It's September. The weather has gotten cooler. The days are getting shorter. The trees are starting to change their colors, signaling they'll soon shed their luscious summer garments and go into a deep winter hibernation. The children are already back in school. And football is back. All these things mean that the magnificent season known as Summer is drawing to a close. I've quoted Shakespeare before and I'll do it again. "Summer's lease hath all too short a date." I always get a little sad when I see it go, because I love it dearly. But when it returns each June, my heart is overwhelmed with joy yet again. "But what about Autumn?" I hear the people say? It's true, I love the Fall as well. Its slight chill on my face while the leaves crunch under my feet. The warmth of a hot drink against my hands whether it be hot chocolate, fresh apple cider, a pumpkin spice latte, they all sooth the soul. Football returns bringing hope and excitement to fans everywhere. Thanksgiving rolls around for great times spent with family and the start of the holidays. As you can see I do love the Fall.
Summer, however, as brought me so much joy and so many memories which is why I eagerly await it's return each year. Usually when things come to an end, it's fun to reflect on the moments and memories they brought. So as we say goodbye to Summer 2017, here are some of my past Summer escapades that have made this season so near and dear to my heart.
I was blessed as a child to have a big yard and two woods on our property. This was also in a time before the internet was prominent and before the existence of smart phones. Actually the cell phones at that time hadn't become popular yet. So how did we entertain ourselves? Those "lazy" summer days were spent racing our bikes through the woods, over mini hills, through the yard, and around the house. We were competitive and felt as if victory was the only option. This led to some spectacular crashes, amazing jumps, and sheer thrill. Other days were spent climbing the hundred or so trees and pretending we were pirates out for treasure or astronauts on a mission to Mars. There were times we snuck onto the nearby golf course in search of forgotten golf balls, tees, and other "treasures". Saturday evenings were spent going to the parks and playing pick-up games with all the other kids out enjoying the weather or going out for dinner and then for a game of mini-golf afterwards.
In the summer of 2007, my good friend Mark Greenwood had invited me out to their family's cabin in Vermillion. For the first time in my life, I went Jetskiing. For a 16 year old, it was one of the greatest thrills of my life. As soon as they let me drive, I took off like a heat seeking missile fired from an F-15. I defined the term "reckless driving" that day as I zipped off wave crest after wave crest. Then I hit one full throttle and shot 4-5 feet in the air with Mark holding on for dear life. For a moment I thought we were going to wipe out Evil Knevil style. To everyone's relief we landed safely and even though I was ready to do that again, I think Mark had second thoughts.
That summer was the first of many to come where Mark, Jeremiah Johnson, and I spent weeks and weekends there. I have so many memories of that place and this past summer may have been my last there. Before I move on, I want to leave one more image in your mind. One summer's eve, instead of hanging around the cabin, I decided to take the Jetski out for a sunset run. If you haven't witnessed a sunset over Lake Erie, I implore you to do so. Anyway, as I was roaring happily over the water and terrifying seagulls, I saw a view that took my breath away. I slowed the jetski down to a crawl, then killed the motor. I let it drift along as I saw a golden sky with a setting sun to the west and to the east was a navy blue sky with the moon rising higher and the stars letting everyone else know that they were there as well. It was two moments, night and day, one coming, one going. And I soaked in every minute.
Another summer memory I treasure is I had just gotten back from vacation and had to mow a lawn. Once I finished, I rode my bike to a nearby park to enjoy the evening. When I got there, a bunch of the Cleveland guys were there playing Ultimate Frisbee. This is a game I love dearly and so of course I jumped right in. They were playing with a bunch of random locals who at one point decided to challenge our skill. If you knew us back then, you knew that Frisbee was our game and we were a force to be reckoned with. One of us put up the challenge to them which was the 14 of them verses the 7 of us. They accepted and what a match that was. We ended up being down most of the game until a turning point on a fluke play. Someone from our team lobbed a low pass that bounced of my heel and ended up in Dan Johnson's hands. We ended up scoring and started a comeback that eventually allowed us to win 9-7. Sure it was a pickup game. There were no crowds cheering, no trophies awarded, nothing to say that this was an incredible feat. But to me it felt like we had won a national championship.
Each summer my family takes a vacation to visit family in either Wisconsin or Pennsylvania. Some of my most cherished memories from Wisconsin include riding my first 4-wheeler at 5 years old, catching my first largemouth bass on my last worm, Grandpa taking me fishing for the first time, my Uncle obtaining extremely large fireworks and then having a second 4th of July celebration shooting them off near the lake, driving a pontoon boat into the center of the lake and jumping off the 17ft scaffolding attached to it, fishing every day, catching large pike, largemouth bass, and panfish, roaming the wide open country land in search of adventure, campfires at dusk by the lake, seeing a full sky of stars in the dead of night, fairs and demolition derbies, reunions, cook-outs, and family.
Pennsylvania: Ice cream from Tropical Treat, wandering Hanover, hanging with old friends, nerf wars, swimming in the mountains, backyard Frisbee, football, volleyball, putt-putt, Hershey Park, Gettysburg, late night fires, food, and fun.
I have so many more memories I want to share, but those will be for another time. One of these days I need to write them all down. And who knows, maybe they'll become an autobiography one day. One can dream. On that note, before I bid you all adieu until the next post, I'll leave you with a list of what summer is to me.
Summer is mint chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone dripping off my fingers, meat sizzling on a grill, sunsets at Lakewood Park, Ultimate Frisbee, 4th of July, fireworks, getting a tan, chilling on the beach, fishing into the night, biking to nowhere in particular, outdoor concerts, hanging with the bros around a fire, the beach, enjoying great food on a patio, jumping or sleeping on a trampoline, juicy watermelon, Mountain Top, shorts and sleeveless shirts, Indians baseball, windows down and moon roof open, sandals and bare feet, riding the waves on a jetski, vacation, sleeping in a hammock, street fairs and food trucks, feeling free and living easy. Good ol' summertime.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Australia: The Journey Ends...For Now, Day 12
Twelve days. That's how long I've been here. That's the longest I've been out of the country or away from home for that matter. It was a struggle to get here. It was long days and anxious nights. It was after a year of expecting to go, to accepting the fact that I was not going a few weeks before, to buying a plane ticket four days later.
For those of you who have been following this blog, you will have noticed that this trip was not for vacation nor for my own pleasure, but rather to follow the Lord. Yes I saw some sights and yes at times it did feel as if I was vacation, but none of that compares to what the Lord did here. In these two weeks 12 lives got changed eternally. People prayed. People told their stories, and people heard of Jesus Christ for the first time. The church here was blessed and we were blessed. It was amazing to see how the Lord moves halfway across the world. There were days I was out preaching the gospel and didn't care about being tired or wanting to stop. There were days where the people here fed me more spiritually than physically. Being here and serving here was not a must but it was a gift.
I stayed for nearly two weeks in the Chen's home. Two weeks is a long time to have people who are not your biological family live there. Yet, this family showered us with so much love and care that it's almost unimaginable. Every night when i returned from the day I felt like I was at home and not in a stranger's house. This is yet another sign that the church is family no matter where you are and the power of the love of Christ is shown through the saints.
So what am I doing on my last day here? I'm with the young people. The smell of a delicious dinner is escaping from the kitchen. The piano is alive with music. People are all around enjoying each other's company. I don't think I'd have it any other way. This city has definitely rubbed off on me and holds an affectionate place in my heart. One day I hope to return and experience it in a new and different way. A way that includes even more Christ. To see fruit from our labor. To see Christ magnified in this city. To see that the church here has grown. I'm truly thankful for what the Lord has done here, for everything He put me through to get here, for the saints here, for the church and it's testimony here, and for all the love that was poured out. I pray that we all may continue to fight this good fight of faith. Praise be to God! For the last time of this trip and until next time, goodnight from Australia.
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."~Ephesians 2:19-22
For those of you who have been following this blog, you will have noticed that this trip was not for vacation nor for my own pleasure, but rather to follow the Lord. Yes I saw some sights and yes at times it did feel as if I was vacation, but none of that compares to what the Lord did here. In these two weeks 12 lives got changed eternally. People prayed. People told their stories, and people heard of Jesus Christ for the first time. The church here was blessed and we were blessed. It was amazing to see how the Lord moves halfway across the world. There were days I was out preaching the gospel and didn't care about being tired or wanting to stop. There were days where the people here fed me more spiritually than physically. Being here and serving here was not a must but it was a gift.
I stayed for nearly two weeks in the Chen's home. Two weeks is a long time to have people who are not your biological family live there. Yet, this family showered us with so much love and care that it's almost unimaginable. Every night when i returned from the day I felt like I was at home and not in a stranger's house. This is yet another sign that the church is family no matter where you are and the power of the love of Christ is shown through the saints.
So what am I doing on my last day here? I'm with the young people. The smell of a delicious dinner is escaping from the kitchen. The piano is alive with music. People are all around enjoying each other's company. I don't think I'd have it any other way. This city has definitely rubbed off on me and holds an affectionate place in my heart. One day I hope to return and experience it in a new and different way. A way that includes even more Christ. To see fruit from our labor. To see Christ magnified in this city. To see that the church here has grown. I'm truly thankful for what the Lord has done here, for everything He put me through to get here, for the saints here, for the church and it's testimony here, and for all the love that was poured out. I pray that we all may continue to fight this good fight of faith. Praise be to God! For the last time of this trip and until next time, goodnight from Australia.
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."~Ephesians 2:19-22
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Australia: The Amazing Race Sydney Style, Day 11
I had a different opening, but I just nixed it because I'm going to use it for my last full day here. I guess you're curious to know what I did today. Well I'm going to tell you. Here we go.
Have you ever heard of the very popular reality game show called The Amazing Race? If you have, great! If you haven't, well basically it is a show where 12 teams of two race around the world completing challenges and solving clues until they have made it to the finish line. Lilly Faulk who has been studying abroad here in Sydney for a semester put together her version of the show Sydney style. The purpose for this was not just to explore Sydney but to bond with the friends who came and to build relationships.
My group was dubbed team three and our first destination was Circular Quay (pronounced KEY). This is a bustling hub right by the harbor bridge, the opera house, and the ocean. Our first stop was to walk around the harbor and find a plaque on the ground that displayed a writer whose initials were MP. This section is known as The Writer's Walk. There are almost 50 plaques that display famous writers from Australia or have ancestry here. Once we found the plaque we had to stand on it and look for an arrow. One of the young Australians in our group spotted it quickly. Before we made our way to where the arrow was, we took a lunch break. We ordered Hungry Jack's, which is actually Burger King, but since there was another franchise here before BK with the same name, BK is called Hungry Jack's here. We found a place to sit, but no outdoor place is safe. Because it's near the water, there are a ton of ibis and seagulls. They are fearless here. They'll approach you really close and make their move when the time is right. I spent have the time scaring them off but they always came back. One managed to get a bite of Ray's burger, and another managed to get what was left of Sophia's sandwich. My curiosity got the best of me and instead of fighting them off I stood straight and held a fry between my fingers and not that far from my head. In a minute or two, I felt a gull brush my head and the fry was gone. He snatched it right out of my fingers. Curiosity satisfied.
After lunch, we walked to the Arrow which was an art museum. We had to go inside and take a picture of the restaurant terrace, a brown horse, and a giant clock. Our next clue led us towards a historic part of town. This next bit gave us trouble because we had an issue finding stuff and the crowds here were massive due to a chocolate festival going on. It was like a can of sardines.
We made our way through a tunnel and found a house with no walls. Then we made our way back to ground level and for the life of us could not find the clue. We wandered like a confused squirrel crossing a road. Finally we asked a Sydney information center for help (twice) and found that what we were looking for had been really close all along. We wasted a lot of time on that one.
My group was dubbed team three and our first destination was Circular Quay (pronounced KEY). This is a bustling hub right by the harbor bridge, the opera house, and the ocean. Our first stop was to walk around the harbor and find a plaque on the ground that displayed a writer whose initials were MP. This section is known as The Writer's Walk. There are almost 50 plaques that display famous writers from Australia or have ancestry here. Once we found the plaque we had to stand on it and look for an arrow. One of the young Australians in our group spotted it quickly. Before we made our way to where the arrow was, we took a lunch break. We ordered Hungry Jack's, which is actually Burger King, but since there was another franchise here before BK with the same name, BK is called Hungry Jack's here. We found a place to sit, but no outdoor place is safe. Because it's near the water, there are a ton of ibis and seagulls. They are fearless here. They'll approach you really close and make their move when the time is right. I spent have the time scaring them off but they always came back. One managed to get a bite of Ray's burger, and another managed to get what was left of Sophia's sandwich. My curiosity got the best of me and instead of fighting them off I stood straight and held a fry between my fingers and not that far from my head. In a minute or two, I felt a gull brush my head and the fry was gone. He snatched it right out of my fingers. Curiosity satisfied.
After lunch, we walked to the Arrow which was an art museum. We had to go inside and take a picture of the restaurant terrace, a brown horse, and a giant clock. Our next clue led us towards a historic part of town. This next bit gave us trouble because we had an issue finding stuff and the crowds here were massive due to a chocolate festival going on. It was like a can of sardines.
We made our way through a tunnel and found a house with no walls. Then we made our way back to ground level and for the life of us could not find the clue. We wandered like a confused squirrel crossing a road. Finally we asked a Sydney information center for help (twice) and found that what we were looking for had been really close all along. We wasted a lot of time on that one.
PC: Naomi Wu's phone by random stranger
With all the tasks complete, we were now headed to the heart of Sydney. Town Hall. Here we were able to explore a massive cathedral that got transformed into an expensive shopping mall. We had to play the public piano, learn what "four valour" was, examine the spiral staircase, and see how many times in a hour a model ship revolved around a massive clock.
We then left the cathedral, had to find four large vertical signs and make a word out of them that was the name of an Olympic sport (which was GYMNASTICS). With that clue complete, we went to Chatswood Chase mall to finish our third leg. Upon arrival we split into groups and scanned the mall for the Apple logo, a dalmatian painted on a wall, and Captain Jack Sparrow.
Captain Jack Sparrow
Our next clue I knew right away as the names we were given were names of streets I had walked while door-knocking a number of days ago. We made it to the location, and got the right answer. Our final location was revealed. We could taste victory. Note: When we started, our group wasn't on fire to win, especially after getting hung up in circular quay and missing most of our trains. But once we had the final location, we took off in a dead sprint. As we got closer to the park (our final location) Lian passed me (I was ahead of the rest of my group) and gave me the news that her group had beat us there. Buggers. Well at least we didn't end up last haha.
The day wasn't done as we still had the young people's meeting. An encouraging thing was that the friends who came for the race stayed for the meeting and some of the new friend who came last week showed up again. It was a good turnout and the signing was really enjoyable with all the ones there. Each of us Americans gave a testimony about how our past 11 days went and the host families chimed in as well. The response on both sides was encouraging and uplifting. Can't believe my time here is almost at an end. It's 11:18PM August 12th Australia time as I'm writing this. One full day left here and then the long journey back to the USA. Goodnight.
Friday, August 11, 2017
Australia: Java and Jesus, Days 9 and 10
Woot! By the end of this post I'll be finally caught up to the actual day I'm at instead of being one behind. Why is the impossible about to happen you ask? Well it's because the past two days have been a single event. There's a huge shopping/restaurant area in Chatswood not far from the meeting hall. On Thursday and Friday, vendors have stalls set up down the middle of the walkway with thousands of people passing by daily as the train station is also right next door. The Church in Sydney rented a stall for two days. What did we do? We were giving away free, yes FREE, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Our purpose for this was to use it as a way to reach out to people and let them know who we are, that we are in the area, and to introduce them to Christ.
Thursday we weren't quite sure what to expect, but it was a fun experience nonetheless. We had 2-4 people manning the drinks, 2-3 people out front announcing to the masses of the free caffeine, and a couple people on stand-by to go on supply runs. Anyone else in the morning was either on a campus or passing out flyers in the neighborhoods. I've done similar stuff like this in other church events before, but never halfway across the world. My first job was to stir and place lids on the drinks. As I did this it was fun to people watch. Many passed by going about their day, not making eye contact, and ignoring our very existence. Others noticed but kept on going. Some paused at the word "free" and would slowly walk by or keep stopping debating on whether they would take us up on our offer. The funniest one's were where two people walking together would pass by and one would want to stop and the other would drag them away. In light of all this, people did stop and they stopped often. For most of the day Thursday the breaks between where drinks weren't being made and they were I would say never lasted longer than 5 minutes max and that length of time was uncommon.
Eventually I found myself no longer stirring but out in front of the stall announcing we had free hot drinks. To help attract attention, I twirled an empty coffee cup off the tips of my fingers. That got a decent amount of extra attention. Also throughout the day, saints from the church came by and helped out which was fantastic. They were excited, involved, and a big help. And it wasn't just the young ones, but their parents and grandparents as well. Everyone was involved and I believe the people who stopped noticed that.
People moments of note. On occasion people would stop just to see who we were and would end up taking a flyer with no drink. One lady mentioned she was looking for a church, lived nearby, and would show up on Sunday (whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but was still encouraging). The look on people's faces when they received a free hot drink was that of joy, day changing you could say. My favorite was when the nearby school let out and the kids started passing by. The first wave passed on by, but with a lot of hesitation. It didn't take long for the second wave to see if we were legit. Pretty soon we had a line of 15-20 kids wanting a hot chocolate. Some noticed my Cavs hat and asked if I was a Cavaliers fan. I told them of course I was and that I'm an American from Cleveland. Some cheered being Cavs fans themselves, and some groaned. In response to the groan I would ask "You're not a Warriors fan are you?" One lad said he was a bulls fan and I let out a sigh of relief. Other's were Warriors fans and I playfully gave them a hard time. All in all, those kids day was made and they all had church invitations to give to their parents. Another guy struck up a conversation with me. He was super nice and was the first Aussie this whole time I've been here to ask me where in the States I was from because of my accent. Super cool dude and it's safe to say we made his day.
We kept the stall running to a bit after 8pm and the people kept coming the whole time. The only part of me that was tired was my legs because of all the walking I did in the morning and all the standing I did the rest of the day. Thursday was a blast.
Friday. We were slower getting set up because our power strip for the coffee and hot water was missing as well as some other things were in different cars that arrived at different times. Pretty soon we were up and running and just like Thursday, people kept stopping. There were less passersby because Thursday is payday in Australia and so they treat it sort of like how Friday is treated in the US. But we still had a similar amount of foot traffic to the stall. We also added an extra element this day as well. We added music! We had a guitar, a cajon (box drum), and our voices. This definitely helped the atmosphere and more people noticed us and some stopped to listen.
Throughout the day I rotated between making drinks, being an announcer, and singing. Each was as enjoyable as the other. not once did I feel like I was doing a job or that it was and arduous task. The saints were also back helping and supporting the church. The school kids returned and some asked if I remembered them from yesterday. Some other strangers who stopped by yesterday came back today as well. There was a guy who pulled up in a wheelchair and boy was he a fun character. He loved talking to us (well mostly Tim) and is a radio voice on a contemporary radio station. He talked with us so long, he kept ordering more drinks. It was all good though as he said he would make mention of us on his 6am show on Sunday morning.
In the two day total, we went through approximately 1300 cups so an average of 650 people a day! If you put that into perspective, that's almost 1300 people that learned of the Church in Sydney, that received an invitation, that had their day changed by a free hot drink, that may now have an opening for Christ. For the cost of the supplies, that was totally worth it. Hopefully some fruit of our efforts will show up on Sunday.
Some more Australian fun facts: If you want lemonade here you better be prepared to drink it carbonated because they don't sell it without the fizz. McDonald's tastes the same as it does in the US, and their presentation is similar, but their bun quality is much higher. It takes at least four years to get your full drivers license here! You have to work your way up through a few sets of restricted licenses before you can get your full license. That's all for now. Cheers!
Thursday we weren't quite sure what to expect, but it was a fun experience nonetheless. We had 2-4 people manning the drinks, 2-3 people out front announcing to the masses of the free caffeine, and a couple people on stand-by to go on supply runs. Anyone else in the morning was either on a campus or passing out flyers in the neighborhoods. I've done similar stuff like this in other church events before, but never halfway across the world. My first job was to stir and place lids on the drinks. As I did this it was fun to people watch. Many passed by going about their day, not making eye contact, and ignoring our very existence. Others noticed but kept on going. Some paused at the word "free" and would slowly walk by or keep stopping debating on whether they would take us up on our offer. The funniest one's were where two people walking together would pass by and one would want to stop and the other would drag them away. In light of all this, people did stop and they stopped often. For most of the day Thursday the breaks between where drinks weren't being made and they were I would say never lasted longer than 5 minutes max and that length of time was uncommon.
Eventually I found myself no longer stirring but out in front of the stall announcing we had free hot drinks. To help attract attention, I twirled an empty coffee cup off the tips of my fingers. That got a decent amount of extra attention. Also throughout the day, saints from the church came by and helped out which was fantastic. They were excited, involved, and a big help. And it wasn't just the young ones, but their parents and grandparents as well. Everyone was involved and I believe the people who stopped noticed that.
People moments of note. On occasion people would stop just to see who we were and would end up taking a flyer with no drink. One lady mentioned she was looking for a church, lived nearby, and would show up on Sunday (whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but was still encouraging). The look on people's faces when they received a free hot drink was that of joy, day changing you could say. My favorite was when the nearby school let out and the kids started passing by. The first wave passed on by, but with a lot of hesitation. It didn't take long for the second wave to see if we were legit. Pretty soon we had a line of 15-20 kids wanting a hot chocolate. Some noticed my Cavs hat and asked if I was a Cavaliers fan. I told them of course I was and that I'm an American from Cleveland. Some cheered being Cavs fans themselves, and some groaned. In response to the groan I would ask "You're not a Warriors fan are you?" One lad said he was a bulls fan and I let out a sigh of relief. Other's were Warriors fans and I playfully gave them a hard time. All in all, those kids day was made and they all had church invitations to give to their parents. Another guy struck up a conversation with me. He was super nice and was the first Aussie this whole time I've been here to ask me where in the States I was from because of my accent. Super cool dude and it's safe to say we made his day.
We kept the stall running to a bit after 8pm and the people kept coming the whole time. The only part of me that was tired was my legs because of all the walking I did in the morning and all the standing I did the rest of the day. Thursday was a blast.
Friday. We were slower getting set up because our power strip for the coffee and hot water was missing as well as some other things were in different cars that arrived at different times. Pretty soon we were up and running and just like Thursday, people kept stopping. There were less passersby because Thursday is payday in Australia and so they treat it sort of like how Friday is treated in the US. But we still had a similar amount of foot traffic to the stall. We also added an extra element this day as well. We added music! We had a guitar, a cajon (box drum), and our voices. This definitely helped the atmosphere and more people noticed us and some stopped to listen.
Throughout the day I rotated between making drinks, being an announcer, and singing. Each was as enjoyable as the other. not once did I feel like I was doing a job or that it was and arduous task. The saints were also back helping and supporting the church. The school kids returned and some asked if I remembered them from yesterday. Some other strangers who stopped by yesterday came back today as well. There was a guy who pulled up in a wheelchair and boy was he a fun character. He loved talking to us (well mostly Tim) and is a radio voice on a contemporary radio station. He talked with us so long, he kept ordering more drinks. It was all good though as he said he would make mention of us on his 6am show on Sunday morning.
In the two day total, we went through approximately 1300 cups so an average of 650 people a day! If you put that into perspective, that's almost 1300 people that learned of the Church in Sydney, that received an invitation, that had their day changed by a free hot drink, that may now have an opening for Christ. For the cost of the supplies, that was totally worth it. Hopefully some fruit of our efforts will show up on Sunday.
Some more Australian fun facts: If you want lemonade here you better be prepared to drink it carbonated because they don't sell it without the fizz. McDonald's tastes the same as it does in the US, and their presentation is similar, but their bun quality is much higher. It takes at least four years to get your full drivers license here! You have to work your way up through a few sets of restricted licenses before you can get your full license. That's all for now. Cheers!
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Australia: The Devil Fails, God Wins, and a Beautiful View, Day 8
Fresh off a day of gospel on fire, we decided to bring Christ to a third campus in Sydney. Macquarie University. Smaller than UNSW and USYD, but still plenty of people to present the gospel to. The weather was beautiful yet again and the people were everywhere. I was paired with Anthony and we made our way to a smaller part of campus. Most of our conversations were quick, but one mattered greatly. Why? Because we prayed with a young man to receive the Lord. God is awesome.
The devil was heated because of what we were doing. As Anthony and I parted from that young man, a security guard asked us if we were lost or looking for something. I politely told him no and we continued on our way. I could hear him following us as his keys were giving him away. We can decided to continue anyway. Then I saw a student sitting alone and we decided to preach the gospel to her. As we did so, the security guard circled the area and spied upon us through the bushes. Eventually he came over an interrupted us. He asked us if we were students and told us that what we were doing had to be done through the university website. I told him we weren't students and he asked us what we were doing and told us again to go through the website. I explained and he told us we had to stop and for a third time he told us we had to register on the website to hand out flyers and talk to students about organizations not campus related. I apologized and we headed back to our meeting point. The funny thing is that even though Anthony and I were shut down, the rest of our group wasn't approached (thankfully) and two more people received the Lord making the total count 12 salvations. Sorry devil, you lose...again.
Once we were done at Macquarie, the rest of the day was a relaxation day. We took a ferry across the harbor to Watson's Bay. As mentioned before, the weather was fantastic and I was able to stand on the open part of the bow. It felt so good to be darting across the Pacific, feeling the sun on my skin, the wind in my hair, and the salt water kiss my lips. The entire boat ride was a blast.
PC: Tim Watkins
Once we landed at our destination, we took a short hike to reach the top of the cliffs and get a gorgeous view of the ocean and the city. Even though I've seen many amazing views before, just looking upon God's handiwork still puts me in awe.
Once we had our fill of the scenery, we had to head back. During this trip I have seen Sydney up close, from the water in early afternoon, and at the dead of night, but never at sunset...until now. I probably took 10 pictures because it was so incredible to see.
Our day came to a close with dinner and the prayer meeting. I was really excited when dinner arrived because it was 30 Domino's pizzas. I love Dominos; it was a taste of home. My mouth and stomach were once again in food heaven.The funny thing was that they were larges,which are the same size as a small in the U.S. of A. I'll save that pic for the album. I've been here over a week now and it's been a week and a half since I left (1 day of travel and you jump forward a day traveling here). Time flies and waits for no one. What an experience it has been so far and I'm loving every minute of it.
The devil was heated because of what we were doing. As Anthony and I parted from that young man, a security guard asked us if we were lost or looking for something. I politely told him no and we continued on our way. I could hear him following us as his keys were giving him away. We can decided to continue anyway. Then I saw a student sitting alone and we decided to preach the gospel to her. As we did so, the security guard circled the area and spied upon us through the bushes. Eventually he came over an interrupted us. He asked us if we were students and told us that what we were doing had to be done through the university website. I told him we weren't students and he asked us what we were doing and told us again to go through the website. I explained and he told us we had to stop and for a third time he told us we had to register on the website to hand out flyers and talk to students about organizations not campus related. I apologized and we headed back to our meeting point. The funny thing is that even though Anthony and I were shut down, the rest of our group wasn't approached (thankfully) and two more people received the Lord making the total count 12 salvations. Sorry devil, you lose...again.
Once we were done at Macquarie, the rest of the day was a relaxation day. We took a ferry across the harbor to Watson's Bay. As mentioned before, the weather was fantastic and I was able to stand on the open part of the bow. It felt so good to be darting across the Pacific, feeling the sun on my skin, the wind in my hair, and the salt water kiss my lips. The entire boat ride was a blast.
Once we landed at our destination, we took a short hike to reach the top of the cliffs and get a gorgeous view of the ocean and the city. Even though I've seen many amazing views before, just looking upon God's handiwork still puts me in awe.
Once we had our fill of the scenery, we had to head back. During this trip I have seen Sydney up close, from the water in early afternoon, and at the dead of night, but never at sunset...until now. I probably took 10 pictures because it was so incredible to see.
Our day came to a close with dinner and the prayer meeting. I was really excited when dinner arrived because it was 30 Domino's pizzas. I love Dominos; it was a taste of home. My mouth and stomach were once again in food heaven.The funny thing was that they were larges,which are the same size as a small in the U.S. of A. I'll save that pic for the album. I've been here over a week now and it's been a week and a half since I left (1 day of travel and you jump forward a day traveling here). Time flies and waits for no one. What an experience it has been so far and I'm loving every minute of it.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Australia: There's No Lie You Won't Tear Down Coming After Me, Day 7
Why is this title so long you ask? Well it's a lyric from the song Reckless Love. Give it a listen if you haven't, it's powerful. Day 7 was a heavy gospel day and was round 2 on the USYD campus. I was paired up with Ray and we went to the part of campus where the castle-like building was that I took a picture of when we were last here. After being so discouraged with door-knocking the previous day, I felt that the Lord tore down a lot of lies while we were on the campus.
Ray and I began on one patch of grass and in 3 hours we didn't leave it. The first two people we talked to were pretty awesome Christians. One was an local and the other was a missionary from the USA doing gospel work in Sydney. That encouragement came like a flood and never stopped. The next person we talked to was a deist studying theology. The guy was very open and was so happy we talked to him. He wasn't ready to receive the Lord but he did pray that God would make himself real to him. The third person spoke little English so Ray did all the talking, but in the end this person gained Christ and Christ's salvation. The fourth person was a Muslim girl who wasn't particularly strong in her faith. We spent awhile talking to her and as we did, saw a change in her. Just as we were about to ask her if she would like to receive Christ, she realized she had to be at a class in five minutes and took off. The seed was planted, however. The fifth was a girl who had former ties to Christianity, but left when her brother came out. We showed her John 3:16, but before we could go any further she too had to leave, but told us we had given her something to think about. We talked to about 7 more people and of those 7, we gave a Christian girl confirmation that she was saved, had a Buddhist pray that God would prove Himself to him, met another two Christians, and talked with a tour guide who had to leave, but wanted to talk to us more.
The last person we talked to for the day shocked me. Our conversation with him wasn't going so well and I thought after all the Lord had done that we were going to end on a sour note. Then a feeling deep inside me told me to stop answering questions and to go to God's Word, the Bible. We showed him John 3:16 and took him through the Roman's Road. By the end of our conversation, he prayed as two others had that day that God would prove Himself to him. My soul was happy and my spirit soaring. Not one single person we talked to rejected us talking to them, 3 prayed for Truth to be revealed, and one was saved. As a group, four total received Christ through our going out and as of day seven, nine have received salvation here in Sydney.
Like most other days, there was still one more thing for us to do. We all made our way over to Yu-lin's house where we were joined by a handful of University students. And for the first time since we've been here, all the Aussies who visited the US were in one place. Chris, Elsa, Nelson, Christine, Vasya, Angela, and finally Hannah. We spent the evening eating more delicious food and singing the night away.
"There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
No lie You won't tear down
Coming after me"
Ray and I began on one patch of grass and in 3 hours we didn't leave it. The first two people we talked to were pretty awesome Christians. One was an local and the other was a missionary from the USA doing gospel work in Sydney. That encouragement came like a flood and never stopped. The next person we talked to was a deist studying theology. The guy was very open and was so happy we talked to him. He wasn't ready to receive the Lord but he did pray that God would make himself real to him. The third person spoke little English so Ray did all the talking, but in the end this person gained Christ and Christ's salvation. The fourth person was a Muslim girl who wasn't particularly strong in her faith. We spent awhile talking to her and as we did, saw a change in her. Just as we were about to ask her if she would like to receive Christ, she realized she had to be at a class in five minutes and took off. The seed was planted, however. The fifth was a girl who had former ties to Christianity, but left when her brother came out. We showed her John 3:16, but before we could go any further she too had to leave, but told us we had given her something to think about. We talked to about 7 more people and of those 7, we gave a Christian girl confirmation that she was saved, had a Buddhist pray that God would prove Himself to him, met another two Christians, and talked with a tour guide who had to leave, but wanted to talk to us more.
The last person we talked to for the day shocked me. Our conversation with him wasn't going so well and I thought after all the Lord had done that we were going to end on a sour note. Then a feeling deep inside me told me to stop answering questions and to go to God's Word, the Bible. We showed him John 3:16 and took him through the Roman's Road. By the end of our conversation, he prayed as two others had that day that God would prove Himself to him. My soul was happy and my spirit soaring. Not one single person we talked to rejected us talking to them, 3 prayed for Truth to be revealed, and one was saved. As a group, four total received Christ through our going out and as of day seven, nine have received salvation here in Sydney.
Like most other days, there was still one more thing for us to do. We all made our way over to Yu-lin's house where we were joined by a handful of University students. And for the first time since we've been here, all the Aussies who visited the US were in one place. Chris, Elsa, Nelson, Christine, Vasya, Angela, and finally Hannah. We spent the evening eating more delicious food and singing the night away.
"There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
No lie You won't tear down
Coming after me"
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Australia: The Gospel Must Go Out, Day 6
I could barely eat all the food Nelson's mom was feeding us for breakfast because I was recovering from the previous night. But it was fine because I had a long day of walking to burn it all off.
Our first quest for the day was to distribute church invites throughout the neighborhood by the meeting hall. I've always enjoyed doing this especially when the weather is good. I love walking through new neighborhoods and seeing the picture-esque houses and the cute mailboxes that I'm allowed to drop invitations into. I enjoy walking the hilly streets, seeing the blue sky above and the houses on the hills in the distance. Plus it's a perfect opportunity to pray and spend time with the Lord. This combination of things made time fly rather quickly.
We reconvened at the meeting hall to eat lunch and prepare for the afternoon. During this time, Ray and Anthony disappeared into the fellowship room to eat something from their secret stash. This drew the ire of curious souls who pondered what the delectable treat might be (turned out to be mint chocolate Tim-Tams which were shared the next day).
For the second half of the day, we went door-knocking. That was an interesting experience. Pretty much every door that answered rejected us. But unlike the US, many wished us luck and said goodbye as if they were happy to have us. One guy in particular gave me a good laugh. I asked him if he would like to come to church on Sunday and in the thickest Australian accent, he said something along the lines that he couldn't get to the bus because he couldn't make it past his gate and he was stuck there. Then he said "Better luck next time!" And shut the door. I felt like I had just lost a game.
Now that my feet were dead, it was time to travel even further. We took a train to Epping. Nelson picked up half our group and drove them to the house we were headed to. The rest of us took a bus. It was a long bus ride, actually too long because we missed our stop by four stops. We left the bus and called Yu-lin. He and Nelson came to rescue the six of us standing out by the roadside where no one else was around in the dark. We were easy to spot since we were the only group of six Americans standing in the cold. Once we were "rescued" and had made it to the house, we were greeted by a lot of friendly faces and the scent of good food.
We had the privilege of meeting more of the Chinese speaking saints and were welcomed by their gracious hospitality. One of the little girls we entertained during the YP meeting Saturday night was there and she had my name down pat. She's a cutie. After dinner we sang some songs in English and Chinese and then swapped testimonies of things the Lord was doing in our lives. It was a great encouragement. As the night wound down, we Americans and a few Aussies crowded around the piano and began a jam session with some of our Christian songs. The saints who were still there sat and enjoyed the singing and some took video and shared it with other saints who weren't there.
That wraps up day 6. I didn't really take many pics this day so here's the pic of a magpie that stared me down realizing I wasn't from around these parts.
We reconvened at the meeting hall to eat lunch and prepare for the afternoon. During this time, Ray and Anthony disappeared into the fellowship room to eat something from their secret stash. This drew the ire of curious souls who pondered what the delectable treat might be (turned out to be mint chocolate Tim-Tams which were shared the next day).
For the second half of the day, we went door-knocking. That was an interesting experience. Pretty much every door that answered rejected us. But unlike the US, many wished us luck and said goodbye as if they were happy to have us. One guy in particular gave me a good laugh. I asked him if he would like to come to church on Sunday and in the thickest Australian accent, he said something along the lines that he couldn't get to the bus because he couldn't make it past his gate and he was stuck there. Then he said "Better luck next time!" And shut the door. I felt like I had just lost a game.
Now that my feet were dead, it was time to travel even further. We took a train to Epping. Nelson picked up half our group and drove them to the house we were headed to. The rest of us took a bus. It was a long bus ride, actually too long because we missed our stop by four stops. We left the bus and called Yu-lin. He and Nelson came to rescue the six of us standing out by the roadside where no one else was around in the dark. We were easy to spot since we were the only group of six Americans standing in the cold. Once we were "rescued" and had made it to the house, we were greeted by a lot of friendly faces and the scent of good food.
We had the privilege of meeting more of the Chinese speaking saints and were welcomed by their gracious hospitality. One of the little girls we entertained during the YP meeting Saturday night was there and she had my name down pat. She's a cutie. After dinner we sang some songs in English and Chinese and then swapped testimonies of things the Lord was doing in our lives. It was a great encouragement. As the night wound down, we Americans and a few Aussies crowded around the piano and began a jam session with some of our Christian songs. The saints who were still there sat and enjoyed the singing and some took video and shared it with other saints who weren't there.
That wraps up day 6. I didn't really take many pics this day so here's the pic of a magpie that stared me down realizing I wasn't from around these parts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)