Soul Winner

 

Hi Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

I hope all is well with you and that you are not too stressed - Christmas preparations can sometimes to that to you. It’s hard to believe another year is all but over.  A lot of terrible things have happened in world this year and the world has changed because they have occurred. Having said that, it is good to remember that however dark the world becomes, we personally have lots of opportunities to allow Jesus to shine out through us. On a personal note, 2014 has been an extremely challenging year for me and my family as well, yet God has turned many negatives into blessings for us. Though I will make mention of some of those challenges in this report, I will mostly recap on some of the highlights and let you know of my plans for next year

 

Okay it’s Time to Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord:  My “thrown-together” team of New Zealand and Filipino evangelists and I planted 5 churches in just 21 days in May and saw many people come to Christ (approx. 1500). I was back from mission only two weeks when my wife Linda was diagnosed with cancer but…

Praise the Lord: The medical professionals were quick to act and after treatment Linda is cancer free.  PTL Linda’s energy levels are improving all the time and she has been back at work since September. I had originally decided to take a prolonged break from ministry after the Philippine mission, but when Linda was diagnosed with cancer it meant I did even less ministry than I had planned… ANYWAY;

PRAISE THE LORD, I AM SUFFICIENTLY RESTED AND READY FOR NEXT YEAR.

Praise the Lord: For what He has done in my son Shanan’s life.  Shanan and his wife Lenni have grown considerably in their faith. In October Shanan and Lenni along with their little girl Ciaran moved to Rotorua for work. Please pray they soon find a church they want to be a part of.

Praise the Lord: My youngest daughter Jessie has just finished year 13 at Hastings Girls High School. She has decided to stay with us for 2015 and has told us it will be her “gap year” while she decides on a career. Our hope and prayer for Jessie is she will find a job, make good choices and decide on a career. Please agree with us in prayer.

Praise the Lord: For Vitae because I had chosen last year not to itinerate so much anymore (I use to be away 3-5 mths a year) and no longer work in the schools I needed to find part-time work that allowed me time to both plan and do the ministry. Vitae is a good fit for me as I meet many people and have many opportunities to help them. I have been working for Vitae for 18 months now – they provide employment assistant programmes (EAP’s) and chaplains for many companies in New Zealand. The term “chaplain” was not a popular one in most of the 9 sites I work at, most site’s preferred the more PC term “on-site support worker.” However I felt it important to use the term- not because I like titles, I don’t, on the contrary I hate them. However, I wanted workers to know from the outset what I was about and who it was I really represented.

I introduced myself as “Marty the new chaplain” and set to work breaking down the stereo-typical idea’s people have of chaplains and other “religious workers”. Initially most people gave me a wide birth and at times I wondered if I had done the right thing. Now, however, I am on a first name basis with literally hundreds of workers and have had opportunities to both share my testimony and the Gospel and have been able to feed one or two people into local churches. I plan to continue working with Vitae at least till 2016.

Here are some things I have planned for next year.

• In early February 2015 I will be flying to a nation I can’t mention here to meet with some CPM trainers and observe them at work. From there I plan to travel to another nation to visit ministry partners there with a view to plan for my return and CPM launch. Please pray the rest of the money will come in, I need a further $3500.
• Outreaches and evangelism training. When I get back from Hong Kong I will be doing evangelism training seminars and outreaches throughout February and March. As I will be prepping for the Sri Lankan CPM I won’t have time to do anything apart from chaplaincy beyond March. Please pray I can do all the preparation I need to do to be successful.
• Prison Ministry. I have signed up to do regular prison ministry at Hawkes Bay Prison again after about a 10 year break. Please pray many come to Christ and are discipled well.
• CPM Launch. In August 2015 I plan is to set- up a Church Planting Movement (CPM) in a certain nation I can’t mention here. For the uninitiated and for those that have forgotten what I wrote in my last update CPM stands for “Church Planting Movement” and is essentially a house church network on evangelism steroids. My hope is that the Lord will help me to start many CPM’s all over the world. Please pray I can do all the reparation I need to do to be successful.
• Chaplaincy.  Please pray I have many more opportunities to lead workers to Christ in 2015.         

Thanks for your support and prayers over the year, it was much appreciated and needed.

God Bless n Merry Christmas.
Marty & Linda Rochfort