Pacific Farewells- WOW!

Last night we were guests of honor as our many Pacific islander friends presented special cultural songs, dances and chants! The hall was filled with Samoans, Tongans, Cook Islanders, New Zealanders and many other island peoples dressed in their coloful traditional garb. What a sight! We came home from the evening heavy laden with handmade gifts from the islands and extremely thankful hearts. This will be a night we will all remember for a very long time!

During our time here we have been so immersed in the Polynesian/Pacific Island way of life that it hardly seems we've been in what many would think of as traditional 'Aussie' culture. How can we even begin to say thank you for the incredible kindness that has been shown to us throughout this trip!

Children's Carnival a Huge Success!

Great news to report!
Yesterday we hosted a children's carnival here in Airds and children from all over the neighborhood attended. The morning was filled with games, face painting, sidewalk art, fingernail art, and our famous American 'biscuits' (no bake cookies!).

We concluded the morning with a Bible lesson on King Josiah and his positive influence on the people of Israel when the holy scriptures were found in the temple. During our prayer time 6 children prayed and asked the Lord for His forgiveness and salvation! Please pray for these kiddos, that God's love and protection would be upon them and that they would become mighty disciples and warriors for Christ!

Not Done Yet

It is Thursday night here in Australia, and as many of us reflect on the past three weeks we can't help but be filled with awe at how the Lord works. Our time here in Airds is drawing to a close and the next couple days will be filled with tears and hugs as we say good-bye to many people with whom we've become very close.

YES. . . speaking on the radio, doing children's and teens ministries, picking up rubbish, preaching, singing and playing games were all fun and worthwhile, but the heart of the matter is that Airds is filled with hurting people, just like you and me, who need the love and salvation of Jesus Christ. It will not matter how many cockatoos, koalas and kangaroos we did (or did not) see. It won't matter how many cool sites we visited. What matters is what happens after this team of crazy Americans leaves. Will the teens we met finally let down the hard facade they display and let the love of God make them whole? Will the neighborhood know that the living God is living among them, even amidst their violence and addictions? That is our prayer. That is why we are here.

We will be boarding a plan for the Auckand, New Zealand on Monday morning and then head straight for the States. I hope to update this blog a couple more times before we go. Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey to the 'Land Down Under'. Please pray for safe travels and continued ministry effectiveness along the way. This adventure is not done yet.

Building Relationships

The Lord poured a huge blessing right into our laps today! After heading out to hang with the kids at the youth center, only to find that it was closed for the day, our team decided to walk to the nearby park to engage in some group prayer and discussion. Ironically enough, the topic of our discussion was on how we could be most effective in sharing Jesus with people through building relationships. . .

All of the sudden two young men with whom we had spent time previously at the youth center walked up to us and aksed if they could chat with us! Yes, THEY actually asked us first! (Usually it's the other way around.) Because we had taken the time buidling up the relationships over the past few weeks, they now felt comfortable talking with us about deeper spiritual matters. We spent every part of an hour shooting the breeze with Dylon and Tufi, chatting about everything from Oreos in America to how cool God is and why we go to church. Were we not under a time constraint at the time, we could have stayed there all day. We plan to see these boys again tomorrow. . . who knows where the Lord will lead!

The good thing about being here in Airds over the past 2.5 weeks is: 1) Airds is small enough that you see the same people over and over again everyday; 2) Our consistent presence in this 'ghetto' has often caused bewilderment among local neighbors. More often than not we get the question, "Why in the world did you come HERE to Airds of all places?' 3) Living right here in the neighborhood has opened our eyes to the great need present and has allowed us to build some trust among our neighbors.

Praise the Lord for the people He has purposely put in our path. Interwoven throughout this trip are the lives of hurting people, just like us, who need the love and salvation of the LORD Jesus Christ.

Canberra- Capital City

The past few days spent in Canberra were a breath of fresh air for the team, literally! It is about 10-15 degrees cooler down there and the open countryside along the way can put anyone at ease. We were able to visit many Australian national sites like the War Memorial, the Parliment House, the National Museum and Telstra Tower. Incredible history!

For those of you who may not know, Canberra is the capital of Australia. (Yes I said Canberra, not Sydney.) Interestingly enough the city of Canberra and a few of it's federal buildings were actually designed by an American!

We were able to partcipate in the Canberra Church of the Nazarene services and share a skit, song, and some testimonies. The church is fairly new, with a small but dedicated multi-cultural congregation. They have been in existance less than 3 years and are now turning their ministry focus outward towards the youth in the community. Being that our team is primarily made up of people under the age of 30, we were able to share ideas in a brainstorming meeting with church members on how they could further reach out to and identify with the younger generations in Canberra.

Finally, more photos!

Due to our limited internet access and inability to upload photos, we haven't been able to share with you about our journey as much as we would like. HOWEVER, thanks to Chris Northey, our gracious host and pastor in Canberra, we can bring you up to speed with a few more photos!

Team Australia at Darling Harbour in Sydney

Notice the petrol (gasoline) prices per liter! And you think $4.00/gallon is expensive. . . . it's upwards of $6-8 gallon here in Australia!

Faamanu, Tali, Andrew, Melanie and Peter

BBQ at the park with some of the youth from Birrong!

Tali and Alison Wallabies Picking up rubbish

On the Radio!!!

We're going to be on the radio Thursday! To make a really cool, but long story short. . .

Ian, the older gentleman/neighbor who has become a dear friend of ours, was so impressed by our team's presence here in Campbelltown/Airds that he contacted one of the nearby radio station. They in turn got in touch with us, and come Thursday at 11:00am, we'll be interviewed live on the air! Please pray for us and any listening ears as we share about our mission here and how the Lord is working in the midst of the Samoan community!

As it happens, the radio show host previously worked with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) in Samoa years ago and was actually stationed near a Nazarene church there. Now she is here in Campbelltown, ministering to the elderly via the media of radio. The crazy thing is that not only was she very familiar with the Nazarenes in Samoa (she is not a Nazarene), now she lives in a primarily Samoan community . . AND it just so happens that she is going to be in Canberra next weekend, as are we! So many little connections and coincidences that are not really coincidences at all, but rather the handiwork of our Magnificent God!

Sacred Moments

This weekend was filled with sacred moments, points in time when God's presence was SO real and we knew He was using our team for a very specific purpose! Friday, Saturday and Sunday was spent with youth from the Birrong Church of the Nazarene and it's surrounding community. We lead children's Bible hour, young adult activities and Bible studies, and participated in both the AM and PM services at Sydney Samoan and Campbelltown churches.

Yesterday was spent having a go at some Rugby with the kids at the park and enjoying other outdoor activities all day long. Depsite the sore muscles, I think we would all agree that it was a day to be remembered. Throughout the weekend each of us had the great privilege of sharing our testimonies, performing a skits and songs, and continuing to intentionally build relationships with the Samoan teens and adults we see on a regular basis. Michael delivered powerful messages on God's love and care to the islanders in the church! Very receptive people!

As you know, we are constantly surrounded by Islanders, those from the Pacific islands such as Samoa, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands, etc. Three things we have discovered when living among these people:

1. They love to eat. . . . large quantities. . . all the time! Bring on the sausages!
   
2. Time is relative. 'Island time' cannot be limited by the clock. One hour may really mean 2-3 hours. 9:00 doesn't really mean 9:00. Though it can be frustrating for us busy-bodied Americans, it is quite refreshing at times as well.
3. They are incredibly giving people, always looking out for the good of the whole, rather than the individual- amazing!
   

So. . . we're a third of the way through this Australian adventure and this blog doesn't tell the half of what has already happened! God is good and we can't wait to see what He has in store for this week! Our internet access is limited at times and the photos have not been uploading to the blog well, thus the lack of pictures. Sorry. We'll keep trying.

And to those of you in the States. . . HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

More to come later!

Much Need!

Each day it seems we are just scratching the surface in becoming aware of what great need exists here in Airds. Our purpose throughout this trip is to build relationships with and be role models for the many troubled teens here. . . and there are many! Gangs abound right here in the neighborhood, the teen pregnancy rate is through the roof, and of the 500 current students enrolled in high school, it is expected that only 10-15% of them will graduate. Before they reach that point many of them will drop out or be expelled. Because this is a very diverse area, cultural clashes occur frequently.

The youth center down the road exists to provide a safe haven for kids to come and hang out after school, play games, do homework, etc. We are grateful for the opportunity to show Christ's love at the youth centre and care for these teens by purposely going where the kids are, lending an ear or just playing games. In fact, one boy by the name of Ryan is so fascinated by these silly Americans that he sees each day, that he follows us around, comes to the house to play and is starving for attention. Please pray for Ryan.

Yesterday and throughout the rest of this weekend we are leading children and youth activities with the Birrong Church of the Nazarene and it's surrounding community. As with Airds, Birrong is home to a large population of islanders, so we find that our fair white skin is easily spotted among the beautiful brown of our new island friends!

We're out of time. More later!

Now we've got some photos!

Olympic Park with our new Samoan brothers and sisters! What a sight!

Prayer is a powerful tool, gift and weapon against the devil. Airds, the area where we reside during our stay here is a low-income community with many families plagued by the consequences of drug abuse, domestic violence and sin. Our goal is to show the love of Christ through our actions and words and to support and empower the Samoan church of the Nazarene here in Airds.

After a beautiful time of team prayer it became evident that perhaps one of the most powerful ministries we can do here in Australia is to PRAY! There is no telling what the Lord will do when His people seek HIM! So. . . during our open times each day we are committed to prayer walks through the neighborhood and cleaning up the abundance of rubbish in the area.

Tonight we will be leading small group Bible Studies and youth activities at the center. The relationships we build here, we hope will be life changing both for the team and those with whom we correspond.

First Days. . .

Those who want to be first must be last of all and the servants of all. ~ Mark 9:35

Mates, let's see how well versed you are in Aussie English! Give these words a go and see if you can incorporate them in your vocabulary:

• boot (trunk)
• rubbish (garbage)
• good on ya (good for you/way to go)
  
• footpath (sidewalk)
  
• carpark (parking lot)
• chemist (pharmacy)
• nappies (diapers)
  
• toilet (bathroom) . . . the list goes on.
  

It is a blast becoming reacquainted with the language of those who call the 'Land Down Under' their home!

On a different note, the Lord has blessed us with some incredibly big-hearted brothers and sisters here in Campbelltown. We are a amazed daily at their generosity to us, offering assistance to us at all hours of the day and night with advice, supplies, transportation and good laugh!
Let me mention a few individuals who have been especially good to us during our stay here:

• Tali and Faamanu (the pastors or the Sydney Samoan Church of the Nazarene and coordinators for our ministry experience here. They have also given us their very own car to drive around town; now that's a scary thought!)
• Talia (the woman who has SO graciously offered up her home for us to stay in while she lives with her daughter-in-law down the street)
  
• Ian and Vela (lovely people who are friends and neighbors of Tali who have smiles as wide as the sea and hearts to match that have helped us navigate the city and helped us to shop for the necessities for the home)
  
• Vinny and Anna (members of the Nazarene Church and servant-hearted givers)
  
• and MANY others.

We are finding that though our purpose is to serve the Lord and the Samoan community here in Sydney, WE are actually BEING BLESSED and SERVED far beyond anything we can return! Christ's love and sacrifice is lived out right in front of us in the selfless service of the Samoan Christians here. What a great example for us to follow!

6/9/08- Olympic Park here we come! Today was spent enjoying the sites and venues of the 2000 Sydney Olympics! A BBQ was prepared for us in the evening, filling our bellies with yummy sausages, steak and burgers! Then we all sat around enjoying one another's company singing, praying and rejoicing in God's goodness.

6/10/08-
Today Talia was released from the hospital and we were able to meet with her, learn of her Samoan and island heritage, and present her with some uniquely American gifts. What a lovely lady!

Then we headed out to the youth center and shopping areas to meet with teens from the community and have a chat with them. After lots of mingling, laughing about accents and American stereotypes, we headed out to the Police and Community Youth Center to hear kids practicing on the traditional Pacific island drums, and having a go at some boxing and martial arts training.

. . Then the adventure began as yours truly tried her hand at driving in Australia first time. . . at night in the dark. . . on the left side of the road. . . with only my own mere chicken scratch for directions to guide us back home. Whew! I spy on God! After getting turned around only twice and laughing our heads off, we finally made it home in one piece, safe and sound!

Some of you may wonder about our accommodations here in Campbelltown. We are actually in Airds, a small suburb of Campelltown, where the large majority of homes are government subsidized and many families broken by drug abuse and violence. Our entire team has been given a small 3 bedroom home to stay in for the duration of our stay here. It has a kitchenette, bathroom, meeting room and some nice big cockatoos and magpies that squawk at us constantly in case we get a bit drowsy. Upon our arrival at the home we developed some house rules and familiarized ourselves with the area. What a gift to be part of this incredible team! We hope you enjoy this blog and will continue to check it regularly, as we plan to update it when possible.

Tofa soifua! (Good bye!)

We're Here!

Talofa! We're here in Campbelltown, Australia, just outside Sydney, and enjoying some incredible Samoan hospitality! The Lord has blessed us with new friends and neighbors already! Our flights were smooth and fairly on time, with very few setbacks.

Our day began with an adventure in driving, with Michael testing his skills driving on the left hand side of the road in a manual minibus. He did fantastic. Tomorrow is my turn- watch out!

Are you up for a new game? How 'bout a new take on the old game, 'I Spy'? Throughout the course of this trip we are 'spying' on God to see how He is working. Let me give you an example. . . I spied on God when I checked in my baggage at KCI , only to find that it was 10 lbs overweight for domestic flights and the airline would not honor the international weight limit that we had been expecting. No worries mates, a couple other teammates happened to have extra room in their luggage and after little rearranging it all worked out just fine! Thank you Jesus!
OK, now it's your turn! Be on the lookout for how the Lord is working in on your behalf. We'd love to hear about it; leave us a message!

** New photos are on the way in the next few days. The camera cables have yet to be located in the recesses of my luggage.