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