GOLDEN HATTED UKELELES!

Hi there, friends of i58!

Lots of God activity in our community with less than a week to go before the end of term. Our Hong Kong Mission team have been busy what with auctioning the students' services in the local churches, holding a Pizza Blessa in the local pizza restaurant, and busking on the streets in local Bowral, Moss Vale and Mittagong! The Golden Hatted Ukeleles, as they have become known, were photographed by the local newspaper with an article about our trip. The above photo is courtesy of the Southern Highlands Newspaper Group. There was also an interview given on the local radio about this group - they certainly are catching public attention AND letting people know of the wonderful work of God in this place.

All their efforts certainly show that the hand of God is with them as they only need a few more thousand dollars and the $20,000 target will have been met. We thank God for being so gracious and allowing us to have such fun times with the fundraising! We also thank all our supporters who have either donated or pledged to pray for us while we're away. This weekend we have some more auctions and our weekly SN@C is holding the Hong Kong Conga!!

We love to see our students taking steps of faith. It's as they put their faith into action that they realise how much they've learnt or how much they still need to rely on Christ for living this life.

This week our lecturer, Ken Legg, from the Gold Coast, was sharing on the Identity Driven Life. This certainly challenged the students to recognise, (once again), that whatever they find life throws at them, they are always secure in Christ. In an age when so many young people seek new experiences of a means of reaching a new 'high' its sobering to grasp that Christ - our greatest treasure - is with us always and is able to see us through anything so long as we keep our eyes on Him.

Ken had a great time interacting with staff and students and said that he thought that this group of students were most attentive and were like sponges soaking up the truth. How cool!

Well, that's all from me for now. I hope you all have a blessed week and see Christ at work in whatever you face from day to day.

STEVE aka WOODSEY

And now over to Colton...

Hello Everyone!

This past week, Paul Witt and I were missing one of our favorite board games: Settlers of Catan. So instead of buying it we decided to make our own, and it cost us nothing! Using anything that we could find (from beads to paint samples) we put together a working game. Take a look for yourself to see how it turned out.

Kevin musing on a move!

SN@C on Sunday was quite the scene! The team put together a homemade beach indoors. Complete with surfboards, a BBQ and even real sand! The focus was on forgiveness using the scripture of when Jesus reinstated Peter on the beach. I love how SN@C creates such an opportunity to touch the lives of the local community every week.

Well, that's all from me for this week!

Have a great week and see you next time!

Colton

NEW LOOK i58.com.au

Hi there friends of i58!

Today is the day that our youth outreach website i58.com.au has been re-published after our

latest make-over and we love it! The make over is still in progress as we have lots more information to put on there, but one thing's for sure, from now on things only get better! I'd like to congratulate Keith Walters, a graduate of our school, who lives and studies in USA for his outstanding commitment and work to make all this happen. We are so blessed by so many of our former students who choose to invest in the future of this ministry - THANK YOU!

This last weekend I drove down to Melbourne to attend the wedding of a former student from my first semester, Grant Chislett. It was an outside wedding, held along the Murray River - it couldn't have been more Australian. His new wife, Kath, who is the youth pastor in Shepparton will be joined by Grant who will be taking up responsibility for the young adults ministry. I'm excited for the fruit that will come from their new life together and ministry to young people.wedding of a former student from my first semester, Grant Chislett. It was an outside wedding, held along the Murray River - it couldn't have been more Australian. His new wife, Kath, who is the youth pastor in Shepparton will be joined by Grant who will be taking up responsibility for the young adults ministry. I'm excited for the fruit that will come from their new life together and ministry to young people.

All the students enjoyed their 'travel weekend' what with trips to the zoo, camping, shopping and enjoying the very best of Australian hospitality and the beach! How blessed! Enjoy the photos that I've included in this week's blog.

One last comment before handing over to Colton who is back this week. The fruit of last week's Quiet Day is that the students are hanging out with God much more. In life we all need a mountain top experience to encourage us but then it's back to the valley where we not only live but also where we grow. Spiritual growth is God's business and is usually slow. He may be able to produce a vegetable in three months but it takes him over a generation to grow an oak tree. We are His oaks of righteousness (Isaiah 61:3) and have the honour of displaying His glory.

And now over to Colton

Hello everyone!

As the day of the Hong Kong Missions trip grows nearer and nearer, all of the students are doing their part to help out. The other day a group of 5 decided to go busking to help raise support. Each one was armed with a ukulele and the people loved their swooning! They made more than 100 dollars in just over an hour.

Last Thursday night the guys had the privilege of going spotlighting at a friends farm. After about 20 minutes of driving we spotted two kangaroos on the horizon. As we drove over the hill hundreds seemed to appear out of nowhere! The guys were so excited some could barely speak! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we couldn’t stop talking about for days afterwards.

Enjoy the picture of me with a koala while at Taronga Zoo last weekend

Have a great week!

God bless!

STEVE aka WOODSEY and COLTON

STEPPING OUT IN FAITH

Hello there!

Week six of our semester and the work of God is certainly evident. Our team heading off to Hong Kong for two week break stepped out in faith to raise the funds and money is steadily coming in - we praise God that He provides for the work that He calls us to do.

On Tuesday we had Quiet Day - a day of simply enjoying God with no distractions. Again, lots of our students took a step of faith by trying something new in talking to God. One enjoyed trampolining with God, others enjoyed taking walks with God and one had a coffee with God and literally talked with Him for what he said was the best hour and a half he's spent here at Capernwray!

We are all unique and God meets us where we are - He is the perfect Father! We saw a lot of our uniqueness last week when we had Talent Night. A mixture of singing, jokes, funny stories, and musical items which included our beginner guitarists and beginner violinists. We all felt very relaxed as Dustin and Nykkie took us through the programme - awesome job everyone!


After church on Sundays we often get invited out to lunch, so there's not too many of us back here at Capernwray. Last week a very kind and generous family invited the sixteen students who attend Fresh Hope. Lunch included the typical Aussie barbie along with a swim in the pool. Our students returned feeling very spoilt and quite full!! When we leave our families for the sake of the gospel God blesses us many times over (Mark 10:29).

This weekend all the students are free to travel around this wonderful country to enjoy what we call Travel Weekend. It's a time to relax and enjoy all that God has to offer. Again, our students have been spoilt by the kindness and generous acts of our Australian friends who have extended hospitality for them to stay with them or at their beach houses. We are very thankful for the way God provides and takes care of us.

Just one last thing - I spoke to Keith this week and looked at the new i58.com.au website. It truly is having a wonderful make-over and will be published VERY soon. A huge thanks to Keith for combining his passion for Jesus with his passion of web design to make this all happen.

Lots happening, as usual, and lots of growth in our students for which we are very grateful. None of this would be possible without the help of our kind and loving heavenly Father.

If you know of anyone who is looking to grow in their faith walk with Jesus please put them in touch with us. I for one would love to speak to them about the wonderful opportunities they would find here of God at work in the lives of the students. Please leave a message on the i58 page of facebook or at the end of this blog.

I pray that your week will be filled with lots of steps of faith and fine rewards from our Father in heaven.

HAVE A VERY BLESSED WEEK!

STEVE aka WOODSEY

More from Colton next week!!

AMAZING MINISTRY FROM ONE WEEK TO THE NEXT

Hi there, friends of i58!

Wow! What a week of ministry!! Last Friday evening more than half our students were out serving our community either in one of the five local youth groups or at Street-Meet, which feeds and talks all those leaving pubs from 9.30 pm - 1.00am. - this is run by Fresh Hope one of our local churches. Also another group went into Sidney to help the Salvation Army (lovingly known in Australia as the Salvos) with their Street Level Church. This church is for the poor and begins with a hearty meal and moves into a time of worship and teaching from the leaders and also a share time from the members. The people are so real about their need for Christ - we go to encourage them and get so blessed in return.

On Saturday evening virtually the entire student body hopped on two big buses and went to Hillsong Church in the hills. Again, yet another awesome experience. Many of our students know of Hillsong church because of its praise and worship music but this was the first time they could experience the church live. The welcome was very warm and friendly and when the pastor spoke to the congregation he even asked who was the big group that came on the buses. One of our students shouted out 'Canada' and he laughed that the bus had come from such a long way! We all left on a spiritual high and made our way to Mackers before heading home!

The team going to Hong Kong has officially began it's fundraising and we are all trusting that Jesus will be more than generous in providing for our trip. With the recent testimony of how amazingly He provided for our new guitar our faith levels are running on high. We'll keep you posted how things progress!

The new Gretch guitar made it's debut last Sunday at SN@C and Kevin made an excellent job playing rhythm and leading in the band. We are very grateful to God in providing us with such a beautiful guitar.

As the term progresses the students rely more on God - He becomes so much more real to them. After her Quiet Time this morning Nicole said to me, "I can't start my day any other way now!' Comments such as these are evidence of the living God working through the lives of our students.

If anyone is interested in coming for a Taste and See week here at school, just get in touch, we'd love to have you join us for a week - only $120. You can always call the school on 02 4868 1516 to hear about the teaching schedule.

Colton is busy working on the property today, so I hope we'll hear from him next week.

Meanwhile, HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

STEVE aka WOODSEY

Hi there, friends of i58!

After four weeks of doing life together at Capernwray the staff and students are working together as a great team. This is so important in community life as we’re all responsible to look out for each other. We serve each other in lots of ways whether we’re in the kitchen, working on the property, helping each other with our studies or leading worship and taking everyone into God’s presence.

This doesn't happen easily in our own strength - we're far too selfish, but when we let Jesus work through us the miracle of new life shines through. Living this life of faith in Jesus Christ is so much easier in community. We really are a help to each other, sometimes without even realising it. We praise God for how he works through all of us in different and unique ways and all to serve a greater purpose than our own need.

Thinking of others, we are proud to announce the team who are going to serve in Hong Kong for two week break. The two leaders are Tony Parks (graduate from last year) and myself with JR, Clint, Amy, Tim, Paul, Brendon, Sam and Zach. We will support another former student who serves in Hong Kong along with living with recovering drug addicts in New Boy House, St Stephen's Society. We have all stepped out in faith to raise our $2,000 and we trust that God will provide in amazing ways. We'll keep you posted with some of the stories!

SN@C was awesome on Sunday and it's great to have so many local people enjoy what God is doing in this place - we love it!

Now over to Colton.

Hello Everyone!

Another week has come and gone as quick as ever and we’re realizing that time management is VERY important! There is just so much to do around here! What ever happened to those dreams of sitting under a tree reading a Bible all day?

This past Monday a local school gave us the chance to use their gymnasium for an evening. It was the perfect time to burn off some energy with some good old dodge ball and basketball.

Last weekend some of us went to Sydney to experience it’s amazing beaches and it’s warm sun (some came back looking like lobsters!!). Another group stayed a little closer to home and hit up the beaches nearby. A third group went to the Camden airport to check out an open house put on by the M.A.F. (Mission Aviation Fellowship). Altogether a great day to relax here in Australia.

On Sunday we hosted our biggest SN@C so far this term - 110 people! We all learned more about God’s vast creation and experienced it by taking the time to just sit back and look at the stars.

Have a great week everyone!

STEVE aka WOODSEY & COLTON

GOD IS MOVING IN THIS PLACE

Hi there, friends of i58!
Well, what a week we've had! Without doubt the biggest thrill was when we saw God move in an incredible way. On Friday I suggested to the students that we raise $1250 to buy a new guitar as we have 22 taking lessons. I asked them to have faith to believe that God would honour the time span we would set. Nathan boldly said, 'Four days', while the rest of the students said up to three weeks. Well, we collected our loose change and made a start - we were off! The next day while we were preparing the Conference Hall for our SN@C presentation on Sunday night I suggested we auction the drawings that last week's lecturer had made and left for us. So, at the end of SN@C the auction began. The first of seven pictures raised a staggering $105. WOW! But that was just the beginning! The bidding just kept going up and up! One sold for $300 and the final drawing of an eagle went for $400! We raised $1312!!! How GENEROUS is God. We have now ordered TWO guitars and all of us have been encouraged in our faith journey with God.
As our faith increases we desire to see more of Jesus and that inevitably means less of us. Sometimes when we focus on less of ourselves we actually do the reverse so the BEST way to go is always MORE of Jesus! In this week's lectures our Director, Haldane Rowan, is teaching on the Beattitudes, (Matthew 5-7). The buzz words that are going around the students are, 'Empty ourselves - just like Jesus did - so we can be filled with the Holy Spirit'. I think Jesus said it clearly in Luke 9:24, 'For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it'. I'm proud that we have a student body who is seeking to do just that and bless you to do the same!
The other big news this week is that our school announced to the community that it was no longer pursuing the sale of the property. This has been welcomed by the community who enjoy our interaction and support of many local ministries. Our challenge now is to update our facilities. With God's help we are eager to get started!
One last piece of news - I plan to take another mission trip to Hong Kong this April and have shared with the students what it will involve - next week I'll announce the team! Exciting times ahead for us all.
Now over to Colton:


Hello Everyone,
First off, we all had our first taste of the community this week through participating in local ministries. The one I am a part of is an after-school program for children in primary school. They call it Fun House, and boy is it ever fun (and a little bit wild). We get children with heaps of energy, and we get the chance to work in their lives, even if it is for just 2 hours a week.

As Woodsey said, we also had a crazy success in our art auction Sunday night. To think that we raised all the money for the guitar in one night just blows my mind. It is great to see God work in unexpected ways. Here is a picture of the highest priced piece that went for $400, purchased by our very own Brendan Johnson.

The sun is shining once again today! (it seems to always shine on work day) and that means one thing: perfect time to go to the beach. 3 of the 4 family groups are headed off to the sand and surf today for an evening of relaxation and a delicious BBQ. It will be my first time to the beach in Australia and I can’t wait to get there.

God Bless and have a great week!

STEVE aka WOODSEY & COLTON

MOVING FORWARD

Hi there, friends of i58!

The transition into the new i58 website is going great and this week's blog is moving in the new direction too. I will include a 'spiritual nugget' as part of what I'll share, add a cool photo and introduce to you Colton Whelpton, a current student who will be writing the student comment every week.

First up, the news of whether our Bible School will be moving or not is going to be announced publicly on Sunday, so I'll post a blog with the news so you can hear it first here - the big question is 'Queensland or NSW?' Sounds like a State of Origin comment!

Next hot topic is who will go to Hong Kong? We are planning another mission trip to Hong Kong this April and right now the students are praying about it to see if God is leading them to sacrifice their two week break and serve the poor in HK. Again, we'll keep you posted about our progress.

Spiritually, the topic of the moment is trusting God. He has brought our student body together but the question still remains, 'Now what?' It takes faith to believe in the things we cannot yet see, (Hebrews 11.1). As we keep living in the moment, responding to God's leading, whether its talking, listening, learning, praying or whatever, we are putting more pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together, and then suddenly we can begin to see the big picture and its very exciting. This whole process is about trusting God that in all things He works for the good of those who love him, (Romans 8:29).

Over to Colton:

Hello Everyone!
10 days into the semester, and all I can say is wow! First off, we had our very first SN@C (Sunday Night @ Capers) and it was HUGE. Everyone had heaps of fun playing games, worshiping God and really just getting to know each other.

The sun finally came out after a week of rain and cloud. ☺ To celebrate a group of us raced off to the nearest swimming hole and went cliff jumping. We got to enjoy some gorgeous weather and an exciting jump. (Hope you enjoy the picture of Cody's jump)

I was also just blown away by Girls/ Guys Night last Friday. We were given the opportunity to bond as a community by sharing a part of our own story with the group. The openness that the guys showed really surprised and encouraged me. Even though I’ve only known everyone for a week or two, we are already feel like family.

HAVE AN AWESOME WEEK!

STEVE aka WOODSEY and Colton

GREAT start to the new semester 2010

Hi there!

The blog is up and running once again and we have lots of news to share about what's been happening here at Capernwray Australia!

First up, we have 31 new students and 2 returning students and together we've had the most incredible start to our semester. Can you believe it - the same afternoon the new students arrived they started playing ball games on our soccer field and learnt each others names as they were doing it!!! AMAZING! No need for name tags!! One big happy family from day one!!!

As well as lots of new students we have had lots of new faces join the staff, some full-time and others for only a day. We just love that we're one big family and all contributing towards the same end - living the gospel driven life. That might be a new expression to you, but its one that we want to keep coming back to this semester to keep the students aware of the BIG adventure we have in Christ everyday and the amazing opportunities/responsibilities that it brings.

During the first week we usually go to the beach, but this year the weather has been so wet that we went to Hang Dog - the indoor climbing wall centre. We had great fun learning who was the strongest to learning who was more monkey-like!! It ended with a BBQ followed by demolishing two enormous water melons in a very short space of time!

The students all seem to have adjusted well to their new home and family and lifestyle. They have also heard some great lectures from our principal, the Rev Neil Bernard, on The Revelation of God in the book of Hebrews. Next week the students will put this new knowledge to work as they prepare their Bible Studies.

This weekend we have our separate times for guys and girls. Again, one group usually goes camping but as the weather is still very wet we'll be having some great Aussie food and entertainment inside. Camping can wait for another week!

The last thing I wanted to mention was that the i58 website is having a make-over and publish the new look in March. At that point the blog will also have a bit of a change to include photos.

Well, that's about it for now. May Jesus be honoured in all we do and say!

Until the next post, God bless,

STEVE aka WOODSEY