Update From the Onks Family in Australia

March 10, 2010

Dear Pastor Kuvakas & Saints of Warrenton Bible Fellowship,

In the last few weeks, we have gotten incredible amounts of rain (20 inches) and most of the reservoirs are nearly full for the first time since 2001; PTL! However, such heavy rainfall has caused serious flooding; for some areas it is the worst in over a hundred years. We have watched in sorrow the anguish of many people who quickly lost their uninsured possessions to rapidly rising destructive flood waters: the victims said “they were hopeless against so much water.” Such a statement reminds us about the agony most Australians will one day face when they stand hopeless before our Lord in eternal judgment. However, your faithfulness in supporting this ministry is helping us to take the life saving living water to a nation without hope, to a country of people whose lives are on a pathway to eternal ruin. Thank you so much for your love and support for these people, our Lord, this ministry and us. Together we are making a difference in Australians’ lives; the gospel message is saving many from an eternal future ruin.

We have been teaching well into the new school year for many weeks and it already has been quite a challenge. The school year here runs from late January into December. This year, we trusted the Lord to give Ron the same amount of school classes he had last year (which was 17 classes), but God did more than that. This year Ron has been given 19 classes in 5 schools; they are grades 6 and 7. Furthermore, Ron is still the school religious education coordinator for the 34 classes of religious education at the Pacific Pines State (primary) school; he oversees 12 other teachers/helpers. Ron again has over 300 students along with some secular school teachers he has never had in his classes; they will hear the whole gospel truth from him. He has noticed that some of those teachers are listening very carefully as though they have never heard the gospel message presented to them. Oh, please do pray for the salvation of these teachers.

When Ron arrives home in the afternoons at the end of his teaching, he often is completely fatigued from teaching so many classes and dealing with the difficulties of many students; some students are very disrespectful towards God and authority; they deliberately cause trouble to make our teaching stressful. Ron needs much prayer as he continues in this ministry; it is very physically draining at times. Some days his throat gets very sore; this is because he goes from class to class with non-stop teaching so much of the time. One new trainee teacher recently said to Ron, “this is really full on.” Another teacher recently told him she is appalled at the terrible behavior of many primary students. Regular school teachers here are leaving the teaching profession more rapidly than they can be replaced because of students’ bad behavior. It is important that you realize how ungodly this country is. This past January, a world- wide study done by an English university, gave Australia the infamous title of “The Most Sinful Country in the World.” As if that was not bad enough, news presenters here on the television networks were gloating and proud that this country had acquired such a title. One Gold Coast (where we live) newspaper was proudly suggesting that the Gold Coast is the most “sinful city” in Australia. Is it any wonder that most adults here reject God?

I need to inform you that last week Angie sadly returned to the Philippines due to a death in her family (we were recently there in December for a family reunion). Angie’s older brother unexpectedly died from a heart attack at age 57; we think her brother was not a Christian. Angie wanted to attend her brother’s funeral and then more importantly help to take care of the living arrangements for her 90 year old father who had been living on her now deceased brother’s farm. Her father is a Christian, but he is very sad to have outlived his own son, not understanding why God did not call him home first due to his advanced age. Angie needs prayer for wisdom, comfort, good travel, safety and good health during her trip. She will return back to Australia in about two weeks; I now miss her very much.

When Ron began teaching his school classes this year, many students were thrilled to learn they have him as their religious education teacher. A teacher also gave Ron an encouraging card that a former student had made for him at the end of 2009, but Ron did not get it till last month. This card is a great encouragement to us and we already need it as the satanic opposition has started again. There have been problems or delays in getting religious education workbooks for some students in a couple of schools. However a dear saintly couple in West Virginia has now provided extra funds to help get some much needed workbooks for students who don’t have them: we are grateful to them and to God for this victory. Many parents here will not spend the six dollars a year to get the two workbooks for the students, but they will spend that much money in one day for their daily coffee/snack break at their 10:00am tea time. Furthermore, every year there are secular ungodly school teachers who don’t like us teaching the kids about God. This year some teachers have already caused trouble by making untruthful comments accusing us of saying things we never said; the students made the comments, not us. This always causes trouble for us, but we will overcome. We have some school teachers who deliberately disrupt our classes and try to discourage our students from taking religious education instruction from us. This unique public school evangelism ministry needs to be bathed in prayer constantly; we need protection from those who seek to have us gone and wisdom in dealing with difficult school staff and in communicating the gospel effectively to students.

This past week Ron’s school lesson was in John chapter three. He spent most of his time teaching about what real saving faith is and that it must be accompanied by a heart of true repentance. In almost every class, the students were unusually quiet, listening intently to what Ron was sharing: it truly was wonderful. He already has many students who are beginning to understand that we can’t earn our salvation into Heaven by being good; for if that could be done, then there would have been no reason needed for Jesus Christ to leave Heaven and come to earth as the sacrificial “Lamb of God.” Ron has some good illustrations that he has found to be effective in communicating what true faith and repentance is; you can see the change on students’ faces as they realize the difference from just believing in God to truly trusting in Jesus Christ.

This unique school ministry, in which God has placed us, is a great evangelistic opportunity to reach a generation of young people of which very few would ever consider going to a church service. We are so grateful to you and ask you to continue standing with us in this ministry so that we may continue to offer the “blessed hope” to many more students this year and hopefully many years in the future. We so much appreciate your prayers, love, concern, encouragement and financial support which are very much needed with ever increasing expenses here. The weak USA economy is making missionaries’ ministries more vulnerable to financial difficulties: we realize that God is in control, thus we ask you to pray that God will supply some more supporters for this ministry. May our LORD GOD be praised for what HE will do through this ministry this new school year. May God bless you richly and eternally for your help.

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Please pray for the following:

For other long term financial support to help increase our income due to a very weak USA dollar.

For cooperation from schools this 2010 school year.

For wisdom and protection as Ron teaches in Australian schools.

For the Lord to mature in Christ some of Ron’s students who are now Christians.

For open doors in school students’ hearts as well as teachers’ hearts; for their salvation.

For our church growth and the health of the mature aged members.

Field address: 22 Pandora Crescent Pacific Pines, QLD. 4211 Australia, 0116175561 8474

Sending Church: Grace Bible:

9115 Lorton Station Boulevard

Lorton, VA. 22079 (703) 339-7292

Independent Gospel Missions:

990 Calkins Road

Rochester, NY. 14623

(585) 334 9048

E-mail: raonks@aanet.com.au

Your Missionaries to Australia,

E-mail: raonks2@dodo.com.au

Next Newsletter: mid May 2010

Ron & Angie Onks