Shalom... Fighting to Keep It

Hey friends,

Sorry its been a while since I've updated, but I wanted to catch you up on some excited happenings from this past week.
As many of you may know, last weekend I boarded a plane and headed down south to attend the YWAM National Leaders Conference in a little place called Tahlee. It is a beautiful camp and ministry center located right on the ocean. With over 200 people in attendance, it was a great opportunity to network and hear what is going on in all of our operating locations both around the nation and internationally.

Tahlee Heritage House

With so many people gathered to hear what God has been doing, it didn't take long for the fresh words and messages to start pouring!

I would say that one of the key themes throughout the conference/ week was that of Shalom - Peace.

Beautiful surroundings reinforcing the message of shalom

But it wasn't focusing on a passive/ resting peace, but a deep peace that comes as you press more into God. For me, the week leading up to this conference I was sick and felt attacked and run down in so many areas. This message really stirred my heart and brought an encouragement to fight and claim that deep peace in my heart. Since returning to Townsville this past week, I have already seen evidence of this message playing out. The more I fight for things both personally and ministry related in prayer, the more peace I have experienced.

Of course there is much more that occurred during that time, but just ask me questions if you want to know more.

Outside the conference I was able to participate in YWAM Newcastle's Youth Street program. It was so fun to see the exact same thing that I run in action in a different location and hear how it is impacting the crew there. Saturday afternoon when we had our team prayer meeting, I prayed for divine conversations. Well little did I know how valid that was: During the band/ talk to session of the evening, we were ending the time with staff praying with crew. As I was standing at the back looking for someone to pray for, I had a crew come up to me and ask if they could pray for me! I was dumbfounded and deeply touched. After we prayed together, we ended up talking for over an hour until it was time for the crew to go home! It was such a good reminder to me of how God really does hear our prayers and move in the lives of young people - he is not limited by our own belief or understanding :)

Exciting side note: The thing the crew and I prayed for was for more of a heart and culture of worship to rise up among the crew in Townsville. Well since returning, yesterday a crew hunted me down and poured out his heart about having a crew led worship band to play Saturday nights - Is God up to something? I think so. Needless to say I am all for it and we are processing how to make it happen for the start of next year :)

I'll end on that encouraging note.
Thank you for your prayers and support of me during that time - really made a difference.
I hope your doing well!

Blessings,
Liz

Learning to Balance

So about a month has gone by already! I can’t believe how fast this "winter" is going by here in Aus. I'm not gonna lie, I am very thankful for the consistent warm weather all year round here - I find it a constant source of joy in my life.

Dancing with my friend Debs on the beach

Since my last update, there have been a few developments and some encouraging stories which have occurred.

Here are a few things that have happened over the past few weeks:

First off, my role in Youth Ministries has been going really well. I still love working in the office and so closely with youth. God given passion really is the best motivator for doing anything in this life!

With that said, since my last update my role within Youth Ministries has expanded already. When our new quarter started, two of the main staff in Youth Ministries transitioned to staffing a youth focused training school we are running from our center and so I now also oversee Youth Street – the weekly youth program we run every Saturday for local kids in the community. It is quite the task and a privilege which I have accepted. Needless to say, the past few weeks have been spent trying to figure out how to balance my new work loads and personal life along with starting to go back to church. However, I am happy to say that even though I still have lots to learn and figure out, God has been so gracious to me and I haven’t felt overwhelmed at all! Its all about taking things one step at a time.

Sharing Inspiration

On another note, on the Dance Team things have been falling into place as we reform a family atmosphere again. Last week Sat we took the crew for a day of inspiration down to a nearby beach (see Facebook for Pics). I have to say, it was the most relaxed and encouraging time I’ve had at Youth Street maybe ever! We had everyone share what or who inspires them in their lives, and I was blown away by how personal and honestly the girls shared with each other. I was especially touched when two of the crew chose me! Not that it’s all about me, but its good reminder just how impacting spending time with these crew really is. I may not always see direct results, but I can know that the ministry I’m apart of really does make a difference in seeing lives change – and that’s encouraging!

Life changing dancing obviously :)

Just something to keep in mind, I would appreciate your prayers for my finances. I have a few big expenses at the moment that I am really needing to see God’s provision and breakthrough in by the end of the month. One is my visa – I just got granted my Religious Workers Australian visa which will allow me to continue working with Youth Ministries over here for the next two years. The other is going on outreach for two weeks in September. I will be going into schools to do all-day AusLife Seminars which teach kids more about God and the value of their lives and then helping run an amazing youth camp down the Aussie coast. The cost of these two things totals $1000Aus. I am so thankful for the financial support I already receive from many of you, but I really need help with this. If you feel able to give, wonderful! But regardless, could you please join me in praying for this!

Thanks so much for your partnership with me in all of this.

Many Blessings as you enjoy your summers!
xox Liz

Time for a Change... Name Change?

This is my new desk... up close. I got a warm welcome

So as you know from my last update, I am all finished my Bible Core Course here in Australia and I have been spending the past few weeks debriefing and preparing for the next season... Well, its HERE! 
I started Youth Ministries on Wednesday (It was supposed to be Tuesday, but I caught a stomach bug :S All better now though) and I am SOOO excited to be at work doing what I am passionate about. I work in the FUNNEST office EVER! I love being surrounded by people who are just as committed to serving and making a difference in the lives of young people as I am - I can tell its going to be a great next few months :) 


I guess to go with this new season, I need a new name to describe who I am and what I am doing... So just call me AusLife! Just kidding, but as it turns out, my new ministry (within Youth Ministries) will be coordinating and facilitating AusLife's. 
Now I am sure many of you are asking the question, WHAT am I talking about?!
Well fair enough, here is some insight for you:
Auslife is a full day interactive and fast-paced seminar designed for senior high school students aged between 15 and 18. Auslife seminars engage the students in compelling ways, and focus on values, relationships and challenges they face in everyday life.


I am just learning the ropes on it for these first few weeks but I'm already helping to book seminars in schools and write a new seminar which will tie into our Ship ministry. Soon I will be helping train and run  the seminars with our Discipleship Training Schools all over Australia - my first one will be in September.


I really appreciate your prayers and continued support as I get more into this. One day seminars may sound simple, but I am learning quickly that they're not!


OH, and an exciting thing for me... I am joining the Youth Street Dance Team again as part of our weekly Saturday youth program we run for the kids in the community - I start this Sat :)


Anyways, thats all for now.
Bless you heaps!
xo Liz

Story Time!

Every time I travel, there is always so much experienced that its hard to communicate it all once I return! 

I've spent the past 6 weeks on outreach in Papua New Guinea and have created a newsletter overview of my time there. However, there were many details that just wouldn't fit, so here are just some fun stories of my journey to the land of PNG.

So the first thing I encountered was actually while in transit to our first location. We arrived safely with all our luggage in Port Moresby (the nation’s capital) and were greeted by our host family, The Moses’, who we would be staying with our first night (and then again the last few weeks of our outreach). The transportation provided was equipped with lots of spacious room for everyone, a tremendous amount of airflow, and even live music! That’s right, my first taste of PNG transport was in the back of a big flatbed truck. Similar to experiences in Mexico, seatbelts are not required and there are no restrictions to the number of people you can fit in a vehicle! It made for fun (and loud) rides together which I began to really enjoy as a time to relax and connect with others.

My first morning in PNG was another learning experience: Due to the high chances of getting malaria (which is transmitted by mosquitoes), my team and I were on medication to help prevent our chances of getting it. The Doxy is to be taken with food, but due to the early hour we traveled from the village to get back to the airport to fly to Mt Hagen, I had forgotten to take it at breakfast. While waiting for our plane, I suddenly remembered and decided to take the small tablet right then and there in case I forgot again… bad idea! Exactly 20 mins later I was hit with extreme nausea, light headedness and couldn’t move due to pain! It was a horrible first taste of the consequences of not following instructions closely – a lesson I’m glad to say I didn’t repeat for the rest of my trip. I was lucky that the side effects were short lived and cleared by the time I boarded the plane, but man I did not enjoy that experience!

The Village Ute

Arriving in Mt Hagen (the very center of PNG), the scenery was absolutely beautiful! The YWAM base where we were staying was a bit of a drive from the airport as it is literally situated halfway up a mountain and you need a 4 x 4 to even get to it! Quickly I learned that when children see white people, they just scream at the top of their lungs at you, but I think it’s their own way of saying hello J. There aren’t many white people in the highlands and so our presence was apparently a shock to some. You learned to get used to the screaming, but sometimes it definitely made us jump!

1 of the school programs where we got to inspire the youth
 in missions through teaching on the life of Esther

During our 2 weeks in Mt Hagen, we intended to teach Bible seminars to a group of local pastors. Due to a death in the community and miscommunication, when we went to meet with some key leaders about when to start, they asked us to wait a week. At first we were all unsure what to do, but quickly new plans fell into place. A missionary family that was located in the neighboring province heard about our Bible teaching team and asked if we could come and share at their local schools and hospitals. It worked out that we were able to spend 3 days with the family and we were blessed by their hospitality. Instead of just sharing with 8-10 pastors like we intended, we did 2 school programs where we got to teach over 1000 youth! There was a local hospital there, and we got to visit every patient, pray for them, do some skits, and I shared part of my story along with a message of truth and hope to the people there. We also helped sort out books as a school was trying to establish a local library (See video below)

So our original plans didn’t work out, but it definitely was for the better as we were able to affect and influence much more people than we could have planned – totally God.

A similar thing occurred when our team split and half of us went on the YWAM Medical Ship. We had intended to sail to the Gulf province (about a 24hr sail), but the ship didn’t have a chief engineer, and we couldn’t find one available anywhere!! We prayed and made calls and waited and then prayed more, but it seemed like we were stuck in a waiting period. Since we had medical professionals onboard who had volunteered their time, we wanted to utilize their services, with or without a chief engineer. It worked out that we could travel to a huge village just 2 hours out from Port Moresby, and we were able to provide health care there. Even though the people there are so close to all the resources and hospital Port Moresby has, many can’t afford to ever see a doctor, let alone dentist or optometrist! The village had over 10,000 people in it, and we were all non-stop busy the entire two days we were there. Although we couldn’t see everyone, it was God who directed us to minister to this village that would otherwise have been overlooked. After those two days of providing medical services, we DID get a Chief Engineer and were able to travel to the Gulf province as intended, but I am just so thankful for how it worked out. 

Me sailing... before it got bad

Sailing is an experience in itself. I have gotten sea sick a few times and so I was very hesitant to venture into open waters. To help distract me from my fears, my friend Brooke and I came up with a song about sailing. When the day finally came and we were able to actually sail, I didn't get sick at all. The best advice I took  was to find a spot where you can lie down and not move for the entire sail! It worked for me!

The sail back from the Gulf was a bit different. The sea was much rougher and I was a bit more ambitious. I decided to sit outside on the deck for as long as possible, enjoying the fresh air before being cooped up for 24hrs. After a few hours, my friend joined me and we decided to go visit the captain in the bridge. The front of the boat was diving and rocking like a roller coaster. At first I was giddy and having a great time, literally waving my hands in the air. However, the fun was short lived as we started experiencing 4m swells.Nausea hit me and I knew I was in trouble! I ran to find my "safe spot" - where I was intending to lie the entire time - but I was too late. I felt dizzy and weak and knew I could throw up any min. So without loosing any time, I grabbed my stuff, including a bucket, and "ran" downstairs to my bunk cubby. Lying down I quickly learned that if you breath in time with the waves, it helps soothe your body. I laid in my bunk, flat on my back, for over 12hrs straight. I have to admit, I did throw up, but only once, and it was due to the smell of food at dinner time. Lucky for me, I had a very gracious friend who came and took care of cleaning my bucket. It was definitely an adventure!

Well I think I'll leave it there for now... more stories to come!

Thanks for reading :) 

~Liz

Hello Goodbye

Well I can't believe its time to say this, but  Goodbye Lectures Phase and Hello Outreach Phase!

Has its really been 3 months already?

Well apparently, yes it has!

I have now completed studying 12 books of the Bible which have definitely given me a much deeper understanding of  a) the Bible as a whole, but b) understanding of how it plays out throughout history!

It as been so refreshing to gain understanding of both the head and heart, and I am excited for more revelations to surface as I now transition into teaching.

Picture Illustration: I feel like I'm a sponge that has been absorbing everything the past 3 months and now it is time for me to be "wrung out" lol

Filled with the purpose to pour out and be filled again

Although it is exciting to be finally able to communicate and teach the Bible to both youth and the people of Papua New Guinea, it's a bit intimidating with all the things we have to prepare this coming week (sermons, lessons, etc). As I've been transitioning from student to teacher role/ mindset, here is the encouragement God gave me in the midst of it:

"Then I said "Ah, Lord, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a [girl]." But the Lord said to me, "Do not say I am only a [girl] for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth." - Jer 1:6-9

I find great confidence in this: it is God speaking through me, not me trying to do this on my own and hoping I sound smart, etc. With that said, would you please continue to pray for me this coming week as my school and I will be seeking God for inspiration and insight how to communicate his message of truth of the places we are about to go next weekend on outreach?!

So appreciate you love and support :)

xo Liz

Going to Make a Difference

Some exciting news for you all this week...

I am going to... Make A DIFFERENCE!
Where, you ask? Well as part of the Bible Core Course, we spend 2 months sharing what we learn through teaching the Bible and bringing hope to people in a variety of ways.

Half way through April, I will start my outreach off by going on a Youth Street camp called DEEPER. The camp literally is all about what the name says: getting youth to go deeper with God. It runs for a week and we will be taking youth down to Brisbane to assist with the flood relief (still a lot to do) and doing community service before ending the week with a bang by taking them to a BIG Christian music festival. During the week, I get the opportunity to speak, teach, and disciple these youth! As many of you know, this is completely where my heart is at and I am so excited for a chance to really embrace and walk out in it while using all the skills and knowledge that I'm gaining through studying God's word in the Bible Core Course.

THEN....

Once I return from DEEPER, I will be going to.... wait for it... Papua New Guinea!

My whole school will be going there for 6 weeks to make a difference in significant and practical ways:

The first 3 weeks will be spent at a YWAM base in Mt. Hagan, where we will put our teaching skills to good use and run Bible seminars for people in various positions of influence and spheres of their society (aka their villages): pastors. One of the things that we have been talking about is the importance for people to have a Biblical world-view, as it really does change how communities operate. Although Papua New Guinea has been called a Christian nation, there is still much need for discipleship (as in every nation), and so it is a joy and privilege to go and bring truth and further clarity in order to see this nation radically strengthened in a spiritual sense.

The following 3 weeks in PNG  I will be working on the YWAM Medical Ship!!
This is super awesome as last year I did a lot of work pertaining to the ship, but I never actually was a part of it physically. The Medical Ship is an effective tool to really have lives restored in real terms. My team and I will be apart of the 3rd outreach (of 8 that the ship is doing this year in the Gulf and maybe western provinces of PNG). There will be dentists, optometrists, nurses, health care workers, and many willing hearts that just want to help however they can (like ME). Although we will be working with and living on the ship, we will see how we can tie in our Biblical teachings still (whether thats running short seminars for people waiting on-board the ship or going into villages), as we have a firm belief that meeting needs spiritually should be partnered with meeting needs practically for holistic discipleship.

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily good. If one of you says to him, "Go I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." - James 2:14-17

This is exactly what I am going to be apart of.
I would like to ask you to consider being apart of this too!
In addition to your prayers and encouragement, I need to see another $2000 raised in order to go on outreach and make this happen.

If you have any question as to what this may look like, check out this video which shows very clearly how we were able to make a big difference in a short period of time, in real terms:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHlI6xw2OPk

Please pray and consider what your part could be in making a difference through this opportunity!
Greatly appreciate it.

Be blessed!
Love Liz

Encouragement When Things Get Tough...

This past week was AmAzInG!!

We started studying the book of Hebrews while camping in the Aussie bush.
During the time up there, we also had our center staff retreat, and so there was well over 200 of us representing 26 nations!!

Hidden Valley Staff Retreat

I found it very refreshing to have a change of learning environment, even if for only a few days.


Hebrews was written to a Jewish-Christian group of believers who were undergoing persecution and on the verge of returning to Judaism to avoid the suffering. This was because they didn't understand the true/ full nature of Christ Jesus and how he is superior to everything in every way - there is just no comparison! 

Through studying this book, I was very challenged on a personal level.
In class, Jonathan (my school leader) talked about applying this book to us today: “We all have gentile backgrounds, so even though the desire to turn back to Judaism isn’t applicable, we need to ask ourselves what we turn to when things get tough?” 

Being a Christian, there are definitely times where I feel tempted to turn back to what I know is easy, especially while living a life in missions. I want to go home to MY country and be with MY family, MY friends, make MY own money, etc. Life without Christ can be so deceiving and look appealing temporarily, but it is no comparison to the life one can inherit through faith in Christ.

“Sometimes life IS really tough – that’s just a fact, but we need to understand that Jesus is worth it and so turn to him rather than what we know is easy.”

Jesus is superior and far more worthy than ANY personal sacrifice I could EVER make.

Just like the original readers, I took great encouragement from studying this book and I know its message will be a key foundation for my life as a whole, but especially so while in missions. 


I hope you feel encouraged to do the same :)


Love and blessings,
Liz

Romans... the Truths Never End!

A fully colour-coded Romans - A book brought to life

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, 'The one who is righteous will live by faith'"

-Key verse for Romans: 1:16-17

ROMANS... a book that clearly and simply spells out the gospel and our means of salvation. Although this may be true in some senses (the clarity more than simplicity), I definitely did not feel like this was the case this past week! The amount of detail Paul goes into to describe each aspect is amazing, but most of the time it was like "information overload," but in the best possible way! With so much good stuff to learn, I felt like I couldn't absorb and process fast enough and it was definitely a week of teaching that I didn't want to miss a detail of!!:) I was very impressed with the way Tom broke down and explained the reasons WHY Paul addresses so many specific topics in such detail (answer being because Paul was directly answering questions that were relevant to both the Jews and Gentiles in the church). 

To help me with processing everything throughout the week, I wrote out a lot of the timeless truths (revelations/ things that are always true about God,etc) that I was discovering on an A3 sheet of paper.

My Final Application

Endless truths, for you and me

In case you can't read it clearly, some of the main ones are:

-There is nothing I can do to earn or deserve God's salvation - it is a gift of grace
-God loves me AND likes me, and thats never going to change!
-There can never be true unity if we don't view each other as equals (in any context)
-When God sees me, he sees the infinite righteousness that was deposited there through faith in Jesus, not all my yucky sins
-Told to live out in love, not to earn or keep one’s salvation, but as an out flowing of one’s heart because of their salvation. God is love - love is the fulfillment of the law.

I could honestly go on forever with listing truths I am taking away from this week!
On a personal note, Romans has given me more understanding of God's heart of overflowing love for me (even though I'm still anything but perfect) and has really strengthen my security in his opinion of me :)

There is so much more I wish to share, but this week is hard to put into words.

 I know this hardly does it justice,but if you walk away with anything, know this: God has much he wants to reveal to each of us through this book. I am glad we took the time to study it on the BCC and I hope you feel encouraged to do the same!

Be blessed!

Things to do during a cyclone..

Hey everyone,

So as you already know, I experienced one of the worst natural disasters to hit Australia in over a century (and thats saying a lot), but we all came out safe and sound. With minor damage to infrastructure in my area, the main priority has been re-landscaping.

I feel very blessed to be apart of YWAM, for they have an excellent emergency plan and they executed it perfectly. We had plenty of water and food, plus they made sure everyone was in the most safest place possible for when we "locked down."

I'll just give you a quick summary of what happened:
We had warning of the cyclone possibility for over a week in advance, but it wasn't until Wednesday morning (Feb 2) that the reality that it was a certainty set in.
Everyone had jobs/ houses divided up so we could make sure all areas were completely secure.
During that time my flatmates and I cleared off our entire deck. The plants moved inside, along with 2 BBQs and all our patio furniture.
During Wednesday morning I moved locations 3 times as the conditions worsened and my flat became included in the "red zone" which meant subject to being flooded.
In the end, my flatmates and I all moved into our base director's house (Ken and Robyns), which was a BIG blessing as their house is only a few years old and was actually built cyclone proof (unlike mine that has cracks all over and could easily fall apart)

After lunch when everything was secure, we all headed off to our perspective lodgings and waited for the storm to hit. It wasn't until late afternoon that the wind really picked up, and the power lasted until 10pm. The eye of the cyclone crossed the coast about 2hours north of us at midnight. Although the storm was a category 5, the strength of the wind/ storm that hit us in Townsville was a category 3. During the afternoon while we waited, I decided to be productive and smash out 5 hours of homework (since there wasn't much else to do anyways lol). Once the power went off, I went to bed and actually slept right through the storm until 9 the next morning!! (Not bad - 11hr sleep and I actually only woke up the next day because I got shot with a nerf gun).
Thursday afternoon, we got the OK to leave our houses and so we went to survey the damage. To my pleasant surprise, my house survived and was in great condition minus 2 big trees that just missed the house. (The pics are on facebook if you haven't seen them already). Also, no structural damage happened to any of the other YWAM properties (only a bit of water leakage)
The power stayed off until late Friday morning, so during the time without power, here is some of the stuff that I did:

Made up a Bible Study lesson

Did LOTS of homework

Made cards :)

Hung out with Karly

Relaxed

Listened to Fiona playing live music

So that is the end of my cyclone adventure. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you so much for your prayers. We really appreciated them and honestly, you can see the impact they had as so many things should have been destroyed and somehow they were just missed by trees, etc. Absolute miracles everywhere.

All my love,
Liz

They Say 2 is Better Than 1...

Reading the Bible out loud in class

This past week was really good, but also a lot harder for me. This was due to person sickness, as well as the workload increasing from doing two books instead of one this week. The books we studied were Philemon and Titus.


If you have never read either of those books (which I strongly recommend) heres a brief overview:
 Philemon is a letter that Paul wrote in the hopes of bringing reconciliation between a slave owner (Philemon) and a runaway slave (Onesimus). In that, its themes are repentance and forgiveness. 
Titus, which I have renamed to "Living Life for Dummies, the Manual," is a detailed letter from Paul to Titus about how to instruct the church and rise up more leaders (elders) in Crete. This was a big task in light of the rowdy society that Titus was trying to disciple and so the boundaries and actions for believers to live out are very clearly outlined in the text so that they could be noticeably set apart from the rest of their Pegan society. 


This week, especially while doing interpretation on Titus, God was giving me continual revelations!! The book of Titus holds the keys to several practical tools for living out good doctrine, leading, and equipping others. 
The biggest revelation I am taking away from this week is that "the reality of God's grace causes responses of humility. I was bewildered and horrified at the realization that I have been taking the amazing gift and reality of God’s saving grace so lightly in my heart and mind. I now want to spend time just meditating on the meaning and being in awe of God’s grace, so that the true meaning of it would be embedded in my heart and cause me to operate and live my life out of a place of utter humility and gratitude towards/ for God. 
Overall I am loving this course more and more as God's word is becoming alive to me.


Blessings xo
Liz

My "ACTS" of reflection

Have you ever walked by something a hundred times, aware of it and yet not really seeing it, and then SUDDENLY one day it catches your eye? Well I feel like this past week has been one of those experiences for me.

Growing up in a Christian home, attending church weekly, and even going to a Christian school, I have heard a LOT on the Bible. For the first week of my Bible Core Course, we set out studying the book of ACTS. In all honesty, this week was the first time I had ever read the entire book of ACTS, and throughout the course of the week we did so multiple times. However, I didn’t realize how much I had underestimated the contents of the book through my past assumptions of what it was about.

ACTS, if you have not read it for yourself, is a book of much relevance and importance. It holds the history of the first Christians and traces the journey of the expansion of the Gospel through focusing its narrative mainly on Peter, Paul and the workings of the Holy Spirit. If you have not read it, do so!!

This week in class focused on establishing a lot of good foundations for Biblical observation and interpretation. Through those procedures, which required multiple assignments, I began to start understanding God’s heart for all people, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the sacrifice of the apostles and first Christians to share the Gospel, a little more. What amazed me most, while studying ACTS, was the willingness and obedience of Paul. He went and did whatever the Spirit said. He had no fear of persecution and he continued to praise God even when he was put in prison multiple times, so much was his hope in God and dedication to share the Gospel with both Jews and Gentiles. Through Paul’s submission, God was able to use his life and affect countless people through literally fulfilling Acts 1:8 bearing witness to Christ “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” It’s pretty amazing what God was able to do through just one person!

From this past week of study, I am more determined to be open and available to be used by God – live a life fully submitted. I want my life to count for something BIG (maybe not quite as big as Paul’s, but who knows!) I’m not going to limit God. Instead, I feel even more inspired now as I look into my future of endless possibility. I can’t wait to see what God will shape it as J  

Map of Paul's Missionary Journeys - I used this a lot this week.

Home

Home in Australia

Home in Canada

What defines a home? Some say that it is the physical address of where you live. Others say it’s where your heart is. For me, it is coming back to a familiar place and knowing you belong.

After three months of being “home” in Canada, I returned “home” to Townsville this week. It’s always a bit weird making the transition, and also a bit surreal. Questions like “how did I get here?” always seem to pop into my head. However, it’s always nice to go back to somewhere and know you are missed. It is also equally as challenging knowing that you have just left a place and people you will miss! Ahhh the never ending cycle caused by travel.

Regardless, I am glad to be back in Townsville. I unpacked everything as soon as I arrived at my flat and it feels really good to be settled already. I surprised myself how quickly I made the mental change to life back in community. Already I participated in base worship, staff meeting and caught up and said hello to EVERYONE on staff.

 In the next few days, things are going to be happening fast… new students have already started arriving – 63 are coming for 3 schools!!  I am excited for this new season ahead. For the joys and the challenges that will grow my character. Orientation starts this Sunday, so please keep that in your prayers.

This week I hope you enjoy YOUR home and family. Love to hear your definition of “home” too!

SYDNEY

Due to the blessing of friendship, I spent the first whole week of January in Sydney Australia with my dear friend Becky Dawborn J We initially met during my Discipleship Training School in 2009 where we were roommates, and it was a joy to spend more time with her as she personally toured me around the city. It was a full-on busy week, but here are some of the highlights!

Day 1: Family Party

After my redeye direct flight from Vancouver to Sydney, I met Becky and arrived at her house to be greeted by her entire family and participate in their grandparent’s 50^th wedding anniversary surprise party with lots of relatives! With lots of food, games and unpacking, the day was filled with much laughter and the joys of reunited bliss!

Day 2: Beach Day

Bondi Beach

Upon waking to clouds and chances of rain, Bec and I took our chances and braved through multiple modes of transport: trains, buses, and boats to enjoy the sights of some Sydney beaches. We went to the famous Bondi beach with golden sands, and then Manly beach, a local favorite. The day turned out to be gorgeous, relaxing and then consequential! Although we applied sunscreen multiple times, apparently we missed some spots and still got really bad burns… see for yourself!

Day 3: City Day

Starting early in the morning, we spent a very long day in the city seeing what Sydney had to offer. Here is an overview picture tour of SOME of the places we went:

Harbor Bridge

Opera House

Darling Harbor

War Memorial

Hyde Park

St Mary's Cathedral

Botanical Gardens

Art Gallery of NSW

Absolutely wonderful day that ended with meeting the family for a picnic in the Botanical Gardens!

Day 4: Sydney Festival

Each year Sydney puts on a 3 week festival to celebrate the arts and it just so happened that I was there for opening night! Essentially, they have stages set up all over the city with lots of acts and bands performing. Lots of streets were closed, disco balls hung from trees, music was in the air, and they even had SNOW MACHINES blowing down the main path. It was a fun night to walk around and there were thousands of people.

Day 5: Hillsong

So on Sunday, I had the privilege of going to 2 church services. First I went with Becky and her family to their home church which is very intimate and friendly, and later we went to Hillsong! Now for the past 10 years it has been a dream to go there (as I’m sure it is for many) and I was so overjoyed to see the place that first inspired my heart with Christian music. To my surprise, it was exactly what you would think it would be like… and then some! It was like a concert with lights, music, dancing/jumping… even in the balconies! Heaps of people go, and it was encouraging to physically see thousands of other believers in the same place with the same purpose – to worship God.

Day 6: Katoomba

 Among Australia’s many landmarks, there is one 2hours inland from Sydney called “the Three Sisters.” Bec and I made the journey stopping at a few quaint towns along the way to have a wonder and wait for a break in the rain. One had a massive lollie (candy) shop in it with treats from all over the world.

When the rain finally stopped and the fog cleared, this is the wonder we saw:

Pretty cool! We ended the venture with a stop at a neat café that makes you feel like you escaped back to medieval times, or the woodland fairies land – pipe music and everything. It was a great end to a fun filled week J

End conclusion: I love Sydney. I would love to go back, and I recommend it to everyone… lots to see and it is all beautiful!

Migrating South

So its officially 2011, and I'm heading back to Australia TODAY for my 3rd time. I am getting pretty good at this migrating south thing. Who says you have to wait until your retired? Anyways, its never an easy thing to uproot one's self, pack everything into a suitcase and move to the other side of the world every few months - no matter how much you do it. There are always mixed feelings when I get on the plane, but the funniest thing is that by the time I get off, I am ready to face my new adventure head on. There is a shift that happens, an excitement that builds, a realization that sets in. This is MY life - the choice forward has been made and I am going to make the most of it (and have my fun too). This time going back to Australia I am taking a Bible Core Course with YWAM, but I have no clue what to expect. I'm glad you're apart of this adventure with me... I guess we are going to find out together what God has in store for me! Tonight as the setting colours fade into black, think of me and know that I'm on my way.... migrating south and into a new chapter of life.