New Zealand News

September 2012
A bimonthly newsletter from

Volume XVI Number 5a

Kevin, Lynne, Loren and Kaitlyn Moore

Taking the Gospel to Porirua, New Zealand

www.poriruachurchofchrist.yolasite.com

P. O. Box 50560, Porirua 5240, New Zealand. Phone: 011-64-4-235-6162. E-mail: kmoore@fhu.edu Kia Ora from the South Pacific island nation of New Zealand. All the saints greet you. The twenty-first month of the Lords work in Porirua is now behind us, and we are truly grateful for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now (Philippians 1:5). It is amazing how swiftly time has flown by, and the prayers and involvement of our supporters have been a huge encouragement. Thank you for your continued interest and support. May God be glorified in all that He is accomplishing through our humble efforts. FAMILY UPDATE Lynne, Loren and Kaitlyn are still in the USA (as reported in last months newsletter). Lynnes dad, Eugene Hibbett, has been hospitalized for the past several weeks with meningitis caused by West Nile Virus, and every glimmer of hope seems to be accompanied by multiple setbacks. He has made some effort to respond, but for the most part has remained unresponsive. Unfortunately were still facing a lot of uncertainties. Lynne and the girls were supposed to be back in New Zealand by now, but due to these unforseen circumstances they are still with family in the States. Words cannot express how very much I miss my wife and daughters, but we all understand that they are where they need to be right now. This unexpected trip was not included in our budget, of course, so we really appreciate the generous financial donations received from the Wellington church here in New Zealand and from individuals in the USA, plus the travel and expense fund that has been set up by the elders of the Estes congregation in Henderson, TN. Lynnes dad has been transferred to Select Specialty Hospital of Memphis, 5959 Park Ave., 12th Floor, Room 1214, Memphis, TN 38119. We covet your prayers, and we are very grateful for the loving assistance provided by our fellow Christians. NEW ADDITION TO OUR CHURCH FAMILY I have known Michelle Stretch for many years, at least since her cousins, Nathan and Jack Paki, were converted in Palmerston North and helped bring her to Christ. She has been a member of the Foxton congregation, but sadly in recent years has drifted back into the world. Last month Michelle and her two children, Jairus and Mylee, moved to Upper Hutt (about a 45-minutes drive from Porirua), and after visiting and praying with her, she has recommitted her life to the Lord. I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance (Luke 15:7). Michelle and her kids are now attending our Sunday worship assemblies and Bible classes in Porirua. We rejoice in her restoration, and we welcome the addition to our church family. PERSONAL EVANGELISM In the process of moving to Upper Hutt, Michelle met Toya and invited her to attend church with her in Porirua. We set up a Bible study with Toya, but when she discovered that we do not practice laying on of hands or tongue-speaking, she canceled. Although she said that she still plans to attend church services, that has yet to be seen since the first couple of visits. Our sister Janny brought her friend Shirley to one of our Bible studies, which she enjoyed so much that she came to church with Janny the following Sunday. We dont know at this stage how committed Shirley is to following through with additional studies, but we are certainly hopeful that she will. At the very least Janny has received a much-needed spiritual boost in her attempts to reach out to her friend. After being distracted for several weeks with a lot of things going on in her life, Katarina seems to be

2
getting back on track studies with her. We convicted by the word the necessary steps to the Lords church. and we are resuming Bible pray that her heart will be of God and that she will take become a faithful member of THE FREED-HARDEMAN CONNECTION Beth Swymer, a graduate of Freed-Hardeman University and former New Zealand campaigner, arrived in New Zealand on the 7th of September with a long-term commitment to get a job and support herself while assisting in the Lords work. She is currently in Palmerston North. Back in 1993, while I was working with the Wellington congregation, Earl and Lora Edwards brought the first FHU campaign group to New Zealand, and it has been one of my aims to maintain this FHU-NZ connection. There have been FHU campaigners in New Zealand every year since 1993, and some have returned to do missionary work for extended periods, including Jennifer (Laton) Crill and Tiffany (Bolks) Seiler. Others, like Jeana (Rader) ODonnell, Christie (Lussier) Jensen, and Rachel (Donnelly) Kyle, have married Kiwis and are living here permanently. Our co-workers, Lance and Kristen Mosher, are also FHU graduates, as well as John and Erin Jones, who are making plans to move here next year to work with the Porirua church. W hile the prospect of leaving New Zealand at the end of the year to resume my teaching position at FHU is admittedly bitter-sweet, these faithful servants of God help keep me motivated to try to maintain the FHUNZ connection. MOORE NEWS Seeing that three-fourths of the Moore family are currently in the USA (as noted above), at least one positive thing is that the girls are getting an early start reconnecting with their cousins and N. American friends. But they sure are being missed on this side of the globe! Thank you for being a part of this very important and fruitful work in the Lower North Island of New Zealand. And thank you for your continued prayers. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21). Laboring together with Him, Kevin, Lynne, Loren and Kaitlyn Moore
Sponsored by the Estes church of Christ, P. O. Box 191, Henderson, TN 38340. Correspondents: Steve Johnson (elder) sjohnson@fhu.edu (phone 731-989-7725); Richard Taylor, Jr. (elder) rtaylor@fhu.edu (phone 731-608-2536).

Our weekly Bible studies with Radhika continue. Most have been encouraging and some more challenging. It is hard to tell to what extent progress is being made, but her love for the Lord appears genuine, and she seems to appreciate and enjoy our times of Bible study and prayer. As long as she is willing to continue, we will keep pressing on and encouraging her to act upon what she is learning. Radhika has just started a new job, so we are hoping that it w ill not negatively affect our study appointments. BUSY CO-WORKERS It has been such a blessing having Lance and Kristen Mosher working with us, not only to take up some of the slack and assume more of the responsibilities, but to utilize their unique talents and fresh ideas to generate new opportunities and areas of service. In addition to starting a class for young Christians in Wellington, they have recently helped initiate a class for young married couples (viz. those who have been married for five years or less). This is in addition to the relationships they are forming and the positive influence they are having on individuals both in the church and in the community. They are also more technologically proficient than some of us older folks, which has added a whole new dimension to the work here. ADDITIONAL CHURCH NEWS While Lance and I are now taking turns preaching in Porirua each Sunday, Kent ODonnell preached for us the first Sunday in September. Kent and his wife Rachael were our co-workers in the Wanganui work several years ago and are now serving the church in Palmerston North. I have encouraged Lance to take advantage of the help offered by visiting preachers, especially after I leave, not only to give some variety to the congregation but to give himself an occasional break. We have just received a shipment of House-toHouse-Heart-to-Heart pamphlets. Now that it is springtime in New Zealand and the weather is starting to improve(?), we are planning a letterboxing thrust to distribute these materials with the help of our Porirua and Wellington brethren.