Dear Treasured Ones,

Last Saturday evening we sat with 12 couples at a local Chinese Restaurant, and as I just sat and took in smiles, conversations, laughter, and starry-eyed husbands and wives I felt a sense of a God moment. I hope we never get over the “awe” factor of seeing God at work and being totally over-whelmed with His love for His family.

Recent statistics in Australia show that the average marriage lasts 8 years!! That so moved us to say what should we be doing as a church and how can we better equip and refresh our own marriages?

We began to pray and God led us. Last year our son Jason recommended two little books; “For Women Only” and “For Men Only.” We can see God has chosen to use these tools in the lives of many couples. So we began to promote these books in our church and advertise that we would begin 2 sessions in 2009. Our minds and past experience told us we would probably have 6 men and maybe 8-10 women, you know women are always more keen with these areas J!! So we prayed, advertised, prepared and waited on God.

Week one came and so did the couples. Our men’s study began with 15 guys and among that warrior group were 2 unsaved husbands!! Needless to say Randy came home skipping, and now the heat was on. How many would I have on the following evening, not that we were having a competition! WHATEVER!!! Well seven-thirty arrived and over the next ten minutes so did 18 ladies!! Ok, so I gloated a little in my heart that I had more, but the thrill was that there were 15 couples and 3 married ladies that had a hunger to improve their marriages and become “long distant” runners!!

Family was God’s idea and when we do it God’s way we not only please Him but what beautiful relationship we share together.

Please pray for our couples and especially the 2 couples that have attended that have need of salvation. It is so thrilling to see where God is working and that He has invited us to be a part of that journey together.

For Him Only,

Randy and Linda Perkins
Australia