Walsh News 2019

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS…

These are familiar words from the book of Esther, where Mordecai speaks the wisdom of heaven to the young Queen faced with a terrible situation and how God might use her for His glory.
“For such a time as this”, these are our days and these are the last days, Maranatha, even so Lord Jesus Come.

A great deal  has happened in the last two weeks, let alone since we last wrote to you. In light of the terrible events in Christchurch I was asked to write an article for Calvary chapel.com. A small  portion of the article is below with the link if you would like to read the whole reflection.

Kia Kaha – Christchurch – A Reflection

A phrase that has been heard many times in the difficult days following the tragedy in Christchurch last week. Kia Kaha is a Māori Phrase used by the people of New Zealand as an encouragement to stay strong, its literal meaning, Forever strong, popularized by the 28th Māori battalion during World War II. The events that we witnessed unfold in Christchurch on Friday so far resulting in the loss of fifty lives, all whom are precious to God, irrespective of race, gender, age, religion and ethnicity is an act of true and unmitigated evil. It in no way represents the heart of God.

It has been difficult to see our nation grasp the magnitude of what has happened. It is not uncommon for Kiwi’s to wear black but today many are wearing black for a very different reason. Our hearts go out to all those touched by this terrible tragedy. This is not us – This has been the cry of the soul of the nation, this is not us, we are not like this, this is not our heart, this is not our land.

Something that we have tragically seen the world over, has come here to dear “Old God’s Own”, not only a terrible and unnecessary loss of life but also a loss of innocence, truly it is unlikely that New Zealand will ever be the same again. The response and emotion are hard to express and quantify especially for a people who are not quick to share the inner workings of their heart. Yet our people’s heart is being expressed through the frequent and wonderful, passionate expressions of the Haka giving respect and honour, the Sydney Opera House gloriously lit with the solitary emblem of the New Zealand Silver fern. The tears of a trauma surgeon on national news as he tells of repairing the heart of a young girl struck by an evil bullet and that being the most important thing, he has ever done is his career. All these expressions of the heart have moved many the world over and within this Aotearoa – this land of the long white cloud. Please continue to pray for the people and families affected by this tragedy. While we cannot personally solve any of the problems our country must now face, we can pray, we can humble ourselves, and we can turn from our own wicked ways. Isn’t that how revival begins, and a land becomes whole? To read the full article, follow this link: calvarychapel.com

Calvary Chapel Nasinu, Church Plant

Gwyn and I recently visited Pastor Charles & Tina Mareu in Suva, the capital of Fiji, it was joy to spend sometime with them and serve alongside them in the ministry. We first met them when thy attended CCBI for a year back in 2012, since them we have worked with them through several outreaches from CCBI. In April, they will begin a small bible study in their home as the beginning  of the first church plant for Calvary chapel in Fiji.

As a school we’ve been blessed to come alongside Pastor Charles and his wife, Tina, as they minister to the islands of Fiji. Our heart is to support them as they begin the church plant in April, we invite you to join us in prayer and financially to help support this new work. Here’s a brief letter from Charles about the ministry in Fiji, and how you can pray for them:

“Bula from FIJI, Hi everyone. Since I left CCBI, my wife and I really love the teaching of the word, and we love to see the teaching of the word happening in our homeland. After many years, the Lord has confirmed in our hearts to start Calvary Chapel Nasinu. Last Friday we started a youth group where twenty people attended. We are thinking of having our first service after Easter, and we will start meeting in our home until we find a church building. Please continue to pray for us, pray for wisdom as we plan. Please also pray for our two boys, Akuila and Luci, currently studying at CCBI, our heart is that they would complete the two year program, but currently only have their visas for a year. We thank the Lord for CCBI and their encouragement as we start Calvary Chapel Nasinu. Charles & Tina”.

CCBI & Family

We are now several weeks into our February semester we have 26 students and we are all settling into our new location at The Ark Conference centre in the central Waikato. We are two hours further north than our previous location so it means we can actively serve on a regular basis with Calvary Chapel Auckland.
Jordan has taken on the role of their Youth Pastor , so he travels up to Auckland every Sunday often with a team of students to hep with the ministry. Pray for him he is busy !!
Becky has joined the Staff of CCBI and is she is slowly adjusting to her new roles serving here with the rest of the CCBI team. Pray for her she is busy !!

Prayer & Praise.

Please pray for :

• For the people of New Zealand and Christchurch in the aftermath of the terrible events in Christchurch, for an open door and open heart to the gospel, especially with  easter  only a few weeks away.
• Charles & Tina and the new church plant in Fiji, for provision and protection as they begin CC Nasinu in April.
• For CCBI as we prepare for speakers week beginning  April 8th with Pastor Mike Focht, Pastor Tom Dickerson & Pastor Luis Solis all from the east coast of the USA. Please pray for God’s anointing and presence to touch all our hearts and minds.
• Jordan as he juggles the many demands of serving as part of the pastoral team with  CCBI and  as youth pastor with CC Auckland.
• Cultivate youth program that Jordan is developing as part of the ministry of CCBI, our first program will be in January 2020, more details  coming soon !!!
• Gwyn and I will be spending much or June & July in the UK, connecting with family and during July & August I will be teaching at the Scandinavian conference  and  the Serbian conference, please pray for anointing, provision and travel mercies.