Well it’s a beautiful Saturday evening; there’s a wonderful red sunset, silhouetted palm trees, a cool breeze, and good company. I think I could definitely get used to this! It’s been another fantastic week here at YWAM Reef to Outback, and this week definitely had a sense of significance in terms of the group looking forward into the future of our DTS and where it will be taking us in the near future.
We’ve all done a really good job of settling into a routine here. Everyone feels at home, we know where everything can be found, and who everyone is etc. However as soon as we were told our outreach locations and teams on Tuesday, combined with a 2-week camping trip into the Australian bush starting this weekend, that sense of security and normality was pretty much shattered, and now we are all staring the eventful and somewhat frantic future in the face. Everything’s definitely a changing. But I kind of like it. It’s exciting. And it’s a good reminder that we have lots of work to do in ‘making God known’, as we’ve already done a lot of ‘getting to know God’ over the past month.
A lot of people have been asking me what the point of this camping trip is – assuming that it’s nothing but a holiday. I’m not going to lie, I do intend on having a lot of fun whilst we’re out there, but there is actually a point to it all. I promise?
The DTS will be continuing in the ‘Lecture Phase’ in the outback, it’s pretty similar to how it works here at the base. Well, it’s just that now we have trees instead of walls, soil instead of tiled flooring, logs instead of chairs, guest-kangaroos instead of guest-speakers and unpredictable tropical weather storms instead of cool air conditioning. Why would you have it any other way!?
I don’t know much about the place we’re going, apart from we have no electricity, plenty of hills, rivers that need swimming in, all sorts of wildlife, and a large shed which is where stuff like worship happens. It would also appear that the two weeks of camping have an amazing reputation preceding it. The mixture of amazing natural scenery, incredibly close fellowship, life-changing lectures, spirit led worship, drinking hot chocolate around a bonfire whilst looking at the stars…I can’t wait!
Anyway, a quick update on the week. In lectures we’ve been reading Philemon (which our teacher decided would sound great in a Jamaican accent, rendering the book title ‘filly-mon’), and it’s been incredible. Our lecturer, Jon, walked us through all sorts of bible study techniques, basically teaching us how to: Observe, Interpret, Apply and Proclaim the scripture. My reading of the bible has been totally changed and now I’m really looking forward to get into it a lot more!
With a seamless transition of topic, I have to say goodbye now! We are being kicked out of our internet zone early, which isn’t cool! Well anyway, I wish you all a fantastic two weeks – please fill up my email and facebook inboxes whilst I’m away. I’m missing you all, but trying to pray for you just as much! So take care, and I’ll be in touch in two weeks.
Time to go see if this camping business is quite as fun as everyone is making it out to be.. I’ll let you know!
During the time it’s taken me to write this, the sky…has gone black and we’re now surrounded by a gigantic thunder storm. Man I love it here!
God bless, Matt.
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