Hi folks!
Well I haven't written anything on here for a long time (story of my life, right?), but I have a valid excuse, I promise! :)
The past couple months I have gone to write a blog, but everytime, the web page won't come up. It's so strange! I have no idea how to fix this. So right now I am on my housemate's Mac. Until I figure out the solution, I'll just have to leave you with this blog.
So right now we are having Hillsong Conference. Remember Colour Conference? Yeah, well this is ten times bigger! It's in the Acer Arena, which I think is like the 3rd largest arena in the world. It seats about 25,000 people. I am working in kids again. This time I'm doing Kindergarten and First Graders. I love kids...it's just not the same as my lovely Connor and Logan. I miss you two crazy kids!
Hillsong Conference is a huge gathering of people from all around the world. People come and learn about how to influence their local communities and build strong churches back home. (Just up my alley)...Of course, I'm serving the whole time, so I won't be able to sit in. Mom would love it -- speakers like Jentzen Franklin (come on!), Joel Olsteen, Craig Groschell, and Louie Giglio (!!). It's going to be A-MAZINGGG! It starts tomorrow and lasts til Friday.
THEN on Monday dad and Drew are coming down under!! Can I just say that I am super excited? We're gonna stay in the city over that next week. I will admit that I'm not exactly sure what we're gonna do yet, but I'll make sure it's fun (don't worry dad!).
It's getting really chilly here. Today I helped set up for conference, and I was freezing! From the moment I woke up this morning I was shivering. I thought it would warm up alot (because it usually does) but, of course, it didn't. And the room in which I was working had the doors open all day. So right now I am curled up on my couch, having a cup of tea, with my warm blanket from back home, watching The Day After Tomorrow (though the latter is probably not helping the cold factor too much). So yeah, dad and Drew, pack warm clothes, because it's gonna be cold!!
I have started moving out already! I know, sad day! I've actually fallen in love with where I live, and absolutely in love with the gals I live with. But I know this is a new season I am moving into. This is just one of the things that will be changing in my life. As I have mentioned before, I am transferring next semester into Pastoral Ministry. I had felt this prompting on my heart. Not necessarily a desire, but something I knew would stretch me. I started reading a book at the beginning of this semester called "Do Hard Things". (I still need to finish it...that's been one goal of mine throughout the semester - to finish what I start reading, and I've already accomplished that goal several times this semester! - Right now I'm reading "The Shack" by William Young.) Anyways, "Do Hard Things" was just talking about taking yourself out of your comfort zone. It was really really good! I figured that even if I never become a preacher, I will stretch myself. Doing things beyond myself that I have to rely on God for are always worth doing. At first I was afraid that I was "escaping" the Worship Stream, something I have seemed to do my whole life (running away from things when they got hard). So I told God, "I'm doing this with intentions to follow Your Will. If this is not your will, please stop me!" (A very familiar prayer - the same one I prayed upon deciding to come here, and look where I am). Then God gave me a peace that I actually wasn't running away from something hard (I found the worship stream challenging - not at all in the curriculum, but in my insecurity and feeling of inadequacy amongst other talented musicians who have had more experience than myself, something God has worked on with me throughout the semester). Instead, I was running into something else harder, in that it's very unfamiliar to me. I have never seen myself as much of a speaker. I mean, I love to talk and chat with people, but when it comes to speaking in front of a crowd, I've always been terrified. Mainly because I'm afraid I can't keep my thoughts organized and together. Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I go off on rabbit trails when I get into a conversation. It's like I have a million thoughts going through my head that all make sense to me, but I can't find the outlet in which they all flow together. But this means all the more glory to God, all the more ways He can work through me...His power is perfected in my weakness, right? I know that's right - I've seen this outworked in my life in so many ways, especially this semester! God's opened my eyes to a whole new level of grace - of what it means. It's not just something that God gives me everyday so I can come into His presence to save me, but it's actually something that I can't live without. It's something that God gives me everyday so I can love people and draw them into His presence. For example, I don't just receive God's grace through the way He loves me, but also through the way He allows me to love others. He graces me to love.
And that's what I've been learning lately.
Until next time, the end.
