Photo: Girls Brigade Area Camp 2018

Westside IFG 2017

Praise God! Tonight, 10 girls became Christians and 1 made a recommitment!  After the devotion that included "Do we have to believe in Jesus to be able to spend eternity with God?" based on the verses from John 3:16-17, 36 and Romans 6:23, the leader asked, "Are you friends with God? If you aren't and you want to become friends with him tonight, say this prayer after me.  I'm going to pray..." and she read out the prayer so they could decide if they wanted to pray it.  She got everyone to close their eyes and said for the girls to pray the prayer in their head to God if they wanted to. She then read it out line by line so they could repeat it.  After the prayer, she asked all the girls to keep their eyes shut and to put their hand up if they had chosen to pray the prayer to God.  11 hands went up! Wow!!!  Many of these girls have been coming for years and have previously said, “I'm not ready yet”. But, tonight was the night!  Thank you to everyone who is praying for God to move in our city. Your prayers have shifted something; and let this be an encouragement to all kids' leaders: The hard work pays off. Remember to regularly ask your kids if they want to become a friend of God. Julie. (Nov 2017)

Testimony from an IFG mum 2017

About 8 years ago, I went to some of the Shufflebumz picnics with my grandkids.  Three and a half years ago my daughter started IFG when she was seven and then we left for a while, then we came back after bumping into you at that Community Day. At that stage I didn’t believe in God.  When my daughter was at IFG we would sit around in the foyer and talk about life and a bit about the Bible.  I would ticky tour off down the street when you put a DVD on. That was about the time my mum died and you came around and made coleslaw. What interested me in becoming a Christian is that I watched all of yous out at the women’s retreat. It’s amazing that these people, who are probably struggling themselves, are helping us and I would like to be like them and help people as well.  Before I became a Christian, I felt like I had a brick on my head. And then when I went to the Oasis Women’s Retreat and got into all the conversations, I thought it can’t be hard to become a Christian.  I know to follow God’s commandments. When I prayed to let Jesus into my life, the next morning I woke up and I don’t feel like the brick is on my head anymore. And I feel like I’m on cloud nine.  I feel like going up to the highest mountain and thanking Jesus for coming into my life.

Sandra, Westside Church interviewed by Julie 2017.

IFG dad now praying for others

I am currently reflecting on how the last 3 months have been.  I certainly feel like I deserved a break over the school holidays!  My highlights included one of our IFG girls coming to faith and seeing one of the IFG dads who became a Christian last year praying for someone in church. Obeying God's commission can seem a time- consuming task and yet I feel like I'm "in the zone" (in my happy place) when I am doing it.

Julie, Westside 2017.

Gospel clearly shared at Girls Brigade Area Camp 2018

On the weekend of 9 - 11 March, eighty Girls Brigade and IFG girls and their leaders had a camp at Waipara Adventure Camp. Their theme for the weekend was "Anchored" and on the Saturday their devotion was about Hope.  The Israelites had hope that God would send a Saviour because he had promised he would.  Hope is different from wishing, and better than wishing, because we have reason to trust that our hope will come true.  If God has promised something, we know we can put our hope in that.  

On the Sunday, Marty Schieb, OAC evangelist, and his puppet Kiwi the penguin, spoke at the church service about how our hope Jesus is our anchor for life, and Jesus will help us get through all things including the tough times.  We need to choose to have Jesus for our friend so he can be our anchor.  He wants to be our Lord and Saviour.  Anchors are on boats and Jesus called many fishermen to be his disciples to be fishers of people, and Jesus wants us to be fishers of people too and tell our friends about Jesus.

16 kids' hands went up!

At Activate ICONZ and IFG family night last week there were lots of games and then the kids shared with their families what they had been learning in the badges and devotions during the term. A devotion was shared about how God designed the world and was friends with people and the design was for the world to be full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, mercy, and justice. This was linked well with what the kids had been learning, and the parallel made of a recent event at their Father's Day night of a designer's cooking instructions not being followed and the recipe not working! Within this context, the gospel was presented. At the end, a prayer was offered on the PowerPoint for those who might want to choose to become friends with God.  Then, with eyes shut, the prayer was read in echo style for those who wanted to say the prayer silently to God.  While eyes were still shut, people were asked if they had chosen to pray the prayer.  The leaders were delighted when 16 kids put their hands up!  The parents in the room had also heard the gospel, some probably for the first time.