Bella, Bush Dancing, & Barbecues

Hi everyone. I'm very thankful to staff here in Toowoomba, Australia. It was very hard to get up this morning though, because it is getting cold here. You'd think I'd be used to the cold as I was born and bred in chilly Manitoba, Canada, but my body has adjusted to that I'm cold when it gets colder than 10 degrees Celsius. Sad, I know.
Anyway, the past three weeks have been great. Students got back from outreach on the weekend of May 13th and we had report back on the Monday after they got back where everyone shared their stories from the last 6 weeks of overseas outreach. I loved hearing what God has been doing in Cambodia, Thailand, Fiji, and here in Australia. God is moving everywhere in the world and I love how we are part of that as Christians. There were many stories of healing and people beginning to know the love of Christ. One student got healed of her celiac disease during her outreach to Cambodia! God is so amazing!

Team Fiji speaking at a youth group in Byron Bay, Australia

Team Cambodia in the village teaching English

Team Thailand (who called themselves Red Curry) praying for a lady

Team Thailand (aka Green Curry) doing an impromptu Bible study with the kids

The weekend the students got back from outreach was a busy weekend for me. I helped out at a girls camp called Bella. I shared about my relationship with my father as well as my heavenly father and encouraged them all to cry out to God and give Him our pain. He delights in us and is pleased with us. I also shared my "Revelation of God as Father" that God gave me last year and that I posted in a blog entry back in February of this year.  Then we got to pray for the girls and they wrote out a letter to God and threw it into the fire, showing that they are surrendering all of them to God, who gives great gifts, the greatest of all being Himself. I also loved just hanging out with the girls and playing and laughing with them. They are so fun to be around and I love them so much!

Then on Sunday morning, we as Freedom Project got to go to a church and talk about the work of Destiny Rescue. Evelien shared a song she wrote about human trafficking that really impacted the congregation and then we got to answer questions people had about the organisation afterwards and sell some jewellery that the rescued girls made. I loved worshipping at that church and being a part of their service. They were so welcoming and such a joy to be around.

The next week, while students had lectures in Music & Missions and were preparing for local outreach and recording week, I was in the office answering emails from future staff and students, helping people with their visas, and doing accounts work as usual. It was a pretty busy week because I had to do some stuff in accounts with the outreach teams that got back. During that week, we had a going away party for one of the staff members, my friend, and my one-on-one, Kim, who is home for the next 3 months before coming back on staff here. We had a potluck milkshake party where we each brought some milkshake ingredients to share. The milkshakes were delicious and I loved hanging out with the rest of the staff. I love that over the last 5 months of me being here on staff, I have grown to love these people like my family. I'm going to miss the 7 staff who leave in a month's time.

On Friday, May 20th, I went to a Bella event where I did bush dancing for the first time. It's similar to square dancing and lots of fun, especially when it's with teenage girls. We also got to hear from some of the girls who go to a boarding school here in Toowoomba and their home is in the country. One of the girls lives on a property that is over 100,000 acres which is about the size of the city of Winnipeg. Wow, imagine one of us owning and living in a whole city!
If you want to see a little video of the bush dance, I've shared it to my Facebook page for you to view and enjoy.

Then on Saturday I went to a barbecue in a park, went to the library (I'm so excited I got a Library card here!), listened to a group of our students do a music set at a Relay for Life to raise money for Breast Cancer, and then went to a baptism of some of the girls from Bella.

barbecue in the park

our students performing at Relay for Life

baptisms!

On Sunday I went to a Mission Market. We drove for 1 hour out of town to get there and there was about 30 different missions organisations from all over the world present. We got to share about Destiny Rescue for 90 seconds before the timer went off (they had a different animal noise for the timer which was hilarious). Since it was at a church, we had worship songs in between and afterwards, people milled around, eating their Devonshire Morning Tea and talking to the people in stalls around the church. My favourite part (other than eating the scones which were delicious) was hearing the stories of the people representing other organisations. I talked so some people from WEC (which is World Evangelism for Christ but they joked that it meant Where Everyone's Crazy) who had amazing stories about God's provision to share. Being there stirred up my desire and passion to being a voice for the voiceless and advocating for a cause like Destiny Rescue, even after I am not part of YWAM Toowoomba anymore.

This last week was local outreach & recording week for the students. My work schedule was less busy so I got to work on writing articles for the YWAM Toowoomba website, write thank you cards to the churches we'd been to with Freedom Project, and unwind a bit from the week before. On Wednesday night, I went to Bella and I think I laughed pretty much the whole evening. Some students from our YWAM base were there and shared testimonies and did some worship songs with us. We also initiated two of the new leaders. They had a contest to see how many pairs of undies they could put on in a minute. It was hilarious and they both one because they tied!
Then they wanted to see if Landon, our school leader could hoola hoop and they had a competition with some of the students and girls from Bella. He was actually pretty good but one of the Bella girls was much better and ended up beating the majority of the people there with her hoola hooping skills. We also played some games and took a vote for the Bella magazine cover because they couldn't decide between two covers. They are planning on putting it back into print and one of the things they are doing to fundraise is going sky diving this next weekend. I'd love to go, too but sadly my insurance doesn't cover me jumping from a plane from thousands of feet in the air, even if I have someone jumping with me. Too bad. :)

recording time in Doug's studio

recording in our new studio on base!

local outreach week

I'll end by saying you are all beautiful, loved by God, your creator, and so blessed!


The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

Thank you for your prayers and support. If you wish to support me financially, please contact my parents to ask for my bank details or go to my GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/gmz85bz8

We are children of the Light

The past few weeks have been a mixture of renewing of the mind, relying on God for His strength, and constantly choosing to focus on God rather than wanting to please people.
On April 16th, we had an outreach tour fundraiser for the Rural & Coastal team. I was welcoming people at the door, receiving their money and letting them know there would be a silent auction, goodies, and live entertainment by the members of the team going on tour; a four piece folk band called Kindred Summit and a two piece rock/blues band called Jack Pine Drive, all of whom are staff  at YWAM Toowoomba and great friends. Beautiful paintings created by some of the staff as well as local artists were sold at the silent auction, as well as items donated from local stores.  We raised enough money to rent a van and had a little bit extra for food and gas. One of the highlights of the night was that one of our neighbours came. He's about our age and is in a learning time with the Lord. We got to speak life into him and encourage him in the last few weeks especially and now he's thinking about doing a DTS!



Also during the weekend of the fundraiser, a couple of friends of one of the staff here stayed on base. They are staff at a YWAM in New Zealand and one of them went to Indonesia for a month to help out at orphanages in Bali after staying on our base. Talking with her really stirred up my passion and calling to go to the nations and serve people wherever I go. God put Indonesia on my heart years ago but at the time I didn't really think about it, but now I would love to go there at some point in the future and am praying into it.

The week after the fundraiser was pretty busy for all of us. Team Fiji had to come back to Toowoomba because of the cyclones that hit Fiji and so we were busy preparing for them to return; changing their flights, preparing local outreach for them in Toowoomba plus accommodation and their time in Byron Bay for the last part of their outreach. Additionally, a group of pastors who were having a conference here in Toowoomba stayed at our base that week. They were amazing people to talk to and had amazing testimonies that they shared with us throughout the week at meal times.

Last Wednesday, I led intercession for the first time. I focused on Indonesia and we prayed for the country as a whole; for the hundreds of thousands of daughters and sons who are sold into human trafficking, the children who are underweight and living on the streets, and for peace and protection for believers that boldly proclaim grace and salvation through Jesus Christ.  We prayed and saw that despite the danger and things going on in Indonesia with children being forced into human trafficking and growing up before their time, we prayed into them always having childlike faith. I've been reading a book called "Not For Sale" and can see that there is despite all this, there is hope for this country and that people are starting to work towards changing this nation.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to Byron Bay with the Rural & Coastal team.

There wasn't enough room in their van on the way up for the beginning of their tour in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, so I joined the Fiji team on Friday morning going to Byron Bay for the next 2 weeks. On Friday evening, we all helped out at a weekly free barbecue that YWAM Byron Bay puts on for the community. It's in a park in the middle of the town and people come from all walks of life. I met people from all over the world including France, Germany, Albania, and Belgium that were visiting Byron Bay or backpacking around Australia. Families were also present, as well as some people off the street that came for the free food and entertainment. Jack Pine Drive and Kindred Summit played, a couple of guys from the community fire twirled, and the director of YWAM Byron Bay talked for a bit, sharing the gospel boldly. It was amazing how the whole atmosphere shifted and a peace that can only come from God washed over the park.
A woman I was talking to from France named Pauline said the same thing. She really liked the songs that were being played by Kindred Summit and wanted to buy a CD but didn't have any money as she had been busking for food for the last few months. I was able to connect her with the Kindred Summit guys and they generously gave her their CD for free. Then we all got to pray for her and encourage her. She said that every time she meets Christians, she feels peace and that they are filled with "something, I don't know" she said. We said it was Jesus and she just nodded. I'm praying that she will meet more Christians and desire that peace that is constant and accept Christ as lord over her life.
On Saturday, we went to Nimbin which is a very hippy town. They had a festival this weekend called "Mardi Grass" where they have a rally for legalising Marijuana. The team played in a restaurant just outside of Nimbin and afterwards, we walked around the festival for a bit. I could feel the sadness and emptiness of this festival and these people. They think they are doing this for freedom, but really they are just following the patterns of this world; riches, drugs, and self.  I was praying the whole time I was walking around for the people to see the truth and for them to fall in love with Jesus instead of the world and with weed.
On Sunday morning, we went to a lighthouse in Byron which is most easterly point of Australia. I saw my first dolphins in the wild! Then we went to church were the pastor spoke on missions. One of the things he said really stuck with me. He said that if we have Jesus as Lord over our lives and really believe that He is Lord, why would we ever disobey Him? He has our back, like a papa bear standing up behind a baby bear who's about to be attacked by a mountain lion.  After church we spent a few hours taking in the sights of Byron Bay. On the way back to Toowoomba, we wanted to go to Minyon Falls. After much searching and winding narrow roads, we found it. A short hike later and we were at a lookout point with the top of the falls right in our eyesight. It was a sight to behold. I have been wanting to go to a waterfall for a couple of months now, so I'm very happy that I was able to see it.




























There are so many more things I want to share with you, but for the sake of space I'll end it here. If you have any more questions or need prayer for anything, just shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you!

Prayer Points:
-Please pray for the upcoming Bella camp. I've been a leader at Bella, a Christian girls program dedicated to showing girls their identity in Christ as a child of God, loved, and beautiful, for the past couple of months. They have a weekend camp 4 times a year where girls come to learn about God, forgiveness, and their worth in Christ.
-You can be praying for the outreach teams in Thailand, Cambodia, and Byron Bay. Some of the members from these teams are sick with the flu. As well, for the team in Byron Bay that they would adjust and find new opportunities to serve and for softening and open hearts of the people they will be evangelising to.
-Also, there is a couple of things happening with Freedom Project this month. We are helping out at a Mission Market and speaking at a Church, all in support of Destiny Rescue who rescues and restores the lives of children that have come out of human trafficking in south east Asia.

Thank you so much for your support! If you wish to support me financially, please go to my GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/gmz85bz8

Go into all the nations...

These past two weeks have been so amazing! As you may have seen in my last post, we were preparing for a festival that takes place on Easter weekend called Streets and Lanes. On Easter Friday we had a special Campfire Sessions. We were at a place called The Grid that offer different artistic classes for all ages including music, art, and circus classes. While the different bands and solo musicians played, circus performers would juggle, do plate spinning, go on the trapeze, ribbons, etc.  One of the circus performers was our neighbour. It's so amazing to see how unique God made all of us. We all have different talents and passions, but together we are a force to be reckoned with for the Kingdom.

On Easter Saturday, all our students and staff got to be involved in the festival, from setting up the various stages across the city, to performing in cafes, restaurants, parks, and street corners, and helping out the children's program at a local Toowoomba church. I got to busk and play a mix of original and cover songs; just me, my guitar, and the Lord.  My favourite parts of the day were talking with people. I met a man who was handing out tracts on the streets. His first words to me were, "Do you know Jesus?" I said yes I do, and he said he could see that I was a Christian by my face and the way I lit up. Then he shared about amazing encounters he's had with God and with evangelising over the world.  So cool!  Then, when I helped out at the children's program at a church, I was able to encourage this one lady in what she feels God is calling to her next.

The week after Easter, students had a week of lectures in Missions and then started heading off to do overseas outreach in Thailand, Cambodia, and Fiji where they will be serving in the next 6 weeks.  This is an update from on of the Thailand teams. "We got to pray for lots of people and see some healing, visit some people in their houses, visit a friend in the hospital and pray for him, were invited to an 8-year-olds birthday party, painted a mural and worked on a farm. Today we're laying a concrete floor in the school that we're staying at! Go is doing some cool things."

Getting ready to go to Thailand

Cambodia team's abode for the next 3 weeks (how I miss you!)

Battambang, Cambodia

Thailand team worshipping

Thailand teams during orientation

Team Red Curry (Thailand team)

Cambodia team

Since teams have left for outreach, the chosen few, 11 of us staff have been keeping busy. During the week, I'm doing admissions, accounts, immigration, fire warden, and Freedom Project work as well as cooking supper once a week. Other staff can be seen on grounds trimming hedges and cutting wood in the mornings and working on ministry projects like Campfire Sessions, Rural & Coastal, and Freedom Project in the afternoons. Some of our staff are going on tour to Brisbane and Byron Bay in a few weeks and are preparing for that as well as having a fundraiser this next weekend where all the proceeds will go towards renting the van, food and accomodation as they are playing for free and spreading the good news of the Kingdom and bringing the Truth. 

This morning Freedom Project had their first spot in a church to talk about the work of Destiny Rescue. We went to a church here in Toowoomba and Kerri talked a bit about Destiny Rescue, her heart, and shared a song that she wrote. We had a table set up with some of the paintings she does to raise funds for Destiny Rescue as well as CD's and printed fact sheets and other things for people to take home to learn more about Destiny Rescue.  People were really responsive to the talk and I'm excited to continue partnering with Destiny Rescue through the Freedom Project in giving kids a much brighter future away from the sex-trade industry.

I have some exciting news! I will be going on a two week Destiny Rescue team trip to Cambodia and Thailand in October and I need your help; either financially or prayer support, or both! Last year I had the opportunity to go to Cambodia and part of my time there was spent touring different rescue and prevention homes of Destiny Rescue. It really opened my eyes to the injustice in this world but also the hope that the Lord Jesus Christ brings and how we can care for those in need and be a voice for the voiceless. This trip would equip me to have a first hand account to share about the work of Destiny Rescue in Thailand and in other rescue and prevention homes in Cambodia. I set up a GoFundMe page for anyone wishing to help financially for this outreach trip to Cambodia and Thailand at gofundme.com/ffy736qk. 

Thank you so much for your prayers and continued support. I would love to hear from you as well, if you have any prayer requests or want to share some of your story. Have a great day and God bless!

Jesus Crucified... and Resurrected!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I updated you all on my time in Toowoomba, Australia!
These past few weeks have been a whirlwind, both emotionally and with the many things going on here.  But before I delve into what's been going on here, I'd like to take a step back and focus on the Lord.

As we go into Easter, I would like to share a song I wrote.

Jesus Crucified

I see the lashes and scars on Your back

Wounds and sores on Your hands and Your feet

Jesus You were crucified

Bloodied and broken You died to buy us back

Crown of thorns on Your head

Royal robes of burgundy red

Crying tears of blood eyes dark

As You smile for me, as You smile for me

As You smile for me

Jesus, You came to restore Your people

Your relationship with us

Your reign on earth as it is in heaven

You show me the holes on Your hands and Your feet

To show me Your glory and in You I'm complete

I remember first writing the words for this song. I was in church at home back in July, 2015. I was thinking about Jesus and all that He's done for me and more importantly, who He is and He gave me a picture which I wrote down and later turned into this song. When we simply sit at His feet and focus on Him, reading His word, praying, communing with others; He will reveal things to you and make clear things that we didn't understand as much before. And the revelation of Him is the rock on which Jesus built the church.

Since I last wrote, the students have had a week of Evangelism, then Spiritual Warfare followed by Lordship. They love to ask questions and it's been cool talking with them. We can learn so much from each other!

During Evangelism week, the female students decided to bless the men with an extravagant and tasty dinner. They even wrote heartfelt notes to all the guys. So sweet! 

Then on that Friday, March 4th, we had a first in the history of YWAM Toowoomba. We had a giving time where we saw everyone's needs met and people still wanted to keep giving. Thank you Lord! 

After giving time, we had evangelising time in the streets  and shops of Toowoomba. In the evening our very own Evelien and Sandra sang and played at our third Campfire Sessions.

Then on Saturday, staff and students headed to the beach where two students got baptised. We spent the rest of the day in the waves and at Dreamworld where we talked to many people in lines, on rides, and in the streets; evangelising and loving on them and making Him known. A personal testimony happened during my time at Dreamworld. I was scared of going on the roller coasters, but decided that I was going to go on them anyway. Normally I will close my eyes and my body will go very stiff when I'm on a ride and scared. This happened for the first ride. Then while I was waiting for the second ride, which was even scarier, I started praying. I gave Him my fears and relied on Him for strength. I went on the ride and my fears were gone! Instead of closing my eyes and being stiff, I opened my eyes and started laughing! God is amazing! He listens to our prayers. If He can take away my fear of roller coasters, He can do anything!

The next weekend, March 11-13, I helped out at a girls camp. I started being a leader there a few weeks ago. They have weekend camps four times a year as well as Wednesday night youth groups for age 11-17 girls and a monthly fun night.  They also have programs that they run in different schools in and around Toowoomba.  They learn about their identity in Christ, about forgiveness, that they are loved and a daughter of God, etc. I love getting to know the girls, loving on them, and praying for them.  One of my favourite sessions of that weekend was when we as leaders got to tell them individually how we and God sees them. That they are loved, precious, God has a plan and purpose for their life, that He will never leave them nor forsake them, that they are beautiful and cherished. Then the girls wrote down some of what we said to them on a piece of paper that had a picture of a mirror on it. This was to show them how God sees them, as opposed to the lies they might see and believe when they look into the mirror.

Last Thursday night, many students got baptised or rededicated their life to the Lord last week. We surrendered everything to God, saying goodbye to our sin of the past and hello to new life.
It was pretty hard for me as my Grandma had just died that afternoon for me, but I was hanging on to Christ and He was my comforter. As I focused on God, students got baptised and prayed for receiving words and encouragement from students and staff. It was cool how even in grief, God gives us peace and words of encouragement to us and to others around us.

This week we are all preparing for the Streets & Lanes festival that's going on this Easter weekend. We will be busking on the streets, performing in cafes and venues all over the city and praying for people and evangelising in the streets. 
Students are on local outreach week. They are performing in cafes, gardening for people in the local community, helping out in schools, soup kitchens, you name it. What a wonderful way to spread the love of Christ as we head into Easter weekend.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. If you need any prayer, please write a comment below or send me an email and I would love to pray for you!
An update on Freedom Project. We have all the time slots filled going to churches in April and one in May. I still need to book three times in May to speak about Destiny Rescue and what they do in rescuing and restoring children from sex slavery.  
From admissions; so far 7 students are accepted for the July school and more are working on their applications. We also have some working on applications for January and July 2017 schools, which is fantastic!
We are building a studio on base and are fundraising for it. So far we have $3,000 of our goal of $25,000 so it's coming along slowly but surely.  Part of our fundraising is selling compilation albums  filled with songs of students and staff in previous schools.
The students are going on outreach in less than 2 weeks. While they are gone, I will be doing local outreach, admissions, getting the rest of the bookings for Freedom Project, going to the Hub, Campfire Sessions, Bella, etc. I'm excited to see where the next 8 weeks takes us.

Please pray for:
-the Streets & Lanes Festival this weekend. That hearts would turn to God, this would be an awakening in the Church and local community, and people would be open to the love of Christ.
-churches to be on board with Freedom Project and the rest of the time slots to be booked
-for God to prepare the hearts of upcoming students for the July school
-more people to be on board with the studio project and see our heart for evangelising locally and fundraising for Destiny Rescue and other non-profit organisations through the studio
-for peace, focus on God, and relying on Him for the students going on outreach as well as the staff that are staying on base
-for all of us related to my Grandma Plett as we grieve that we would keep our eyes focused on the Creator and Lover of our soul, our Comforter, and Father to the fatherless.

Have an amazing day and know you are loved by your Daddy!