New car.. and other stuff

So, it has been a month since I last posted anything... what have I been up to? Well, here it is in short (don't have much time, House is coming on in 12 mins)... Splashout Camp (huge success and great fun)- that was for one week, but the wrap up of the finances is taking heaps longer. Anyhow, thanks to Ben and Glen for their help with that... I have moved... sort of. My belongings have moved house, but I am currently house sitting for friends while they are away on holiday.. they come back Sat. after 4 weeks away. I had Ayeesha, one of the girls that we know from Eidsvold in Brisbane with her mum, and rather than sit at the hospital all day for several days while her sister had doctors appt., she asked if she could come and stay with me. We had fun... Bonnie and Micha (two of our Ann St. high school girls) came and stayed as well. We enjoyed a day at the beach.. BTW for those not in QLD, we went from winter straight to summer, forgetting Spring.. it has been HOT! great time for the beach. This week (and it is only Wed.) has been full of things for the renewal of my visa to be in Australia.... doctors examinations, an xray and today, finger prints taken. But the best part of today is that I get a new (to me) car.... yeah! God is so good, and His timing is perfect. I love it heaps....

Anyhow, House will be calling me soon.....

for those in USA- watch Kath & Kim and tell me what you think... it is a great Aussie show being done American style... I have no idea how it will be, but the Aussie one is funny as.

Once Upon a Time in a Small Town...

Once upon a time , late 1960-early 1970's to be exact, there was a newly married couple that moved to a small, remote town. They had no income, but they had both felt the Lord calling them to this place, so in faith they went. In this town lived only white people. No Indigenous people were allowed to live in town, instead they were forced to live on the outskirts of town. So this young couple that had been obedient to God, built amazing relationships with the Indigenous people. There then came a time that a house in town was for sale, and one of these Indigenous couples wanted to buy the house, but of course the owner would not sell the house to them because they were Aboriginal. So what did this young couple, the one's that had been obedient in following God, do? They bought the house that was for sale. No, they did not live there, instead they turned right around and sold it to the aboriginal couple that had wanted to buy it in the first place. They became the first indigenous people to live in that town. So what happen with this other (white) young couple? They lived in this small town for 10 years, and during that time became huge advocates for indigenous people.They then moved to a different small town to work along side more indigenous people.. So why do I tell you this story? Well, that young couple that were so obedient to God and stepped out in faith, have continued ever since to minister to and with indigenous Australians. They are quite amazing people as this story shows, and this is just one of many. And I feel so blessed that I am now going to be living with this couple here in Brisbane. I know that I will learn so much through living with them.. I want to be just like a sponge that soaks it all in. I know I am blessed and count it as a privilege to be welcomed into their home. Lyle and Hazel are two of the most incredible people that I have ever met.
An additional note here... that small town that they lived in was Eidsvold.. the same town that we at Ann St. now visit on a regular basis to work with the Indigenous people in the town. And that first Aboriginal couple to move into town.. well Elizabeth is still there and we have built a wonderful friendship with her. I sometimes can't believe how blessed I am to be here in Australia and to know people like this. Thank you Lord, I certainly don't deserve it, but I will accept it gratefully.

I will be moving into Lyle and Hazel's place at the end of this month... I can't wait. Stay tuned for more amazing stories... if you would like to read a bit more about Lyle and Hazel's story and the ministry they are a part of , visit the web for Aboriginal Islander Christian Fellowship (AICF) .. http://www.aicf.net.au/MCbrisbane.html

Brisbane Riverfire

Each year, to celebrate the beginning of Spring, the city of Brisbane puts on an amazing show of fireworks all long the Brisbane River. They call this night 'Riverfire'. It is so appropriately named, as the river truly is 'on fire' with fireworks and so much more. Well, last night was Riverfire. But before we headed down to the river to watch the show, we had our monthly Community BBQ at the church. We were not sure how many people we would have, as they were expecting 1/2 million people to be along the rivers edge... with some of them walking past Ann St. Church of Christ to get there. Well, we had a very good turn out, and heaps of food to share around. It was a great time, with planes flying overhead, doing some amazing stunts.. and then we quickly cleaned up and headed down to the river. One of the highlights of the night is when a jet (Oh, I am sure there is a specific name for this type of jet, but I don't know those details) flies over the river and does a fuel drop. When that happens, the fuel catches fire and lights up the night sky. I have a picture here where you can see the fire.. and the sky all lit up. The jet was flying very quickly, so it was hard to get a good picture. I also have a picture of the Story Bridge, with fireworks on it. These fireworks are seriously everywhere.. they come off of the bridge, several places along the river as well as the tops of the city buildings. These pictures will not do justice to seeing it in person(not to mentionthey're a bit blurry, but you'll get the idea).. So, if ever you'd like to come and see.. it is always right around the first part of Sept (or end of Aug). What a great way to welcome in Spring.. and the sunshine.

'Stop and Smell the Flowers'

So, it's been awhile since I have written anything, so I thought I'd share about a walk that I went on this past Sunday with Brianna (she is 11 and I live with her family). We just walked down to the park down the road from our house... it was a beautiful, sunny (finally) day and so we thought we should enjoy it. So why would any of you care about this, well maybe you won't but I want to share that God uses times like these to speak to us. First of all, this is a park that I drive past nearly every time I go anywhere, and I have never taken time to walk through it. I love Australia for reasons like this.. here I am just 15 minutes from the City, aka downtown, and here there is this most amazing park... full of so many different kinds of flowers, a creek and some great birds. I have attached some pictures so that maybe you too can appreciate it.

OK, I will get to my point... I guess in a society that is so fast paced we rarely take time out to simply enjoy the things that God has created for our enjoyment. I was reminded of the value of just taking time out. It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Stop and smell the roses". So, they weren't roses that we saw, but we did stop and look at every type of flower, looked at the detail and took pictures of each one. We spent 2 hours just enjoying God's creation. And to think, I was so tired when I got home from church and almost did not go. I am so glad that I did.

If you take nothing else from this, I hope you are encouraged to 'stop and smell the flowers'!

Just lean into HIM

'Just lean into Him'. These are words that I heard spoken tonight. I went with some friends to Brisbane City Church tonight to hear Reggie Dabbs, an American, speak. He is an amazing man of God, and has a powerful ministry.. more on that in a moment. But it was not Reggie that spoke those words. What I did not know is that not only did we get to hear Reggie speak, but Darlene Zschech was actually there leading worship. (She is the one from Hillsong.. you know, "Shout to the Lord"). How amazing it was, she is so passionate about God and in her worship to Him. She was sharing the story behind one of the verses in a song that we were singing, and encouraged us, that in those times that we 'walk through the valley of the shadow of death' that God is there and He is safe.. Just lean into Him, and you will feel Him. Those words got to me.. really got to me. God never said that living life for Him was going to be easy, but that we WILL face trials, but in those times, if we trust in Him, we will grow stronger. I will hold on to the vision of Darlene leaning in.. I must lean into God.
So, Reggie Dabbs... he is from Florida, but I had never heard of him until coming to Australia. He has a wonderful ministry to young people, in the State highs schools. This week alone he will be speaking to over 120,000 youth around the state of Queensland. So what makes Reggie so special? He would say he is not, in fact he shares that he was conceived because his mom had sex with a man for $20. Yes, she was a prostitute. He was raised in foster care by a great family and found the Lord. It is God that has taken him and used him.. simply because he opened himself up to be used. Please pray for Reggie as he speaks to all of those youth this week... just last night 250 teens gave their lives to the Lord at a service he spoke at. If you would like to read more of his story, check it out at reggiedabbsonline.com/story.php
Anyhow, it was another wonderful night and I hope that I will always remember to 'Lean into God'. I hope you do too.

Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics

So tonight I got to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics. It was not only exciting to see the spectacular show, but Sue and I sat and watched with LuLu, who is from China. For those that don't know, LuLu lives here with the Pennells as well. It was so amazing to have her sit there and not only translate for us, but she explained so many things that were not spoken of by the Australian commentators. China is so rich in history, it was very special to sit and learn from her as we watched.

I am not sure when they will air in the States, but I encourage you all to watch them.... they are still on now, with the athletes coming in... but it is late so we are taping them. I will finish watching that part in the morning.

This is my second 'summer' Olympics here in Australia (although it is winter here now). It is interesting to watch from another country.. of course I see mostly the Aussie's, but when I hear the National Anthem of the USA, I smile... sometimes I feel as though I should be standing...

I will say, when it comes to men's field hockey, I will be cheering for Australia, as we know one of the players. Should you happen to watch, look for Matt Wells and cheer him on. He was the Foreman of the crew that remodeled our kitchen last year.

Anyhow, here is getting into the Olympic Spirit, but remembering to pray for the many Christians in China that are still persecuted today.

Nick Vujicic

So, I was just watching a story about Nick on 60 Minutes. Nick is a 25 year old Aussie that was born without arms or legs. He has made a career of going, around the world now, and speaking to people and sharing his story. He is an amazing Christian man and is very inspiring. Hearing him speak reminds me that with God nothing is impossible. Nick certainly proves that in what he does, and how he lives his life.











Three years ago, we had the blessing of having Nick at Redcliffe State high. He came and spoke to year 9 & 10 students. To see the impact that he had on the students that I work with on a regular basis was incredible. I am truly inspired by his story, but more than that, encouraged to keep trusting in God for all of my needs.

I love, too, that he has now been to my home church in So Cal, Knott Ave., two times....

I encourage you to check out his website.. http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/ and be encouraged by his story too.