Hello supporters!
First off, I would like to apologize for not having a blog post on my last week in Australia. I was planning a devotional for my team for our last week & dealing with details regarding our departure. The devotional was something very near and dear to my heart and the topic was about being set apart for Christ, the persecution that follows after that, and how we are called to be radical Christians wherever we are. It was a great time for me to dig into the Bible and learn more about how we are to live as Christians. It was challenging to myself and I hope it impacted my team as well. (:
The last week in Australia was so bittersweet! We had our last week of evangelism, our last hangouts with our Aussie friends, our last tram rides, our last family nights, and our last moments on RMIT and LaTrobe. I loved the last day on campus where we hungout at each campus for an hour and did a prayer walk. It was wonderful to say a goodbye to the campuses through prayer. It was an emotional moment for me saying goodbye again to the campuses. I loved lifting the students of RMIT and LaTrobe up in prayer. Praying for those who we talked to, those who heard the Gospel, those who came to Christ, and those who will be talked to in the future. Just to lift up the whole campus to the Lord was such a great moment. It just showed that even though my time on these campuses is over, the Lord is still at work in Australia. He will still move in the hearts of these students and bring more into his family. I also loved lifting the Student Lifers at both campuses up in prayer. These are the few students (about 8) that are committed to the Christian group “Student Life” which is our Cru. They dedicate SO much time to this club and have so much responsibility. However, in the midst of such a small number of people in the club and such a large number of students to reach out to, these few people are SO motivated by the Holy Spirit. God has equipped them with a fire for him that is so amazing to witness. They are so in love with the Lord and ready to do work for His Kingdom on their campuses. There are aspects of their lives that I want to model back here at UCLA. They truly are set apart from the rest of their campus, and that’s what I hope to take back with me here.
So on the subject of “taking things back into the States,” I wanted to share with you all a couple things that I learned in Australia this summer (:
Servant’s Heart: With my position as a leader, I technically was there to serve my team through figuring our logistics and finances. The Lord really put it on my heart this summer to work on my servant’s heart and to learn what it really meant to be a servant. I have struggled with selfishness for a very long time and this summer I was challenged by the Lord to work on that sin and replace it with a want to worship the Lord through service to others. I loved watching the Lord work in my heart in this way! There were bumps in the road, times where I felt like I should be served or that people weren’t recognizing my service, etc. A lot of those conflicts came from Satan trying to keep me away from loving the Lord through being a servant. Besides those few moments, this summer I LOVED being a servant. I loved caring for my team and for my other leaders. I loved serving them through figuring out my job needs, by helping cook, by helping those who were sick, by encouraging, etc. In the moments where I didn’t want to be a servant, I just thought about the greatest servant of all – Jesus. Of all people who should have been served, Jesus Christ himself chose to be a servant. So I tried to model after him and submit myself in humility to whatever the Lord was calling me to do. I loved how God changed my heart in this aspect. It was such a great encouragement when the guys on our team wrote on an encouragement note to each girl and about 5 out of the 8 boys mentioned something about my servant’s heart. God definitely used those boys to encourage me in the work that He has done in my heart. Ah, it was such a great time of growth this summer and I’m bringing it back to my home (:
Finding my comfort in Him: Oh boy, where to start with this one. For a while I have been struggling with finding my comfort in people, specifically my friends and my boyfriend Nate. This is similar to idols, but it specifically affects my walk with the Lord because in uncomfortable or fearful times, I don’t run to Him but I run to other people. Even in my daily life where I may be comfortable, I still find my comfort in other things than God. Friends and relationships aren’t bad, however when they come before my Creator and Father, that’s when it becomes something I need to change. Going into this summer, I knew this about myself, so in my first discipleship time with Jenn and Sarah I told them that it was something I wanted to pray for and to read in the Bible for. It was something God put on my heart and I saw a lot of growth in this area! I began by meditating on passages in the Bible regarding comfort, everything from Psalm 23 to verses regarding peace, rest, God’s promises in my life, etc. I prayed for the Lord to change my heart, to give me a new one that earnestly wants to find my comfort in Him. Even though Nate was on the same project as me, I didn’t have much contact with him. We both decided that we were going to put ministry first during the project and put our relationship in the backseat. Normally, I go to him for comfort, however this summer God showed me what it looks like to run to Him. God revealed to me what holy comfort feels like. When I pray, I feel His presence and I am at peace. He has re-fixed my eyes upon Him and Him alone and it’s something I’m truly grateful for. I loved meditating and praying about comfort and seeing the Lord change my heart in a matter of weeks!
Oh man, this summer was something different. God was SO PRESENT amongst our team! We were blessed to be used by the Lord is amazing ways this summer! We initiated conversations with around 925 people. About 530 of those turned into spiritual conversations. In about 260 of those, members of our team got to share the gospel. And of those 260, 8 people RECEIVED CHRIST! These are wonderful stats, and it’s totally an underestimate because there were days we didn’t take stats. For the tough soil in Australia, these stats are AMAZING. I was overwhelmed with how many times the Gospel was presented and how many people came to Christ! Praise be to the Lord for expanding His Kingdom through using our team!
One of the things I loved about this summer was that our trip was coated with prayer. We prayed before, during, and after each conversation. My prayer life has changed immensely due to this summer and it’s something I’m bringing back to the States. Communication with the Lord is so vital in everyday life just as it was vital while doing evangelism. In reality, I am always on mission and I must be just as reliant upon prayer here in the States as I was in Australia.
God worked in miraculous ways this summer in Australia. Both in the hearts of the people we talked to but also immensely in my own heart. My own walk with the Lord has changed so much! I have fallen in love with the Lord so much more than I was before. God’s glory was shown on the campuses in Australia and I am so blessed to have been apart of the Great Commission.
Thank you again to ALL that supported me. Thank you for your prayers.
And thank you God for the experience you gave me this summer. Thank you for You! Thank you that I am your child and that I got to witness more children come in relationship with you this summer.
Glory be to God forever and ever, Amen.
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