It’s Monday morning here in Perth as I reflect over the last 2 days of our adventure Down Under.

On Saturday, Shannon and I jumped on a bus to head from Canning Vale (where we are staying) to Fremantle for the day.  The goal was to pray, visit, seek, find, enjoy, listen and gather.  It was a great day filled with many sights and insights.  Fremantle is full of opportunities.   Opportunities to see the same folks again and again (we saw multiple people we had seen on previous visits). Opportunities to see hurting and hopeless people.  Opportunities to see families and friends enjoying the outdoors together and gathering together for an afternoon picnic.  Opportunities to see dads spending time with their children.  Opportunities to see a wonderful sunset and rest is God’s perfect care.  opportunities to experience the sights and sounds of an outdoor markets that is influenced by the neighbouring countries and the continuing growing immigrant population.  Opportunities to see the Gospel find fertile ground in the lives of those who walk, live, play and stay in Fremantle.

The thought of Saturday is that there is work to be done for the Kingdom.

Sunday we experienced two worship services with two different congregations.  In the morning we spent time with Horizon Church in the northern area of Perth called Sorrento.  This is a small but faithful congregation of brothers and sisters who are proclaiming the Gospel to themselves and desire to do so with their neighbors. Mostly middle-aged and young families attend and make up the core of this congregation.  The second congregation was ChurchFreo.  This gathering was many young people and some young families.  It is the church our friends Del and Laura attend.  It is in the heart of South Fremantle so a mix of cultures can enter the worship time.  They worship together and long to see the Gospel bring new life to themselves and those who the encounter.  These two communities are very different but have one thing in common.  They are being faithful to God to the best of their ability and understanding through the gracious Holy Spirit in the face of the persecution of apathy (no one cares that they spend their Sunday in the this way).  For the typical australian there would be no benefit to spending your Sunday with a group of people for worship.  But they also don’t care if that is how you want to spend your time.  They do not sense that it will affect them or really you for choosing to attend a church. These congregations face the apathy of those around them by standing in the gap and living in a way that says ,”It does matter.”  God is true and He is seeking those who belong to Him.  It does matter and we will be faithful to gather together to worship and proclaim the one true God.

The thought for Sunday is that God is already doing the work.  He is here and He is working.