God is present in this place!

On Friday (Aussie time) I arrived safely to the Brisbane airport.  The Airport Shuttle first picked me up followed by two other students in my DTS.  Together we rode up the mountains to the beautiful city of Toowoomba.  As the van made its way up the windy road, through the trees, and pulled up in front of ‘Camp Toowoomba’ I looked over to one of the other students, Nathan.  Without verbally saying anything and in complete disbelief, we were thinking, “Well, here it goes. We are finally here. Let’s see what happens.”  In less than 5 minutes, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.  A crowd of YWAM leaders flooded the van to grab our bags and began the tour. 

Now… anyone who knows me also knows that I am not shy, but when I say just how comfortable I was arriving, it was completely God.  Although being outgoing comes naturally for me this was still a very new place in a different nation.  Any anxious thoughts, fears, or doubts were wiped away.  It is still very astonishing to me how at home I feel in this place & I have you to thank. 

Thank you for your prayers.  Thank you for your financial help.  Thank you for your encouragement.  Thank you for your advice….thank you so much.

Okay, so back to what has been happening here in the land down under.  It wasn’t until day two of orientation that we had our whole team because some of the students had numerous flight delays.  Then by Sunday night we were all here!  All 21 students, 9 leaders, plus additional adult staff members and kiddos were gathered in the worship room.

I absolutely love, love, love the size of this group.  I love every brother and sister in this place.  I guess you could say God knew what He was doing when deciding who would be coming here. ;) That is also the reason I haven’t been on my laptop much, if it all. 

Friends and family, I can’t explain to you what it’s like here.  Not now, not in a few weeks and not when I come back to America.  But what I can tell you is how God is very much alive.  He is doing just as exciting things today as He did when His Son was here on earth.

That being said, we might not be walking on water like Jesus did, but we are witnessing what it looks like to have over 30 ppl (who have never met on another and have insecurities of their own) come together in harmony eager to worship the one true God….That’s cooler than walking on water in my opinion.

On Monday, our first speaker arrived! Oh, that reminds me!  Each one of us were assigned certain duties to accomplish weekly (Haha, who thought of that episode of FRIENDS)  Haha, anyway…In order to keep this camp that God has entrusted us with to manage and keep tidy, we each have chores to attend.  On Tuesday and Thursday nights, I get the blessing of helping clean up dinner.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful meals prepared for us, it’s a joy that we have dishes to clean.  In addition, I get the blessing of being hospitable to our guest speakers.  Speakers will typically arrive on Sunday night and stay through Friday.  I prepare snack plates, serve them lunch before myself, offer any refreshments, and anything else they may desire that we have to offer.  At the end of each week I will clean their cabin and prepare it for the next speaker.  I love serving and it is the least I can do as they prepare lessons for each day of the week. 

The lectures this week has focused primarily on the Bible.  Day 1 covered how it was written, copied, translated and canonized.  Day 2 covered half of the time line for the stories within the Bible.  So I think it is safe to say tomorrow will finish the timeline.  The amount of information being taught is exciting and intimidating.  It will be a tough for me to remember the dates and times, but I accept the challenge. 

Sorry it took me so long to update you all. Not only have I enjoyed every minute of being fully present here in the camp, but also over half of us (me included) are fighting a cold.  All that being said, ~please pray for our colds to not effect our ability to focus on the lectures, 

~that we would treat one another with unconditional love, 

~we would have beneficial time with our One-on-One leaders 

~and that we get the most out of our time here.

~Kristen Anne

P.S. On Monday of week 3 we will find out which Outreach Location we are being sent to.  Until that time, the leaders are still in prayer about it.  Please pray that they would hear from God where I will be sent.  Sounds like there will be three teams going to three locations.  Thankfully, God has it all under control.

Photo Credit: James Harris 

CHEERS!

God created it all.

Hey there, mates! WOW, Sydney has been quite the experience.  It could be the fact that I’ve been anticipating being in Australia since last November or maybe it is because the Sydney Opera house & Darling Harbor are two of thee most beautiful sights I have ever seen.  The days spent here are soaring by and in two short days I will be moving into my new home in Toowoomba.

It’s a nervous excitement that is for sure! God is calling me to be apart of great things.  I can tell that He is going to grow me in more ways then I have ever had at one time.  I will learn what it means to be a daughter of the King.  He will make it obvious to me what my identity is.  I will continue to live for today because tomorrow is not promised.  Nobody knows his or her last day on earth, just like we do not know when Jesus Christ will return.  But we can be certain each one of those will happen. 

I am looking forward to living a purposeful life; one that changes lives and brings a smile to my Father’s face.  God is speaking, my friends.  It takes time, effort, and a constant reminder to make sure that we clear our minds.  When we do that, we can hear what He has to say and to see what He is showing us.  My prayers for you (& myself) don’t live for this world.  If making money, buying shiny things, or partying the weekends away was lasting fulfillment then nobody would want to have a relationship with God.  Christianity is not easy, so trust me when I say that if making a large sum of money would make my heart content then I would work seven days a week, 24 hours a day.  We need God. I need God & I desperately want God.  He is true to His word, He listens to me ramble, He knows what irritates me, He knows what makes me laugh and be joyful, He protects me from danger, and He loves blessing me.  I’ve heard it said, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” so don’t confuse a trial from God (which is made to ultimately strengthen you) with a temptation from Satan (made to destroy you).  With God, you can overcome. 

It may sound to good to be true, but He is a God of love, forgiveness, and grace.  He listens to your every need and provides the ones that really matter.  He sees the future and knows how Shepherd you into fields of prosperity.  Not the world’s definition of prosperity, but His definition.  Don’t let another wasted day pass away.  Don’t be afraid to cry, bow down, and recognize Him as King.  He will always forgive you, love you, and want your attention.

~a girl thirsting for more, more of God

P.S. Check out ‘Praise the Lord’ by The City Harmonic

You can find picture below of the last few days 

Chillin' with the Kiwis

This is probably the last blog for New Zealand because tomorrow night we are on our way to Sydney! It has been a wonderful time time here, but I can not wait for Australia!!!  Apparently their accents are going to be very different.  As an American, I am sure I won't know the difference but the people of New Zealand (aka Kiwi(s)) say they are nothing like the Australians (aka Aussies). The two countries have this sort of rivalry where they make fun of one another all the time.  I am already catching myself say certain words their way, so I wonder what I will sound like three months from now :)


Here are additional phrases we are picking up:
~Heaps....... which means lots (I have heaps of friends)

~Hair raising........ anytime you're nervous/scared (It's hair raising anytime I drive in L.A. traffic; aka goosebumps) 

~Bush bashing........like we are hiking off the path.

~Arvo..... is used for 'afternoon' it's not a place but a time.

~Chur......okay, cool

~Flat warming....... a house warming party focusing more for the younger crowd

~Motorway.... Freeway

~Biscuits.... cookies 

~Dicey or dodgy.... 'sketchy'


Here are more pictures :) The top few are more from the zip-line tour yesterday and the bottom half are from today's adventure.  Allie's friend, Mary, lives here in New Zealand.  She was so very kind and drove us outside the city.  We were able to hike One Tree Hill and see acres of rolling green hills.  Following the hike, we drove to see their beautiful black sandy beach. 

Day 5: