospel at two of these (Nelson and Matamata) tournaments and it was a real thrill to see two boys come to Christ. | |
Easter Camp |
Just recently we have completed ministry at Forest Lakes Easter Camp where
Audrey was involved in running the children's programme and I was running a
programme for 10-13 year olds. A four day camp is a great opportunity to
really focus in on Easter. Several parents commented how their children had been
challenged. We especially emphasised how Easter can make a difference in their
lives every day.
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The Children |
The greatest thrill has been the development we have seen in our own children. Both Callum and Lynnea were struck by the Easter story presented at camp and have had heaps of questions about sin and the reason that Christ had to die. They both have said they have asked God to forgive them of their sins and Lynnea says she wants to be a "follower of God". Of course their thoughts are just developing but it is exciting to see their response to what they do know and understand. | |
Dimensions In Leadership |
We are privileged to have Robin Brooks working with us here in New Zealand. She is from the U.S.A. and is a very capable children's worker. Through the months of December and January it was our project to rewrite the Leadership Manual for the Olympian and Champion children's programmes. This manual turned out to be 100 pages in length and had numerous changes to make these club programmes better suited to the New Zealand church scene. Interestingly, Robin was in Auckland and I was in Marton and the whole project was done over e-mail, which meant we didn't have to leave our ministry base. Praise the Lord for these new technologies that advance the gospel. | |
Trip to the U.S.A. |
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A Recent Praise Item |
Recently I was involved in a meeting in Marton that also involved a guy called Mike, who recently became a Christian. He referred to some sessions I have been taking with our youth leaders. They began with How to Counsel A Young Person for Salvation, How to Counsel A Young Person for Assurance and Rededication and How to Follow-up A Young Person. He said that he learnt a lot from those sessions and that after the Assurance one he realized he hadn't really become a Christian. That night he went home and received the Lord as his Saviour. Praise the Lord who has done a work in Mike's life! Needless to say I was encouraged (to put it mildly). We ask that you continue to pray for us in our service for Him! |
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Sincerely yours in Christ,
The Smiths.
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Our news is that as a staff we are all going to the United States for
5 weeks. We are heading over to be in time for the Word of Life
World Directors Conference and International Clubs Conference
in New York. This begins on May 19th. The trip is paid for us and
we are grateful to be able to go as a family.
Following this we head to Florida for about 3 weeks
of deputation and stop off at Berne, Indiana for a
couple of days on the way home. This will be a time
where we will have opportunity to present our
ministry and explain our work with Word of Life
New Zealand. Aside from this it will be great to
catch up with people we know and people who have
stood with us in this ministry over the last 6½ years.