I realized today that I have been a bit vague in relaying to
all of you what I am actually doing in ministry! I apologize, and would like to tell you that my team is
partnering with YWAM in doing many different ministries along with sometimes
doing our own ministries when it is possible. I know that I briefly mentioned some of the ministries, but I will try to give you more detail!
Painting/Construction…There is a staff house that used to be
a Police Station that was given to YWAM.
They had to move it across the city and placed it on the YWAM base, and
it now houses one family on the top floor. We are helping with the process of fixing up the bottom
floor in order that another YWAM family might move in soon. There are only a couple on my team that
has past experience in actual construction, so they have been doing some more
difficult things, while the rest of us dust and paint the rooms.
Nursing Home…(Side note) Apparently the game that we play, “Uno,” is
said “You-no” in Australia but still spelled the same. Here we sang worship songs,
had great conversations, prayed with, and played “You-no” with the people that
lived in this nursing home. They
enjoyed having people to spend time with while we were there! We will be going
back a couple more times before we leave Australia.
Mentally Handicapped “Hostel”…Today, we went for the first time
to a mentally handicapped hostel/apartments. The people here are not severely handicapped, but still struggle with some things. We just got to know them a little bit this time, but the
next 2 times we go there we will be teaching them how to do basic hygiene
things such as brush their teach and wash their clothes.
Cardboard Testimonials…Yesterday, John, Eryn, Taniuska, and
I went into downtown Brisbane to catch a little attention and in hopes of
striking up conversations with some people. We made signs on cardboard that told part of our
testimony of who you were before Christ. Mine said, “A
fraid to
be me” on one side. The opposite
side of your cardboard sign is supposed to say how God has redeemed that in
your life. So, on my opposite side
I wrote, “Confident in Christ.” We
spread out along a strip of stores where there were tons of people shopping and
hanging out. (My favorite part was
to watch people as they walked by and saw us.) Many didn’t even look, some did double takes, some you could
tell wanted to stop but their friend didn’t, and then there were the few that
were brave enough to ask us what in the world we were doing! The first guy that asked me said that
he studied religions. He told me
that he just didn’t understand why all religions were the same….I didn’t have
an answer to that question, but I
did get to tell him about my relationship with God, and how it wasn’t
about rules or regulations like many religions. We talked about the trinity and about Jesus. I wish I could tell you that he became
a Christian right there…but he didn’t.
However, it was such a great day of just loving on people and telling
them how the one and only true God has changed our lives.
Please continue to pray that we get the opportunity to
really minister to the people in the nursing home, “hostels”, and even on the
streets. I know that just spending
time with them is going to open so many doors and I pray that God gives me the
words to speak life into them.
