!!c-A-i-r-n-S!!

I'm back in Townsville, from Cairns, for a night to do laundry and repack, then my team is headed down to Mackay for five days tomorrow morning.
What an an amazing week!!!! Upon arriving at our "hostel"... oh wait... camp sight in a sketch trailor park (AH), we felt like God most definetly had us there for a reason.
We had heard from past Outreaches and groups that Cairns was a "hard" city to break into with God's love and truth, and upon spending the first evening scouting out the streets, my team began to understand why. This city is one that has been totally overtaken by tourism, consumerism, and... well.. however you want to put it... worldliness?!? Everyone has an agenda... going somewhere, doing something, no time...; if they're not already in deep conversation with their close friends, they're running up and down the streets heading to the next attraction, shopping market, or flippen great barrier reef.
But my team continued to press on and press in, and trust God to break through... and he did! One day we decided to have public worship down at the Esplanade (Cairns' beautiful outdoor, ocean connecting pool)... while doing so, we drew the attention of those around us... but in a good way! Conversations were started... pondering questions were asked... testimonies were shared on a one-on-one basis, and the gospel brough to life.
From that day on,... we would have random people asking us when we were going do "that worship music thingy!? again..." The next day we blessed the backpackers and people of the community with free french toast on the barby down at the pool.... God pointed out a lonely swedish backpacker to me... I obeyed his call and nervously joined her in brekky... turning into a 2 hour conversation about life and God! AMAZing God moment! It was not I speaking but God speaking to her through me.... I was really able to speak truth and love into her life and challenge her in her beliefs causing her to think about making a decision to give her life to Christ NOW... not later...
Anyways! My team became known in the square... people knew who we were, what we believed... just in the way we lived our lives and talked with them and one another. God was moving and his presence was evident!
We met heaps of killer people.... (I swear the whole country of Sweden is backpacking in Australia right now! HAHA!)
Much more happened... and I wish I could share it with you... but I've gotta repack and head to bed. We're headed down to Mackay tomorrow for a week of service, and youth ministry! EXCITING...
I flippen love outreach! It's becoming a way of life... not just a thing we do or a six month program... I am seeing things that I learned durring lecture phase come to life and put into practice... (i.e-hearing God's voice, evident answers to prayer, God's grace and power moving within us, spiritual warfare, intercession....) LAAAAAAAAAA....
Hope all is well... love and miss you all so much.....
(p.s-I GOT to get attacked by six young islanders... and loved every second of it... i then got to spend a whole afternoon dragging these little girls around the Esplenade {pool}... {{sIgH}} so wonderful... )

Note Before Outreach...

Tonight amidst flat cleaning & packing I was looking over lecture notes from the past few months and came across the following quote from "Identity In Christ" week. The follow speaks exactly how I've been thinking, including the thought struggle I've dealt with and then the glorious triumph I have found in Christ alone:

[“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond all measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You’re a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people the right to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -- Nelson Mandela]