.. Ya I do

I LOVE BEACHES!

This was taken during small group last Monday night pictures do not do it justice.

Small Group

Yay for small group! Okay so there are like 13 pictures of us lying down like this, but none of them have all of us making normal faces or all of us making or doing stupid things lol.. but this is the only one where you can see everyones face hense the choice to use this picture. I love my small group they are all amazing. Okay so clockwise, Me, Deborah (we're on the same outreach team - US) Gillian (Ireland), Evangeline (one of my roommates from Singapore), Daniella (Brazil), Christine (Canada), Christi (US), and Aggie, who normally makes this face lol jk (Australia but New Zealand and Canada before Australia, she's our small group leader and my one on one). I love them all so much. It's so sad that next week is our last small group then we move to our outreach teams .. that'll be sweet too though. We've had so many good times. This just past Tuesday we went to Cottosloe beach and hung out with one of our fellow small groups and munched some food and had a good time.. so it was pretty sweet.

Anyways yes, I'm going to greatly miss these girls on outreach.. most of them some are going to the Philippines so I might see them a little bit. But yes, that a little bit of insight into our small group.

Seriously?

Okay, so I'm in Australia and it's cold. Well, "cold" nothing like Canada cold but like Australian summer cold. It was like below 20 like all morning not it's like 21 but still I dunno if I can manage with this. When I'm on outreach in Alice Springs though its gunna be like below 10.. EEGAD. Anyhow, this week is going very - speaker is amazing.. like definitely in my top 2.. maybe number 1 so far of all the speakers. Buddy is ... beyond fabulous so thats pretty sick. Nothing really too exciting to update you on, God's still doing amazing things .. and considering that, afterall, He is God, I don't know why that wouldn't be normal for amazing things to happen, but anyways. Ya, so it's not hot here right now.. the mix of the cold air outside and the AC about my head blowing down on me in class and in my room make for cold times and lots of goose bumps. Anywho.. hope Canada's just peachy! :)

Buddy System

I had been really looking forward to going to the Youth Detention Centre, just outside Perth I believe, all week and today, Sunday, was the day. There were lots of rules and guidelines and stuff that were explained in our pre-debriefing last week, and then before we left base today we had to get into our partners (who we had to stay with and beside.. arms distance at the most). So it was me and Christian, one of the staff of YP, and he's super cool so it was fun. It was acutally funny this one time leaving the gym going back I was walking with some other girls and I hear my name and I move to find the voice and Christian slaps his hip and he's like, "get up here".. so I was well guarded lol - anyways. Their wing is massive and apparently there are like 5 other prisons surrounding the one that we were in and they have the biggest one for 100 residents while the neighbouring one had upwards to 800 inmates so that was crazy. Anyways ya it was massive.
We ran a church service for them, which afterwards we found out they hadn't had a church service in over a year and half, so I was super suprised by that. They range from 12 to 17 I think so they were pretty anti - focus lol if you catch my drift but 4 did get saved (of the approximately 50 - 80 people that came) so that was amazing. A few others were interested in learning more and getting a Bible so that was really cool also.
It was funny after the service and we were just hanging out and talking and trying to decifer lies of why they were there to their real lives and having a genuine conversation. So .. you never what they're really talking about haha.
Anyways so right now we just really want to pray for those that made the decision to follow Jesus today and to protect them from anything that can happen while they are in there for whatever amount of time, and also that they'll find God in their situations, that God would clearly be there with them, challenging and supporting them whether or not they have the support of family or friends.

Who God is .. Who I am

Most of last week was a costant challenge for me - really discouraged, frustrated etc. I wanted so badly to soak in what the speaker was saying and come to a real understand of who God is and as a result find myself. I've been dealing with a lot of self image, identity stuff the last little while and hanging onto the negative and not letting God change that view. It took breaking down and realizing that I'm not those things, no matter who said it to me, whether they meant it or not, when they said it, or how much I could see it. Yesterday was my break down day after talking to a few roomies, a leader and God I realized, I'm still attached to the negative and the pain from the past and that's why I felt numb to God's influence on me. He was still speaking - He still is, but now I wonder what I was missing while I was dulling it down. I'm happy now not having to worry about insecurities, but not having to worry about what people are thinking - because chances are they arent thinking those things in the first place, plus they aren't the judge who matters - and just full out focus on God and find a confidence in Him that radiates through my spirit, soul and body for others to see.

I'm happy and I'm becoming more comfortable. I love God and I love what He's doing to me. He has a plan and I'm ready to listen and I'm willing to follow.

PS.. I love that picture.. needing a book to INSTRUCT you on how to FOLLOW INSTRUCTions. I found it rather ironic.

Just a Quicky

Well I survived the camping trip - good thing too because this week is going to be sick. Topic is relationships .. friendships, relationship with God, to some extent romantic relationships and just everything that comes with being in some sort of relationship. So I'm pretty pumped. Today was amazing. The speaker is Mark Parker - really good. His wife's cousins daughter (second cousin) is in my school so that's cool. He's so energic. He's like 53 and he's at the front jumping around to the song Human but The Killers. It was so funny. He has a lot of good points and a clear way of speaking - not to mention the man speaks at volumes much greater than any other speaker I've heard so it definitely keeps us awake when we have to wake up 5:45 AM everyday. I had a quick chat about some frustrations and stuff with a leader of YP, Landry, today and he made a really good point and put it in a perspective I've never really heard before or understood until now, which is one reason I like talking to him - he's very clear and wise and easy to understand. So he said that, when we feel far from God, it has nothing to do with where God is because He can't get any closer to us than he is everyday, it's in our minds that we picture and make it seem like God is far away and then we start to believe the lie that we aren't as close to God as we could be. So I really liked that. Anyways, so far this week God's tell me to start listening because without my open ears nothings going to go right .. so ya.. that's me as of Monday.

Camping Trip

So this here animal is a tiger snake - says google images - and since we're going to the bush this weekend to go camping this fine friend is one of the many types of poisonous snakes (because apparently Australia only has the kind that feels it necessary to harm people venomously) that we have to be careful. Q says that they're probably more aggressive than the other snakes we might come across. I like snakes. I do not like poison. For that reason I just might find it necessary to huddle, rocking in the fetal possition for a while this weekend before I work up the nerves to face death itself.. the tiger snake. Totally kidding but seriously we are going camping this weekend - which I've never really been a fan of, and taking the injury percentage of our team thus far - there's a decent sized chance we're gunna come back more cripple than before. YAY YP! Pray we don't die!

Umm.. Kay?

So I was laying in bed last night waiting for the rest of the girls to get ready to shut the lights off, and I had been so hyper all day and was at that point still hyper and for that I am suffering the consequences of lack of sleep this morning. Anyways, so as I was laying there I was like "hey self, you should read the Bible" So I agreed with myself and was pondering which book to start reading. And then I saw Jeremiah and I thought "we've been reading good verses out of there the last few weeks - God show me something." Now I kind of regret or am having a hard time understanding why I said that. Jeremiah 1 (yes 1 meaning the first thing I read) verse:

7 -"Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 - Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the LORD." 9 - Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."

So at this point I was like.. "um.. guys.. what does this mean?" and I was like hiding panic in my voice. So they laughed and I was like, naw it can't be anything - definitely a coincidence (which there aren't with God but for the sake of my sanity we'll say there is) so the next verse I read says:

12 - "...You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled."

So at this point, I was like holy goodness, God just like slapped me across the face. He told me something then when I second guess He says "ya thats right - you heard me" LIKE WHAT IS THIS?!

anywys .. so I'm now very unstable and could start panic mode at any time.

"Mix and Match"

L-R: Me, Tari and Caitlyn

I know what you're thinking when looking at this picture "wow those are some pretty attractive YWAMers" and I can't argue with you - we are definitely pretty awesome.

So Wednesday nights are our "homework" / free nights where we do whatever we need to do - homework, go to the beach (because in 40 degree weather it does become a necessity), journals, emailing etc. So I had just started working on my journal and Holly, roommate comes in and says "hey Becca wanna do my makeup!" and so naturally, I respond "does it have to look good?" and to my enjoyment she answer "no" so I take advantage. Tari (middle person in the picture ^) and I decide that it would be in Holly's best interest to become literally half black and half white. So that's what we did. So we had music playing and people getting their faces plastered in makeup that was so not right for their faces for a while and randomly people came in. Quenton (our school leader) walked past and Caitlyn (right ^) decided to call him in - so he looked at me and burst laughing then looked at Holly and said "it's like a mix and match" and we all started laughing .. good times.

So all my roomates are hite so they put there makeup on me to attempt it but I looked more stunned by a ghost than anything, and I used my makeup, on 2 of them.

So at YWAM Perth - we simply entertain ourselves by whatever means necessary.

I love my roommies!

Coffee Face

So tonight was Small Group YAY! Always a good time. Every week we have someone share about topic and start a chat / give a little lesson. So tonight was Christine and Daniella - both were awesome. Daniella, however, decided to play this "game" which was actually designed to coat our lungs with ground coffee. So basically it was a dinner plate, covered in like half an inch - an inch of ground coffee, and then chocolate "eggs" mixed in. So, naturally, we had to get the chocolate out wiht our teeth. So we stick our heads in then our noses, upper lipes, tongues (from breathing it in) and chins are covered in ground coffee while this chocolate is dangling around. Not an attractice moment in any of our lives. So imagine that image I just described, but add on the fact that we are now inhaling this powder and choking on it as we try and breath. It didn't matter if we were breathing through our mouths or noses because either way - it went in, why? because it's powder. It was horrible. I smelled coffee (since my nose was plastered in it) for like an hour and could feel it sliding down my trachea and then of course I'd start chocking because not only am I against coffee and anything it has to offer since it is not appealing to any of my senses but my body does not enjoy having it in my lungs.
Anyways, that's the story - we almost drowned in ground coffee. Thank God we're still alive.

"Do Not Be Silent"

This week Shirley Brownhill, half of the couple that founded YWAM Perth, is speaking on Bible Unity. She's doing a great job. She spoke on Friday at Friday Night Meeting as well, and it was strange because I don't remember a thing she said because I was so incredibly out of it. But anyways that beside the point, today in class I was sitting at the back because my ankle was bothering me so I needed the room, and we were looking at a verse in Phillippians and after we read it and while Shirley was talking about it was I was like, "God seriously feel free to say something to me this morning." So then I grabbed a little chunk of the Bible and flipped it over to Acts 18 and the first thing I saw, probably because it was in red - meaning it was from Jesus - which was sweet because I asked Him to speak to me, and it said, " 'Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, becuase I have many people in this city.' " (Acts 18: 9 - 10) So I was like.."(momentarily silence) ......... wow .. thanks God" and it's been stickinng with me all day. It's sweet that God's keep me so close Him and speaking so clear even through mad moods and frustration.

Saturday Night

This would be Johanna, after the talent show - sniped my super ghetto krutches and was jumping around. this took like 7 shots because I kept cutting her head off haha.

This was after the talent show and we were all just hanging out and talking in the auditorium. They were trying to get as many people on Mike as possible. (bottom to top) Mike, David, Cees, Wilson. This seriously lasted half a second because I took the picture as wilson was jumping on top and then they all collapsed.


So this was at the YP Talent Show Saturday night. This particular band is called "Shades of Brown"(L -R) Ice Mocha, Caramel Latte (aka Chenaniah - staff), and Hot Chocolate (Josh - student on YP) Chenaniah intro-ed them hilariously - it was brilliant. And they have amazing voices

(not so) Exciting News

So this weekend was a pretty busy one - a big deal if you will:
Friday night - Friday Night Meeting
Saturday - Fundraiser breakfast - ate but couldnt help which I wanted to do. Then the YP Talent Show that detroyed every other talent show known to man cuz it was just that good and again that I did not get to help out with because I need to "rest it"
Sunday - Fundraisers: Car Wash AND Kids TRY-athalon. But guess what - I got the short stick when I ruined my ankle - which btw is not healing, and I had to stay here for like 7 hours.. ALONE. ya it was a lot of fun. I mostly laid in bed all weekend.
Conclusion: I hate my joints
No but seriously, on the plus side, I did a lot of thinking and clearing of the head. I feel... rested.

Ankle

So after the destrucion of my ankle, there had been a bunch of people pressuring me to go to the doctor. Eventually it got to the point where one of my leaders told me I had to. So I went, got the xray, wasted way too much money on it, and then got told EXACTLY what Landry (leader) told me. So he should totally be a doctor because buddy knows whats he's talking about. The good thing about the doctor though was that he strongly resembled Brad Pitt .. with an aussie accent so that was sweet haha. Anyways - it's not broken or fractured that they can see, they never checked the tendons or ligaments or anything though so who knows about that. But he said its a really badly sprained ankle.. what wisdom. It's getting better though - slowly. I should probably stop walking / limping on it cuz my guess is it's not helping.

So the picture there is of it last night (Friday night) after I took of the wrap the dr put on. So it was really tight and as he was putting it on I was dying in pain cuz it hurt like no body's business but anyways, so then I took it off, and it was more swollen than before. So not only did the swelling getting worse, but it spread all over my foot. I was not please because I could no longer move my toes very much. But anyways yes, it's fine, I'll be fine as long as I stop walking on it. :) yay injuries!

anyways peace out!

He loves me, He loves me not, HE LOVES ME

So this is kind of a end of the week update taking that it's 20 minutes to midnight here currently. So this week has been really good minus the destruction of my ankle of Wednesday. Our speaker Etienne Peiterse (South African) was hilarious. Very random humour that just kept us laughing. Get this - He's SEEN Jesus.. like seen Him.. with his eyes.. twice. Like how many people can say that! Anyways.. so beyond my jealousy on that point, he (Etienne) also got saved by a man he held at gun point. He asked the guy to pray for him, the man said no, and he pulled out a gun and told him to do the prayer with him. I know right, ridiculous. This guy has an amazing story.. absolutely incredible. Anyways he's very prophetic (sp). So this week I've been dealing with a few issues and I've just been praying that God would help me see what's going on and stuff. So today during class I was sitting down as people were praying out whatever was on their heart after the lecture and then Etienne chimed in and basically said he got this picture of a girl that felt distanct from God, that was seperated by some wall. And he wanted her to know that God is just waiting for her to reach out for Him so He can take her. And the entire time I've been here I've been talking to Aggie about this distance I have with God even though I can here Him speaking to me. So I look at Aggie, small group leader, and she looks back at me and smiles cause she knows whats going on in my head, then Etienne says he wants to pray for whoever that girl is and then I just started crying. Like I lost it for a few minutes and Aggie came over and I looked at her and was like.. this is ridiculous. So that was the first time God used someone to pull me in. The second was that yesterday and today during class we had a time to get into little groups and share and pray about something that God layed on our hearts that was keeping us from going all out for him and stuff along those lines, just things that we place before Him etc. So we all shared our deal.. and then TODAY after I got back from the doctors a friend and I were walking in late to dinner and he stops me and says oh I forgot to tell you something earlier, and I'm like okay ... what is it? so hes like okay. this is from God, I swear its from God, and he said "God wants you to know you're beautiful" and I just froze and then he walked away. If you knew what I shared youd understand more but Id rather keep it to myself but still.. like 2 times in like 5 hours God used someone to pull me to Him and it's just been so great. I can't believe the amazing ways God has been ending my weeks. I love going to bed happy on Friday night!

peace & love!

Yup ... That Hurt

So yesterday we were playing soccer, like every morning.. well for me, for morning exercise. Usually there's like 3 girls that play, Polly, Christine, and I but Christine strayed off somewhere else this week so it was me (playing) and Polly standing in net against/with a hand full of skilled Europeans and some random others. So Chris, South African, and I were fighting for it and as we were, I guess my body decided to screw me over and twist my ankle in so that when I took a step I would suddenly be in agony - so that's what it did. It hurt.. a lot. So I got driven back to base.. in a a lot of pain in that standard car and as the time passed it just got worse and worse. So Landry, leader, came by and diagnosed it - pulled tendons over that bone that sticks out on the outside of the ankle that I wish I could remember the name of. By the end of the day it didnt hurt as much anymore but it was the size of a baby watermelon haha. It was massive. Then I woke up this morning. Thought I would go have a shower while everyone else was at exercises. So I grabbed my krutches and tried to hobble along .. unfortunately, little to my knowledge, my right krutch was stuck in who knows what and never followed a long side me and I feel forward straight on - all my weight - only to left ankle, the one I destroyed yesterday. Yay me!
So that takes me here.. in pain, unable to think without it hurting wish that my stupid krutch had not been caught doing it's own thing causing me to stumble.
All that to say.. at least I dont have to clean toilets this morning :)
Any prayers for a quick healing would be much appreciated. Thanks so much.
Hope everyons enjoying the weather :) it cant last forever right?

Up until now..

So up until now it's been a very relaxing, chill weekend. Beach on Saturday.. no sharks, but one massive sea slug which was not necessarily a good experience, just chilling at home/around base all Sunday - got a mcflurry which is ridiculously over priced (then was attacked my misquitos that are pretty much weightless and you cant feel them.. so my legs are covered) and that brings me here.. itchy and wishing I could have another mcflurry.
I just lost Caitlyn's Ipod though .. so I have to go find it.. I have no idea how it happened.
more to come later.