During this month of February my team was sent to Byron Bay, Australia, to bring the love of Jesus to the people of this beautiful place through evangelism. Byron Bay is a town on the coast known for the awesome surfing and New Age/Hippie atmosphere. Just about every person that I have talked to has come to Byron and has ended up staying for years because of their love for the people and the environment. VW buses, dreadlocks, guitarists on the streets, barefeet,… you’ve got to love this place! As much as I love the town, however, my heart is very burdened for the people here. The hippie spirit has yielded a very apathetic mindset. Byron Bay is a very spiritual place as well, but universalistic in thought. My desperate prayer for the people here is for them to recognize that love beauty, etc. are attributes of the Lord! Jesus is the only One that provides complete freedom, healing, hope.
This month we have no ministry contact. We are completely dependent upon listening to the voice of the Lord and His guidance! The past two weeks have been such a cool time of learning how to be intentional with every conversation and being creative in reaching out to people. Two days a week we do a volleyball tourney on the beach and are able to build relationships in that. We also join with another Christian ministry called YWAM to put on a free barbeque in the park every Friday night. It’s neat because we have built some cool relationships with completely random backpackers or locals who want a free meal. Personally, the Lord has brought me to the coffee houses! I love it because there is this one coffee shop in town that has a wonderful large wooden table in the middle of the café. It’s tight because it provides a perfect avenue for conversations with other “table-sitters”! I am stoked to be able to bring home the lifestyle of being intentional. Even in the grocery store, you never know how much encouragement you may bring someone by just being uplifting with your words. I love living each day with the purpose of sharing Jesus, whether it be listening to someone’s story or just giving a smile!
