God is so good! We want to praise the Lord that Bubba (Ron Jr.) and Laura’s wedding went beautifully. We were able to post their wedding on YouTube for any of our family and friends who want to watch it. Thank you all for praying for the wedding. Ron Jr. was our last child to go out the door through marriage. We are traveling the new road of empty nesters. We are praising the Lord, but sad at the same time, for this phase of life.
The church plant in Sale has seen about 10 visitors and has been going for about 7 weeks. We are praying that people will show an interest and join this church plant so we can see it flourish to stand on its own for Christ. Sale has a population of about 15,000, and the closest independent Baptist church is an hour away. I have been out letterboxing and soul winning there, and it is sad to see how many people are either not interested or cold completely to the Gospel. Very few people even want to accept a tract for fear, whatever the case may be.
I was recently talking to a man named Rod, who was curious to see who was knocking on his door while he was working in his garage. I walked in and introduced myself and tried to hand him a tract. He threw up both hands and said, “I am an Atheist.” I asked, “An atheist?” He said, “You have probably never met one before.” I said, “I have met several who claim to be Atheists, but very few truly are.” After talking with him for a few minutes, I got him to admit that he was more Agnostic than anything. He smiled at me and said; “Yes, I may be a little ignorant.” We spoke for a few minutes more, but I could not get him to admit that he was a sinner or that he needed Christ. I am praying that God will send a stirring of people’s hearts to start trusting Him as their Saviour. The people here are looking at a severe depression economically, as the building industry is collapsing; it is our main industry here in Australia. We want to see people come to Christ, but it breaks my heart to see them suffer. Please pray for the souls here in Australia.
Laura and I just purchased tickets to come back to the USA for a four-month furlough. We will be in the USA from August 2 through December 5 of this year. We hope to see as many of you as possible. We will be based out of Indiana, and I hope to be in touch with many of you in the next few weeks. I have already had a few pastors tell me to swing by their churches whenever we’re in the area. Please feel free to email me or call me at (574) 216-9130.
Sincerely,
Ron Back
Missionary in Australia