BIG NEWS!

so i know the locations for outreach. my team will be splitting into two groups to go and we get to choose where we are going based off of where God is telling us to go.  for that reason my team members and i are not allowed to talk about it or post about it til we hand in our decisions on friday.

the first team will be doing 4 weeks in -----, 4 weeks in ------ (i don't know how to spell it, the country located within -----) and then coming back to perth for 3 weeks to meet needs here in the city and in the base.

the second team will be going to nathan for 7 weeks and then thaddeus for 4 weeks.

i know which team i will be going on. it was clear as soon as i was told the locations.  God put this place on my heart a year ago and i have no idea why He did at the time, but now i understand.

i'll let you know. but if you could please pray for me and my team as we go through this decision and hearing from God process.  it's a big step for us!

Week 3

This week was all about Repentance and Forgiveness.  To say the least it was intense.  On Friday which is application day for us we had the opportunity to get up and pray in front of the class for forgiveness of sins.  We also learned a lot about how we need to forgive those who have hurt us and make restitution those we have sin against.  It was def a day of tears but after it relief came.  It was only the first step though.  Now comes making our relationships right with both God and everyone around us, from the past and the present.

Although the time was tough it was also encouraging.  Seeing people from all over the world and from different cultures go up and hear their struggles, it bonded us.  We all had similar hurts, sin, forgiveness, and problems.  We all have a past and they usually aren’t our best moments.  Given none of us perfect and everyone struggles, but to hear it confirmed that we are all the same, and no one is better than the other.  And to be praying to the same God that would forgive us and bring peace to past hurts was encouraging.  At the end of it we walked out a little drained from laying our lives out there for each other and for God but it was also bonded us in a way that can never be replaced or taken away.

The week had some key moments of making want to break down and cry.  I had to write an email that was probably the hardest one I ever had to write, and the one I got in return was humbling but also very hard to read.  I learned a lot this week, both about myself, and how relationships work.  Although its been said a thousand times that forgiving isn’t forgetting this week made it clear that it’s not, and that it is a process that can take a very long time.

The week wasn’t a complete downer though.  It was uplifting to get these things off our backs, off my back.  And now we get to move on.  Yesterday was Saturday and I was able to talk with my best friend from back at home for a couple hours and it was great to see her.  There have been many moments that I wish she were here to hold my hand, or talk to, or share a funny moment with, but we are both doing what we need to do right now, so I understand that she’s not here.  It was good to see her though and talk about life.  I love having little communication with home, but I do love getting emails from people to hear what is going on.  It’s almost like I’m reading a book.  I’m not there to experience it, but knowing what happens gives me a taste of home.

We don’t have stars here from light pollution.  It’s not as bad as Vegas but it helps that the city can be bright and the weather feels like California.  I honestly have a hard time remembering where I am.  I feel as though I’m at home.  Not permanent home, at least not to my knowledge, but I don’t feel as though I’m an outsider.  That is until I try and figure out what a kilogram is and how fast the speed limit is and that dollars are coins here and the money is unrippable. 

All is good here.  My throat is sore today.  It feels like I have a post nasal drip, but there is nothing that is post about it.  Just a dripping nose that is running to the back of my throat.  Pray for that if you can.  And pray that the exchange rate doesn’t get any higher and that the American dollar gains strength so that I can pay off all my outreach fees.  I don’t know the exact cost of it yet, but if it is the full amount that I planned for I won’t have as much as I thought I did.  I will have enough just not as much as I thought. 

Week 2

This week was on the character and nature of God.  It was really intense but in a good way.  Class time is only 2-2 1/2 hours long but anymore time and I think my brain would explode.  We dig really deep into the concepts and into the Bible.  I'm really enjoying it here. I have a hard time most days to realize that I'm in Australia and not Southern California.  The weather and the city are alike so it's hard for me some days to get a grip on where I am but I love it here so I don't spend much time thinking about it.

I love the worship here.  It's crazy, but in a good way.  We worship as a group three times a week.  On Monday it's the whole base, and Wednesday and Friday the Sports DTS and my school get together for worship.  It's a lot of fun.  The songs are mostly what I know but there have been a few ones and I'm loving them. 

Last night or Thursday night we do evangalism in the streets.  The base breaks into groups and heads out.  Our focus for this quarter is the homeless, poor and needy.  My team goes to the hospital and a hostile run by the YMCA.  Last  night we just prayer walked and worshiped by each place.  I think it will be a lot of fun.  I have no problems starting conversations with people so we'll see how it goes. 

I rode the train here for the first time.  It def made me think I was in London for some reason, like Harry Potter... The money here really makes me think I'm living in Harry Potter land.  One dollar and two dollars are in coins which is weird for me and the fifty cent piece is huge.  It makes me feel like I'm really poor when I actually have like ten dollars, it's a new concept for me. 

This week my family chores leader invited me over for tea at her place.  I said sure, not really sure of what I was getting myself into but it was a great experience.  We just sat and talked.  Coming on this trip I was kind of worried cause I'm so used to not being around guys.  There are four guys on my team but I'm not super close to any of them, which is def different for me.  It wasn't until recently that I had really close girls as friends and more than just one.  I've always been around guys.  So I was worried knowing that there would be 16 girls on my team.  But God has shown me that I can have females in my life that I rely on. 

I've learned that there are strong women  besides my mom that I can have accountability with.  Don't get me wrong I'm sure that is a woman at the church that I could have as a mentor and rely on but it's never come about for it to happen.  Here it helps that I'm forced to have a one on one (accountability partner), who I love, but that there are also a ton of older woman that I can talk to about what is going on and get advice about life, if I need it.  Even if I don't need it they are here to comfort, support, and talk to.

I really love my job in hospo.  There are days where all I do it laundry or iron but I like it.  It gives me time to myself or to be around other girls (not that I'm deprived of that).  Today I cleaned an iron and did dishes.  May not be the most important job but it gave me time to bond with the other girl with me. 

Bonding is very good especially because this is becoming my family while I'm away from family. 

This weeks topic has really hit me.  I knew most of the things we talked about but I now understand those concepts.  Such things like God is love, kind, truthful, and faithful.  I now know without a doubt these things.  I can see where they have occurred in my life and in the Bible as well.  I also get how "we are created in God's image."  That was def a concept that I understand.  On Wednesday we did a timeline (totally geeked out over it, I like timelines, I'm a history major) of how God's character and nature has been present and the same throughout the entire Bible.  It gave me clarity about how God is an unchanging God and it also gave me really good insight to the Bible.  I am not motivated to read the entire Old Testament.  I feel like I have a better understanding of it and can read it now without it being so boring as I once thought it was.  I get why Old Testament law is the way it is and how the New Testament covers those laws and put the same ones into practice into a different way. 

Yeah, it's been good.  Still don't know about outreach but I am continuing to pray about it and pray about London and what it's meaning in my life and how it will work out. 

Week 1

Normally posts wont be this long but since I haven’t updated this will be the first week and what the base is like.  I promise to update more and more often so that they aren’t so long. 

So it’s been a crazy week to say the least.  Last Sunday we went to church and then went into town to shop.  It was also the official start to school.  On Monday we had orientation and then free time.  Tuesday was registration day and then free time.  Wednesday we started lectures.  We went over hearing the voice of God.  Our school leader taught us this week.  It was very cool.  I knew a lot of the stuff that we covered but something my leader said was “Relationship is love, and love is choice.”  It def hit me in a very deep way.

Thursday and Friday we continued the lectures on hearing the voice of God.  Each week we will have a different speaker and subject.  The speaker can be someone from base or someone who flies in to speak to us.  We go over many topics and I will tell you each one as the weeks go on.  As part of the school we have to do a journal each week.  The journal asks us different questions and we have to answer them.  We get to be creative with them so there has been plenty of paint, crayons, markers, and magazine clippings flying around. 

All the girls that are in my school are staying in the same place.  It’s very nice.  There are only four of us to a room and we all share a kitchen.  There are also spare rooms so we have guests coming in and out all the time.  It’s fun.  We have a very cool patio with a bench and since most afternoons are nice it’s a perfect place to sit out and read or journal.

I’ve been surprised how much of a community we are here.  We all pitch in to get things done.  In order to better explain I’ll go over what a typical day looks like.  At 6 am we have morning exercises for half an hour.  We then have a break then at 8 we do family chores for half an hour.  Then we either do worship or prayer as a school or a base.  Then it’s morning tea and coffee.  After that at 10 starts lectures and we go til lunch at 12:30.  After lunch starts 2 hours of work duties and two hours of free time.  Then at 5:30 is dinner.  Then we have some kind of night activity like lecture, small groups or evangelism. 

Family chores is half an hour everyday or some kind of work.  Right now I’m outside cleaning the laneway or the main walkway that we use.  Our team is about 10 people and we also clean the outside bathrooms.  We do this as a base because if we do then we don’t have to get up early on Saturday and do three hours of chores.  It also keeps the base really clean.  There are other jobs and everything gets clean during this time.  After three weeks we switch duties and move on to something else.  It also makes us take pride in what we use and not abuse the base.  It really does make it feel like home. 

Work duties is more like a job. They gave us a survey of what we have done in the past or what we like to do.  They then place us in that area as best as they can.  I’ve been placed with hospitality or hospo.  I really like it.  We do anything from cooking cakes for the staff or cleaning up and setting up the rooms for guests.  It’s the motherly group on the base.  I like it.  I ironed sheets and table clothes for 2 hours on Friday.  I’m telling you if you have ever tried to iron a fitted sheet you know how difficult it can be.  If you have never ironed a fitted sheet, go take off your sheet and try it.  It’s harder than you think.

Saturday my school and I traveled to the beach for some bonding time and a sausage sizzle.  It isn’t something that we will do every week but it was def fun to do the one time.  The beach was so clear and even though it was winter the weather held out as we splashed in the water and took pictures.  Towards the end it did get chilly and we were more than fine to pick up everything and head out but it was fun while we were there.  The water is so clear and so blue! It was amazing!!!

After the beach we went to see kangaroos.  There are only a couple of places you can see them in the city.  They don’t randomly come hopping through at any moment I promise! But where we found them is a grave site.  It’s also a park but where the kangaroos hop is the graveyard.  They are still wild animals so we couldn’t get too close and they were more than happy to hop away everytime that we got close but it was still cool to see them.  I was feet away from a kangaroo and seeing them hop is def a very cool sight to witness.. I did get a picture with one but the only reason he stood so still is because he was taking a poop. There is a place called kangaroo island where you can actually get up and pet them so hopefully we will make it out there.

The weather here is pretty chilly in the morning and at night but the day isn’t so bad.  It’s a mixture between Vegas and California weather.  Right now it’s raining which is good because this part of Australia has been in a drought so the rain is a blessing. 

Today was a quiet, cold day.  For the most part the weekends are our own.  We get to do what we want and don’t usually have activities that we have to attend.  Every three or four weeks we do have a weekend duty which would be like dishes or cooking or cleaning.  I did mine today and worked in the kitchen. 

It really is like a big family here.  Birthdays are something to celebrate and you can sit down next to a stranger and be best friends by the end of it.  The accents are also very cool.  There are a 105 students this quarter with about 200 on staff with easily over 30 nations represented.  The amount of work that is done is amazing both within the city and world wide.  Worship is fun and prayer is always happening.  There is a music DTS here so at any given point you will hear people singing or music played.  At dinner the boys love to sing mumford and sons which just makes me laugh because them singing reminds me of all the boys back home.

We drink coffee and tea a lot here.  I hate coffee but yet drink about a cup a day.  (HINT HINT there is no starbucks here so if anyone wants to send me via packets I will kiss you when I get home). 

With all the different languages here I’ve learned a lot.  I’ve slowed down in speaking a lot so we can understand each other and we constantly tell each other how to say things or tell of customs from back home.  My friend Joliene is Dutch and is constantly speaking Dutch to me on accident.  We laugh about it every time.  It’s been a fun experience to see how each other lives back at home and how similar we are.

I don’t really pick up the accents anymore and I don’t really hear Australian accents anymore.  I have picked up some words from different countries like a gas station is a servo, salvation army is salvo (we love salvo and the salvo bin on base), sun glasses are sunnies, a beanie is a toque, my bladder is a blass, and if asked como es esta (I know no Spanish let alone how to write it besides like 10 words) answer with muy bonita or very beautiful instead.  It’s been a lot of fun to talk with everyone.    

Gary your music has been pulling me through here.  I think I’ve listened to you everyday.  It really has hit home some of your songs and have related to my lectures this week.

Kitty and Gavin, someone totally walked up to me and said “war eagle” as I was walking!!!!! I brought with me an Auburn University sweatshirt that was a gag gift from them but is way comfy so I brought it with.

Kristina I miss you like no other and John and Tony walking somewhere or eating a meal isn’t the same without Jon Jon and T. 

The college group I miss you guys and our events and Tuesday nights but it’s like Tuesday night on crack here, it’s so intense in such a good way!

And of course I miss my mommy, step dad, and puppies but they already know that.

God is doing great things here and I’m totally excited to see where He takes me and my team! I will know outreach by the end of the month or soon after and as soon as I do I will let you know.  On a personal note if you would please pray for me about London.  I’m not sure why but it comes up and everytime it does I feel like something bigger is going to happen.  I’m not sure what it means yet or if anything will come from it but it def is something that is stirring within me. 

haha

so the last post was supposed to be titled "carb overlaod" not "card"


that's what tiredness will do to you!

Card Overload

I'm here in Perth! It is seriously like southern California out here.  The weather is just like Vegas winter.  It's cold but not too bitter most days.  Right now I'm outside in the shade and it's pretty nice!

My flights were amazing. The 8 hour layover in New Zealand was killer though! there is nothing to do in that air port worth wild and there is no free wifi which stinks.  But I got here on Saturday night and got moved into my room.  The July DTS girls are all staying in one house.  Most of the other students here are staying in what we call 228.  It's a huge building with two big rooms.  In the rooms are just piles of bunk beds.  There isn't much privacy and apparently it echos pretty bad so it's not always quiet. 

However July DTS girls are in a house called Gladstone.  It's a building that it more SoCal looking.  I'll post pictures later so you get a better idea.  there are four girls to a room and our showers and toilets are outside the house but in a closed area.  again i'll post pictures later to give a better idea of what i'm living in.  Base is a three minute walk from where I'm staying.

On sunday which was my first day the girls and i went to church here in town.  It's called Metro church.  It was pretty legit.  It took place it what looks like an old theater.  i really liked the service.  After church we went to the grocery store and then had lunch at the base.  we then ventured into town.  its like california shopping areas.  There are big office buildings and then shopping on the street level.  It's kind of like what Fremont street would be if it wasn't so run down and had shops that didn't just sell vegas stuff.  it was really fun.

Sunday night after dinner we had our first meeting as a class.  We have 11 girls and two guys right now.  We are maybe awaiting for another girl and we have a boy from Mexico coming to join us! We have a few different nationalities on the team.  3 Canadians, 6 Americans, 1 from Mexico, 1 from Holland, 1 from Sweden, 2 from Australia, 1 from South Korea, 1 from Germany, and i'm blanking if there is more.  This includes our staff which is 4 females and 1 male.  I'll talk about my team later.

Monday was orientation day and then my team went to King's Park which is like Central Park.  It's huge and beautiful and has an amazing view of the Perth skyline. 

I'm not going to lie i have a lot to say but am kind of tired.  Just wanted to let everyone know I'm here, I'm alive, I'm loving it, I miss home but it feels like i'm just in California so it's not bad at all, it's beautiful and I'm loving it.  Classes will start for me tomorrow. 

I'll write more later! Love you all!

Oh about the title.  We have a couple of bakery's that donate their bread to us at the end of the day so we have more bread than we need.  Toast is what we usually have for breakfast.  It's fun!

Something So Big

My time is running out in the states.  I'm trying to get everything cleaned, packed, put away, organized, bought, returned, thanked, tucked away, and on and on and on.  It's controlled chaos and I'm trying to take it one day at a time and get a little done each day.  I'm excited though.  I'm anxious and worried and concerned and nervous, but underlying it all, I'm at peace.  I know this is what God wants me to do.  I know this is where I need to go.  I know that this is His plan for my life right now and I'm excited.  But it is hard leaving everything that I know for something I know really nothing about.  But it will be an amazing adventure and for that I'm excited.

Back when my church told the staff what changes they were making and what all the planning they had been doing for, they had my friend Gary sing this song.  The chorus simply says, "I want to do something, so big, it's destined to fail without you Lord, I want to fail without you Lord."  This whole song is truly how this trip is for me.  It was such a BIG undertaking for me.  A big decision to do.  To go without finishing my degree, which everyone told/tells me I need or I will fail.  To go knowing that it was going to cost me $13,000.  That's a lot for a broke college student. Knowing that six months away could/will/would change my whole life.

It was scary.  But the whole time I knew that this is what I needed to do, and with that I relied on God to provide.  I had no idea how in the world I would make thirteen thousand dollars.  That's a really big amount.  I got the idea to ask people for all their spare change, and with that alone I've made over $1,300.  IN CHANGE.  There is no reason or logic that I would get one thousand, three hundred dollars from change.  I'm talking nickles, pennies, dimes, and quarters.  I made over 13,000 pennies.  It was easily twenty pounds of pennies.  All the change was so heavy I had to enlist the help of my cousin to take it to the bank with me cause it was so heavy, and he only carried the dimes and nickles.

Then I talked to whoever would listen about my trip.  I've received donations from a wide variety of people, some people I don't even know or have met before.  That was God working.  I didn't know how I would all the money, but I knew God would provide.  And He did.  I'm FULLY FUNDED.

I'm doing something, so big, that without God, I'm going to fail.  I'm setting myself up to fail if I don't rely on him.  I'm going to fail HARD if I don't rely on Him.  It hasn't been a cake walk.  It's been hard.  I've wanted to just stay in bed and forget about the trip.  But at the end of the day I know this is what I need to do.

So in ten days I'm going.  I'm going on the trip of a lifetime.  I'm going with the support of my family, friends, and church.  I'm going to change the world.  I'm going to plant seeds, show love, learn lots, and do a lot of traveling.

I'm going.