Hey guys it has been awhile since getting on to do a blog. It has been harder than I thought to make time to sit down and put on paper what we have been doing. So here is a quick update on how I am doing and also what we have been up to in Australia.
So the majority of the time we were in Australia we were in Byron Bay. It is a cool little hippie town right on the east coast of Australia. So lots of pretty beaches and cool little shops and restaurants. There are thousands of backpackers that come through Australia from other countries and Byron is a big town that these people gather and love. With that being said it does create a different vibe of tons of culture, but also a lot of differing beliefs. We teamed up with local YWAMs while we were in Australia and helped them further their mission there. In Byron some of the ministy we did was beach ministry, serving free pancakes and chai tea to the community, some fed the homeless, some helped a couple move, and cleaning up the YWAM grounds. We also got to hang out with the YWAM crew and be an encouragement to what they are doing there while also growing relationships with them. Overall it was a great time with a pretty busy schedule most days, but tons of fun as well.
Ten of us did get to go down to Coffs Harbour for about 10 days though. We spent sometime with a couple that is just starting a YWAM base there. It was great to be around them and see their enthusiasm for God and their new adventure. While in Coffs we were able to do some different types of ministry. One being a place that a couple started 40 years ago that allows men and women addicted to drugs or alcohol a place to live and stay while getting clean. This place was amazing it was quite off the grid in that it was way back in the country side of Australia. It was a farm with several small homes and a larger building where group activites would take place. These men and women come there and with no medical intervention they detox. This is a place away from all distraction. They are given a place to stay and a purpose with the work they do around the farm and grounds to keep this place going. It was amazing to see the faith of the couple that started this and have been living on faith to keep this place going for 40 years with all their funding coming only from donations and volunteers. We got the opportunity to have a devotion and worship time with them a long with helping them around the grounds. I will never forget the time spent chatting with the workers and the men that were there in the program.
Also while is Coffs we were able to break into small groups and attend several churches. The church I attended was a new church only a year into their developement. This little church had some of the coolest people. One of them being the daughter of the couple that started the church. She was 25 and led worship. We got a chance to chat with her and her family. A couple of us were able to also spend a day adventuring with her. I was so pumped to be able to spend time seeing what the locals did and getting to see more of this beautiful country. She was so encouraged by our presence and getting to hang out. Until this point I really didn’t value just how important spending time with other believers would also be on this journey.
I feel so blessed to have been able to spend time with all the people in Australia. It has been a great first month! Check out some pics from ministry and days spent in Australia.
