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 :)

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