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."
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| Getting ready to go to Thailand |
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| Cambodia team's abode for the next 3 weeks (how I miss you!) |
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| Battambang, Cambodia |
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| Thailand team worshipping |
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| Thailand teams during orientation |
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| Team Red Curry (Thailand team) |
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| 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!
