So this year they are doing outreach a little differently. There's 1 team going to Figi and Mexico, 4 teams going to Asia but splitting up after 7 weeks in Phillipines and 1 going to Malaysia, Cambodia, Bali, and Northern Australia. And another 4 teams going to Cape Town, South Africa for 7 weeks then splitting into 2 teams going to different places in Zambia, and then the other 2 either going to Lasotho (sp?) and Mozambique. So I'm very, very nervous and have until Tuesday morning to hand in my little sheet to tell the leaders where I'm going after only 3 and half days of praywer. Anyways if you would like to join me in praying about this in the next 4 days that would be amazing. If you have any comments or anything you'd like to share with me please feel free to e-mail me anytime. I'd love to read it :)
thanks again
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Aussie Aussie Aussie
YAY AUSTRALIA DAY!
So yesterday was Australia day, so, naturally, we went to the river to hang out and watch fireworks. So some left around 3:30 we left around 5 because well we were watching season 5 of the Office - which took us to 4:30 so we figured.. 5 it is. We walked there.. and now my ankle hurts.. but thats beside the point. Our team was like body painted, thanks to Polly, with the flag, the southern cross (I think) some hadd "aussie aussie aussie, oi oi oi" written on them.. Shaila was completely covered (she`s actually Australian.. from Queensland which is North East of here I believe). A bunch of the guys had their entire faces painted like the flag. While we were waiting for the fire works there was an air show with jets and helicopters and those trick planes that I dont knwo the name of which was fun. They also had seadooers that would scream Aussie Aussie Aussie and of course, the crowd would reply with OI OI OI.. it was a good time people would scream the Aussie Aussie Aussie in our faces.. and then we`d just stare back.. scared for what might be coming becuase they were mostly drunk. The fire works went on for like a full 30 minutes so that was sweet. It was so nice.. it was coming from across the river and then there was a building behind us that had fireworks coming off it aswell so it was freaking sweet.
So far this week, I`m loving God, loving the speaker, and hating the cochroach that thougt he could live after running across our floor.
So yesterday was Australia day, so, naturally, we went to the river to hang out and watch fireworks. So some left around 3:30 we left around 5 because well we were watching season 5 of the Office - which took us to 4:30 so we figured.. 5 it is. We walked there.. and now my ankle hurts.. but thats beside the point. Our team was like body painted, thanks to Polly, with the flag, the southern cross (I think) some hadd "aussie aussie aussie, oi oi oi" written on them.. Shaila was completely covered (she`s actually Australian.. from Queensland which is North East of here I believe). A bunch of the guys had their entire faces painted like the flag. While we were waiting for the fire works there was an air show with jets and helicopters and those trick planes that I dont knwo the name of which was fun. They also had seadooers that would scream Aussie Aussie Aussie and of course, the crowd would reply with OI OI OI.. it was a good time people would scream the Aussie Aussie Aussie in our faces.. and then we`d just stare back.. scared for what might be coming becuase they were mostly drunk. The fire works went on for like a full 30 minutes so that was sweet. It was so nice.. it was coming from across the river and then there was a building behind us that had fireworks coming off it aswell so it was freaking sweet.
So far this week, I`m loving God, loving the speaker, and hating the cochroach that thougt he could live after running across our floor.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Beach Beach Beach
So this weekend is full of the beach. Yesterday I went with Christine and then more people came a little while later to Cottosloe's North beach .. so winding omgoodness. It was crazy because it wasn't windy until the other people came and then it just all come out of no where and sand blew like there was no tomorrow. Cool story actaully - so I somehow found the will to do my journal and finish it up on the beach - amazing I know - and then my memory verse from last week 1 John 1:7 flew out of my notebook and I was like.. crap. So I wasn't about to go chasing it down the beach in my bathing suit, so Christine and I kept watching where it went and then this man farther down bent down and picked it up and read it and then showed the 4 people with him and then read it again and the back (which had what the verse means to me on it) and then we watched as he folded up the piece of paper and put it in his bag. Christine and I looked at eachother like.. "um.. what just happened?"
Anyways so that was cool. And so today we're goind to Scarborough beach, which, by the sounds of it, is the beach with the most shark sighting around here. There was a massive one not too long ago and then a rumour of one one day the first weekend I got here. So hopefully I don't devoured haha.
Unknown Wispers
Thursday nights on base are evangelism - everyone does it - everyone has to do it. Am I over joyed? definitely not.. am I at peace with it? I am now. So on Thursday Chasity, staff, Taryn, roommate, and I were in a group to go around Mt Lawley area... our base group met at the park and we split up. We went to a bench first just to receive guidance from God about the next few hours. So we sat by the pond on a bench covered in nasty little hair loving spiders that, thankfully, only went on Taryn and Chasity and we prayed that God would speak to us about the night. So as I was sitting there with my eyes closed trying not to distract myself, I could see the little beems of light coming through my eyelids from the sun that was starting to go down over the trees. So as I sat there looking at the moving streams of light.. with my eyes closed .. yes I'm strange.. all of a sudden it all went really dark... no light. I wasn't startled or anything it was just like a change.. like "oh this is different," Like how your now shocked when you open your eyes after blinking.. anyways enough description. So it was all dark and then in the middle was this even darker silhouette of an old man and I could barely see and facial features becuase it was so dark, and he was whispering but I couldn't hear him. So I kept staring and kept listening to this man and I couldn't get anything I couldnt see his lips well enough to read is lips. So I opened my eyes like.. omgoodness what's going and on. And still I have no idea what that means. OH and this other thing. We prayed to ask God what direction we should go in to see if we all got the same answer. So I had north in my head all along and was like .. God please .. like if you're gunna show yourself subtly do it now, please God. So then I had this feeling like "I already told you.. go north!" So I was like.. alrighty then North it is. So then Chas said Lincoln street and Taryn said in the direction the wind was blowing.. so get this.. lincoln street ran east to west but was located north of where we were sitting and the wind was blowing towards lincoln street = north. HOW COOL!
anyways so thats my excitement from the last few days.
Repentance & Forgiveness 101
All this week we've been studying repentance and forgiveness and why it's necessary in our human relationships because it affects our relationship with God aswell. There was a big thing about bitterness being the break between us and God when we don't forgive others and that was huge because I was bitter at God. So all week I've been talking to Aggie, my one on one and small group leader who is now one of my absolute favourite people walking the earth, and we've been talking about how pain from the past hasn't been forgiven and is now the reason for wrongful bitterness towards God.
There was one thing that the girls in my room talked about and little and we came to one question - how come even after we confess and ask for forgiveness we still feel guilty and embarrassed? Aggie and I talked and we came to the conclusion that the enemy is feeding us lies to hinder us from forgiving ourselves thus successfully affected our relationship with God. Caleb Brownhill made a point in class that once we forgave people and ourselves God could come in heal us. That point is probably the biggest point for me this week.
There's been a lot of clarity in my life this week, a lot of hurt has come up with week, a lot of tears have come out this week and a lot of secrets.
So yesterday was the big day and when I say that I mean BIG day because we repented infront of everyone.. well half of everyone because we divided and half. But basically we got to the front, sat between our small group leader/staff member and Quenton (school leader) and repented. Terrifying. As soon as I opened my mouth I started bawling. After I was finished I had this heavy pressure that I wasn't finished. I realized after talking to Scott, staff, and Emma, roommate, that the reason I felt guilty and still hurt, was because I hadn't forgiven myself. I talked to Aggie and then as I was laying there I started shaking - not because I was cold, though it looked like it, but it started in legs and moved up. That feeling has always been God and I haven't felt it since deciding to work with Billy Graham organization 2 years ago. So it was huge. So looked at Aggie and told her I needed to go back. And I told God straight up that I couldn't forgive myself and I couldn't let go because I'm too scared to give total control to Him when I've been living in a hidden pain and tons of secrets for so long. After everything came out and all the hate and everything for people was confessed my leaders wispered that the only way that God can change my heart is to give Him permission to come in and take it from me. I started crying at the idea that I had to let go but somehow got it out.
Afterwards and later into the night I began feeling lighter, almost cleaner. Quenton said that God doesn't expect us to hand over everything right away and that taking it slow is okay. God's taking those peices out of my life and healing my heart as He does. There's more behind the story, but it'll take to long to write, if you're super curious send me a message.
Please keep praying that God continues to take the hurt out and heal me as He goes.
Thanks for the support!
Hope everyones enjoying the winter! haha
There was one thing that the girls in my room talked about and little and we came to one question - how come even after we confess and ask for forgiveness we still feel guilty and embarrassed? Aggie and I talked and we came to the conclusion that the enemy is feeding us lies to hinder us from forgiving ourselves thus successfully affected our relationship with God. Caleb Brownhill made a point in class that once we forgave people and ourselves God could come in heal us. That point is probably the biggest point for me this week.
There's been a lot of clarity in my life this week, a lot of hurt has come up with week, a lot of tears have come out this week and a lot of secrets.
So yesterday was the big day and when I say that I mean BIG day because we repented infront of everyone.. well half of everyone because we divided and half. But basically we got to the front, sat between our small group leader/staff member and Quenton (school leader) and repented. Terrifying. As soon as I opened my mouth I started bawling. After I was finished I had this heavy pressure that I wasn't finished. I realized after talking to Scott, staff, and Emma, roommate, that the reason I felt guilty and still hurt, was because I hadn't forgiven myself. I talked to Aggie and then as I was laying there I started shaking - not because I was cold, though it looked like it, but it started in legs and moved up. That feeling has always been God and I haven't felt it since deciding to work with Billy Graham organization 2 years ago. So it was huge. So looked at Aggie and told her I needed to go back. And I told God straight up that I couldn't forgive myself and I couldn't let go because I'm too scared to give total control to Him when I've been living in a hidden pain and tons of secrets for so long. After everything came out and all the hate and everything for people was confessed my leaders wispered that the only way that God can change my heart is to give Him permission to come in and take it from me. I started crying at the idea that I had to let go but somehow got it out.
Afterwards and later into the night I began feeling lighter, almost cleaner. Quenton said that God doesn't expect us to hand over everything right away and that taking it slow is okay. God's taking those peices out of my life and healing my heart as He does. There's more behind the story, but it'll take to long to write, if you're super curious send me a message.
Please keep praying that God continues to take the hurt out and heal me as He goes.
Thanks for the support!
Hope everyones enjoying the winter! haha
Monday, January 19, 2009
Distractions, Distractions
As the title of this post mentions I may or may not be incredibly easy to distract. Last week was awesome - speaker was fabulous - learned a lot, just all around loved it. This week however has been a tad bit more challenging in the area of staying focussed and it's driving me insane. I zone in an out and I'm totally unaware of what's going on or what's been said. By the time I clue back in I have no idea what he's talking about. Or I'm hearing what he's saying but my mind is like 3 galaxies away. Today was a little less La-La Land focussed compared to yesterday which is quite the improvement considering. This week is about repentance and forgiveness and it's suppose to be intense and challenging .. except apparently I'm missing all that because I get lost in the speakers points. Ugh I'm frustrated. Anyways, I would really appreciate and amounts of prayer - even something quick and simple - that I would be able to focus and take in everything that's being said.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Weekend
Finally we got to sleep in! So Saturday and Sunday we slept until who knows when .. and then we just layed in bed like lifeless little bodies for a few hours haha. But of course we had to hit up the beach so we drove with a few leaders in a bus to a new beach we hadn't been to yet so tha was cool. When we got there, there was a helicopter lifting 2 people out of the water... apparently, the story goes, that someone got caught far out and couldn't swim back in because of the pull .. which gets really strong. even standing knee deep is hard to stop yourself from falling hah. So that was kinda scary. It was really cool because of the cloud cover but when the sun popped out it was like fire. It was a pretty chill weekend though, just hanging out with different people and loving life. And we're back to 5:45 wake up.. ew.
* In the picture is our leader (left) and then some students. The guy in the pink shirt on the right destroyed his shoulder AGAIN .. so he was ambulanced to the hospital .. really bad.
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