Fire up the barbi!

Surely, you cannot be in Australia without going to a barbecue, right? Well, my new friend Peta didn't think so. Thus, she invited me and some friends over to her place to fire up the barbi and watch a movie. It was a great time! However, the other nationalities actually ended up being more prominent than the Aussies at this event. 

This is Craig grilling up all of our food. There is some chicken, some steak, and some sort of soy patty on that grill. Craig is actually from New Zealand but moved to Brisbane about a year ago.

This is (from l to r) Peta, Cimone, and Cristin. Peta is a born and bred Aussie, but Simon and Cristin are both from South Africa. 
This is a picture of our phenomenal meal--salad, chicken on a stick, garlic toast, and cheesy potato bake. It was delicious!
And, this is me and Peta. We are both exhausted after watching Casablanca.
Peta is the one who picked me up from the airport, and we were definitely quick friends. It did not take us long to find out that we have similar interests and perspectives, and it is amazing how fast we have become comfortable sharing with one another. She is definitely a blessing from God in my life!

Australian wildlife?

So, I am sure you are all expecting pictures of some real Australian wildlife. Well, I would love to show you some, but unfortunately, I have not been able to capture any great photos as of yet. I see cockatoos just down from my house nearly every morning, but the one day I had a camera with me they were nowhere to be found. I am told that there are sometimes wallabies behind our house here, but I have yet to see them. And, I am quite sure that kangaroos are not the Australian deer because I have yet to see a single one. I will, however, find all of these animals and more and take wonderful pictures of them for you all, but, until then, you will have to settle for what "wildlife" I have had time to capture.

This is Bailey. He belongs to the family I am living with and recently had surgery on his tail. He is wonderfully sweet, and we have become quick friends.

This is Bacardi. He also belongs to the family I am living with. He is really a gorgeous cat, and he has a pretty typical cat attitude. He sleeps a lot and disappears for long periods of time when he doesn't want to be bothered.
So, you can't really tell what this is, but there is a mouse there. Apparently, they had been trying to catch him for awhile and were finally able to trap him between the screen and the window here. Then, the hope was to force him into this container, slap a lid on it, and take him out to the woods behind the house. This was much more humane than what I would have chosen. You can kind of see the mouse at the bottom of the tupperware.
Here is a better picture of the mouse. He isn't dead, just stunned. 
And, my final wildlife picture is this. Yes, it is a dead toad. You can't really tell in this picture, but it is really huge for a toad. I should have put my foot or something in the picture for a size comparison. I bet this toad is at least as big as my foot. 
There you have it! Some real Australian "wildlife." If nothing else, I hope these pictures provide you with a chuckle!

Settling into the land down under...

I wanted to post a little bit of information about what I am doing in Brisbane, Australia. I am currently doing training for my upcoming stint volunteering with SHE Rescue Home. SHE is an outreach of Citipointe Church. I don't have a wonderful story about how I heard about this ministry. I really inadvertently stumbled upon it through a friend (thanks Laura!). I had done a lot of research on human trafficking and forced prostitution and all the things this ministry was working to stop. My heart was moved with compassion to do something, and that, in a nutshell, is how I am where I am. This post is going to be pretty short and sweet, but don't worry, I have some much deeper posts brewing that will be posted soon!

This is just outside the main auditorium at Citipointe and to the left is a bookstore and cafe.

It is a really beautiful church filled with lovely people. I can honestly say that as soon as I stepped in the door, I felt the love of the Lord and an earnest desire to bring Him honor. Everyone I have met here literally point others to Christ simply by the way they choose to live their lives. It is truly a beautiful thing. This church is quite large and seeks to really reach out to the community. There is a Bible college, grade school, and high school all on the property. They have multiple services, including a Mandarin Chinese service and a South African service.  

This is a picture around the front of the main building. It really isn't the best picture, so sorry. But, it really is a beautiful facility, and God is definitely present here.

A South African family from the church has invited me into their home while I am here. They are an exceptionally beautiful family, and it is quite evident that God has gifted them with hospitality. I felt welcome from the moment I entered the door. They have a beautiful home and family, including a super adorable 6-year-old son who will talk your ear off if you let him! He happily informed me on my first evening at their home that he was not shy, and he was happy to tell me anything I wanted to know as well as ask me a heap of questions. He makes it a point to tell me to have a good day each morning before he leaves for school and seeks me out at bedtime to tell me to have a good night. I think I might be falling in love with him...

Anyway, here is a view from my bedroom window. It is taken through a screen, so it really isn't the best picture. However, the picture doesn't really do the view justice anyway. It is beautiful, and I can sometimes see cockatoos or other cool Australian wildlife. By the way, the birds here are all HUGE! So, if you would like to remember me in your prayers, I would appreciate that there are no swooping birds while I am walking around. Thanks!
This a view of my room. Yes, there is a pirate ship on my wall. This is normally the 6-year-old's room, but he has so graciously lent it to me for the next few weeks. 
There you have it! That is just a basic rundown of where I am staying and training. I am doing really great, and I have adjusted well to the time difference and everything. The only problem is that the sun comes up here around 4:30am, which makes sleeping past 5:30 or 6 nearly impossible for me (and everyone else it seems!). I have gone for runs at 6am the last 2 days, and you would all be amazed at the heaps of people who are out and about at that time of the morning! I will be sure to update again soon with what God is teaching me while I am here as well as some pictures of some good old Australian fun...there's an Aussie barbecue with some of my new and wonderful friends on the agenda for tomorrow!!!

How many flights does it take for your smile to disappear?

It is like asking how many licks to the center of a tootsie pop! My long-awaited departure date was Saturday, October 31st. I departed from Chicago O'Hare at about 6:10pm (Indiana time). My super duper wonderful friend Laura took me to the airport (and gave me some white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies for the journey!).

This is me at the airport in Chicago getting excited about my flight!!!!
This was my gate for the first leg of the journey, heading to L.A. At this point I am still feeling pretty good, even though I did not sleep well the night before. I had been going over my packing list about a million times in my head to make sure I didn't forget anything important, which probably was not as important as I thought, but more on that later.
I think I look a bit more tired here. This is me in L.A. My flight from Chicago was pretty uneventful. I had a window seat, so I could watch us fly into the sunset (literally) for most of the flight. And, an added bonus was that there was no one in either of the 2 seats next to me. Yes, folks, that's right, I had a row of seats to myself! Phenomenal! However, I was expecting to get dinner on this flight, but that did not happen, so I was pretty darn hungry by this point. The cookies Laura gave me didn't make it much past here. I forced myself to stay awake, so I would be able to crash on the next flight.

After about 2 hours in L.A., I boarded the plane heading for Auckland, New Zealand. And, 13 hours later, here I am!
I'm still smiling, but I think this is the smile that says, "Praise the Lord I can stretch out and not sit on an airplane for a few hours!!!!"
I only had to wait about 2 more hours for my final plane to depart to Brisbane. In the meantime, I sat next to a huge window and looked at this view.
I am pretty sure that New Zealand is quite beautiful, and I would have loved to have been able to see more than just the view from the airport terminal.

My plane left Auckland right on schedule, and I arrived in Brisbane a few minutes earlier than expected. I then blasted through customs without even a hiccup, grabbed both my suitcases from the baggage claim, and then headed on out to meet a woman named Peta who was supposed to be waiting with a sign that had my name on it.

Unfortunately, there was most definitely not anyone with a sign that had my name on it when I exited into the waiting area. I had a slight moment of panic, but I didn't let myself get worked up since I was a little earlier than anticipated. I doubt it was even 10 minutes that I waited before I found Peta. She was splendid! We loaded up my baggage and took off for the city. We grabbed coffee and went on a drive/walk around Brisbane, headed to the church where I am doing my training, grabbed lunch at a cafe (which I can't tell you the name of because Peta swore me to secrecy since it is her favorite place to get away!), dropped my stuff off where I am staying, and went back to her place to watch a movie. It was a crazy long day, but it was lovely!
These are some trees growing in downtown Brisbane. The roots grow up, not something you see in the States!
And, I really just took this for my mom. Neither I nor Peta knew what kind of flower this was, but it was gorgeous. It is in the middle of a huge garden/park in the middle of Brisbane where anyone can go walking any time. 

So, there you have my journey to Brisbane! I will be sure to update again in the next couple days to let you know about what I am up to and how training is going, but I will tell you that I am super pumped about what God is going to do!!!

"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

the journey...

In less than a week, I will be setting out on an incredible journey, certainly the most daring adventure of my life thus far (though I am sure there will be even more daring adventures in the future!). On October 31st, I will be boarding an airplane with a couple suitcases thrown into the baggage compartment, a backpack on my shoulders, and a heart that is burning to change the world with the love of Christ. I will first be heading to Brisbane, Australia, to engage in some training where I will learn (as best one can) about how to minister to and work with victims of child trafficking. After three and a half weeks, I will travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I am pretty sure that my heart has preceded me in arriving there. Over the past few years, I have done a lot of research, read a lot of books, seen a lot of pictures, and cried a lot of tears for the nation of Cambodia and her beautiful people. When I began learning of the widespread sale of young girls into forced prostitution in Southeast Asia, it felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest. I simply could not believe the injustice these young girls faced. Matthew 9:36 says, "But when He (Jesus) saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." This is exactly how I felt about these beautiful young girls whose innocence was being stolen. I am moved with compassion for them. God has steadily increased my heart to make a difference in this area of the world and to do whatever I can, to make a difference any way that I can. So, when the opportunity arose for me to be able to volunteer with SHE Rescue Home in Phnom Penh, I jumped at the chance! I had been saving my pennies for just such an opportunity as this one. So, late last spring I embarked on a quest to make this volunteer experience a reality. Along the way God has sent so many confirmations to me to let me know that this is exactly the road He wants me to be traveling at this time. The complete peace I have felt through the entire process has been simply amazing and can be explained through nothing but the absolute sovereignty and grace of God. Proverbs 16:9 says, "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." It truly is my heart to reach out to the world, but the Lord has certainly directed my steps as I sought His direction and earnestly prayed for His provision. He has provided so far above and beyond what I could have imagined and in ways that I had never even considered (such as free shampoo and conditioner from my hairdresser and an extra bonus at work to name just a few!). It has been such a blessing just to be able to step back and see how God is moving and working in my own heart and the hearts of others!

Though I know I am completely unqualified, I am excited to be able to work for the Lord in this way. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is mad perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." I am counting on Christ to do great things in spite of me. I am well aware that I am going to be made uncomfortable and will feel out of place in an unfamiliar land, but I know that in my greatest weakness God is most able to use me. I have to be completely dependent upon Him. I have no choice, and even if I did, there is no better choice but to completely surrender everything to Him who holds the world in the palm of His hands, who knows the beginning from the end.

I am not entirely sure what my duties at SHE will entail. I have a rough idea of what I will be doing, but everything is subject to change based on what needs to be done. Blessed are the flexible! But, to give you an idea, I will likely be teaching some English to the girls and Cambodian staff, planning crafts and other activities for the girls, doing basic household chores, helping to de-louse the girls regularly, and helping to supervise the daily activities in the home. There are currently 18 girls in the home, ranging in age from 3 to 16. I am so excited to meet them, and my prayer is that I will be able to bond with them quickly!

As of now, I am simply asking for your prayers as I prepare for the journey ahead of me. I am planning to update this blog as often as I am able and will hopefully be including pictures periodically. I am inviting you to go on this adventure with me because I know that together we truly can bring real and lasting change to the world. Will you come with me?

You're my favorite...

Over the past several months, I have had quite a bit of time to just think about a lot of things. I tend to be a "thinker" anyway, but spending nearly an hour in the car each day going to and from work affords me a great opportunity to simply let my mind wander. My mind can wander while I am driving so long as my eyes don't, right? In addition to my predisposition to ponder, I majored in communication in college, which more or less means that I have become really good at observing and listening and analyzing both people's words and actions. 

So, what's my point in stating this? My point is this--I have been pained to see the judgment of people both in others and in myself. I will admit it. As much as I hate it, I make assumptions about people based upon their appearances. In Romans 7:19 Paul says, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." This is exactly how I feel. And, I know God is working in me because I am learning more and more to look at others as He does and to have compassion and love for them regardless of who they are, what they look like, or what they are doing. It has really bothered me, though, how much I see Christians make judgments of others that are not theirs to make. I have taken to telling myself that it is God's place to judge, not mine. With that in mind, I know that it is my responsibility to think the best of others in every situation regardless of past (or present) behavior. A couple of months ago, I was reading through the book of James, which I have read numerous times before. However, during this particular reading I was stopped in my tracks by a passage I know I had read before. It was highlighted. It was underlined. Yet, I was almost sure I had never really read it before.

"My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, 'You sit here in a good place,' and say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or, 'Sit here at my footstool,' have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors...For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." ~ James 2:1-9, 13

In reading this Scripture, I was stopped in my tracks when I thought back to all the times that I preferred those who looked as if they deserved it or potentially had something to offer me. Who am I to shame God's creation by loving one more than another? That may sound a bit extreme, and maybe it is, but this is the revelation that God has been giving me regarding those that He loves. I don't believe that God plays favorites because that implies that there is a differing level of value. If I say that my favorite ice cream is vanilla, that means that I like it more than every other kind of ice cream. I simply do not think God operates that way. I have heard other people say that everyone is God's favorite, which I think is simply a waste of words. His love for us is so far beyond anything that we can comprehend, and any word that we use is insufficient in describing it. So, I am working to claim God as my favorite. Above all else. Above all that I can understand. I want to see people as He sees them, and sometimes I think I can see the crack of light under the door, shedding some light in the darkness, revealing to me a new truth...

Live!

I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to truly live, to be alive in Christ, to live this life I have been given to the fullest potential. I have been really disheartened to look around me and see how few people are really living and enjoying their lives. And sadly, I can say that I find myself in this category of lackluster living more often than I would like to admit. I find myself getting so caught up in the day-to-day life that unbeknownst to me, my dreams and passions lose their vitality. Over the past couple weeks, I have definitely recognized my recent loss of ferocity with regard to the injustices of the world and the ultimate power and love of God to bring justice and righteousness to a broken world. God is the element that brings life and sets the world right. I don’t understand how He does it, but I know that it is true. I know that He can change the hardest of hearts and bring life to the grimmest of situations. There is a passage in Ezekiel that keeps drawing me in. Ezekiel 16:4-14 says, “As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born, And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, says the Lord God. Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you, says the Lord God.”

This passage is talking about God’s great love for Jerusalem, but I think it definitely parallels the love He has for each of His children. Isn’t this how God finds each of us? Struggling to simply survive and keep our heads above water. We are screaming, whether audibly or deep in the depths of our inner self, hoping for someone to notice and offer us a helping hand, a way out of the pain of this world. I love that God wills the infant to Live! in this passage. He sees us in our mess, and before He does anything else, out of desperation He seems to say, “Hold on! Don’t let go! I’m here now. I’m here to help. Daddy’s here. Live! Just hold on!” In reading this passage, I always have the image of a man hearing the distant cries of an abandoned infant, and I see him frantically running toward the cries, eyes darting in all directions. I see him discovering this helpless, trembling child who is slowly dying with the vultures circling overhead merely waiting. I see him enveloping the child in his arms in hopes that he can transfer some of his life, his vitality to this weak child. Then, I see him adopting this child as his own, offering up all that he has in order for this child to have a life of abundance. Isn’t this exactly what God has done for each of us? He finds us in our worst state, struggling to survive on our own. Then, He takes us in His arms, saving us from the imminent death that is just seconds from digging its claws into us. Yet, even after this amazing display of saving grace, our response is often less than eternal gratitude. We start out with great intentions, with a wonderful desire to live wholeheartedly for God and bringing glory to His kingdom. We want to tell the whole world about Jesus, to see the whole world saved. But then mundane life takes over. We find ourselves living day-to-day, waiting for five o’clock on Friday afternoon to roll around. At first, we hear the cries of the helpless and hopeless with great clarity and want to run and rescue them the way God came and rescued us. However, over the course of time, those cries often get masked by the wind rushing past us, the rain pouring down on us, the grumbling of our own desires, and the well-kept gardens on the other side of the fence—away from the cries that suddenly make us uncomfortable. While we still remember the major points of how God came to save us, we sometimes omit the details of our prior filthiness—some things are just better left in the past and forgotten, right? And that is how the slow fade begins, at least for me. The times when I find myself living for another weekend are the times when I suddenly wake up one day and wonder, “What am I doing? Where am I going? Who am I?” I realize how far I have wandered from my purpose, from my dreams. I realize that I need to be revived because I somehow allowed myself to be inoculated against the travesties of this world. It is like waking up from a nightmare…except that it is real, and I really did lose a lot of time. So, my whole point is that it is time to live, really live. I hope you will choose to live with me.

“I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, until it overflows).” John 10:10b