The Prac Week season has begun! This is when we head out in small teams to serve the community through the church and para-church organisations. This semester one team left just yesterday for Cooma, to serve the church and our team leaves tomorrow to serve with the Salvation Army in Sydney. Just to give us a heads up for working with the disadvantaged our team began the week spending two days working alongside the clients at Mission Australia's Triple Care Farm. This is a drug rehab for 16-24 year olds and it's situated about half an hour from us on 100 acres of beautiful farm land. We made some really good friendships there and on Wednesday we invited them back to work with us on our property. Six came and we had a great morning of work followed by a delicious lunch and then a trip into Bowral to enjoy a GREAT coffee. This is real ministry. A lot of the clients find it hard to talk about everyday stuff, instead they talk about their 'party' lifestyle so we encouraged them as we spoke of things like food, cars, movies and music and even computers! It was great and we look forward to returning before the end of term to build up these friendships.
A lot of the work we do is all about building relationships. This is what Jesus did - all ministry should be through relationship - that's the difference Jesus makes! We go to give and there's a lot of love that we can share from Jesus. We always top ourselves up by having a Quiet Time at the start of everyday so that all that we do is the outflow of our own relationship with Jesus. Our aim is to be led by the Spirit in all that we do and simply join in with what God is already doing. Sounds easy but often we can get in the way!!
At TCF it was interesting that as we helped them to paint their chicken pens it was very easy to strike up conversations. Our guys were able to share lots of what we do and what we believe in a very easy going environment. We were also able to learn lots about the backgrounds of the clients. Somehow it seems unfair that they have had to face so much heartache and hurt in their lives, but we believe whatever their experiences, there's nothing that Jesus cannot redeem them from or forgive. God loves to use all our experiences for his glory and maybe help us to relate to others who have experienced the same as us.
In a little over a week I'll be able to share a lot of the stories of our team experiences and encourage you how Jesus is using us to make a difference in this world. I already know that even though we go to give we will also receive so much more - just wait and see...
HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND A TERRIFIC WEEK!
STEVE aka WOODSEY
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
REPORT: Hong Kong Mission Trip September 2009
Going to Hong Kong with a mission trip for the second time this year was a huge blessing. Not only did we raise all our travel money with relative ease, but we also had a bounty of cash to donate which, when added to what we gave in April came to way over HK$100,000. This we gave with much joy to the Building Project, which consisted of a prayer sanctuary, a swimming pool, and a school building. This is a wonderful confirmation of the fruit of the partnership that we have enjoyed with St Stephen’s Society for the past five years.
Speaking to the three guys who went - Thane, Thomas and Jordan - it was clear that that three things impacted them the most; the lifestyle of worship, the commitment to a personal relationship with Jesus and the huge sense of community. Here are some stories that describe something of what they experienced.
We lived in a community at Shing Mun Springs that consisted of a little over 200 people who were either dedicated Christian staff or recovering drug addicts looking for new life in Jesus. There were five main housing blocks in which we all lived. The staff was made up of singles and married couples, many had babies and there were lots of children.
The daily routine would begin at 7.30am when we would start with exercise followed by breakfast, then onto Quiet Time for an hour followed by worship ministry and sharing. Often during these Spirit-filled ministry times the brothers, (the name given to recovering drug addicts), would be healed of physical and emotional wounds. After a short break there would be time to do the household chores before lunch and in the afternoon there would be more work and recreation. Each evening consisted of worship, ministry, and sharing with social time before bed at 10.00pm.
Some of the house leaders would change up the daily routine which gave an amazing result – virtually during the normal course of the day we were able to hear the heartfelt cries of worship coming from somewhere!
At Shing Mun Springs prayer also seemed to be continuous. The ‘new boys’, (the name given to any new brother coming into the house), would receive round the clock prayer and care for ten days. During this time of ‘detox’ many would sleep peacefully and be ministered to by the Holy Spirit. In fact, we prayed for all the needs of our community – all through the day! It was very refreshing to see prayer as a way of life and an obvious foundation to the effective ministry of St Stephen’s Society.
Joe Joe was one of our robust helpers in Block 4. He had entered the community some years earlier looking much like a skeleton with only seven days to live due to cancer. He was given round the clock care and prayer and he attended the worship sessions whenever he had the strength. He was healed. He is now reunited with his family and serves at Shing Mun Springs with the Father’s love and gives much hope to all the brothers.
One of the things we did which the brothers particularly enjoyed was organizing a Western Food Night. Our team along with two helpers shopped for over six hours in all the local markets to return and prepare the biggest Mexican meal that has ever been seen at Shing Mun Springs. We calmly chopped tomatoes, sliced lettuce, cooked mince, and put sauces into bowls while the tortillas were warming in the sun. The result almost transformed our houses into restaurants! Over 100 people were fed until they were full! We felt so satisfied to see the happy faces of everyone and the joy that we had brought in this way.
The evening progressed to worship and Jordan presented some of his own songs. He taught the guys one of them and you would have thought that they were all fluent English speakers! Jesus was in everything! Thomas then showed a video of the Torchbearer’s community sending a message in Chinese - the brothers thought it was wonderful. They responded with an equally uplifting message for us back at school – all soaked in a spirit of gratefulness and fun. We will all remember that evening forever!
After two weeks we returned home having made lots of friends and having touched lots of hearts. Our aim was to go to give and we were satisfied that our mission was accomplished. During our time we realized that no matter what our role, whether upfront or unseen, our purpose is always to use the gifts God has given us to serve His Kingdom purposes. As we stepped out in faith to do this and sowed into rich soil we left as much better people for it – totally inspired, tired but refreshed and eager to learn more and give more. All glory to God!
Speaking to the three guys who went - Thane, Thomas and Jordan - it was clear that that three things impacted them the most; the lifestyle of worship, the commitment to a personal relationship with Jesus and the huge sense of community. Here are some stories that describe something of what they experienced.
We lived in a community at Shing Mun Springs that consisted of a little over 200 people who were either dedicated Christian staff or recovering drug addicts looking for new life in Jesus. There were five main housing blocks in which we all lived. The staff was made up of singles and married couples, many had babies and there were lots of children.
The daily routine would begin at 7.30am when we would start with exercise followed by breakfast, then onto Quiet Time for an hour followed by worship ministry and sharing. Often during these Spirit-filled ministry times the brothers, (the name given to recovering drug addicts), would be healed of physical and emotional wounds. After a short break there would be time to do the household chores before lunch and in the afternoon there would be more work and recreation. Each evening consisted of worship, ministry, and sharing with social time before bed at 10.00pm.
Some of the house leaders would change up the daily routine which gave an amazing result – virtually during the normal course of the day we were able to hear the heartfelt cries of worship coming from somewhere!
At Shing Mun Springs prayer also seemed to be continuous. The ‘new boys’, (the name given to any new brother coming into the house), would receive round the clock prayer and care for ten days. During this time of ‘detox’ many would sleep peacefully and be ministered to by the Holy Spirit. In fact, we prayed for all the needs of our community – all through the day! It was very refreshing to see prayer as a way of life and an obvious foundation to the effective ministry of St Stephen’s Society.
Joe Joe was one of our robust helpers in Block 4. He had entered the community some years earlier looking much like a skeleton with only seven days to live due to cancer. He was given round the clock care and prayer and he attended the worship sessions whenever he had the strength. He was healed. He is now reunited with his family and serves at Shing Mun Springs with the Father’s love and gives much hope to all the brothers.
One of the things we did which the brothers particularly enjoyed was organizing a Western Food Night. Our team along with two helpers shopped for over six hours in all the local markets to return and prepare the biggest Mexican meal that has ever been seen at Shing Mun Springs. We calmly chopped tomatoes, sliced lettuce, cooked mince, and put sauces into bowls while the tortillas were warming in the sun. The result almost transformed our houses into restaurants! Over 100 people were fed until they were full! We felt so satisfied to see the happy faces of everyone and the joy that we had brought in this way.
The evening progressed to worship and Jordan presented some of his own songs. He taught the guys one of them and you would have thought that they were all fluent English speakers! Jesus was in everything! Thomas then showed a video of the Torchbearer’s community sending a message in Chinese - the brothers thought it was wonderful. They responded with an equally uplifting message for us back at school – all soaked in a spirit of gratefulness and fun. We will all remember that evening forever!
After two weeks we returned home having made lots of friends and having touched lots of hearts. Our aim was to go to give and we were satisfied that our mission was accomplished. During our time we realized that no matter what our role, whether upfront or unseen, our purpose is always to use the gifts God has given us to serve His Kingdom purposes. As we stepped out in faith to do this and sowed into rich soil we left as much better people for it – totally inspired, tired but refreshed and eager to learn more and give more. All glory to God!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
THE FIRST DAY OF A WHOLE NEW ADVENTURE!
Today is the start of two-week break and, 'YES!' is the cry from our students!! Weeks of hard work are now rewarded with a few weeks to recharge and refresh! And what better place to do it than in Australia! It is no surprise that most of our students are traveling north to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, beaches and opportunities of sharing their faith with fellow travellers. It's a whole new adventure! No more doing things because they are scheduled, but now its a question of the heart - and how their hearts have been growing to serve Jesus! I'm looking forward to hearing the stories when everyone gets back and I'll post a few to share with you.
Two of our students will be traveling overseas to Hong Kong. This is our second opportunity to go to New Boy House, (with St. Stephen's Society), to serve guys who are coming off drugs and looking for new life in Jesus. Thane and Thomas are going with Jordan from our community along with myself. We have spent many hours in training to be ready for a whole new adventure - different culture, different language, different food, different way of life BUT the same Jesus working through all of them! This is a ministry that transforms lives and as we serve with them we are transformed too. I will be very excited to tell you some of our stories in our next post too. Please help us by praying for a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ as that will help us with everything we do! You might like to know that with all the fund-raising that we did this year for St. Stephen's we will have given them just over HK$100,000 towards their building fund. We thank God for using us in this way.
In our school there are lots of other things going on while the students are away. We have the Women's REfresh Conference this weekend, followed by a group of people next weekend from an Indonesian church and they are followed by the Kairos Prison Ministry who will be serving the ladies in the local Berrima Jail. For the people who stay behind it is another whole new adventure! Life is never dull with Jesus!
So, with this news update I'll close. I will be posting some updates on the i58 facebook page for anyone who would like to follow our progress in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, have a great couple of weeks and I'll look forward to sharing those stories with you then.
GOD BLESS
STEVE aka WOODSEY
Two of our students will be traveling overseas to Hong Kong. This is our second opportunity to go to New Boy House, (with St. Stephen's Society), to serve guys who are coming off drugs and looking for new life in Jesus. Thane and Thomas are going with Jordan from our community along with myself. We have spent many hours in training to be ready for a whole new adventure - different culture, different language, different food, different way of life BUT the same Jesus working through all of them! This is a ministry that transforms lives and as we serve with them we are transformed too. I will be very excited to tell you some of our stories in our next post too. Please help us by praying for a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ as that will help us with everything we do! You might like to know that with all the fund-raising that we did this year for St. Stephen's we will have given them just over HK$100,000 towards their building fund. We thank God for using us in this way.
In our school there are lots of other things going on while the students are away. We have the Women's REfresh Conference this weekend, followed by a group of people next weekend from an Indonesian church and they are followed by the Kairos Prison Ministry who will be serving the ladies in the local Berrima Jail. For the people who stay behind it is another whole new adventure! Life is never dull with Jesus!
So, with this news update I'll close. I will be posting some updates on the i58 facebook page for anyone who would like to follow our progress in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, have a great couple of weeks and I'll look forward to sharing those stories with you then.
GOD BLESS
STEVE aka WOODSEY
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
BENEFIT ALL ROUND
Hi Everyone!
Last weekend was amazing! We had the Benefit Night for Missions and Ministry on Saturday and our regular knockout SN@C programme on Sunday. Some of our fantastic supporters came to both events and had a most blessed time.
The students worked incredibly hard to transform the Conference Hall into the most inviting place with great decor, relaxing music along with coffee tables decorated with candles, chocolate money, snakes (sweet ones for the kids!) along with drink and dessert menus! All our guests were waited on by our wonderful students who served up home-made mouth watering cakes with a choice of fresh coffee, hot chocolate or flavoured tea. The guys had the best time presenting the cakes on large white plates that left lots of room for creative presentation!
While this was going on Mark and Sheree went around the tables talking to our guests and Mark also sold some handmade cards by Alyssa from last term, (thanks Alyssa!). We were all doing our bit!
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the 'goodies' and were ready for the entertainment to start soon after eight. Jordan Worner kicked us off by singing one of the songs from his new album DECIDED, then Christie sang a few songs accompanied by guitar while Prue and I played the Ashokan Farewell for two violins. And that's not all! Jon gave us the most incredible drum solo lasting over eight minutes and then we had Sheree and Jordan round things off with the song 'Lucky' - how awesome!!!
Then came the auction of our student's gifts and talents led by Michael Kime, a regular SN@C attendee. He looked the part in his white cowboy hat and what with his fast talking we weren't always sure whether our students were stocky men or beefy cows! Nonetheless, the bids just kept coming and we raised heaps of money!
Altogether, our Benefit Night was a huge success with lots of fun had by all and we raised a little short of our target of $2,000. A huge THANK YOU to all that came along with all the students, staff and friends who made it all possible!
And the following night we were out welcoming our guests once again, only this time for SN@C - and it was amazing, with a great presentation focusing on forgiveness.
What a weekend!! Lots of life and lots of love. We experience both a great deal here.
More news next week, which will be the last week of term. We'll have a break as I three guys and myself will be off to Hong Kong for our Mission trip to serve with St Stephen's Society.
Goodbye for now and I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!! GOD BLESS!
STEVE aka WOODSEY
Last weekend was amazing! We had the Benefit Night for Missions and Ministry on Saturday and our regular knockout SN@C programme on Sunday. Some of our fantastic supporters came to both events and had a most blessed time.
The students worked incredibly hard to transform the Conference Hall into the most inviting place with great decor, relaxing music along with coffee tables decorated with candles, chocolate money, snakes (sweet ones for the kids!) along with drink and dessert menus! All our guests were waited on by our wonderful students who served up home-made mouth watering cakes with a choice of fresh coffee, hot chocolate or flavoured tea. The guys had the best time presenting the cakes on large white plates that left lots of room for creative presentation!
While this was going on Mark and Sheree went around the tables talking to our guests and Mark also sold some handmade cards by Alyssa from last term, (thanks Alyssa!). We were all doing our bit!
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the 'goodies' and were ready for the entertainment to start soon after eight. Jordan Worner kicked us off by singing one of the songs from his new album DECIDED, then Christie sang a few songs accompanied by guitar while Prue and I played the Ashokan Farewell for two violins. And that's not all! Jon gave us the most incredible drum solo lasting over eight minutes and then we had Sheree and Jordan round things off with the song 'Lucky' - how awesome!!!
Then came the auction of our student's gifts and talents led by Michael Kime, a regular SN@C attendee. He looked the part in his white cowboy hat and what with his fast talking we weren't always sure whether our students were stocky men or beefy cows! Nonetheless, the bids just kept coming and we raised heaps of money!
Altogether, our Benefit Night was a huge success with lots of fun had by all and we raised a little short of our target of $2,000. A huge THANK YOU to all that came along with all the students, staff and friends who made it all possible!
And the following night we were out welcoming our guests once again, only this time for SN@C - and it was amazing, with a great presentation focusing on forgiveness.
What a weekend!! Lots of life and lots of love. We experience both a great deal here.
More news next week, which will be the last week of term. We'll have a break as I three guys and myself will be off to Hong Kong for our Mission trip to serve with St Stephen's Society.
Goodbye for now and I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!! GOD BLESS!
STEVE aka WOODSEY
Thursday, September 3, 2009
WE ARE BACK IN ACTION!
It's been a few weeks since I last posted a blog - apologies to our regular readers. Hope you will like the new-look i58 now that it has 'flash' technology! Thank you all for your patience!
I'm on the road at the moment as Torchbearers Australia is looking to set up a Mission Trip in an Aboriginal community for next Easter. This is an exciting time! We are looking to God to show us where He would like us to be. I am traveling with Tony, a student from last semester, and we are visiting various churches who have great connections with their indigenous communities. We've been to Port Macquarie, Tweed Heads, Moree and tomorrow we will go to Dubbo. So far we've seen some GREAT work going on and I think we'll have to pray and use lots of discernment to know where God would like us to serve. More news about this will follow once we get back and report to Dave and Neil. I just have to say that the hospitality that has been extended to us has been outstanding! People have been SO kind to us. And while we have been traveling we have enjoyed some new sights - we took some photos and the best of these I'll put on our facebook page.
Other news from our school is that there is a lot of baking going on right now!! We are holding a Benefit Night on 12th September for Missions and Ministry which will support our mission trip to Hong Kong on 28th and also help students who need help with their school fees. The evening includes desert and drinks plus entertainment and the main attraction will be the auction of the special gifts and talents of all our students! Most of the talents involve a fair bit of muscle, (gardening, cleaning, farm work etc) but others include help with IT, speaking German and baby sitting! How great is that! We hope to raise $2,000. I am impressed to hear from the students, (even though I'm on the road), that my flat now resembles a bakery!!
Lots of good stuff is happening at school - all part of a 'normal' week; GREAT teaching from our director, Dave, on the first book of Peter, GREAT family nights with trips to two local bowling allies and GREAT Guys and Girls nights with great bonding and praying.
I'm looking forward to sharing more news of life at our Bible School next week. Meanwhile, HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
STEVE aka WOODSEY
I'm on the road at the moment as Torchbearers Australia is looking to set up a Mission Trip in an Aboriginal community for next Easter. This is an exciting time! We are looking to God to show us where He would like us to be. I am traveling with Tony, a student from last semester, and we are visiting various churches who have great connections with their indigenous communities. We've been to Port Macquarie, Tweed Heads, Moree and tomorrow we will go to Dubbo. So far we've seen some GREAT work going on and I think we'll have to pray and use lots of discernment to know where God would like us to serve. More news about this will follow once we get back and report to Dave and Neil. I just have to say that the hospitality that has been extended to us has been outstanding! People have been SO kind to us. And while we have been traveling we have enjoyed some new sights - we took some photos and the best of these I'll put on our facebook page.
Other news from our school is that there is a lot of baking going on right now!! We are holding a Benefit Night on 12th September for Missions and Ministry which will support our mission trip to Hong Kong on 28th and also help students who need help with their school fees. The evening includes desert and drinks plus entertainment and the main attraction will be the auction of the special gifts and talents of all our students! Most of the talents involve a fair bit of muscle, (gardening, cleaning, farm work etc) but others include help with IT, speaking German and baby sitting! How great is that! We hope to raise $2,000. I am impressed to hear from the students, (even though I'm on the road), that my flat now resembles a bakery!!
Lots of good stuff is happening at school - all part of a 'normal' week; GREAT teaching from our director, Dave, on the first book of Peter, GREAT family nights with trips to two local bowling allies and GREAT Guys and Girls nights with great bonding and praying.
I'm looking forward to sharing more news of life at our Bible School next week. Meanwhile, HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
STEVE aka WOODSEY
Thursday, July 30, 2009
GOD AT WORK BIG TIME!
WOW! Only into our second week and each of us is feeling God's hand upon us in a very special way. Part of the wonder of God is that He knows each of us individually and where we are at. What amazes us that through the teaching of His Word, through one person speaking, everyone can receive a personal revelation from God. We have countless testimonies of this happening already. Students are peeling back so much of who they are so that the God of all reality can be their reality and together we can walk in that reality of GRACE, LOVE and UNITY. A huge thanks to Dave Sharman, our Director, who has been teaching from the book of Ephesians this week - mate! God has used you mightily!
I guess the other big news this week is that Keith Walters, the former student who designed the i58 website is coming here to upgrade the website. He only has a few days to spend with us but we hope he will not only achieve his goal but also enjoy some good hang out time with all the new students!! Thanks Keith for your amazing gift to us - and for flying in all the way from Texas!!
Last Sunday was our first SN@C of the new season and it went off with real passion as the team introduced the new students, played some crazy games and led us into a great message of GRACE. This combined with great worship meant that everyone there was well and truly fed and went home blessed! That's the way we like it. Thanks to all the local community who support us and be part of this amazing time together!
This week the theme of the SN@C is 'gossip' and it is viewed from the context of community - looking at what builds it and what tears it down. What an awesome reminder to all of us about our responsibility, not just to ourselves but to the wider community for the building up of the body of Christ - can't wait to see their presentation. If you can, come and join us and, as we say each week, BRING A FRIEND!
Well, it may be Friday, but there's so much to look forward to this weekend. Tomorrow night we are taking a bus load of people to Hillsong to hear their evening service and, as usual, enjoy a meal at Mackers on the way home! Some of the students are going into MacArthur to watch a movie and do some shopping. Oh, and tonight, I have a bunch of guys coming over for a dinner. Tim, our Greek Masterchef and I have come up with a menu and this arvo we'll be putting it all together. Love it!!
So, as I close, I wish you all a GREAT weekend and hope to hear from some of you either in the comments or on our i58 page on facebook! Why not check out our new photos!!!
God bless,
STEVE aka WOODSEY
I guess the other big news this week is that Keith Walters, the former student who designed the i58 website is coming here to upgrade the website. He only has a few days to spend with us but we hope he will not only achieve his goal but also enjoy some good hang out time with all the new students!! Thanks Keith for your amazing gift to us - and for flying in all the way from Texas!!
Last Sunday was our first SN@C of the new season and it went off with real passion as the team introduced the new students, played some crazy games and led us into a great message of GRACE. This combined with great worship meant that everyone there was well and truly fed and went home blessed! That's the way we like it. Thanks to all the local community who support us and be part of this amazing time together!
This week the theme of the SN@C is 'gossip' and it is viewed from the context of community - looking at what builds it and what tears it down. What an awesome reminder to all of us about our responsibility, not just to ourselves but to the wider community for the building up of the body of Christ - can't wait to see their presentation. If you can, come and join us and, as we say each week, BRING A FRIEND!
Well, it may be Friday, but there's so much to look forward to this weekend. Tomorrow night we are taking a bus load of people to Hillsong to hear their evening service and, as usual, enjoy a meal at Mackers on the way home! Some of the students are going into MacArthur to watch a movie and do some shopping. Oh, and tonight, I have a bunch of guys coming over for a dinner. Tim, our Greek Masterchef and I have come up with a menu and this arvo we'll be putting it all together. Love it!!
So, as I close, I wish you all a GREAT weekend and hope to hear from some of you either in the comments or on our i58 page on facebook! Why not check out our new photos!!!
God bless,
STEVE aka WOODSEY
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
BACK IN ACTION
One of the most exciting days for the staff at Torchbearers Australia is the day the students arrive. For some of them it is returning home, (after already completing one semester with us), and for others it is a whole new adventure about to begin.
During any break we have the time to relax and refresh and in a way, that only makes us more excited to greet our new family and start our journey of doing life together in this beautiful place that God has blessed us with.
So, they're here!! They all arrived safe and sound and have come from all over the globe; America, Canada, (of course), England, Germany and many different parts of Australia. And for the first time in over eight years we have more guys than girls!! What amazing times are in store for all of us as we learn to enter into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ!
Already the students have been given lectures by our Principal, the Rev. Neil Bernard, on Christ in Hebrews, as well as having been given a great grounding in the ways we operate here. To break this up a bit we all went out as a family on Wednesday night to HANG DOG which is an indoor rock climbing centre in Woolongong. We all loved it; some preferred to traverse, belay, or talk but most loved the climbing itself, whether it was straight up or going round various ledges or just 'hanging out' in the bat cave, (excuse the pun!!). And let's not forget the great conversations that were going on in the bus - even though we were a little tired going there we were certainly fired up on the way back!
Last night we split the guys and the girls to have our regular Thursday night prayer groups. Here we bond with our own gender, have a focus and then pray and the guys then split into prayer triplets. It was a great time to get to know each other better AND pray together and for each other. For the staff this is a way of life but for our students this is the start of establishing healthy spiritual habits that may last a lifetime.
So today, Friday we finish the first week with the guys going camping and the girls have a 'fun night in' doing whatever it is that girls do!! The guys will be sitting around a great fire, eating some terrific food - one of the Aussie students is half Greek so we'll be eating Greek food par excellence - and looking at the stars as we share stories and just enjoy the GREAT Aussie outback.
So we are back in action and God is very much working in our lives already. Our first SN@C is on Sunday and already our first team is roaring to go with a programme that will get us getting to know each other with lots of fun and hearing a GREAT message on grace.
How good is that for a first week at Torchbearers Australia! Wish you were here? Just get in touch and join us for what will undoubtedly be another GREAT semester!
Good bless,
STEVE, aka Woodsey
During any break we have the time to relax and refresh and in a way, that only makes us more excited to greet our new family and start our journey of doing life together in this beautiful place that God has blessed us with.
So, they're here!! They all arrived safe and sound and have come from all over the globe; America, Canada, (of course), England, Germany and many different parts of Australia. And for the first time in over eight years we have more guys than girls!! What amazing times are in store for all of us as we learn to enter into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ!
Already the students have been given lectures by our Principal, the Rev. Neil Bernard, on Christ in Hebrews, as well as having been given a great grounding in the ways we operate here. To break this up a bit we all went out as a family on Wednesday night to HANG DOG which is an indoor rock climbing centre in Woolongong. We all loved it; some preferred to traverse, belay, or talk but most loved the climbing itself, whether it was straight up or going round various ledges or just 'hanging out' in the bat cave, (excuse the pun!!). And let's not forget the great conversations that were going on in the bus - even though we were a little tired going there we were certainly fired up on the way back!
Last night we split the guys and the girls to have our regular Thursday night prayer groups. Here we bond with our own gender, have a focus and then pray and the guys then split into prayer triplets. It was a great time to get to know each other better AND pray together and for each other. For the staff this is a way of life but for our students this is the start of establishing healthy spiritual habits that may last a lifetime.
So today, Friday we finish the first week with the guys going camping and the girls have a 'fun night in' doing whatever it is that girls do!! The guys will be sitting around a great fire, eating some terrific food - one of the Aussie students is half Greek so we'll be eating Greek food par excellence - and looking at the stars as we share stories and just enjoy the GREAT Aussie outback.
So we are back in action and God is very much working in our lives already. Our first SN@C is on Sunday and already our first team is roaring to go with a programme that will get us getting to know each other with lots of fun and hearing a GREAT message on grace.
How good is that for a first week at Torchbearers Australia! Wish you were here? Just get in touch and join us for what will undoubtedly be another GREAT semester!
Good bless,
STEVE, aka Woodsey
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