Dan and Catrina Pennington are serving as Calvary missionaries through YWAM in Australia which is headquarters for the Moselle Clothing ministry in Southeast Asia.  Dan and Catrina shared their story with the Calvary community during the Sunday morning service on January 2, 2011.  (Copies of this message can be purchased in the Resource Center.) Dan and Catrina explained how God had led them through a dream to create a sewing workshop in Thailand in order to provide women who have been rescued from the sex slave industry with a way of supporting themselves. It also allowed for them to experience the love and acceptance of Jesus Christ.

We caught up with Dan and Catrina recently to see what has been happening since their return home to Australia.  They write:

We’ve arrived back to Australia safe and sound after our massive US tour just in time for all the crazy weather here in our home state of Queensland- first with record floods and rain in Brisbane and then more recently, a category-5 hurricane that struck last week!  The state of Queensland is about twice the size of Texas.  We personally have not been in any danger or directly affected by these natural disasters but please be in prayer for our state, that these natural disasters would be a part of bringing the state and the nation of Australia closer to God.

Construction of the new three-story production house in Thailand has begun!  When completed mid-year, it will be capable of employing 100 women full time in clothing production as well as other sustainable skills training.  As well, our first professional screen-printing machine has been purchased and is on the way to the production house.  With this we will be able to produce better and more complicated screen printing designs as well as offer another service and avenue for sustainable employment for the girls trained in how to use the machine.

For us back here on the Sunshine Coast, it’s been busy gearing up for our biggest year yet.  Next week we will open a permanent ‘store’ in Eumundi Markets, the largest year-round outdoor market in Australia.  As well, in April we’ll be heading a few hours south to the largest Christian music festival in Australia where we expect to sell over 150 shirts in a single weekend!  It’s going to be a busy year for us here but one with much expectation and possibility.  We’re especially blessed and equipped this year to have the partnership of the Calvary Church family and look forward to the tasks we feel God has placed in our hands.  In the end, as followers of Christ we are not called to be successful, we are called to be faithful.

A few prayer points that you can pray with us about:

• Wisdom and guidance in Kingdom business decisions.
• Continued grace and a deepening of relationship with the organizations we partner with in rescuing women from slavery.
• Pray for more organizations in need of sustainable employment with whom we can partner and develop relationship.
• Pray for success in business!  Pray for an increase of sales and a furthering of God’s Kingdom through doing business as mission.

Blessings Calvary Family!

Dan, Catrina and Eva

UPDATE MAY 2011: The Penningtons are very thankful that they have signed a contract with International Justice Mission (IJM), Canada to provide 500 shirts for this organization. This is a huge boost. Pray they can fill this order and that it will lead to more orders with IJM. They also received word that 14 girls had been rescued from the sex trade in Thailand in the month of May.

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Check out the Moselle Clothing website at www.moselleclothing.com