Schoolies Week

Some of you are asking yourself, "What is schoolies?"  I'm glad you asked.  The American equivalent to schoolies is grad night.  After Aussie students finish year twelve at school, they have an entire week known as schoolies week.  During this week, students congregate at certain places usually near the coast to party.  The largest schoolies parties were down on the Gold Coast a few hours south of here.  There were also some schoolies parties here on the Sunshine Coast as well.  All through the week, there were reports of rapes, ecstasy use, and extreme over-consumption of alcohol.  It is to the point where there are stations set up around the parties to pump stomachs when people have too much to drink.  Basically, it's a not week you would want to have your kids be a part of.  Of course, it's not all drinking, drugs, and sex.  Some kids go to just hang out and play sports, listen to concerts, and have a fun time with their friends before they move on to the next phase of life.  As a DTS, we were able to use this as a time to talk with the schoolies and develop relationships with them.  We were also able to tell them our stories of how God had changed us.  It was a very practical thing to do with the DTS.  It helps students understand that it's not really about shoving religion down their throats, so to speak; but it's about showing them God's love and being an example of what God has done.  I think most of the schoolies we talked to think that being a Christian is about following rules and not having fun.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We serve an eternally creative God who actually invented fun.          

Fraser Island and humility

This past weekend, our DTS took a long trip up to Fraser Island which is part of the World Heritage Areas and also boasts the world's largest sand island.  We rented four 4x4 land cruisers and took 29 people onto the island by ferry.  Getting to the rental place was an adventure in itself. We had three vans and three drivers who had no idea how to get there.  To make a long story short, we ended up on a few dirt roads and took a few detours, but we all ended up at the same place a few hours late.  After we got to Fraser Island and off of the ferry, my patience was tested immediately as I figured out I had 5 back seat drivers with me.  It was actually really tough to not be sarcastic or angry with them and I failed a few times.  Also, I felt pressure being the only person in the whole group who had been to the island before because everyone thinks you are automatically an expert on where to go.  I was not an expert and on fact I made some wrong assessments on where to go.  Luckily, we still had a fun time and we made it back to the rental place on time with no extra fees for late return or damage to the vehicles.  As I look back I was a bit stressed but I realize that I did have fun.  It really is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and often times we allow distractions to get in the way of really enjoying the things God has made. As we get closer to outreach I feel like we are getting better prepared through these experiences.  Please pray that God continues to work on us and that we have the right attitude with one another.

The times we live in

This past week, we had a speaker come in from a church in Nambour which is very close to us here in Maroochydore.  His name is Joel Baker and he is very passionate about the Bible and especially about angels and things unseen.  It really challenged me because I recognized that often we don't think much about those things because we can't see them or sense them with any of the five senses.  Joel spoke about the times we live in and how interesting the political climate is getting (ie: Obama elected as president, the world economy, and the situation with Israel).  Things that are unprecedented are happening in the world now and things that were written in the Bible thousands of years ago are being realized today.  I have to constantly ask myself, "Do I really believe this?"  It's hard to ignore.  The Bible talks about angels being around us and the Holy Spirit being among us, but I have often wondered how much do I live in that reality.  I know a lot of the students were challenged as well.  They had so many questions about this topic.  Whether we want to admit it or not, there is something going on that we can't see.  There are so many things we can't explain that happen to people and places.  Paul touches on this in 2 Cor 4:18.  He says there is things that are seen which are temporary and things that are unseen which are eternal.  Please pray for the reality of the unseen to be recognized by us and by you as well.  Thanks for continuing to support me and read these blogs.  I hope you are encouraged by them.

Week of Prayer

This past week, the entire DTS and staff participated in a week of 24/5 prayer.  From Monday to Friday, everyone was given two hour prayer slots.  Every staff had a group of students with whom they prayed with every day during these slots.  A couple of nights, my team had the 2-4 am slots.  It was hard to wake up for it, but it was actually a great experience.  I think the students really got a chance to see what God would do in their lives and others through prayer.  I know I was challenged to not think about myself and try to focus on things outside of me.  

We also had night time sessions every night from 7-9 pm in which we had lots of music, lectures, and prayer.  I think the students and staff were challenged to go all out during the week.  This week is pretty tiring especially when you have middle of the night prayer slots.  But it was a good week.

Also, we had a chance to get together with our outreach team going with us to Cambodia and Thailand.  We talked about what stresses us the most and how to handle it on outreach.  I tried to explain how outreach brings out the real "us".  We no longer have the comfort of home and space to keep us from really getting to know each other.  It's going to be a challenging time, but it changes people.  I know because the experience changed me too.  

Well, it's now nearly halfway through lecture phase of the DTS.  I am hitting the "wall" and need prayer to keep focus and not get burnt out.  There is so much I still need to do for outreach and also keep up with my one on ones and small group duties.  It seems like there is never enough time!  Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Fear of the LORD week with David Giltnan

This past week we had Fear of the LORD week.  We had a speaker come from Darwin, Australia to speak named David Giltnan.  He is a very animated and bold Australian.  He discussed what it would be like to encounter God.  We looked at Isaiah 6 where Isaiah the prophet has a vision of what it's like too be in the throne room of God.  If you don't know what I'm talking about you should read it.  David really impressed this idea that we should be a people who don't do things half hearted.  There is an awe and wonder about God that causes us to fear Him in a good way.  

Partway through the week we had a night when people had an opportunity to come up and confess anything they feel is holding them back from a life devoted to God.  Nearly every student went up and it was amazing to see.  It's so good to see people get up and talk about the guilt and shame they have felt and just give it all up.  No one judges them, no one thinks less of them.  We spent all of Wednesday night and all Thursday during the morning into the afternoon doing this.  There is literally a noticeable change in the dynamic of the group.  

On Wednesday night something happened that I've never really seen before.  As we were praying for one guy on the DTS, he talked about how he had judged many girls based on their looks.  It hit a nerve.  A lot of the young ladies in the group were reminded of times when that had happened to them.  There were a lot of tears.  I understand that women are prone to be more emotional than men, but I know this was genuine heartache.  The rest of the time was spent praying for those girls and comforting them.  After that night, I think our group felt more like a family.  It made me realize how important it is to treat every women dignity and respect. She's someone's daughter, someone's mother, or someone's wife.  But most importantly she is God's creation.