In the second week of Baptist NZ’s “Together in Prayer,” we watched the video and prayed responsively about “repentance.”
As I prepared my sermon on “Repentance” for the evening service, one key text I focused on was Acts 3:19: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, and that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
I asked myself: what does it actually look like when “times of refreshing” break through after a season of trial and repentance?
I need not look far—I see it right in the church family I served, in what happened to Joseph and Ruth (not their real names).
Joseph and Ruth are a Filipino couple who moved to Oamaru in early 2025 from Christchurch. Joseph has worked on a dairy farm in Leeston since arriving in 2018. He was on holiday back in the Philippines when the COVID lockdowns started in 2020.
When the border reopened in 2022, Joseph returned to work with the same Leeston employer. He was a month short of being qualified to apply for a resident visa under the critical worker scheme. He brought his wife, Ruth, who found a job at a vegetable farm.
When they moved to Oamaru, Ruth started working in the caregiving industry. They joined Oamaru Baptist Church as they are both Baptists in the Philippines.
Facing deepening trials in Oamaru and Timaru
A few months later, Joseph began experiencing workplace abuse. His co-workers didn’t treat him well and often left him working alone, doing all the farm chores. The church prayed for Joseph and Ruth when they faced heavy trials in Joseph’s farm employment in Oamaru. The Lord answered our prayers by providing Joseph with a new employer.
Seeking a fresh start, they transferred to a remote farm in Timaru in early September 2025, only to face an even harsher work environment. They were promised warm, not-so-old accommodations, but instead received a cold Centennial house.
The hourly wage he signed up for didn’t match the pay he actually received. His farm manager bullied him and threatened to fire him. He was subjected to long work hours and left alone to perform tasks that health and safety standards require two people.
The church continued to surround the couple in prayer. As their pastor, I stepped in to connect Joseph with legal counsel to navigate his options. We also collaborated with the Timaru Multicultural Council, which pointed us toward Community Law services for accessible legal guidance.
Sorrow upon sorrow – loss away from home
Then, in November, compounding their sorrow, both Joseph’s mother and Ruth’s mother passed away within just two weeks of each other.
Because Joseph’s current work visa was set to expire while they were away, they were forced to make the painful decision not to attend their mother’s funeral. Had they gone home to the Philippines, Immigration New Zealand would not have permitted them to re-enter the country on an expired visa, forcing them to remain there until a fresh work visa was approved.
As a church family, we gathered to hold memorial services for both mothers, surrounding Joseph and Ruth with sympathy, love, and care.
Surrender, repentance prayer, and waiting in faith
During those dark days, it was natural to ask, “Lord, why is this happening to them?” We live in a broken world where injustice happens, and the world taunts believers, asking, “How can a loving God allow this?”
Yet, as the church continued praying, the Lord guided us to minister to them closely. The pastor and his wife travelled to Timaru to sit with them. With the Holy Spirit’s encouragement, we helped Joseph and Ruth examine their faith journey before God, identify areas for refining and discipline, and pray for forgiveness before the Lord.
Repentance didn’t instantly erase their external trouble—in fact, Joseph’s employment situation worsened, and he was forced to resign in late 2025 without a new work visa in sight.
They lived temporarily with close friends in Waimate, waiting on God. The church provided practical support in one and many ways as they waited for Joseph’s work application results.
The turnaround – restoration and new beginnings
For Joseph and Ruth, the promised “time of refreshing” arrived. God opened a door for Joseph to work for a kind, award-winning dairy farm owner, while Ruth found a rewarding job down in Balclutha.
God placed them alongside a faithful, loving Christian family who helped them transition and settle.
For Joseph and Ruth, this is what the “times of refreshing from the Lord” looks like.
The “time of refreshing” from OBC’s point of view?
From Oamaru Baptist Church’s point of view, the “time of refreshing” is seen through how it supported Joseph and Ruth through their trials in several key ways:
- Ongoing Prayer: The church family consistently prayed for Joseph and Ruth throughout their workplace trials and employment struggles.
- Legal and Community Connections: Through their pastor, the church connected Joseph with a lawyer for legal advice about his harsh working conditions and reached out to the Timaru Multicultural Council for assistance.
- Memorial Services for Their Mothers: When both of their mothers passed away in the Philippines within two weeks of each other, and travel restrictions prevented the couple from returning home, the church gathered to hold memorial services for both mothers to surround Joseph and Ruth with sympathy, love, and care
- Pastoral Visits and Spiritual Guidance: The pastor and his wife travelled to Timaru to sit with them personally, ministering closely to help them navigate their faith journey and pray together
- Practical Assistance: The church provided practical support during Joseph’s period of unemployment as they waited for the results of his new work visa application.
For Joseph and Ruth, and for anyone undergoing fiery trials, the church serves as a canopy of grace and creates an ecosystem of care (prayer and pastoral care), while waiting patiently upon the Lord.
Based on the testimony, we can outline how the church facilitates the times of refreshing from the Lord. These include the crucible (extreme trial), the surrender (internal posture), and the ecosystem (active church care).
A Living Testimony for the Church
Ultimately, Joseph and Ruth’s journey stands as a living testimony of how God brings genuine spiritual and practical refreshment following a season of trial and repentance
For the church family, witnessing Joseph and Ruth’s turnaround serves as a vivid, tangible picture of what “times of refreshing” look like in action when believers pray together
Their journey reminds everyone that when we humbly bring our lives before God, surrender our wrongdoings, seek His forgiveness, and seek refinement, the Lord lifts our heavy burdens and restores us with His grace.
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