We're in our last week of outreach in a town called Mount Isa....a mining town.

I don't have time to write much but I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm alive and well since my last post. I'll be getting back to the base in a week so I will post a big update when I have easily accessible internet all the time.


Please pray that our week here will end with a bang! We're helping some people pioneer a YWAM base and Youthstreet program.

number2

Gladstone:
We were in Gladstone for a total of 10 days and they flew by incredibly fast. As soon as we got there, we put on an Auslife training for the local volunteers on Sunday evening (April 20th). We did a total of 5 Auslifes at the different schools on two different topics: Goals/Values and Relationships. As a small group leader, I met some really cool kids and was able to encourage them and challenge them to think for themselves by asking questions about things that really matter. I was amazed at how many kids don’t know anything about God and haven’t even given it a second thought. It’s a blessing to see kids leave the Auslife day with questions of their own and the motivation to seek answers. At the end of the day, we have them fill out a “React” card which gives them an opportunity to write down their comments and check some boxes. At the end of the day, we usually have about 5-10 people check the box that says, “I would like to know more about having a personal relationship with Jesus.” (The chaplains at the school follow up with the students and since we’ve left Gladstone there has been a few that have become Christians.)

I stayed with an incredible couple, Graeme and Lynda Stephens. They have been hosting YWAMers for 12 years in their house. They were such an encouragement to me and I learned a lot by staying with them. For our day off, they took us knee boarding in the river. After knee boarding a couple of us used the surfboard behind the boat. We have some awesome videos of that.

Blackwater: (very small town)

In Blackwater, we stayed with a family who was re-pioneering a church. On Friday we did an Auslife at the highschool in town. It was the smallest Auslife we’d ever done, with about 30 kids in total. With the small group, it ran a lot smoother and we as a team felt like the kids grasped more than some of the other ones. We were supposed to leave on Saturday but instead we decided to stay another night to help them with some yard work. With 14 of us helping, we got a lot done. We probably saved them a couple months of Saturdays in just a short afternoon. (working in the garden made me want to have one of my own)

Because their church is just starting, they only had two people who attended. Those two people weren’t Christians but were going to give the whole “church thing” a try. After church was done, Kathy (the wife) said that she thought one of them became a Christian on that day. God is already starting to grow this church and develop it into a bright light in the community.

Emerald: (Emerald city in the land of Aus : )

In Emerald, we did lots of Religious Education classes in the primary schools. One day we did some yard work at a family’s home because it was damaged by a huge flood that came a few months back. We visited an elderly home and gave some testimonies and sang some old hymns. The SOMM (school of music and missions) stayed with us at the PCYC (basically like the YMCA back home) and it was really nice to touch base with them again. On Saturday the girls went to a garden party at the church to celebrate mother’s day. That was interesting to say the least…women in big hats, weird skits, and a plumb pudding auction.

Now we’re in Longreach. BEAUTIFUL outback town. We’re staying in a sheep sheering quarter with cows, sheep, and kangaroo everywhere! It’s fantastic. On Tuesday and Thursday we did two Auslifes in the school and last night we had a bbq with small group from the church.

Sunsets and Sunrises are out of this world.
More to come<3

LoveLoveLove, Kaitlyn

Current location - Yeppoon

Here's a quick update for you:

Last week we were in Cairns and Pentland. Lots of driving in a 12 passenger van. We were only in Cairns for three days and while we were there we did a lot of evangelism and ministering to the backpackers. We put on a couple free BBQs which were a great way to get conversation flowing. In Pentland (population=400 people) we stayed at a small sports center and put on a two day youth camp. About 10 kids showed and we had a great time showing God's love to them through games, testimonies, and small group sessions.

We arrived in Yeppoon on Saturday night. Since then we've been partnering with the church on a couple of outreach projects. Tomorrow -retirement center, Wednesday - highschool, Thursday - undecided, Friday - Highschool, Saturday - skate park.

-->Right now Helen and I are staying with a lovely couple. It feels so good to finally sleep in a bed agian!

I don't want to stay too long on their computer, so its goodbye for now! Hopefully I'll be able to find an internet cafe where I can type some more in detail.

Love,Love, Love<3

Outreach - rapidly approaching

Only Five More Days till our two month outreach! I don’t feel 100% ready but I know I will be by Saturday. I’m really going to miss it here. The base has become my home away from home. I’ll miss sleeping in my uncomfortable bed, staying up late chatting with my roommates (two of them are on the Vanuatu team), going to base worship and intercession, and doing my work duty as receptionist. But I know that outreach is going to be phenomenal! Our team has really come together and I can see us becoming like a family while we’re out.
--Our first stop is Cairns where we will be ministering to backpackers and doing night evangelism in the markets.
-- Please continue to pray for our outreach time. Finances still need to come in. Team unity still needs to be kindled. I want more of a vision for our time and divine appointments with the people.

Last week was our final week of lectures. Justin Claypool spoke on the topic of missions. It definitely was a challenging week and God really spoke to me through the teachings. I can honestly say that I am ruined for the ordinary. My mindset about life has changed. I know longer need to do what everyone expects me to do or be who everyone expects me to be. God has specific things for me and only me. I don’t want to miss a single opportunity because of fear of man’s opinion.

This week is “Outreach Prep.” We’ll be working on dramas, sermons, testimonies, games, Auslife training, and tons more! I’m preparing a sermon on the topic of “missions.” It will be my first time giving a full-on sermon. I’m excited and nervous all at the same time.

I’m also packing up all my stuff. I’ve accumulated so much while I’ve been here. Books, papers, letters, packages, and more and more clothes. It feels like I should be packing up to go home, but I still have another TWO months!

And that’s about it for now,
-Kaitlyn

ps
Thank you for being part of my great adventure!

lovetheunlovely

Voice in the Dark:
Last night we put on a benefit concert to raise money and awareness of female injustices going on around the world, specifically in Thailand. The money that was raised will go directly to the Tamar Center, an organization that brings prostitutes off the streets and helps them learn life skills so that they can support themselves and their families. The Tamar Center needs $500,000 to build their new center in Pattaya.
Here’s a link to the Tamar Center video:
http://www.ywamthai.org/pattaya/tamar_video.html


Prostitution, human trafficking, and sex slavery, have become issues that have burdened my heart. My heart breaks for the women and young girls who are trapped in these situations with little to no hope. I’ve been reading this 30-day prayer booklet, where there is a personal story on a different issue for each day of the month. It’s opened my eyes and given me a bigger picture of what the world is actually like. It’s not the peachy place I once thought when I was younger. I’m angry, heart broken, and ready to take part in the solution…helping one person at a time.

You can go to this website if you would like to buy a book. It’s only $5 and all the proceeds go to Voice for the Voiceless cause.
http://www.voiceforthevoiceless.com.au/30-days-of-prayer/

Hey everyone!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blog about all my adventures here in Townsville, Australia! God has been doing so much in my heart and He’s been using me in awesome ways. As some of you know, I am heading to the Outback in a little over three weeks with a team from Reef to Outback. God has blessed me with great prayer and financial support since I’ve been here. However, I still am in need of my outreach fees. As some of you know YWAM is completely volunteer, from the DTS student all the way to the founder, Loren Cunningham. We all rely on relational support.

With this in mind, I have come up with a strategy that I call, "Operation 100/20." I am looking for 100 people to donate 20 dollars each. $20 on its own is not much, but when 100 of them come together it can truly make a difference! Hopefully by the end of this operation, I will have 2,000 dollars for my outreach! I ask that you would pray about coming alongside me as I continue to serve God in the area of missions.

You can donate online at this site:http://www.reeftooutback.com/mypage.aspx?profile=2679

3 more weeks...

Outback, here we come!
In about three and a half weeks, 12 of us are setting out for out two month outreach throughout Northern Queensland. We will be stopping in several towns for 1-2 weeks each. Our main focus for outreach will be youth, as 85% of Australia’s population is under the age of 25…the largest youth generation in history! God has given us an incredible opportunity to share His love with His children through many different avenues.

What will we be doing?
In Australia, Christianity IS allowed to be taught in schools and because of this, we will be doing several different school programs. One of them is called Religious Education classes where we will explain the truth of the gospel in way that is relevant. In the past, Reef to Outback has seen a lot of fruit come from these classes. We are also running an all day program called “AusLife.” AusLife is a fast paced, interactive seminar designed for grades 8-12. The goal of Auslife is to get students thinking and talking about different life issues. Peer Management, Self Esteem, Goals and Values, and Relationships are the four seminars we run that help address many of these issues. At the core of the seminars students are challenged to evaluate how a relationship with God is relevant in their lives. We will also be doing lunch programs, camps, and after school programs, where we will have the opportunity to share testimonies and build relationship with the kids.

In Mount Isa, our final destination, we will help pioneer a Youth Street program. Youth Street is an amazing program that I’ve gotten to be a part of here in Townsville. It’s a place where kids can spend a Saturday afternoon getting active, developing talents, making friends, and learning what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. It provides kids with a safe and positive environment, somewhere where they can feel free to be themselves without fear of judgment and criticism.

When we are not doing the things mentioned above, we will be serving the local churches and poorer communities through practical ways: yard work, building, cleaning, cooking, etc..

I hope that this gives you a glimpse so that you can get excited about what’s happening in the Nation of Australia!

camping

I’m home from camping, alive and well! We got in late Friday night extremely exhausted and I’m proud to say, with only 4 bug bites! Its great that God cares about the small : ) We stayed at a boy scout camp called Blue Water Creek. It was a quaint little place with an eating area, kitchen, roof covering (for lectures), and complete bathrooms. I’m sorry to disappoint everyone, but it definitely wasn’t “roughing it.” The only wildlife we saw was lots of bugs, a couple of snakes, a kangaroo, and TONS of tree frogs. The frogs pretty much overtook out bathrooms. Seriously, on some nights there were up to 5 frogs staring at you when you showered.

God did some serious stuff in my life during camping. I had heard from all the staff on base that its one of those pivotal check points in your life where things are never the same. I believed them, but didn’t know what to expect. (That’s one thing God is teaching me. My expectations are too small. When I place my own opinions about what should happen, its limiting what God can actually do. I’ve found that when I dive into something without expectations, just a desire to have God move, He is faithful to meet me. And its beyond what I could ever have expected.)
^that was a little side note for you guys.

However, at the beginning of camping, I went aside and asked God if He would give me insight into what He was going to do. And the only thing He told me was, “Kaitlyn, you are going to fall in love with me all over again. You are going to listen and obey me not out of obligation, but out of a love response for me, your Father.” And God is certainly good at keeping His promises. I have a new heart realization of His incredible love for me, one that compels me to love Him and His people. I have recognized Him as Lord over my life and have been brought to my knees by His pursuing love. God showed me His intimacy through speaking to me often and answering several of my prayers. He wants to know what on my heart. He cares for me like a daughter. We have a new relationship. He speaks. I listen. I’m also learning that I have to commit myself to Him on a daily basis. It’s not a one time, mountain top experience. It’s a process. And I’m ready for it!

Other things about camping:
-Swimming in the river, rope swings, jumping off bridges : )
- Worship and good conversations by the camp fire.
- Looking at the stars for hours (they look so much closer and brighter over here)
- Being on Supper crew with Caitlin (supper = dessert) and making some amazing cinnamon rolls.
- Playing in the rain. (which was basically a monsoon)
- and NOT getting wet in my tent! Praise the Lord. (most of the guys and some of the girls were flooded)
- playing “take two” for hours upon hours

It’s hard to believe two months have gone by. I miss everyone a lot but I’m also at peace with knowing that this is exactly where God wants me at this time in my life. Love you guys! Three more months to go : )

Here’s a cool but random thought to leave you with:
When you sin, don’t get down on yourself. Get on your knees. Because Jesus didn’t come for the perfect, he came to seek and save the lost. He came for the sinners. Jesus is not far from you when you sin. He is the closest. (Mark Parker, our 2nd week speaker)

We're heading out on our camping trip for TWO WEEKS! I can tell that God is going to stretch me and grow me in this time.

I don't have time to write a big update right now, but I just wanted to let you know that I won't have my computer for two weeks to update.

Please pray that I won't get eaten alive by bugs : )




-God is Good.
,kait

Week three lectures:
…were all about “Identity.” I thought I was pretty confident in knowing who I was but God pricked my heart and revealed some awesome things to me. There was definitely a lot of crying and a wide range of emotions, but the week ended up being just plain awesome!

- I am a beautiful person…inside and out. And that is NOT a prideful statement! If I say that I’m anything less, I’m dissing God because He made me. (Yes, I know that is a very elementary concept. But God meets me where I am.)

Youth Street:
…is going a lot better than the first and second week. Obviously they didn’t know us at first, so it was really hard to even talk to them and try to get to know them. I personally felt very out of my element. But now I’m putting names and faces together and they are actually opening up. I think they just needed some time to realize that we actually care for them and want to be their friends.
- We had an alter call tonight, and a few of them gave their lives to the Lord! It’s encouraging to know that what we are doing has eternal value.

Friday Night Evangelism:
…every Friday night we go out to the club strip for two hours to talk to people about Jesus. Needless to say the first week was very intimidating and I was in constant prayer for courage and boldness. The first week, Rachel and I talked to a lot of people but none of our conversations were about Jesus. We felt like we didn’t really make that much of an impact but later on God comforted me in knowing that showing God’s love and kindness to people does not go unnoticed by Him.

This is what happened the second week: (I wrote this for our school website)

Before we left for evangelism on Friday night, Ashley and I prayed that God would give us a specific person to talk to. We felt like He was saying to look for someone who had short brown hair and was wearing a work uniform. About an hour into the night, we noticed a girl sitting on a bench by herself and sure enough, she had exactly the characteristics God spoke to us. Knowing that this was a divine appointment helped us get over our immediate fear rejection. With the Lord’s, strength we approached her and just asked a few initial questions about Christianity and the church. Her view of both of them was very negative, but she was open to discussion and debate. We debated evolution and atheism for quite a while, and managed to get her questioning her beliefs and conceding with us on a few of our beliefs. One of the main things we wanted her to see is that not all Christians are judgmental and arrogant. We made sure she realized we valued her opinions and that we weren’t going to immediately right her off. The more she knew we wanted to get to know her, the more she opened up. It was a real give and take conversation that lasted for over an hour.
Even though she didn’t come to the point of conversion, it was cool to see God tug on her heart about a few issues and bring her one step close to Him. Ashley and I were really encouraged by her openness and her desire to talk about deep issues. Seeds were definitely planted and we are trusting God reveal more of Himself to her. We can’t wait until next Friday when we get to do it again!


And this past Friday:
...Rachel and I talked to these two guys for an hour and a half. The one was an Atheist and the other was very open. They both thought that Christians were great people and they were really encouraged that we didn’t judge them. (they were Goths) The Atheist said that if he were to join a religion, it would be Christianity. We invited them to our Family Barbeque on Wednesday night and they are both coming! I’m continuing to pray that God will break down some of the strongholds that have been built up in their lives. I also pray that through the relationship we build with them, they will be more open to accepting Jesus.

here is the link to our school website. Mindy (one of my school leaders updates it on a regular basis)



http://reeftooutback.com/school_report.aspx?school=99

Ashley, Me, and Rachel
This is what I see every night.
Getting ready to try skateboarding on the ramp.

Wenesday

1) Today we are actually running on a normal schedule. I woke up at 5:50 this morning to exercise, ate our normal breakfast, which includes: cereal, toasted PB&J, and for some people “vegemite” or “marmite.” I have yet to try either of the latter two. Andy (who is from England) really wants to try marmite, which he claims is far better than vegemite. There is a lot of debate over this topic.

2) We had our first class today, which was taught by one of the leaders here on base. Her name is Joanne and I really like her. She gets straight to the point of the issue. She taught on “Hearing God’s Voice.” I was convicted that sometimes when I ask God to speak to me, I’m unwilling to actually listen and act on what He has to say. In the end He doesn’t say anything and I get frustrated. Yeah…I have been totally wrong in that area of my life. I shouldn’t get frustrated with God for not speaking to me when I don’t even want to know the hard truth of what He has to say. Also – “Don’t treat God like a vending machine…going to Him only when you need something.” That stuck out to me too.

3) Everyone has chores to do throughout the day. Some people help with meals. Some people clean. And others do yard work. I’m working at the reception desk answering phones and doing some minor office work. I really enjoy it so far. My shift is longer than other’s but I will be able to get some writing done during this time if the phones are really slow. (My mom has already mentioned that I haven’t updated enough…Sorry guys! I’m really busy here.)

4) Tonight we have “Family Barbeque.” This is a dinner where everyone on base eats together and we are allowed to invite people from the community to come and eat with us. When some of the girls and I went to the movies, we met a really nice lady who worked there. I might go back sometime and invite her to come.

They are all about relational evangelism here which is stellar. (they use that word a lot here ; )

5) This Saturday we have our first Youth Street! Youth St. is a youth program we run for 12-17 year olds. We invite them to come and from 2-5:30 there are different tracks they can be a part of: skateboard, sports, dance, and music. It’s like a Crosswave in the sense that we are discipling them and encouraging them to be all that God created them to be. I was assigned to help lead the dance team. Hopefully I will be able to use some of what I learned in CW to help me.

Anyways, my shift is almost done here at the reception desk.
I would love it if you guys could continue praying for me. Pray that my body will get used to the very little sleep we get here along with the amount of activity we do throughout the day. Its like one big Crosswave weekend night after night after night. Very intense ; )


Love you guys,
Kaitlyn


p.s. I learned how to play rugby yesterday. We played for about 3 hours. My calves are killing me. I Love it!

Sunday

Today is my third full day here. On Friday (Thursday for ya’ll) me and the two guys who were here went to “the strand” (AKA the beach). The ocean is very pretty but its not like the Caribbean blue everyone thinks of. We rode our bikes around which was very scary because we had to ride them in the street along side the cars. My bike was too big for me so every time we came to a stop light, I would fall off. Most of the attraction are free here in Townsville. There’s a kiddy water park, ocean water pool, fresh chlorine water lap pool, and amazing rope jungle gym thing. We were at the beach for about 6 hours and surprisingly I didn’t get burned at all.

Most of the girls came later that evening so I got to meet all my roommates. I’m in a room with Ashley (Canada), Rachel (California), and Helen (English Channels). They are all really nice and really sweet. I feel like I’ve known them for a really long time.

On Saturday the whole group went to the beach again which was really cool getting to know everyone and their personalities. Later in the evening some of the girls and I went to PS I Love You. We all cried.

I think I’m going to get in very good shape because I either have to walk, ride a bike, or run to a destination in Townsville. Sometimes when we’re lazy we get a taxi but they are quite expensive.

-The bugs are terrible. I even wear bug spray to bed.
-The humidity is killer. Walk outside for 5 minutes and you’re sweating like a pig. - The food is pretty decent. Rachel, Caitlin, and I went grocery shopping today to get essentials: peanut butter and jelly sandwich supplies, ice cream, cereal, milk, and orange juice.
- We have a pool in our backyard!
- Ashley, Rachel, and I are planning on going skydiving.
- Orientation is today.

I’ll write more later.

Much love,
Kaitlyn

I wrote this while I was in Brisbane

I’m here, safe and sound! Not in Townsville yet. I’m actually in Brisbane which is about a 2 hour flight from Townsville. I missed one of my planes due to luggage complications so I had to take a different route. (The Australian airline workers are so nice compared to the ones in America. They really give you the time of day to help you with your problems and questions.) This is the first time I’ve been able to chill in an airport without literally running to make my flight.

So, after the first two flights, (from RDU – Chicago – SanFran) I was already very tired. I tried to stay awake for those flights so that I would be ridiculously exhausted for the long 15 hour trip to Sydney. My plan worked because I slept about 10 or 11 hours. I had the window seat for all my flights so it was easy to curl up into the fetal position and rest my head on the window.

I met a really nice man on the flight from Sydney to Brisbane. He works in the construction business and so we talked about that for a while. (It’s good that my dad does that kind of stuff so that I could actually sound somewhat intelligent about what I was talking about.) He gave me lots of advice about living in Australia. He echoed what Miss Casey has been telling about not accepting any drinks from guys I don’t know because of the whole date rape problem. He told me some of the different words they say and when to swim and stay out of the ocean. He also gave me his email address so that I could email him if I ever needed advice. Very nice old guy.

Everyone really likes the way I talk: soft, feminine, slightly-southern, (Three people who I sat next to said that.) The Australian accent very rough and choppy. Not sing-songy like American’s.

I’ll update a littler later when I get to the base. I’m going to hunt for some food now.

Love to everyone,
Kaitlyn