Team Australia

Thank you to everyone who has been reading our blog faithfully and praying for our team!

It occured to me that some of you, especially from the church in Sydney, may not know how to get ahold of us to share your praise reports and prayer requests. If you email raebear@gmail.com I will forward the message to the rest of the team :)

Thank you for all your prayers for the logistics and travel.

Daniel managed to get out of Australia and back into the US with his slightly mangled passport (its been through the laundry a couple times), after only minor delays. Not one of our bags missed the layover or got lost in transit. None of us got stopped for inspection by customs (even though some of us declared that we were bringing food in the country!).

Michelle was there and waiting to pick us up by the time we got through customs. We hadn't heard back (via email) whether she knew she was picking us up, and had been sending emails to her (and our) friend Mary to get ahold of Michelle and let here know. As luck would have it, Friday is her day off. She wouldn't have been able to come if we'd arrived a day earlier or a day later. And borrowing the van got worked out at the 11th hour, 9:00 the night before! But it all worked out on God's timing, and he's prepared even when we "should have" been more prepared ourselves.

And cool bonus blessing when we stopped to use the restroom and to get some drive-through breakfast (on the way home) we couldn't have picked a better spot--at that exact exit was the only known grocery store in two counties with a persian deli, giving Michelle the treat of having time to pick up some Persian take-out to take home with her while everyone else got their breakfast burritos and whatnot!

It was with sadness we said goodbye to each other--to Lia and Diana at LAX and then everyone else back at school a couple hours later...but a happy reunion to see the team members at school and our friends and family.

The weirdest thing about being back is driving on the right side of the road again!

On Sunday, after church we had a going away party as Pastor Des's house. Each of us was given a leaving Australia "survival kit"--a jar of Vegemite and some Australian Chocolate.

We also gave thank-you gifts to the host families and pastor and a few other people who have been instrumental in our journey here. Pictured is a host-family gift package that has a framed team photo, a jar of pure maple syrup, and a photo book of San Diego:

Tanya and Lia went back today on our packing day to touch up a few spots and make our rain-cloud from when we ran out of white paint a little sunnier. But these pictures show it in a complete state

Here are some shots of details and the last bits of the mural progress:

Our last day at Model Farms was a good one. Normally we send 2-3 people each day to the school but Wednesday we sent five since it was the last day and a chance to say one last goodbye. Some of the team hung out in the courtyard rather than in class, and were approached by a lot of students who wanted to say goodbye or ask one last question since word was out it was our last day. The one on one environment was fruitful in ministering to individual kids who were shy about asking questions or finding answers to tough issues in the group environment of the classroom.

We also took the classes outside to play a game Steve Gonzoles taught us where multiple balls are thrown around a circle, and a lesson about teamwork and shifting your paradigm is introduced. The kids loved it.

We wanted to share a really touching email we got from one of the students at Model Farms about the impact we had at his school :)

Heya Chris, Daniel, Tanya and the rest of the Team Australia Mission Group,

it's Andy from Model Farms High School,

"laughs"... the time we've spent together at school has been greatand i have just spent the afternoon reading your posts on your blog.

this is just a quick email to say how thankful i am that you have come to Australia and especially to the Farms. every time i've heard you talk i feel God working through you and am still amazing to see the wonderful changes you have brought on throughout the school.

thank you so much for the awesome material and resources you have given me and thanks for being a really encouraging group and i hope that soon i will be able to go to HSE for a semester or two or just a visit "grins"

from you blog it seems you have had a wonderful time in australia and i encourage you to come back at the soonest possible chance... i know many people in the school who would just love to have you back!!! I pray that you will have a great return flight and that graduation will be excellent!!!

in passing note are there any prayer points that you would like me to share with the christian groups at MFHS to continue praying for you about?

if you could please pray for both;

AFJ (Ambassador For Jesus)- as it changes in structure for next year and that we may reach to many more people and

MAD (Making A Difference)- that the leaders may speak with God's truth and that the christmas carols they are holding will go well and they may preach the gospel boldly.

thank you heaps for the wonderful memories you have given both me and everyone blessed enough to come into contact with you!!

Lots of Love
God Bless
Andy

By: Chris Kingston
December 11, 2006

God and has been showing his mercy and grace to each of us each day we are here serving and teaching in Australia. God has blessed our whole team with getting together each morning at 7 am to pray as a team with Pastor Des Daniels prior to our teaching and service projects beginning each day. God’s provision in our lives is so evident. Jesus has continued to mode and heal our hearts from each of our pasts. God continues to teach me and the team what it means to truly sacrifice our lives to follow Jesus Christ.

In this past week, our HSE team has blessed with teaching and speaking to over 850 teenagers between the grades 7 to 11th grade. We teach about Jesus Christ’s love, the impact the gospel, and the good news it brings in our lives and how it can impact their lives to each and everyday. We have also been teaching from the books of Daniel and Ephesians. God is moving mightily through these public high schools. The youth are seeking for a greater meaning in life and we are getting the opportunity to share its Jesus and a personal relationship that they are missing in their lives.

Multiple kids accepted the Lord into their lives this past week. John and Diana both had opportunities and the blessing to help youth with the most exciting decision they can make in their own lives. Also, a woman named Helen who we have been praying for accepted Christ into her life on Sunday. Helen’s story of conversion is a special one.

Our team was able to also do various service projects for several of the Calvary Chapel members. One project that we worked on this week was to assist with painting the inside of a house to help with the selling process. God was really touching the families heart that we were blessed to help. God has a way of softening people’s heart’s when they let down their own pride and ask for help. Part of Horizon, School of Evangelism that has some of the largest impact is when our team and others help people in need and share the love of Christ. Our team has really started to notice a strong change and love within the Calvary Chapel Church.

For this past weekend, out team took the youth group bowling on Friday night. This was good fun with the kids and a blessing to hang out with them away from the church. You should have seen Tanya with her natural bowling style, I think on her second game she scored a 132. Pretty good!

Saturday was a special day for everyone in the church. We were able to go to a local Nursing Home and sing Christmas Carol’s and share the love and news of Jesus Christ with many people who don’t get family coming into visit. We had over 30 people come and be apart of this blessing and it was truly one of the more special times for me personally while on this missions trip. We sang many songs and them spoke and prayed with probably 60 beautiful people. Our prayers for this relationship to grow into a full time ministry opportunity that people from Calvary Chapel can continue and watch the Lord move through the nursing home.

Later that day, Daniel and I (Chris) went and played a serious game of cricket with the men from the church. We had 14 very athletic men that we really into this sport. It was heaps (a lot) of fun and we learned the game that is equivalent to baseball in America. Daniel was a natural batsman and I wasn’t bad at pitching or as the Aussie call it (bowling). Don’t ask us why they call it that? Just think of David Wells when I’m pitching (bowling). The rest of the team went out to dinner with some of the church for a gift exchange. This was a good opportunity to fellowship and build stronger relationships with members of Calvary.

On Sunday, Pastor Des gave a wonderful sermon on Mark 5. It really spoke to many people in church. After the service, the whole team were invited back to Pastor Des’s home for a real, authentic Barbie. Throw some shrimp on the Barbie, Mate! We ate and ate and it was a special time to reflect on what God has been doing for us all and in the church since our arrival of 30 days ago.

Thank you all for your continued prayers for us, the church, and for the youth of Australia. We know your all praying for us and we thank you for team.

Please pray for the following:

• God will bless our last week here in the schools and withsouls being saved
• The Church will continue to seek after God and all his provision with unity
• Our team will continue to be lead by the Holy Spirit in everything we do
• Safety and smoothness with our travel back to the US on Dec. 15th

Every day when we go into the scripture classes, its a unique experience. Every class is different, even when we cover the same material. In most of the classes at Model Farms we've been continuing to share from the story of the Firey Furnace from Daniel, as it has been well received and given us good launching pad to discuss some important topics with them such as that miracles like that still happen today (we gave examples from our lives and the lives of people we know), doing the right thing even in the face of opposition in the form of peer pressure, and why perhaps God might sometimes rescue, but in other cases allow someone to die. Its not an issue of whether God is capable, and that's a huge message to these kids.

One thing that has worked well was something Daniel started to do in a couple of the classes, if the kids were disruptive, he'd pick out the most disruptive kid to "be" King Nebuchadnezzar in the story. "King Nebuchadnezzar, you're supposed to be mad right now" and have them get actively involved in the story. The kids loved that. Though in a number of the classes, the kids were just so amazingly attentive we didn't have to reign in their focus.

They have definitely been listening to our message, and asking lots of highly relevant questions. In several of the classes in the past couple days we've been asked whether drinking or smoking marijuana are sins. These are the kind of issues many of the kids are facing around them. It was a great opportunity to share with them about temptation and being enslaved to snares of the flesh, versus the freedom in Christ. The idea that the kind of fun God wants them to have doesn't have negative concequences like hangovers was one we presented to them.

Other kids wanted to know why having pre-marital sex is wrong--and its quite a change of paradigm for the kids to answer that one from a perspective that isn't "because God doesn't want you to have any fun" but from the perspective of God wanting good things for them, wanting to spare them pain and suffering, wanting them to enjoy sex the way he designed it (in marriage), rather than letting ourselves lie to ourselves that we "know better" than God how his design should work. Physical union is designed to bring people together as "one flesh"--tearing that apart is very painful and has a lot more concequences relationally than a lot of 13 year olds realize.

After one of the classes today one of the boys in the class approached me to say he'd made a mistake and stolen something last week (he had gotten caught), and he felt really broken up over it, he knew it was a bad thing to do, and felt so bad about the poor choice he'd made. It was such a blessing to be able to share with him what the bible says about repentance and God's forgiveness.

In one of the other classes today another boy asked to receive Christ and didn't seem to mind if some of his classmates might have been watching when Diana and John prayed for him in the front of the room. Every kid we've encountered is really special and God has a unique heart for them, and we could see a lot of unique struggles and successes.

As we say goodbye to the classes when we find its the last time we'll be seeing them, the kids were sad to see us leaving and were hoping we might come back next year.

Every week we've had a number of "practical ministry" service projects worked into our schedule. Tanya and Lia cleaned Pauline's kitchen Wednesday. Thursday the entire team is at Paul's house re-painting a few of the walls. Other service projects have ranged from baby-sitting to yard-work for many of the different members of the church at Calvary Chapel Sydney.

A lot of those people didn't want to ask for help. Culturally, Australians don't like to ask for help. They'll tell you "no, no, that's alright" if you ask them if you offer assistance. It took a bit of persistence on our part for the doors to be open for serving in practical ways. It requires a bit of humility sometimes to admit when we really can't do everything on our own and we do need the body of Christ around us.

But the thing we've noticed, both here and on our mission trip last semester to Poland, is that the service projects consistently have ons of the most profound impacts on the church as a whole. So many churches its just the case its just not something people think about, when people haven't experienced love expressed in that way its so easy to be hesitant about the idea of helping someone else in like manner. But after seeing the positive impact its had on the church, Des, the senior pastor, now wants to incorporate a service component into the upcoming addition of home-groups at the church.

The benefits are multi-faceted. Not only are individuals blessed with accomplishing something they might not have the time, energy, or capability of doing on their own, but the time spent helping creates opportunities for fellowship and getting to know others in the church. We even heard one story about how Pauline used the girls coming over to clean her kitchen as an evangelism opportunity at work.

Tanya shared a devotion with us at the Wednesday night church prayer meeting about receiving the blessings of God. I asked if she would recap a little of what was on her heart that night for those of you reading the blog who weren't able to make the prayer meeting:

From what God has shown me (Tanya) here in Australia, there is a real need for the love of God to be practically lived out, and God had been stir this in my heart for a while. I would see a lot of needs and see that these needs could be filled by the team while we are here. My hope and desire is that as the team is living the love of God, it can be a great witness for the church and that they too would be encouraged to serve one another. Just as the scripture says in Galatians 5:13-14 and Galatians 6:10:

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." -Galatians 5:13-14

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. -Galatians 6:10

These two verses are great book ends in the book of Galatians, and within those verses are some really soul searching verses and Paul just beautifully wraps things up. I have been really touched and moved by what God is doing for the Molteno family and others, to let them be helped and assisted as this is the definition of what it is to "through love serve one another." And through it all, the greatest blessing was to be able to get to know and build relationships with these families.

Thank you to the families for allowing us into your house and into your hearts.

The past three days we've been sending teams over to Paul's house after our schools outreaches to paint two of the rooms in his house.

The difference is dramatic on the half-painted wall

Uploading photos for the Blog (Paul in background)

You can kind of see the painting in the background