Testimony – Jen Munt

My name is Jen Munt and I gave my heart to God on Christmas Day last year (2007) … It was quite a bleak time for us - Ant being unemployed, we were up to our eyebrows in debt… and now we had to move out of our shack. To top it all off, our eldest daughter Bronte’ was diagnosed with autism and I was told she may never talk.

I now quote a passage from the Bible - Jeremiah Chapter 29 verse 11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, ”plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come to pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you”, declares the Lord.

… Our next hurdle was moving to the house - when we had moved previously Anthony had hired a truck and moved us himself but due to his bad back he couldn’t lift a thing and we had no money to hire removalists. My contact at Disability Services Queensland told us about a man he knew from a church who would help us move. It’s not the best feeling when you feel down and out and have to ask someone you have never met before to help you but we had no-one else to turn to and we rang the man. We didn’t get to meet the man (he was a very busy man!!) until the morning we moved. True to his word, on the 10^th july last year, Dave Challenor turned up with a team of people from Living Grace and got stuck in and helped us move. Ant and I felt overwhelmed that these people had given their time and energy to help us yet they wanted nothing back in return. Before they left, Dave and his crew prayed over us and for the first time in months Anthony and I felt genuine care, love and support from other human beings … Within a month Anthony had a full time position as a gardener with the council. Things were looking up in the Munts household!

We know now that God was lifting our family up from rock bottom and waiting patiently in the wings until we were ready to seek Him with all our hearts.

GLORY TO GOD!!

… I had the best pregnancy with Bronte’ but … Bronte’ arrived 9 weeks early, weighing just 3lb 8 ounces. As a baby she had sleep apnoeas, reflux and she was very developmentally delayed. It took me 12 months of persistence to get Bronte’ to eat lumpy food, no baby gargles came from her mouth and she didn’t attempt to walk until she was two. It was hard - certainly not what I expected being a first time mum and having no family in this country made me feel quite isolated … Over the years Bronte’ has been diagnosed as being developmentally delayed and I guess we always had hopes that one day she would wake up and say ‘hey mum and dad I’ve caught up’, - if only things were that simple! As I mentioned previously, Bronte’ was diagnosed with autism last year and I was told she may never talk. She had a fantastic high pitch squeal that she made great use of but no words.

In November at church I asked Edgar to pray over Bronte’ and the following days were really quite amazing because Bronte’ was attempting several new sounds and had even managed to say a word! The following Sunday I excitedly rushed up to Edgar and told him about Bronte’s progress and the fact that she’d said a word about 452 times in the past week. The word Bronte’ had been saying was ’JOY’ - unbeknown to me the theme of Edgars sermon that morning was actually Joy. Awesome!

That afternoon at home Satan was doing his best to disrupt the household - the children were grumpy and playing up and there seemed to be tension building - so I prayed to God for two things - peace within our household and also for bedtime to arrive sooner rather than later! God answered my prayers and the tension disappeared. That evening, when Elijah and Eden were snoring away, Ant and I took Bronte’ to bed.

There was an amazing change of atmosphere in Bronte’s bedroom - a calm and peaceful aura and a wonderful presence - and then Bronte’ sat up and began talking to Anthony and I in a language we did not understand. She turned to Ant and talked clearly and slowly - pointing around the room as she was speaking - and then she turned to me and spoke. Bronte’ put her hands together several times as if in prayer and we clearly heard the name ‘’Jesus” two or three times during her speech. Bronte’ talked to us for several minutes. It was the most awesome special time for us - our little girl, who up until now had barely spoken a word, was talking to us in a language given to her by God, our Glorious Father.

I give praise and Glory to God for Bronte’s progress!

… When Anthony and I met Dave we were broken people. We took up Dave’s invite to Living Grace and Dave introduced me to a wonderful lady called Kay Crighton. Kay has been a fantastic mentor to me over the past 12 months - offering encouragement and support with phone calls and regular visits. Kay has always made time for me despite leading a very busy and active life herself. I regard Kay as a close friend who has been a positive influence in my life over the past twelve months.

I think it is excellent that the Living Grace Community reaches out to new Christians like myself and Anthony, who came to know our Almighty Father through Jubilee Ministries. Another important lady Dave introduced me to is Sonya Kaiser. I can sometimes be a bit airy fairy/wishy washy and for those of you who know Sonya I am sure you will agree that she most certainly is not! I really value Sonya’s encouragement, integrity and her fantastic company. Sonya’s friendship has been a blessing to me over the past twelve months!

In September Sonya and I started a Bible Study group at my house on Mondays. Despite Satan attempting several times to pull it down it is going well and strong! We meet with Di, Jen, Lee, Sandra and Jess and discuss scripture, life stories and inspirational Christians. It’s a great start to the week - we indulge in fellowship, support, encouragment and lots of yummy food! …

I would like to share a couple of incidences lately where God has answered prayer on the spot.

For 6 weeks I had working on Eden using the toilet. She is a clever little girl but would not do a wee on the toilet! She would wee near the toilet but never on it and as a result we regularly had to check the house for puddles. About three weeks ago I prayed to God asking that if possible could Eden please get the hang of using the toilet or if not could God please guide me in a different approach regarding the toilet troubles because I was beginning to get a bit stressed! Literally five minutes after I prayed Eden came up to me, told me she needed to do a wee and then sat on the toilet as if she’d been doing it for years.

God is awesome even when it comes to toilet training! Praise be to God!

Kay was over one morning and I told her about a severe aching I had in my right leg. I have to do a lot of walking every day and sometimes it can be hard work with the double pram and 15 shopping bags! As a child I contracted osteomilitis (a bone infection) in my right leg and spent months in hospital as a result. The infected bone was removed but for years the infection kept flaring up and a plastic hip replacement was on the cards if things didn’t improve. When I was 13 I was given the all clear and no problems for years…until about a month after I started coming to church and giving my heart to God. Satan was trying to pull me down with this pain in my leg! Kay prayed over my leg and the pain disappeared. Glory to God!

Several days before I came to church to share my testimony we received a call from our real estate informing us that the owner of our house has decided to put it on the market. Our lease runs out in July and we are putting our trust in God through this insecure time of open house viewings and the inconvenience of strangers traipsing through our home.

My relationship with Anthony has gone from strength to strength in the past twelve months. We are on this amazing journey together and really feel out of the darkness and into the light. I quote from the book of Matthew, Chapter 5 verses 14 - 16.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and out it under a bowl. Instead they out it on its’ stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven”.

I pray that each one of us at Living Grace will let our lights shine so that we can lift others with Gods’ hands as we ourselves have been lifted.

Glory to God!!!

Holy Spirit Seminar, Mt Gambier (June 08)

Permission was granted to publish the following three testimonies from the Holy Spirit seminar at Mount Gambier, SA (28 June 08).

Testimony 1: … Eighty people attended the conference during some part of the day, some travelling from neighbouring towns more than an hour away. Several pastors from other denominations in our city were present with us.

In my quiet time Saturday morning before the conference began, I tried to read 1 Corinthians 12. I found difficulty reading past verse one, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant ... ” I confess to being ignorant about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I was in the right place.

Attendees had a feast of teaching, with six sessions scheduled over the day, each session leading into the next. We are not experienced in the things of the Spirit; however I believe there is now a new openness to the Holy Spirit.

Prayer for impartation was an immense privilege, watching people exposing themselves in great vulnerability, open to receive the Holy Spirit’s gifting; the sweet music of heavenly tongues. [I am aware of one person who received this gift, without prayer for impartation, during the afternoon]. What love God has for us.

Two phrases I have heard repeatedly since the Holy Spirit conference: 1. The message was biblically based. 2. Edgar’s gentle spirit and gentle delivery of this message …

Testimony 2: God was just very kind to me all weekend - and it was so nice just to be able to worship him freely. It also reaffirmed where I am headed in ministry and that if this is where the Lutheran church is headed - I am very excited. Edgar has an amazing gift of presenting material in a biblical, clear and humorous manner. I think every Christian needs to do this course at least once in their lives.

Testimony 3: … I attended your conference last weekend at Mount Gambier. I wanted to let you know of some miraculous experiences which have occurred to me since the conference … I work as an electrician and … I don’t know what time it was but I was working by myself. I was deep in thought. I was starting to think of how much I loved my friends from the Portland church who came to your conference. I was becoming deeply moved and I could recall seeing their faces on the Saturday and how much joy was evident. I then proceeded to fall to the ground in a very gentle way right where I was working (with a stanly knife in my hand I might add). I got up and my thoughts were – I cramped or I had been standing to long in one spot. Then I proceeded to laugh very deeply and once that finished I gently returned back down to the floor!

As you can imagine this was a very interesting time to me and a Scripture came to mind during this experience which uncloaked a lie that Satan has had me believing for a while. What a wonderful day – but wait there’s more!

I was watching the [God TV] … after work the same day and during the worship time the presence was heavy and I had to sit down again! So Pastor I want to say thanks firstly to God for equipping you in this way, for your willingness to come to us and for the teaching and wisdom you have.

Thank you for igniting the most incredible couple of days of my life. To also hear my wife speak in tongues during her sleep on Saturday night was also wonderful … To God be the Glory great things He has done! …

Holy Spirit Seminar, Toowoomba (Feb 08)

170 people from different churches in the city and beyond, packed St. Bart's Anglican church on February 3 for the Holy Spirit Seminar presented by Dr Edgar. We could feel the sense of expectation even before the participants began to arrive as the prayer team gathered. This team was a mix of St. Bart’s members including their pastor, two more pastors from different churches, Living Grace members and church members from across the city. The music team set the tone for beginning worship and we could feel the Holy Spirit’s presence among us.

After the first presentation, The Word Alone Is Not Enough practically the whole assembly came forward to the members of the prayer team for a time of consecration and rededication and infilling of the Holy Spirit. It was also a time of getting to know each other over a cuppa prepared by the members of St. Bart’s. There was again a sense of anticipation as the music team led us into the next segment, waiting to hear what the Lord had for us through Edgar. The further topics presented were: This Is For Everyone; Will You Still Serve Him; The Foolishness Continues; The Battle Is On; This Is A Gift.

It was truly a Spirit-filled day. There were several testimonies of the infilling of the Holy Spirit, healing and some received the gift of tongues. Even after it was over, people didn't want to go home and lingered for prayer. We thank God for such a great day and His presence among us in the person of His Spirit, and the gift He has given us in the person of Edgar.

From Merna Thamm.

Christmas At Highfields

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

For some years now, our congregation has been praying for local mission and more passion for the lost. But first God had to teach us to remain in Him and to love Him first, because apart from Him we can do nothing. Then at the start of the year God placed a man into our congregation.

Dave Challenor was a drug dealer in a rough bikie gang, whom God has called to repentance and to follow Him. God has blessed Dave with the gift of evangelism. Dave, who puts his faith in God to provide for all of his needs, spends all of his time ministering to the lost and broken people of Toowoomba, and he brings them to Living Grace, where God continues to bring forgiveness and the love of Jesus into their lives. Many people have and are being saved through this ministry. Praise Be to God!

God has stretched Living Grace members, firstly to love Dave (that part was easy) and support him spiritually and physically, and secondly to support all the people whom he is bringing off the streets into our church. Much support is needed for this ministry through prayer, leaders, bibles, clothes, food, money, discipleship and mentoring new Christians, shelter, transport, and work to rebuild self esteem to name some of the many needs. It is amazing to see what God is doing in the lives of these people and in the lives of members of our congregation as we are challenged and stretched to help Dave do God’s work in reaching the lost and broken with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

God has provided through the generosity of the Lutheran church at Highfields the use of their manse for Dave to live in and provide shelter for some of those without homes and also the use of their hall, which is used for meals and fellowship on Thursday nights. Each Thursday night Dave and the increasing number of others round up from 30 to 70 people God has put into Dave’s path through the evangelism ministry.

The evening starts with a meal which is being provided and served by Living Grace members in partnership with other local Christians, then followed with spiritual fellowship and food, challenging people to leave their past behind and follow Jesus. Many people have received Jesus into their lives and the challenge is now for us to minister and disciple each one in their faith walk.

Recently it was time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and it was decided to have a Christmas Party. One of the small groups within the Living Grace family organized what needed to be done and with the assistance of many others there was food, decorations, drinks, lollies and presents organized to celebrate Jesus’ birthday as well as celebrating the new friendships formed over the previous months. It was overwhelming that so many people gave up their time and dug deep into their pockets to give to enable a group of people (less fortunate than most) to celebrate at one of the holiest times of the year.

The hall was decorated and a Christmas tree was erected and presents were placed at the foot which was to be one of the many highlights of the evening. When the final count came there were 70 people present for a meal in a very special celebration. After the main meal one living grace member shared what Jesus meant to him and how we can follow and grow in his forgiveness and love.

Then presents were given to the children and everyone in the house was also presented with a gift. Through the generosity of Living Grace we were able to present Dave with gifts of equipment to aid in food preparation, a bible to replace the one he gave away, plus one more surprise gift in a box. Many may now see Dave carrying a teddy bear (Hephzibah) around church and in fact everywhere, this was another gift to Dave on that special night.

God put on the heart of one Living Grace member to give this teddy bear which he has had for some years to Dave with the words: “To a man with a big smile, to a man with a big heart, to a man with a big mission, to a man with a big bear hug, how much can a man bear? This gift is for you when we are not there” The look on Dave’s face said it all and Dave named the teddy bear Hephzibah, “the Lord delights in you.”

For those in the hall that night it was special. You could feel the love you could feel the friendship and most of all you could feel the presence of God. May God Bless all who were involved and Praise be to God! From Peter Rudolph.

Out Of The Wheelchair

The Sunday before (23 December 07) I was preaching on healing and then we prayed for the healing of various people at the end of the worship service. No visible healings occurred and eventually I also prayed for a blind man who was sitting in a wheelchair. Once again no visible healing occurred and inwardly I began remonstrating with God: “When you make me preach on healing, then it would really be nice if you also confirmed your word with actually getting someone out of a wheelchair.” Inwardly I was whinging and I even whinged to others.

However, on the same day the blind man in a wheelchair, Mitchell White, had a few trippy (his own word) experiences where his whole body went numb and he was overcome with love and joy. He received visions and nothing like that had ever happened to him before. A few days earlier God had given him a song and he had kept singing this song continuously expressing the comfort and closeness of Jesus.

Before the Christmas Eve service on Monday we prayed again for healing and we did not forget praising God for having begun a more comprehensive healing work in Mitchell’s life. Only a few weeks earlier the authorities had given up on dealing with a hardened man like him but then God put him in the path of David Challenor and soon after he came to church.

It is not easy to hear Mitchell White’s life story. His mum had literally thrown him in the rubbish bin when he was three years of age and subsequently he had suffered a history of abuse, life on the streets and jail. However, God had not forgotten him and on Wednesday raised Mitchell from his wheelchair. The swelling of his arthritis went down to the extent that he could walk again.

He was a happy man the next Sunday and gave a testimony in front of the whole church praising God. We joined in with glorifying God (I repented of my whinging) and then also prayed for the healing of his eyes. May this only be the beginning of ministering more in the power of the Spirit in preaching and healing.

Soccer Joys

2007 was our best year of soccer ever. We won the one day carnival with 15 teams competing and we were runner-up in the Toowoomba church-league competition. Living Grace is committed to church unity across the city but some say that we are a lot nicer after the final whistle.

Ashley Sims won the best and fairest and most valuable player award.









Carl Humphrey was another one of our star players. The picture shows him scoring the winning goal in the semi-finals.

From Edgar's Pen

The best of the good news first. Last Sunday two people came to faith and the Sunday before one person. Then during the last two weeks another seven people made a faith commitment to Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! We have been waiting for this for so long. God seems to think that we are ready to be used more in his kingdom. My estimate is that over the last twelve months there have been about 20-30 people who have come to faith through the ministry of Living Grace. Furthermore, we have shared the gospel far and wide with others beyond Toowoomba (Hopevale, Latvia, South Africa, Buderim, Kingaroy, etc.).

Living Grace is not a perfect congregation and there is room for improvement across the board. However, I hope that our newcomers feel welcome, find a small group and settle in our community. As I shared in our open congregational meeting a few weeks ago, my feeling is that John 15:1-8 is happening among us. There Jesus said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a person remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit … If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit … “

Over the last year we have been concentrating on knowing and doing the will of God, the deeper things of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. We have (and I have in my preaching) taken more seriously the Word of God in the Bible and thus “remained in Jesus and his words remained in us”. Now as we are connected more and more to the vine of Jesus Christ fruit is coming forth according to his promise.

My intention is to pursue this further and keep focusing on the vine. The more our church grows in conformity to the Word of God and the reality of the vine, the more we will be effective towards others. For instance, there is more to learn about the way Jesus did ministry. He preached the kingdom of God and at the same time always healed the sick and drove out unclean spirits. Is that the model for us even today? Then there is more to learn about prayer, etc.

Living Grace is a church that is alive. Lots and lots of people are engaged and serving in many different capacities – often unnoticed. I want to say “thank you” to everyone and express my appreciation for a rich partnership in the Gospel.

Over the last weeks we were also able to rejoice over our confirmees, the visitors from Martin Luther Primary school, the youth service with Pastor Les Holmes, the baptism of Nicola Bernoth, … God be praised. Serving together with you. Love Edgar.