Change of Plans

Clarification on my last post:

I want to be here. I love it here in Sydney. I love being at Hillsong. I hope no one got the impression that I don't want to be here, and that's why I'm just so ready to come home for Christmas. That's definitely not true. While (or if you're an Aussie, "Whilst") I am a little worn out from all the stuff we do here, I really do love it, and I still plan to stay at least 2 years, with the possibility of 3. I just will have to feel that one out when it gets closer to making that decision. I am, however, really ready to come home! I think partially because...yes, I am ready for a break...but also just because I know that I'm coming home, so it seems like these past couple weeks have been dragging out, and at the same time, flying by. Makes no sense, I know. I don't know how to describe it. But I am really excited to see the family!

One problem lies within that last sentence, though. I may not be able to see you all on December 5th, as my flight plans have changed. I've never really had this happen before, but I know it can. Sometimes the airlines will just change your flight plans for you. I am looking into this right now to see if there is something that can be done, but basically I won't arrive in Charleston now til 11:54pm on December 5th. Please know that I TOTALLY understand if that's too late for y'all to come to the airport. I am fine with seeing all of you the next day, or even Sunday for family dinner. I will see what I can do to change this flight to an earlier arrival, but if not, I will just see you all sometime that weekend. I'll keep you updated. No worries!

Well, some of you know that I was having really bad allergies the past week or two. My eyes were really bothering me - they were constantly itching. I would sit there sometimes and rub them for like an hour because they itched so badly. Finally I went to the doctor and we concluded that it was pink eye (conjunctivitus). I've never had that before, so I just didn't think about it being an eye infection. Well, I got some antibiotics for my eyes and for my allergies, and they are much better. I still feel like my eyes are really swollen, and a little red, but you can't really tell. I think I'm going to get back into the swing of things tomorrow. I don't think it will be contagious anymore. I'll still continue taking my eyedrops (they said take them from 3-5 days) for the next few days, but I should be fine.

Actually, yesterday I did go out to the city with some friends. I didn't feel at my best, but I really really wanted to go because it was my tutorial class' party to finish off the year, and I really love my class, so I decided to go. It was so much fun! One of the girls in my class made up the whole "surprise" day. We all knew we were going to the city, but we had no idea what we were going to be doing there. We ended up doing our version of The Amazing Race, but we called it The Amazing Tutorial Race. It was awesome! I got to see parts of downtown Sydney I had never seen before. I never realized how many beautiful places there are! We got clues at each destination, and would try to find the next destination. Haha, we looked like crazy foreigners running around Sydney, probably. Each place we went, we had to ask someone to take a picture of our team to prove that we had been there. We split up into two different teams - The Europeans, and The North Americans. Hehe. Well, The Europeans won, but that was only because they ran the whole way! Haha! Also, we had a few set-backs. One of them was that I fell on the concrete and scraped my knees up. Why did I have to go and do something typical of me when we were in a hurry? Ha! :) Oh well, the whole day was fun! Our last destination where we all met up in the city was at the Opera House. We all met on the steps, and they were rehearsing for Australian Idol (you know, like American Idol, except...well, the Australian version). The stage for the finale show was all set up outside of the Opera House, and we got to watch the contestants practice. It was really cool, though I honestly think Australian Idol is really lame...American Idol is much better...can't beat Simon Cowell. Still, it was cool, because it was the finale of the idol show in Australia. They were practicing with their huge crane cameras. The band was all out there, and the contestants were practicing onstage as well. Cool stuff! Anyways, then we went to Bondi Beach to finish off the day. It was SO COLD! But it was alot of fun! I have put some pictures on my slideshow on this page, so check them out!

Love you all! :)

P.S. I haven't talked to my friend who had surgery yet, but as soon as I do, I'll update everyone. Don't forget to keep her in your prayers please!

SEE YOU IN 13 DAYS!!!!

Time to Apply

Lately I have been really worn out, and this has caused me to become a little lazy. I think you need those lazy days sometimes, but I have had a few in the past week/weekend. :) I think I'm starting to get to the point where I know I'm getting on a plane in a couple weeks, and I'm just ready to be on that plane now. I always do this, though. I always wish time away. I really don't want to anymore though. God's exposing to me this pattern in my life. For example, I was going to attend this thing tomorrow night called "Leadership Vision Night", but instead, I got rostered on to watch kids. AHHH! Okay, everyone knows that I worked with kids constantly back home, so there should be no problem, right? WRONG. Haha, I don't know what it is, but I really don't enjoy Australian kids. They are (brace yourself, I never thought this could be possible either) 20 times more rowdy, loud, and obnoxious than American kids. I haven't actually watched kids here yet (other than on Thursdays I watch babies for Sisterhood, but they don't count), so I really don't want to. I have actually been dreading it, since tomorrow I have to watch babies in the morning, go to class, then walk back in a couple hours to serve again in kids.

This morning, though, God really showed me something. Today we had Chapel, and the whole thing was just worship. I kind of felt like God was just saying that if I want to be in ministry that I had better get used to it. But I told God, "I don't know if I can be in the ministry then." Haha. Just being real with God. I'm like, "How do people do it...and still have a good attitude?" God just kept reminding me that His strength can be my strength. I am realizing today that I am wasting alot of time here, if I'm not spending time with God. I haven't been spending time with God lately, to tell you the truth. I think I'm hiding from Him...maybe from responsibility..I don't know. But why am I here if I'm not spending time with God? I came here for God, directed to come here by God...so what the heck am I here for, other than a few laughs, good relationships, and good times, if I'm not getting to know the One who holds my future in His hands. I'm really here in vain. I'm wasting time. I'm doing nothing. I'm being unproductive (is that a word?). Today I decided that no matter how hard it gets, or how much I get worn out, I am just going to tell God how I feel, and press in. My heart really does crave to learn. I am learning guitar, and I'm intrigued by it. I always want to learn how to do more with it. I have about 10 books on my bookshelf that I "plan to read", many of them I've already started reading. Haha. Seriously, I think it's time for some discipline in my life. God teaches you so much about yourself when you're on your own. I'm ready to apply what I'm learning.

P.S. My computer is fixed now for those who knew it was messed up. Turns out the antivirus that I had been prompted by what looked like Windows to buy was actually the virus itself. Ha. Watch out for "Windows AntivirusPro 2009". It's a fake! This has happened to alot of people lately.

***IMPORTANT!: My friend that I talked about having cancer a couple blogs back is going in for surgery this Thursday, Nov 20 at 7:30AM. That's Illinois time, so if you are in SC, her surgery is at 8:30am. If you're here in Sydney, it will be 12:30AM Friday, 21 Nov. Please keep her in your prayers! If we could all join in prayer (not necessarily at each other's sides, but how powerful would our simple prayer be, if lots of other people around the world and country were praying simple prayers as well!?) at her time of surgery, that would be really great! Seriously, God's gonna move so much...let's make sure we all at least lift up a prayer at the time of her surgery. If you're going to be asleep, just pray for her before you go to bed, whether that's the night before or 2 hours before (depending on which side of the world you live). This is part of the email she sent me: "please please please pray because i am sooo scared"

I can't urge you enough to be praying for her! YOUR prayer matters alot! Thanks so much everyone!

Love y'all! :)

20 days!

A few exciting things have happened here in OZ (Australia) since my last blog.

Hillsong had its 25th Anniversary as a church! We all celebrated in the city at Darling Harbour! There was a stage that floated on the water, and they had some old worship songs like, "Shout to the Lord". What an opportunity I had to be able to see Darlene Zscech lead Hillsong church in this song, after so many years of not singing it - and at Darling Harbour, at that. They showed footage from when they first started out as a church...it was so weird! I got to see Pastor Brian's funny haircuts and mustache from years ago. I quickly came to the realization that Hillsong had small beginnings. What started out as an "ordinary" church, now impacts the world! God has really had His hand on Hillsong. This is what results from faithful people. What a historic event that night was! To top the night off, there were fireworks straight after the celebration service. It was awesome! I have some pictures on my slideshow of the service. I also re-ordered the pictures, so you should be able to see some of the newer ones first in the slideshow(I added more pictures - not just from the 25th Anniversary). P.S., the picture of me with a flower is actually a flower that I got from my tutorial class for my birthday..bright pink daisies!

I FINALLY went to the beach the other day! It's ridiculous, I know. I have lived here for 4 and 1/2 months now, and I just went to the beach last week. Oh well. I went on Monday to Bondi Beach (pronounced Bond-I, not Bond-ee), which is probably the most famous beach in Australia. It was beautiful. Everyone says there are nicer beaches than Bondi (such as Manly Beach), but I really liked Bondi. I guess maybe because it was just so much nicer than our beaches back in Charleston. The water is blue and when I went out pretty deep, it was clear - I could actually see what was beneath me.

So by the time me and my friend got out there, it was like 3:30pm. We had to take a bus and two trains (I think, or maybe just one), and then another bus. It took so long. Haha. That's public transport for ya. We then met up with our two other friends. We'd been in class earlier, so by the time I got there, I was beat. I just laid out and fell asleep. Yes, I put on sunscreen...I don't want to get burnt here. The sun is really powerful. And I didn't get burnt - just a nice sunkissed look! :)

After I laid out, I went in the water, and me and my friend body-surfed a couple of times before the lifeguard called everyone in. He's supposed to do this before he goes home by law, but you can go back in if you want. We didn't know this, so I only got to swim a little. The water was freezing, though, when I first got in. It seriously felt like mountain water. I went to the beach with some guys, and so they were all like "Oh the water feels soooo good.", and they meant it too. Me and my female self did not agree with that statement so much, but it's okay...I actually got used to it after a little while and I couldn't tell it was cold anymore.

When we got done at the beach, we decided to go walk this path up a cliff. It's cool, because at Bondi (and I think most of the beaches here...not sure) they have cliffs surrounding the beach. You can see one of the cliffs in the first picture on my slideshow. So we walked up this path to the cliff. It was beautiful. It was such an adventure. I realized during that walk that my spirit REALLY craves adventure! And I REALLY wished I had my camera with me at the time, but I didn't. I was itching the whole time for my camera. The best thing I had was my phone camera. I took a couple pictures of Bondi on it, which you can see here on my slideshow as well.

Well, I come home in 20 days! I am so excited! Dad has already made ski reservations! I am excited to celebrate Christmas with my family! It's getting so hot here, and it's really hard to think that Christmas is coming up, so I have been trying to convince myself it is by just buying little Christmas decorations for my room (i.e. a mini Christmas tree, and lights), but I will admit, it's not the same as back home. I know it doesn't even get very cold (if at all, really) on Christmas day in Charleston, but there is just something magical about Christmas with my family, something very special! It's a feeling that I couldn't find outside of family. I can't wait to see you all!

Reminder: I come home December 5th. I'll send out an email when it gets a little closer to the time! AHHH, I CAN'T WAIT! :)

Love you all! :)

Your Love is Everything

I forgot to mention in my last blog that I went to the Passion Sydney World Tour. I think this was Passion's first world tour. Passion is a group, started by Louie Giglio (a Christian speaker), that goes around and hosts conferences. Passion conferences are known for their music (well-known Christian artists tour with them, such as Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Christy Nockels, etc.), but they include so much more than that. I had SUCH a good time! What an inspiring night! It opened up my eyes to the world even more! They went to some 17 cities (I think), and at each city, they would take up an offering to fund the next city (because tickets are free), and that city would pray for the next one as well. I was blown away when Louie Giglio told us that one of the poorest places in Africa gave several thousand dollars to one of the richest places in the world - Paris, France. They were pretty sure no one had ever asked these Africans to give anything, since they don't have much, but they were so willing. Imagine the trust they had to place in God! Amazing people, I tell ya!

Speaking of trusting in God, I am having opportunity after opportunity to do this myself. I found out just a couple hours ago that one of my really close friends back in the States has cancer. When I hung up with her, I immediately went to her picture (I just decorated my room last night with tons of pictures, and cute stuff!) on my wall, and laid hands on that picture of her, and just prayed and spoke life into her body. Can I just say that my God is above cancer? It's so true! Testimony after testimony has proved His Word true - "O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me." (Psalm 30:2)

To my friend - if you read this, hold onto this verse. You may not have much trust left inside of you for God, but just test Him in this, okay? I love you! :) You're constantly in my prayers!

To the other readers - if there is one person you could pray for, it would be this friend. You don't need to know her name, or anything else but that she is struggling with cancer, and also needs financial provision!

Thank you so much!

While I was praying over my friend, I felt like love and healing went hand in hand. I thought, "God, can love heal someone?". As I was listening to a great song called "Your Love is Everything" by Jesus Culture, I realized I found the answer to that question. Check out the lyrics:

When I'm dry and thirsty Lord,
And I'm crying out for more,
I know I can trust in your love.
In the darkness in the night
When I'm starving for the light
I know I can trust in Your love.

You keep no records of my sin,
You don't remember all my shame.

Your love heals every disease
Your love fulfills my every need
Your love is everything to me
Your love is everything

I will not forget
I wont forget your promises
I will not forget
I wont forget your love.

I will not forget
I wont forget nothing is impossible
I will not forget
I wont forget your love.

Being 19 isn't any different from 18. Haha.

Wow, I can't believe I'll be on a plane to head home in just about 6 weeks! It's so crazy how fast time flies here! Sometimes, I can't even remember what month we are in. Seriously...it was JUST the beginning of October. I rememeber just not too long ago thinking "It's almost my birthday". Now it's almost November. DANG! I come home December 5th, and return on January 20th, in case any of you didn't know the exact dates.

Well, I had a great birthday! I woke up early, and Hanna and Steven met me at my house and we all went to the city. We ate at Pancakes on the Rocks (where else?). I got chocolate pancakes with chocolate syrup and cream and chocolate ice cream on top. They were so yummy!! Then we went to Circular Quay (where the Opera House and Harbour Bridge are), and took a ferry out to Taronga Zoo. When we got there, we decided we didn't want to pay for a Sky Safari (which is basically a ski lift) or a bus, so we decided to walk up to the zoo. So the zoo starts at the very top, and you work your way down. Well, we ended up entering the exit way, and we didn't pay. I know, I know...bad...but honestly, we were so confused. There was just a way to walk in and no ticket counter or anything. So we basically worked our way up, and then back down. It was alot of fun! The only thing that was kinda sad was I didn't see any platypuses, or....(dun dun dunnn)...kangaroos. I know what you're thinking right now: "How the heck do you go to a zoo in Sydney, Australia and not see any kangaroos?". I actually didn't even think about it until the end of the day when the zoo was closing, and I asked myself that same question. Oh well. I'll be here for a while, so no worries! Kate didn't get to go with us because she had church stuff to do all day, so I'll go again with her sometime.

After the zoo we went to Blockbuster (yes, they have a Blockbuster here!) and tried to rent a movie, but I had to have proof of residency, so I didn't get to rent a movie. I have a ton of movies here, but they are all American movies, and the DVD player in my house is obviously Australian. They have different region codes. America's is region 1, and Australia is region 4. So we went home, and my housemates had baked me a cake and bought me some sweets and decorated the house. It was so cute. We watched a movie and had cake. A couple more people joined us. My connect group leader is Aussie, so she had some movies. We didn't have many options though, so we watched A Walk to Remember. Haha. The guys really appreciated that one. ;)

So that's my birthday story. I'm 19 now. It's such an awkward age, you know? It's inbetween two "big" years. 18 is when you're a legal adult (in America, at least), and 20 just means that everytime someone says your age, you don't have to hear that obnoxious "-teen" at the end of it anymore. I'm not at that point yet, but I can't wait til I am. Haha. But then again, sometimes I can't believe that I'm here in Australia, living on my own (well, in a house of 7 girls, but you know what I mean), and going to Hillsong! Sometimes that actually gets a little monotonous, because honestly, there isn't like a magic feeling you get when you walk into Hillsong. It's just another church. But at the same time, it's not just another church - it's a phenominal church that is impacting the world, and the community here.

Yesterday at church we did something a little different. Instead of having two Sunday night services, we had one big 6pm service to worship and pray for the world. We didn't have a message, but rather, Pastor Brian and Bobbie and the church all prayed for what's going on in the world. Church was packed. Seriously, it was SO full! The stage was pushed back to convention mode (basically, there are two modes: theater mode, which makes the auditorium smaller and more intimate, with less floor seats, and then convention mode, where they make the auditorium huge, with tons of seats on the floor). The seats at the very top were all packed out. It was great. Darlene led worship! It was the first time I've seen her lead worship. Haha, I know, I've been here like 4 months now, but she's been touring. She's actually not over the worship anymore at the church. She handed that over to Joel Houston.

After worship, Pastor Brian asked all the American students to come onstage. Talk about nerve-wracking! I was smack in the center of the stage, in the front with a bunch of students beside and behind me. 3 brave students led the whole church in prayer for America. I thought it was so awesome, because one thing you learn whenever you move to another country, is that people around the world aren't too fond of America, or Americans. Even people here will judge you automatically if you are from the US. But it's all good...just gives me an opportunity to show people that not all of us are arrogant and prideful. :) I thought it was so cool though, that the church prayed for America, all it's leaders, the upcoming election and the economy. We didn't pray for a specific candidate either. Rather, we prayed that God would have His way. I love how everyone put aside their differences and united together in one cause. I have been praying for my family, personally, in these hard economic times back home. All I can do is encourage you...no, URGE you with all my heart, to keep sowing into God's Kingdom. Keep giving your tithe and even offer God more than what He asks of you. Even if you don't see the results instantly (and they may not just be financial), they will come. Malachi 3:9-12 says,

You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.

I love verse 10, when God promises that He will bless us if we are obedient with our tithe. I know that tithe today isn't emphasized that much in church, but it is vital! Before I moved to Australia, I got a revelation of just how important it is to tithe FAITHFULLY. I began to take all of my income and set aside my tithe before I did anything - before I put any money in the bank, any gas into my car, or paid for anything. God seriously blessed me so much when I was back home making my own money. I saw promotion in my life and my job, and now God is blessing me here at Hillsong. How awesome is it that even though I don't make my own money, God has and is still providing ways for me to be here! My family is awesome, and I often pray that God will bless them immensely. When I first got here, I didn't know how to give my tithe, because I felt like the money I had wasn't my own, but rather, my family's. I was just so used to using my own money. But God spoke to me one time in church and basically just told me that the second anyone in my family deposited money into my account, it became mine. That is their intention for me, so now I have no problems giving tithe and offering, and when I do it, I sometimes pray that God will bless my family (particularly, my dad, because he is my main source of funds here...but i also pray for everyone else who has ever put money into my account) for providing me with money so that I can tithe. So please, keep tithing faithfully, and whole-heartedly, and you will see God's blessings on your life. I think it means so much to God when we continue to obey and stay faithful to Him in the hard times. He sees every little you do to further His Kingdom, and is pleased! Remember that we're not putting our trust in the econonmy, but in God. These times are the times where we can truly exercise our faith, and come out so much stronger in the end!

Whew, anyways...then Pastor Brian assigned different sections of the auditorium to pray for different countries. I got to pray for Australia. Then Pastor Bobbie (Brian's wife) came up and prayed for the church - not the physical building, but the people, who make up the church. It was awesome!

I also got to step up and really be stretched on Sunday. I do Venue Control on Sunday mornings (it's basically security), and I got to lead my team for two services. It was hectic, and fun!

A couple weeks ago, we had our Worship Band Class performance. My band's target audience was kids. We wore crazy tie-dye shirts that one of the girls made, and had lots (or "heaps", if you're an Aussie) of fun! I have some new pictures on the slideshow on this page, so be sure to take a look! :) I will be uploading some on facebook as well.

Well, there's alot coming up here. Along with deadlines that I have to make for assignments to make sure I don't get deported, we also have the big Hillsong 25th anniversary celebration coming up this Sunday in the city! I'm so excited! The stage is going to be on the water and everything. It's gonna be awesome! I'll keep ya informed! :) Talk to (and see) you soon!

I'll leave you with this simple hymn:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangley dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

I'll be 19 tomorrow! :)

It's true.

I received cards from mom (along with a book that I can't wait to read because I think it's something that will really help me where I'm at right now...don't moms always just know what you need? mom, stop saying "amen"), Dad (along with an AWESOME STUFFED LADYBUG named Leena, who is similar to Pepper, my penguin back home. the two will meet someday), Meemaw and Poppop, Nana, and Aunt Debbie and Uncle Dennis. Today I bought a journal that I have been eyeing for weeks now, but have never bought because it was so expensive (it's two-tone leather, but beautiful). But then I remembered what everyone said in their cards to buy myself something. :) So thank you family! I really appreciate it! I can't wait til my actual birthday tomorrow. Sorry, yes yes...I did open all the cards and gifts before my actual birthday, but I couldn't resist. ;) The cards all meant so much to me! They all touched my heart, and made me get really excited about coming home. But I will be honest with you...I really do love it here now. Being here has really challenged me to think globally, not just from an American's perspective. I am learning more and more here in this multi-cultured city (and household...it's awesome...I'm the only American. we have a Swiss, Brazilian, Canadian, South African, 2 English, and me).

As I mentioned in my last blog, me, Kate, and my other friend Hanna, all went to the city the other day. Hanna is from Sweden, and of course Kate is from England. We were going to go to Pancakes on the Rocks, and then the zoo. Well, we were interrupted by the Holy Spirit. These kinds of interruptions are actually good. :)

We got on a bus to Paramatta, then from there took a train to Central. Then we met this lady who is apparently going to sell her story about how she was healed (well, she didn't really use that word, but that's what happened in reality) of cancer while she was 8 months pregnant. Anyways, we had about a 30 minute walk ahead of us to get to the restaurant. We left the bus stop at 11am, and arrived at Pancakes at 2:40pm. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Pancakes. Haha.

As we were walking across the city (on a very beautiful day, I might add), we all walked past this man who was homeless. I saw the girls from the corner of my eye, and I knew they were all thinking the same thing: "I think we should do something, but I don't want to say anything". They all had this disturbed look on their faces, and I knew at that moment all of our spirits were in check. You see, back home, I used to think, "I don't need to help homeless people. They are probably faking it. Even if they are homeless, they'll just use the money for drugs." Here at Hillsong, they challenge us to think differently. Honestly, I can just see Jesus walking down the streets of Sydney with all the busy business people, and stopping to chat with the "least of these". Check this passage out:

Matthew 25:35-40 (The Message) --
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'
"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

What if that person really was homeless? What if they really did need help? What if three simple words could change that life - God loves you? That's really what it's all about. We didn't stop and talk to and give money to 4 homeless people that day as charity, a way to help them meet their physical needs only, or as a way to make us feel better about ourselves. We did this to sow not just into people's pockets...that's just a way to sow into their lives. We decided, "We need to do something." The girls boldly gathered some change, and their courage, to turn around and walk against the crowd to get to these broken people. I got 4 opportunities that day to get down on my knees, to their level, and place my hand on them, ask what their name was, introduce myself (and give out some McDonalds), and speak life into their lives by telling them, "I just want you to know that God loves you. You mean something. You have worth." This really really stretched me, because I've done stuff like this before with the Dream Center Street Ministry and such, but that was me setting out at that time for a specific mission...to reach the lost and hurting and needing. I didn't set out that morning with the "seek and save" mindset. Honestly, it was just a selfish mindset - "I get to do what I want to do today...it's my college break! Yay!" But shouldn't that be our aim everyday? Our life mission should be that...to reach the lost. I don't know about you, but I'm not making excuses anymore. I am NOT too young to make a difference. I am NOT too inexperienced to make a difference. I am NOT too unknowledged about the world and Bible to make a difference. There is no excuse as a Christian to not reach out to a dying world. This is our mission.

This past week from October 2-4, we had a big youth event called Encounterfest at the church. I got to go. It was awesome! The speaker was Carl Lentz, an American preacher with a ministry in Virginia Beach, who attended Hillsong College years ago. He's awesome! Every day and night they would tell people to come to the front if certain situations applied to them. I went up almost every time. I normally don't do that, but everything they said applied to me. I felt God break down some walls inside of me as I stood their crying. I don't mean tears streaming down my eyes...I mean snot coming out, trying to catch my breath. Haha. No one really noticed, except for my connect group leader who went down with me hand in hand that one time (I'm talking about the first time I went down). I won't go into complete detail about all I went down for, but basically God just began the process of pouring myself out of me, and pouring Himself into me. Then the last time I went up was to receive a heart for the lost. I already have had this heart, but I just kept asking God to increase my heart for people...and look what He had me do. Haha. That's awesome!

I'm not saying to go and find a homeless person today. But look for those people that just need love. They may be right in your very neighborhood, they might be in your very home. Usually when you set out to look, you find immediately. Why? -- Because everyone needs love. I pray that God will rid me of myself, and pour Himself into me, so that I can pour out love unlimitedly to others.

Now, go love! :) Have a good day!

The world teaches you to look for someone to love you.
God teaches you to find someone to love.
-anonymous

Life in Glenwood

Hey everyone! It's been over a month, I know. I am finally back to my blogging! :) Sorry to all the faithful readers for the gap of time since I last wrote!

Well, as probably all of you know, I moved out of Rosa Crescent in Castle Hill to a new neighborhood called Glenwood. It's so much better than Rosa! Me and Kate were so worried about moving. We thought we wouldn't like it, but it's much better in many ways! Our housemates are really nice and they are clean as well. Check out the pictures above in my slideshow. Even though we don't have the mall near us (or anything for that matter), we can walk to the church/college. It's about a 20-25 minute walk, so not only can I attend any church event, but I get a workout! :) I am also learning the meaning of sunscreen again! The sun is super powerful here, and you have to wear sunscreen or else you'll get pink just walking to church.

Things at college are going well. We are on break right now. I think this constitutes as our Spring Break, though it's only a week long. A week is nice though. I went to a big youth event at the church from Thursday to Saturday called Encounterfest. It was awesome! Carl Lentz from Virginia Beach came to speak. We had the new live album recording for the upcoming Hillsong United cd. The songs are great! Then I got an opportunity on Sunday to invite one of my old neighbors from Rosa to the church. She is from China, and is super nice! She's studying at one of the Universities (they call university "uni" here...Aussies like to shorten the name for EVERYTHING! Musicians are "musos", sunglasses are "sunnies", registration is "rego", etc.) here in Sydney. She really liked the church, and wants to come back! :) She even asked about volunteering! I'm not even sure if she's a Christ-follower...how awesome is it that she wants to get so involved! I invited her to Sisterhood this Thursday morning, and she's coming as well!

Me and Kate are going to the City this morning. Hopefully some other people will catch up with us, but I'm not sure. We're going to this place called "Pancakes on the Rocks". It has American pancakes, and I'm excited, because my stomach is really hungry! :) I really wanted to go to the beach this break (it lasts til Wednesday), but it doesn't look that will be happening, becuase for some reason it went from being EXTREMELY hot (upper 90's, into the 100's some days..which is really hot since it just turned Spring time), to now really chilly. The weather here can be so weird! I'm one of the only people that haven't been to the beach yet, so I'm really bummed that I can't go. Maybe I'll go on my birthday, because I have Fridays off from doing anything at college or church. Fridays are my free days. But Kate is gone all day on Fridays. Maybe I'll try to round up some people. Hopefully it will be warmer.

I learned how to drive on the wrong side of the road! :) One of my friends let me drive around the neighborhood. Then one day he asked me if I wanted to drive home from church. It was really traffic-y, but still, it was fun. Not that hard. Probably because I've been here for a while now. 3 months! I can't believe I'll be going home soon! About two months! :) I'm excited to see everyone!

This blog post is a little random, but I have alot to tell you all. Check out my youtube page. I have some new videos, and will be uploading a good bit more soon! :)
www.youtube.com/rianthelion

Oh, and guess what else? I'm learning guitar! I can already pretty much play a really simple Hillsong song called "Devotion"! My friend Jionte is teaching me, and letting me borrow his guitar. I can't wait to get good. I really want to compose my own music. Anyways, got to go now...gotta catch the bus to the city! :) LOVE Y'ALL!

Follow-up, and some NEWS!

Just a few clarifications and corrections on my last blog. Robert and April aren't moving in with a married couple. They are moving in with Jill. She went to Seacoast as well back in Charleston. Her and I used to sing together on the high school worship team. Also, the reason they didn't say anything to me about moving is because Joy (the accomodation coordinator) never gave them a final answer about whether or not they had a house before she emailed me and Kate about it.

Anyways, sorry to anyone that walked away from my last post depressed. Haha. It was a very rough day. I will be honest with y'all though on here. I definitely want y'all to know what's really going on in my life. Sometimes life doesn't look so good, but the awesome thing is God ALWAYS is. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, "If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself." I just love that verse. I mean, when we have no faith, he still believes in us. He still stands beside us. He remains faithful, as a husband should to his wife. (That's why He sometimes refers to us as His bride) And the last line is amazing: He cannot disown Himself. It goes back to how we are made in the likeness of God. How we are his kids. He is our dad. He is the Perfect Dad. He remains faithful to us even when we have lost hope, because He can't just leave His children. He's such a good God, such a good dad.

Okay, so I wrote that whole part above just the other day, and saved it to my drafts here on my blog. I didn't have time to finish what I was going to say and publish it. With that in mind, let me go ahead and tell you what God did the next day.

I received an email from Joy yesterday afternoon, saying this:

Hi girls!!

Just to let you know that I have found a house in Bella Vista for you!

It will only be available in the next 2 to 4 weeks (the owner hasn't decided how quickly he can move out yet) but definitely soon!

So - you don't need to start packing yet, but be prepared to start when I give the signal.... (i'll give you a couple weeks notice!)

It's an amazing house - and it's MASSIVE, so there will be around 11 of you in there all together eventually.

The lease isn't signed yet, but I have spoken with the owner and it is 99% going to happen in the next 2 to 4 weeks.

Yay Bella Vista!

At first, I wasn't too happy about this, because of the "ELEVEN GIRLS" part. I met one of the other girls I would be living with today though, and she's really nice. I hope I get my own room, that's all I can say!! Oh well, I guess I just have to learn this is college and I need to be flexible. Seriously, I'm also learning to not be so attached to the things of this world, and not to be caught up so much in your own plans. I was kind of excited about not having 4 people in this little apartment, but rather, 2. (I was still sad at the same time though, because we were so far away from people. But I was excited to finally have a quiet house). I really can't complain. This will be good, because I will (more than likely) be within walking distance of the school. I still want to get a car eventually, because I will need to get around (since the area I'm moving into is in the middle of nowhere) and grocery shopping is really hard because you can't take a shoppping cart home, so you have to buy what you can carry home. I am going to figure out all the technical stuff later. Right now I'm just going with the flow. It's so funny how I had all these plans, and now I'm left to relying completely on God. That's how it should be. I was so frustrated the other day with the thought of not sharing my own room, and living with so many girls, and then I realized that I want to go into ministry for the rest of my life. Enough said. Haha. Basically, ministry is the most humbling, most rewarding "career" ever. It's all about being selfless. Joyce Meyer said something like "If you're planning on going into ministry, don't expect to be thanked and praised too often." God's really really working this out of me. I am learning to be humble. I always tell Him I want to be more like Him. We serve a very humble God. He's heard that prayer, and is answering my prayer - He's humbling me. Jesus went through some pretty rough stuff on earth. I think I can manage living in a house with 11 girls.

I went to the healing service Thursday night. It was awesome! It has really really motivated me to speak the Word over my body everyday. They gave me a little booklet that has things to speak over myself everyday. I keep going back to the story of the woman that was bleeding for 12 years in Luke 8:43-48:

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' " But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

Okay, first of all, it says that she had been through alot with doctors and spent all her money, and she had been sick for 12 years. So more than likely, she had literally tried everything to make herself well. That's a long time to be seeing doctors. I love how even after 12 years, she had faith. Just like Jesus described that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can see mountains move. She came to Him, with hope and faith in her heart that He could heal her. It also says how she touched the "border of his garment", as the King James Version describes. This means she had to have been on the ground when she touched his garment. That's where the border/hem is. So she was so desparate now to receive healing that she was willing to become undignified and forget what others would think of her. I love the last line: "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." That's what God's saying to me. God's doing a work, even if it's not yet visible.

Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.
Psalm 103:3

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

"He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed."
1 Peter 2:24

Breakdown

I guess it was bound to happen. Every girl has one once in a while, and I haven't had a full-on breakdown since I've been here. Today, that changed. Lately things have just been really really tough. I know there are probably people out there in college housing that have it worse off than I do, I just haven't met them yet. Haha. On a more serious note, it's just been really hard finding rides, as I have mentioned before quite a few times I'm sure. And just being out in Rosa by ourself is really hard. There's a good amount of guys (but not a ton), but hardly any girls. I actually thought we were the only girls, but I found out today that there are 4 other girls in Hillsong College that live in Rosa. I don't know where, but I might try and find out. Regardless, me and Kate feel really excluded from the college community. Not because people have made us feel that way, but because we're out in the middle of nowhere by ourselves. Robert and April (the married couple that lived with us) are apparently moving out in September. Me and Kate had no idea about it until we got an email from Joy, the Hillsong College accomodation coordinator, yesterday stating that. None of us have talked about it yet, so I am not sure what's going to be worked out with all our stuff (i.e. Will they take the furniture and leave our house empty?, etc). They are moving in with another married couple. I have no idea how they are able to do this still, but it kind of frustrated me, because Joy had told me that we couldn't break our lease since we had a new apartment. So I found out today that the only guy that gives me rides is moving out soon probably too. It was really hard because all these thoughts started going through my head. For one thing, I wouldn't have a ride anymore. I would be taking the bus everyday, and not only does that get really expensive ($6 a day), but that also means I will be getting up super early every day (about 2 and a half hours before class starts). Not only will I lose my ride, but a friend to hang out with. Face it, once people move out of Rosa, you don't really hear from them much anymore. I mean, no one comes out to Castle Hill (the area I live in) once they've moved in the midst of the college crowd in Bella Vista or Glenwood (the two main neighborhoods near the school that the college moves people into). There are other guys here to hang out with, but this guy has been my buddy. I'm closer to him than any of the other guys...probably because we've just hung out more when I'd get rides with him. After I found out that my friends were moving, I got so mad and sad. So much has just been piling up. So I went to Joy's office and she was out for like 20 minutes. I just sat outside crying. A lady saw me and comforted me and then got another lady in the office to come talk to me. I just broke down and told her my situation. This lady set me up to see Joy when she got back, and Joy really helped me. She basically said that the reason they weren't going to move me out was because, as I mentioned before, legal issues with my lease, and my apartment being new. I don't understand it all really. But basically Joy said she didn't care anymore about that, because my landlord was treating me badly. (She really is a horrible landlord) So basically she said she would keep a lookout for an open girls' house. This might take a while. I have no idea. But if she found one, then she would have to look into breaking the lease before anything. But just keep me in your prayers. It's getting harder and harder with each day. Challenges and problems keep arising, and it's very easy to become discouraged. Sorry I don't have a happier blog today, but I just wanted to update everyone with what's going on. Please pray that my accomodation will get all worked out. Hopefully we can move, or I can find a car. Here are some pictures, by the way, of me and some of my friends at the college. We took these today on our 2 and a half hour break between classes! :) Talk to you all soon!

Who Am I?

Well, I haven't written on here in a while. Honestly, there hasn't been a whole lot I could think of to write. I'll go ahead and fill you in on the latest, though. I got my mailbox key! YAY! Finally! So feel free to send me letters and stuff! :) I really love that! Our heat/AC has still not been fixed, but that's the next thing to take care of. I am also on a hunt for a car. The Hillsong bus that used to pick people up and take them back to Rosa on Saturday nights for church no longer runs, so we are all left to fend for ourselves. Haha, it's quite interesting, but God always provides a ride, even if it means scrunching in an extra person or two than the car is supposed to hold. I am still looking for a car though, especially if I am going to move out here in Castle Hill for good.

I finally decorated my room the way I had planned to when I first got here...I hung up over 100 pictures on my walls! Well, I figured if they won't let me paint or nail anything into the walls, might as well do something fun with the bare white walls. I must say it looks pretty cool!!! I have pictures of family and friends and missions trips...so many kinds of pictures from so many different places, all in one room. It makes me happy! They make me laugh. I'll post a picture soon. I still don't have a bed, that's why I haven't taken a picture of my room yet, but I'm not sure when I'll be getting one, so I'll go ahead and take some pictures anyway.

I've been pretty sick this past week. I had a cold/sinus thing. It was MISERABLE, especially at first. The worst thing about it was I was going to school while I was sick, because if I didn't, I'd have to get a doctor's note, and I didn't want to go through all that. But I know where to go to the doctor now if I ever need to. There is a Hillsong Health Centre up the road a bit, so I can go there if I ever need to. But anyways, I am getting better now. I'm pretty much almost over it. I took it easy today. Rather than going out to Street Teams early this morning and doing choir tonight, I just rested (and went to the grocery store, beacause I desperately needed to. haha) and then attended church, which was AMAZING! It was about the power of speaking the Word. So good!

God is showing me so much about myself since I've been here. I am coming to realize how much I need Him, how much I need to know who I am in Him. People often say that they don't know who they are. Well, all you have to do is open the Bible. As a Christian, I am a child of God:

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. -1 John 3:1

I am an heir of God, and a co-heir with Jesus (basically, I have authority over evil, as God does. That's how significant this verse is!..notice though how it does say that we must suffer in order to share in His glory):

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. -Romans 8:17

I am blessed:

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven,whose sins are covered. -Psalm 32:1

I am new:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! -2 Corinthians 5:17

I am free from the bondage and chains of sin:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. -Romans 8:1-2

I am beautiful:

I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well. -Psalm 139:14

I am the bride of Christ (basically, God loves me with a more perfect love than my husband will ever be able to):

...as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. -Isaiah 62:5

I am made to resemble God:

...When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. -Genesis 5:1

I am free:

So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. -Galations 4:7

These are just a few things that I am as a Christian. The speaker tonight was saying how important it is to speak the Word over yourself. When you speak the Word in FAITH, you release the power of God. This may sound funny, but check out this verse:

The tongue has the power of life and death,... - Proverbs 18:21

What we say is so important. I am going to make it a point to speak these things over myself. Check out this promise:

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? -Numbers 23:19

Many books transform, but the Word transforms. It's so cool for me to know that what God says is true. He never wavers. His character never changes. He never changes His mind. He doesn't go back on what He says. He knows how to keep a promise. The promises He made in the Bible are promises for our life. For example, Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Pheww, what a load off my shoulders. I don't have to figure out my future. God has it already planned. I just have to get closer to Him, day by day, so that I can hear Him clearly.



(P.S. I uploaded some videos: )

Stand firm, and believe.

So I feel so incredibly blessed. My family is pretty much the most amazing family in the world. I just can't thank God enough for putting me into the family I'm in. It's really crazy how God just puts you where you are supposed to be all the time. For example, for my church life volunteer work, I am doing Street Teams. Last year, God allowed me to work in Street Ministry every other week for 2 months or so at the St. Louis Dream Center, so I now have a little experience (though every ministry is different). Also, I am watching little toddlers for the Sisterhood (which is the women's ministry, in case you haven't noticed by now even though I talk about it all the time. It goes on every Thursday morning). This is really cool because before I left, I worked with kids CONSTANTLY. You know, my job at the gym doing childcare, and then my nannying job. I love love love kids, and I just think it's so cool that God opened doors for good-paying jobs in SC that actually were preparing me for a role I was going to be assigned at Hillsong.

Every little thing that people back home do really really encourages me, and helps me get through in some of the hard times. Just knowing that I have a supportive, loving family back home plays a HUGE part into comforting me when I'm sad. For example - random phone calls/texts, emails reminding me that I have a "fan-base" back home (as Aunt Alli puts it), packages (well, I am waiting for mom's to get here), and just love period. I know, I know, I'm always bragging about my family, but y'all are just so awesome! To my friends at home that read my blog...you have NO idea how much that means to me. Whenever someone tells me they read my blog, it really really makes me feel loved and encouraged. I know my entries aren't always the most interesting and profound...they are just basically my thoughts, and what's going on in my life. Those who read my blog really show me that they want to hear my thoughts, and are interested in what's going on in my life. All I can say is keep reading, because God's going to really do some awesome things. I am believing for healing in my back. I firmly, 100%, no doubt about it, believe that God wants and is more than able to heal my back! Why not?. God can do anything. Not only will His daughter (that would be me) be free from pain, but He will just be glorified. What a testimony that will be to people. I want to just go back to the doctors and show them what God's done. What a testimony. Doctors have just been trained through earthly schooling...not to believe in the Ultimate Healer. Imagine if I could go back to those doctors and show them what the Healer did for me. I think it would pretty much rock their world. And how could I take any credit for such a miracle? Sometimes God does these awesome things, and people have a tendency to try and somehow fit themselves into that picture - as if they are somehow a hero of some kind. But how could I ever take credit for being healed from scoliosis? I'd like to see someone try and do that. Haha. Seriously, God would be so glorified. Lives would be changed. I believe my life isn't the only one that would be changed either. What a testimony.

One thing God's been laying heavily on my heart lately is praising your way through circumstance. Sometimes I go to church and I'm honestly just burdened with the worries and problems of everyday life. But sometimes you just have to stir up faith inside of yourself. So I go to the front of the room with a bunch of others, and praise my way through. Eventually, I am jumping and truly praising God out of my heart, because my faith is stirred up. Faith is a choice. One of my favorite verses is this:

...If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.
-Isaiah 7:9

A Week Later....

Wow, I feel so blog-deprived. It's been about a week or so since I've updated this thing. I have thought about doing it everyday, but something always comes up, or needs to get done. Anyways, lots to fill you all in on.

Well, I finished my LONG week of intensives. All my classes were 2 hours. Now I have just started my first week of official classes. It's been fun. I like how hands-on things are here. The college is pretty informal too. I like that, because you just feel like it's a family atmosphere. Anyways, I am actually at school now in the library. I have a two hour break today. Yesterday I had a 2 and 1/2 hour break, and then another 1 and 1/2 hour break. That's one thing I don't like about my schedule. Things are picking up alot too. I am getting REALLY busy. Sorry to all my friends and family that I haven't talked to in a while. I really really really miss y'all! I especially miss my family. I've come to realize that your family is just your comfort. They're always the people you will turn to, they'll always be there for you.

So classes are going well. I have already started Spirit-Filled Living, New Testament, Worship Band, and Worship Excellence this week. I'm excited to see what the classes will shape out to be like. I was assigned to Saturday night church choir. I already did it once last weekend, and it was alot of fun. That thing I was talking about before, The Sisterhood...I'm helping out with kids (babies to be exact) and doing kids' worship! I am also doing street teams on Saturdays. And now I have to do something called lecture hosting, which is where you help out your teachers set up class and stuff. And I really want to get involved with youth. So basically, my schedule is really really packed. The only day I get off is Friday. Oh what a glorious day! :)

My worship experience since being here has been amazing. I have grown alot in my worship. God has been showing me though that worship time is really dead if you're not spending time with Him everyday. I have been struggling with this. I feel like it's so hard to prioritize. It almost seems overwhelming at times. And satan is still throwing obstacle after obstacle. Just to name a few, I still don't have a bed (that's def last on my list of things to accomplish. haha), my overhead light in my room doesn't work, so sometimes it can be a little dark when I'm trying to get ready in the mornings, or at night. Also, we don't have a car anymore, so we have been taking the bus some, and it's been kind of hard finding rides. So basically I'm getting up extra early to catch the bus alot. We took our car in, the one April and Robert just bought, and 9 out of 10 things didn't pass inspection, the car was illegally low, and the registration had expired (something the guy they bought it from didn't tell them. the registration was supposed to expire feb '09, but since the guy they bought it from got in an accident, it cancelled the registration). It's been increasingly hard to find rides too, because the college is moving a ton of people out of Rosa (the apartment complex I live in). They aren't moving us out though. They are trying to get everyone out of there eventually, and closer to the college. I think after our 6 month lease expires, me and Kate are going to try and find our own place. I've already looked around the area we are in now, and have found some less expensive places. I really want to stay in the area we are in now too, because it's really nice. I may try and buy a car too here after going back home at Christmas-time. That way I could get to and from school. The area I live in is just so convenient and close to everything. The post office is right down the road, and the mall has EVERYTHING - grocery store, clothing stores, etc. and it's a great place to find a job. Whereas the area the school is in has like nothing. People that live around there say it's really hard to grocery shop, because they have to walk a while to get to the grocery store, and then they can only take home what they can carry in their own hands. Being in the area I'm in though, I can just push a shopping cart home. It's so nice.

As far as all the discouraging things go, I really feel like I am being tested. Like I mentioned in my other blog, I have really been reminded of the story of Job. I am realizing that the more I dwell on these things, and the more I get frustrated, it doesn't help me. God can't really intervene and bless me if all I do is complain. Look at Job, he pretty much complained throughout the whole book of Job. Then at the end of the book, God answers him, and basically makes a very elaborate point that He has everything under control. God speaks to Job, reminding him of how everything in the universe and Heaven is under His command. He goes on from chapters 38-41. Finally, Job realizes just how awesome God is, and repents. In Job 42:4-5, he says "'You said, Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you." After Job humbles himself before God, he gives God room to bless him.

One thing that has really been standing out to me lately when I read passages like this is what Pastor Baird (from my church back home) said in a message a while back. He said he'd rather learn from someone else's mistakes if he can than his own. That's so true. I'd rather learn from Job's mistake. If I know what's right (i.e. not complaining, and just trusting God with all problems that arise), why not do it? I have been learning that faith isn't faith unless you really really just trust and give it up. Just don't worry (the aussies really do say "No worries"...all the time). I'm human, so worry may creep up from time to time, but I just have to daily (well, several times a day) give it to God. When Jesus died, he took on every problem every person had and has, so why should I hold onto those problems? I just picture God in heaven with this wide knowledge of what my life will look like, almost like a map of my life. He has these great plans, and he sees the problems, but the awesome thing is, He sees the outcomes. It's like when you watch a movie that you've seen a thousand times with your friend, but they've never seen it before. Your friend is wondering how it's going to turn out...how is that sticky situation in the plot going to pan out? But you know exactly what will happen. You tell your friend, "Don't worry, it's going to turn out alright. Trust me." I hear God saying those exact words to me everyday. I just have to remember that these troubles are just a small thing, but not too small for God to care about.

12 Hours.

It's amazing what can happen in 12 hours.

Last night, I cried for the first time since I've been here. I don't mean that I haven't teared up here and there, but I full-on cried last night for the first time. I just was so overwhelmed. I remember it being late, I still hadn't taken a shower, I had to be at choir practice the next morning at 7:15am, and I didn't know how to get there. Robert didn't have to sing in choir, so I didn't have a ride. I had to take the bus. Only problem was, I wasn't sure where the bus stop was exactly, and which bus to take. So I cried it all out, and told God I didn't know what I was doing anymore. I knew that God was telling me to rest in Him, but of course, I wanted to figure it all out.

Yesterday, I woke up at about 5:30am to get a ride to the church with Robert, who was singing in choir, so he had to be there early, like I had to today. I just kind of observed the worship team, and just chilled. Classes started at 8:30am. Each one runs two hours. School let out at 5pm, and Robert couldn't take us home, so me and Kate decided to go eat at the food court by the school. We were going to something at the church in a couple hours again, so we thought we'd just save some effort and stay in the area. So we did, and we got to meet some really nice students in the food court. I had some good conversations with them. If it weren't for that unexpected realizing that we didn't have a ride, we wouldn't have met some really nice people.

The event we went to was the Sisterhood night. Every Thursday morning, they have a thing called Sisterhood, where girls and women of all ages come together for some good fellowship and teaching. They put it on hold for the past couple weeks because of college stuff, I think. Last night, they had a big event where I guess they were sort of kicking off the Sisterhood again. It was great! Brooke Fraser led worship again, and it was really powerful.

Well, the next morning I made it to the right bus stop on time, and met a really nice gentleman who actually is a pretty big musician. He helped me find my bus. I chatted with him a bit. He said he wasn't a "religious person". I'm not sure what that means exactly when people say that, because I am not a "religious person" either. ;) Though I didn't really share Jesus with him directly, I believe I was being Jesus to him, and I just remember thinking that I hope some day, he will begin to wonder what this God stuff is all about, and God will cause him to remember me, and find his answer there. Not that I am God, or that I am perfect like God, but the beauty of it is, it's not about me. I don't pray that guy will look back and see me; I believe he will look back and see Jesus. The wonderful thing about being in relationship with God is that when He looks at me, He sees Jesus. That is not said in a prideful way, but it's the whole point of the cross. Jesus died to take our place. He died so that when we go before God, God doesn't see our brokeness and sin, but Jesus' blood, and Jesus' blood is my covering. All God sees is cleanliness when He sees me, ALL BECAUSE OF JESUS.

Well, I honestly didn't mean to go on this whole schpeel about salvation, but sometimes you just can't help it. When you come closer to God, you view things differently. The guy you meet on the bus isn't just a guy you met on the bus. He is an opportunity to show Jesus' love. Romans 12:1-2 (The Message) basically boils it down:

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

It's funny, because not only did God provide a ride for me, but I got to demonstrate Jesus to a stranger, AND I made it to choir practice 10 minutes early. I was the first one there, and my biggest fear was that I'd be late. God hears our cries. He truly does.

Another thing that really opened my eyes was when I was on facebook today when I got home. I saw a recent group posted on facebook, and I couldn't believe what it said. Robbie Owens just passed away. He is my neighbor back home. He lived right across the street from me. We kind of grew up together. I didn't know him when I got older, so I have no clue what he was like, but I do know that as a youth, it blew my mind and opened my eyes. Here I am, about the same age as him, in Australia, having awesome adventures and encounters with God, and then I receive word that back home, a youth about my age just passed away. It just completely shook me up, not because I knew him or anything, but I realized that each day comes with no guarentees. He passed away when he was only 17. I just wonder what future God had in mind for him. I don't know if he had a relationship with Jesus, but it made me realize how important it is to be an example of Jesus to people. It's amazing to me how God showed me this twice today.

God can teach you alot in 12 hours.

It's On!

Today I had an audition. Nothing big, the school just wanted to see where everyone was at in their giftings. I felt like it went well. I was really nervous, because my group was the first to go up. I sang backup on "The Time Has Come" and then partially led (by partially, I mean that I led the 2nd verse and chorus) "Hosanna". (Both Hillsong songs).

Church last night was awesome. Brooke Fraser led worship. We as a church prayed for her and her husband (they are newlyweds). For those of you who don't know who Brooke Fraser is, you are missing out! She is one of the main worship leaders here at Hillsong. Here voice is beautiful, and her heart for God is contagious. She has written alot of awesome songs within the church and for her own albums. God definitely blessed her with an awesome voice and a gifted hand at writing. Brooke was on keys, and we did all old school songs, such as "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord".

Lately at church, worship has consisted of the new album, which I LOVE!! When it comes out in the states, PLEASE buy it, because it is awesome and you will be blessed. The album is called "This is Our God". Get the DVD too. I am in the middle of watching it now, and it's so powerful! It's really weird though when you start seeing people onstage in the video that you know, or teach your class, or just passed you by the other day. Haha. For instance, the drummer on the album (in the live performance) was the drummer today for my audition. Craziness.

So those were a few updates. Now I want to share my thoughts with y'all on what is happening right now in life:

Since I have arrived here in Australia, satan has thrown one thing after another at us. Challenges have not stopped arrising. At first, it was not too bad. Other than the fact that we didn't have a furnished apartment, everything was okay. Now things are getting worse. Satan is now hurling challenges, issues, and problems at us. Everyday, something new happens. You just never know what to expect. Our heat/AC does not work, the outlets upstairs just blew last night and won't turn back on, I don't have enough time to get things done that need to get done (because everything closes at 5pm here, and I have school til 5pm every day this week but Friday, and I'm constricted to my housemates' schedules for a ride), we don't have a mailbox key still, April is having trouble working full time because of visa issues, our house makes creepy noises, and now the car that Robert and April bought is a dud. Wow, satan just really really wants to vex (cool word) me. It's been pretty challenging, but I have gotten to the point where I just laugh at the next upcoming problem. Sometimes its just the little things that happen that just seem so big. And then there are the big problems.

Last night I was reminded of Job. He was plagued with so many problems, but he never gave up on God. He never cursed God. But that's not really the main thing I got out of the story. I was telling God how I was so confused and worried and frustrated, and then I was reminded how satan approached God, and what God's response was:

One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

-Job 1:6-12

I just see this happening in my life. I'm not saying God went bragging to satan about me or anything, but I do think sometimes we get so comfortable. Sometimes God wants to give us the opportunity to walk by faith. If we never get that opportunity, how can we ever prove our faithfulness and trustworthiness to God? How can we ever really know that we truly love God, enough to die for Him, if we can't even hold His hand in the trials, trusting that He won't let go? How can a man and woman's love prove to be true and lasting if they never face any trials?

Satan makes a point. He basically says "Well of course Job loves you and is so righteous. He has it made." I love how God just has complete faith that Job will have complete faith in Him. Sometimes when we are being tested, it means God is allowing the test, not because He believes you should be punished, but because He believes in you. This has to be true, because the Bible says He will not give you more than you can handle. Any loving father would not challenge their children in an area or ask them to do something unless they believed that their children could do it. God is the ultimate Father, and he wants to see us become stronger in Him: to trust and love Him stronger.

It's funny...I informed satan today that he can do whatever he wanted, but he's only giving me the capability to grow stronger.

The Start of School!

Well, this week was the start of school stuff. After Orientation on Tuesday, we had enrolment on Wednesday, where we enrolled in classes (obviously) and got our student cards. Thursday and Friday were Intensives. Basically, we had a couple of our classes those two days. They just kind of introduced the class, and I guess got started with it a bit. We also had chapel those two days, which is my FAVORITE part of the day! I have been to two other Christian schools in my life, and I have never been able to say that Chapel was my favorite part of the day. Usually it would have been lunch. hehe. Chapel at the Christian schools I have been to were usually pretty dull. Now, I will say that when I was younger, I really did look forward to Chapel at Charleston Christian School (the school I grew up in...from K5 to 8th grade). I think when I was a kid, it used to excite me, because they would gear it toward kids. They would have kiddie games, and sometimes my favorite teacher, Mr. White, would make it alot of fun. But Chapel at Hillsong College is unique. It's not just fun, or the entertaining part of the day; it's such a real time that we get to spend in fellowship with the entire school (only the Hills campus, not the City..they have their own Chapel), and it's an amazing time to spend with God. I love how at Hillsong they really just want you to be who you are. They want you to worship God how you worship God. We don't go around waving flags and stuff (not that any of that is bad or wrong...that's totally cool actually). Basically what it boils down to is there is no spirit of judgement here. I know that I can be free in my worship, because everyone else is. I know that I can jump around in God's presence in worship, because so many others are jumping, and raising hands. It's not that I feel I have to be like them, or that I just want to do what everyone else does, but it's that I have always wanted to worship God wholeheartedly and freely, and just not care what others think. This is the atmosphere where you don't feel intimidated at all by that. I just love how much everyone loves God.

Here at Hillsong, they have some things in the church that they value. Yesterday at Chapel, we had a lady (I don't know her name) speaking, and it was awesome. She basically was explaining to the new students what Hillsong is all about. The message was called "Fast-tracking into Hillsong Culture". Here are the values of Hillsong culture:

1) We want you to be yourself.
2) We believe in positive confession.
3) Loyalty is important and valued.
-Your gift doesn't make way before your loyalty and trustworthiness does.
-Have a philosophy of yes, within healthy boundaries.
-Longevity is valued. Show up.
4) Atmosphere.
-God is attracted to an atmosphere of hunger.
-Be the atmosphere (meaning, don't rely on others to bring a positive, hungry spirit to create the atmosphere. be that atmosphere yourself. be a leader.)
-Build the atmosphere. (be an asset)
5) Weekend church services are the main event. Weekend services are highly valued because:
-It's where families gather.
-Every weekend people give their lives to Jesus.
-Fellowship, discipleship, communion, etc...happen under this one roof.
6) There is ONE VISION. (This one is one of my absolute favorite things about Hillsong!)
-The ministries within the church aren't viewed as separate from each other. Everyone is united in one cause. For example, the high school ministry, middle school ministry, women's ministry, worship ministry, etc. all have ONE VISION. There is no separate high school vision, women's vision, worship vision, etc...
-The vision summed up, is to reach and influence the world by building a large Christ-centred, Bible-based church, changing mindsets and empowering people to lead and impact in every sphere of life.
-There is one vision in order to provide unity.
7) Volunteer spirit.
-Serve the Lord with JOY.
-Servanthood is a privelege.
-Do everything with a joyful heart, not a complaining heart. (ties in with the value on positive confession)
8) Value upon women.
-There is a belief in women in ministry.
9) Personal Devotion to Jesus.
-Following Jesus is more than coming to church, or the college. It means spending PERSONAL time with Him.


There are so many more values that the church has, but these were some key ones. I know this blog is already super long, but I would also like to enclose Pastor Brian & Bobbie Houston's vision for the church. This was written when they first started the church. I read this now in amazement of how every single part of it has come to pass. We discussed this in our Intro to Worship Ministry class. So I am going to break it down a bit after you read it:

THE CHURCH THAT I SEE

The Church that I see is a Church of influence. A Church so large in size that the city and nation cannot ignore it. A Church growing so quickly that buildings struggle to contain the increase.

I see a Church whose heartfelt praise and worship touches Heaven and changes earth; worship which influences the praises of people throughout the earth, exalting Christ with powerful songs of faith and hope.

I see a Church whose altars are constantly filled with repentant sinners responding to Christ's call to salvation.

Yes, the Church that I see is so dependent on the Holy Spirit that nothing will stop it nor stand against it; a Church whose people are unified, praying and full of God's Spirit.

The Church that I see has a message so clear that lives are changed forever and potential is fulfilled through the power of His Word; a message beamed to the peoples of the earth through their television screens.

I see a Church so compassionate that people are drawn from impossible situations into a loving and friendly circle of hope, where answers are found and acceptance is given.

I see a people so Kingdom-minded that they will count whatever the cost and pay whatever the price to see revival sweep this land.

The Church that I see is a Church so committed to raising, training and empowering a leadership generation to reap the end-time harvest that all its ministries are consumed with this goal.

I see a Church whose head is Jesus, whose help is the Holy Spirit and whose focus is the Great Commission.

YES, THE CHURCH THAT I SEE COULD WELL BE OUR CHURCH - HILLSONG CHURCH.

Brian & Bobbie Houston,
Hillsong Church

(taken from the church website: http://www2.hillsong.com/church/default.asp?pid=7)

This vision for Hillsong Church is a living testimony to the power of casting visions. The first paragraph talks about the size. Not all churches have to be huge, but I love imagining Pastor Brian and Bobbie sitting there one day writing all of this, not realizing today just how much it would come to pass. Since I am not from Australia, I know from experience that Hillsong has impacted so many people around the world, so many people outside of their own sphere of church. In the US alone, people are touched by God in ways they have never been touched through Hillsong's worship songs alone. I love how the songs they write and sing here in Australia send an echo throughout all corners of the earth that melts people's hearts right into God's and radically transforms their lives. I have seen it happen. I have experienced it. Continuing about the first paragraph, one of the things he talks about the church struggling to contain the increase. That happens here. The number here of people that come to the church is so large, sometimes it is hard to find enough building space. Why else do you think they have so many different campuses around the world, extenstion services in Australia, and service times at each one?

Well, I've pretty much already covered the second paragraph.

The third paragraph is my favorite. Every week, people come to the altar at church to be saved. Last night I went to the high school church service, called Wildlife, to check it out. It was fun and entertaining and all that good stuff, but one thing I loved is that they never lost the heart of why they were there. At the end of the message, they asked if anyone wanted to be saved, and I watched as a few hurting and desperate teens raised their hands. Imagine being in high school and making that bold move in front of hundreds of raising your hand. These teens must have been really desperate to know God. That excites me. Everyone longs for something more. Well, about 3 or 4 raised their hands. Then he gave everyone another opportunity, encouraging the teens in love, and more raised their hands. When they got finished praying, I watched a whole mass of teens (the future of the wold, mind you) walk toward the foyer to receive free Bibles. I was blown away by the number of teens I saw walking that had just been saved.

This also ties in with the 6th paragraph. Notice "impossible situations". I love it. God can save and transform ANYONE.

Skipping a few paragraphs, the 8th is definitely true in my life. The college is a testimony to this paragraph. In this season, I am being trained to be a leader in this crazy world; to be a light in this dark earth (that is getting darker day by day). Words cannot describe how excited I am to be at Hillsong. Thank you to everyone who is making this happen!

Orientation

So I started school stuff today. Today was orientation. Tomorrow is Enrolment. I'm not sure what Thursday and Friday are honestly. But we have to be there like the whole day. I think tomorrow I am going to go to a bbq hosted by the church for new students and then I will probably go to Powerhouse, which is a service for 18-25 year olds. So I will probably have a 2 hour break tomorrow throughout the whole day. I think things are starting to pick up more. I am going to try and get really involved in the church. Lee Burns, the principle of the Hills Campus at the college, put it very well. He basically advised us that we should really just sink our roots into the church and absorb everything God has to offer through it. He also warned us that it's not all going to be easy, and you probably won't be doing stuff you want to do sometimes. I am really excited to see what areas God is leading me to in the church and school. I am really anxious to see which form of outreach I am going to be in! I am excited about school, because for once in my life, I can actually learn something I am passionate about, something that drives me, the One thing I live for. Since I have been here, there have been people that have given me mixed messages about the college. Some people have complained about this, that, and the other. I have already seen a few rebellious spirits here and there, but when I got to the college today actually, I was at home. I knew that I knew that I knew (and I still know) this is where God has called me right now. "For such a time as this." We opened orientation...yes, orientation, with WORSHIP. I mean, come on. That's awesome! What could have been a really boring, drawn out day, actually turned into a great time of worship and fellowship (with some ground rules, and healthy food!). Anyways, I think what really got me, and made me realize how much I desire to be here, is when worship started, all the students were worshipping...in spirit and in truth..you could just tell. There was passion. I realized this is what I have been waiting for. Even so, God has been telling me lately that I really need to independently decide to praise God, and to develop my relationship with Him, despite what people do or say. I can decide by the actions I take here how much I can get out of this experience.

PICTURES OF THE CITY OF SYDNEY! (and around Australia)