Newsletter 2009 02 February

Newsletter Www.TheEDGE.org.au

February 2009

Is God testing you?

Mary and Martha were upset that Jesus didn't come until their brother Lazarus was dead. 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died' (Jn 11:32 NIV). But instead of giving them reasons, Jesus replied, 'Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?' (Jn 11:40). When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, Abraham didn't understand, but later he witnessed God's faithfulness when Isaac was restored to him. Moses didn't understand why he had to spend 40 years in the wilderness, but later when God called him to lead Israel to freedom, he got it. Joseph didn't know why his brothers mistreated him or why he was imprisoned unfairly, but later he saw God's Hand in everything. His father questioned why Joseph had been taken away from him, but later, looking into the face of the man who had been made governor and who'd saved the lives of the nation, God's purposes became clear. Just like your children don't always think your decisions make sense, we don't understand God's ways. That's why Jesus said to Mary and Martha, 'You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will' (Jn 13:7 NIV). God doesn't expect you to understand, but He does expect you to trust Him. In spite of his boils, bankruptcy and bereavement, Job said: 'But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold' (Job 23:10). Is God testing you? If He is, what are you learning? Is the experience making you bitter, or making you better by causing you to draw closer to Him? Azers Holiday Update

Well its great to be back in Oz. Being away for so long makes you realise how good we have it here in Australia, we are very blessed. Em and i had a great time touring Egypt, it was Em's first time and we were both a bit anxious about how she would handle it but thank God that all went well and that we both had a great time there. We spent most of our trip travelling around Egypt seeing the sights such as the Pyramids as well as spending a few nights at the beautiful Red Sea location of Hurghada. The highlight of the trip however would have to be the Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan. It was a 4 day cruise on the Nile stopping off along the way to visit the various ancient monuments. It was relaxing and fantastic! Despite all this leisure we also managed to do some ministry. We visited Lilian Trasher Orphanage in Assuit and got to interact a bit with the children there. Em also met with a few of the leaders who run a street kids ministry in Assuit and Alexandria, she imparted some of her experience and encouraged them to keep going in such a tough ministry. As for me i had two opportunities to preach God's word, once in Alexandria and once in Assuit. It was a blessing to have two people in these locations who can translate competently and accurately. Overall we had a fabulous time. Thank you for your support and prayers and we ask that you keep the church in Egypt in your prayers as some are on fire for God while others are very apathetic and caught up in church politics more than the work of God. God has blessed the church there with relative freedom in what they do but they are still among a majority Muslim population. Pray that God may use His church to reach these people. . Awads Holiday Update

First of all we just want to say it’s so awesome to be back home! Going to Jordan was great, it was nice to have some time of rest and relaxation…. oh yeah and it was good to see all the family too lol. During our stay we went and visited a few historical Christian sights such as the sea of Galilee where peter walked on water, Mount Nebo where Moses saw the promised land, Omm Case where Jesus drove the many demons out of the possessed man and Omm Cower where they believe was the area that John the Baptist was beheaded. Visiting these sights was great because it made the bible come alive. Although 6 weeks doesn’t seem like a long time it really gave us a greater appreciation for what we have back home, we saw the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor. We missed u guys a lot, like they say, u don’t realize what u have until it’s gone. To us you are our family and we’re very blessed and grateful to have you all in our lives.

FOR YOUR CALENDAR Beach Night —21st Feb WOL LDC –28th Feb WOL Kick-Off—20th Mar PRAISE POINTS All holidayers are back safely Br Lotfy’s health improvement Those speaking to their friends about Christ! That’s what it is all about. We’re back in the HALL!! :) PRAYER POINTS Our group’s impact Our worship life 2009 EDGE Plans QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Set your minds on things above, not on things on the ea.” — Paul (Col 3:1-4)