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July 2020 Update


Hi friends! Wow what a crazy season it has been!! Last week I completed the Bible course that I was doing. In 3 months we read the entire Bible and studied in depth 15 books. It was a very intense course, but was honestly one of the best, most beneficial things I have ever done. I grew so much in my understanding of the Bible, but even more so, in my understanding of who God is.

This has been a season of growth and many many changes. Things here in Perth are constantly changing with regards to isolation and restrictions. At the start of the school we were only allowed to see one other person at a time and it had to be a meeting "for exercise purposes", now basically all restrictions have been lifted. I got an email while writing this that we are going back to having all of our meals together at the same time (we have had meal "shifts" to have less people at a time).

These are two of my housemates that did the Bible course with me. We have spent A LOT of time together over the past few months!! Couldn't have asked for better friends and classmates to journey with! :D

This is what class looked like for about half of the time while we were still in isolation. This is just one screen, but there were usually 50+ people on for each class--so crazy!!

This is the best study place we found. Comfy chairs, fireplace, and coffee--so cozy!

Katie's response to going back to base for the first time!!

Here is a look at class once we were allowed to meet again. This was a bit of a dramatic class when we were visited by "an angel", "Moses" and "Melchizedek".

This past week I have taken holiday. It has been a strange change in pace because I haven't really had time off for the last 18 months. This week has been nice to relax a bit and spend time with friends. We have been celebrating the completion of the course and everything God has done in our lives.

One day, we went to a friend's house out in the country and got to play like a bunch of kids on their swings and trampoline.

Keeley and I went to the beach for a picnic one day :)

A lovely girl's night out for noodles :)

This is the crew that I cleaned base with every week. We decided that we should hang out and do something fun after the school was over.

New Things Here at YWAM Perth:

A few weeks ago, the base leader, Shirl was speaking during our weekly staff meeting. The word that she brought was centered around the scripture 1 Chronicles 14:8-17. She was talking about the battle that we face against the enemy; that we have a real enemy and our responsibility is to listen and obey, to stop doubting and believe, to bind up discouragement, and to live in victory. Here are some quotes from Shirl that day:

"We have a lack of vision because we avoid the cross"

"The enemy promises the world, and if that doesn't work, he reminds us that we failed. He tells us that Jesus won't be pleased with us"

"The enemy uses elements of the truth, we have to combat it with absolute truth"

"Don't be nice, be a warrior--win battles for Jesus"

Wow, I don't know about you, but after listening to this message I felt convicted, challenged, and encouraged. She was encouraging us to be people that know we have an enemy and rise up to fight. To fight against apathy, to fight against pride, to fight against discouragement and to take the victory with and for Christ.

Testimony Time:

I think the main thing that I learned during those three months is how incredibly loving God is and that he is loving all the time, no exceptions. That is a hard statement. There are many parts of the Bible that talk about God's anger and wrath and it can be easy to look at those scriptures and draw conclusions about God's character. But, if you look closer, surrounding and encompassing each of those scriptures are verses and chapters and books describing God's patience, kindness, compassion, and love. In Exodus 34 verse 6, God tells Moses who he is, he says about himself, "Yahweh! the Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness". This is the heartbeat of the whole Bible, not just the gospels, not just the New Testament, but the entire Bible is filled with this God. This compassionate, merciful, loving God.

I definitely haven't already always seen God this way and I think that I have struggled with trusting God fully because I didn't really understand his love or his judgement. Sometimes when the God we read about seems confusing or contradictory, the easiest thing to do is close the Bible and walk away. Then, after some time, we come back and start reading something that feels "safe". I have definitely done this before, but living like this doesn't lead to any growth. Reading through scriptures and asking the hard questions, and then digging into discovery and listening for God's answers--that is what bring transformation. I honestly have so so much more to learn and discover but these last few months have taught me so much and made me fall more in love with Jesus, which is what it is all about, right?

Prayer Requests:

Please be praying for me as I go back into ministry this week. I haven't been in "normal ministry" for almost a year because I staffed a school from October last year to March this year and then was in quarantine and started the Bible course in May. I'm really excited to get back to it, but it will be quite a change.

Please be praying for safety for the YWAM buildings here, there has been a break-in and several attempted break-ins recently.

Please be praying as we keep reaching out to people in the city and are trying to make connections in local churches that God will continue to open doors and opportunities for ministry here in Perth.

Thank you Thank you Thank you

Thank you all so much for your support, both financial, emotional, and spiritual. I am so appreciative for you all and honestly could not thank you enough.

If there is anything you want prayer for, please reach out to me, I would love to be praying for you!! :)

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