GOD IS DOING AMAZING THINGS THROUGH US

Hi everyone! Seems like a lot of time has passed since I last wrote and for sure, a lot of things have been happening in the lives of the Torchbearers community! As you know, the school went on what we call Prac Week a few weeks ago. So let me give you a bit of a run down on the time out. If you want to check out any photos, go to the i58 page on facebook to see heaps of pictures.

Without a doubt the highlight of the Nowra Prac Week was the Saturday Night Youth Event, organised by their local Anglican church who they had been working with along with all the local schools, some Christian and some not. Here, following the message our team did a drama to music, (drime). It showed how the world can have such a hold on us and only Jesus can set us free. After this there was an appeal to the youth and between 25 and 30 gave their lives to Jesus and our students had the privilege to lead them to Christ. They said it was awesome. When we got the news from them we all celebrated too. How worthwhile is it to become passionate about Jesus and go out to those who need Him and be used mightily to extend the Kingdom!

The other Prac Week team worked with the poor on the streets of Sydney with the Salvation Army. It’s not always easy to adjust to working with the poor but this team had Jesus paving the way! Their report included comments like, ‘I was taken outside of my comfort zone and realised that it wasn’t so uncomfortable’ and ‘God showed me how He sees these people – they are His creation who He dearly loves’. I could not have asked for more. Our work included a lot of cleaning homes for the poor with such grateful responses such as, ‘I felt like a Princess in my own home’. I was very proud of the team and praised them for how much they had all grown. They all said that they wanted to do something to serve the poor when they return to their home churches – how good is that!

The very next weekend following our few days off after Prac Week I took 12 students and community members to the Salvation Army’s Winter Sleep-out. It was an amazing experience together with about 300 other young people who all had a heart to do something to raise the profile of the 32,000 street sleepers in Australia today. Kevin Rudd is committed to halving this number and we are happy to support this cause. No one was too cold and we experienced lots of ‘live’ entertainment from TV personalities, Miss New South Wales and also a street kid Rapper who stole the show with his hard hitting message of moving on in Christ no matter what – His stage name is Supernal and his everyday name is Dwayne. We had got to know him on Prac Week and after our sleep-out he came back to stay with us for a week.

We had the most awesome week with Dwayne and his buddy Stephen. They loved every moment with us and thought they were in heaven except they could see that our grounds had weeds!! Dwayne is hoping to join us next semester – how good would that be!!!

Our SN@C (Sunday Night At Capers) was absolutely AMAZING last week – the power of God swept the place and touched lives in a way we have not seen before. Lots of people were moved to tears, received prayer and one guy gave his life to Jesus! Praise God. We had record numbers – over 100 and this week there is the promise of even more people coming. We heard from one youth club that they would be bringing out their whole group from Robertson!! We are so blessed!


The end is very much in sight and we are all reflecting on an absolutely life-transforming semester and looking ahead to the transition back into the world of family, work or study.

I’ll sign off now and report back at the end of the semester.

HAVE THE BEST WEEKEND

STEVE aka WOODSEY