Jumping in

Hey everybody! This is probably going to be super short, but I just wanted to say hey, I'm in Zambia, and I delivered my first baby on October 9th! She was wonderfully healthy and beautiful, see here :)

I don't get on the internet very often, but here's a little rundown of what has been going on. Every weekday we cram in a bus and go to The University Training Hospital, about 20 minutes away from the compound where we're staying (but with traffic about an hour). We split up into groups and rotate each day between the labour ward, admissions, and antenatal/postnatal. There are also teams each day that go to a smaller clinic to work with the midwives there, and also to a neighboring village to do teachings for a group of local women! They come out twice a week and are so keen to learn anything and everything healthcare, the basics really, and they in turn go and teach others. It's a beautiful thing! 

Every single day is chalk full of new experiences. Trusting in and relying on an invisible God, whose gentle and capable hands hold all of my questions and doubts and fears and hurts. There have been a lot of those lately, but He is so good. Ive been pondering a lot lately on what it means to be vulnerable, what it means to suffer for His name, and what He wants these next 8 months to look like for me. I'm still asking :).

I'm sorry that's all I can get out for now, but thank you for praying and thinking of me! Bless you!

Grace

No word comes to mind but joy!

Bless the name of the Lord!

I cannot stop thanking God for all He has done for me. He has come through yet again, in an overwhelming way! On Wednesday night our base had "commissioning night" where all the schools who are about to go on outreach are presented and prayed over and commissioned into the nations. Counting in various pledges, I was still in need of $450. My leaders and I had been praying that all of my finances would come in that night. And wouldn't you know it, by the end I was completely covered for outreach fees. God is amazing! What's more, on Friday I discovered I had received an additional $1,613. You know what that means? This girl can get a plane ticket home :). I am so relieved and blessed to not have to fund-raise for that during outreach. God is so good you guys. He has rewarded me beyond measure.

Shout out to that cool guy I know named Derek who sent me a new camera:

Hehe

An Eveleth mother puts twice the amount of chocolates in one box
AND writes in labels identifying what is what.

Some of my lovely house mates on Commissioning Night!

To put a beautiful face to the name:
This is Christa, who I was stuck in Indonesia with for a month!

The past few days have been full of cleaning, packing, checking things off my to-do list (finally), more packing, and writing a bounty of thank you cards to some well-deserving folks -- without whom I wouldn't be writing this celebratory blog post. Thank you so much everyone. Thank you for supporting me and allowing God to work through your obedience to send me off, starting tomorrow! We leave Sunday afternoon. I cannot believe that in just a few days we will be in the hospital. Yesterday we received our paper work for all the births we will be apart of for the next eight months. It's getting a liiitttlle more real now :).

These three months in Perth have been full of growth for me individually, in relationships with others, and with my Creator. There have been times of immense joy and laughter, some heartache, some tears, some intense stretching of my faith, and some seriously incredible breakthrough. Jesus is so amazing. If you don't know Him yet, I really recommend doing that as soon as possible. Because He is awesome and wants to awe you with His love and share some fabulous ideas for your life.

And with that I will sign off for now. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Zambia. Look forward to those stories, my friends. It's gonna be a good one.

Lots of love,
Grace

A Mending

A mending...of words, of conclusions, of my heart.

Here I am, to update you all on finances yet again. 12 days ago I wrote and said that I had more than the money that I needed. But, it has become apparent that there was a mistake in accounts and the number that they had for me was incorrect (the number they had for me to begin with was too low). So, that means that I am still in need of $1,619 AUD before we leave on Sunday afternoon. I have a few friends who have pledged money, but other than that I am not sure of the "who" part of where this money will come from. It was definitely disappointing news to receive! Mostly because I wanted everyone to see the testimony of God's provision against all odds. However, this little mix up does not change who God is! It does not change the fact that He is faithful. I feel uncomfortable sharing about this situation, not because I myself am embarrassed, but because I don't want it to reflect badly on YWAM, or even on God. That said, I realize I am to simply be open and up front about this and not take responsibility for the opinions or reactions of others. In one sense I feel confused, wondering why this would happen and combatting feelings of "left-outedness." But I know that God has not overlooked me, and He will not fail me. I still feel like He spoke, see? I told you I would provide. And obviously that provision does not look like what I thought it did or what I would like it to. I am really, really learning what it means to "not be anxious about anything." Jesus still has the victory! This little hiccup doesn't bother Him in the least. I am choosing to look at this as yet another opportunity to grow personally and also invite even more people to partner with me and sow into the inheritance of giving to the work of the Lord! 

If you feel inclined, the quickest and easiest way to give is through YWAM Perth's website (see link on the right). Just as a side note, if you would prefer to be anonymous even while paying through credit card, that option is available as well. 

So, I wanted to get this out to you and make it clear that there is still ample opportunity for you to send this midwife-in-training in a very physical way to Zambia and India! I am amazed at how much God has provided thus far, and always thankful for your generous giving. It really is so much more than you simply"donating to Grace." You are enabling a group of God-fearing, Jesus-loving women to traipse into the nations as equipped midwives -- hungry to see the gospel spoken into every ear, to see lives transformed for Christ, to see women educated and empowered, to see babies raised to life. Oh man, there is something greater at work. There is something greater in store. I am eager to see more and more of that reality every single day, and I know God will not stop working on our behalf until we get there. 

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:3-6

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 

Philippians 4:10-14

Thanks for listening and loving.
Grace

And the Triumph

Hey everybody! Didn't think you'd hear back from me so soon did ya, eh?? 

We just finished a time of worship and prayer and encouragement and giving as a school, and man! People have been so incredibly generous to me. I've been given to by my classmate's family members for goodness sake! God has been blessing me and affirming me so much today, and I am immensely thankful for that! It is easy to feel downtrodden and anxious as the pressure mounts with our deadline for finances just one day away. Yet God is not distressed, and He says do not be anxious about anything. Tonight He spoke, "I adore you my beautiful and obedient daughter! Are you ready for me to blow your mind? Grace I will not fail you! You are mine! Just trust me." 

I imagine that thought process a child goes through when she jumps off a ledge into the arms of a parent. She knows her Father is trustworthy, He is capable, He is ready and waiting. It is safe in His arms. But still as she leaps off that platform, for a moment she is caught in the rush of a free fall. The ground she stood on before is no longer firm beneath her soles. It's exhilarating and causes her stomach to do a flip. But she knows her Father will catch her. Because He promised. Because He's done it before. Because He loves her.

Throughout this entire week God has been portraying my journey (in regards to finances) through pictures like this. A father and his child. Indeed, a father could simply grant a child's request, no questions asked. Dad, can I have 20 bucks? Yes. Dad, can I spend the night somewhere? Yes. But what is loving? What is caring? I would say that it is more exciting, more growing, more beneficial for the two to work together. It is indeed a journey, and the parent wants to make the most of it for the child. He wants the child to grow and mature in understanding, for the child's heart to be right, and for the two of them to grow closer because of it. That is what this is, folks! God is stretching me immensely during this time and bringing healing into many corners of my heart.

It's been a bit of a bumpy road, as I have been trying to see what this all looks like for me, trying to press into Him deeper, trying to challenge myself to be more proactive and prayerful, trying to just be myself, trying not to try. I have let go of my instinctive need to perform many times. But is it any wonder? A daughter longs to please her father. Daddy, look! Daddy look at me, watch me run, watch me dance, watch me grow. She longs for the attention and the approval of her dad. Yet we serve a God who is unlike any other, who is far greater than we can comprehend. And He says: daughter, look! Look at this rainbow I painted to brighten your day. Look at the wonderful family of people I have created to be your support. See the way I am weaving every circumstance of your life together for your good? Daughter, see how I love you?

Time and time again, I try to do it all on my own. I take burdens onto myself that I was not meant to bear. I complicate the simple and oppose the good. But my Father knows me. I picture yet again a father and his child, and the way he knows how his daughter has habits that are disobedient to him. He told her not to try to balance on that tightrope because he knows that she will fall. But when she does, he simply rushes to her to comfort her and hold her close. He is not thinking of punishment, of why did you do this? how could you, yet again? He knows her. And my Father knows me. He sees the way I can get so "full" of, well, everything. He knows me. I see Him pick me up tenderly, squeeze me tight, and let it all seep out. He just wants me to come to Him, to let Him. He just wants me to look into His face and not at the obstacle before me. He wants me to come to Him as I am, to be real, and to let Him take care of me. 

And how well does He take care of me! He has been providing thousands upon thousands of dollars for me and my classmates. It may not be the how we expect, but He still makes a way. Our total outreach fees cost per person went down by about $900 as there was a change in our outreach schedule. We are no longer able to go to Ethiopia due to issues with our visas and being given permission by the hospital. This was a bit disappointing because we were all growing in anticipation for Ethiopia. But! We will instead be going to Hyderabad, India for 4 months and then to Calcutta for the last 2 months. We will still go to Zambia first, as scheduled, for 2 months. I can't wait!!

Our deadline for finances is September 11th. I have $5,900 AUD left to go. And I know He will do it. So come, let's do this together! Let's see the miraculous and mighty way that our Father provides.

Grace

_________________________________________________________________________________

Okay I just want to update this! I forgot to mention that I saw $525 come in last week just from the walk-a-thon! I went for about 8km. Praise God!

So today is the 11th, and I wanted to let you know that a beloved friend and classmate has purchased all my plane tickets for me!! So that took off about $3,030! What a day. My new total need is $2,600. So close! Anything and everything helps my friends! Thank you so much for all you have been giving :). God wants to see these midwives sent out to the nations. Hallelujah. Bless you all and thank you for praying and partnering with me!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Actually JUST KIDDING, an hour after I wrote this I went to the accountants office to pay in $480. I asked what my new total need was, and he said that as a matter of fact I was $560 OVER what I owed. So somehow in the span of today somebod[ies] paid in the rest of my fees!!!! HE DID IT!!!

Take Wing

Why do I always take the picture with my mug? Well it's a faithful friend anyways I suppose.

Oh hey! Don't know why I'm starting this post with a picture...but I still don't have a camera so it looks like selfies is [are?] all you're gonna get for awhile. Yikes. Anyway, this is me and my tea in a coffee cup with chunky milk (expiry date May 9th...but at YWAM we freeze it, you see) right after I had woken from an almost two hour nap on the classroom floor. I dreamt about making white brownies to the tune of "I Will" by Dean Martin. Don't see a better time to blog than after that!

Here we are, the dawn of September! I had every intention of getting two posts in August. I apologize! I know that most judge themselves by their intentions and others by their actions, and I am certainly sporadic in the realm of updates. Thanks for sticking with me. I pray for consistency!

We are about to begin week 9 of lectures. What! I don't know if it's because I missed the first two weeks or what, but the months have simply zoomed by. Even faster than before. Is that possible? We leave for Zambia on September 29th, a mere four weeks away! We have been taught about being godly midwives, malaria and HIV and diseases in the developing world, prenatal care, nutrition in pregnancy in developing nations, normal labor and delivery, grief, administering drugs, fear of the Lord, administering injections (we all gave each other a practice shot in the stomach and the bum...and survived!), spiritual dynamics of birth, and probably other things I forgot to mention. This week we will be covering postnatal care, breastfeeding, and contraception. Our lecture phase actually goes beyond these three months in Perth; we will have a second, applied lecture phase while in Ethiopia, which will propel us into being a tertiary level school. The learning never stops!

As you may know, I am trusting the Lord for quite a bit of finances before September 11th when our leaders will purchase our tickets. This has been a journey in all respects. I have found that it is not simply an issue of belief; having faith for funds has been stretching me in every way. As I go, issues from the past rise to the surface and bubble over. Not saying that they have overcome me, but I have learned that God gives you opportunities to walk out the areas you have become free from. This can be testing! I am confronted with old thinking and must continually go back to the Word and to what God has spoken to me. When my mind settles down and I am back in the place where God is good, and sovereign, and trustworthy, I can see it clearly. He has called me to complete this school and go as a midwife to the nations. He has met my every need thus far. Sometimes I feel like I'm simply talking the big talk, but the bottom line is, I shan't expect anything less.

Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, 

“Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking... Mark 5:41-42.

My current need is $7,900 AUD. In the flesh I am daunted by this, and I worry and toil and doubt. Yet I feel God leading me not in the opposite direction of "what can I do?" but instead bringing me face to face with the reality of "what has He already done?" Jesus delights to bring the victory when we see none. And right now, the victory is not in my line of vision. But I will look to the horizon, I will look to where my Help comes from, and I will yet trust Him.

Ladies and gents, I bring you Hyde Park. Right down the street from my house.

This Wednesday our school will be putting on our very own walk-a-thon fundraiser at that very park. Every loop around is about 1km. Would you consider sponsoring me? I would be blessed by a one-time donation or by any amount given per/km! And of course, donations for my 8-month outreach will be celebrated by squealing and dancing and most likely weeping by yours truly! The link to donate to me is: https://www.ywamperth.org.au/007/payonline.asp. You can select "student payment," "outreach fees" "Birth Attendant School," for "someone else," then my name "Grace Eveleth." Or, if you prefer, checks can be sent to my parents who will deposit them for me. Let me know if there's any more details I can supply you with, or if you want to know more about anything! I am happy to share more and answer any questions. My email is graceeveleth@gmail.com. Fire away!

I send my love out to each and every one of you. The road has begun to feel slightly long, and I
find myself hungering for the familiarity of home and wishing I could have every laugh, every growth spurt, every birthday, every milestone missed given back to me. But God is good, and I am joyful in the place that He has me. Just know you are thought of fondly, and often :).

Grace

Begin Again

Hi everyone!

I am here now at the base in Perth surrounded by wonderful new friends from the BAS :). After almost 4 weeks in Indonesia, my visa was granted and I received my passport back from immigration on Wednesday and flew out the following day. I arrived here on the night of July 18th. Moved into a chilly house full of warm faces and expectations of the laughter that's to come.

It is so magnificent to finally be here and be learning! The first week back was definitely full on, but as of last Sunday night when I made up the last test, I am officially caught up! Amazingly, there was another girl who also arrived for the BAS on the same day as me, so we were in it together! I am so thankful for that. We completed about three weeks worth of work in one week + weekends. Thanks be to God! Now I am really feeling good, and had a free afternoon to sit here and write to all you lovely people.

My school! There are 21 students and 11 staff (they take shifts for our 8 month outreach).

Since I have been back here, God has shown me again and again how much He wants to take care of me. I realized that I was in faith that He would provide for things like school fees, but I didn't trust Him with the seemingly infinite little details on my shopping list. I was on my own for those. In an intercession time we had, I repented of my unbelief. About an hour later, one of my friends approached me and said that God had spoken to her, and that she would like to buy a coat for me. A few days later someone gave me a notebook to use for class (and it was perfect for me!). I even got given hair ties by one of my housemates. Little tiny things that one could easily disregard, but for me it was that unmistakable whisper of Someone saying: I see. I know. I care. What a kind and tender and attentive Father we have. He is devoted to His children.

I cannot tell you how delightful it is to be together with my school. It is the largest BAS to date, and I must say we have an anointed school! I am not the only student who struggled to make it here, and the enemy is not making it easy for many of us to stay here. There is much opposition, but our God blesses us even in the midst of the battle! He prepares a feast for us in the presence of our foe. I firmly believe that God going to show us favor regardless of the assault. I have already seen God's outstanding provision in my life, and I am confident He will continue to provide. This is where He wants me to be.

As far as lecture fees are concerned, I am able to pay in the roughly $1,100 that I still need. My parents transferred some money to me, and the American dollar is higher than the Aussie dollar right now so that always helps. Woohoo! Your dollar goes further my friends, it is a good time to give :). We have not been given exact numbers for outreach expenses, but it is going to be from $7,000-9,000 AUD. My outreach expenses are due on September 11th. We will stay overseas throughout the entire outreach, going from Zambia (Thanksgiving and Christmas will be interesting!) to Ethiopia to India. There are some other costs that I was made aware of upon my return. I will need to purchase some equipment before we leave, specifically a blood pressure cuff ($30), a stethoscope ($30), thermometer ($12), mosquito net ($25) and also labor room shoes and a nurse's watch. We are also required to have missionary health insurance which costs $514 for 11 months, but with a YWAM Perth discount it comes to $335. Would you be willing to support me for one or more of these expenses? It would be such a blessing to me! I am ever grateful for the finances that keep coming in! And of course I always, always, always covet your prayers. Thank you.

I have immensely enjoyed my lecture content. We are motorin' right through, covering anatomy and physiology, antenatal care and abdominal palpations, malaria, HIV and community development (the doctor who taught us had worked with Mother Teresa in the past!). This week we are going to delve into nutrition and pregnancy in developing nations. I am loving it. But I do really miss home and all the lovely bodies that inhabit it, so, any and every type of mail/ communication is much appreciated :).

Much love,

Grace

In flux

My, my, my, it has been a long time.

Hello again, dear friends and family! I am terribly sorry there has been such a gap in my writing. I really never was any good at this blogging thing. I'm here now because the pressure on my conscience was mounting and I just felt too guilty not to write another day! But please, for redemption's sake, note that in March I posted a record of three (3) times. That's more than the last four months combined! I think during that time I must have been drinking a lot of coffee-flavored sugar milk (my sisters would insist that I don't actually drink coffee). And I haven't had any of that recently.

I am going to go into the rest of my tales from outreach in another post -- fingers crossed -- but, long story short, we went to China and I was not able to access my blog because it is considered a social media site and therefore blocked by the government. Womp :(. I arrived back in Perth on June 15th for a whirlwind week of re-acquanting myself with old friends, debriefing with my school, and an intense, three sessions per day, first time ever missions conference that the entire base was a part of. It was certainly a lot to take in, but God spoke wondrous things that week and allowed me to have a fantastic time with folks I hadn't seen in quite some time.

Also during that week I was scrambling to make plans to leave the country for a bit so that I could apply for a new Australian visa. The cheapest, and, funny enough, the closest place to fly to is Indonesia. Luckily there was a gal who had just completed her second-level school who was in the same boat as me. She had already booked her flight to Bali and had made plans to stay with some Indonesian friends that we know from the base for one week. I asked if I could tag along so I wouldn't have to go anywhere alone, prayed about it, and (after many failed attempts) booked my own ticket. Hallelujah! Many people have gone on said "visa runs" before, and usually end up staying in Bali for about two days. Our flight back home was July 2nd at 6:20am, but we weren't on it...

Unfortunately, things have not been going as smoothly or simply for us. You see, we need to cancel the current visas that we have, which expire at the end of the month, and apply for new visas that will last for the remainder of our time in Australia. Usually the Australian Immigration Embassy gets this done speedily, but we've just had some extra hoops to jump through for whatever reason. We, as well as those at the base in Perth, recognize that we must fight for these visas and spend this time in spiritual warfare. Both of our schools begin on July 7th. Prayers that we make it back in time are much appreciated! It's funny that our Indonesian friends were on the flight and made it back to Perth, and we're still here :). Currently we are staying at the YWAM base in Bali. We are just in the waiting game now! Hopefully our applications are processed quickly and our passports sent back to us soon. Until then, we are making new friends, helping out at the base, and going to the beach which is just across the road. And on this Independence Day spent in Indonesia, we are being rallied together with the three other Americans to have a barbecue. I even heard whispers of buying fireworks. Certainly fun, but I sure do miss home today!!

So, what else can I say in this random little post with no pictures? Oh, about that. My camera broke. On my birthday. For no apparent reason other than that I turned it on. Boo! So besides the ones I have already posted, I have zero photos from outreach. However I have the joy of stealing everyone else's photos via flash drive and hopefully bringing you the best of the best here very soon. And on getting older: how odd it is! Although my face seems to only be growing chubbier with age and I still have the legs of a twelve year old boy -- my feet got wrinklier. It's happening, people!!

I love you all very much. I am yet again so grateful to know that people are praying for me, supporting me, and even asking about me back home. I am doing well. I have enough money to buy a new ticket home and to cover the majority of my lecture phase fees for the BAS. I am still praying and trusting for the rest of those funds to come in, as well as enough for my 8-month outreach beginning in September. Please remember me over here in Indonesia/Australia and maybe even pray about supporting me! In total, my lecture phase fees for the Birth Attendant School will cost $3,960 AUD, and my outreach fees will cost around $7,000-9,000 AUD. Speaking of, I got to hear what our locations are :). We will be spending October to December in Lusaka, Zambia, December to March in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and April to May in Calcutta, India. Whoohoo! I cannot wait to get back to Perth and get into the swing of things again.

Until then, I have some freedom-celebratin' to do.

Grace

With love, from Nepal

Hello loved ones!

Writing to you now from the Himalayan Cafe (where I can get pancakes and virtually uninterrupted internet, a precious commodity) in Kathmandu! Amazingly we only have four more days in the city, then we separate into our three locations around Nepal. Time goes by even faster on outreach! I am always praying for God to help me be present and really absorb all that I can from our short time here. If you know me, you know I tend to live in the future a little bit. Or a lot. But I am surely grateful for what God is doing in my life right now.

View from the roof

I feel like so much of what He has been speaking to me thus far focuses on why I am the way that I am. Being in a large group like this, all doing ministry together, it is easy to compare yourself with others. We have some incredibly gifted people on our team! I so easily slip into thinking that I'm not good enough, I'm not a powerful evangelist, I won't see miracles like they have, I don't have as good of a testimony, I won't share the gospel as well as her, etc. But God has been so patient and loving, and continues to reveal that He created me especially and specifically me. God thought of and designed the way that I connect with people, the way that I show my love, the way that I relate and adapt and live. I've been strengthened and encouraged by His words of truth over my life.

The smog does make way for some gorgeous sunsets. On a very rare occasion we can even
 see the snow-capped Himalayas in the distance!

When we first arrived, I was very hesitant to reach out to others. I've struggled to open up and connect and love on people, even the children next door, because my mind kept saying, "what's the point?" I'm just a foreigner passing through. I don't want to love and then leave like everyone else. Why do they need me when there's others around who have stepped out in love? How I felt weary of short term missions! I long to be in a community, really part of a community. Not just a white Westerner who forms close relationships, who is in intimate friendship with people, and then simply leaves. I want to belong! I want to be a part of a people and see long term change. I want to be known as Grace, a woman who is part of us. I want to share Jesus with my whole life, with the way I live and what I do, with absolutely everything that I am. Going out on evangelism and talking with people for a little bit has been hard for me. I know it is so good, that it is necessary and commanded and fruitful. But I've caught myself desiring full time missions, in fact, not being able to imagine anything different. What! Did I say that? Do I really want that? Man, God is changing my heart big time.

Hey das me

That said, I know I am right where He wants me. So I don't want my changing emotions to dictate my attitude towards what we're doing. Which really is a lot! Our days are full, and it's so good. Once a week we go to a place called Ratna Park -- basically an open dusty area where there's people congregated for reasons unknown/a market that is held there. We come in and draw a crowd immediately. One or two of our smaller teams will put on an open air (drama, testimony, gospel message) and then we mingle and share with people one-on-one. They are so hungry for Jesus! We've seen many people saved and even more healed and touched by the presence of God. The drama that we often do is to the song "Everything" by Lifehouse. I had never seen it before, but it is apparently well known amongst the Christian young-folk. It powerfully displays the message of Jesus without words, and I myself am brought almost to tears every time I watch it.

I have really been challenged during our evangelism times at Ratna Park and at a local university that we visit and also hold open airs at. I often find myself in the middle of a crowd of usually 10-20 men who direct extremely intellectual questions about Christianity at me. Me. One thing I know for certain is that it is the Holy Spirit speaking through me and giving me wisdom, because I somehow always have an answer for them. And they truly ask excellent questions! I am encouraged by that, because it is obvious that they have heard a little bit about what this Jesus thing is, pondered over questions and have been waiting in anticipation for someone to come along and give them the answers that they seek. I often hear "I am confused about _____."I have been in great conversations just explaining how following Christ is different than worshiping up to millions of Hindu gods. So many are stunned by the simple and powerful love of Jesus, the fact that we don't have to work to be "good" or earn grace, and this strange idea of praying to God anytime, anywhere, for anyone, about anything!

We hiked to the highest point in Kathmandu Valley!

On one of our days here we spent the morning waiting on the Lord to see what He would have us do that day. Our team was able to visit a slum near the river in an area of the city called Thamel. We felt that we were supposed to spend our time there just playing with the kids, which we joyfully did with balloons and bubbles and many rounds of Duck, Duck, Goose. My cup was filled because I sat next to a young mother who let me hold her precious baby girl, and even blow raspberries on her sweet tummy. When we left for that day, my mind was overflowing with thoughts about how God might use me in ministry down the road. I guess it was as good of a time as any to clue me in a little on His plans for me! I really haven't known, and still don't fully know, what my future will look like (as far as after the BAS/why He wants me to do that school). But you know how God is, and in His goodness to me and understanding of my curious nature, He brings just a bit of clarity to the blurriness. I love it when the blob of my future begins to take shape. Asdfghjkl. It's all very exciting. I cannot wait to see how these now nebulous plans begin to manifest themselves according to His timing and as He wills to reveal.

We went up so sing praises and proclaim God's promises over this region -- and got a nice
glimpse of His glory shining down!

Well gang I am now going to publish this post, a mere seven days after I started it. Needless to say, I am no longer at the Himalaya cafe. I blame the shifty internet more than my inability to write fast/make sure a draft is saved before exiting the window... But, thus is outreach life. Anyway. I really want to thank you all for continuing to support me, love me, and pray for me. I sorely need it and just hope you know how much I appreciate you! I have remained very healthy thus far (thanks momma), been sleeping well, and enjoying fellowship with my friends during this time, which will be over before I know it! That said, it will most likely be harder for me to write during our three weeks in Biratnagar, but I shall surely try my best! Thank you again for everything you do. Really, truly. Thank you :).

Until next time,
Grace

Emerge

I told you I would write again soon :).

Unbelievably, we are embarking on the next chapter of this whirlwind journey starting tomorrow! We'll fly out around 4:30pm Easter Sunday, have a 12 hour layover in Bangkok, and then arrive in the city of Kathmandu, Nepal. We as a school of 23 students will stay there for 4 weeks, doing mostly evangelism (one-on-one, open airs, dramas, testimonies) but we will also possibly give simple healthcare teachings and participate in homeless ministry and work with the local street children! It will surely be a challenging, yet fruitful time. I am expectant for God to move in a big way while our team is there; we are all ready to give our all, and have heard countless stories of how open the Nepalese people are to the Gospel. Then for our next 3 weeks in Nepal, my smaller outreach team of 9 students will head out for a 16 hour bus ride to the village of Biratnagar, in Southern Nepal just beside the border of India. In this location we will likely be teaching English, performing simple healthcare seminars/administering eye tests and giving out eyeglasses, and working with a children's home. Then we head back to Kathmandu for a day or two, and from there fly out to our second nation! Outreach there will look a little different, but we are planning to work in an orphanage for at least a week, and of course spend ample time at "English corners" to make friends, fellowship, and share Good News with them! We will be in a city of nearly 30 million people, and so many of those souls are hungry for God. What an incredible people and nation!

"Commissioning Night," Compassion DTS 2013 school and leaders!

As we have been preparing our hearts, minds, and suitcases for outreach, I am feeling immensely blessed to have had week 11 of lectures be centered on missions, and week 12 on spiritual warfare. I learned many key things that I know the Lord will use specifically in these next 3 months. So much of missions stems from your heart. Something begins there, and it changes everything. God plants a desire, an image, a nation, an issue of injustice. And you're done in. There's a yearning there -- to be used by God, to be shaped by Him for this purpose, to see circumstances changed and lives transformed in His name. How amazing it is that God trusts us enough to reveal even the tiniest bit of His heart to us, to you, to me. How can I love the lost on my own? How can I feel true compassion, not just human pity for them? I need the love of God to pour out of me for them. I need His heart for people. In this day and age, our hearts have become desensitized by what we see and hear. They grow callous in our chests and hinder us from feeling soft towards the plight of others. One thing that God has spoken to me about outreach/my future is that He will keep my heart soft. In His grace and for His good purpose, He will keep me sensitive and save me from growing cold towards all I see. I am eager and hopeful to see what God reveals to me in these next 3 months and beyond. Being compassionate doesn't just mean having empathy, it means extending hope. My hope is in the Lord, and I am anxious to see how He will use me to reach out to others in hope, in love, in Him.

Thank you so much for supporting me thus far. I cannot believe the first 3 months have come and gone so quickly, but I am completely blessed with the teaching I have received as a firm foundation before we head off to our various destinations. I will keep this updated as much as I can -- we are looking to get to an internet cafe about once a week right now. Please keep me and my team in your prayers, they are much needed and appreciated!! Thank you :).

Much love,
Grace

Metanoia

Hello friends :)

We are ushering in the autumn weather here in Perth! Kooky, isn't it? It feels like yesterday that people were exclaiming that the summer temperatures had finally arrived (like a nice and sultry 106 degrees) and now suddenly it's 75 and I'm clinging to a hot cup of coffee. No seriously I am. Right now. But I suppose three months have come and gone in the blink of an eye, and our beloved summer has called it quits.

I just need to say that I thoroughly enjoy living in such a multicultural community. But it has caused my vocabulary to shrink significantly. My words have gone to muck. I can never think of just the right word that I'm looking for, and thus am forced to settle for a sub-par word. Or, on many occasions, use a completely incorrect or even a fake (yes, fake) word. One time I was trying to use the word repertoire, and got a little mixed up and said reservoir. I also just spelled both of those words incorrectly. And just today I said "I should've grabben that" instead of grabbed. Gasp! I will say, I love the ESL's here. Love 'em. But really, I mean do you all know how much I depend on thesaurus.com? I always have, but now I am completely helpless.

So, where were we? Week 8's topic was evangelism. I knew going into it that it would be challenging for me (we go into the city every Thursday night to evangelize and it hasn't exactly been the highlight of my week, heh) but I also knew that God was going to shift my opinions and shake me out of my comfort zone. Metanoia is Greek for "change your thinking." Ultimately, evangelism is about relating to people. It's about inspiring others to know and love God. It's about finding out where the bridges have collapsed in their lives and rebuilding them so that they can reconnect with God. But what intimidated me the most was feeling like I would have no way to relate to people. Would we have anything in common? I have always doubted the power of my own testimony. And what exactly is a "testimony?" Any encounter with God that results in a change of thinking, attitude, behavior or circumstance. It was incredibly freeing to hear that the strength of your testimony is not associated with the type of sin you were caught in. The power is in God alone, who He is and what He has done! I once was lost but now I'm found. I have something relevant to say to everyone I encounter, and that may look different for each person I speak with, but as long as I am vulnerable and open, points of connection will reveal themselves. God really spoke to me through the question "Do you think I require perfection to show them what I'm like?" He only requires faithfulness. He delights to work through us, even in the midst of our human messiness. Yeah, that's pretty cool.

Ope, I don't have any pictures to make this post interesting...

Week 9 of lectures was on the fear of the Lord. This was an extremely enlightening week for me, it covered just about everything and was spot on. I'm looking at my notes and feeling all perturbed because I have to pick and choose what gets to be in the blog. But I think what stands out in my mind from that week is the fact that I had a really hard time hearing God's voice. I couldn't figure out what might've been standing in the way. I had had it in my mind that this would be a big week for me, I was anxious to see what God would do and I thought by the time we had application on Friday I would be transformed! I was expecting breakthrough. Why wasn't God saying anything to me? By the end of the week I was really desperate. I was on my knees crying out to God. Because I missed Him. Because I love Him. Because if I'm in a place where I can't hear Him speak, it is a scary place indeed. I didn't know what the problem was. But I feel like God was really challenging me that week. Would I seek Him out? Would I not settle for nothing? Did I depend on Him? And I don't think I had been. I realized that I was seeking out quick changes; I was waiting to be handed revelation on a platter. It's interesting to go through my notes now and see sentences like "It's not enough to know that Jesus can breakthrough in a particular area. Pray! Have relationship with Him. No shortcuts," and "We don't grow from abrupt and sudden changes. We grow slowly, change is a process, and we develop through relationship." Oh. Maybe He was speaking.

Week 10's topic was relationships. Of all kinds. It's interesting to think about how relationship isn't something created -- it was always there. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect love, perfect unity, perfect relationship. We come out of the excess love of that relationship, and it's the foundation for everything that we do. Again and again we come back to the fact that God is relational. I mean why are we here on the earth? Why doesn't God just fix everything and make it all perfect? Because He wants to work together! He wants to show His love to the world, and He wants to work alongside us to reach that goal. Would a person fully understand the love of an invisible God without another to show it to her in the physical? Even if she saw miracles with her own eyes, would that create belief? Faith is not produced through miraculous signs (the Israelites proved that much). Faith comes from a repentant heart. It comes from being confronted with the reality of our separation, and our need for a Way to be made to have relationship with God, and also with one another. We are created for relationship. And as I go out and do my best to help meet people's physical needs, I cannot ever forget that what they truly long for is relationship. Good shtuff! At the end of this week, God spoke to me out of Hebrews 12:

"You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them . . .  But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks . . . Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'”

What can I add to that??

Well folks, I think that's about all for this post. But I will be writing again soon and very soon to cover the last two weeks of lectures (we only have one more week to go!) and give you the details for my outreach! So keep checking. It really will be soon this time. We fly out Easter Sunday :).

Hi


(note: this is not the cup of coffee referenced in paragraph one. This is a different day. Blogging takes like 2 days. And lots of coffee).

Dat's me. Okay. Bye now!

Exposure

G'day everyone! 

Sorry my posts are so few and far in between; I have been daunted by this one because I have much to share about what I've learned. So beware!

Week 6 covered the Father heart of God. Yes. That is why it is going to take me awhile! This week was definitely the most influential for me personally. It exposed every lie I have believed about God's thoughts towards me. During the week's teaching, I found myself feeling a little confused, my mind was cloudy and I was trying to connect the dots and make sense of what I was hearing. I'm not sure I was really able to do that. I can't even pick out phrases from my notes to share with you! But I do know the truths that God has spoken over me. On the Friday of "application" all the wrinkles in my mind were smoothed. The seams I had sewn so tightly began to unravel. 

I am coming undone, and it's a beautiful thing my friends.

If you know me, you probably know at least a bit about the struggles I keep coming back to. For quite some time I have been trying to reconcile this God who wants to give me good things, to bless me and fulfill me, yet requires me to deny myself and take up my cross. No pun intended, I used to get really hung up on that one. I thought I had to forsake everything that I really wanted if I was to please Him. I think a lot of what caused my troubles was this whole belief that says "Jesus just wants to make you happy! Jesus wants you to do whatever makes you happy. He will give you the desires of your heart (aka whatever you want that makes you happy)." And no, I am not saying Jesus doesn't want me or you to be happy. He does. But His ultimate design is not for me to do whatever pleases me in this life. He created me to be in relationship with Him, to love Him and therefore obey Him. And I want to do that more than anything. But what I have come to realize is that I can get really focused on a certain thing. For example, I would constantly be wondering what was "the next thing," what must I do, what must I give up? So, on that note, I'll share a tidbit of what was prayed over me:

"Sometimes you get into ruts, going back to the same things you've gone through in life. The Father says you are already accepted and you don't have to do things to grasp it. Relax my love. God never gets frustrated with us. It is not a heavy job, it is complete focus on the day; it is not a task and we can never be perfect until the day we meet Him . . . Just be available, that's all He wants. Don't try and push through things you 'think' you have to do . . . You can't fall, you are safe in Him. No more striving or having to be good enough or 'what do I have to do next.' My grace is sufficient . . . If you stumble, Jesus is not disappointed in you, He will pull you back on track, there is no way you could fall off His path. His plans will bring you joy and He will send you to a place of fulfillment . . . God is a God of patience and grace, He wants to champion you, He doesn't want to give you things and then take them away. He wants to give you the desires of your heart."

And there's more good stuff. But I'll leave it at that :). Before the older gentleman prayed over me (well it was Father Heart of God week), I explained what I had been battling with and what I was fearful of. I found myself speaking out that I had been putting the chains on myself. It was I who picked up the burden time and time again. Jesus came to free us, the work is done, He is victorious, we are free and adopted and accepted in the beloved. I am eternally embraced by the Father. Can it get any better?

Whew! Okay, slight change of direction. Immediately after this we partook in "slum survivor" weekend, which is something the Compassion DTS students participate in every year. We set off into the Australian bush with only the clothes on our backs to, as best as we could, parallel what life looks like for one billion people in the world. We split up into our three smaller outreach teams and built slums out of cardboard, some garbage bags, and various tree branches (to waterproof it). We were given a dinner meal of rice and lentils on Saturday night, and ate that again on Sunday morning. We had a limited supply of water that we kept in a bucket outside of our slum. We also participated in these fun little "challenges" where food was awarded to the winning team. We had relay races and played a soccer tournament with a ball that we made out of newspaper and pinecones. My team never won. But luckily the teams who did win were gracious and shared their booty with us :). 

The good-lookin team China.

It was an incredibly humbling and eye-opening experience. We learned that 90% of people who live in cities in Ethiopia live in slums. And I can't remember the name of it, but somewhere there is a city that has only two toilets for 28,000 people. I have more than that in my home. Lord! Where is the justice for these people? May I not stop up my ears to the case of the slum dweller. May I not take pity on them, only to return to the luxuries and comforts of home. And can I help it? It is "what I was born into." We all know that there are more than enough resources on this good earth, more than enough money, more than enough people to help. Where are they? Where am I? We had a lot of time of intercession on behalf of the people living in slums, and also for Christians to be sent out to live and work among them. Who knows? It could be me. Could be you. Jesus is looking for us. Are we willing?

We are also fierce.

And proud of our slum. It was the best of them all. It withstood the phony rain and wind tests like a champ.

Inside our slum! I slept on the cardboard with a blanket. It was kind of a long night.

Next came week 7, which was on lordship. I was a little scared to get into this topic after all the breakthrough I experienced during Father heart of God week. I thought my thinking would turn to the old ways. But God is gracious! It was a challenging week to be sure, but it was good. You get confronted with a lot of tough questions. Is Jesus the Lord of my attitude? Is He Lord over how I respond under pressure? What are the idols in my life, what do I turn to for comfort, what would I disobey God for? What "rights" am I holding onto? I learned that we cannot allow what we think of as our personal needs to Lord us over loving others. Yes, I can say that God made me an introvert. But He didn't make me selfish. So when we die to ourselves, to our "rights," His grace will be released to us! He will grant me the solitude that I desire. He just wants me to relinquish my hold on it first, that's all. When He confronts us with sin, His first response is always graciousness. How can I not trust Him? How can I treat Him like my personal Jesus, to pull out whenever it suits me? How can I not give Him all? I cannot afford to not have Jesus on the throne as Lord over my life. But especially for me, it is important to remember that it's not about striving or being perfect. It's not about hyper-religious activity. It's understanding that God is a consuming fire, and He has the divine right to my life. His intentions, His motives, His purposes for me are good. He is not setting me up to fail. He created me because it pleased Him so. Can I say "aw" without it being cheesy? Because, seriously, aw, God! You are too good. All I need to do is unclench my own fists and accept the fullness of His embrace, withholding nothing. It is surely worth it.

Man, I sure do hope you guys want to hear all this stuff. Now for an update on finances. My expenses, including airfare, accommodation, food, and visa for Nepal and China will be roughly $4,100 AUD. Just this past weekend, our school put on a "sausage sizzler" (aka hot dog stand) and a car wash to raise funds. We made over $2,000 in one day! Many students in my school are still trusting God for all of their outreach fees. On March 5th, we will be participating in a 12 kilometer walk-a-thon around Lake Monger here in Perth to raise money to cover our expenses and be sent to the nations! Would you be willing to pledge to support me in this, either one-time or per/km? 

I have already been blown away by the generosity of my supporters, and I am trusting that God will bring in the rest of our fees, possibly through some of you lovely people! If you would like more information, I'd be happy to give it! If you would like to donate online, you can do so here. Thank you so much for investing in my life in this way, I really would not be here without you. Really.

If you're still awake after all that, and made it all the way down here, I salute you. Thanks for loving me and caring about my goings-on. Blessin's on ya, blessin's on ALL of ya :)

Grace

Re-learn

Hiya folks!

I hope the snow is treating you kindly at home, the forecast this week is in the 100s here in sunshiny Perth! :)

The beach here. Just sayin'.

Can I just start this off by saying how strange it is getting older? I am so accustomed to being the youngest one in the room, whether that's from being the last kid in the family or what I don't know. And now I have leaders who are younger than me! It is such a bizarre sensation. Most of the people here guess my age to be around 17 or 18. I've gotten a couple 16s as well. I know. I know. -_-

It is so hard to believe that it's been 3 weeks since I posted last (I'll try to get better) and we are beginning our 6th week of lectures tomorrow! That will be the halfway point between leaving for outreach! Speaking of, I now have details of where we'll be going! We found out that for the first 7 weeks of outreach, we as a school of 23 students will be going to Nepal together! And for the next 4 weeks, we will be splitting up into three teams. Our options were India, Cambodia, or China. I prayed about it, and ze answer is:

Not my picture, but here's a caption anyways.

Whoop! It's so exciting! Since it is a closed nation, I need to be cautious of what I say over the internet. Another time I will give you more details on what we'll be doing in these two beautiful countries.

God has been bringing up so much in my life these past few weeks. Week three of lectures was on repentance and forgiveness, and let me tell you it was a heavy week! The teaching was so solid, but I definitely felt the weight of my sin. But during that time I learned an incredible amount about God's character. He has given us conviction as a gift, and when we recognize that and repent (not just the "I'm sorry, God," like I used to, but truly turning from sin and to God) it leads us to freedom and wholeness. And the great thing about God is that when He convicts us, it is specific. He is not that "you are such a horrible person" or "why do you mess up all the time" voice. Nope, that's someone else. And it is a beautiful, beautiful thing that we don't have to live in the bitterness of unforgiveness. Forgiveness is so powerful, so freeing, so simple. Not easy, but simple. Thank God for that. At the end of the week, we had a time of "application," where for about 10 total hours the entire class repented one by one, prayed with our leaders, and was forgiven. We nailed it all to the cross, literally, and left it there. Such immense joy and freedom from bondage that many had been living in for years. It was powerful!

Random picture I took at the beach one evening, to break up the text and keep you interested.

Week four of lectures covered worship and intercession. I went into the week excited for worship and not for intercession, haha. But I ended up being convicted and learning a bunch on both accounts, especially in the area of corporate prayer and worship. I had never realized how often I went into those times as if they were only for me and God. What would God say to me about me. I missed that whole corporate thing. I think a lot of this stems from our culture's greediness to receive, and my own ignorance of what God is doing within the body and how we can spur one another on as the Spirit leads. Also a fun little tidbit that I learned, there is no such thing as so and so being an intercessor and me not being one. We are all called to be intercessors. No cop outs for Grace. But I'm learning! 

Taken on Australia Day in the city, just because they're palm trees.

And finally, week five of lectures was on authority and submission. I was wary of this topic for various reasons, but I figured I had "most of it down" because I don't usually find myself having issues with my leaders, or with being obedient. But as I have found out, there is aaaalways much to learn :). I welcomed the fact that the tone of the week was not burdening, but enlightening to me. To learn why God has set up structures of authority in our lives for our good, and how rebellion, whether outward or inward, tears at that fabric and opens the door for the enemy. I never realized what my silent complaints and criticisms against leaders were doing to my heart. Or my not so silent ones, for that matter. We have allowed ourselves to feel like we have the right, and even the duty, to critique our leaders. We go to the movie theater, and when it's done, "well that was good, except for that one part, and why did the director choose him, and I couldn't believe it when --." We go to church, and when we reach the safety of our cars, it's "he's preached on that three times already this year, and I hate the way he paces back and forth, and the way she sings that chorus, and my old church did it like this and it was so much better, and and and --." And this is not okay! Yet we do it all the time. I never realized how little respect I can actually hold for someone who is in a position of authority over me. I can be obedient, yes. But there difference is between obedience and submission. It is possible to to obey an authority without being submitted to them. Kooky, isn't it? Continually praying for the fear of the Lord in the area of submission, so that I can see it as He does. God gave me so much revelation this past week, but I'll stop typing there :).

Perth skyline as viewed from King's Park, the largest inner city park in the world!

Whew. Have you guys had enough yet? I'm pooped just typing this much up, and I bet you are reading it too! But hey, I'll just throw it in here that we had an open mic night here at the base, and I can't even believe it, but I sang in it with a friend of mine from Norway :). If you feel so inclined, have a listen. I apologize for the background noise, but maybe it will help cover up the nervousness in my voice! 

Actually it won't. I've listened to it like 10 times. And you can definitely tell I was nervous. 

Ah well. 

Much love!

Ze Beginning!

Hello loved ones!

As I'm sure you know, I'm not the most keen on blogging; I made no promises to blog before I left (although I figured it was inevitable). Turns out, as a part of my Discipleship Training School we are required to keep supporters/family/friends updated, and this is the easiest way for me to do that! So alas, here I am again.

Let's get started with the basics! Currently I am living in the city of Perth, Western Australia, to complete training with the international missions organization called Youth With A Mission (YWAM, pronounced "why-wham"). I am a part of a Discipleship Training School (DTS) called "Compassion," as it centers on how we can practically aid the needy in areas where injustice prevails. My schooling will consist of 12 weeks of excellent teaching here at the base in Perth -- learning exactly who God is, how to hear His voice, and respond to Him. Then we set off in teams to various nations for the next 12 weeks to apply all we've learned of His character and personal calling on each of our lives. See here to learn more!

City of Perth

Lord willing, after I complete my six-month DTS I will be staying in Perth to continue my training. I would like to attend the Birth Attendant School that is based here, and it starts just about a week after I finish my DTS! It consists of three months of class instruction at the base and eight months of outreach in developing countries. My schooling will equip me in basic midwifery skills and take me across the nations to the oppressed and needy, to deliver babies in Jesus' name -- I am so passionate about this! God is so tender, and His heart breaks for these precious infants! See here.

City to the left, YWAM base on the right

The first two weeks of my DTS have now come to an end! I have spent much time getting acclimated to the base, learning lots (lots) of new names -- did I mention YWAM Perth is the 2nd largest base in the world, next only to their base in Kona, Hawaii where YWAM was founded? Who knew!

YWAM Perth base!

Anyway, week one of lectures focused on hearing the voice of God and having daily, set apart personal time with Him. How amazing that God is initiating conversation with us. All throughout the Bible, and in our own lives, He has proven that He is pursuing us. And He is continually speaking! Whether I "hear" Him or not, He is speaking. He will not withhold Himself from me when I seek Him, He will not just be silent in everyday revelation. The God of the universe. Ravenous to commune with little humans. !?!!!?!

Week two of lectures centered on the nature and character of God. Woof. Can I just type out all of my notes? It's so good. God is all-knowing, and He is knowable! One thing that really struck me is that as an all-knowing God, He knows what is best for me. And I know it sounds cliche, and I know I could repeat it all day, but it's true. Yet I haven't been living like that. I like to tell God about MY perfect plans for my life. I have been holding back from Him because I've been afraid that He will lead me into some difficult, misery-stricken life where I don't get anything that I want. I've been content to serve Him half-heartedly, secretly hoping that if I gave Him this time in my life, if I did all this "good stuff" for Him right now, He would just let me come home to my reward. I've been selfish! How can I question His motives, how can I think I know better than the Wisest One? He DOES know what is best for me, and He is actively working towards my good. He is faithful. I need to let go. I have such conflicted desires for my future -- part of me wants what I think God wants, and part of me just wants normalcy. I struggle with this whole not knowing how my future will turn out thing. It's very inconvenient.

But God, in His goodness, has spoken that He will knit together His purposes for me. They will be intertwined, tethered together, as one. My divided heart will be mended, my purpose and my pleasure united. Oh, is He good.

I want to end this post (finally, I know) by saying a big thanks for embarking on this journey with me! Whether you have prayed for me or supported me financially, or simply read this post :). I thank you. And thanks be to Jesus, I have paid off my fees for my 12 weeks of lectures! I have a good deal towards my outreach fees as well, but if you would like to support me in that or my costs for the Birth Attendant School this July, you can donate here! You are truly such a blessing to me. And since I will most likely turn into some misshapen Aussie-American, I shall say cheers mate! (I fully expect to return home saying "rubbish" instead of trash and "heaps" instead of tons).

Sup! Comin' atcha right now as I type this. Didn't want anyone to see me cheesin' at my
computer screen. Because if you know me, you know I cheese pretty hard.

Okay bye for real!