Pictures!

I love taking pictures. I'm not claiming to be a professional, or even good, by any means, but I just really enjoy seeing the world through photographs. It's actually something that I experience the Lord through, looking at His creation, whether it be people or nature, in a whole new way. And I love having control over what the focus of the picture is. I got a new camera for Christmas right before I came to Australia, and I've been having so much fun messing around with it. One of these days I'll work my way up to an SLR, but for now I'm perfectly content with the one I have. Thought I would share some of my favorites I have taken so far!


So this looks like a boardwalk, and it is, but not like the ones we're used to. There is a swimming area blocked off in the Geelong bay that's enclosed by a circular boardwalk. Shortly after taking this picture Erin and I started running back to land because it started pouring :)






These were all taken at the Geelong Botanical Gardens. Adam, Erin and I spent last Saturday morning just wandering around there, taking pictures and chatting. It was such a lovely morning, and a great way to enjoy the way-too-warm for May weather that we've been having lately.

Of course one of my favorite subjects to take pictures of is kids, so I have heaps of pictures of Zarah, Josi, and Rita.

Zarah and Dad


Josi is one of those kids that just never stops smiling. The only time I have seen him not smiley was when he was super sick with a nasty stomach bug. His smile brings so much joy into my life!


Because I'm around Rita the most out of the kids I have the most pictures of her, and this is easily one of my favorites. Something made Jimmy (Rita's Dad) laugh, and she just happened to look right at me, it was so perfect. This picture even made it to a frame in their house, I feel so honored!



I got a chance to go to the 12 Apostles with the spring break team. These are iconic Australia, pretty standard protocol in tourist advertisements. When people picture Australia, they picture these, with the white sand beaches and the clear blue water. It's lovely and absolutely gorgeous, but keep in mind it took a 2 hour car ride to get here, these aren't in my backyard or anything :)

There is a massive stadium in Melbourne called the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). It's a huge stadium that can hold up to 100,000 people, it's quite the experience. We have been to 2 footy games there, one when the spring break team was here.



They let you come on the field after the game is over. It's pretty sweet seeing the stadium from the players point of view, just beware of flying footy balls everywhere! I love having a picture with my Gauchos on the MCG field!


STINTer love in the stands


Kuda, me and Matt at the Collinwood vs Geelong game. This was a pretty big game, since it was the 2 top teams going against each other. The stadium was nearly sold out. And Geelong won! Go Cats!

Annie, one of the girls that came with the spring break team, who is also a dear friend of mine, was able to stay longer than the rest of team since she is already done with uni. One of the days she was here, Rakesh and Sam (2 of our students) took me, Annie, and Matt out to some fun areas around Melbourne, some of which were St. Kilda, Philip Island, and Sorrento.


On the ferry from Geelong to Sorrento


Beach huts in Sorrento


Rakesh being silly with a beach hut :)


I don't think I'll ever get over how clear the water is here.


Sunset from St. Kilda, overlooking Melbourne

Sorry, that was a long post, I guess I just like sharing my life, through pictures, with you guys!

Lots of love,
Michelle

No I didn't know...

I love the drive up to Ballarat that we do every Thursday. It's a good time to just hang out with Matt and Jono, to pray for everything going on, and (when I'm not the one driving) to just sit back and take in all the beauty that this place has to offer. It's getting especially beautiful now sine it's fall here, so the leaves are changing into beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow, and the fields get greener and greener everyday. Don't get the idea that I'm driving along the Great Ocean Road once a week, cuz I'm not... going to Ballarat we are actually getting further away from the ocean. It's nothing but country and wide open spaces, and it's next to impossible to count all the horses and sheep that we pass. It's quite different than Southern California, and not the kind of scenery that I'm used to... a comparable length of the drive would be SB to LA, but not the same at all! No 6 lane-highways with massive SUVS doing 85, mainly just a 2-lane road doing about a 100 k's, which is about 60 mph. Much more low-key and truly Aussie :)

This week we passed a house that had a MASSIVE banner in their front yard. The first line read "DID YOU KNOW?" I was intrigued, wondering what this house wanted to so clearly present to its neighbors and everyone that passed by. My mind began to come up with lots of possibilities that this house wanted me to know, some ideas a bit more ridiculous than others. As we got closer, you could read the second line that, in smaller print, said "that Buninyong has 2 bars..." (Buninyong is the tiny little town that you hit before you get to Ballarat, and when I say tiny, I mean tiny) My first reaction was complete surprise that such a small town would in fact have 2 bars in it. When I got done wondering where the bars actually were, the implications of what I just saw began to hit me. I thought about all the time and effort that went into making the banner, the money that was spent to get it produced, and the dangers, and possible accidents, that occurred while hanging it from their second story balcony. It made me sad to think about the fact that all this time, effort, money, energy, labor, etc went into letting people know about these two bars. This banner was sending quite a message about the people that lived in this house and what's important to them, and it broke my heart to think that this is what so many people are living for, and think it is worthy of their lives.

I know what it means to pour time, effort and energy into something; I pour so much into this ministry everyday, and, if I'm honest, it's exhausting and, at times, it can drain me like nothing else can. But I come home everyday knowing that I am working for something greater, something more worthy than I can probably ever comprehend. This banner advertising these bars doesn't have that promise attached to it, for all they know they could put up that banner and not a single person could show up to these bars (which is probably the reality because it didn't actually say where these bars were... poor advertising if you ask me). It broke my heart to see first hand that these people thought this message was worth pouring into, and even spreading to others, and made me all the more grateful that the message I'm "advertising" is one of redemption and hope. Thank. You. Jesus.

For the only message that's worth spreading,
Michelle

A picture worth a thousand words

At our Connexions camp last week we took a few minutes to take a big group photo, and then got shots of everyone with their campuses. I just saw these photos, and can't stop smiling at them.


Everyone from the Greater Geelong area, so all of the campuses that we are in charge of. Pretty good looking bunch, eh? :)

When we started taking our campus pictures, there were many, shall we say "encouraging jests", when they called Ballarat. Keep in mind, as of right now, I'm the only girl at Ballarat. So the picture is me and 6 guys, gotta love it :)



I love these guys, I really do, but I'm desperately asking the Lord for some women... hanging out with these fellas all day is starting to wear me out. I can already see the Lord working, and there are a few women that have been coming around, just weren't able to come to Connexions. I'm grateful for the ways that He's moving, but desiring to see so much more. So many times I feel inadequate and wonder how much the Lord can really do through just one woman, but I know that's just my doubt and lack of faith getting in the way. If you could please join me in praying for more women at Ballarat. I have seen the Lord work in crazy ways when I ask you guys to pray, so I'm asking you, almost imploring you, to join me in interceding for some women.

And I have complete faith that the picture for Ballarat next year will be more gender balanced... shoot, last year there wasn't even a picture for Ballarat, so praise the Lord for that!

I can't thank you enough for praying with me,
Michelle

The beginnings of a fulfilled vision

I read some where that you should update your blog at least once a week.... yeah, definitely epically failing at that. Sorry guys. But I now have a house that has internet so I will be more intentional in trying to update this thing.

So some of you may have heard me talk about this, so forgive me if this is repetitive. The founder of Campus Crusade, Bill Bright, had 2 visions when he was led to start this ministry. The first was that college students are key in reaching the world with the gospel because they are tomorrow's leaders. The second was a vision of a map of the world, and a bunch of arrows coming out of Australia, going into the rest of the world. The arrows represented laborers, showing that Australia is a key sending nation. This makes total sense today, with an Aussie passport being one of the strongest in the world, and the fact that the population here is so international. Our team leaders realized that most of the students in our movements probably don't know about this vision, and thought it would be encouraging to share with them, so I actually got to share it with everyone in my talk at Kickoff Camp.

The reason I share Bill's vision with you is because it has to do with one of my favorite moments from this past week. We were in a meeting with our KVs; there were a few Aussies, a few Indians, a few Americans, one African, and one guy from El Salvador (named Jose). I don't remember what prompted it, but something led Jose to say, "Look at us! We ARE Bill Bright's vision!" All I could was smile and praise God that we get to see the beginning of this vision being fulfilled.

Because our God fulfills His promises,
Michelle


Some of our students at our Connexions camp :)

I just love Aussie culture :)

Last night we were invited to have Indian food at one of our student's houses. The guy making the food is actually from Indian, so needless to say the food was amazing, but that's not what made the evening so special to me. Half way through the meal, I just kinda stopped and looked around the table. They are all amazing people that I have simply fallen in love with (and keep in mind I have only been here for a month). As I was looking around the table I realized the amazing diversity that was right in front of me... there were 4 Indians, 3 Aussies, 1 guy from Portugal, 1 from Kuwait, 1 from Zimbabwe, and then the two Americans (Erin and I). I was simply floored by the level or fellowship and friendship in the room, and that that could happen between so many people of such diverse backgrounds. I guess that's the beauty of Jesus and what the cross has done for the body of Christ.

It was just one of those moments that I was able to sit back and truly say that I love my job and love where God has me. What other job could I be sitting around a dinner table with such amazingly diverse people that have been so welcoming to me coming here? It was just one of those God-giving perspective moments, thanks Jesus :)

Lots of love,
Michelle