Hello from the Land Down Under!
These past few weeks of living in Australia have been NUTS. Every morning, it hits me all over again that I get to live and pursue Jesus here for a month. We’re getting familiar with the city of Coff’s Harbor, we’re recognizing locals, walking bolder in the Holy Spirit, making friends, and growing closer to each other as a team all the while drawing nearer to God. We have gotten to work with ministries of all shapes and sizes, on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Each day is different, and our days are long, but they are so, so good. There are so many of us, and ministry options are BOUNTIFUL here in Coff’s.
We are being sent to local churches to serve and encourage believers, nursing homes to lead church services, street evangelizing, walking through the neighborhoods and spirit mapping. We are going to the mountains and cliffs and worshipping and praying over Coff’s Harbor, serving at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, letter dropping to 5,500 homes in the city, partnering with Red Frogs and volunteering at a music festival to help keep 5,500 attendees safe from harm. We are going out to “the Oval” to hang out and play soccer with refugees, hanging out at the skate park, and serving a free BBQ at the beach with worship. Needless to say, we are busy. The Lord is moving here in Coff’s Harbor, and we are blessed with the opportunity to be a vessel in ANY and EVERY way! We are also (very quickly) learning why practicing Sabbath is so vital.
In all the hustle and bustle of ministry life, God has been teaching me to grow me in ways I didn’t even realize needed growth. I thought I had myself figured out pretty well, ya know? I reckoned I did a good job of leaving America with a clean slate, while leaving everything behind that would hold me back from absolute free fall into ministry. But, God is revealing to me I brought a few things to the other side of the world with me, and I am struggling to let them go.
Each day, I am presented a new and beautifully constructed opportunity to release my death grip on comfort and independence. Each day, I am given a chance to wholly and desperately rely on Abba in any and every way.
Referring to the ministries listed above, there’s been days I couldn’t take another step on my own. I’ve needed God to give me HIS joy, HIS peace, and HIS patience because I couldn’t find it in myself. There’s been moments I pleaded with God to hold me together because I had nothing left to give from the day, mentally, emotionally and physically. There’s been moments I’ve had to pray and ask God to carry me one more step, one more street, one more person, one more moment. There’s been days I needed comfort and felt homesick. I basically asked God to teleport my mom or dad to Australia because I just needed a hug (nothing is impossible for the Lord right?!) or to at least give me a dream that brought me consolation.
Now hear me out, I am sleeping in an air conditioned church, I get to shower, I have access to moderately reliable WiFi, I get to use a western toilet, eat three meals, and I get to ride in a van to most of our ministry. I understand my time in Australia will be the most comfortable month on the World Race. So why have I felt such great discomfort?
In my time with the Lord, He has given me a lot clarity for these moments. There is a song the Lord continues to put on my heart during times of discomfort. It’s called “Refiner” by Maverick City Music. Here is a chunk of the lyrics that speak to my heart:
“I want to be tried by fire
Purified
You take whatever you desire
Lord here’s my life
Clean my heads, purify my heart
I wanna burn for you, only for You
Take my life as a sacrifice
I wanna burn for you, only for you
You’re a fire
The refiner
I want to be consumed”
“Tried by fire”. In order to be refined, you must put an object under a great deal of heat, typically through fire. I love the thought of that. Purification through consumption. God is merciful enough to unconditionally love me exactly as I am, but gracious continually refine me to be more like Him. He is continually pruning my life or refining my heart to make room for Him to fully abide in me. Right now, here in Australia, in my first weeks on the World Race, Abba is stripping me of self-reliance and comfort of my heart. He is teaching me there are things and people I rely on for energy, sustenance and comfort instead of Him. Through the fire, God has done such a beautiful and wonderful job of removing the people and things I turn to before Him.
I’m writing in present-tense because this certainly isn’t a finished work. As a child of God, forever pursuing a child-like faith, I’m still learning. I still run and I trip on my own feet and I fall and scrape my knees and I get hurt a lot, but as I look around for help and consolation, I have nothing on earth to set my eyes on.
I’m finally beginning to look up and see only my Abba for the care and comfort only He can give.
