Love answers all things.

Hello family and friends! We hope that everyone is doing well and finds themselves unbelievably blessed! We have been in the "adjustment phase" here in Sydney and it has been such a blessing. God has been moving in our lives in such a way that we never imagined. Faith, growth and strength  is exactly what we have experienced in the last 3 months of our lives. Believing God for the impossible to even come to Australia was only the beginning of our journey and His plan unfolds day by day in our lives. As for little Evan, he now claims to be an Australian and has a fully developed Aussie accent. Yes, a fully developed one. It is so strong to the point where we have to ask him to clarify what he's saying to us at times. (Ryan and I are holding it down for Texas), he says that he was born in Texas, Australia and has adapted himself into the culture quite well. he is growing so much and each day that passes, we see him truly growing up. Time is flying before our eyes! We have already been here 3 months and it is so hard to believe that the semester is almost over! Hillsong recently hosted the "Colour Conference" which is a womens conference held for over 16,000 women each year. The Lord truly blessed us at this conference. Coming to Hillsong has not just been an "experience" for us, coming here has changed our worldview and love for the Church of Jesus Christ tremendously and we are so grateful for the things that He is doing in us individually and corporately as a family day by day. We are seeing what it truly means to be the Church and operate in the fullness of what God has for our lives on a daily basis. What a privilege to be a small part of something so large that Lord is doing in the earth! This can be in every area of your life! Whether we are smiling at someone at the grocery store, praying for a loved one, offering a helping hand to someone in need, being there for a friend or family, this is all part of being the Church and doing our part to be His Hands and His Feet. Someone raised a question recently about our part in ministering to people on a daily basis and my perspective about the opportunity that God gives us to be used by Him is offered all day every day if we keep our eyes open to Him. It doesnt always mean that you are in an official position in church where you are to minister... this can be your own husband or wife that God is calling you to minister to in this season. It can be the woman who stays at home with the children to minister to her own children, to the full time employee who spends most of their time at work where God is calling them to minister to their co-workers and speak life into their lives, or the full time community college student to minister to their fellow classmates and friends at school. We are learning that there isnt a set time or place to be the Hands and Feet of the Lord, it is everywhere that we go, in everything that we do. We are called to be representatives of Him in this earth. We are called to share the Gospel to all people who may not know Him and bring the love of Him that abides in us to every person we encounter. There arent words to explain what He is doing in our hearts! This has been a season where we have encountered many tests and our faith has been tried, but what we have learned that through all of it, the love that we have for Him and towards others is the love that conquers all. Regardless of what others may feel, say or think about you, our call is to love them. No matter what. 1 John 4:19-21 says, "We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also." We have read, and read, and re-read this scripture so many times, but it has come alive in our hearts and has been burning in us since we have been here. What happened at the Cross is not simply the Lord sacrificing Himself for the world and cleansing us from our sin, but it goes so much more deeper than this. It is the LOVE of God that drove Him to lay down His life to give US eternal life and reconcile us to Himself and LOVE is all He asks of us to display during our time here on earth. Displaying love to our neighbor is the way that we show God that we love Him. Our deeds are simply fruit of what He has already placed in us and is evidence of our faith in Christ. Jesus made it very clear to the Pharisees that their deeds and actions would not get them into heaven. This shows that it is our heart that the Lord is concerned about above all things. If we serve in the church, attend service every Sunday and Wednesday, and spend all of our time posting wonderful scriptures on facebook, this is awesome! But what it really comes down to is the love and encouragement that we show towards our family and the people around us. I heard this at college and it truly impacted me, "If the people around you were dependant on your words for their nourishment, would they be well or mal-nourished?" Wow! This truly opened my eyes to so much! It is our duty to infect the lives of those around us with a love that does not come from within us, but love that comes from Him. The challenge is this, to display love in every sphere of our lives regardless of what we are experiencing. Loving the person who may not be very fond of you, showing love despite persecution or even those that may not be so happy for your successes and what God is doing in your life. Loving at your job, at the grocery store, school or whereever you find yourself in life at this point. Maybe your love challenge is a spouse or a family member that you just cant seem to get on the same page with. Whatever the situation is, put the Word on it. I have found that the Word works. I have found that the combination of love and the Word is the perfect equation for any situation. How exciting! We can have peace in knowing that God uses us to display His love for the people in our lives, regardless of the circumstances! We are pumped for what is ahead! So much to learn! The Lord bringing us to Australia is changing us individually and as a family. We are so grateful and expectant to what the future holds. Sending you all our love,

The Bakers