It feels like we don't stay in one place for any length of time lately. We are now spending the weekend in Sydney to see a bunch of the people that we know here and say goodbye. We are leaving on Monday afternoon from the airport here in Sydney and will be home about midnight Monday night. It is really strange because we only have a 10 hour change in time on the clock but 24 hours of travelling.
Thank you all for you prayers. Please continue to pray for us as we say goodbye and as we travel home.
See you all soon!!!!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Bula from Fiji
We are still in Fiji until tomorrow and loving the relaxing and enjoying the beautiful islands.
Hard to believe that we will be home next week.
I can't wait to see you all!
Hard to believe that we will be home next week.
I can't wait to see you all!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Two more weeks
Sorry again for not updating sooner....
We were busy last week planning graduation and just spending as much time together as possible. Graduation was Friday! We went out for lunch as a team and then came back to base and had our ceremony in the evening. The whole day was very fun. We even had one of our friends from Bamaga fly down to be with us, it was awesome!!!
Our team has been leaving 1 by 1. Those that were still here went to Fingel on Sunday to see everybody there again. It was great to talk to them and feel so at home there. On Monday we got a car and just drove to the big mall and downtown before bringing Laban back to the airport to go back to Bamaga.
Today (Tuesday) Katie and I are leaving for Fiji!!!! Our director here has arranged for his family to take us in for a week so that we can experience Fiji. We will be there until the 15th.
Thanks again for all of your prayers!!!
God Bless You All!!!!!
We were busy last week planning graduation and just spending as much time together as possible. Graduation was Friday! We went out for lunch as a team and then came back to base and had our ceremony in the evening. The whole day was very fun. We even had one of our friends from Bamaga fly down to be with us, it was awesome!!!
Our team has been leaving 1 by 1. Those that were still here went to Fingel on Sunday to see everybody there again. It was great to talk to them and feel so at home there. On Monday we got a car and just drove to the big mall and downtown before bringing Laban back to the airport to go back to Bamaga.
Today (Tuesday) Katie and I are leaving for Fiji!!!! Our director here has arranged for his family to take us in for a week so that we can experience Fiji. We will be there until the 15th.
Thanks again for all of your prayers!!!
God Bless You All!!!!!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Back at base
Wow the past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. I will try and remember all of the highlights to fill you in on what has been happening.
July 18-19 - The team had the chance to take a trip up to Thursday Island for Croc Fest. This is a school event that students from all over Northern Australia attend to learn about how to control their future and different career opportunities. It also gives the kids a chance to do a performance on the big stage at night. Working in the schools here we really wanted to connect with them and others there. We received a ride in a dingee to get over there. It was about a 1 1/2 hour ride. On the way there it was fairly calm waters, but on the way back it was very rough and we got soaked. But praise God we made it there and back safely and have some exciting memories of the trip. We made some new contacts for YWAM to become involved with Croc Fest in the future. What a great opportunity to have the attention of young people!
July 21 - Sat - This day was planned by the women of the church as a fun day at the beach for us as a team our last weekend. We spent the day eating, fishing, eating some more and a bonfire. It was a lot of fun. Most of the time we were fishing either off of the shore or on the dingee. Laban (our honorary walkabout member) took us out so that we could catch dinner. I caught 3 fish, tieing Laban for the most! Katie & Sione each caught one and the others didn't catch anything. Luckily they had brought other food or we would have been hungry, but we did eat mine. It was a very fun day just relaxing and socializing.
July 22 - Our last Sunday in Bamaga. We attended "our" church for the last time. In the morning I helped with Sunday School and then we had a light lunch at the church. We then went to the Sambo's for lunch, singing and games. Their family became our home away from home. Granny cried almost every time we saw her the last week because we were leaving. The evening service Peter lead and it was just a time of sharing and praising. A bunch of the church members sang songs or did dances. It was a great night. Even after the service was over almost everyone hung out until about 9:30 just jamming.
The last week was a very busy one trying to say goodbye and also planning for our big "thank you" event on Thursday night. On Monday we said our goodbye at the Primary school. It was awesome! The kids were so excited to see us again and they all joined in on the painter skit that we did again. We couldn't get them to be quiet or calm down when they were saying their final goodbye. They even sang us a "My God Loves Me" song. It was sad to say goodbye to the Grade ones and the teachers. After 6 weeks working in their room I have grown to love them. Monday night was another night at the Sambo's for our last meal at their house.
Tuesday we all went to HACC which is the elderly home that we worked with. We did another presentation for them and then hung out with them for a couple of hours. Again for some of our group it was very hard to say goodbye. Tuesday night was a Bible reading as a group and an early night for most of us.
Wednesday was a very full day of going to the high school and also a farewell dinner put on by the church. This was the first time that we had a chance to present at the high school so it was important to us to get our message across to them. Praise God everything worked out and it was a great time. In the afternoon it was planning and prep time for Thursday night. The dinner at night was a feast! The church members blessed us so much, it was great to spend more time with them.
Thursday was a very big day for us as a team. It started out with a few of us going to the high school to help out with Athletics day while the food committee stayed back to prepare the food for after our program. In the afternoon we decorated the church and finished the food prep. We were praying the whole day for the food because we were not sure that we were going to have enough, but God provided more than we even needed. We fed about 80 people only spending about $40! The evening was awesome!!!!! God was definitely with us! We did our dances and some skits and just had some fun with everyone. We were very blessed the whole evening.
Friday morning we slept in a little bit. Then got up and had praise & worship and sharing time. After that we went on prayer walks and covered the entire Bamaga area in prayer. Then it was time to pack and clean the houses. We did some praise in the park across the street with another DTS that is in Bamaga for about a week. We left for the airport about 4:00. I felt so loved by all of the people that came to say goodbye and see us off. Tons of hugs, some tears, and many last minute pictures were shared in our last hour in Bamaga. They stayed by the fence and waved at us the whole time until we were out of site. We arrived in Cairns about 7 pm and spent the entire night in the airport.
Today we left Cairns at 6am and arrived back in Brisbane about 8am. After a birthday party in the park for the director's daughter we had a nap and are getting settled back in.
Thanks for your prayers! I have tons of stories, but I have to go take a shower now, I can't take it anymore.
God Bless & have a great day!
July 18-19 - The team had the chance to take a trip up to Thursday Island for Croc Fest. This is a school event that students from all over Northern Australia attend to learn about how to control their future and different career opportunities. It also gives the kids a chance to do a performance on the big stage at night. Working in the schools here we really wanted to connect with them and others there. We received a ride in a dingee to get over there. It was about a 1 1/2 hour ride. On the way there it was fairly calm waters, but on the way back it was very rough and we got soaked. But praise God we made it there and back safely and have some exciting memories of the trip. We made some new contacts for YWAM to become involved with Croc Fest in the future. What a great opportunity to have the attention of young people!
July 21 - Sat - This day was planned by the women of the church as a fun day at the beach for us as a team our last weekend. We spent the day eating, fishing, eating some more and a bonfire. It was a lot of fun. Most of the time we were fishing either off of the shore or on the dingee. Laban (our honorary walkabout member) took us out so that we could catch dinner. I caught 3 fish, tieing Laban for the most! Katie & Sione each caught one and the others didn't catch anything. Luckily they had brought other food or we would have been hungry, but we did eat mine. It was a very fun day just relaxing and socializing.
July 22 - Our last Sunday in Bamaga. We attended "our" church for the last time. In the morning I helped with Sunday School and then we had a light lunch at the church. We then went to the Sambo's for lunch, singing and games. Their family became our home away from home. Granny cried almost every time we saw her the last week because we were leaving. The evening service Peter lead and it was just a time of sharing and praising. A bunch of the church members sang songs or did dances. It was a great night. Even after the service was over almost everyone hung out until about 9:30 just jamming.
The last week was a very busy one trying to say goodbye and also planning for our big "thank you" event on Thursday night. On Monday we said our goodbye at the Primary school. It was awesome! The kids were so excited to see us again and they all joined in on the painter skit that we did again. We couldn't get them to be quiet or calm down when they were saying their final goodbye. They even sang us a "My God Loves Me" song. It was sad to say goodbye to the Grade ones and the teachers. After 6 weeks working in their room I have grown to love them. Monday night was another night at the Sambo's for our last meal at their house.
Tuesday we all went to HACC which is the elderly home that we worked with. We did another presentation for them and then hung out with them for a couple of hours. Again for some of our group it was very hard to say goodbye. Tuesday night was a Bible reading as a group and an early night for most of us.
Wednesday was a very full day of going to the high school and also a farewell dinner put on by the church. This was the first time that we had a chance to present at the high school so it was important to us to get our message across to them. Praise God everything worked out and it was a great time. In the afternoon it was planning and prep time for Thursday night. The dinner at night was a feast! The church members blessed us so much, it was great to spend more time with them.
Thursday was a very big day for us as a team. It started out with a few of us going to the high school to help out with Athletics day while the food committee stayed back to prepare the food for after our program. In the afternoon we decorated the church and finished the food prep. We were praying the whole day for the food because we were not sure that we were going to have enough, but God provided more than we even needed. We fed about 80 people only spending about $40! The evening was awesome!!!!! God was definitely with us! We did our dances and some skits and just had some fun with everyone. We were very blessed the whole evening.
Friday morning we slept in a little bit. Then got up and had praise & worship and sharing time. After that we went on prayer walks and covered the entire Bamaga area in prayer. Then it was time to pack and clean the houses. We did some praise in the park across the street with another DTS that is in Bamaga for about a week. We left for the airport about 4:00. I felt so loved by all of the people that came to say goodbye and see us off. Tons of hugs, some tears, and many last minute pictures were shared in our last hour in Bamaga. They stayed by the fence and waved at us the whole time until we were out of site. We arrived in Cairns about 7 pm and spent the entire night in the airport.
Today we left Cairns at 6am and arrived back in Brisbane about 8am. After a birthday party in the park for the director's daughter we had a nap and are getting settled back in.
Thanks for your prayers! I have tons of stories, but I have to go take a shower now, I can't take it anymore.
God Bless & have a great day!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Waiting
Here I am on the computer waiting for someone to come online and I am getting bored. With as little as I am on the computer lately I don't know what to do. So I thought I would take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you that are praying for me and my group. We have exactly 3 weeks until Graduation and there are some definite changes in the group. We have all become very close in the past five months and it is hard to imagine not having everyone around.
We have 2 weeks left of our outreach and instead of thinking of it as only 2 weeks, we are thinking of it as "We still have 2 weeks to impact this area for God!" Please continue to pray for our ministry.
I hope and pray that you are all enjoying your summer. I really miss all of the wonderful summer outdoor activities (by the way I need updates on the softball teams). My parents are camping in Lake City right now and I really miss the time spent up there.
Please know that I think of & pray for you all often. I appreciate all of the emails and things from you all, keep them coming!
Have a great weekend!
Tami
We have 2 weeks left of our outreach and instead of thinking of it as only 2 weeks, we are thinking of it as "We still have 2 weeks to impact this area for God!" Please continue to pray for our ministry.
I hope and pray that you are all enjoying your summer. I really miss all of the wonderful summer outdoor activities (by the way I need updates on the softball teams). My parents are camping in Lake City right now and I really miss the time spent up there.
Please know that I think of & pray for you all often. I appreciate all of the emails and things from you all, keep them coming!
Have a great weekend!
Tami
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Finally an update!
First I am sorry that I haven't been able to update you all lately. I only come to the computer once a week and last time it wouldn't let me into my blog. :(
So here is a short synopsis of what has happened here:
The school holidays changed our schedules a bit so we have been doing some more street evangelism and one on one talking with people. God is awesome and He leads us to the people to talk to, or even leads them to us. We have also been spending a lot of time in personal devotions and group Bible study. We just completed a study and discussion on the book of Romans. Last week Ana and I worked at the Day Care Center in the mornings. It is amazing to see the attitudes, language, hitting, and just plain not listening from these kids under 6 years old. Don't get me wrong I have grown to love most of them, but it just shows how surroundings have a great impact on kids at a very young age. Most of them are just vying for attention. Please pray for the family lives of the kids here.
We did celebrate the 4th of July as a team. The leaders decided that we should celebrate at least on holiday from each country represented. It was a fun time of fellowship with everyone. Peter even had us go around the room and say one thing we all love about America. It was great to hear things from the perspectives of the other countries. We also played a game of charades the US verses the World. (the rule was the things had to be in English!) We even made a 4th cookout of cheeseburgers, potato salad, jello, and brownies. The evening was topped off with fireworks... okay it was just on tv at the start of the state of origin rugby game, but we did see some!
Prayer Requests:
This week the flu bug has hit some of our team so please pray for health. Also Sova is suffering from some pain that they believe is a hernia. Sione is still waiting to hear on his visa renewal. I am trying to hear from God on exactly what I am supposed to do after DTS is finished. Graduation is Aug 3rd. Pray that we can have an opportunity to travel to Thursday Island and evangelize there next week during a festival.
Thank you all for your prayers! I love you and miss you all!
So here is a short synopsis of what has happened here:
The school holidays changed our schedules a bit so we have been doing some more street evangelism and one on one talking with people. God is awesome and He leads us to the people to talk to, or even leads them to us. We have also been spending a lot of time in personal devotions and group Bible study. We just completed a study and discussion on the book of Romans. Last week Ana and I worked at the Day Care Center in the mornings. It is amazing to see the attitudes, language, hitting, and just plain not listening from these kids under 6 years old. Don't get me wrong I have grown to love most of them, but it just shows how surroundings have a great impact on kids at a very young age. Most of them are just vying for attention. Please pray for the family lives of the kids here.
We did celebrate the 4th of July as a team. The leaders decided that we should celebrate at least on holiday from each country represented. It was a fun time of fellowship with everyone. Peter even had us go around the room and say one thing we all love about America. It was great to hear things from the perspectives of the other countries. We also played a game of charades the US verses the World. (the rule was the things had to be in English!) We even made a 4th cookout of cheeseburgers, potato salad, jello, and brownies. The evening was topped off with fireworks... okay it was just on tv at the start of the state of origin rugby game, but we did see some!
Prayer Requests:
This week the flu bug has hit some of our team so please pray for health. Also Sova is suffering from some pain that they believe is a hernia. Sione is still waiting to hear on his visa renewal. I am trying to hear from God on exactly what I am supposed to do after DTS is finished. Graduation is Aug 3rd. Pray that we can have an opportunity to travel to Thursday Island and evangelize there next week during a festival.
Thank you all for your prayers! I love you and miss you all!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Youth Rally
This week has been the youth rally for the church here in Bamaga. We were not sure what this meant and when only about 5 youth showed up for the opening night, we wondered what was going to happen. (Part of the reason for so few is a big funeral in the town that day.) On Thursday the games began. We met about 25-30 youth at the courts in town to play sports and to hang out with them. It was a lot of fun playing volleyball, basketball, and touch rugby with them. We also encouraged everyone to come to the church at night. That night ~20 young people made a commitment to Christ!!! It was awesome! We went up and prayed for them and showed our support for the decision that they made.
Friday was more of the same, but a little more organized games with teams. By the way just a side note-during lunch some of our group played "around the world" shooting baskets and I finally won something!!! That night some more youth came to the church at night! It is awesome to see God working here.
Today and tomorrow is a celebration of 60 years since the people came into Bamaga. We were at the opening this morning and it goes on through tomorrow, but we are taking the afternoon off because most of us are pretty worn out from playing sports for 2 straight days!
Well I will continue to keep you updated. We are past the half way point of our outreach now. In 4 weeks we will be back in Brisbane.
Friday was more of the same, but a little more organized games with teams. By the way just a side note-during lunch some of our group played "around the world" shooting baskets and I finally won something!!! That night some more youth came to the church at night! It is awesome to see God working here.
Today and tomorrow is a celebration of 60 years since the people came into Bamaga. We were at the opening this morning and it goes on through tomorrow, but we are taking the afternoon off because most of us are pretty worn out from playing sports for 2 straight days!
Well I will continue to keep you updated. We are past the half way point of our outreach now. In 4 weeks we will be back in Brisbane.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Ants
Ants, ants everywhere! You would not believe the ants around here, it is like nothing I have ever seen before. They are everywhere and in everything. We have even started calling them "sprinkles" because they look like chocolate sprinkles on the food. It is amazing how used to having them around we are. - Okay one short story-I poured out cereal into a bowl on Sat morning and it was like a mad rush of about 10 ants sprinting out of the bowl in every direction. I just had to laugh. I poured the rest of my cereal and by that time they were gone so that I could eat it! ;)
During quiet time last week I was walking around and spotted some ants and began to think about them in a new way. We should be working here like those ants. They work hard moving things that seem impossible to move with their size. They work together to accomplish there goal. They search out what they need and share it with the rest of the ants. They do way more than what we think they should be able to do because God has given them what they need in order to survive. God has blessed us way more than these tiny little ants and we need praise Him for all of the things that He has given us.
Things are going good. School is out for 2 weeks on holidays between terms, so our schedule has changed a lot. We have done some door to door and street evangelism and that has gone fairly well. I think some of us are getting a little frustrated because we really haven't seen a conversion yet, but we need to remember that is in God's plan and we just have to plant the seeds.
There is a youth rally this week. I am not really sure what exactly that includes, but we will hopefully be getting the chance to be with youth a lot and share with them. This Weds we are hosting a movie night at the youth center. Also the youth center is hosting a Dusk til Dawn night on Monday and they have allowed us to do the activity planning for parts of the night. Please pray that the youth will attend and that we will be able to have an impact on their lives.
Please continue to pray for direction for the students, both during DTS and for God's plans after graduation. Many of us are still waiting for God to reveal to us where He wants us to be and what He wants us to be doing when the school is over.
FYI we have a prayer meeting at 6 am every morning here, so that is 4 pm there. So if you would like to pray for us during that time we will also be praying and thanking God for you!
God Bless you all!
During quiet time last week I was walking around and spotted some ants and began to think about them in a new way. We should be working here like those ants. They work hard moving things that seem impossible to move with their size. They work together to accomplish there goal. They search out what they need and share it with the rest of the ants. They do way more than what we think they should be able to do because God has given them what they need in order to survive. God has blessed us way more than these tiny little ants and we need praise Him for all of the things that He has given us.
Things are going good. School is out for 2 weeks on holidays between terms, so our schedule has changed a lot. We have done some door to door and street evangelism and that has gone fairly well. I think some of us are getting a little frustrated because we really haven't seen a conversion yet, but we need to remember that is in God's plan and we just have to plant the seeds.
There is a youth rally this week. I am not really sure what exactly that includes, but we will hopefully be getting the chance to be with youth a lot and share with them. This Weds we are hosting a movie night at the youth center. Also the youth center is hosting a Dusk til Dawn night on Monday and they have allowed us to do the activity planning for parts of the night. Please pray that the youth will attend and that we will be able to have an impact on their lives.
Please continue to pray for direction for the students, both during DTS and for God's plans after graduation. Many of us are still waiting for God to reveal to us where He wants us to be and what He wants us to be doing when the school is over.
FYI we have a prayer meeting at 6 am every morning here, so that is 4 pm there. So if you would like to pray for us during that time we will also be praying and thanking God for you!
God Bless you all!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Opportunities
Hey everyone! Things are going very well here in Bamaga. We are all adjusting to the warmer temperatures and the humidity (from what I hear it is like Michigan right now). We walk almost everywhere we go and so we really get to experience the heat. Though we were blessed by the people that run the resort next door to us, they allow us to swim in their pool for free!!!
I am still working in Grade 1 at the school. It is getting more and more fun as I get settled in with the kids and they get to know me. I even helped lead the other day when the teacher had to leave to pick up her son that was sick. I am also going to the Activities Center after school to help with the kids there. It is an after school program where I play with the kids and help with their snacks.
We have been praying for the kids in the school and activities center. some interesting things are they asked Joshua to pray before their Parade (weekly assembly) on Friday. We prayed about being able to do a skit for them and they are allowing us time tomorrow!!! Also at the activities center they pray before they can eat their snacks. These are positive signs that people are open to the gospel. Please pray that we can continue to make connections with the people and share our outreach programs and what God has taught us.
Another prayer request, a few of the people on our team are short on their funds for outreach. We have been praying and we know that God will bless us all, but I thought that I would inform you all as it affects our whole team and we would love your prayers. We have already been blessed with meals and groceries from the wonderful people here. I am sure that we will continue to see God's hand on this situation.
We had another long weekend as Monday was the Queen's Birthday Holiday. They took us swimming at another spot on Sunday afternoon. It was nice and cool fresh water, and no crocodiles! Then on Monday they took us out to the tip of Australia. It is the northernmost point of Australia. We walked for a little bit through the rain forest and then hike up some rocks to get to the beautiful shoreline.
There are now others waiting for the computer so I better go. I will update you again soon!
Please continue to pray for me and my team as we seek God's direction. Thank you for your support!
I am still working in Grade 1 at the school. It is getting more and more fun as I get settled in with the kids and they get to know me. I even helped lead the other day when the teacher had to leave to pick up her son that was sick. I am also going to the Activities Center after school to help with the kids there. It is an after school program where I play with the kids and help with their snacks.
We have been praying for the kids in the school and activities center. some interesting things are they asked Joshua to pray before their Parade (weekly assembly) on Friday. We prayed about being able to do a skit for them and they are allowing us time tomorrow!!! Also at the activities center they pray before they can eat their snacks. These are positive signs that people are open to the gospel. Please pray that we can continue to make connections with the people and share our outreach programs and what God has taught us.
Another prayer request, a few of the people on our team are short on their funds for outreach. We have been praying and we know that God will bless us all, but I thought that I would inform you all as it affects our whole team and we would love your prayers. We have already been blessed with meals and groceries from the wonderful people here. I am sure that we will continue to see God's hand on this situation.
We had another long weekend as Monday was the Queen's Birthday Holiday. They took us swimming at another spot on Sunday afternoon. It was nice and cool fresh water, and no crocodiles! Then on Monday they took us out to the tip of Australia. It is the northernmost point of Australia. We walked for a little bit through the rain forest and then hike up some rocks to get to the beautiful shoreline.
There are now others waiting for the computer so I better go. I will update you again soon!
Please continue to pray for me and my team as we seek God's direction. Thank you for your support!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Week 1 in Bamaga
Hello from steamy hot Bamaga!
We arrived safely on Friday and spent a very relaxing weekend just getting to know the town a little bit and settle in. Monday was a holiday so that we didn't start to work until Tuesday. There are so many opportunities for us and we need prayer for discernment on which ones we are to pursue. Right now I am working in the Primary school with Grade 1 students. There are about 25-30 kids in 2 classes. I help out the teachers doing little things and just try and do what I can to be available for them. It is getting a little easier everyday as I get to know the teachers and students and they get to know me. I believe I will be working with them for 3 days a week for the next 3 weeks, then they have holidays for 2 weeks and someone else will help after that.
The rest of our group is spread out in the school, daycare, retirement home, and the youth center. We also go to Siesia to play sports with some kids in the evenings.
The people of the community are all very nice and hospitable. The boys and girls each have a house that we are staying at and people bring us treats and food almost daily. (So much for the diet, if people offer food it is offensive to say no.)
Please continue your prayers:
-Pray for me as I am the student leader for outreach.
-Pray for Sione one of our leaders as he tries to get his visa extended and join us.
-Pray for direction and guidance to the correct opportunities.
-Pray for continued health.
I will be able to check my email every few days so please keep me updated, it is great to see new mail.
Thanks for your prayers and support!
We arrived safely on Friday and spent a very relaxing weekend just getting to know the town a little bit and settle in. Monday was a holiday so that we didn't start to work until Tuesday. There are so many opportunities for us and we need prayer for discernment on which ones we are to pursue. Right now I am working in the Primary school with Grade 1 students. There are about 25-30 kids in 2 classes. I help out the teachers doing little things and just try and do what I can to be available for them. It is getting a little easier everyday as I get to know the teachers and students and they get to know me. I believe I will be working with them for 3 days a week for the next 3 weeks, then they have holidays for 2 weeks and someone else will help after that.
The rest of our group is spread out in the school, daycare, retirement home, and the youth center. We also go to Siesia to play sports with some kids in the evenings.
The people of the community are all very nice and hospitable. The boys and girls each have a house that we are staying at and people bring us treats and food almost daily. (So much for the diet, if people offer food it is offensive to say no.)
Please continue your prayers:
-Pray for me as I am the student leader for outreach.
-Pray for Sione one of our leaders as he tries to get his visa extended and join us.
-Pray for direction and guidance to the correct opportunities.
-Pray for continued health.
I will be able to check my email every few days so please keep me updated, it is great to see new mail.
Thanks for your prayers and support!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Off to Bamaga
I am sorry that it has been so long since I updated you on what has been happening. Yesterday I had a big blog all typed out and ended up losing it so I will try and get this one through.
This weekend was one of the best weekends that I have had in a long time. It started out Friday with Sione agreeing to take me Mother’s Day shopping (yes I am a little bit late). I invited Katie and so the three of us headed out to the city. We got the present and something to eat and then decided to go to Cold Rock for ice cream. We hung out there for a while eating, talking, and even posing on the floor for some pictures.
Sione has been saying that he can beat me in bowling, so I took the challenge and we headed to the lanes. He hasn’t bowled for five years now and it was pretty bad he did beat me the first game as I only had a 114 he had 146, but I did redeem myself the second game and beat them by enough to take them in total. We then moved on to the arcade games and Dance Dance Revolution. We had competitions and I was undefeated for the night. It was a great night of just hanging out and having fun.
On Saturday a few of us went back to the arcade and resumed the challenges. I continued to be undefeated until after lunch when Sione wanted a second chance to beat me. This time he did beat me (4 in a row, just after trying a second time) so then he was happy. Then we went for a 10k walk to the IGA and back. Tanya, Katie, Sione and I made the journey. It was nice to finally get some exercise.
Sunday it was off to the Australian Zoo. Sione, Peter, Blaire, Katie & I all piled into a little car and made the long awaited journey to see the animals that I have always dreamed of seeing live. One of the first things we did was to feed elephants. We spent most of the day walking around seeing crocodiles, snakes, tigers, kangaroos, & koalas. I even got to pet the kangaroos and the koalas! It was awesome!
This weekend was one of the best weekends that I have had in a long time. It started out Friday with Sione agreeing to take me Mother’s Day shopping (yes I am a little bit late). I invited Katie and so the three of us headed out to the city. We got the present and something to eat and then decided to go to Cold Rock for ice cream. We hung out there for a while eating, talking, and even posing on the floor for some pictures.
Sione has been saying that he can beat me in bowling, so I took the challenge and we headed to the lanes. He hasn’t bowled for five years now and it was pretty bad he did beat me the first game as I only had a 114 he had 146, but I did redeem myself the second game and beat them by enough to take them in total. We then moved on to the arcade games and Dance Dance Revolution. We had competitions and I was undefeated for the night. It was a great night of just hanging out and having fun.
On Saturday a few of us went back to the arcade and resumed the challenges. I continued to be undefeated until after lunch when Sione wanted a second chance to beat me. This time he did beat me (4 in a row, just after trying a second time) so then he was happy. Then we went for a 10k walk to the IGA and back. Tanya, Katie, Sione and I made the journey. It was nice to finally get some exercise.
Sunday it was off to the Australian Zoo. Sione, Peter, Blaire, Katie & I all piled into a little car and made the long awaited journey to see the animals that I have always dreamed of seeing live. One of the first things we did was to feed elephants. We spent most of the day walking around seeing crocodiles, snakes, tigers, kangaroos, & koalas. I even got to pet the kangaroos and the koalas! It was awesome!
This week for lectures we had Kyle from Fingel lead us on Making Jesus our Lord. He is a great teacher that not only says the words, but also has great stories about how he has lived them out. I really enjoyed his teachings and it was a very good week for me as I prepare for outreach.
On Friday me leave for Bamaga until the 28th of July. This is our major outreach destination. It is an Aboriginal community in the northern tip of Australia. I believe it is a small community and I am not sure how much access I will have to the internet so I apologize now if I don’t get to update you often. But please continue to send me updates as hopefully I will be able to check the email, even if I don’t have time to respond.
Thank you all for your continued support. It really means a lot to me to have you praying and supporting me. If you would like to send something in the next to months it would have to go to: Pastor Iliesa Sanima PO Box 79 Bamaga, QLD 4876 Australia
Thanks again! I love you all!
On Friday me leave for Bamaga until the 28th of July. This is our major outreach destination. It is an Aboriginal community in the northern tip of Australia. I believe it is a small community and I am not sure how much access I will have to the internet so I apologize now if I don’t get to update you often. But please continue to send me updates as hopefully I will be able to check the email, even if I don’t have time to respond.
Thank you all for your continued support. It really means a lot to me to have you praying and supporting me. If you would like to send something in the next to months it would have to go to: Pastor Iliesa Sanima PO Box 79 Bamaga, QLD 4876 Australia
Thanks again! I love you all!
By the way it has taken me about 5 hours to get this through, I love computers!!!!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Navigator
This morning for devotions Tanya told us to take 20 minutes and come up with some creative way to say "Who God is to me." I thought I would share with you what I came up with in that little bit of time.
God is my navigator on my journey of life.
He leads me to His path.
Points out the beautiful scenery along the way.
Encourages me to keep going.
Celebrates with me at each destination.
Warns me when trouble is approaching.
Guides me around and through suffering.
Keeps me awake and focused on the way.
Carries on a conversation when I need someone to talk to.
Corrects my path when I turn the wrong way.
Takes control when I need help.
Always loves me and stays by my side no matter what.
My challenge to all of you: Let God be your navigator. It is a great ride!!!!
God is my navigator on my journey of life.
He leads me to His path.
Points out the beautiful scenery along the way.
Encourages me to keep going.
Celebrates with me at each destination.
Warns me when trouble is approaching.
Guides me around and through suffering.
Keeps me awake and focused on the way.
Carries on a conversation when I need someone to talk to.
Corrects my path when I turn the wrong way.
Takes control when I need help.
Always loves me and stays by my side no matter what.
My challenge to all of you: Let God be your navigator. It is a great ride!!!!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Crazy Weekend
Wow can you believe it I have been gone for 3 months already. Time seems to fly by here.
This weekend was a down and up one for me. Friday we had a good day ending off the Holy Spirit lecture week. Then after dinner Sione borrowed a car so that we could go and get a movie to watch. It was good to just sit back and watch a movie with everyone. We ended up with a few different movies and were up until 2am watching a couple of them.
A few of us wanted to go to the Australian Zoo on Saturday, but there was no transportation for us so we had to stay on base. I was quite disappointed and really bored in the morning. Because I was bored I started to think about home and became a bit homesick. It was the most that I have felt that way since I have been here. Then in the afternoon Sione suggested that I read the book "Intimate Friendship With God" by Joy Dawson. He highly recommended it to me and said there were some parts in it for me. Wow he was right again. (don't tell him admitted that to all of you he might fall over ;) ) Well I spent the rest of the day reading the book and it seemed like every chapter spoke to me in some way. I finished the book about 10 pm and just started to talk to God. I don't normally pray aloud, but I just felt that I needed to have a conversation with Him. I prayed for about 1/2 hour and felt so much better as I went up to the room and went to bed, but I also felt that there were things that I needed to discuss with Sione.
So Sunday I told him we needed to talk (which sometimes scares him). As many of you know I am not really forthcoming with personal information so it took a while but I shared what was on my heart. He helped me to sort some things out and we came to an agreement on a "joke" that we had between us. After everything was discussed we decided to fast and seek God for at least the next day (Monday). We are both asking God for healing (my back & his knee) and we both have other areas that we are seeking guidance.
It is now 6pm on Monday and we are in the middle of the fast. It has been a very good day just sitting in the prayer room during breaks when everyone else is eating and just praying and reading the Bible. We had decided to go at least until tomorrow morning, but we may go longer. I have really felt that I need one more day to just praise and worship God for all that He has done.
I am not telling you all this to make myself look "religious" or "holy" I am just seeking your prayers. I have never experienced God in this way and I am relying on Him for everything. Thank you for your continued support!!!!!
Sunrise from "the hill" by the Sydney base where we would go to pray.
This weekend was a down and up one for me. Friday we had a good day ending off the Holy Spirit lecture week. Then after dinner Sione borrowed a car so that we could go and get a movie to watch. It was good to just sit back and watch a movie with everyone. We ended up with a few different movies and were up until 2am watching a couple of them.
A few of us wanted to go to the Australian Zoo on Saturday, but there was no transportation for us so we had to stay on base. I was quite disappointed and really bored in the morning. Because I was bored I started to think about home and became a bit homesick. It was the most that I have felt that way since I have been here. Then in the afternoon Sione suggested that I read the book "Intimate Friendship With God" by Joy Dawson. He highly recommended it to me and said there were some parts in it for me. Wow he was right again. (don't tell him admitted that to all of you he might fall over ;) ) Well I spent the rest of the day reading the book and it seemed like every chapter spoke to me in some way. I finished the book about 10 pm and just started to talk to God. I don't normally pray aloud, but I just felt that I needed to have a conversation with Him. I prayed for about 1/2 hour and felt so much better as I went up to the room and went to bed, but I also felt that there were things that I needed to discuss with Sione.
So Sunday I told him we needed to talk (which sometimes scares him). As many of you know I am not really forthcoming with personal information so it took a while but I shared what was on my heart. He helped me to sort some things out and we came to an agreement on a "joke" that we had between us. After everything was discussed we decided to fast and seek God for at least the next day (Monday). We are both asking God for healing (my back & his knee) and we both have other areas that we are seeking guidance.
It is now 6pm on Monday and we are in the middle of the fast. It has been a very good day just sitting in the prayer room during breaks when everyone else is eating and just praying and reading the Bible. We had decided to go at least until tomorrow morning, but we may go longer. I have really felt that I need one more day to just praise and worship God for all that He has done.
I am not telling you all this to make myself look "religious" or "holy" I am just seeking your prayers. I have never experienced God in this way and I am relying on Him for everything. Thank you for your continued support!!!!!
Sunrise from "the hill" by the Sydney base where we would go to pray.
Friday, May 18, 2007
The Greatest Ability
There are great abilities that people acquire, cultivate and demonstrate. In the service of God there is one ability that is the greatest ability of all. What is it? Is it sociability, compatibility, accountability, adaptability, or reliability? The greatest ability is availability. If we are not available to God, no matter what other kind of ability we have, it is no good. Ability without availability is a liability. What does availability mean? It means to place one's self totally, absolutely, completely at God's disposal for Him to do anything and everything He wants to do in us, through us, with us, for us, when He chooses. Anything less than that is putting restrictions on God and writing fine print in your commitment contract to Jesus Christ.
-AMG Bible Illustrations 2000. (electronic ed.) Logos Library System; Bible Illustrations Series. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers.
-AMG Bible Illustrations 2000. (electronic ed.) Logos Library System; Bible Illustrations Series. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Holy Spirit Week
The first men's conference experience for me was a good one. We spent the weekend in Eidsvold at an indigenous Australia men's conference. They discussed relationships and how God meant for men to relate in the world today. The weekend was a good refreshing time for the girls of the group. Our responsibility was to clean up after the meals and wash dishes. It was great to see all of the men praising God and making plans for different ministries for the future. We rode there in a bus with 2 families of kids who loved singing "The wheels on the bus". It was fun being with them and hearing Kyle and Mark's adventure stories.
Now we are back into lectures on the Holy Spirit. The lecturer is really good but she is monotone so sometimes it is hard to concentrate for a long period of time. We are learning about the work of the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit.
On Monday our group led Base Worship again. We led songs and shared testimonies of the past 3 weeks while we were away. Not much else is happening this week. Just trying to regroup into lectures after being away.
Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for our "major outreach" to Bamaga. We are leaving in less than 3 weeks and will be there for 7 weeks.
Now we are back into lectures on the Holy Spirit. The lecturer is really good but she is monotone so sometimes it is hard to concentrate for a long period of time. We are learning about the work of the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit.
On Monday our group led Base Worship again. We led songs and shared testimonies of the past 3 weeks while we were away. Not much else is happening this week. Just trying to regroup into lectures after being away.
Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for our "major outreach" to Bamaga. We are leaving in less than 3 weeks and will be there for 7 weeks.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Back in Carbrook
We have arrived back in Carbrook after 2 ½ weeks away from here. We have a day of rest and relaxation before we head out again tomorrow (Friday) until Sunday. Many things have happened since I last had the chance to write as we didn’t have internet in Mulimuli.
- On Saturday we said goodbyes to Sydney, dropped off Sila at the airport and then started the journey to Mulimuli. What they thought would be about an 8-9 hour drive ended up being a lot longer (about 15 hours). There were no real issues, except spending about 30 minutes in the wrong town looking for the house we were to stay at. Good thing there was a man up at 5:30 in the morning for Sione to go ask. He was even pleasant at that time in the morning!
- We stayed at a house in Urbanville. Yes it was a very small community in the middle of the mountains. Bill & Cheryl that we know from Fingel live there and were nice enough to let us all invade them for a few days. It was a great place to stay and a beautiful setting in the mountains.
- On Monday I was sick so I spent most of the day at the house with Sione, just sleeping and talking. It was good for me to get some rest to be ready for the next couple of days.
- Tuesday was a great day! We went to Woodenbong Public School and witnessed to the kids there. In 3 different sessions we have from 1st grade all the way to 10th grade. The kids were great and all really receptive to what we were doing. We did skits, sang songs, and did one of our dances for them. God really worked through us! I really felt that seeds were planted there and that God was going to use that to get more of the kids to go to Scriptures class that is offered there. It was great to be able to go into the public school and share the gospel.
- The afternoon was spent at the basketball court in Mulimuli. Mulimuli is an small Aboriginal community of houses. There are I would guess about 20 houses of families. Everyone else played with the kids on Monday also, and then on Tuesday they were very excited to see us again. I spent most of the time with 3 4 year olds (Renee, Kayeesha, & Savannah). They were so cute, we had a great time drawing, them making my hair “pretty” and climbing all over me. They wouldn’t let me get up and go anywhere else. We did the Painter skit for them and talked to all of the kids about Jesus love for them. Then we sang some songs and had prayer time with them. Some of the other people in our group that were with older kids had really good discussions about God in their lives. When the girls got called home they almost cried because I wasn’t going to be there anymore, it was so sweet.
- Wednesday started with 6 am prayer time in the van so as to not wake up the family. Then it was off for a “hike” up the mountain. It turned out to be an intense climb up, but it was all worth it in the end . The view was awesome! I would attach a picture from the top, but I only brought the video camera. At times I didn’t know if I was going to make it because my back was spasming, but I made it and even though it hurt the rest of the day really bad, today seems much better.
- After the trek up the mountain, we packed up to go to Kyogle to meet with a youth group there. We made a stop and after just a couple of minutes the van wouldn’t start. Everyone climbed out and push started it as it is a manual. When we arrived in Kyogle the van didn’t have any power, because the alternator is bad. After we did the program for the kids we decided to try and make it at least to Fingel (about 1 ½ hours). We ate at a café and then stopped for petrol. After the stop the van started to backfire and there wasn’t even enough power to accelerate. Thank God that the pastor had stuck around to see if it was going to work. He then offered us his van to drive back and return it today. We got on the road about 10 pm and made it back to base about 12:45 am.
- It is now Thursday and as I said we have a day of rest before setting out again tomorrow morning.
So that is a rundown of the past week. I am sorry it is so long.
By the way, I didn’t have any emails when I logged on today after 6 days of not being able to check. L Remember I love to hear from you!
Thanks for your prayers!
This is the mountain we climbed up as seen from our house! Yes we did make it all the way to the top!
- On Saturday we said goodbyes to Sydney, dropped off Sila at the airport and then started the journey to Mulimuli. What they thought would be about an 8-9 hour drive ended up being a lot longer (about 15 hours). There were no real issues, except spending about 30 minutes in the wrong town looking for the house we were to stay at. Good thing there was a man up at 5:30 in the morning for Sione to go ask. He was even pleasant at that time in the morning!
- We stayed at a house in Urbanville. Yes it was a very small community in the middle of the mountains. Bill & Cheryl that we know from Fingel live there and were nice enough to let us all invade them for a few days. It was a great place to stay and a beautiful setting in the mountains.
- On Monday I was sick so I spent most of the day at the house with Sione, just sleeping and talking. It was good for me to get some rest to be ready for the next couple of days.
- Tuesday was a great day! We went to Woodenbong Public School and witnessed to the kids there. In 3 different sessions we have from 1st grade all the way to 10th grade. The kids were great and all really receptive to what we were doing. We did skits, sang songs, and did one of our dances for them. God really worked through us! I really felt that seeds were planted there and that God was going to use that to get more of the kids to go to Scriptures class that is offered there. It was great to be able to go into the public school and share the gospel.
- The afternoon was spent at the basketball court in Mulimuli. Mulimuli is an small Aboriginal community of houses. There are I would guess about 20 houses of families. Everyone else played with the kids on Monday also, and then on Tuesday they were very excited to see us again. I spent most of the time with 3 4 year olds (Renee, Kayeesha, & Savannah). They were so cute, we had a great time drawing, them making my hair “pretty” and climbing all over me. They wouldn’t let me get up and go anywhere else. We did the Painter skit for them and talked to all of the kids about Jesus love for them. Then we sang some songs and had prayer time with them. Some of the other people in our group that were with older kids had really good discussions about God in their lives. When the girls got called home they almost cried because I wasn’t going to be there anymore, it was so sweet.
- Wednesday started with 6 am prayer time in the van so as to not wake up the family. Then it was off for a “hike” up the mountain. It turned out to be an intense climb up, but it was all worth it in the end . The view was awesome! I would attach a picture from the top, but I only brought the video camera. At times I didn’t know if I was going to make it because my back was spasming, but I made it and even though it hurt the rest of the day really bad, today seems much better.
- After the trek up the mountain, we packed up to go to Kyogle to meet with a youth group there. We made a stop and after just a couple of minutes the van wouldn’t start. Everyone climbed out and push started it as it is a manual. When we arrived in Kyogle the van didn’t have any power, because the alternator is bad. After we did the program for the kids we decided to try and make it at least to Fingel (about 1 ½ hours). We ate at a café and then stopped for petrol. After the stop the van started to backfire and there wasn’t even enough power to accelerate. Thank God that the pastor had stuck around to see if it was going to work. He then offered us his van to drive back and return it today. We got on the road about 10 pm and made it back to base about 12:45 am.
- It is now Thursday and as I said we have a day of rest before setting out again tomorrow morning.
So that is a rundown of the past week. I am sorry it is so long.
By the way, I didn’t have any emails when I logged on today after 6 days of not being able to check. L Remember I love to hear from you!
Thanks for your prayers!
This is the mountain we climbed up as seen from our house! Yes we did make it all the way to the top!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Challenging Week
This has been a good week even though I have been sick with a bad cold. Sione has started calling me Daffy Duck because of my voice. As you can see I haven't escaped the teasing while I have been here. :)
This week was about hearing God's call for our future. It has been a very thought provoking week, where we have been challenged to really listen to what God is calling us to do. We also discussed world views and how we should view things through a Biblical Worldview instead of a secular view. It was very interesting seeing how our past affects the way we feel about the things of the world today. There is a lot of information that I am processing and thinking through.
Updates:
- Sila leaves for Thailand tomorrow. He has to go back home because of his visa.
- My back is feeling better. Still some pain when I do certain things, but most of the time it is fine.
- We leave tomorrow for Mulimuli. It is about a 6-7 hour drive. Mulimuli is an Aboriginal community where we are going to do outreach. There is a lot of witchcraft and that kind of thing there, so pray that we can combat that and get the true message of salvation across to them.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
This week was about hearing God's call for our future. It has been a very thought provoking week, where we have been challenged to really listen to what God is calling us to do. We also discussed world views and how we should view things through a Biblical Worldview instead of a secular view. It was very interesting seeing how our past affects the way we feel about the things of the world today. There is a lot of information that I am processing and thinking through.
Updates:
- Sila leaves for Thailand tomorrow. He has to go back home because of his visa.
- My back is feeling better. Still some pain when I do certain things, but most of the time it is fine.
- We leave tomorrow for Mulimuli. It is about a 6-7 hour drive. Mulimuli is an Aboriginal community where we are going to do outreach. There is a lot of witchcraft and that kind of thing there, so pray that we can combat that and get the true message of salvation across to them.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Destiny
I am so glad for this week. We are at the new Island Breeze base in Sydney and having lectures from Ettienne about our destiny. Last week at the conference I felt like I shut down on my feelings emotionally and spiritually. The conference was good, but I wanted to be back in our group. We had a wonderful time of worship & prayer on Sunday night that really brought me back. Julliana prayed for me and saw God telling her that I need to give all of my inmost dreams and desires to Him. That He wants to lead me down a path to fulfill all of those and more.
Yesterday we started lectures and I really felt that they were speaking to me. They are about our destiny that God has for us and how we need to prepare for God to work through us. It was just an overview of the week so I am very excited about the rest of the time. I am really searching for what I am called to do after DTS.
Please pray for our team as there are some things happening. Silo leaves to go back to Thailand on Saturday. Things are being done to try and get him back for our major outreach, so please pray that it goes through so he can join us again. There are also some other issues that I can't elaborate on at this point, but please pray for us and our leadership. Also pray that we can all receive an understanding of what is next for us.
Yesterday we started lectures and I really felt that they were speaking to me. They are about our destiny that God has for us and how we need to prepare for God to work through us. It was just an overview of the week so I am very excited about the rest of the time. I am really searching for what I am called to do after DTS.
Please pray for our team as there are some things happening. Silo leaves to go back to Thailand on Saturday. Things are being done to try and get him back for our major outreach, so please pray that it goes through so he can join us again. There are also some other issues that I can't elaborate on at this point, but please pray for us and our leadership. Also pray that we can all receive an understanding of what is next for us.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
One more week
Wow it is Sunday again and one more week is over. I don't know where the time is going. The rest of the week at the conference was okay. Thursday night was good, but I had a hard time focusing on the speakers by the end of the week. I don't know if it was just my attitude or if they didn't relate to me as well. They did a very funny game show type thing on Wednesday night where the leaders in the area all got up and told stories. It was fun to watch, some were funny, some were serious, and some were challenging. The conference wound up on Friday afternoon and we headed to the Sydney base.
Friday night after we had dinner and orientation to this base Blaire, Joshua, Sova, Etteinne, and I went to another Rugby game. The game wasn't that great as the team that we cheered for got beat pretty bad, but we had fun. It was at one of the venues from the 2000 Olympics and in Olympic park, so the area was very interesting. It was raining a little so there were not too many people at the game so Blaire and I went down to the first row to get a closer look and to say that we sat in the front row of an Olympic stadium for a rugby game.
Yesterday we went to the laundrymat and got our clothes washed. And then some of us headed back to the city. Some people went to the Aquarium, while some of us just walked around and talked. Then we met up and went out for dinner, our first dinner out besides fast food since we left home! It was very good.
This morning we went to Hillsong church. Everyone was excited to go there, but I was kind of disappointed with the service. I am sure that it is not always like it was today, but the "sermon" didn't really seem to have much Biblical support. This afternoon we have just been relaxing and napping trying to get ready for another week of lectures.
Friday night after we had dinner and orientation to this base Blaire, Joshua, Sova, Etteinne, and I went to another Rugby game. The game wasn't that great as the team that we cheered for got beat pretty bad, but we had fun. It was at one of the venues from the 2000 Olympics and in Olympic park, so the area was very interesting. It was raining a little so there were not too many people at the game so Blaire and I went down to the first row to get a closer look and to say that we sat in the front row of an Olympic stadium for a rugby game.
Yesterday we went to the laundrymat and got our clothes washed. And then some of us headed back to the city. Some people went to the Aquarium, while some of us just walked around and talked. Then we met up and went out for dinner, our first dinner out besides fast food since we left home! It was very good.
This morning we went to Hillsong church. Everyone was excited to go there, but I was kind of disappointed with the service. I am sure that it is not always like it was today, but the "sermon" didn't really seem to have much Biblical support. This afternoon we have just been relaxing and napping trying to get ready for another week of lectures.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Proclaim
4-22-07 I am now at the Proclaim Conference in Sydney. It is a conference for the YWAM staff of the Pacific. We are here to serve, but we also get to attend the meetings. The drive here took us ~17 hours with all of the stops and breaks. It was a long trip, but all in all it went pretty fast. Katie & I sat in the front of the van and kept Sione awake for the drive; he didn’t sleep at all before we left. We had some interesting discussions both funny and spiritual. It is interesting hearing different viewpoints on things.
There are ~700 people attending the conference from many different countries, mostly in the Pacific. We are one of 12 DTS classes that are here volunteering to help. So far the work has been pretty easy. One of our main jobs is to welcome and usher people at the sessions. So other than shaking hands and smiling, we just stand around and be available.
The Island Breeze Production Team danced in the welcome last night and have a part in the session tonight. I am videotaping them all so that I can show you what some of the people at our base do. It is awesome to watch.
4-25-07 Finally the wireless is working!!! The conference is going very well. We get to sit in on the sessions which are quite good. Yesterday the afternoon was free so we headed into the city. We walked around for a while and saw the Opera House, but it was raining so we didn’t walk around too much. We then met the leaders, who took over an hour to park the van, at McDonalds and had a feed. After that we wanted to go to IMAX but we missed the time for the next show, so we walked to get coffee and sit down to talk. We ended up at a McCafe (McDonald’s Café) and spent another ~2 hours there just mucking around. All in all we spent ~4 hours at Maca’s. One of those crazy nights I won’t forget for a while.
I hope you are understanding my Australian slang. If you need translations let me know.
Have a great day!
There are ~700 people attending the conference from many different countries, mostly in the Pacific. We are one of 12 DTS classes that are here volunteering to help. So far the work has been pretty easy. One of our main jobs is to welcome and usher people at the sessions. So other than shaking hands and smiling, we just stand around and be available.
The Island Breeze Production Team danced in the welcome last night and have a part in the session tonight. I am videotaping them all so that I can show you what some of the people at our base do. It is awesome to watch.
4-25-07 Finally the wireless is working!!! The conference is going very well. We get to sit in on the sessions which are quite good. Yesterday the afternoon was free so we headed into the city. We walked around for a while and saw the Opera House, but it was raining so we didn’t walk around too much. We then met the leaders, who took over an hour to park the van, at McDonalds and had a feed. After that we wanted to go to IMAX but we missed the time for the next show, so we walked to get coffee and sit down to talk. We ended up at a McCafe (McDonald’s Café) and spent another ~2 hours there just mucking around. All in all we spent ~4 hours at Maca’s. One of those crazy nights I won’t forget for a while.
I hope you are understanding my Australian slang. If you need translations let me know.
Have a great day!
Friday, April 20, 2007
Road Trip
Another week of lectures is completed. It is amazing that I have been gone 2 months! My trip is already 1/3rd over. That's right mom, I will be home before you know it! :)
In a little less than 7 hours we will begin our road trip to Sydney. It is a 15 hour drive down. I am not excited about sitting in a van for 15 hours with a bad back, but it should be pretty fun. We are leaving at 4 am so hopefully we will be able to get at least a little sleep.
We are going to Sydney to serve at a YWAM Proclaim Conference. It is a big conference with people coming from all over the Pacific. We will be serving them the first week.
The second week we will be having lectures with Etienne & Tanya (who just started the base in Sydney after leaving here early March). We met them a few times and helped them clean there house before they left. They are a very nice family and Tanya was already planning fun things for us to do while we are there.
The third week we will be heading to Mulimuli for outreach. That is somewhere between here and Sydney. While we are there we think we will be doing more mercy ministries and helping people.
Please pray for traveling safety and that everyone gets along in the van. Pray for the vehicles, that we will not have mechanical problems on the trip. Also, for all of the others traveling and attending the conference. Ask that it be a successful week for everyone.
I will update you more information when we get to Sydney and have internet.
Have a great weekend!!!!
In a little less than 7 hours we will begin our road trip to Sydney. It is a 15 hour drive down. I am not excited about sitting in a van for 15 hours with a bad back, but it should be pretty fun. We are leaving at 4 am so hopefully we will be able to get at least a little sleep.
We are going to Sydney to serve at a YWAM Proclaim Conference. It is a big conference with people coming from all over the Pacific. We will be serving them the first week.
The second week we will be having lectures with Etienne & Tanya (who just started the base in Sydney after leaving here early March). We met them a few times and helped them clean there house before they left. They are a very nice family and Tanya was already planning fun things for us to do while we are there.
The third week we will be heading to Mulimuli for outreach. That is somewhere between here and Sydney. While we are there we think we will be doing more mercy ministries and helping people.
Please pray for traveling safety and that everyone gets along in the van. Pray for the vehicles, that we will not have mechanical problems on the trip. Also, for all of the others traveling and attending the conference. Ask that it be a successful week for everyone.
I will update you more information when we get to Sydney and have internet.
Have a great weekend!!!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Prayer Updates
Thanks everyone for you prayers. I thought I should update you on what is going on.
- My back is getting better. It still hurts, but I do feel like it is better than it was. I got reprimanded for running the other morning and so I am trying to take a week or so of really being careful of what I do. I am really not looking forward to riding in the van for 15 hours on the way to Sydney.
- Sila's visa renewal request didn't go through, so we were told yesterday that he will be leaving us. We are very sad as a group and this came as a shock to most of us. We have all grown as a "family" and it is going to be very hard to see one of our "family" have to leave us.
- Continue to pray for finances for some of the members of our group. Also give thanks to God for all that he has provided for me.
- We are leaving for Sydney on Saturday morning at 4 am. It is a 15 hour drive! We are going there to serve for a big YWAM conference and then to have a lecture from the base director there. Please pray for preparations for us and the staff as we get ready this week. Pray that we have wisdom in packing and also prepare ourselves for the road trip.
- Continue to pray for us as we learn more about Spiritual Warfare in lectures, it has been a good week and we are learning a lot.
Thanks again for all of you prayers!
- My back is getting better. It still hurts, but I do feel like it is better than it was. I got reprimanded for running the other morning and so I am trying to take a week or so of really being careful of what I do. I am really not looking forward to riding in the van for 15 hours on the way to Sydney.
- Sila's visa renewal request didn't go through, so we were told yesterday that he will be leaving us. We are very sad as a group and this came as a shock to most of us. We have all grown as a "family" and it is going to be very hard to see one of our "family" have to leave us.
- Continue to pray for finances for some of the members of our group. Also give thanks to God for all that he has provided for me.
- We are leaving for Sydney on Saturday morning at 4 am. It is a 15 hour drive! We are going there to serve for a big YWAM conference and then to have a lecture from the base director there. Please pray for preparations for us and the staff as we get ready this week. Pray that we have wisdom in packing and also prepare ourselves for the road trip.
- Continue to pray for us as we learn more about Spiritual Warfare in lectures, it has been a good week and we are learning a lot.
Thanks again for all of you prayers!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Prayer Requests
Please pray as we begin a new week:
- I have been experiencing back pain for about 1 1/2 weeks and this weekend it has gotten a lot worse. I can't sit for too long and it is a constant dull pain in the lower back. Please pray that it heals and that I can get back to doing the things I want/need to do.
- Pray for a fresh new attitude for our team as we have another week of lectures. This weeks topic is spiritual warfare.
- Pray for Sila (SEELA), a member of our team, as he is having problems with his visa and if it doesn't get worked out he has to leave May 7.
- Pray for finances for some members of our team as they do not have their outreach phase paid for yet.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!
- I have been experiencing back pain for about 1 1/2 weeks and this weekend it has gotten a lot worse. I can't sit for too long and it is a constant dull pain in the lower back. Please pray that it heals and that I can get back to doing the things I want/need to do.
- Pray for a fresh new attitude for our team as we have another week of lectures. This weeks topic is spiritual warfare.
- Pray for Sila (SEELA), a member of our team, as he is having problems with his visa and if it doesn't get worked out he has to leave May 7.
- Pray for finances for some members of our team as they do not have their outreach phase paid for yet.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Turkey
I had to do a presentation Friday morning on a country and I did it on Turkey. I had to look up information on the country and then tell the class about it and then we all pray for that country. In looking at the information on Turkey I found out some interesting things. I am not sure when the information was last updated but according to my research there are approx 66 million Muslim people in Turkey that have never heard the gospel. They associate Christianity with terrorists and people that they have been fighting with in Europe. They are also 39th on the world rankings for persecution of Christians and many times the government does nothing about it. I don't know about you, but I never would have guessed that. When you think about all of the time that Paul spent there on his missionary journeys it seems like some of that would have stuck in the land.
As I said I am not totally sure that my information was exactly accurate, but I still wanted to ask you all to join me and the class in praying for this country and the people there. It sounds like they could use a revival.
As I said I am not totally sure that my information was exactly accurate, but I still wanted to ask you all to join me and the class in praying for this country and the people there. It sounds like they could use a revival.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Back to lectures
This has been kind of a tough week for me. I think that after everything we did last week and the excitement of the group and meeting new people, it was hard for me to settle back in here at base. So much has happened and I wanted to be able to share it with everyone. I think a lot of the group has struggled this week, so please keep us all in your prayers. As the week has gone along things have gotten much better and I am not wishing that I am anyplace other than here, I just feel a little down.
The topic this week is Clear Conscience and Fear of the Lord. A lot of the things from the start of the week seemed like review, but I guess that is good. Today we spent a lot of the time just sitting in the presence of God and thinking about His Holiness. It was a good day, I think I needed to just have a day to refocus and concentrate on God and not worring about listening to a lecture.
A couple people in our group came up with the idea to continue our 6 am prayer meetings, so some of us now meet every morning at 6 to pray for things that come to us. It is really a great way to start our day. Then at 6:30 we go for our run; after running on the beach it seems easier here. Even though the scenery is not as beautiful as the beach.
Today is our weekly trip to the Hyperdome Shopping Center! It is really not that exciting, it is just nice to get off the base for a little while.
I pray that you all had a blessed Easter and that DJ had a great birthday!
The topic this week is Clear Conscience and Fear of the Lord. A lot of the things from the start of the week seemed like review, but I guess that is good. Today we spent a lot of the time just sitting in the presence of God and thinking about His Holiness. It was a good day, I think I needed to just have a day to refocus and concentrate on God and not worring about listening to a lecture.
A couple people in our group came up with the idea to continue our 6 am prayer meetings, so some of us now meet every morning at 6 to pray for things that come to us. It is really a great way to start our day. Then at 6:30 we go for our run; after running on the beach it seems easier here. Even though the scenery is not as beautiful as the beach.
Today is our weekly trip to the Hyperdome Shopping Center! It is really not that exciting, it is just nice to get off the base for a little while.
I pray that you all had a blessed Easter and that DJ had a great birthday!
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Happy Easter!
Hey everyone! I pray that you have experienced the love of God this Easter!
I believe that this has been one of the best weeks of my life! We did so many things that if I tried to give you details on them all you would be reading for the whole day…. So I am just going to bullet the highlights for you and explain more later:
- We arrived at Fingel Fellowship Church on Sunday night and met with Kyle Slabb who freed up his whole week to spend with us. He is part of the Slabb family who are all very special, wonderful Christian people.
- Prayer at 6am
- Training Mon - laps up a dune and back down and then push ups, sit ups, and squats. It was a great workout, but very tough. Joshua even fainted on the beach and the waves came up and got him all wet!
- Quick evacuation because of the Tsunami warning and orientation to Aboriginal culture on the top of a small mountain.
- Training Tues - Steps up to the lighthouse and down the dunes 3 times as a team. Then leg work and sprints down the beach.
- Outreach in Coolangatta. Split up in pairs we walked around on the beach area and talked to people and prayed for them.
- Jumping off of a cliff at a waterfall in the middle of the bush after hiking a trail to get there.
- Kayaking for about 4km and tipping over a few times in the waves. A dolphin swam right next to the kayaks. Then it stormed and we had to fight winds and rain to get through.
- Learning a lot about Aboriginal culture from Kyle who goes to different places to teach people.
- Jogging up a mountain to watching the sun rise from rocks at the top with surfers surfing just below us. Then getting up early to watch the sunrise from by the lighthouse.
- Watching the guys surf from the rocks and then helping point out Blaire and Allison to Kyle so that he could save them from drowning in the ocean- they were caught in the rip.
- Kangaroo hunting in the bush - even though we didn’t see anything it was still fun - oh yeah it stormed on us again!
- Spending time studying the book of Colossians with the Kyle and some others from the church.
- Quiet time on the beach listening to the waves crash the shore.
- Maundy Thursday night the ladies of the church made us a special dinner and then washed our feet to prepare us to go out and spread the gospel. Then we had communion together and prayed together. Also discussed how the women were the first to see Jesus after the resurrection.
- Ran a 6k race along the beach on Saturday!!! It was tough but definitely worth the effort.
- Participated and helped with the Easter Celebration Weekend at the church - met many new people from many different places.
- Easter morning sunrise service on the beach. Tanya, Blaire, and Julianna were baptized in the ocean by Kyle and Joshua.
I am sure that I even missed some things and it was still really long. I can’t wait to tell you all about everything and the people. When we left they invited us to come anytime and we decided that they might regret that because we hope to visit as much as possible.
I pray that you all had a blessed week!
I believe that this has been one of the best weeks of my life! We did so many things that if I tried to give you details on them all you would be reading for the whole day…. So I am just going to bullet the highlights for you and explain more later:
- We arrived at Fingel Fellowship Church on Sunday night and met with Kyle Slabb who freed up his whole week to spend with us. He is part of the Slabb family who are all very special, wonderful Christian people.
- Prayer at 6am
- Training Mon - laps up a dune and back down and then push ups, sit ups, and squats. It was a great workout, but very tough. Joshua even fainted on the beach and the waves came up and got him all wet!
- Quick evacuation because of the Tsunami warning and orientation to Aboriginal culture on the top of a small mountain.
- Training Tues - Steps up to the lighthouse and down the dunes 3 times as a team. Then leg work and sprints down the beach.
- Outreach in Coolangatta. Split up in pairs we walked around on the beach area and talked to people and prayed for them.
- Jumping off of a cliff at a waterfall in the middle of the bush after hiking a trail to get there.
- Kayaking for about 4km and tipping over a few times in the waves. A dolphin swam right next to the kayaks. Then it stormed and we had to fight winds and rain to get through.
- Learning a lot about Aboriginal culture from Kyle who goes to different places to teach people.
- Jogging up a mountain to watching the sun rise from rocks at the top with surfers surfing just below us. Then getting up early to watch the sunrise from by the lighthouse.
- Watching the guys surf from the rocks and then helping point out Blaire and Allison to Kyle so that he could save them from drowning in the ocean- they were caught in the rip.
- Kangaroo hunting in the bush - even though we didn’t see anything it was still fun - oh yeah it stormed on us again!
- Spending time studying the book of Colossians with the Kyle and some others from the church.
- Quiet time on the beach listening to the waves crash the shore.
- Maundy Thursday night the ladies of the church made us a special dinner and then washed our feet to prepare us to go out and spread the gospel. Then we had communion together and prayed together. Also discussed how the women were the first to see Jesus after the resurrection.
- Ran a 6k race along the beach on Saturday!!! It was tough but definitely worth the effort.
- Participated and helped with the Easter Celebration Weekend at the church - met many new people from many different places.
- Easter morning sunrise service on the beach. Tanya, Blaire, and Julianna were baptized in the ocean by Kyle and Joshua.
I am sure that I even missed some things and it was still really long. I can’t wait to tell you all about everything and the people. When we left they invited us to come anytime and we decided that they might regret that because we hope to visit as much as possible.
I pray that you all had a blessed week!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Weekend again
Wow how time flies around here. I can't believe it is Saturday afternoon again. Week 5 of lectures is now complete. The week was not near as intense as what everyone expected it to be. The instructor told our staff that he felt the connection and love in the room as soon as he walked in, so he didn't feel that he had to push it with us. That was nice. We did do a cool thing on Wednesday, the last day of that topic, we wrote down a list of things that we either wanted to confess or that we wanted to give to God and then we nailed them to a cross. Sio Leo (our instructor) then prayed for us and then we went out and pulled the papers off the cross and burned them in a fire. It was a good visual of how if we really give things up to God we control them no longer and can't get them back.
The last 2 days was a cheesy video on relationships. I can truly say that all but 1 person (Wendy) fell asleep for at least part of the video. On Friday late morning we even fast forwarded it when the staff was out of the room. Blaire later confessed to Joshua, but he just laughed.
Last night I went to Ana's (our school leader) Auntie's house for a fundraising feed. It was Roti -remember Trinidad anyone- and lots of other good food. I ate way too much again, but it was fun. We also helped some people move and had a quick tour of the Michelton YWAM base that is on the north side of Brisbane. I am glad I chose this one, though the other one is walking distance to stores and such. It was a late night as we got back to base about midnight and then Kate and I talked about our nights for a while. (She didn't go with us)
This morning some of us got up at 6 am and went to a park to help with at Easter carnival. They had blow up games and tents with food and an Easter egg hunt planned, but we didn't stay for all of that we were pretty hungry and tired.
Okay I am sure you are sick of reading by now, but I also want to let you know that we will be in Fingel starting tomorrow afternoon. I don't know if we will have very much internet access, so please don't be shocked if I don't post until Easter when we get back. I still would love you to keep me updated just in case I do get logged on!!! ;)
Have a great Easter!!!!!
The last 2 days was a cheesy video on relationships. I can truly say that all but 1 person (Wendy) fell asleep for at least part of the video. On Friday late morning we even fast forwarded it when the staff was out of the room. Blaire later confessed to Joshua, but he just laughed.
Last night I went to Ana's (our school leader) Auntie's house for a fundraising feed. It was Roti -remember Trinidad anyone- and lots of other good food. I ate way too much again, but it was fun. We also helped some people move and had a quick tour of the Michelton YWAM base that is on the north side of Brisbane. I am glad I chose this one, though the other one is walking distance to stores and such. It was a late night as we got back to base about midnight and then Kate and I talked about our nights for a while. (She didn't go with us)
This morning some of us got up at 6 am and went to a park to help with at Easter carnival. They had blow up games and tents with food and an Easter egg hunt planned, but we didn't stay for all of that we were pretty hungry and tired.
Okay I am sure you are sick of reading by now, but I also want to let you know that we will be in Fingel starting tomorrow afternoon. I don't know if we will have very much internet access, so please don't be shocked if I don't post until Easter when we get back. I still would love you to keep me updated just in case I do get logged on!!! ;)
Have a great Easter!!!!!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Weekend Fun
Sorry it has been so long, but I haven’t really had much of a chance to post this week.
This weekend was a great weekend for me here. It started with a “slumber party” on Friday night. All of the girls brought our sleeping bags, etc. to our classroom and spread out on the floor. Some of us ordered pizza (6 pizzas for 3 of us, thanks Blaire!) and watched movies until 2am and then we kicked out the boys and all slept in the classroom. We were woken up at 8 am for breakfast because of a conference at our base. It was another lazy Saturday with not a lot going on, but that was nice after so little sleep.
Sunday we got up and drove ~ 1 hour to Fingel where we went to church. We got there a little bit early so we walked to the beach, less than a 5 minute walk. The church service was great, I loved it! I just felt so comfortable there. We then decided to stay for the 2pm prayer service and so we went swimming in the ocean for a couple of hours. It was windy so we got covered in sand, but it is a beautiful place. The prayer service was also very good. We found out that the pastor that they had is going to be there for Easter weekend while we are there on outreach, I can’t wait to sit down and talk to him. I think he has some great stories. The message from the morning was from 1 Samuel about Hannah and how God put her into a childless situation in order to use her. It really hit home to me, because I believe that God has left me single so that He can use me. I can’t wait for next week when we get to go back to Fingel and work with the people there for the whole week.
Monday we started Openness & Brokenness week. This has been built up as another intense week, we are still just getting into it and I believe that tomorrow is going to be a draining day. Today we spent about an hour as a team just talking things out and asking forgiveness for things that we have done. It was good to clear the air as we have been together for over a month and differing personalities are coming out. I believe that we are going to really grow as a team because we are understanding each other better.
Larakeets outside the window that I was sitting by during church!
This weekend was a great weekend for me here. It started with a “slumber party” on Friday night. All of the girls brought our sleeping bags, etc. to our classroom and spread out on the floor. Some of us ordered pizza (6 pizzas for 3 of us, thanks Blaire!) and watched movies until 2am and then we kicked out the boys and all slept in the classroom. We were woken up at 8 am for breakfast because of a conference at our base. It was another lazy Saturday with not a lot going on, but that was nice after so little sleep.
Sunday we got up and drove ~ 1 hour to Fingel where we went to church. We got there a little bit early so we walked to the beach, less than a 5 minute walk. The church service was great, I loved it! I just felt so comfortable there. We then decided to stay for the 2pm prayer service and so we went swimming in the ocean for a couple of hours. It was windy so we got covered in sand, but it is a beautiful place. The prayer service was also very good. We found out that the pastor that they had is going to be there for Easter weekend while we are there on outreach, I can’t wait to sit down and talk to him. I think he has some great stories. The message from the morning was from 1 Samuel about Hannah and how God put her into a childless situation in order to use her. It really hit home to me, because I believe that God has left me single so that He can use me. I can’t wait for next week when we get to go back to Fingel and work with the people there for the whole week.
Monday we started Openness & Brokenness week. This has been built up as another intense week, we are still just getting into it and I believe that tomorrow is going to be a draining day. Today we spent about an hour as a team just talking things out and asking forgiveness for things that we have done. It was good to clear the air as we have been together for over a month and differing personalities are coming out. I believe that we are going to really grow as a team because we are understanding each other better.
Larakeets outside the window that I was sitting by during church!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Bible Study Week
This week our lecture was on Bible study. I was excited for this week to learn more about how to read the Bible and it having more meaning in my life. I was not disappointed. It was a great week of getting to know different ways to study and that just because I don't understand something right away doesn't mean that I should get discouraged, there are ways of finding out. I can't wait to have some time to really look into some of the things that we have learned. Throughout the week we studied the book of Philemon. We read it over and over again and really looked at what the main characters, reasons, and what the purpose of the book was and is. I, for one, didn't get much out of it the first time we read it, but in looking at it for a week I now see the significance of the book. It is about forgiveness and reconciliation. Today we were split into 3 groups to do a presentation to some of the other people on the base. There was song, dance, and art. Blaire and I worked together on a poster of how forgiveness can take you from a storm and break the chains holding you down and give you new life so you can grow.
I know that you can't see all of the details, but this gives you an idea of what we came up with. Especially because we had no supplies to work with besides what we had. The other presentations also turned out very good and we have them all on video. The dance we are even going to use on outreach coming up.
Dinner is ready so I gotta go.
I love hearing even the "everyday" things from home, so please keep me updated often.
I know that you can't see all of the details, but this gives you an idea of what we came up with. Especially because we had no supplies to work with besides what we had. The other presentations also turned out very good and we have them all on video. The dance we are even going to use on outreach coming up.Dinner is ready so I gotta go.
I love hearing even the "everyday" things from home, so please keep me updated often.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Gold Coast Titans Rugby
My first live rugby game! We took the train into Brisbane today to see the first ever game for the Gold Coast Titans. I am learning more and more about rugby and it was a very exciting game. In some ways it is like American Football, but it is also very different. Poor Peter had to sit next to me and explain some of what was going on, but by they end I pretty much understood most of what was happening. The final score was St George (Sydney) 20 - Gold Coast 18. So we did lose, but it was exciting anyway.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Koalas & Wallabies
I am sorry this picture is of the koala inside the center, but I videotaped the one outside so I don't have a good picture. I will show you more later.
Today I saw my first koalas and wallabies out of a zoo! Now I know I am in Australia... We took a trip to a nearby Koala Center that is a conservatory area for wild animals. We were not able to see many, but they had 2 inside the center that we saw close up and then we walked around on the trails outside. There is where we saw the wallabies hopping around or taking a nap. When we were just about done, Peter spotted a koala up in a tree. I did get some video before my battery died so hopefully it turns out good.
I am also going to my first rugby game tomorrow. The first game of the season was Friday night so they set up a big screen in the hall here and we watched it together. We had wanted to go to the game, but it was sold out. I did learn a little bit more about the rules so hopefully tomorrow I will be able to follow it better. I will let you know how it is.
Another week is done already! The time seems to be going very fast.
I miss you all. Have a great day!
I am also going to my first rugby game tomorrow. The first game of the season was Friday night so they set up a big screen in the hall here and we watched it together. We had wanted to go to the game, but it was sold out. I did learn a little bit more about the rules so hopefully tomorrow I will be able to follow it better. I will let you know how it is.
Another week is done already! The time seems to be going very fast.
I miss you all. Have a great day!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Aussie Birthday!!!
Wow, I spent a birthday in Australia!!! It was a very fun day. Everyone made me feel so special. Katie sang to me the moment I woke up and there were balloons in our room. We went for our morning run and then I talked to Mom & Dad. The classroom also had a lot of balloons in it and they decorated a chair for me. I don’t think that I have been sung to as many times on one birthday as I was yesterday. They also had cake for me for morning tea. Blaire painted me a beautiful picture of a tall flower standing in a field. She said it represented me, I love it and can’t wait to put it in my house. Katie made me wear a flower lei all day long so everyone would look at me. I even wore it to the mall and Christian bookstore. All in all it was a great birthday. In the evening we met as a group and read the whole book of Matthew. I am so blessed, how many people from Michigan can say they spent a birthday in Australia and read a book of the Bible with new friends.
Thank you to all of you that sent birthday greetings, some of you even remembered to send them on the 13th there so that I had them on the 14th here. It was a long 38 hour birthday!!!
I miss you all!
Thank you to all of you that sent birthday greetings, some of you even remembered to send them on the 13th there so that I had them on the 14th here. It was a long 38 hour birthday!!!
I miss you all!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Lazy Saturday
Today was a great day of sitting around and doing pretty much nothing. The most I did today was 1 load of laundry and cooked dinner. It was great to sleep in as we have been getting up at 6 am every morning to run. They call me the drill Sargent because I have the training schedule and I tell them when to stop and start. It is a lot of fun and nice to get some exercise before the day starts and we sit in the classroom most of the time.
Just a few fun facts for you today:
It is 235 paces from our door to the door of the bathroom... a fun walk in the middle of the night.
I had a baby frog jump onto my head before I got into the shower yesterday.
Ice cream cones are 50 cents at Maca's (McDonald's) & 40 cents at Hungry Jacks (Burger King).
I have killed 4 spiders in our room and we have a cockroach living in there somewhere.
We just had a cockroach crawling above our computers... Julliana tried to kill it but it is still alive.
We shower with mosquitoes all around us, but we do have hot water - no cold showers like in Trinidad!!!
I am trying to learn a dance.... I know funny, huh.
Well that is all I can think of right now. I pray that you all are doing great.
Just a few fun facts for you today:
It is 235 paces from our door to the door of the bathroom... a fun walk in the middle of the night.
I had a baby frog jump onto my head before I got into the shower yesterday.
Ice cream cones are 50 cents at Maca's (McDonald's) & 40 cents at Hungry Jacks (Burger King).
I have killed 4 spiders in our room and we have a cockroach living in there somewhere.
We just had a cockroach crawling above our computers... Julliana tried to kill it but it is still alive.
We shower with mosquitoes all around us, but we do have hot water - no cold showers like in Trinidad!!!
I am trying to learn a dance.... I know funny, huh.
Well that is all I can think of right now. I pray that you all are doing great.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
"I am fearfully & wonderfully made"
Wow, 1 week before my 32nd birthday and I finally voiced the biggest fear in my life. I shared in class and everyone prayed for me and now I feel that I need to share it with all of you.
I have lived most of my life trying to be “perfect”. I don’t remember a time where I felt that I was good enough just being myself. I have always feared rejection and people laughing at me. Many people think that I am self confident, but that was just an act that I would put on so that you would not know the real feelings that I had inside. Many times I wanted to be in control because then I have all of the information and I don’t have to worry about “looking stupid” if I didn’t know exactly what was happening. Even going through college I felt a huge amount of pressure to do good and know all of the answers because I hated being called upon and not knowing an answer in front of everyone. Some things that I have done even up to leaving for here have been just because I thought people expected it of me and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone.
This also goes for physical feelings of inadequacy. I have never thought of myself as beautiful, I have always compared myself to other people and I never measured up. There is always someone skinner, prettier, faster, or stronger.
In class we have been discussing “The Father Heart of God” and how God loves us as a perfect father and we need to run to Him and let Him help us through some of the things that have been holding us back in our lives. I got up and shared this with the group and I can’t describe everything that happened, but God really opened my eyes to the scripture from Psalm 139:14 that says “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” I have known this verse but this time I really understood it. Ben -our lecturer- had me stand in front of the group and recite it 10 times. At first I couldn’t look people in the eye and say it, but as I continued it really sunk in and I could say it right to people. Also the phrase “God doesn’t make junk” came into my mind a lot, and I realized that I am God's creation and that means I am irreplacable.
The reason that I want to share this with all of you is that I want to apologize to you. In thinking this through God has shown me that I have hurt and pushed people away because of my own fears of rejection. I have not opened up to people as I should have just so that I wouldn’t be hurt and that people wouldn’t see me get rejected. I hope that you will understand and forgive me. I also ask for your prayers as I know that this is going to be an ongoing process for me work through all of the feelings that I am having. I may have to take some time when I get home to just sort things out and not jump right back into everything that I was doing before. I need to decide why I am doing the things that I am doing, if it is to make me look better to others or if it is my passion.
You all are very special to me and I appreciate everything you have done and will do for me. Thanks again and please continue to pray as I continue to pray for you!
I have lived most of my life trying to be “perfect”. I don’t remember a time where I felt that I was good enough just being myself. I have always feared rejection and people laughing at me. Many people think that I am self confident, but that was just an act that I would put on so that you would not know the real feelings that I had inside. Many times I wanted to be in control because then I have all of the information and I don’t have to worry about “looking stupid” if I didn’t know exactly what was happening. Even going through college I felt a huge amount of pressure to do good and know all of the answers because I hated being called upon and not knowing an answer in front of everyone. Some things that I have done even up to leaving for here have been just because I thought people expected it of me and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone.
This also goes for physical feelings of inadequacy. I have never thought of myself as beautiful, I have always compared myself to other people and I never measured up. There is always someone skinner, prettier, faster, or stronger.
In class we have been discussing “The Father Heart of God” and how God loves us as a perfect father and we need to run to Him and let Him help us through some of the things that have been holding us back in our lives. I got up and shared this with the group and I can’t describe everything that happened, but God really opened my eyes to the scripture from Psalm 139:14 that says “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” I have known this verse but this time I really understood it. Ben -our lecturer- had me stand in front of the group and recite it 10 times. At first I couldn’t look people in the eye and say it, but as I continued it really sunk in and I could say it right to people. Also the phrase “God doesn’t make junk” came into my mind a lot, and I realized that I am God's creation and that means I am irreplacable.
The reason that I want to share this with all of you is that I want to apologize to you. In thinking this through God has shown me that I have hurt and pushed people away because of my own fears of rejection. I have not opened up to people as I should have just so that I wouldn’t be hurt and that people wouldn’t see me get rejected. I hope that you will understand and forgive me. I also ask for your prayers as I know that this is going to be an ongoing process for me work through all of the feelings that I am having. I may have to take some time when I get home to just sort things out and not jump right back into everything that I was doing before. I need to decide why I am doing the things that I am doing, if it is to make me look better to others or if it is my passion.
You all are very special to me and I appreciate everything you have done and will do for me. Thanks again and please continue to pray as I continue to pray for you!
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Father Heart of God
This weeks lecture topic is the "Father Heart of God". It is a very powerful week with a great speaker from here on the base. If we talk to anyone on the base they say that this was their favorite week in all of the lecture phase. So far our meetings have been very emotional and draining. As most of you know this leaves me in tears a lot of the time :) There are a lot of different things that people are working through and this week is meant to let everyone release those things.
Please pray for all of us as we work through the week together. Pray that we can be open with ourselves, the group and especially with God.
Thanks & God Bless
Please pray for all of us as we work through the week together. Pray that we can be open with ourselves, the group and especially with God.
Thanks & God Bless
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Saturday, March 3
Wow time flies these days. We have been busy in classes and doing homework. I know exciting stuff... Things have been going very well. We have completed one section on the Characteristics of God. It was all pretty much review, but it is always good to have a refresher and see things from a slightly different angle.
The DTS that started before ours had graduation last night so they are all getting ready to leave and go home. There were 17 in their group so it is bigger than ours. We have one more student joining us from the US tomorrow morning, her name is Tanya. She was waiting for funding and still doesn't have all of the money, but she is coming and going to trust that God will provide someone to help her. I take for granted all of you wonderful people that support me and keep me in your thoughts and prayers. This would not be the same without it.
We had our first experience with a poisonous snake the other day. I saw it after it was dead, but it was by some on the staff housing. It wasn't too big, but the guys were chasing the girls with it before they threw it away. I haven't experienced that yet, but I am becoming a good spider hunter. Twice we have had spiders in our room and I got them with my sandal. I think there is one more still hiding along with our cockroach, but we are not sure. The mosquitoes "moosies" are quite bad here also, Ally has bites all over her legs. We told her she must taste better than the rest of us. Oh by the way the toads here really do give you warts.
We just got back from South Park in Brisbane which is were we have been swimming, and we also visited a museum. It was another good day away from the campus. Now I am waiting for dinner.
Thanks for all of your thoughts, prayers and mail it is all greatly appreciated and loved.
The DTS that started before ours had graduation last night so they are all getting ready to leave and go home. There were 17 in their group so it is bigger than ours. We have one more student joining us from the US tomorrow morning, her name is Tanya. She was waiting for funding and still doesn't have all of the money, but she is coming and going to trust that God will provide someone to help her. I take for granted all of you wonderful people that support me and keep me in your thoughts and prayers. This would not be the same without it.
We had our first experience with a poisonous snake the other day. I saw it after it was dead, but it was by some on the staff housing. It wasn't too big, but the guys were chasing the girls with it before they threw it away. I haven't experienced that yet, but I am becoming a good spider hunter. Twice we have had spiders in our room and I got them with my sandal. I think there is one more still hiding along with our cockroach, but we are not sure. The mosquitoes "moosies" are quite bad here also, Ally has bites all over her legs. We told her she must taste better than the rest of us. Oh by the way the toads here really do give you warts.
We just got back from South Park in Brisbane which is were we have been swimming, and we also visited a museum. It was another good day away from the campus. Now I am waiting for dinner.
Thanks for all of your thoughts, prayers and mail it is all greatly appreciated and loved.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Tuesday
Another good day. We did some teambuilding and other things and then went to the mall together for a group outing. Tomorrow we start lectures and our normal schedule for the next few weeks.
I know you won't believe this, but I have been up every morning at 5 am. Obviously I haven't adjusted to the time change yet! : ) One thing is that it is daylight early so it seems easier to get up at that time.
The schedule goes something like this:
Breakfast at 7, Devotions or Worship at 8, Lecture at 9, Morning Tea at 10:30, Lecture at 11, Lunch at 12:30, Small Groups at 1:30, Workgroups at 2, Lecture at 4, Tea (Dinner) at 5:30, and either lecture, free time, or outings at night.
They told us about the spiders, toads, ants and other creatures to stay away from. So far we haven't seen much more than we see at home.
No I have not seen a kangaroo or koala yet! They say that we will sometime, but not around here. Our typical stereotype to figure that they are everywhere in Australia.
We found out that we are going to the very Northern tip of Australia - Bamaga, Cape York for our outreach. We will be spending 2 months there working with Aboriginal people. Also we will be going down to another Aboriginal community for 1 week and spending 2 weeks in Sydney. I will give more info as the time comes.
I pray that everyone is doing well and not missing me too much.... I know it is hard but I will be back in 6 months. ; )
I know you won't believe this, but I have been up every morning at 5 am. Obviously I haven't adjusted to the time change yet! : ) One thing is that it is daylight early so it seems easier to get up at that time.
The schedule goes something like this:
Breakfast at 7, Devotions or Worship at 8, Lecture at 9, Morning Tea at 10:30, Lecture at 11, Lunch at 12:30, Small Groups at 1:30, Workgroups at 2, Lecture at 4, Tea (Dinner) at 5:30, and either lecture, free time, or outings at night.
They told us about the spiders, toads, ants and other creatures to stay away from. So far we haven't seen much more than we see at home.
No I have not seen a kangaroo or koala yet! They say that we will sometime, but not around here. Our typical stereotype to figure that they are everywhere in Australia.
We found out that we are going to the very Northern tip of Australia - Bamaga, Cape York for our outreach. We will be spending 2 months there working with Aboriginal people. Also we will be going down to another Aboriginal community for 1 week and spending 2 weeks in Sydney. I will give more info as the time comes.
I pray that everyone is doing well and not missing me too much.... I know it is hard but I will be back in 6 months. ; )
Monday, February 26, 2007
First day so far so good
Today we learned more about the base and the many different ministries and departments that they run from here. It was a good day of starting. I have met so many people here and can't even come close to knowing all of there names.
Hi! It's Pete here! And I'm a crazy Brit. I am in the same DTS as these lovely American pyschos ffrom Michican or something. (Basically Canada) I hope you lovely people back in the U S of A appreciate Canadians and accept them as North Americans because they should not be disregarded because the country is cold! I am not Canadian, I just sympathise with them. We in England have to cope with the Irish so you should respect the Canadians as much as possible. Anyway, I have been given the opportunity to write something here but Katie wouldnt let me! No trust! I am horrified!
I will hand you back over to Tami to talk about the boring stuff so hope this section lightened up your day.
I hope you enjoyed meeting Pete, maybe I will let others add as time permits.
I hope things are going good for all of you. I appreciate your mail and email!! - By the way Katie and I have a contest on the first one to get snail mail and the first on to get a package, so I am putting in a pathetic plea to you to help me win.
Thanks and have a great day!!!
Hi! It's Pete here! And I'm a crazy Brit. I am in the same DTS as these lovely American pyschos ffrom Michican or something. (Basically Canada) I hope you lovely people back in the U S of A appreciate Canadians and accept them as North Americans because they should not be disregarded because the country is cold! I am not Canadian, I just sympathise with them. We in England have to cope with the Irish so you should respect the Canadians as much as possible. Anyway, I have been given the opportunity to write something here but Katie wouldnt let me! No trust! I am horrified!
I will hand you back over to Tami to talk about the boring stuff so hope this section lightened up your day.
I hope you enjoyed meeting Pete, maybe I will let others add as time permits.
I hope things are going good for all of you. I appreciate your mail and email!! - By the way Katie and I have a contest on the first one to get snail mail and the first on to get a package, so I am putting in a pathetic plea to you to help me win.
Thanks and have a great day!!!
First day of classes
It is Monday morning and classes start today. I am excited to start the classes and experience what we are here for. It has been a good couple of days getting to hang out with the group, but it is time to get going.
Yesterday we took a tour of the campus -I hope to add a video so you can see it sometime soon- and then went to Brisbane. There is a park in the city that has a swimming pool and beach area. We spent a little time there and enjoyed the refreshing water. Then we went to a lookout to see the city. After a short break we had our first official "Aussie Barbie". It was steaks and sausages grilled out at our directors house. That is when we had our official welcome and met another one of our team. There are 9 of us here and one more hopefully coming. It is a diverse group in age and somewhat in culture. There are 4 Americans, and one each from Thialand, Fiji, New Zeeland, England, and Brazil. The ages range from 19 to 40 something. It should be interesting how we mesh all together.
The weather has been about 85 degrees and sunny!!! I love it! I do not miss the snow at all. Also the stars here seem so much brighter than I have ever seen before.
Better get going, worship starts soon. Please continue to keep me updated, I love to get mail! ;)
Yesterday we took a tour of the campus -I hope to add a video so you can see it sometime soon- and then went to Brisbane. There is a park in the city that has a swimming pool and beach area. We spent a little time there and enjoyed the refreshing water. Then we went to a lookout to see the city. After a short break we had our first official "Aussie Barbie". It was steaks and sausages grilled out at our directors house. That is when we had our official welcome and met another one of our team. There are 9 of us here and one more hopefully coming. It is a diverse group in age and somewhat in culture. There are 4 Americans, and one each from Thialand, Fiji, New Zeeland, England, and Brazil. The ages range from 19 to 40 something. It should be interesting how we mesh all together.
The weather has been about 85 degrees and sunny!!! I love it! I do not miss the snow at all. Also the stars here seem so much brighter than I have ever seen before.
Better get going, worship starts soon. Please continue to keep me updated, I love to get mail! ;)
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Moving In
We just arrived on base about 1 hour ago and are waiting for lunch. Katie and I are sharing a room with just the two of us. It is really nice that we can stay together, but I hope that we mesh well with the group.
Going back to yesterday a minute, we did a lot of walking around downtown Sydney and got a lot of pictures of the Opera House and the many other sights in Sydney. It is still very strange that I am in a country that I have talked about for so long. The Opera House is awesome! It is even much more extravigant than the pictures that you see. We spent the day walking around and then headed back to relax and get ready to leave this morning.
Today we flew from Sydney to Brisbane and met most of our team and some of the staff. The base is nice and as I said Katie and I are sharing a room. There are 9 or 10 people on our DTS, so it is a nice size group. There are also 4 staff that will be working with our group. We are going to have lunch now and then head to the mall so that we can get some more things to make our room more "homey". We are not sure if we are going to have constant wireless access, but I should be able to keep you all up to date.
Thank you for your emails, I love hearing from you all! Don't feel bad if I don't always respond, I still want you to send me updates!!!!
Thank you all for your prayers, we are doing great!
Going back to yesterday a minute, we did a lot of walking around downtown Sydney and got a lot of pictures of the Opera House and the many other sights in Sydney. It is still very strange that I am in a country that I have talked about for so long. The Opera House is awesome! It is even much more extravigant than the pictures that you see. We spent the day walking around and then headed back to relax and get ready to leave this morning.
Today we flew from Sydney to Brisbane and met most of our team and some of the staff. The base is nice and as I said Katie and I are sharing a room. There are 9 or 10 people on our DTS, so it is a nice size group. There are also 4 staff that will be working with our group. We are going to have lunch now and then head to the mall so that we can get some more things to make our room more "homey". We are not sure if we are going to have constant wireless access, but I should be able to keep you all up to date.
Thank you for your emails, I love hearing from you all! Don't feel bad if I don't always respond, I still want you to send me updates!!!!
Thank you all for your prayers, we are doing great!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
We made it to Sydney
Wow after 26 hours of traveling (for me) we have arrived in Sydney and are already seeing God at work. Katie and I had different flights, but for both of us they all went well. Katie was going to wait in the airport for me for about 1/2 hour for my flight to come in, but God made it easier for us than trying to look for eachother. I said goodbye to the people that I met on the plane and went into a restroom before getting into the long line for Customs. When I was coming out of the stall, guess who was the next person waiting to go in..... yes it was Katie. We didn't even have to look for eachother and we could then wait through the line together and talk about our flights. Our first God sighting in Australia!!!
We then checked into our Guest House and are spending today relaxing and walking around our neighborhood, Glebe. Tomorrow we are going to go sightseeing around Sydney and then on Saturday we will be heading on to Brisbane and our base.
Please pray for us as we try to adjust to the 15 hour time difference and as we find our way around Sydney. Also pray that our flight to Brisbane goes well and that we make it to our base on Saturday. We will then have free internet so I will be able to keep you up to date.
Thanks for your emails, thoughts, & prayers!
We then checked into our Guest House and are spending today relaxing and walking around our neighborhood, Glebe. Tomorrow we are going to go sightseeing around Sydney and then on Saturday we will be heading on to Brisbane and our base.
Please pray for us as we try to adjust to the 15 hour time difference and as we find our way around Sydney. Also pray that our flight to Brisbane goes well and that we make it to our base on Saturday. We will then have free internet so I will be able to keep you up to date.
Thanks for your emails, thoughts, & prayers!
Monday, February 12, 2007
9 Days!
Thank you for checking out my new blog! 9 days and I will be in Australia - a dream come true. Plans are coming together, but there is a lot to do in the next week. At times I am feeling very overwhelmed at all of the details and the thoughts of packing for 6 months. Also, I have been saying goodbye to some very special people. I am so glad for the technology available today so that we can keep in touch!
Kate & I talked in front of church today and asked for prayer & financial support. It means so much to know that we are supported by our friends and families.
Please pray for us in the next week that we can have a clear understanding of what we need to take and how to pack. That we receive the funding that we need. Also, that we get everything done in the time that we have.
Kate & I talked in front of church today and asked for prayer & financial support. It means so much to know that we are supported by our friends and families.
Please pray for us in the next week that we can have a clear understanding of what we need to take and how to pack. That we receive the funding that we need. Also, that we get everything done in the time that we have.
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