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Russell and Edna Walker
TRAINING SCHOOL MANAGER APPOINTED
TRAINING SCHOOL MANAGER APPOINTED
By God’s leading and providence, Shalem is delighted to announce the appointment of our new Training School Manager, Russell Walker.
Shalem’s General Manager, Benjie Hornales, and Russell have had ongoing discussions regarding his appointment to this ministry role for some time. But at the end of last year, Russell felt compelled that now was the time to accept the offer.
“Jesus is coming soon, and He wants His young people rightly trained so that they can go and give the message of a crucified, risen and soon-coming Saviour to the whole world.”
It is evident that the Lord has been training Russell his whole life for this important ministry position. As a teacher, administrator, hands-on builder and business manager, Russell has been gifted with the skills and experience necessary to lead our young people.
Not only that but for a number of years Russell has undertaken in-depth study into the Three Angels Messages. According to Russell, his love for Jesus has grown deeper the more he studies our end-time message which is to go to a lost and dying world.
“The everlasting gospel in the context of the Three Angels Messages is something I long to impart to our young people, so they too will fall in love with Jesus, experience true heart conversion and join the ranks of the Lord’s army to finish the work.”
Russell is no stranger to ministry work having accompanied his wife, Edna, on many mission trips over the years to her home country of the Philippines. With the help of dedicated volunteers, Russell and Edna have organised and run evangelistic campaigns, health programs, clinics and children’s programs to spread the love of Jesus through gospel medical missionary evangelism. The Lord has blessed their work with many people giving their lives to Him as a result of the outreach efforts.
Russell will have the support and counsel of an advisory panel comprising Pr Keith Godfrey, Paul Godfrey, Peter Buchanan, Jill Walker, Jenny Payne, Brendon Derry, and Vernon Lowe.
“We are incredibly grateful to God for Russell and for the team He has brought together to help guide the Training School under Russell’s leadership,” said Benjie. “We know that this school has been raised up by God as it’s part of the blueprint He has given to His people. Working together with our Health Retreat, Agriculture and soon-to-be Enterprise Divisions, students will receive a well-rounded education and will leave our school as self-supporting medical missionary evangelists.”
Please pray for our Training School that God will provide our financial and human resource needs and will be, even now, preparing the hearts of our young people to enrol as students.
COME APART AND REST AWHILE
Loved and faithful servants in God’s work, Kelvin and Nicole Sawyer, are taking a much-needed six-month break from ministry activities to refresh and recharge.
For almost 20 years, the pair has played a major role in Shalem’s ministry activities with Kelvin heading up property and maintenance and Nicole overseeing the Health Retreat Kitchen as well as assuming the roles of Treasurer and Secretary.
Over the years, God has used Kelvin and Nicole powerfully to be a huge blessing to so many including guests, staff, volunteers, church members, friends and family.
We will miss them for this short time but know that God will raise them up to be even more powerful workers in His vineyard after their much-needed rest.
GOD PROVIDES…
How blessed are we to serve a God that knows the end from the beginning. Even before the decision was made for Kelvin and Nicole to take an extended break, God had His people prepared to fill the gap.
Three weeks ago, Benjie and his family along with Shalem’s Health Director, Noel Mondejar, headed to Perth to conduct a natural remedies workshop for the Myanmar church in Morley. On Sabbath, Benjie, Madonna and the girls attended Hope Springs church in Wellard where they met Jil and Carlos Alde, a Seventh-day Adventist couple who had moved to Perth from Sydney six months earlier.
As the four started chatting it became evident very quickly that Jil was passionate about health ministry, both adopting the principles of our health message in her own life and sharing them with others. She had also recently participated in a Maker Heals program in Queensland.
Benjie invited Jil and Carlos to the natural remedies workshop at Morley the following day where more discussion ensued. Jil, an accountant working part-time, was looking for an opportunity to serve in health ministry. Benjie shared with Jil that a temporary opportunity to serve as Shalem’s bookkeeper had become available if she was interested. Jil visited Shalem the following weekend where she met the rest of the team and a number of our volunteers who were attending the staff and supporters’ Maker Heals program.
At the conclusion of that weekend, Nicole started the process of handing over the bookkeeping role to Jil. Both Jil and the Shalem team are praising God for this divine appointment. Jil is thrilled to be part of our ministry family, and we are praising God for blessing us with this precious soul just when we needed her!
Christine Bayudang
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE…
A month earlier, on the other side of the country, Christine Bayudang was prayerfully contemplating her future - to stay where she was or move back to her home state of Western Australia or perhaps even somewhere else.
She had already received a request from Nicole Sawyer to cater for Shalem’s Growth Conference in September to which she had accepted.
As part of that conversation with Nicole, Christine happened to mention what she was praying for. Knowing Shalem’s need for a Head Female Therapist, the team consulted together and made an offer to Christine to fill that position. To our delight, Christine accepted the offer.
Fast forward a month and, with Nicole going on extended leave, we now had a need for a temporary Kitchen Manager. Could Christine take on that position as well? Having helped Shalem on a number of previous occasions, we knew that Christine was a young woman of excellent character and skill. Plus, her years of experience running the kitchen at Abide Health Retreat, now Cedervale, made her an ideal candidate.
Praise the Lord, Christine has now agreed to take on the Kitchen Manager role as well!
What started as a simple request to manage the Growth Conference catering has now providentially led to a number of our health retreat needs being met.
Surely God’s word is true: “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24
Stay tuned for news on how God is in the process of providing for our need of a temporary property and maintenance manager!
Please click photo to register!
SHALEM FAMILY CAMP:
30th May – 2nd June
The increasingly popular Shalem Family Camp is on again this June long weekend, and you definitely won’t want to miss it! Our speakers for this year’s camp are our dear friends and ministry partners, Alain and Irene Bautista from Outposts Centers International.
Family Camp this year returns to Busselton Seventh-day Adventist Campground so there’ll be plenty of accommodation options including dormitory rooms, private rooms, some on-site caravans and tent and caravan sites. We are looking forward to a wonderful time of uplifting fellowship, spiritual nourishment and wholesome recreation.
The online registration form is now open. Feel free to contact Sarann Dawes on 0429 049 186 or sarann@iinet.net.au with any inquiries. Click here for more Info.
THE MAKER HEALS – STAFF & VOLUNTEERS’ PROGRAM
Staff and key volunteers of Shalem received a huge blessing recently as participants of The Maker Heals program. A number of the 18 who attended had served at Shalem’s previous Maker Heals programs but had never had the opportunity to experience it as a participant.
Recognising that we all need healing, staff and volunteers were able to immerse themselves fully in the program thanks to the self-sacrifice and willingness of Maker Heals’ staff from two states – Victoria and South Australia – to run the program.
Maker Heals Coordinator, Ledua Brooks and husband, Danny, along with Ely Sawyer made up the Victorian contingent while Emily Sawyer and Naomi Hanbury travelled from South Australia to provide much-needed support. We are so incredibly grateful to the Maker Heals team for giving not only of their time, but their love, to make this experience for our staff and volunteers a life-changing one!
During the week-long program, participants were reminded that it is the Word of God that heals, that Jesus is our “Lead Ox” and burden bearer and that we really can cast all our cares upon Him and allow Him to be in charge of every situation in which we find ourselves. It is then that we experience the peace and rest He longs to impart.
A highlight of the program was the foot washing and communion service on Sabbath evening that was immediately followed by prayers for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
We praise God for the opportunity staff and volunteers were given to “come aside and rest awhile” and for the healing work He was able to accomplish in us all throughout the week!
Please see below for The Maker Heals dates at Shalem for the remainder of 2025. These programs are open to anyone and everyone who is seeking physical, mental and spiritual healing from their Maker!
MYANMAR CHURCH VISIT
Health Age Checks and natural remedies demonstrations were on offer to Myanmar Church members and their families and friends recently as Shalem partnered with Adventist Health Association for a health and well-being day at Morley Church.
Praise God for the interest shown by our church in learning about God’s simple remedies through which He works to heal common ailments. Shalem volunteer, Mel Muscara, demonstrated, among other things, how to make a charcoal poultice while Warren Grubb and AHA volunteers provided simple tips on how to improve health using the popular Health Age Assessment tool.
VICTORIA PARK CHURCH VISIT
A few weeks later and it was off to Vic Park church where newly-appointed Training Manager, Russell Walker, spoke on True Education. Using the Madison School as model, Russell outlined God’s ideal for the education of His people.
Shalem’s General Manager, Benjie Hornales, provided an excellent overview of the Sanctuary and its connection with Health Reform during the Sabbath sermon. Click on the link to watch:
The afternoon meeting focussed on the Frontal Lobe of the brain with Jo Laing explaining that harmful lifestyle habits harms are the main contributors to diminished function of the control centre of our brain. These habits include drinking alcohol and caffeine, watching television and movies and listening to rock music and other genres with a syncopated beat.
She went on to discuss, however, that frontal lobe function is greatly enhanced by memorising and meditating on Scripture, listening to uplifting traditional classical music and contemporary music that reflects this style and carefully and prayerfully selecting the media we consume so that it does not put the frontal lobe into a hypnotic state. Philippians 4:8 is the test we need to apply when choosing what we watch and listen to, Jo said.
A delicious plant-based breakfast, expertly prepared and presented by the Vic Park health team, was enjoyed by many the following morning. Natural remedy demonstrations followed including a salt glow and ice rub. Madonna, Hannah and Eunice Hornales finished up by demonstrating how easy it is to make calendula and comfrey cream – just two examples of humble little plants in which God has placed His amazingly beneficial healing properties!
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