December 2019
Quarterly Newsletter – December 2019
Welcome
Welcome to the final edition of the SRT Restorers Newsletter for 2019. The year is nearly at an end and for those of down this end of the world we not only look forward to Christmas but also to a well-earned rest from the years activities. Strategic Resource Training has been very active in the last six months, so grab a coffee and enjoy reviewing the time with us.
Quote Of The Day
“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.”
Facebook Page Update
We hope you are enjoying the SRT Restorers Facebook page. It is regularly updated and gives an ongoing account of what we are up to. If you are not on it let us know so we can add you to the list.
You are free to post your thoughts, articles etc. but keep them relevant to who we are and what we do. You can also recommend new members but they must be connected to SRT in some way.
Message Of The Month
Most of you will be receiving our teaching message and Bulletin for each month. If you are not, and want to be on the mailing list, please contact us.
Next International Event
We have decided to make our next International Event, Easter 2021. With the busy-ness of so many folks, it was going to be too difficult to have it for Easter 2020. However, Linda and I do plan to visit most of you in your regions during 2020. We will keep you posted on when that will be.
*Easter Restorers Conference 2019
Activity Report – Bruce Billington
August 2019 – Brisbane and Melbourne
In August Linda and I went to Melbourne and Brisbane. Linda stayed on in Melbourne for the birth of Dan and Melanie’s beautiful baby girl named Amelia. Linda now has four grandchildren. *Below is a picture of Melanie and Amelia Schenker.
We spent five lovely days in Brisbane catching up with the Holmyard family and visiting their homegroup and an SLT meeting. It was a very rich time of great fellowship, fun, and the joy of seeing what God was doing in their meetings. As always there was so much life and hunger for God. We so enjoy our times together. * Below is a picture of the current Brisbane SLT100 group.
I also spent a few days in Melbourne catching up with SRT folk there and then headed home leaving Mel and Linda to do the baby thing.
October 2019 – Singapore
My primary purpose for this time in Singapore was to catch up with Dorcas Li who oversees the work here. She works tirelessly and is producing such good fruit. It was amazing to see all she is able to achieve, while maintaining such high quality.
One of my highlights was to attend an art exhibition that one of our key families had hosted and put some paintings in. It had a Christian focus and was amazing. I also met with some of the men before heading off to South Africa.
November 2019 – South Africa
I arrived in Pretoria and rested for a few days then travelled with Jan Strydom to Kingdom Ministries Church in Welkom. I did a Doing Business God’s Way seminar and met with their key leaders. It was a wonderful environment and is the start of an ongoing relationship for us. The church has 2,000 members and a Christian school with 500 students. They are looking to make GoBusiness one of their key training tools and have some leaders signed up for 2020.
Following this I met with some key leaders from Cape Town who plan to establish GoBusiness and GoCitizen in their Every Nation Church network next year. This is an excellent opportunity for us to have an impact on that nation which is in dire need of revival and sanctification. It is very probable that Dennis Peacocke and I will return for a seminar next year.
November 2019 – LA Reunion Islan
La Reunion is a beautiful place and proved to be a very worthwhile segment of the trip. We have connected with two very significant churches there, both of whom have a real hunger for the Kingdom of God and I also came to know a number of business leaders.
We held several business meetings, church meetings and a combined church gathering. Six leaders enlisted in the business school and came to the Transforum in Madagascar.
Landa Cope, who is a well-seasoned WYWAM minister joined us here and taught on God’s plan for the nations. It was a joy to have her with us and be blessed by her ministry and insights which are profound. I heartily recommend her books on sale at Amazon and her many You Tube messages.
November 2019 – Madagascar
During the first week we did a variety of different meetings for those with Political interests; business folk; and church leaders. Landa shared at all of these meetings and I supplemented her teaching with some messages on business and the Kingdom of God. The meetings were very well attended with some very influential people there. The after-meeting discussions were also very fruitful.
One of the key business men we are working with here has been put in jail on corruption charges relating to issues before he became a believer. He does not know how long they will keep him in jail but he is comfortable there and feels it is a time set aside for him to develop his relationship with the Lord. Some of our folk visited with him during our time there.
Landa Cope continued to astound us with her teaching, insight and prophetic ability. She has spent nearly 60 years traveling and in ministry and deeply impacted our audiences.
On the first Saturday we did a GoBusiness open day. This was held in a large complex where the owners, a Christian couple, attended and were deeply moved by what we shared. They are keen to register for the Business School in the future. We had a wonderful group of attendees and a lot of interest generated not only for the school but also regarding our vision for Madagascar and what we feel could be achieved there.
We followed this on the Sunday our GoBusiness Transforum where we had current students, new students, observers and auditors – about 50 people in all. It was an amazing time. We had the teachings, all our meals together and practical workshops and prayer sessions in a beautiful home with a lovely garden setting. On Sunday night we graduated six students which was a great celebration. Each evening many of the folk stayed back afterwards singing and worshiping as only the Africans can. They just thrive on being in community and it was a joy to be part of it.
After a debrief on the following Monday I began the long trip home, returning on November 16. It was an incredibly fruitful trip and I thank you all so much for your prayer and financial support and give the Lord the glory for good health and great flight connections.
December 2019 – Singapore
This was my last trip for the year. I spent five days in Singapore during which I took a one-hour Ferry trip with about 80 folks, who are part of the Royal Rangers to attend a father/son/daughter camp. It was held on a beautiful Indonesian Island called Island of Palau Batam.
The attendees had to pitch tents and stay in them, plus do some of their own cooking over campfires etc. They took pity on me and gave me a room – old age does have some benefits. I was responsible for most of the devotions and did counselling with some folk I have been working with and spent time with a number of guys I had not met before. I have put some photos on the SRT Restorers page. Fantastic time.
We returned on Sunday afternoon and I spent about 4 hours with Dorcas on Monday, mostly around the work she is doing and what 2020 might look like. I then went out with some of the men for dinner on Sunday night.
December 2019 – Koto Kinabalu
The final leg for the year was my twice per year visit to Kota Kinabalu. Always so hot up here – currently in low 30s (90f) and high humidity – but I have air conditioning in my room which is great. I spent the first few days catching up with Andy Lee and the leaders here, always around the great Malaysian food and the famous Teh Tarick – tea made with condensed milk and aerated by pouring from a large kettle high above the glass. So good. I believe I am addicted but no problem.
We then did a weekend seminar with a focus on the Kingdom of God, the issue of sonship and how, after many years of serving the Lord we need to make sure the fire is still burning within us. It was such a great time and always sad to leave.
Activity Report – David and Natalie Holmyard
2019 has been a wonderful year of fellowship, training and transformation. We started the year with a new Strategic Life Training 100 group, (now called GoLife) and a group of BLS Graduate students (now called GoBusiness) from Australia, France and England, embarking on a post graduate module “Basics of Mentoring”. It has been a wonderful year for the students and for Natalie and I as facilitators. One of our greatest joys is coming alongside students as they embark on this life changing journey. Especially wonderful for us has been the inclusion in SLT100 of our youngest daughter, Rachael, 16 and her best friend Emily 17. Whilst GoLife is for anyone – it is specifically for this age group as they prepare and grow their biblical worldview in preparation for adulthood and all that is before them.
We were privileged to meet many of the SRT long term supporters in NZ during our Easter Conference and we were thrilled to bring part of our immediate and Upper Room family to meet you all. Thank you, Bruce and Linda, for all you did to make this such a spiritually and relationally affirming time for us all.
Together with Bruce and Gerald Chester we travelled to Singapore to the Asia Transforum, where we saw the deep work of the Holy Spirit – and since then we have been involved in strategic mentoring of some of the key men in Singapore. I have had several trips to Singapore this year and it is always a blessing to be with the people and of course connect with Dorcas Li, without whom our work in Singapore would not be possible.
I was also able to attend the Statesman Intensive in Dallas and connect with Dennis, Jan and Adam Peacocke in September.
All of this was supported by our wonderful family and community in Brisbane. We had another great year of studying Acts and Ephesians, in-depth together as families as part of the Upper Room. We had the honour and privilege to walk along one of our mentors and Upper Room family, Pete Lane, as he journeyed through a battle with cancer – praise God he has been healed and is recovering well. We have wrapped up 2019 with a celebration of our dear friends and BLS Graduates, Alan and Donna Aldridge, who celebrated 30 years of marriage. Congratulations again, Donna and Alan.
What a joy to be in His service in our family, in our local community, and internationally.
God bless, Merry Christmas to all. David and Natalie.
Final Comments
All that remains now is to say on behalf of the SRT Board that we thank you so much for your generous support, prayers and contributions to all that we are. We believe we all have achieved so much with minimal resources and we are grateful to the Lord and you all for this.
2020 promises to be another exciting and fulfilling year. Linda and I plan to visit you all during the year and are looking forward to that.
Have an amazing and most blessed time over the Christmas period. Take care on the roads, get some good r & r if you are holidaying and get ready for another great year in 2020.
We are truly Psalm 16 people.
Psa. 16:6
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
Love and blessings,
The SRT Board.
