When we first landed on the Gold Coast, one of the first things we were told on our way to the ministry base was that the sun is extra strong here. It was hulk strong because there in fact is no ozone layer here. At first I thought that they were just telling us that to prevent sunburns, but the sun here on the east coast is no joke. Before exploring Byron Bay I made sure to put on sunscreen and I was being extra cautious before we would leave for the day. I was one of the few who managed to not get sunburnt in the first few days we were in Australia. But, that victory is no more.
Three teams left for Coffs Harbour last Friday and have loved being able to help in the community here. We have partnered with a couple who is building a YWAM base in Coffs and they have been incredible hosts. Their hearts are for helping people and bringing people together from all different backgrounds, churches, and ages. We have had the opportunity to help out at a local botanical garden, help clean the church we are staying in, being a part of youth ministry night, and helping with a Christian community for recovering addicts called Sherwood Cliffs. I honestly have never been so excited to help out with something when we were on our way to Sherwood. I didn’t know what we would be doing there but I felt excited to get started and do whatever they needed help with. This facility sits on some of the most breathtaking land I have ever seen. Windy stretch of road that was surrounded by trees opened up to vast green fields with a kangaroo spotted here and there. It only built on my excitement to get there. As soon as we got to the campus, the owner, John, greeted us with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. (Apparently it’s a Swedish thing, or just a sweet thing) It was clear that this man’s heart was for people. He led us up a flight of stairs where we were met by the eyes of people sitting in a circle, ready for devotional. We were put into the mix of people who worked at the facility and people going through the program. We sang three worship songs before leading the morning devotional. We had a chance to break up into groups and talk about what the verse meant to us. The conversation was so great and I was so inspired by what they were getting out of the study. They grasped onto what the verse was saying and made it applicable to their lives in such a beautiful way. I was blown away by the responses that they had from the passages. After a morning devotion we went back down the stairs for morning tea. They know how to bring the morning in right here. They set up tea, coffee, sweets, and fruit for you to enjoy. Honestly, made my morning that much greater. After enjoy a mix of coffee, hot chocolate, and milk I was ready for the day. They listed off the jobs that they were looking for help in and I don’t know why I raised my hand for lawn mowing. I knew that I didn’t have sunscreen, I knew that we would be out in the sun all day. But, when I heard lawn mowing my hand shot up! I just said a quick prayer that I wouldn’t get sunburnt too bad.
We spent the day with Chris and Justin in a field next to a whole bunch of cows. This was no small area that we were working in. This fenced in area had rows of trees and a garden that we had to mow around. We had two riding lawn mowers, two push mowers, two weed wackers, and 5 girls ready to get to work. I chose a push mower and waited for instructions. Chris came over to start my mower with a pull of the long string connected to the engine. One pull: nothing. Two pulls:nothing. Three pulls:the engine revved up and kept revving without starting. The mower kept shaking and did not sound okay. We tried a few more times but Chris in the end just told me to wait as he went back to the shed. He came back with the riding lawn mowers and no explanation for my horrible sounding mower. After a few more tries he said that he had another job but it was going to be difficult and could involve snakes. At this point I was desperate to help in some way because everyone else was doing their job in the field except for me just watching the cows. We walked over to this tall patch of grass and he handed me a scythe. I realize now that I have been calling it a sickle this whole time, but after some google research I found out its called a scythe. If you have seen pictures of the grim reaper, his tool is the scythe. Have I used one of these before? No. Have I seen one in real life before? Nope! So Chris told me to start chopping down some of the tall grass in the garden so it is easier for the weed wackers to go through. After a little demonstration on how to use it, I got to work. I had to think of some built up anger and start chopping away. After about two hours in the sun with a scythe, a rake, and some tall grass that may or may not have been some snakes home, it was time for lunch. We walked back up to the house and I went to wash my hands. The two blisters that had formed even though I was wearing gloves had already popped and there was just a little pink on my cheeks. I was pretty impressed with how not red I was. I was starting to think that I was working so hard the sun just wasn’t able to catch me. After a delicious lunch and great conversation, John stood up and told us his story. He was an alcoholic when he moved to Australia from Sweden and he didn’t have much drive in life. He was working as a mechanic and spending his money on alcohol. He almost drowned after drinking and started to think that there was more to life. The friend that was living with him was a Christian. John explained that one night he woke up to his friend praying for him. That friend would eventually lead him to Christ after lots of kicking and screaming from John. The story of how him and his wife Honi got together is even crazier. They agreed to marry after not even a week of knowing each other. He felt called to open a rehab center and they got a huge amount of land for very cheap thanks to God’s provision. He told us many other fascinating stories before it was time to head back to work.
We wanted a little bit more of a break for lunch so those of us who mowed convinced Chris to take us to the avocado trees. Where we were working there were signs pointing to the direction of the banana and avocado trees. Some of us got the chance to ride in the back of a pickup truck enjoying the view. The back was full of twigs and branches from them trimming a tree so we had to stand up and hold onto the top of the back window. THE VIEW THOUGH! We were looking out as Chris was driving towards the trees and we just kept saying,”This is our life now, we get to see amazing things like this!” We drove up a steep hill towards the banana trees before one of my squad mates standing on the back of the truck with me shouted,”kangaroos!!!” I looked quickly at the banana trees trying to finally spot a kangaroo! Everyone could see them and I thought that I was the only one who couldn’t see it. I felt like the little boy on Polar Express when he can’t hear the bells on Santa’s sleigh. I could not see the kangaroos through the trees! But then they started to hop away and that was when I saw 6 kangaroos. My heart guys, I was so happy that I was finally spotting these adorable animals. We may have scared them away with our squeals of excitement but I couldn’t keep it in. We drove past the bananas in search of avocados. We found the trees and hopped out and picked some fresh ones! Avocados are such precious fruits everywhere. We picked about five for our squad to eat later on. They are still sitting on the counter doing some ripening today. After exploring a little bit more and checking out some fresh bananas, we went back to work. Chris took me to a new spot to start knocking down grass while the weed wackers were hard at work where the snakes lived. As Chris took me to this new spot he told me that I didn’t really need to do this area because he thought that I was pretty tired from the previous area. I laughed and asked him if he would have to chop down this area later on. He said maybe next week and it was at that moment that I realized that this was not something that I have to do but something that I get to do. I get to help Chris so that he doesn’t have to chop down that grass next week. I get to help these people where ever they need help so that later, they don’t have to worry about it. This was not a have to, this was a get to. I told him that if knocking down this grass was helping him later, I wanted to do it. So, I got back to work on a new patch of tall grass. This time I had to avoid some growing trees so it was a bit more tricky but it added an element of a challenge. I started to notice that my arms were looking a little pink in the sun but I knew that I needed to do this work. We were only outside for about an hour and a half before heading back up for afternoon tea. It was when I went into the bathroom to wash my hands that I looked in the mirror and realized how red that I truly was. All I can think about when I get sunburnt is apologizing to my skin because it is usually my fault that I burnt it off. And this was 100% because I did not put on sunscreen. Usually fair skinned people get sunburnt after gardening in the sun for the entire day. All I can do is pray for quick healing and no permanent damage.
It was pretty painful when I realized how burnt I was. It’s funny that I had not felt any of that pain when I was working but when I saw it and recognized that I was burnt, it became painful. I poured some cold water over my arms and tried to slow down the burning process that continues even when you are out of the sun. And when we got back to the church I walked straight to the grocery store and bought some Aloe. I all but bathed in Aloe for the next two days and wore long sleeve shirts whenever I was outside. By the second day the burn had turned into a tan and was no longer hot. I just remember laying in my bed after working at Sherwood Cliffs and praying for healing for my arms and for God to just take away the heat emanating from my skin. But oddly enough I was thankful for the sunburn. In a way, that sunburn reminded me of what I did that day and who I got to help. That sunburn was an indicator of the work we had done that day. I don’t remember that day as the day I got my first sunburn on the race though. That was the day that I got to do a devotional with recovering addicts on their walk with God. That was the day that I got to ride in the back of a truck standing up and watching the world go by. That was the day that I saw my first kangaroo. January 30th was the day that I got to partner with an amazing facility that helped people with their walk with God on a breathtaking piece of land. There are so many beautiful memories that trump the sunburn that came afterwards. This race is not about that I have to show people the love of God, this race is about that I get to show people the love of God. I get to go on this amazing journey and do things that I would have never have been able to do otherwise. I get to follow the calling that God has put on my life. I would get sunburnt more if it meant more experiences, more conversations, and more relationships in the future. For now though, I will keep the sunscreen in my back pocket at all times.
