Gospel in A Verse!

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh,

vindicated by the Spirit,

seen by angels,

proclaimed among the nations,

believed on in the world,

taken up in glory.  - 1 Timothy 3.16   *all emphisis my own

THANKFUL.

Even though I get stressed with school, I am thankful I get the opportunity to further my education.

Even though she has gotten on my nerves, I am thankful for a mom who has worked hard and never gave up.

It has not always been easy, but I am thankful for God’s blessings in summer missions while I have been in college.

Even though I gat stressed over my financial debt, I am thankful he paid a debt he didn’t owe!

Blog or not blog?

Should I start blogging on a regular basis?  Some part of me thinks nobody will read this. 

SWEET HOME ALABAMA!!

August 3, 2011 was, literally, one of the longest days of my life!  I am now back in the good ol' USA, driving on the right side of the road, and who can forget this weather.  Sweet tea has never tasted so good!

Please continue to keep us summer missionaries in your prayers and we go through so many transitions.  We like to think once we get home it will be May 22, but that is not the case.  Our lives have been changed for the better, but everyone around us has not had the same experinces we have.

I promise you there will be a complete update on the blog after I have more time to recover from jetlag.

THANKS HEAPS FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORT OVER THE SUMMER!!

Hello Sydney!

Well, we are back in Sydney. Monday began at 5.30am so we could board a flight to Sydney! I can now say I have seen the Sydney Opera House. And don't let it fool you, it's nothing but a big building.

Tomorrow we board a 14 hour flight to LA. Please keep us in your prayers for safety in travel. Please pray for our homecoming, as well. Going home can be the hardest part of the whole trip. We have so many changes ahead of us, one being the weather.

If all goes as planned I will be in Birmingham at 9.30pm Wenesday.

Packing :(

I am going to be as honest as I know how to be.  The only reason I am updating my blog is because I am avoiding the much dreaded packing.  I really wish there were somehow my bags could magically pack themselves. 

Tomorrow will be our last day with East Freo Baptist.  Monday we take off 7am for Sydney.   I can now say I am ready to leave Perth.  Two weeks ago I would not have said that.  God has been bringing me to the point where I am ready to come home.  Let me say, this is a good thing.  It makes coming home easier. 

8 Days!

 As I type this I have 8 days until I will be in America. That fact seems so unreal! It does not seem like it has been 9 weeks since I came to Australia.

My life would not be the same if I never came to Australia. Not every day has been easy but I have learned so much, tried new foods, and made new friends. I have grown in my relationship with God and He has been clear concerning His will for my life.

Australia will forever hold a place in my heart.  I have heard it said "You know when you are in the will of God when a place on the map becomes a place in your heart."  That has been proven true in my life, not only with Australia but with Peru and South Asia as well.

Please keep all of the summer missionaries in your prayers over the coming weeks.  Believe it or not, coming home is the worst and hardest part of the summer. 

Love Endures!

Sorry to leave all of you waiting!  This is a follow up to one of my previous posts concerning all the things I have learned.

Last summer I had a commissioning service with the Alabama Board of Missions. The main speaker said “When you become a Christian you give up your right to choose who you will ever love!” That was the only thing I remember. A few weeks go by and on the hardest days God kept bringing to my attention the 1 Cor. 13 verse “Love endures all things!”

Love endures all the hard days and all the good days. Love endures all the days you may not get alone with your teammates. Love endures sleeping on a concrete floor for 6 weeks. Love endures 8 days without a shower.

 

LOVE ENDURES ALL THINGS!

So I can't think of some creative blog tittle.  All I can think about is how I'm going to be in America in 19 days!!  That seems SO unreal!  It does not seem like I left America 7 weeks ago.  Going home is something that is not fun and easy, but I know it is something that has to be done. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to travel and meet so many wonderful people.  My heart aches knowing I will have to say good bye. Although, I know I will get to see them again, even if it is the other side of heaven.

Still Learning!!

I have heard most of my life "Jesus is a teacher."  Since I have been in Australia God has taught me things I never would have learned if I were not here.  This is my third year to do summer missions, and it is so easy to come in thinking you know all about missions.  The thing I remember most from orientation is my supervisor telling me as a missionary you are always learning. 

I love that God is teaching me new things!  One of my most common prayers is "God, please make me teachable and teach me new things!"  I am just amazed at the things God has been teaching me and how He teaches me.  It has taken me 3 years to learn some things, and I think that is crazy considering I should have learned some of these things early on. 

I decided to list a few things I have been learning and this is just a few of those things.  These are some things I have learned on the mission field, in random order:

- God can use any of your skills, even Special Ed. It is essential for one to be open and allow Him to do so.


- Some formal training (by that I mean seminary) is important for minister’s.

- Just because you have had one bad experience in ministry, do NOT let that set your whole mind set. Always give it a second chance.

- Being involved in ministry will have its bad days, but the good days make it worth it!

- When you are involved in ministry, the term “sleep-in” is not even in your vocabulary!

- Love endures ALL things!! (I will explain this one really soon.

- YOU ARE ALWAYS LEARNING!

Happy 4th of July!

Let me start of by saying, this is the sixth consecitive year I have been away from home on the forth of July.  Until today I never realized how much I have missed being apart of the traditional 4th of July celebrations, yet I love my time on the mission field. 

One thing about being away from America is you begin to LOVE the little things.  I mean who gets excited over ice, COLD sweet tea, hot showers, clothes dryers, and FREE refills?!  I am excited to say, we have spent the weekend celebrating America.  Friday, we had an "America Night" with our youth group.  We took this time to introduce them to some American food and test thier knowledge with some American trivia. Saturday, it was a blessing to serve with 3 other Americans from a local church to them prepare for another "America vs. Australia" game night.  Sunday, we introduced the young adults from our church to some southern favorites, like fried chicken and pumpkin pie.  I am somewhat sadened I do not have any pictures,but all of these socials have made a part of me miss the ways america celebrates the 4th of July. 

Weekend Recap!

Apart from church on Sunday, we spent got to do some sight seeing Saturday!  Thanks to some wonderful Aussie friends it was heaps of fun!  We are now a little past our halfway point.  That fact makes me a little sad.

1st Month!

As of today we have been in Perth for 1 month.  It's bittersweet moment.  Yesterday we hit what we call the "first month slup."  I think anybody that works in ministry will tell you the first month is fun and everybody is so welcoming, but then there becomes a time where it is not fun.  Although, I am still enjoying my time here.  This "1st month slup" makes me realize what ministry is all about.  There will be days that are not fun and hard.

God has done so much in my life in one month!  I already know my life will not be the same if He never sent me to Australia.  I have learned so much about the local church, being involved in the ministry, and God has revealed and confirmed His will for my life.

It's June 21!!

Going by our calendar it is June 21.  It was one month today since we left the States.  HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?  I have always heard time passes faster as you get older, now I think I have found that to be true.  Next week will be our halfway point.  It depresses me to even think about that.  I mean we have not been in Australia that long and it is not that much longer 'til we leave.  To date, this is one of the best summer missions experiences I have ever had.

One of the greatest challanges is trying to determine if this is summer or winter.  We are summer missionaries, but it is winter time in Australia.  At least they say winter time.

The Things I Try!

One thing I love about traveling is trying new foods.  Unfortuately, there are many delicious foods that can not be found in the States. 

I will try ANYTHING once just to say I have tried it.  I will spare you the details of all the exotic foods I have tried, because I know there would be some people who will never read this blog again.

This is called "lamington."  It is just some yellow cake rolled in choclate syrup and cocanut.  It tastes yummy!

This is lamb.  Let me just say I have some new favorite food!

Week in Review.

Our Mondays would normally consist of meetings with the church staff. Although, this past Monday was a holiday. So Monday we got to hang-out with some wonderful Aussies and pet a koala.

Every Tuesday we are blessed with a day off. However, this Tuesday we caught up with some of the young adults from church.

I spend my Wednesdays working at the kindergarten program that is run by the church. That is one thing I did not think I would be doing, but I find myself loving it more and more every time I leave.

Most of my work here is getting the church ready for their annual VBS. Unlike America, Australia does not have the heaps of resources America has, which means we have to have all of our decorations. Thursday and Friday I painted some of our decorations.

I had the privilege to attend a children’s minister’s training conference Saturday, which I loved. I realized it is something I may need to do more often.

And today (Sunday) we had church and then went on our weekly church picnic. I will leave you with a funny story. In Australia they drive on the left side of the road, meaning the steering will is on the right side of the car. So today I go to get in the car and I go the side with the steering wheel (if I were in America it would be the passenger side). And the lady driving jokingly said “Do you want to drive?” I am still getting used to Australia! Every time I think I have it figured out I do something that will prove me wrong.

I'm Lovin' It!!

We have been in Perth 10 days! Some part of me feels it has been much longer! Although, every new day goes by faster and faster. You will also have to forgive me for my lack of blogging. Internet here is few and far between.


We have been here such a short time, but I have learned more during time that what I have ever expected to learn. With this being my third year to be out of the country, one will often come into this thinking they know it all. I will be honest I had those same thoughts. The one thing I remember most from training was my supervisor saying “As a missionary you are ALWAYS learning!” I have found that to be so true. I have learned so much about myself, church, and ministry. I am just amazed at how God is a teacher. My biggest plea is that He will continue to teach me new things and make teachable!

I love this country and town! I love how they are SO laid back! They have access to all the same technology we have in the USA, but they don’t let it rule the world. I love the culture and some Aussie food! I love doing ministry with this church! I say all that to say, Do NOT be surprised if my passport gets lost!

The Things We Find!

These are some kangaroos we saw during our training.  We were NOT expecting to see any kangaroos this summer since we are placed in big cities.

Um, Yeah!  This is a loaf of bread that is labeled "Untouched by Human Hand."  Somebody has to explain this to me.



Perth!!

Well, after three days of training we are FINALLY arrived to Perth.  Training was fun.  It was nice to meet some new people and learn some things about Australian culture.  The one thinig I most remember from training is one of my supervisors saying “as a missionary you are constantly learning!”  God has proven that to me over the last 3 days.

We arrived in East Freo Wed. Afternoon.  Three of our new Aussie friends were at the airport awaiting our arrival.  They are so excited we are here to assist them in ministry over the next 2 months. 

Yesterday my teammate & I done a little exploring.  We mostly walked around town.  After we made a target run!  Today we are off to attend some Australian sports games.

Hello Sydney!!

After 30+ hours of flying and 4 airports we have arrived in Sydney safe and sound. Please, forgive my lack of updates. I had every intention of bringing my computer to provide picture updates but I decided at 2am of my departure date that I would not be dragging my computer all the way across the world.

God has been so faithful. We made it through security with very minimal problems(just ask me about the confiscation later). Some luggage got lost but now it has been found. By the grace of God, I have not experienced jet lag! That's a miracle considering jet lag was TERRIBLE last time I had a 12+ hour time change.

What I will I do?

Many people have asked, "Why are you going to Australia?" or "What will you be doing?" 

Well, I am pretty much interning with a local church.  There are some things they tell me I will be doing, but let me just say from past experience, what they say and what you actually will be doing can be two COMPLETELYdifferent things.  

I will be a this church East Fremantle Baptist Church in Perth, Australia.  I will be helping the youth and children's ministers and building some relationships with the young adults. 

Please continue to lift us up.  We are only 2 days away from our departure date!

Testimony

I am posting my testimony to let all of you know where I have come from, where I am and where I am going.

My parents divorced when I was 4 years old. My mom pretty much raised me all by herself. We never went to church when I was a child. However, I attended a church school so I knew some Bible verses and knew ABOUT Jesus.

When I was 12 years old my mawmaw started to get involved in a local church. I started going to church with her. I was in Sunday School one morning when the teacher asked me if I was a Christian, I said no. Shortly after that he asked if I wanted to ask Jesus into my heart. In April 2001, I asked Jesus to forgive me & save my life! I experienced some joy unlike any I had ever known!

I spent the next few years teaching Sunday School and in VBS. At 16 years old, I spent the 4th of July in Honduras helping with medical missions. That missions team planned to go to Peru the following summer, but that was never of God and His will. God still gave me a heart and desire for the people, along with the culture, of Peru.

A few years go by. My mom started going to church. Honestly, she was just a "Sunday Christian." I had started college and got involved with Baptist Campus Ministries. In Sept. 2008, the precious BCM director took the time to introduce me to Summer Missions. I thought it would be a cool thing to do. Then I was determined to be in South Carolina the next summer. Although, I said two things since that day, 1) I would go some place I never thought I would go and 2) If my parents were more for it, I would be going out of the country.

I had the opportunity to talk with a former summer missionary. I told her those two things several times during our one hour conversation. All I can remember her saying is "Britney, you need to think about this! Think about what God is calling you to do. Your parents may not be for it, but you need to follow God's will!" I, literally, could not sleep that night for those words running through my mind. I called my mom the next day to tell her I would be going to Peru for the summer. I think she learned very quick I was serious and there was nothing she could do to hold me back. My mom supported me more than I ever thought she would!

That summer in Peru definitely opened my heart and mind to missions. I learned a lot about all of the "behind the scenes" things that you would never think about. My time in Peru gave me a heart to reach out to the nations for His name's sake. I decided to give my life to missions! I went to South Asia the summer of 2010 and now Australia for the summer of 2011. And I know God is not finished with me yet!!

Hello!

I hope you are here, because you have received a letter from me and you would like to be a part of what God is doing among the nations. As far as summer missions goes, I am still trusting God to provide financial and prayer support. I know He will provide since this is His will. I am looking forward to seeing what God is going to do over the next few months, as I minister with with East Fremantle Baptist Church in Perth, Australia. You will be able to keep up with me on my blog, which I will update weekly (at least).

Please be in prayer for me and the 13 other college students going to Australia! Pray for God to prepare us for the journey ahead. We leave one month from today!!

I thank God for all of you, your support and prayers. God bless each one of you!!