2020 was without a doubt one of the most mentally and emotionally challenging years. I had high hopes for all that I foresaw unfolding. I was ready to go, with a timeline in my mind. Although I said 'yes' to God's invitation, it's as if I twisted it into my own plan. I was obliviously living in pride, subconsciously thinking that I knew best for me. As the months went by, there was excitement, grief, confusion, awe, incredible joy, and then some disappointment. Through all of it, God's grace brought me to face my prideful independence. I saw how placing my hope in my own plans was painful, foolish, and unnecessary. When Papa gives us an invitation, it's for our trust. The greatest part about the invitation isn't the 'thing' itself, it's the fact that He is inviting us to do whatever it may be, with Him. What a relief this is. He is all-knowing, understands us completely, and wants to do life with us. I put my hope in Him now, not a plan, because He is with me.
Fear gets in the way of being able to put our hope in God. Recently, with the support of some trusted mentors, I was able to unpack some well established fears that were holding me back. Something that wasn't particularly deep, but challenging to confront, was my fear of the unknown. I don't have the faintest idea when I will get to go to Canada. Being unable to see my family for a prolonged period of time, missing out, and not knowing when I'll get to wrap my arms around them, has been a nightmare for me. I've been saving my holiday time and had my heart set on a few different dates, but kept finding myself disappointed when I realized it wouldn't be a possibility. Fear had me trying to remain in control, and my independence yet again left me discouraged. This held me back from being present where God has brought me. Giving this over to Him lifted the overwhelming thoughts, and hope came in. I'm choosing to trust my good Papa, as He knows my heart, along with the best timing.
Glimpse into life over the past few months
During our first forty days, we all took part in hourly prayer shifts throughout the night. At one in the morning, Kayleigh (friend on the team) and I got a word about joy being released over our team, and God knowing what would be life giving to each of us. Later that day Kayleigh and I were able to sit with a woman and get to know her a bit. She told us that her daughter had a baby girl a couple days prior. We were able to pray for both her daughter and new grandchild. The woman's phone rang. She told us that if we waited ten minutes we would get to meet them as they were being released from the hospital. So we did. Soon enough we were all sitting together. I was given the honour to hold the precious girl. While speaking encouragement over her life, I suddenly remembered the word about joy we got in the early hours of that morning. It was such a memorable time where God showed us His withness.
A couple of weeks before Christmas, some of our team went to a remote community called Noonkanbah to work in the school. I was assigned to the 'Black Headed Pythons' which was a classroom of girls, ages ten to thirteen. Together we learnt about each other’s culture, practiced the performance for the Christmas concert, and deep cleaned the classroom. One evening after school our team headed to the basketball court with a ball and some chalk, inviting the youth along the way. Most of the kids from the community showed up! It was such a fun time engaging in activities with them, and it allowed us to build greater relationship. We will be going to this school in Noonkanbah once a term to continue to come alongside the staff and support the students. Looking forward to heading back again!
January was a leap into new responsibilities. Kayleigh and I were able to host an outreach for a youth group, post Summer camp. They were all girls ages fourteen to sixteen, plus two female leaders from the YWAM Perth base. We outlined opportunities for the team to serve the people in Broome and then hopped in with them. To list a few, they helped with yardwork at the base in the early morning hours, distributed icy cold water in 40° heat, and cooked and delivered meals for 'Feed the Little Children.' One of my highlights was a girls’ night with facemasks and spontaneous testimony sharing. They were free to jump in with any questions along the way, to which they did. It was incredibly moving to see them so hungry to understand and grasp the deep love that Papa God has. Although these two weeks felt mentally and physically full-on, it was a breath of fresh air.
Tyler and I got to celebrate our birthdays together for the first time in years!
February marks the fifth month living in Broome! Recently I got to celebrate my brother, Tyler, with my sister-in-law, Rachel. It has been nine years since I've been with him for his birthday, and seven since he had been with me for mine (back in December). I'm so thankful to be here with family.
I've been listening to some podcast episodes on Spotify. Recently I stumbled upon 'Jesus on Trauma' by Judah Smith. It's a four part series touching on identity, doubt, failure, and plans. I think this series is something we could all benefit from. Here is the first one.
Jerry - the most
pleasant surprise
Sadly I've had no donuts to share, but I did have an encounter with a dog just as sweet.
This cutie went for a lengthy walk and showed up at our doorstep one afternoon. I carried him down the road to see if we could find him his family. No luck. While giving him some water, we made a call to the local vet and were soon on our way. This fella fortunately had a chip so they were able to reconnect him with his owners. Of all the places he could have wandered to, I'm so happy he wound up at our home. What a delight!