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.