These last 2 months could be
simply summed up like this: Full and fun with family.
To have a close relationship with
my sister has been one of the biggest treasures in my life, but after spending
these last 3 months with Molly here in Australia, I would say I feel like I’ve
been given gold.
As an outsider getting to watch
Molly really invest herself here in YWAM, it’s clear that God has changed her
heart in so many ways. If you know her, you might know that she is very strong
willed and one-minded in her way of thinking. She’s used this to be an
incredibly bold leader in her years of growing up, but it’s also caused her to
maybe fall a bit harder than she would have like. Over these last 3 months,
Molly has been in class learning more about who God is, and what that means for
her own life. There were topics like God’s character, what is repentance and
forgiveness?, how do we worship God?, God as our Lord and Saviour, and God’s
Father heart. As she has met and engaged with God during these times, her heart
has become much softer in a sense that she is more open in her ways of
thinking. She’s still Molly with a fireball of an attitude, but there is
definitely a new recognition of listening to other people that she has begun to
put into practice. As well, I think she has really changed in a way where she
sees there is a lot of things she wants to see change about herself, and her
desire to see that happen has really come out. I love that her and I can be
open with each other and share the things that we’re dealing with (like
attitudes or problems with people, or situations) and encourage and pray with
one another. What a gift that is!! We also had a lot of fun as well. We went on
a camping trip together with her sports crew and it started to rain in the
middle of the night. She needed my shoes, and I didn’t let her borrow them so
after she came back into the tent, she stepped on my pillow with her wet sock,
which fueled a bit of a frenzy at 3 am…. But made up eventually :)
Evangelism
Personally, I have been really been stepping out more in
evangelism. I mentioned in my last blog how I felt like God was really
challenging me to be more active in this area, and I feel that since, there have been a number of scenarios that I’ve
had the opportunity to be bold and say something to someone. Now they haven’t really been all people that I
just randomly go up to and talk to.. they are more so people that I feel are
highlighted to me when I have been out and about. I want to share some of them
with you:
I was running to the grocery store down the street just a
couple weeks ago and I was in a hurry to get home before the sun went down. As
I was running, a very old man came into my sight, and I almost came to a
complete stop and I just knew I had to pray for him. I got over my fear
quickly, and just went up to him honestly and said, “Hello, I’m Erika, and I
just felt like God told me to pray for you”. And He said, “Who?” And I said “God.”
He said “Ohhh, God!” He accepted my request to pray and actually share with me
that his knee has been making it hard to him to walk. So I had the chance to
just chat with him and encourage him a little bit. His name is Peter. Little
did I know, a couple weeks later I would run into Peter again on the way to the
store. I asked him how he was doing and
he seemed to be doing well. We got into quite a conversation where he shared
with me a bit more about where he’d come from and about his life. He’s from
Yugoslavia and he used to be in the army there. I really felt like him and I
had made friends. He also knows I work with missions and tell people about God
and he thinks that it’s good so that’s cool!
Another one was an Indian Sikh woman who I felt to pray for
while she was waiting for the bus. We were chatting for while and I told her I
was a Christian and she wanted to receive prayer, although she is of the Sikh
religion (Similar to muslim I think). She said in their culture it is always a
good thing when a stranger comes and asks them to pray for them…. So that was
really sweet as well!
The last one I’ll share happened today actually. I was in
town and I turned a corner to find the sweetest old woman who was shaking in a
wheelchair with a sign next to her explaining she has M.S. and any generosity
would be appreciated. At first my heart
just stopped. I later went around the corner to ask the Lord what I should do,
if anything. It was so sad! So I just started to pray for her and her life.
After that, I went over to her and introduced myself and I felt to tell her how
deeply loved and cared for she is. And to my surprise she replied something
like this: “Thank you. I know God loves me, and I know He’s looking after me.
Things are starting to look up for me.” She told me that the police have a
place for her to stay at the moment and she is waiting to be moved into a place
that takes care of people with disabilities. My heart actually melted as I
talked with her. She had so much hope in her eyes, and I was encouraged myself
by her ability to remain in a hopeful state being as she is. I did feel to give
her some money, which she very thankfully received. But it was by far the best
part of my day. There was so much love shared.
^If there is one thing I have learned about this, it's that God will always lead you. Even if you're scared. If you say "God I'm willing to step out and make a difference for you, will you show me how?" He will not set you up to fail. He will put the right people in your path who you can offer something to. God is so committed to seeing the lost found that He will lead you through the whole thing. Just an encouragement if you feel like this is an area you're being challenged in.
Street chaplains have been going well. It’s always an
adventure in the night club scene from the hours of 9pm-4am. And I’ve seen a
lot of action….been challenged in a lot of ways, but it’s definitely been a
highlight of my work here. I love getting my hands dirty..even if that means
cleaning up vomit off someone who had one too many :)
WHAT I’M DOING AT YWAM NOW:
If you remember in my last blog, I wrote about how I wasn’t
sure where I was supposed to give myself and my time to. Well, prayer has been
answered, and I am excited to announce that I will be a staff on the October
Sports Discipleship Training School (DTS) that will run from October-April
2013. 6 months of learning and training, class, mentoring, playing sports, and
going into the nations and sharing the gospel. In a nutshell, that is what we
will do but there are a lot of things that play into this 6 months. I know that
I shared last year about the Music DTS that I was on staff with---where we used music as a tool to share Jesus with
people, and make a lot of noise! This year (as I love sports just as equally as
music), I have been led to staff the DTS with a sports focus. I’m excited. So
this is what Molly is doing, only her DTS started in July and she was at our
base for 3 months of training and is now on Outreach to (Northern Australia to
work with Aboriginal communities, and then her team will head to Uganda in a
few weeks).
I will be staffing alongside 3 of my friends Bridget, Luke
and Jason, and Jason and Luke are co-leading the School together. I’m pumped! We’ve made a short video to send to our (about
20) students coming…kind of an “introductory, can’t wait til you’re here, this
is gonna be awesome” kinda thing.
If you’re interested in watching this 1 minute clip, this is
it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Y4gNfuoeo&feature=player_embedded
Bridget isn’t in it, sadly, but she’s still all in.
There’s also profiles on our website you want to read about
us J
I anticipate a lot of changes coming (some have already
begun):
--Waking up
earlier…. 5am…aaaahh and then begin with morning exercise as a group at 6 am..
woo!
--a lot of “go
go go” mentality
--stepping
up as a leader and fulfilling the role God is calling me to
--challenges,
situations where I won’t know the answers
--I’ll be a
lot more busy
--Exciting
times….getting to mentor and champion students in their relationship with God
as well as getting to disciple them as they learn and grow and discover!!! I’m
so excited.
--Lots of
fun, crazy, spontaneous moments…
--Lots that
I will learn!! Always good.
****The thing I need to keep my eye on is Jesus.. the most important thing is that Jesus is in the center and I am depending on
Him to make everything happen. ßIf there is any prayer
on my heart it is just that! And that I will stay humble always as I serve.
Thank you so much for your
support. I need you to know that I wouldn’t be in the place I am if it weren’t for
your prayers, your financial help, and encouragement in all that God’s doing in
my life. I’m so grateful and thankful, and it makes me all the more excited to
continue moving forward knowing I’m in the right place and I’ve got people to
affirm over me as well.
