A new style of Sydney Anglican prayer group is using personal connections to locate and develop missionary opportunites around the world.
The Malaysia " Singapore ("MaSing") SUS prayer group took the first step along that road, commissioning their first missionaries last week.
Supporters packed the Knox Auditorium at Moore College to pray for the success of this fledgling mission.
"This is the wisdom of God", said Mr Lionel Windsor, a classmate of the three families being commissioned, in his Bible talk.
"One day everyone will see that they're doing the sanest, wisest, most practical thing - because they're proclaiming Christ crucified."
SUS prayer groups have been set up to pray for and "sus out" opportunities for overseas ministry " hence the name.
The MaSing group has its sites set firmly on Malaysia and Singapore.
Before flying out on Friday, two families formerly from Malaysia expressed their joy at being able to turn cultural links into gospel opportunities.
Robyn and Joy Gan, with their daughter Ilona, will be ministering with the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia.
Robyn will focus on two universities in northern Kuala Lumper.
"We are so thankful for the opportunity to serve in Malaysia" Mrs Joy Gan says.
"I get so excited when I think of reading the Bible with people back home".
Nick and Jessie Loi, with their daughters Anna and Amy, will also serve in the Diocese of West Malaysia, but in the Anglican Church in the city of Ipoh.
"We have a great hope" Mr Loi says, describing his inspiration.
"We have a tremendous privilege and opportunity to go back to our home country, a place with which we're familiar, and to take the message of Jesus to our own people".
"It's a wonderful answer to prayer", said Bishop Peter Tasker, who has himself spent some time in West Malaysia.
"The churches of West Malaysia have got this great vision to plant churches all over South-East Asia. It's tremendously exciting that there are four well-trained people going to minister there".
There are many challenges in ministering in West Malaysia.
The diocese covers the whole of mainland Malaysia, "so we have to be ready to be sent anywhere", Mr Gan says.
"It'd be like being here in Sydney, and all of a sudden your Bishop says to you "get ready, I'm sending you to Darwin'".
When it comes to family life, Mr Loi says he expects it will be difficult for his children to adjust to the different school system in Malaysia.
"I expect the first few years to be tough", he says.
Still, they're firmly resolved to serve Christ in this difficult environment.
"We're not masochists, but we know this is the path of glory", Mr Gan says.
"Even as we struggle in fear, we embrace Christ by faith".
The third family, Dan and Helen King, are heading to Monash University in Melbourne to minister to international students.
They'll join an existing team with the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students ("AFES").
"In Monash, one in four students is from overseas" Mr King says, "and can potentially take the gospel back to their country. There's about 8,500 international students in the university. We only have fifteen coming to Bible study. There's a lot of room for growth!"
The Kings aim not only to bring overseas students to Christ, but build them up and equip them to be leaders and ministers when they return home.
"We get them for three, four five years while they're hear", Mr King says.
"We want them to mature in Christ as much as possible, to take the Gospel message back home."
For more information on SUS prayer groups, see the Ministry Training Strategy website.
For information about how to pray for and support Robyn and Joy Gan and Nick and Jessie Loi, email the Gans at robynjoygan@hotmail.com, and the Lois at njloi@yahoo.com.
For information about how to pray for and support Dan and Helen King, visit the AFES]http://www.afes.org.au/">AFES[/url] web site.
