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

Unexpected Lessons

In staff meeting the other day Adam lead us through a devo that had us reflect a bit on this past year... what we've seen the Lord do, things that we've learned, things that were hard and things that were good. One of the questions he asked was "What are some things that you've learned here that you're going to take home with you?" Most of the team answered in terms of things that they've learned through doing ministry here, but I was actually thinking about the things that being a part of Aussie culture has taught me.

Being immersed into Aussie culture has really brought out certain parts of my personality. I have always tried to be hospitable, but seeing how Aussies are so open with their homes and giving of their possessions made me expand my definition of what hospitality means. I've always valued taking time to rest, but in the ever fast-paced American culture, it was hard to find people that understood that, let alone value it like I do. Being a part of Aussie culture has reminded me just how important taking time to rest can be, whether it be for a few minutes for a morning tea break or stopping work at 5 to have the rest of the night off. I have always known that these things are a part of who I am and things that I value, but living in Australia and being a part of the culture here has really allowed these things to flourish.

I knew that I would learn a lot from being immersed into Aussie culture, I just don't think I was expecting to learn so much about my own personality. And not only have I learned things about myself, but I've also learned a lot about the Lord through my time here. I'm so grateful that He chose this culture to teach me more about Himself.

Heaps of love,
Michelle

Officially Integrated

For the past few weeks Matt and I have been living in Ballarat with the UCLA team. It's been so fun living with them, and I'm so grateful for the extra time in Ballarat, but it's been a little nuts spending half the week in Ballarat and half the week in Geelong. This is our last week traveling back and forth, and I'm super sad to see the team leave, but I'm also looking forward to getting back to a slightly more normal schedule... not to mention sleeping in my own bed :)

Having the team here has sent my mind reeling with thoughts, on everything from ministry to Aussie culture to even how I interact with people. I've had a lot of fun moments with them too, one of my favorites, and possibly one of the more thought provoking, happened yesterday. I don't even really know what was being said because I was kind of on the outside of the conversation, but all of sudden I hear, "Well Michelle doesn't count. She's lived here so long she's barely American... I mean, look at her, and listen to how she talks... I mean, she's practically Aussie!" We got a good laugh out of it, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be offended that I'm apparently not American anymore, but the comment really got me thinking.

I talk about footy more than I've talked about any other sport, and if anyone doesn't go for the Cats, I'm quick to console them for going for the team they do support. I crave cuppas and take morning tea pretty seriously. If I can help it, I don't work past 5 or on the weekends. I say "heaps" and "lovely", and as I'm writing this I'm in my Ghanda trackies. And since Master Chef ended, I'm convinced there's nothing good left to watch on TV. All characteristics of a token Aussie.

Please don't read this wrong, by no means am I claiming to be Aussie, and I will always be a California girl at heart. I think I've just been integrated into the culture really well, and it happened so gradually that I didn't really notice it until other Americans came and pointed it out to me. I love how this culture has rubbed off on me, and I'm gonna be so sad to leave it when the time comes, but I'm excited to take my Aussie influence back to my life in the States. And am fully expecting people not to be able to understand me because of all the Aussie lingo I've picked up :)

Heaps of love,
Michelle

Wait, that was Andrew BRYAN?!?!

We just got back from our MYC... it was a blast, full of meeting students, challenging talks and getting to hang out with the Aussie staff. The week was full of highlights, but the most comical came on the first night, when it was just the staff there. Erin and I were sitting at a table chatting with the STINTers in Newcastle, just catching up and talking about life and ministry. All of a sudden this guy comes up to us and introduces himself, "You're Erin and... Michelle, right? Hi, my name is Andrew" This actually isn't that uncommon as it may seem. Aussies are super friendly, and there aren't too many full-time staff with Student Life so when new people are around they notice, and generally take the time to get you know a bit. It's wonderful, and definitely something that I am gonna miss when I leave this place.

After chatting with Andrew for a few minutes, I discover that he works at headquarters and is very in touch with the staff; he said that he kinda cheated on knowing our names because he has pictures of us on his wall. I thought to myself that was a little odd, but how cool that he wants to know the staff so much that he has pictures of us so that he knows who he is praying for. He mentioned that he spent some time in Orange County and the PSW regional office, so we chatted about that. He used to be an engineer, my dad is an engineer, so we chatted about that. Kind of a typical conversation, nothing too out of the ordinary. He thanked us for coming to serve here in Aus (like most people do), told us to have fun at our first MYC, and left us with the typical Aussie "Catchya!"

After he left, Erin turned to me and said, "Wow, that's really sweet that the director takes the time to know the names of STINTers." It took a second to register, then I said (probably a bit too loudly) "Wait, that was Andrew BRYAN?!" Erin started busting up and I turned beat red.

I had just had a good 20 minute chat with the national director of Campus Crusade for Christ Australia. This guy is in charge of setting direction for the entire country. He was in Orange County to talk to the PSW regional leaders about what it looks like to have a partnership with Australia. He's the stinking national director.... and I didn't even know who I was talking to. Now that's embarrassing.

When my face returned back to it's normal color and Erin finally stopped laughing, we started to realize just how cool that interaction really was. I can not even imagine how much this guy has on his plate, how many things are on his to-do list, and how many things are on his mind. Yet he still takes the time to get know his CCCA staff... even the American ones that are only committed to being here for a year. That's something that I just adore about Aussie culture, they're so relational and caring, it never ceases to amaze me. It doesn't matter if you're the checker at the grocery store, the guy next to you on the train, or the national director of CCCA.

And note to self, know what the national director of the country you're serving looks like because you never know... you just never know :)

Lots of love,
Michelle

Hats

Our team leader Jimmy often talks about the different "hats" that we wear in our jobs. There are so many different aspects to our job, so many different roles that we are aiming to fulfill. I had a perfect example of this on Thursday. We did a pancake outreach on Thursday at Ballarat, just loving on the students there and giving them some free pancakes. It was a blast, we met a lot of new people and just got the name of Student Life out there. One minute I was figuring out how to get a fairly dodgy barbie down 3 flights of stairs, the next minute I was talking to heaps of different students about a wide variety of topics (ranging from why we were doing this and who Student Life is to the music on last week's Glee episode), and the next minute I was talking to Leighton, the head of the Ballarat Student Association, about club funding and how clubs like Student Life add to the atmosphere and culture of the uni. As I was talking to Leighton, I almost started laughing. I kept thinking to myself that 5 minutes ago I was down on the main part of campus flipping pancakes and telling students about Student Life, and now I'm up in the Student Association office talking about the inner workings of the uni. I went from wearing a very casual, hey-come-be-my-friend hat, to a very professional, representing-our-club-to-the-head-of-the-student-association hat.

We can put on so many of these different "hats" throughout the day. Sometimes it's overwhelming, sometimes it's just funny, but most of the time I absolutely love it. It keeps me on my toes, makes me extremely aware of my surroundings and who I'm talking to, and stretches me in ways that most jobs wouldn't. It's a bit crazy at times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything :)

From the friendly I-miss-you-all-heaps hat,
Michelle