One of the first things I noticed about Aussies is that they are very non-materialistic. They might be a bit more in the bigger cities, but in the country town of Geelong they are not concerned with material things at all. They don't really care about what they are wearing, and things that are considered fashionable are very simple and comfortable. It's quite a change from the materialistic world of southern California!
Another thing about Australia is that it's totally culturally acceptable to be 40 years old and working at Starbucks or McDonalds. In America, those jobs are ok for students, but once you're out of school you're expected to get a "real job", but in Australia it's totally fine. There aren't any jobs that are looked down on in Australia, whether it's working at a cafe, gas station, or janitor. It's hard to find a job here that's genuinely disrespected by Aussies. Americans might not say anything to people working those jobs, but our attitudes and how we treat them usually do most of the talking.
Aussies are also very good at keeping up with the news, whether it's local, national, or international. Every hour on the hour there's news breaks on both the radio and TV to give short updates on current news. Most conversations you have with an Aussie will eventually turn to current events. I suppose you could say this about America too, but I think it's mainly with the older generation. In Australia it's every generation, and it's something that they learn the importance of at a young age. I'm amazed at how good uni students are at keeping up with current events, and it's something I certainly didn't see in UCSB students.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Things I've noticed, things I'll miss, things I won't
I have 10 days left in Australia, and it's hitting me like a ton of bricks realizing this. I am so excited to come home and see all my family and friends again, but I am going to miss this place a lot. I love living here, I love the people and the culture and what they're all about. But, like anything, there are some things that I'm definitely not going to miss about living here. So I've compiled a list: things I've noticed, things I'll miss, and things I won't. Maybe if I focus on the things that I'm not going to miss it will make it easier to leave this place :)
And I can't take credit for this, I totally stole it from my dear friend Hillary when she was leaving her STINT in Turkey. But so good for helping me process through leaving!
And I can't take credit for this, I totally stole it from my dear friend Hillary when she was leaving her STINT in Turkey. But so good for helping me process through leaving!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Gone to Summer Project!
There are so many more stories that I could tell, but we're leaving for summer project tomorrow so my time for blogging during the next weeks is going to be pretty limited. I'll definitely give a full update when I get back from project though!
Please be praying for us as we are serving down in Torquay:
- that God would prepare the hearts of those that He wants us to minister to
- that we would see schoolies make true and honest decisions to follow Jesus
- that our students would grow in their faith and their ministry skills, and that they would come out of this project with a deeper understanding of who God is
Thanks heaps!!!
Please be praying for us as we are serving down in Torquay:
- that God would prepare the hearts of those that He wants us to minister to
- that we would see schoolies make true and honest decisions to follow Jesus
- that our students would grow in their faith and their ministry skills, and that they would come out of this project with a deeper understanding of who God is
Thanks heaps!!!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Rakesh's story
I wasn't planning on telling Rakesh's story, but Campus Crusade for Christ Australia just did a story about him in one their national newsletters. Pretty sweet :)
Here's the article:
JESUS IN A BUCKET OF CHICKEN
by Tezza Brooks on Mon, 11/15/2010
Born and raised in India’s mixed religious culture, Rakesh Kumar was taught everyone’s god is right. It diminished his desire to seek God. When his family took him to the temple, he would ask how anyone could know that the Hindu gods were there. He never got a straight answer. Eventually he was driven toward atheism.
When he came to Australia over three years ago, he attended Deakin University where he met Nandeeta, a girl from his hometown. She was a Christ-follower and spent much of her time telling Rakesh how God changed her life.
One day she needed a ride to church and asked Rakesh to take her. For two months he sat with her in the back of the church, eventually becoming curious. Rakesh remembers: “So just as I did when I was a child, I asked her how she knew God was there. She said it was because she had a relationship with Him, God reveals Himself to her. She said the only way I’d understand is if I asked God to show me that He was real. Only then would I understand.”
A few days later Rakesh was walking to his car after an exam. He began feeling very hungry and weak. Nearly to his car, he became faint and could not walk anymore. Falling to the ground, he remembered what Nandeeta said. So he very bluntly told God: “Look God, I’m hungry, I would love some food. Show me You are real.” He was in one of the most remote places on campus. Hardly anyone parks there, and rarely does someone walk by. Suddenly a friend came around the corner with a bucket of chicken, saying he had been looking all over campus for him. “He wanted to share the meal and thought about finding me. So we sat there and ate KFC on the ground, and I just shook my head in amazement. God had revealed Himself in a bucket of fried chicken. He sure knows how to speak to a college guy.”
The next Sunday Rakesh went back to church very excited. However, he had no clue how to accept Jesus into his life. The pastor talked about repentance and how Jesus gave His life for all. “He told us all we had to do is believe in our heart and confess with our mouth. That’s it. It was that simple? I sat there thinking this can’t be right.” Rakesh thought there had to be more. He was used to doing heaps of good deeds and reciting memorized prayers. “Surely God needed to assess how good I was before He accepted me, right? After a discussion with the pastor and several questions, I prayed to receive Christ. Peace flowed into me, and I felt so light and full of joy. It’s not that way for everyone, but for me, I saw an instant change from that day on. I stopped partying and became more patient with people. That was 2007.”
Rakesh began reading the bible on his own. He did not know how to pray, so he just began talking out loud to God. He searched online and found anything he could to study. “God was teaching me to pursue Him. So I did. I researched bible college websites for downloads and read it all.” He began to have a heart for others who needed Jesus. He shared his story with anyone who would listen, even preaching at McDonalds and getting burgers thrown at him.
Eventually Rakesh developed a strong desire to start a bible discussion group. About that time he met Dave, an American missionary working with Student Life, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Dave had already done all the footwork to form a small group bible study, so he invited Rakesh to the group. While there Rakesh matured in the Christian faith and learned how to evangelise more effectively. “I’m so thankful for Student Life. I got that bible study I wanted and so much more. It’s awesome to see how God’s hand was on me and where He brought me from.”
Rakesh is now one of our most motivated and evangelistic KVs. Praise God for showing up in buckets of chicken!
Here's the article:
JESUS IN A BUCKET OF CHICKEN
by Tezza Brooks on Mon, 11/15/2010
Born and raised in India’s mixed religious culture, Rakesh Kumar was taught everyone’s god is right. It diminished his desire to seek God. When his family took him to the temple, he would ask how anyone could know that the Hindu gods were there. He never got a straight answer. Eventually he was driven toward atheism.
When he came to Australia over three years ago, he attended Deakin University where he met Nandeeta, a girl from his hometown. She was a Christ-follower and spent much of her time telling Rakesh how God changed her life.
One day she needed a ride to church and asked Rakesh to take her. For two months he sat with her in the back of the church, eventually becoming curious. Rakesh remembers: “So just as I did when I was a child, I asked her how she knew God was there. She said it was because she had a relationship with Him, God reveals Himself to her. She said the only way I’d understand is if I asked God to show me that He was real. Only then would I understand.”
A few days later Rakesh was walking to his car after an exam. He began feeling very hungry and weak. Nearly to his car, he became faint and could not walk anymore. Falling to the ground, he remembered what Nandeeta said. So he very bluntly told God: “Look God, I’m hungry, I would love some food. Show me You are real.” He was in one of the most remote places on campus. Hardly anyone parks there, and rarely does someone walk by. Suddenly a friend came around the corner with a bucket of chicken, saying he had been looking all over campus for him. “He wanted to share the meal and thought about finding me. So we sat there and ate KFC on the ground, and I just shook my head in amazement. God had revealed Himself in a bucket of fried chicken. He sure knows how to speak to a college guy.”
The next Sunday Rakesh went back to church very excited. However, he had no clue how to accept Jesus into his life. The pastor talked about repentance and how Jesus gave His life for all. “He told us all we had to do is believe in our heart and confess with our mouth. That’s it. It was that simple? I sat there thinking this can’t be right.” Rakesh thought there had to be more. He was used to doing heaps of good deeds and reciting memorized prayers. “Surely God needed to assess how good I was before He accepted me, right? After a discussion with the pastor and several questions, I prayed to receive Christ. Peace flowed into me, and I felt so light and full of joy. It’s not that way for everyone, but for me, I saw an instant change from that day on. I stopped partying and became more patient with people. That was 2007.”
Rakesh began reading the bible on his own. He did not know how to pray, so he just began talking out loud to God. He searched online and found anything he could to study. “God was teaching me to pursue Him. So I did. I researched bible college websites for downloads and read it all.” He began to have a heart for others who needed Jesus. He shared his story with anyone who would listen, even preaching at McDonalds and getting burgers thrown at him.
Eventually Rakesh developed a strong desire to start a bible discussion group. About that time he met Dave, an American missionary working with Student Life, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Dave had already done all the footwork to form a small group bible study, so he invited Rakesh to the group. While there Rakesh matured in the Christian faith and learned how to evangelise more effectively. “I’m so thankful for Student Life. I got that bible study I wanted and so much more. It’s awesome to see how God’s hand was on me and where He brought me from.”
Rakesh is now one of our most motivated and evangelistic KVs. Praise God for showing up in buckets of chicken!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Coco and Vivian's Story
Coco and Vivian are roommates and exchange students from China; Erin (my teammate) met them at an International Students Afternoon Tea at one of our Geelong campuses, and I was introduced to them shortly afterwords. Because we're American, they right away asked if we were Christians, and they were super excited to find out that we were. Vivian said that she has a few Christian friends back in China and they are like sunshine to her soul (honestly, that's a direct quote). They were super interested to hang out with us and hear more about our faith, so we got to go through a CE with them. It was so fun to go through the basics of Christianity with students who had barely heard the name of Jesus before, let alone knew anything about him. We could tell that what we were telling them was so contrary to and unlike anything else they had heard; sometimes I swear I could actually see the wheels turning in their heads as they processed everything that we were talking about.
I so wish that I could tell you that they both decided to follow Jesus with their lives, but they have both yet to make this decision. They have all of the head knowledge, they hang out with people that follow Jesus, and they know the steps they need to take, but there is still a very big disconnect between their heads and their hearts. Both Erin and I feel that we have done all that we can do and said all that we can, but it's ultimately their decision and there's only so much we can do. As hard as it is to see them so close but still so far away, it has been a sweet reminder that God is ultimately the only one that is going to change hearts. We can say and do all the right things, but it's still up to the Spirit to really change and prepare their hearts. And praise the Lord that we still have the very powerful tool of prayer. Vivian even told us that she feels a tugging on her heart (!!!) and she knows in her heart that this is true, but her head just hasn't quite gotten there yet. I know that we have laid some good foundation for them to fall back on when they finally do give into that 'tugging', and I'm excited to hear about the day when their heads and their hearts finally do connect.
Me, Coco and Vivian at a winery in Geelong. Please be praying for these sweet girls!
I so wish that I could tell you that they both decided to follow Jesus with their lives, but they have both yet to make this decision. They have all of the head knowledge, they hang out with people that follow Jesus, and they know the steps they need to take, but there is still a very big disconnect between their heads and their hearts. Both Erin and I feel that we have done all that we can do and said all that we can, but it's ultimately their decision and there's only so much we can do. As hard as it is to see them so close but still so far away, it has been a sweet reminder that God is ultimately the only one that is going to change hearts. We can say and do all the right things, but it's still up to the Spirit to really change and prepare their hearts. And praise the Lord that we still have the very powerful tool of prayer. Vivian even told us that she feels a tugging on her heart (!!!) and she knows in her heart that this is true, but her head just hasn't quite gotten there yet. I know that we have laid some good foundation for them to fall back on when they finally do give into that 'tugging', and I'm excited to hear about the day when their heads and their hearts finally do connect.
Me, Coco and Vivian at a winery in Geelong. Please be praying for these sweet girls!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Ashlee's Story
Ashlee is an exchange student from China, and we met her through Kathleen. We put on a prayer and worship night at one of our Geelong campuses; Kathleen came and brought Ashlee with her (keep in mind both of them weren't Christians at this point and they came to a worship night, pretty incredible). They both really enjoyed the night and stayed through the whole thing. I actually met Ashlee while we were cleaning up; we couldn't get our own students to wipe down a table but here was this perfect stranger helping us!
Throughout the next few weeks Ashlee started coming to our Nooma discussion group (we would watch one of the Nooma videos by Rob Bell and talk about them afterwords, meant to be open to anyone, no matter what their beliefs). One day after Nooma Ashlee ended up talking with Adam and Jenny for quite some time. They shared the whole gospel with her, asked her if she wanted to respond to Jesus, and she said yes! Jenny and I were then able to go through a CE with her, and we got to watch her and walk alongside her as she discovered the basics of her new faith. She is extremely intelligent, and definitely kept Jenny and I on our toes with all her questions. Getting to minister to her was so sweet, being able to be a part of a new Christian's growth is such a privilege that I certainly don't deserve. But it also brought me back to the basics and gave me a new found appreciation for just how amazing the truth of the gospel is. I know that I'm going to spend my whole life seeking to understand it and still only graze the surface.
Ashlee's story also reminds me of just how sweet God is in His timing. Matt and I were in Ballarat for our last day with the UCLA team when Ashlee placed her trust in Christ for the first time. We had just gotten off campus and were on our way to the team's apartments for our final goodbyes to them when we got a text from Jenny with the good news. We were able to tell the team, the day before they left Australia, that they were a part in bringing one more student to Christ. Their reactions were priceless, and what an amazing thing for them to end their time in Australia on. God didn't have to do it that way, but how sweet that He did :)
Throughout the next few weeks Ashlee started coming to our Nooma discussion group (we would watch one of the Nooma videos by Rob Bell and talk about them afterwords, meant to be open to anyone, no matter what their beliefs). One day after Nooma Ashlee ended up talking with Adam and Jenny for quite some time. They shared the whole gospel with her, asked her if she wanted to respond to Jesus, and she said yes! Jenny and I were then able to go through a CE with her, and we got to watch her and walk alongside her as she discovered the basics of her new faith. She is extremely intelligent, and definitely kept Jenny and I on our toes with all her questions. Getting to minister to her was so sweet, being able to be a part of a new Christian's growth is such a privilege that I certainly don't deserve. But it also brought me back to the basics and gave me a new found appreciation for just how amazing the truth of the gospel is. I know that I'm going to spend my whole life seeking to understand it and still only graze the surface.
Ashlee's story also reminds me of just how sweet God is in His timing. Matt and I were in Ballarat for our last day with the UCLA team when Ashlee placed her trust in Christ for the first time. We had just gotten off campus and were on our way to the team's apartments for our final goodbyes to them when we got a text from Jenny with the good news. We were able to tell the team, the day before they left Australia, that they were a part in bringing one more student to Christ. Their reactions were priceless, and what an amazing thing for them to end their time in Australia on. God didn't have to do it that way, but how sweet that He did :)
Monday, November 8, 2010
Kathleen's Story
We met Kathleen when the UCLA team was here. Even after just spending a few minutes with her, it was clear that the Lord intentionally led us to her. She was just so curious about everything: why there were so many Americans around and why we traveled all that distance, what Student Life is and why we exist, and just about Christianity in general. She started coming to everything that we put on, including Catalyst, our weekly Bible discussion group. It was clear from her comments at Catalyst that she was thinking pretty seriously about this whole Christianity thing, so Jenny (one of my teammates) started going through a CE with her. A few weeks into the CE she decided to place her trust in Christ (It was actually pretty classic how we found out... Erin noticed that Kathleen had changed her religious views on facebook to Christian. Jenny asked her about it later and they had a good chat about it. I guess that's doing ministry in the social networking era for ya! :)
Kathleen has been growing ever since; she's gotten involved in a church and still comes around to everything we do. It's been so fun to watch her grow and not shy away from asking the hard questions that come along with being a believer. She is even already asking questions about how she can best minister to her friends and family. Please be praying for her that her roots would continue to be planted deep!!
Kathleen with her friend Ashlee (her story tomorrow!)
Kathleen has been growing ever since; she's gotten involved in a church and still comes around to everything we do. It's been so fun to watch her grow and not shy away from asking the hard questions that come along with being a believer. She is even already asking questions about how she can best minister to her friends and family. Please be praying for her that her roots would continue to be planted deep!!
Kathleen with her friend Ashlee (her story tomorrow!)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Sam's story
I shared a little about Sam in one my previous newsletters, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to tell his whole story. We met Sam when the UCLA team was here; we were handing out free coffee to students and he stopped for a coffee and ended up hanging out with us the rest of the day. We got to know him pretty well as he spent a lot of time with us and the UCLA team. He grew up in a Christian family, and had a solid Christian community back home, but he's moved around a lot and, unfortunately, quickly lost that community. After getting to know us, seeing how we lived our lives, and being a part of our community, Sam said that he felt close to God again, and wanted to re-dedicate his life to Him. It was so encouraging for all of us to see the true desires of his heart and how he wants to pursue after God. It was also a sweet reminder for me personally. I came to Australia to see God change lives. I guess I always had this idea somewhere in the back of my mind that this would mean non-Christians finding their fulfillment in Christ... not that this idea was wrong, it was just a pretty limited scope of how God might choose to use me. Meeting Sam was a sweet reminder that my desire to see lives changed could also mean helping struggling Christians find some community.
Be praying for Sam: that he would continue to pursue after Jesus and deepen his relationship with Him, that he would find a solid community (whether it be Student Life or not) that is able to help him grow, and that he would truly desire to know the truth of the Bible. He's a wonderful guy with such a sweet heart; he's been a true joy to hang out with!
Sam and I
Be praying for Sam: that he would continue to pursue after Jesus and deepen his relationship with Him, that he would find a solid community (whether it be Student Life or not) that is able to help him grow, and that he would truly desire to know the truth of the Bible. He's a wonderful guy with such a sweet heart; he's been a true joy to hang out with!
Sam and I
Monday, November 1, 2010
Jessica's Story
Here is the first story in the series that I promised! We actually saw Jessica on campus and recognized her as one of the girls that leads worship at our church. We introduced ourselves to her and she has been coming around ever since! This is her own words when asked what it has meant to her to be a part of Student Life:
"I found out about Student Life a couple of months ago after meeting the US stint team at uni. I have enjoyed life so much more ever since. Meeting a bunch of committed Christians who have chosen to come to my home town as missionaries for a year has encouraged me so much. It has allowed God to change me and develop my life in so many ways, showing me that there is light at uni and reminding me about his purpose and love for the students that aren't saved. The Student Life crew have been phenomenal, becoming my friends and the friends of others without asking questions. They just love and accept people straight away. I have loved meeting every member of Student Life and seeing how God is using them. It challenges me but also shows me just how special I am to God."
Jessica is just as sweet as she sounds; she even gave each of us missionaries the most lovely going away presents! She has been such a joy to have around and seeing her grow and gain a heart for the lost is such a sweet reminder of why I like my job so much :)
Isn't she cute??
Opening my present from her
"I found out about Student Life a couple of months ago after meeting the US stint team at uni. I have enjoyed life so much more ever since. Meeting a bunch of committed Christians who have chosen to come to my home town as missionaries for a year has encouraged me so much. It has allowed God to change me and develop my life in so many ways, showing me that there is light at uni and reminding me about his purpose and love for the students that aren't saved. The Student Life crew have been phenomenal, becoming my friends and the friends of others without asking questions. They just love and accept people straight away. I have loved meeting every member of Student Life and seeing how God is using them. It challenges me but also shows me just how special I am to God."
Jessica is just as sweet as she sounds; she even gave each of us missionaries the most lovely going away presents! She has been such a joy to have around and seeing her grow and gain a heart for the lost is such a sweet reminder of why I like my job so much :)
Isn't she cute??
Opening my present from her
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