Rejoice!

This is a sunset that we saw the other night on St. Kilda beach and it just makes me praise our wonderful, beautiful and amazing Lord!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

Thank you for all your prayers regarding healing. I am so thankful! I am feeling much better now! Praise the Lord! I don't have much time to blog but I wanted to share of the revival this is happening in our group. God is stretching us so much and using us to our full potential! We are praying more than ever and God is being more and more faithful! I am so in love with Him!

Pray for healing

Well hello there! So I don’t think I’ll be able to do daily blogs anymore – cause life here is going by way too fast! Our days are long and I’m totally wiped out by the time we get back to the hostel. I usually fall asleep on the tram (; However, I will continue to highlight great moments and areas that need prayer.

One area that needs prayer right now is health. A couple of people on my team have gotten this sickness. Most were throwing up due to stomach issues. We don’t really know what it is, but it just has to take it’s course and pass. I am unfortunately one of the 5 that have it. I thankfully haven’t thrown up yet but I definitely have never felt this before. Ever since last night my stomach has been bubbly and has made me very weak. It rolled over to today in which I was told to stay back and have rest. Worst day ever! I love sharing on campus and to be restricted to a bed is not fun. I slept most of the day because I could barely stand up without feeling horrible. I am making myself move around more, take little walks down the hall, etc. However my stomach is still not feeling good. I am drinking lots of water but food is not an option. I have not been hungry at all today, but I forced myself to eat a granola bar. Another girl on my team is even worse.

Please be in prayer! Not only for my own sickness but for my other teammates’ sickness. I really hope that no one else gets sick, because after being sick, I don’t want anyone else to go through this. I know God is with me, but it’s very easy to be homesick, discouraged and sad when you’re sick in a foreign country. Please be in prayer for healing and comfort.

LaTrobe Uni

Friday July 22^nd

Major highlight of the day/night: Prayer and worship night at RMIT Bundoora! Different worship songs but it was beautiful singing to the same God Almighty! About 10 Aussies involved in Student Life (Australia’s Campus Crusade) came and I had some great conversations with 4 girls. Since we all were having an awesome time, they invited us to join them at McDonalds (or as they say Mackas). Quite an enjoyable time of fellowshipping with other Christians! Definitely going to make sure these relationships last.

Saturday July 23^rd

Today was our first team exploration day! Our leaders brought us to Chapel Street which was filled with lots of thrift and antique stores! Great team bonding day for sure! However, my main highlight was going to a “Christmas in July” party at a group of the STINTers houses. There was about 10 STINTers, 20 Aussies involved in Student Life and 10 of our group. I met two wonderful ladies Amy and Liz this night! Liz and I had a great conversation throughout the whole party. Talking about how she was the only Christian in Student Life at her uni, her background as being Egyptian and many more! I was very comfortable talking about Gospel related things with her and she encouraged me a lot! Overall, it was great making friends while enjoying the Christmas atmosphere!

Sunday July 24^th

Our home church for the time of being in Australia has been really great! They are going through 1 Corinthians, which is one of the books I’m reading for my quiet time. I really love the community in the church and the messages are great! Worship here is “jazzier” than in the States. Different and great! Today was a good catch-up day. I had some good accountability time with one of the older girls on my team. We’ll be meeting up throughout the summer project and I’m super excited! Our conversation was so fruitful today and she’ll be showing me some outreach/evangelism techniques that she has learned. We ended off our night with a family night – talking about all the formalities for our week to come. I’m so excited for the Lord to use me tomorrow on our first outreach event! Please pray for this week and how the Lord is going to use our team! Pray for the hearts of the Australian students at LaTrobe!

Monday July 25^th

“Here am I, send me God!” This morning was an awesome devotional time about fully dedicating ourselves to the Lord and admiring Him for who he is! There was a section where we all shared inspirational bible passages and it was so great to go through all of them. I love seeing my family talk about different passages that all inspire them in different ways.

Oh boy, today was great day! We are doing an outreach event called “What is the answer?” where we go around asking people about world conflicts. Today from 11am – 3pm I went out doing that survey with another girl on my team Ashley. The questions on the survey are: 1) Why are we here? Why are human beings here? 2) What is wrong with the world? Do you play a role in what’s wrong with the world? 3) Is there hope to put the world right? Do you play a role in putting the world right? 4) Can I share with you how Jesus attempted to answer these questions?

Ashley and I talked to 7 different girls. I wish I could tell you everything about what we talked about, but that would be way too exhausting. However, I would just like to share that God has stretched and encouraged me so much already! We prayed before and after each person we talked to and that really brought up divine appointments and took away the nerves. The Holy Spirit was flowing through my words and it was no longer my words but His. I am so blessed to have a Father that will guide our conversations like he did today. We talked about Jesus with each girl today and I will be meeting up with some again! There were so many different views and answers but they were all thirsty for the Lord!

One amazing story that is definitely not over. The last girl Niki that Ashley and I talked to really made my heart drop. As we were getting to the end of our survey, Ashley asked if she knew who Jesus was. Her reply was no. Ashley then asked if she knew what Christianity was. Her reply was again no. At this point, me and Ashley’s heart dropped. I have never experienced this before. Someone who has never heard the name of Jesus or knows what Christianity is. GOD IS SO GREAT! He is using us at this moment to reach the unreached! She unfortunately had to leave, but she is interested in meeting with us again! We are hopefully going to meet up with her tomorrow and start telling her the Gospel from the beginning. Such a beautiful experience. I am so excited for how God is going to continue using me and my team here in Australia!

Please be in prayer for the students of LaTrobe! (:

Very encouraging verse for being tired this week after evangelizing:

"He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:29-31

Oh the places we’ll go

Saturday July 16^th, 2011

Traveling is quite a journey within itself. These past couple of days have been fast-paced yet slow, hectic yet peaceful and overwhelming yet exciting! The plane rides went by surprisingly fast; watched a lot of movies and actually got some sleep. Arriving into Melbourne was an experience all on it’s own! Breathing in that first breath of brisk air was the best! All of us were so happy and excited! We instantly forgot all the troubles getting out of the airport, the lack of sleep and the confusing time change. The only thing on my mind was – I’m here. I’m finally here! When we got in Melbourne, we instantly met up with the STINTers here! They are the Campus Crusade friends that got enough support to live here for a year and work on the campuses we’re going on. They were super helpful and encouraging! After we got into our hostel, they showed us the surrounding area nearby. They brought us to Melbourne Central which is a like a giant mall with a movie theatre on one level, tons of stores, food court, underground train stop, grocery store, and more! Basically everything we’d need. They also set up a scavenger hunt, which was really really fun! This was a creative and helpful way to get to know the city of Melbourne more! From running around the city, learning the train system and asking Aussies for help, it was an overall amazing experience! After all that madness, we got dinner in the food court and went grocery shopping. Everyone bought their own breakfast and lunch necessities for the week, which was harder than all of us thought. A not-so-fun fact, everything in Australia is expensive! That was a struggle for all of us to budget wisely. Ending of the night consisted of trying to fight jet lag and stay up till 9:30pm, which only a few of us accomplished.

Sunday July 17^th, 2011

Good morning, good morning! We started the morning off right by going to a church nearby called City on a Hill. This was my favorite part of the trip so far! I loved everything about the church! The people were so friendly, the message was great and the worship was different but still filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s so great to see people from the opposite side of the world worshipping the same God as us in the states. Such a great picture of God’s kingdom! After church we went back to the hostel for lunch and a cultural/safety briefing from the STINTers. Following that was taking a trip to Big W (similar to Walmart) and Melbourne Central for a little wifi time. Papa Goods and Mama Tiff (our project directors) made us a delicious dinner, too many good things to say about that dinner! Ending off the night with a beautiful time of worship was just the way to go. These moments really re-direct my mind and soul to the reason why I am here. Since uni (college) hasn’t started yet, this week is all preparation. It’s easy to get caught up with all the cultural differences and adjusting that we might forget why we are here. I am so blessed to have a Christ-loving team that will always re-direct each other to the purpose of us being here!

Monday July 18^th, 2011

Starting the day off with a great devotional led by one of the guys on our team is just the way I like it. Putting Christ at the start of our day really centers my life upon him. Michael went through three basic points: the truth of the Gospel, evangelism and basic apologetics. We talked a lot about a multiple of things and pointed to over 20 different verses. I am so stoked to go evangelizing on the campuses! I can just tell that I have an awesome and supporting family here that is ready to spread the Gospel! It’s so encouraging! Today was just filled with exploring the city more, ate lunch, went to a coffee shop, dinner and prayer night!

Oh Lord you are doing major work in the hearts of this team already! We are ready to go and make disciples! We are your workmanship and we are ready to further your kingdom in any way that we can!

Tuesday July 19^th, 2011

This morning all of us got up early and decided to visit LaTrobe & prayer walk the campus. This was one amazing experience to say the least. We split up into 2 groups of 10 and walked around the campus first. Noticing the classrooms, center circle of food, dorms, etc. Then for about 40 minutes, we prayed. We prayed in center areas for specific reasons. In the dorms we prayed that community of Christ followers would be created in this time, that this living place would be available for spiritual conversations. In an amphitheatre, we prayed that someday church services might be held here, that there will be a body of believers worshipping the Lord! We stumbled across two separate male/female Muslim prayer rooms. The boys/girls in our group split up and prayed for the people who will go in there. The girls prayed that truth will be revealed and that these women may find their identity in Christ rather than this religion. We prayed over the center food area that divine appointments will come about! That the Lord will use us to love on these Aussies of LaTrobe! Prayer walk was simply beautiful and it has gotten me excited to spread the Gospel here.

On the tram there and back we also met a couple of Aussies! Great conversations already on the first day is just encouraging me so much! I am so excited to follow up with these relationships and I’m ready to meet more friends!

After all that, I had some quality time with two lovely ladies. Going in deep conversations with others on my team really creates this bond that I love! I am so encouraged by the love that they give off, the love of Christ shining through them! Today was just a glimpse of how beautiful they are. Thank you Lord for blessing me with some great ladies!

Ending the night off was perfect. Tonight is date night with Jesus aka go somewhere and be alone. Of course we went somewhere in a group, but we sat in separate areas. This night was filled with just conversations between me and the Lord! Conversations through prayer, journaling, reading the Bible and listening to worship music! Oh I really felt that the spirit was with me at that moment. I started my time off by simply praising Him! He has loved me and blessed me so much that it just causes me to stand in awe of him! Psalm 96 was a good tool to help me praise my Lord! I moved on the being thankful for what he has done in my life thus far and specifically this summer. Following that I prayed that he would use me this summer to do great and mighty works on LaTrobe! I want to be his child and his worker! Ending the night off with a song called “Take My Life (Let it be)” by Chris Tomlin really put me in perspective. I meditated on the lyrics of that song for a while. I want to give my whole life to my Lord who is more than worthy for all my praise! Overall great date night with my one true love, Jesus.

Thank you Lord for this beautiful day that you have blessed me with.

I'm running to Your arms

Oh I'm running to Your arms

I'm running to Your arms

The riches of Your love

Will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

Just a little team-bonding worship before leaving for Australia.

These are the moments that make all the past troubles mean nothing to me. When we direct our eyes back upon the person who deserves all attention, everything else goes away. When we worship to our Lord, all other negative feels go away. Oh Lord I know you are here with us! We praise you God for all that you have done, are doing and will do! All the glory to You forever and ever, Amen.

Briefin' lovin'

Oh hey there supporters, friends and family that are following this blog.

Little disclaimer: I may not be able to update as much as I like due to the small wireless internet available and with my time schedule on project.

But trust me, I would blog all day every day if I could! There's so many things I want to say but not enough time to say it.

So far I can update you on briefing.

We're only two days in, but this is one jam-packed-crazy day.

I am:

• Meeting and bonding with my new team family
• Learning about the Australian culture
• Hearing messages about the four concepts - Love your God, Love your team, Learn a New World, and Launch a Movement
• Learning about everything that we will be doing "down under"
• Basically getting super stoked for this trip!

So here it is. The last day that I am in the great 'Merika that we all know and love. The thoughts going through my head naturally are nervous and scared. However, through prayer God is changing those thoughts into excitement and courage. Last night when our whole team was praying together, I could feel the Holy Spirit with us. I can just tell how awesome our family is going to be and what an experience this truly is. I know that I am not completely ready for any question or situation that happens down there in Australia, but I am ready for God to use my imperfections for His glory.

Some quick prayer requests:

• Safety for the flight over to Australia
• Good health on our team
• That God may open doors for evangelism that we haven't even planned!
• That our team may come close as a family and closer to our God
• That our leaders would make decisions based on God's calling and that they stay well rested and ready to do His work
• That the people in La Trobe Uni would have open hearts and be willing to listen and ask questions
• That God will challenge, stretch and grow me on this trip

So there it is folks. My last post from the USA. Well maybe not, we have a lot of time in LAX before we fly.

Please keep us in your prayers!

I love you all so much!

"Blessings!"

(Inside yoke from briefing but it's also appropriate)

And the packing starts

Tonight is the night that I begin my journey... into the packing world. Talk about a major flip from shorts to pants, from skirts to sweaters, from sandals to water-proof boots.

Winter here I come!