Once again I find that my expectations are not matching reality. 

When I first heard about the ministry we would be working with this month, Darwin Christian Outreach Centre, I thought their main goal was building relationships with the people who stay here on site. It turns out the focus is much wider.

What they do here at the COC is a ministry in itself and some would say that it is enough. The staff and volunteers here give so much of themselves to run this place. The people who stay in the hostel they run are daily exposed to the love of Jesus.

However, the larger goal of the Centre is to run businesses that make a lot of money so that they can give that money to missionaries around the world who need the support in order to be effective. 

While my team is here we will be doing whatever we can to help. So far, we have spread mulch, sorted donated fruit, folded and stapled pamphlets, helping with cleaning and in the kitchen and even helped out at the farm while they slaughtered a couple cows and some pigs.
 

I don’t know what the rest of the month will bring. But, I do know that I am more than happy to help wherever I am needed. Knowing every dollar that would be paid someone else will be going straight to missionaries who are bringing hearts to Jesus makes it more than worth it.