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!)

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

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