Prayer Letter from the Divyanathans
Dearest Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
It has been a busy six months but we are glad that the 1st semester & mid-year exams are over! Having said that, we are now into the 2nd semester and its even busier than the first! Who said Aussies are laid back?!
As you might have heard, our church in Sydney, St Barnabas Broadway, burnt down in May
.
That was a sad and busy time for the church but God has provided us with lots of reminders that He is still in control and is working through adversity to bring good. Different venues offered their space to us free of charge (we now meet at Moore College), newcomers came to church because they heard about the fire and the church has been brought closer together!
Personal Update from Denesh2nd year has been more challenging. But I have found it helpful to interact with different types of scholarship within Christendom – evangelical, liberal, catholic etc. It has helped me to better grasp where other people are coming from and I have been sharpened in my own evangelical faith as I’ve read alternative theological views.
Relationally, college can be tricky. We thank God for the friendships that have blossomed (mostly with other international students from Asia, UK, Australian-born Chinese and some Australians). And ask God for help as we struggle with the superficial relationships with most people in college. One good thing that has come out from it is that we are now more conscious of ‘outsiders’ in our own social circles and are more outward looking (we hope!).
Personal Update from DeborahMotherhood has been a fantastic journey! Ethan is at such a marvelous age now that I look forward to seeing him every morning and teaching him all about God and this great world that He made for us. His mind is like a sponge that just soaks up everything and it’s been enormously fulfilling to see him picking up things I teach him and to see him respond! We pray together every day and read the Bible and other books and Ethan loves books! I’m so thankful that God has given us this special time together as a family, especially in these early years of Ethan’s life.
I have made some good friends from college and church and that has made 2nd year more meaningful. This year, I am taking some Moore College classes on Tuesday evenings and join a bible study on Friday mornings. In church, I have been involved in praying and planning for a playgroup. I have also made good friends with some of our non-Christian neighbours.
Personal Update from EthanLife is exciting as an 18month old. I can now walk, run, spin around to music, clap my hands, hold my breath under water, climb almost everything and even open the car door! I have also discovered that everything in this world has a name (eg. horse, cat, dog, biscuit, milk etc) and if I ask for something with the right name, look really cute and say "please", dad and mum find it tough to turn me down! The only thing about language which confuses me is the weird thing called Mandarin which mum tries to speak to me every now and then!!
Prayer Points· Us: Thanks be to God for the abundant ways in which He provides for us to be studying, learning and living in Sydney and at College! Continued enthusiasm to learn from both the formal and informal lessons of living in and amongst the many good models of godly living and teaching. To be constantly thankful for the Lord Jesus and to submit all of ourselves to Him. Pray for us to love and serve each other and Ethan selflessly.
· Denesh: That he will work hard and that God will sharpen him and make him more Christ-like as he studies God’s word this year.
· Deborah: To serve Denesh and Ethan wholeheartedly. Pray also for her as she witnesses to her non-Christian neighbour and their child.
· Ethan: That God will continue to reveal Himself to him and watch over his growth and development.
Looking for His Return,
Denesh, Deborah & Ethan Divyanathan
