The past few months have been extremely crazy. I took a two week course in Newcastle, NSW for training and assessment. Now I have finished the lecture part of the course, but still am working on the on the job bit of the course. I am doing this so that I can sign the documentation for our students on the next school.
I also traveled with the current Beach to Bush to a country town called, Chinchilla. It's BY FAR my favourite place in Australia. The people are super nice, the town is adorable, and God is doing SO much there. While we were there we had lectures on worship by a girl on staff and also on the Holy Spirit by a local pastor. Both were excellent and challenged me tremendously. During our stay there the outreach teams split up into their teams and planned religious instruction classes for ages 10-18.
One session in the highschool the outreach team heading to Saipan performed the life house skit and after they shared a bit about how the skit related to their lives. It was absolutely amazing. I have seen the skit being performed so many times but this time God showed me something completely different. During the part where the main "character" if you will is kneeling on the ground and "Jesus" is holding back all of the temptations and struggles the main character has experience it hit me that that is what we as leaders are supposed to do. We are supposed to fight battles that aren't our so that the ones we are leading can rest. Jesus took the shame, guilt, and sin and FOREVER cleansed us. He held back all the temptations, struggles, and lies that we have ever faced so that we can sit, untouched, rested and choose what we will follow...the crap...or Jesus.
link for the skit...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3WBvbLDMmI
This season on the centre is a quite one...the Sports and Beach to Bush DTS's are on the road with the running tour and will shortly be leaving for overseas missions. We have taken advantage of only 20 people being on the property to do a little renovation! We have redone the staff room, the library, the cleaning closet, and a few yellow walls in the kitchen! There is also a team of people working on painting the outside of the building. (currently the bottom half is white and the top half is yellow...why was someone obsessed with painting things yellow?!?!) It's been quite some time that it's been needing to get done so it's good that we have a group of motivated and dedicated people who can carry out these work projects.
In the up coming few weeks the new staff will be arriving in Australia to start staff training. We have 5 weeks before the school starts and then it's a full 6 months from there. Our school is currently 10 staff and 16 students. We are praying for 25 students. (please join in on this and tell anyone/everyone to come to australia to do the beach to bush DTS!!) I am EXTREMELY excited about the upcoming school, staff team, and journey God has me on personally.
Last school was all about fighting to be open, sharing with people, and getting through the day...this year I feel like he wants me to go deeper, trust him more, and pour hardcore into others. I cannot even begin to explain the healing and excitement Jesus brings to my life. I feel different. People say that they can see the difference in my eyes and face of how much I am in love with Jesus. I believed them but one day....
I was walking in the grocery store and as I was passing the cheese a man who was in conversation with what appeared to be his son stopped mid sentence and stared as I walked by. For some reason I wasn't creeped out by this obvious action because I just knew he wasn't checking me out. I didn't think much about it and went to find my lost roommate. When we were using the self checkout the same man approached me and said "don't take it weird if I tell you that your face just beams. You passed me in the fridge section and I couldn't help but notice that your face is beaming. It's like you are glowing! I just had to look." I just stood and listened and thanked him...but as I walked out I realised that he had just seen Jesus through me. It was such a cool thing to experience.
This has been a random post but I wanted to let you all know I am still alive, enjoying life in this mission, and learning daily from Jesus!
I miss you all!
Shannon
P.S. I had a fun outing for my birthday with a few close friends. We went out for chips and frosting! I ate the whole tub of chocolate frosting...never again! (:
