God is good and God is real.
think about what that means.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
i'll follow you into the dark
i miss home!! i miss greensboro! i miss my family and my friends and my youth group and my church. i miss my bed. i miss lucy, my dog! its strange having such mixed feelings. i do not want to go home.. i can't imagine leaving my YWAM family... but i want to go home. i want to see my family!! i love australia. i miss america. silly feelings!!
so every tuesday for the rest of DTS i will be going to a local elementary school to run a program called Extreme. basically we (shae, andy, ezra, martin, and tina) have 25 minutes to entertain kids and tell them about Jesus... while being politically correct! its usually really fun. we do dramas and skits and play crazy games. we also share simple stories about God and how he has worked in our lives. i love it. i'm already getting attached to their cute australian accents and yellow and green school uniforms. i just love having the opportunity to go there every week and build relationships with these kids and tell them about Jesus. there is nothing i'd rather do with my time.
so i've started paying my school fees!! its really exciting to have all my lecture fees taken care of!! but i still need about $1500 dollars for outreach... but i know God will provide. and i want to thank everyone who has supported my financially! i couldn't be here without y'all! i really, really appreciate it!!
lately i've been learning about trusting God. i mean, really trusting him. with your heart.that means being vulnerable with him... letting him in to see how you REALLY feel, not just what you want to let him see... not just what you think is presentable... no. i'm talking about letting God see your pain.. your heart. your wounds. letting him in. and its not something i've been able to do on my own... in my own strength, i am not able to allow God into those painful places... its too scary.. its too vulnerable.. but i can allow God to go in there in HIS strength (2 cor 12:9) and change me... its a hard things. its like... trusting him to help you trust him with those wounds. but its cool at the same time. you know the Psalm where it says "search me O God, and know my heart" (psalm 139:23, btw) well that is what is happening to me right now. not by my own strength, but by His, i'm letting God into those wounds... those vulnerable places that make you squirm and maybe even cry when you think about them. its funny how we say all these things to God about how we will do whatever he says and we are his to do whatever he wants with and how we give him our hearts... but we don't really. we always hold one (or more) thing back... that one wound that you just can't let go of... it hurts too bad. well i want to encourage you to trust god. go out on a limb. offer your heart on a platter. God won't let you down.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm,
for God can be trusted to keep his promise. -hebrews 10:23
you know what. even if heaven wasn't real, even if we all just went to hell when we died, or there was just nothing at all... i would still follow Jesus. he is so worthy. even if there was nothing in it for me.... i would still love my Jesus. God is good. hes not tame, but hes good.
so every tuesday for the rest of DTS i will be going to a local elementary school to run a program called Extreme. basically we (shae, andy, ezra, martin, and tina) have 25 minutes to entertain kids and tell them about Jesus... while being politically correct! its usually really fun. we do dramas and skits and play crazy games. we also share simple stories about God and how he has worked in our lives. i love it. i'm already getting attached to their cute australian accents and yellow and green school uniforms. i just love having the opportunity to go there every week and build relationships with these kids and tell them about Jesus. there is nothing i'd rather do with my time.
so i've started paying my school fees!! its really exciting to have all my lecture fees taken care of!! but i still need about $1500 dollars for outreach... but i know God will provide. and i want to thank everyone who has supported my financially! i couldn't be here without y'all! i really, really appreciate it!!
lately i've been learning about trusting God. i mean, really trusting him. with your heart.that means being vulnerable with him... letting him in to see how you REALLY feel, not just what you want to let him see... not just what you think is presentable... no. i'm talking about letting God see your pain.. your heart. your wounds. letting him in. and its not something i've been able to do on my own... in my own strength, i am not able to allow God into those painful places... its too scary.. its too vulnerable.. but i can allow God to go in there in HIS strength (2 cor 12:9) and change me... its a hard things. its like... trusting him to help you trust him with those wounds. but its cool at the same time. you know the Psalm where it says "search me O God, and know my heart" (psalm 139:23, btw) well that is what is happening to me right now. not by my own strength, but by His, i'm letting God into those wounds... those vulnerable places that make you squirm and maybe even cry when you think about them. its funny how we say all these things to God about how we will do whatever he says and we are his to do whatever he wants with and how we give him our hearts... but we don't really. we always hold one (or more) thing back... that one wound that you just can't let go of... it hurts too bad. well i want to encourage you to trust god. go out on a limb. offer your heart on a platter. God won't let you down.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm,
for God can be trusted to keep his promise. -hebrews 10:23
you know what. even if heaven wasn't real, even if we all just went to hell when we died, or there was just nothing at all... i would still follow Jesus. he is so worthy. even if there was nothing in it for me.... i would still love my Jesus. God is good. hes not tame, but hes good.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
spring cleaning
i am SO sorry i haven't updated in ages!! its really hard to find the time to write an entire blog!! the past couple of days have been amazing!! to give an example of an average day, i thought i would post a schedule on my blog!
every morning we wake up at 6:30am to do workduties. work duties are just cleaning the house, and every week, we all rotate. this week, i'm on kitchen duty.
then from 7am to 8:40am, we have quiet time, eat breakfast, and get ready. we are just left to do our own thing. i usually shower first, then eat and then have quiet time before we leave.
at 9am, lectures or class start. we usually have something like intercession or worship in the morning, so not usually lectures. but its different everyday. yesterday, we all sat in a circle and talked about how we were doing emotionally, physically, and spiritually, and then we prayed for eachother. its awesome to be so close with everyone. we are all very honest and open.
(side note- tuesdays is community day. so every tuesday morning we have worship and intercession, and then go out into surfers paradise, homeless shelters, or put on programs for the local schools in the morning.)
10am- TEA TIME! we have a 30 minute tea time EVERYDAY. and its a big deal! everyone in australia has tea time!! we have tea or coffee with like fruit or bread or cookies. its so cute.
10:30-1pm- lectures!! we have different speakers every week, but each week is themed. like this week was hearing god's voice.
1-2pm is lunch. this week i was on lunch clean up, so i cleaned with ivan after lunch everyday.
2pm-4- lectures/small group/one on ones/ ACTS. it changes everyday. one on ones is when you go out with your staff mentor to talk. just to check up on us and give us a chance to be open and express what we're learning or if we're struggling with stuff. my mentor is Tina. she is great!! ACTS is explained in an earlier blog. my ACTS is cleaning the base. so yeah, 2-4pm is something different everyday.
4-5:30pm is free time! this is when i use the computer.
5-6pm is dinner.
6ish-9pm is lectures or outreach prep or coffee van (we set up a free coffee van in downtown GC and just minister to people. but this is only on thursday nights). or just free time. it changes everyday.
so after whatever we do at night, we go back home. i love our house. i feel at home there. i love coming back there after a long day. we usually hang out and play cards or swim. i usually just go to bed at like 10pm because i'm so tired!!! and then the whole day starts again!
its a pretty full day, especially when its EVERY day all week. its a little overwhelming sometimes. people keep asking me how i'm doing or how my heart is or what i'm feeling... and its hard to just tell people one emotion. i am just learning and processing SO MUCH information, and God is just teaching me and revealing so many things to me and just cleaning me out. thats how i feel. like its spring cleaning time. in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, there is a scene where the narnians and aslan take over the witch's castle. people are charging in and opening every window, every door. they are letting in the light and the fresh air. every damp and dark room is exposed. thats how i feel. like God is shining his light into the very darkest corner rooms of my heart. hes just charging through and spring cleaning has begun. i kind of just feel like i'm just along for the ride. its hard to pinpoint ONE thing i'm feeling or ONE thing i'm learning, because its all just A LOT. but its good. its very good.
last night, we celebrated the Jewish feast, Purim, which is when Ester helped save her people from an attack. So, in the tradition of Purim, we all dressed up in costumes! everyone looked so cute. i was a cat :) haha. so we all met in our costumes and took turns reading the entire book of Ester outloud. then we all just ate food and talked and stuff. it was so fun! i loved dressing up!
anyway... thats all for now! i'll try to be better about updating y'all more often! thanks SO MUCH for your prayers for me! i need them! i miss and love y'all so much!!!
hugs and kisses from australia!
grace
every morning we wake up at 6:30am to do workduties. work duties are just cleaning the house, and every week, we all rotate. this week, i'm on kitchen duty.
then from 7am to 8:40am, we have quiet time, eat breakfast, and get ready. we are just left to do our own thing. i usually shower first, then eat and then have quiet time before we leave.
at 9am, lectures or class start. we usually have something like intercession or worship in the morning, so not usually lectures. but its different everyday. yesterday, we all sat in a circle and talked about how we were doing emotionally, physically, and spiritually, and then we prayed for eachother. its awesome to be so close with everyone. we are all very honest and open.
(side note- tuesdays is community day. so every tuesday morning we have worship and intercession, and then go out into surfers paradise, homeless shelters, or put on programs for the local schools in the morning.)
10am- TEA TIME! we have a 30 minute tea time EVERYDAY. and its a big deal! everyone in australia has tea time!! we have tea or coffee with like fruit or bread or cookies. its so cute.
10:30-1pm- lectures!! we have different speakers every week, but each week is themed. like this week was hearing god's voice.
1-2pm is lunch. this week i was on lunch clean up, so i cleaned with ivan after lunch everyday.
2pm-4- lectures/small group/one on ones/ ACTS. it changes everyday. one on ones is when you go out with your staff mentor to talk. just to check up on us and give us a chance to be open and express what we're learning or if we're struggling with stuff. my mentor is Tina. she is great!! ACTS is explained in an earlier blog. my ACTS is cleaning the base. so yeah, 2-4pm is something different everyday.
4-5:30pm is free time! this is when i use the computer.
5-6pm is dinner.
6ish-9pm is lectures or outreach prep or coffee van (we set up a free coffee van in downtown GC and just minister to people. but this is only on thursday nights). or just free time. it changes everyday.
so after whatever we do at night, we go back home. i love our house. i feel at home there. i love coming back there after a long day. we usually hang out and play cards or swim. i usually just go to bed at like 10pm because i'm so tired!!! and then the whole day starts again!
its a pretty full day, especially when its EVERY day all week. its a little overwhelming sometimes. people keep asking me how i'm doing or how my heart is or what i'm feeling... and its hard to just tell people one emotion. i am just learning and processing SO MUCH information, and God is just teaching me and revealing so many things to me and just cleaning me out. thats how i feel. like its spring cleaning time. in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, there is a scene where the narnians and aslan take over the witch's castle. people are charging in and opening every window, every door. they are letting in the light and the fresh air. every damp and dark room is exposed. thats how i feel. like God is shining his light into the very darkest corner rooms of my heart. hes just charging through and spring cleaning has begun. i kind of just feel like i'm just along for the ride. its hard to pinpoint ONE thing i'm feeling or ONE thing i'm learning, because its all just A LOT. but its good. its very good.
last night, we celebrated the Jewish feast, Purim, which is when Ester helped save her people from an attack. So, in the tradition of Purim, we all dressed up in costumes! everyone looked so cute. i was a cat :) haha. so we all met in our costumes and took turns reading the entire book of Ester outloud. then we all just ate food and talked and stuff. it was so fun! i loved dressing up!
anyway... thats all for now! i'll try to be better about updating y'all more often! thanks SO MUCH for your prayers for me! i need them! i miss and love y'all so much!!!
hugs and kisses from australia!
grace
Sunday, March 1, 2009
miscellaneous blog entry
so i've been really wanting to try to drive here. in Australia, they drive on the opposite side of the road and the driver sits in the passenger seat!! also, most of the cars here are stick shift. but, i don't know how to drive stick shift, so there was no way i could drive. however, Carly told me that she had an automatic and that she would let me try driving!!! so friday night after dinner, she let me drive around the neighborhood! haha it was so exciting!! it was strange to be on the wrong side of the road, but it was STRANGER to be driving in the PASSENGER seat. but it was fun!! next time i'm going to drive on an actual road... haha! its going to be amazing.
saturday we all went to Currumbin Beach, which is the beautiful beach that mostly locals go to. shae and i layed out while everyone else surfed.. haha. i'll try surfing... one day... maybe. haha. but it was fun to just all be together. i love living with everyone!
this week we are learning about intimacy with God and hearing his voice. we've had one lecture this morning (its 3:30pm on Monday) and so far... its been amazing. i can't express enough gratitude to the people who have supported this trip. i am learning so much and having the time of my life!!
its funny how time passes here in the YWAM bubble. one day can feel like five minutes or ten years, but you are just oblivious to it. i seem to be wondering around in this strange mix between time passing and time standing still. its like another dimension that faintly resembles the world i know, but its much deeper... like there is much more to soak in. even when i am doing something like scrubbing the bathroom toilet i am aware of time passing, but i don't really want it to. then in worship, it feels like time is standing still, but then in a moment... its over. its gone... passed on. i wonder what God feels about time and its passing. is he aware of it? he is so outside of time and our ideas of time...
anyway. this is irrelevant. i was just pondering things. i love reading your comments! if you read my blog, please comment! it makes me feel just a little bit closer to home :)
love, grace
saturday we all went to Currumbin Beach, which is the beautiful beach that mostly locals go to. shae and i layed out while everyone else surfed.. haha. i'll try surfing... one day... maybe. haha. but it was fun to just all be together. i love living with everyone!
this week we are learning about intimacy with God and hearing his voice. we've had one lecture this morning (its 3:30pm on Monday) and so far... its been amazing. i can't express enough gratitude to the people who have supported this trip. i am learning so much and having the time of my life!!
its funny how time passes here in the YWAM bubble. one day can feel like five minutes or ten years, but you are just oblivious to it. i seem to be wondering around in this strange mix between time passing and time standing still. its like another dimension that faintly resembles the world i know, but its much deeper... like there is much more to soak in. even when i am doing something like scrubbing the bathroom toilet i am aware of time passing, but i don't really want it to. then in worship, it feels like time is standing still, but then in a moment... its over. its gone... passed on. i wonder what God feels about time and its passing. is he aware of it? he is so outside of time and our ideas of time...
anyway. this is irrelevant. i was just pondering things. i love reading your comments! if you read my blog, please comment! it makes me feel just a little bit closer to home :)
love, grace
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