Wowza. The last week and a half has felt like at least 2 months! We have packed in a crazy amount of activities, and yet, also a blessed amount of rest and adventure time. My whole squad of 25 people plus 7 leaders is staying in Coffs Harbour, Australia. Our smaller teams are split up between two wonderful churches who generously allow us to use their facilities. Adjusting to inflatable sleeping mats, 60-second showers, and very limited alone time has been an adventure in itself!
I absolutely love it here though. The community is family-oriented and super chill. The accents are literally the best in the world. The landscape is absolutely stunning. Did I mention we’re within walking distance of the beach? Yeah, that’s cool too.
Our ministry this month is a partnership with the local YWAM outreach center. We already completed a pretty wide variety of tasks…yard work built shelves for the church’s storage room, street evangelism (I’ll devote a whole post to this soon because I’ve learned a life-changing approach to it!), worship, handed out almost 6,000 invitations for another church, and served in church services/outreaches.
Here are some highlights and favorite memories:
-
Survived my first 13+ hour flight and skipped a day because of the time differences (it’s +17 hours here in Australia compared to Oklahoma)
-
Jumped off a 35ft. Jetty (pier) and swam with dolphins in the ocean
-
Volunteered at a drug rehab center. It’s a small scale and family-run nonprofit ranch-style organization nestled up in the hills outside of town. God used the time there to confirm my dream and reignite my passion for running an at-risk youth ranch of my own someday. The way they have it set up is almost exactly what I want to do!
-
Began the process of learning to take a weekly day of Sabbath rest (it’s so wonderful – read my last post for more info on it)
-
Served at a local music event. If you have any experience with music festivals, you probably know how much alcohol is consumed and little clothing is worn. We handed out water, walked intoxicated people to their Ubers, held hair back and offered comfort as girls vomited and passed out, and patrolled the border to maintain safety as much as possible. It was hard watching 5,000+ people waste their lives in pursuit of a happiness and fulfillment that is only found in God. Yet, it was a beautiful opportunity to step into their lifestyle and simply love them right where they are.
There have been some hard moments too…squad dynamics with 32 people are complicated. We are all in the learning curve right now, figuring out how to work together while we follow this crazy path God is laying before us. It’s good though. It really is. I’m beyond blessed to serve alongside so many strong Christian warriors.
While the atmosphere is overall spiritually light here, we have also definitely encountered some darkness. I’ll be honest, spiritual battles are terrifying, but it’s also comforting to know God has already won the war. He has taught me a lot about resting in His peace in the midst of the darkness and fear. A huge thank you to my mom and all her prayer warrior friends who surrounded my squad with prayers in our time of need this past week! It’s amazing to know an army is behind us.
And thank you, whoever is reading this, for following along and being so involved through your prayers, comments, and encouragement! It means more than words can say. 🙂
Prayer requests:
-
Continued squad unity
-
Our eyes would be open to the light of God’s presence around us even in the midst of darkness
-
Physical health – a sickness has passed around our squad since Launch
-
Hearts would be convinced of a need for salvation
-
A pastor for the Wesleyan Methodist Church that is hosting my team
