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Joe and Melissa (Ridings) Marshall - CB ’96
Darwin AUSTRALIA

We started Gateway Baptist Church on the 31st of October 2004.  Since that time, a Gospel presentation and invitation to our church has gone into over 24,000 homes.  In the 2 years since we began the church, we have seen over 275 first time visitors, 6 saved, 3 baptized, 17 people join the church, 6 people in our discipleship program, and many return visitors.  God has blessed us with an average attendance of 25 on Sunday mornings.  Already, our church is able to support 3 Australian missionary couples that are in Japan, the Philippines and Romania!  In preparation for the future, Gateway recently established a building fund and we have roughly 4% of our needed funds.

We are praying for another couple to come to partner with us.  A team effort would make things much easier.  Please let couples know that they can write us, and we would be interested in telling them anything they want to know about Darwin.  We know what it is like when you are trying to find a place to serve ... you just keep asking everyone, and eventually God does show you the perfect place.  We knew God wanted us in Australia, but we also knew that God wanted us in a place where there was no independent Baptist church.  We have corresponded with several couples that felt Australia was for them, but after talking to several missionaries here in Oz, they were frightened off at the prospect of Darwin.  We understand that Australia, especially Darwin, is not for everyone.  We absolutely love serving the Lord up here. Many will not come here because of the heat and other factors.  We have had several missionaries tell us they couldn’t believe how long we have lasted, but praise God! We’re going to just keep going.

Please pray for the weak dollar.  It has lowered our support level by 20%.  We are due for furlough, but feel we must stay another term before the church will be strong enough.  We expect our third baby the latter part of April.

NOTE: The ‘capital’ of northern Australia is closer to Jakarta than it is to Sydney, and closer to Singapore than it is to Melbourne, so it should come as no surprise that it looks outward to Asia as much as it looks inland to the rest of Australia. This proximity and familiarity with Australia’s northern neighbors is reflected in the town’s relaxed, cosmopolitan, tropical atmosphere. In a country that prides itself on its ethnic diversity, Darwin may be the most multi-cultural city of all. Email the Marshalls.