Travel, Arrival, Beaches and Leeches

So, this blog was actually supposed to have a video but unfortunately the app I used to make the video was having issues uploading so I have to remake it using another video app…joy. It is a little frustrating since I used most of our Sabbath day today (1/24/2020) to finish it and excitingly anticipating to finally put it up buuuttt looks like there were different plans in-store. Oh well it is what it is there will be videos at some point but for now I can at least give you stories and pictures ??

Travel week was long only because we had an extensive 30 hour layover in L.A. and it was interesting to fly out last Tuesday and then skip Wednesday to go straight into Thursday because of the time-zone jumps so I’m “technically” in the future of the next day as you all read this ??. But traveling was rough since I was not feeling well since we left from Atlanta and with all those flights and stuff I was super stuffy and slightly miserable. Praise God I’m healed and feeling tons better now!

So we arrived at our destinations in Australia last Thursday the 16th. A few teams are staying at Life House Church while my team and one other are staying at another church. The first few days were more relaxed including our first Sabbath day and being introduced to Sam the local Coffs Harbour YWam director. That Sunday we attended service at the church we we’re staying at then we got invited by another churches pastor that another group visited house for lunch and to get to know them more. Our ministry didn’t really begin until this past Monday. At the church we’re staying at we’re pretty much sleeping in the lower area in a couple rooms while the sanctuary is literally upstairs right above us. Also laundry is pretty much all hand washing and line drying which is definitely new for me since the laundry mats here is a little bit more than what I’m willing to spend. But it’s not too bad it gets the job done.

So here’s a quick run down of what we did this week and what our days looked and will look like for the next week. Oh real quick the whole time we are here we are partnering with the local YWAM ministry by helping along side them with anything in the community of Coffs Harbour. Monday we had morning worship then for the rest of the day we did street ministry. So we all split into different groups, oh side note we are also doing ministry with the Byron Bay YWAMers as well so everything we do we together which is really cool, with each group we spread out into different parts of the Coffs Harbour going where ever we felt the Lord guiding us. The group I was a part headed toward this lookout point ontop of on of the mountains. On our way there we came across a fallen tree that some one had painted “Agape” which means unconditional love in greek which is the very type of love that Jesus showed. Quick side info during the time when Jesus was here there were only 3 different words for love. Storgé which means parental love, philios which means brotherly love or the love of common interests, and Eros which means erotic type of love. But the love that Jesus represented they didn’t have a word for it so they literally had to come up with a new word for the unconditional love that Jesus showed which turned out to be Agape. The spelling and accents could possibly be off. FYI the E at the end of those words make the A sound. Back to the update. So at that tree we stopped and had a mini prayer and worship session over the area as we looked out into the horizon which had a beautiful view of the ocean. After that we made it to the Outlook which was also visually stunning. On our way back we decided to do a short walk through a rain forest trail which was spectacular but little did we know while looking out for snakes and spiders that there was another creature we needed to keep an eye out for. Yes…I’m talking leeches. Specifically land leeches. Though they are harmless besides just latching on sucking away it’s still quite disturbing and gross to take my sandles off and find like 4 leeches on my feet. ??. Later on we came back to the church to find that the sanctuary was decked out with fancy decor for a farewell dinner for the Gold Coast YWAM crew since they had already been here helping out in Coffs Harbour 2 weeks before us. So it was really cool as a few people came up and shared their experiences from the street ministry then we worshiped and fellowshipped amongst each other.

The next day, Tuesday the 21st we split into 2 groups. One went to the nursing home to minister to the residents there and the rest of us stayed back at Life House to help with work projects to prepare for Australia day which is their independence day. So we put up a bunch of decor to prepare for this Sunday. It was pretty fun working with each other while tapping into our creative side to help create an atmosphere welcoming and meaningful to everyone here. Later that evening we had a guys and girls night. The guys went to Jetty beach to play volleyball with some locals which was really fun. The girls went… somewhere beach related not really sure what they did.

Wednesday the 22nd we spent the day at this rehab ranch helping the people who run it with work projects and also hiking the cliffs there. Me and another team mate went with the original owner of the place and dropped off a bunch of rubbish at their local tipper (dump). Others helped clean the school they have there and mowed the lawn. It was quite refreshing helping them and hearing their heart and story behind the place. It’s completely faith based and driven so everything they have was given to them over the past 30+ years which is super amazing and encouraging to see how God has provided over time. Oh and as we were leaving we saw a kangaroo! Apparently kangaroos here are like deer there back at home. Since they have road signs indicating to watch for them like we have deer signs. Pretty crazy cause they’re over populating but I haven’t seen a mass congregation of them yet but Im pretty sure we will go to a beach where a bunch of them are supposedly at. That would be rad! Any way I’m trying to remember exactly what we did once we got back. I know we had dinner but I’m pretty sure we chilled for the rest of the day. Oh also from Tuesday to Friday we had a team go to a youth camp and helped serve there by mainly cooking every day. It got pretty monotonous after a while since that’s the main thing they did but it was truly a blessing since they played a huge role in creating a freed up space for the youth leaders to be more present and intentional with their students. Which is huge because I’ve been there as a youth leader having to help out in other areas taking away time with the students but it’s awesome that we were able to assist and make a huge impact there. Oh I also don’t have pictures from the ranch because we weren’t allowed to document anything there for privacy and security reasons but it was truly gorgeous.

Thursday the 23rd consisted of spending most of the day driving/walking around neighborhoods passing out service flyers in people’s mailboxes. We did this for about 4 hours and it was a hot day. The climate and weather here is similar to back at home in Arkansas. Very humid hot summer but with the addition of tropical coastal air since we’re minutes from the ocean. (Funfact: apparently Australia only has a population of about 25 million people. Could be a little more I forgot exactly but it’s definitely not as many as you would think considering how large this country/continent is. The country is only about 10-20% habitable because a large majority is desert which is mainly all central inland so everyone lives along the coastal regions north, south, east and west.) Anyway we survived with minor sun burns and were rejuvenated with snacks, tea, and ice cream! I’m having a tough time remembering what our evenings consist of since majority of our ministry opportunities have been in the morning and afternoons. It either involves going to the beach, hanging back and resting, team time, dinner, or some other things that involve team bonding moments etc. But this day was a cool experience since I’ve never done anything like it before. It was a simple task but a little taxing because of all the walking in the heat. Their hope was to invite the locals in the area to service this past Sunday the 26th at Voyage church.

Friday the 24th was our Sabbath day. Praise! Our Sabbath days are usually on Saturday but we pushed it back to Friday this past week because we had an amazing opportunity to serve at this music event then. More info on that to follow. So not a whole went down since it was a day of rest but my goal was to have this blog already uploaded and posted by then but as I mentioned above the video I made wouldn’t upload so I have to redo it and give y’all footage on a later day. I know so sad cause I’m sure you may be tired of reading already lol kidding but this is a lot of text but hopefully the pictures are making it worth while??. So ya Friday was rest day.

Saturday the 25th! This day was fantastic. Like I just mentioned we had a great opportunity to serve and assist at this music “event”. We partnered with a group known as The Red Frogs. It’s a Christian group that basically focuses on being the hands and feet of Jesus by loving and helping people at schools, events, festivals etc. by facilitating an environment of showing the people they care for them and are there to help and keep them safe while they have fun doing what they do at these events by preventing negative situations from escalating too far. It definitely was a different approach to ministry but still very effective since these people who were mostly intoxicated may not remember our names but they definitely remember and appreciate us looking after them and making sure they stayed hydrated and safe. We also passed out red frogs which is the equivalent to the swedish fish candy back at home. Which is where they got the name because apparently mass majority of the people love them some red frogs both the candy and the people. It blew my mind seeing people’s crazy positive reaction to us when they saw our shirts and bag of candy. The red frogs have massive respect and appreciation by most of the people. It truly was one of my favorite moments so far. Great conversations and a fresh perspective on God’s heart for His children. It was hard and sad watching everyone just partake in what ever form of debauchery they chose but it was humbling being able to watch over them and be caretakers in a sense making sure they avoided major harm from all fronts as best as we could while just meeting them where they were and actively showing interest in their lives while realizing that not many of them receive that much care, attention and love. Truly was a wonderful yet heart turning moment. Unfortunately I don’t have many photos or anything from the event because we were specifically told not to record anything especially involving the group we were partnering with for good reasons that may not make sense some but the heart behind it is pure and is why they’re able to have such a huge respect and influence in the community even by local law enforcement and such. So all in all a phenomenal experience.

Ah finally caught up. Sunday the 26th, which was Australia Day, we had church in the morning and I had the opportunity along with a couple other team members to sing for our churches worship. It was intimidating but refreshing as well. I’ve always had this fear of putting my self out there like that by not having the confidence or belief that I could do such a thing even though I can sing decently if I truly tried. So it was cool to have this opportunity to expand beyond my comfort zone and just trust God in the midst of it relying upon Him and receiving my confidence from Him alone. The rest of the day was really relaxed and really just spent a lot of time with the squad since everyone came over to our church for lunch and dinner which was a nice change of pace. So now I’m caught up for now and this is a lot longer than what I wanted since I really wanted a video at this point but it is what it is and God will still bless this and those who took the time to read it regardless. If any one has ideas or things they’re interested in hearing about please let me know because I’m trying to come up with different ideas, themes, and ways to keep this short, informative yet entertaining at the same time while still communicating what’s necessary at the moment. I may not do more blogs like this because it’s just so much to talk about and to stay up to date on constantly since our days run together and are so packed out. Journaling helps keep things organized whenever I write in there but sometimes I don’t get to it cause resting is also a big thing especially after long packed out day.

God is good its crazy it’s been a little over a week already and yet it feels like a month. This week will look similar to what we did last week especially on the same days. But that’s it for now I’ve been working on this blog for the past three days now so I’m finally wrapping it up. Hopefully you were encouraged from this read and that God revealed what was necessary for you individually. So until my next post, hopefully it’s a video, I pray that your days be filled with life, truth and joy and that you can be inspired to move out of your comfort zones and be challenged to press into what God is trying speak and reveal to you. I pray your faith be increased exponentially and above all else you to simply love(agape) those around you and to be more intentional with relationships both with those you know and don’t know. Be blessed.

P.S. I realized I didn’t take as many photos as I thought since a lot of the time while we’re out here doing ministry I’m not thinking to take photos but trying to stay present in the moment but I will try to document more so you all can see more of what’s going on. I do have tons of video but you already know the story with that. So bear with me as I do what I can to pump out updates and good quality content for you all. Love y’all and thanks for your support for allowing me to be out here following God and fulfilling His will for His people on this journey it truly means a lot and I am continually great full.