Blinking and PAINT!

Well... I blinked and a month has gone by!

How to describe the weeks that have passed? Well I'll give you three words: sick, productive, and home.

...I'll explain...

Every few months, my body decides to get sick. Its usually right when I get on a role with work stuff, and the month of May was no exception. We'd been having  record numbers of youth attend our weekly youth program Youth Street and my days were full of writing seminars, calling schools, grants, and finally getting on top of lots of projects. Out of NO WHERE I got a sinus infection which I confess is still hanging on three weeks later! (But don't worry... I finally bit the bullet and went to the doctors so I'm on the mend).

However, in the midst of being home and sick, my flatmates and I had planned to take a working holiday and paint our entire flat. Now for anyone who has ever seen or heard me talk of my flat, it was clear that it needed a bit of loving. Giant cracks in the lounge wall, part of the drywall missing from the hallway from a pipe inspection, and dirty white colour everywhere. No don't get me wrong... I am grateful for my house every day. BUT, after three days of washing and taping walls, and painting some colour everywhere, my house of three years finally became a home!

Me with my new bedroom bright blue accent wall
(It looks so good with the matching art work in there)

Here are some more pics from that week:

Guess what side is painted... we had our work cut out for us!

Lounge room walls, trim, and windows all done

You can see the colour we chose for the kitchen - nice and warm beige.

In the main bathroom we painted the walls a soft grey with a purple accent wall

And the same in the hallway: grey with purple accent and fresh trim

There was a lot more done, but I hope that gives you a snapshot of what I was up to beginning of June.

Since then I have been trying to catch up on all my work from being sick and painting. Apart from that, things are tracking on.

If you think to pray, I would appreciate prayer for wisdom and strength for my mind and body as I'm still recovering. Also, please pray for more youth workers as the 100+ weekly young people who attend our program are currently being looked after by 10 staff!! (Compared to appx 40 staff we usually have). 

Thanks for checking in and being a part of the journey!

~Liz 

April Event MaNiA

Hey friends!

What an adventure this past month has been! In the last 3 weeks we have held: the YWAM YS Dessert Fundraiser, DEEPER camp, weekly Youth Streets, my 22nd Birthday, AND the NYW I Wanna Live Event.

My actual birthday (April 12^th) was quite an eventful day: 

It started with my two wonderful housemates getting up early and making me a wonderful brekkie (complete with a whole bowl of melted chocolate!)

Then, in preparation for the I Wanna Live Event, a local TV station came in to promo the event. Since I am apart of M3 Dance, I got to be apart of them taking some dance footage for the story. Here is a link of the clip that previewed on the 6pm news on my birthday night! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v1Ee5zwRW8 (Note the sketchy quality and my roommate yelling at the TV :P)

Directly after watching the news, my extremely busy housemates had arranged for a few of my close friends to come over and surprise me, and then we all went out for a nice dinner together. We had a great time and I truly felt celebrated!

The evening ended with Gelato on the beach :) Can't really top that!

Saturday held the much anticipated I Wanna Live event. The overall aim was to celebrate local young people and instilling in them to have a sense of purpose. With over 400 people attending, here is a snap shot of some of the happenings:

Art Exhibition and Photo Comp.

Acoustic sets in the Cafe

6ft Half Pipe!

Awesome Live Band Performances

I also got the chance to perform twice during the evening: once with M3 Dance - if you want to see the clip, check it out on my facebook wall (M3 - Snitch - 2012), and once with my YS Dance team. The two dances were at opposite ends of the scales; fast, fun hip hop; slow, confronting contemporary. However, both pieces served the same purpose to connect, relate, and inspire the young people attending to have purpose beyond themselves. 
All in all, it was an amazing end to some crazy past weeks!

Coming up, I have a few more projects on the go. I would appreciate your prayers as we finalize 3 seminars I have been writing to take into schools starting NEXT WEEK! I also would love prayer for two grant opportunities which I am writing applications for – wisdom and the right articulation.

More updates to come soon! Thanks for following and being a part of the journey!

Xo

Liz

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