mad mad world

testimonies are amazing. everyone has a different story, and it all seems to bring us together. I was planning to Say something like 'I was homeschooled, ans I have a big and good family,and I always wanted to be a missionary.' Instead, I unloaded. I told of my history with depression, my 'pain game' and losing many of my loved ones. I ended up rambling on, and sobbing into the Kleenex and clock that were the "talking tools'.Not planned, and not fun. I felt like i was in an AA meeting. I loved getting to know people, and hopefully we all realised that stereotypes aren't true... 

after that 20 out of 30 of us went to the city, and unwittingly walked into a street festival. we saw a unicycle performer, (she was ok) tons of amazing live music, and decided to make use of an abandoned stage. can you say Awesome God? I went on my first train, which was kinda boring... it's simple public transport. Then we went to church. As I walked in, I got this horrible feeling like I didn't ever want to be here, but as the praise started, the young people jumped up and nearly started a mosh pit! I loved the freedom given to be able to be excited for God. then, the sermon. it was all about Laments. things get broken, and we need to be comforted, but God has a different idea of comfort. He will not pat you on the back and say its all going to be ok, he will make you rebuild instead.we don't need pat words, we need to rebuild our lives. it really struck me, because that was what our testimonies were about. coming to Jerusalem, and rebuilding the walls.  anyways, I shall log off, classes start! 

becoming home

How ya goin mates?

Ladies and gentlemen, It has begun. 

Right now I am sitting in the YWAM outreach Cafe, which has amazing pumpkin pie and Chai.(gold coin, so come and visit!)  Orientation was really fun! I mean, a lot of it is rules and boring things, but what other school but a MAD school gets you to demonstrate the Christian Magna Carta win an interpretive dance skit? Or the school foundations by a photo scavenger hunt? Tonight there is a Girls Night, and that sounds exciting! Everyone is so creative and zealous for God and missions. So far I get along with everyone. YWAMers are the absolute best!

Yesterday I went for a walk with a group and visited the neighborhood. the Salamanders are cute. 

There are cons to living in Australia though, right now there are tons of bushfires. None are near us, but they need a lot of prayer right now.  There is a possum living in one of the girls dorms, and in ours, Humongous cockroaches! 

Currently I am writing out my testimony, and if enough people request it, I will post it on the blog.

I have to get back to work, so Bye!

 

journey in photos

crazy day update

  Update on the last Three crazy days 

 Local time 5 pm on the 13 Oct.

  And so it begins. My flight from Calgary was crazy, and the initial checking and security was horrible. I nearly forgot my passport and gave mom a heart attack! Luckily, the guards and attendants were nice, and I made what you might call Airport buddies with a big family off to Disneyland. They were kind enough to buy me a hamburger, and we made small talk.

       The plane, my first, was quite identical to a flying greyhound bus, only longer and more squished. I still think they look like awkward whales (or sardines for that one!) Taking off feels like a boring rollercoaster, and going through the clouds made me think of Disney songs. ‘A whole new world ‘ fo shizzle! Yeah, the first and last five minutes of the ride are beautiful, the rest are boring, therefore spent reading The Fault in our Stars. Highly recommended if you like pop culture references! It’s really too bad I read so fast, because it’s one adventure I would like to prolong.

     The first thing I really noticed about the LAX is that it isn’t as friendly as Calgary. The second, all the signs are English. No French at all! It seemed…. Sad to me. The bilingual-ness of Canada is somewhat special to me.  Writing this is my attempt at killing a loooooong layover in LA, where I will not be leaving the airport just in case.  How else do you murder vague ideas? I mean, think about it. From a scientific point of view, you can’t touch it, hypothesize it, test it, but you see the effects of it so undeniably you have to know it’s real. Kinda like God. I feel like it is 6 pm (Calgary time, it’s true), in LA it’s 5 pm, and in Brisbane its 7 AM. Everywhere knows time differently.

Places as well, can a place really be strange, if it is made by the same creator? None of them feel like ‘Not Home.’ I suppose I will find out eventually.

8 pm local time

It’s a good thing I didn’t leave the Airport in LA, because some sort of security breach delayed my flight and put the whole thing on lockdown! When that was over, I boarded my NZ flight. Air New Zealand was really nice and friendly, and more like I imagined a plane (less tin can wobble maker.) I spent most of my time watching movies because even though it was a 13 hour night flight, my body knew it was daytime in Canada. I got to watch the sun go down in LA and come up in AUK. I ate breakfast three times in a row, each in a different time zone. Since the la flight was delayed I as nearly late for the next plane I had to take, and booked it through the airport. In the 2 minutes I spent there, I realised NZ has hobbits on their planes and the gates look like the Mines if Moria. After the next, and mostly uneventful leg, I picked up my bags which were a bit worse for wear, and headed out to meet some of my new schoolmates.

On the ride to my new ‘home’ I was amazed at the colours. Jacarandas of glorious purple, all the reds and yellows, and palm trees! Then I met the people at the school. Out of 30 students, 25 are girls. 6 Canadians, and a plethora of Americans, Norwegians, Germans, and other nationalities.  I think it’s a pretty cool bunch. The time we spent getting to know each other was pretty much standard procedure. Ask Name, nationality, and track. I have a feeling us girls are going to have a lot of fun! We got a quick tour around the base and town, and I have firmly decided the guy who designed this school was crazy! It has so many levels and stairs, and it goes in circles to get to anything. I like it. Later on, I Met a girl who knows my best friends mom.it really is a small world! Then we Played games, talked, and almost fell asleep. Jet lag is so weird!

0530 AM local time

After I wrote that, I fell asleep.  It is now 530 am local time, and the cockatoos outside are squawking. I slept like   a rock! After breakfast today some of the girls are going to go shopping. Jeans are really not useful right now! We live a couple minutes from a train station, and the two hour ride to the beach only costs 10$ CAD! I haven’t went yet, we asked the ticket guy. He then asked if we loved Jesus, and told us to have fun at YWAM. 

 The school rules are pretty easy, stuff like respect and modesty. The next couple days are orientation, which I seem to need, because even though it’s a small base and all, the architecture is a bit confusing. I’ll signoff now, there’s a lot I need to do. Pictures soon! 

the insanity of normality

I leave in a week. During the time I am stressing about living out of a suitcase, beginner plane trips, and altogether life changing decisions, Life has gone on. School has started, people are working and studying and it seems I am the only one who is restless with the routine. Sure, I will miss home, but if you had the choice would you go to work, sleep, eat, and do the same things all day for the rest of your life? I find the normality of this perfect middle class life mundane. God has called me to be extreme. I will travel the world, working to the glory of Jesus. I will eat weird things. I will sleep in a mosquito net under a red sky. And through all this, I will not be content with what I could be doing, I will be the hands that God uses to shape a masterpiece in heaven. It might hurt, I might be homesick, but my true home is heaven, and the trip isn't over yet!

making time to take time

I forget. Reading my bible sometimes seems to fall by the wayside, and I need to remember that in the still times, the busy times, and when it seems irrelevant, God is who I should be wanting to talk to. Lets learn about Him before we go out. Let's talk to him before we yell at others. Let's admire his creation before we do our own work. That's what the bible on my desk is for.

Two love

I was thinking today about God's plan for marriage. One man and one woman for life. Matthew 22:30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Just think! True love for eternity? How romantic! Why does humankind put quantity ahead of quality? What do our relationships in general have to say about our hearts? What would the world be like if we all waited for our Twoo wuv?