A Change of Direction

I didn't intend these blogs to be a personal but I feel this is a good opportunity to break my intentions.
As most of you know, I have been studying at Moore Theological College, intending to complete my studies at the end of next year and then minister in a church in Sydney somewhere.
In a very short time this has all changed.
Around August both Gail and I were very tired. I was going through a patch where there seemed to be a lot of 'pie in the sky' lectures, Gail was working a lot and I just thought, 'can I really do this for another year?' So we took it to God in prayer, just trying to get some direction.
We very soon started to think about perhaps finishing this year with a Bachelor of Theology and working in a church in 2010. However, this really didn't seem to sit well with us either. The thought occurred to us, that even though we had committed to parish ministry, that perhaps we should look at something else.
We started to get excited about the idea of being able to go into a church and help out the team with whatever needed doing without actually working there.

To cut a long story short, last month I was offered the role of State Director NSW\ACT for Interserve. I gladly accepted this as an answer to our prayers. We are both very excited about the opportunities this position brings as we see the work that God is doing in the Asian and Arab countries of the world with less than 1% Christianity. You can look at their website to see some of the exciting things that this organisation does. www.interserve.org.au

My role will be helping promote the organisation and help look after those who are serving with Interserve in these countries, as well as looking for new people who are keen to serve in mostly long term roles(3 years. These are professional people who are placed in a particular country in a role where they can use their skills in a wholistic type mission.

I start on 30th November. First things first, 7 exams in 2 weeks. Please pray I can have the necessary enthusiasm to study and retain my knowledge to be able to pass my exams and get on with what's got to be done.
This has certainly been one of the issues of being at College, a sense of treading water, waiting to go and do something. Now I just want to do it.

I'd be more than happy to come and talk with anyone who might be interested in some of the work that Interserve are involved in. There maybe some out there who are thinking of mission overseas, in that case, I'd love to to talk to you (after 30th Nov!) Interserve is also involved on the ground trying to help local churches connect with the foreign cultures that are changing our suburbs and churches so rapidly.

My first job is to find someone to fill the position of 'Office Co-ordinator' at our St Leonards office. If anyone comes to mind, please forward them to the website and look for 'Employment Opportunities'. Or maybe you might be interested. Get in contact with me gjdibley@gmail.com.