Stand

As Easter is around the corner, the story of Jesus, that I have heard several times before has revealed a new concept to me. While I was teaching and planning children lessons for schools in the community a verse in Mark seemed to jump out and hit me in the face. I don't know why these words of His never impacted me before. However take a minute to read them yourselves.

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:35-36

My heart is stirred when I read this. Just picture Jesus there alone praying to his Father that He does not want to do this but that He trusts His Fathers plan so much, that he will go and die. I never really thought that Jesus would ask for this pain and sorrow to be taken away from him but he did. To me his actions and words are comforting and challenging. 

It brought comfort to know that Jesus wasn't like, yes Lord this plan makes perfect sense to me and I will do it with a smile on my face. His Love for us came with a price and though he may of had Joy in his heart, this surly wasn't on his top 10 list of experiences to have while alive. 
I say this because I can relate in some small way. Being here in Darwin has been pretty hard. I am unable to see the Lords big plan for this trip and its been the opposite of what I am use to. Jesus' journey wasn't easy, though he had an easier time listening to God then I do, he still stayed on the path His Father laid out for him. 

Its a challenge because I think of how many times did I not want to do something because it wasn't in my plan? I'm learning to have confidence in the Lords plan for my life. Not that His plan will meet all my goals and dreams but that it might expand the kingdom. I want to be so firm in the Lord that when persecution is before me that I say "yet not what I will, but what you will". 

God Is Able

 

 

This week has been a roller coaster kind of week. I'm pretty much alone during the day and it doesn't really hit me until after dinner, that I am actually alone. However this week God has really helped me out with comfort and peace about being here.

So last Sunday I went to church with my director Jen and it was really neat. They had an Evangelist  named Daniel come preach and pray over us. The first time he prayed for me he told me that I would be a person to break religion off of people and that I was called here for a good amount of time. He told me that God is my comforter and he will put people in my life here and that he saw me surrounded by a great community of people back at home. Then he asked me what my name was. So its was pretty amazing to have God confirm things through other people who don't know me.

 

Then Jen introduced me to a guy who plays in the worship band because they have random meeting places for worship that I would be interested in going to. He vaguely mentioned that they hangout after church and desperately I asked "Can I join?" Thank goodness he said yes, this was my chance to get off base for a little bit. I hung out with him and his friends till church that night, Daniel was preaching again. During this prayer session Daniel called me out and said " YWAM girl come up here so I can pray for you" so I obeyed. This time when he prayed for me he told me that God wanted to go deeper with me and open me up to more of the spiritual gifts. This kinda makes me nervous but I'm ready to go deeper. Then he told me that I would have a children's ministry and that he can see me coming and going from Australia for at least a number of years. This still freaks me out since its been a challenging couple of weeks. However the Lord has good plans.

 

Amazingly the girl who lives next to my room but who isn't on staff will randomly find me, we will go on walks and just talk. I'm so thankful for her because she is some one who I can just have fellowship withhand just be myself around.

 

Ministry is starting to pick up, last Friday we did a picnic for the aboriginal community at a water park. We sang songs, did a puppet show about the Lords grace and love, then ate. I didn't really know anything about aboriginal people here in the Northern Territory until I got here. Its definitely a diff rent culture I will post a couple of links if you want to know more about them. Basically there culture believes that animal god's formed the earth and diffrent structures represent different gods. they believe that doing certain rituals will give them rain, sun and wind. However each tribe has a different view on these issues. Now a lot of them live off the land and are very poor. Substance abuse is very common among them and there isn't really any structure to how things need to get done. So the Lord has put me here to help with these people groups as well. It can be very hard at times sense the culture is so different.

 

Next week we start children camps and I was nominated to be a main coordinator. So hopefully this goes well, its focused on The true story of Easter so hopefully it will impact these kids. It will run for a total of 2 weeks.

 

Overall God has been putting people into my life off of base to interact with and its been amazing. I'm starting to find friends and I'm getting a chance to get involved in the community! Things can only get brighter from here. Thanks again for all your prayers and support keep them coming! You guys are so awesome that people here in Australia know that I have an amazing community back at home!

 

Love you guys!!

 

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him. Psalms 40:1-3

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australians

Organisational StructureEach clan-grouping has an important religious specialist who will initiate and foster contact with spirits and divinities. Specific elders may also be keepers of specific stories or rituals. Sometimes this knowledge is segregated according to gender – there is men’s business and women’s business.

Key Beliefs

• The earth is eternal, and so are the many ancestral figures / beings who inhabit it.


• These beings are often associated with particular animals, for example Kangaroo-men, Emu-men or Bowerbird-women.


• As they journeyed across the face of the Earth these powerful beings created human, plant and animal life; and they left traces of their journeys in the natural features of the land.


• They also connected particular groups of people with particular regions and languages.


• Some groups held belief in a supreme being.


• The Dreaming continues to control the natural world.

Key Festivals

• Ritual ceremonies involving special sacred sites, song cycles accompanied by dance, and body painting, and even sports, invoke these mythic and living beings and continue to provide the means to access the spiritual powers of The Dreaming.


• At important stages of men and women’s lives, ceremonies are held to seek the assistance of spiritual beings. This makes them direct participants in the continuing process of the Dreaming.


• Other ceremonies are known as increase rites, in which the willingness of ancestral beings to release the land’s fertility depends upon humans continuing to perform certain rituals.


• Recent years have seen major indigenous festivals emerge, including Stompin’ Ground, Yeperenye Dreaming, Barunga Festival, Laura Festival, NARLA Knock Out, Survival, Coming of the Light, CROC Eisteddfod, NAIDOC and Reconciliation Week.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s790117.htm

Plan A

The Lord has been very good to me these last couple of weeks and I'm so grateful for it. However there are some decisions that need to be made pretty soon. It is highly recommend that I do a Staff Training Course. It will equip me to be a better leader, however it cost $800.00. I'm trying to trust God with Finances and he has blessed me but its hard for me to spend money unexpectedly. I was just told about this 2 days ago. I'm pretty sure I'm suppose to go but I'm waiting on some confirmation. I just want to make sure that the Lord is in this. It is in Newcastle, Australia and involves a plane ticket. 

I've never had to trust in the Lord to this degree if I go, I'm not sure how my room and board needs will be met for the months when I return for April, May and so forth. Its crazy to think that God will just bring it but I have to trust in him I have no plan B. So I'm trying to take this opportunity to be excited to see how God works through finances. It will defiantly continue to be a faith building aspect for me. Its almost harder not knowing how much money I need and I can't really plan anything because new things are always popping up.

I also need to find a home church while I am here. So this next month will be exploring the different church's around my community and finding where God wants me to get involved. I would love to find another awesome small group at the church also. I have people here but I would like to have friends as weird as that sounds. The Lord has it in his hands and it will all come together I just need to stop planning and trying to figure everything out. He is faithful and I know that.

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. - Deuteronomy 31:8