My Greatest Weakness

Well everyone knew it was bound to happen. Yep, I couldn't control myself and gave in. I guess I'll have to go confess and repent for this one...

I taught line dancing.

It's been almost a month since I did it and well, I went through withdrawal, until finally some of the girls here at the base asked me to teach a lesson. So last Saturday at 8:00pm, I put on my belt buckle, tucked my shirt in, found a little speaker system for my iPod and taught a group of about 10 girls Black Velvet and Copperhead Road. Some people around the base came in to see what we were doing. A couple of the girls loved it so much that we might make it a regular thing.

Here's a little sample for you...

Life on the base so far...

Life is busy here on the base. At 5:50 in the morning I wake up with the others in my dorm room. We hurry a couple blocks away from the base where we all meet for morning prayer and breakout into groups for different excercises. We have the option of volleyball, walking, or running. I've been running the past two weeks. Yes, to those who are familiar with me I know that sounds funny but running is challenging to me and I work on bettering my time every day. We run east of the base down a bike path to the Swan river. It's a gorgeous view from the bike path, with the sun rising in the distance and I usually stop in the middle of my run to enjoy the view and to also work on my abs and triceps. I walk back just in time to have my breakfast, my quiet time and then to begin morning work duties.

Class begins normally at 8:30. We begin with worship and sometimes prayer for one another and then continue with our session until noon. After lunch at 1:30 I'm needed in the back where I re-stock the large pantry and coolroom for the whole base. Yesterday, I made a pickup of groceries with Rob, a former pastor who now works at YWAM. We go to Cash and Carry the Australian equivalent of a Costco and with five large trollies of goods, millk, frozen foods, pantry items, and massive ammounts of toilet paper, we checkout and take them one by one to van. It's hard for me to belive that the huge spread of items is only for one week. We will come back next week and pickup the same amount. It's just me and him. He's an older man in his early sixties. We talk about his past, what he did when he was a pastor, where he came from, and how he became a Christian. He becomes my tour guide on the way to the Cash and Carry and tells me everything I could want to know about Perth. By the time we're done re-stocking everything back at the base it's close to 5:00. We take a break drinking ice coffee before we finish up and I take a seat for dinner.

The night's activities vary depending on the day: Monday night we have class, Tuesday night is small group, Wednesday night is free, Thursday night is evangelism, and Friday night is the service we have at the base which runs until about 9:00pm. I'm reminded as I write I once heard the rumor that one church support their college students to go to YWAM because it was too much like a vacation. Nothing could be farther from the truth here at the base in Perth.

Being so busy has been difficult for me. Normally I like having time to my self but in this environment it has become hard for finding personal time. I have been a little frustrated because of this until recently I had a conversation with one of the staff here. We had taken tonight to have dinner at the home of a staff family. YWAM is not only made up of young people but there are actually many families here who are here on staff.

This evening I had dinner with Danny and Laurie Taylor. Although YWAM's mission is focused on youth, many of the staff have their own families. Danny is a tall bald headed man who looks like he could be a football player. Laurie is a short burnette who is pregnant. They have an 18-month year old. Sam, who is bulky like his father, has a fascination with wheels and loves his little wagons and cars.

As we relaxed in their tiny living room, I told Laurie about the problems I had been experiencing having very little time to myself. She explained to me that she had felt the same way when she did her DTS but she learned something through that experience: There is a flow of the Spirit that comes into our lives when we sacrifice things like personal time. It caused her to rely on God for her strength rather than taking personal time to be alone. Her comment surprised me and I meditated over it that night. DTS is about making room for God in the sacrifices we make. We all came here giving up the comforts of home and many times the comforts of a marginal Christian life. The sacrifices we make, although uncomfortable at times, are necessary for us to really get the most out this experience here and I feel at peace with this.

The Longest Day

Our topic for the week had been confession and repentance. Caleb, our DTS leader, was teaching this week. Friday was to be the application for our teaching. Many people were nervous that day. We were doing something that was kind of radical. In the morning we finished the teaching for the week's topic and then we were given a half an hour break for us to prepare our hearts before God.

When we came back the classroom had been completely changed. Chairs had been placed around the room in a circle and in the center of the room mattresses were laid down, in case people wanted a more comfortable experience. In the front of the classroom there were three chairs. We had a bit of worship before we began.

This day we were given the opportunity to openly confess our sins to God in prayer to Him and before our class. The three seats in the front were for you, your small group leader, and the third for Caleb who would both pray for you after your confession was over.

The application was completely optional. No one is forced to do it, but one by one we all go up. Most of us break down when we get up there. You are completely exposed and vulnerable. The Holy Spirit works and you don't hold back. In front of sixty people (40 girls 20 guys) you ask God to forgive you and you release those who you've been withholding forgiveness. After the two leaders are finished praying for you, you take your sins which you have written down and nail them to a cross which has been waiting in the back of the room.

I don't know if it's because I'm a little older and I have come to terms with what I've done or whether it was because I've been in an accountability group for years but I felt like I had the courage to go up first but I ended up tenth in line.

There are two great things that come of this. One is that you have completely opened yourself up to your fellow classmates. There's no more pretenses, no more masks. You've confessed your deepest and darkest secrets to them which means you can't hide from them. Secondly, it prepares you for the ministry God is going to do through you. You're not carrying anymore the burden of unconfessed sin. To all of those of who are reading this, we did what the church has really yet to be able to do and that is become a place of safety where people can openly confess and repent of their sins without the thought of rejection from others.

We continued throughout the night. We finished at one o'clock in the morning.

Some thoughts about my first week...

This has been an amazing first week. God has already been moving in the lives of the people here. Our first week lectures were on the character of God. We talked about God's attributes, His love, His wisdom, His faithfulness, His righteousness, justice, and faithfullness.

But already our base has experienced some spiritual warfare. One of the girls that is here had experienced a demonic attack. Whatever it was, came in the middle of the night and held her down and began to choke her. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, but at last she spoke in her mind the name of Jesus Christ and the demon fled.

One of my room mates also had an experience in which he approached three aboriginal men. One of them came close looked at him and suddenly his whole face changed. He grabbed my room mates' cross necklace and held it. My friend was about to fight him to get it back and the strange man gave it back but then grabbed it again. My room mate said that he could see in the man's eyes an un-human presence. It was a strange and frightening experience for my room mate who is used to settling disputes and fights physically. He knew after meeting the possessed man, it had been the first time he couldn't confront a situation like that with his fists. Spiriutal warfare for the first time became a reality to him.

The first week, we all have been busy with our creative journals. These journals help us really think over what we're learning here. We've also made a trip to Serpent Falls this Saturday which is an extremely beautiful waterfall with a large pool beneath that you can swim in.

As part of our discipleship here we all have certain chores and duties everyday. There are "family chores" which begin around 8am that are simple house-cleaning things we do. Then, during the later part of the day we all have about 2 hours of duties like dish cleaning, lunch/dinner prep, data entry, answering phones, etc. My particular responsibility is keeping the cool room, the bases' refrigerator in order. That means taking all the food supplies we get each week and arranging them so they're not only are they organized but they are in order of when they'll be used.

A prayer request this week is for better health. Almost all of us on the base have colds that we're going through. I had a sore threat a couple of days ago. I'm doing fine but I could be doing better. Thanks everyone for keeping tabs on me. Talk to you next week.

DTS Begins!

Well today was the first official day that DTS has started. We began today with morning Monday worship. It was so good. Lots of people gave words of encouragment to us to pursue God during this time.

We had our orientation as well today where we got familiar with the base activities we'll be doing. We even were taught some Aussie words like "arvo" (afternoon) and snacker (sausage, which is a totally random word to know).

Basically our day starts with morning excercises, after which we have free time to have our quiet times. We then have morning tea, afterwhich our classes begin. To those who wanted to know a little bit more about YWAM and what actually takes place, the base is very much like a school. You come here to learn, so they have reports for you to do and books to read. We all have daily chores to do. Most of us will help prepare dinner or lunch. I might be working in the media team. We'll see how that goes.

Anyway, God's blessed me heaps while I've been here. I've met so many people who are just here to give themselves to God and be at it for Him.

Love you all,

Jeremy (Heesh)

Kangeroo Island

Being here early definitely has its advantages. You have time to meet people before the DTS starts. You also have the opportunity to going to some cool places. Yesterday we went to Kangeroo Island. It's not actually an island but its more a park you can go to. It's surrounded by water from the Swan River here in Perth.

We heard about this island the day we arrived and we had to go when we were told not only there would be kangeroos but they are so familiar with humans that they're almost completely domesticated. We took a long walk around the city of Perth and followed a bike trail to the river. Once we got to the river we made our way to this beautiful field. Finally we arrived, at the penninsula that is called Kangeroo island. Several girls and I were remarking at some of exotic birds not even noticing that all of the others were actually petting the kangeroos who they had found.

Amazing. These kangeroos will actually let you pet them. They keep a wary eye on you but they'll actually stop and you can quietly walk toward them. I can only say that their fur feels a little bit like rabbit fur. We all took pictures and I shot video. I'll post the pictures later but right now internet connection is sketchy at best. Dean our Irish friend did his best Steve Erwin (Crocodile Hunter) impression as I was filming. It should be funny to watch.

Hope all is well with you and God Bless!

Here in Perth

Well I made it. After the grueling experience of going through 21 hours on a plane I'm here in Perth. One thing about Australia, is that they have the tightest security imaginable. Imagine, you exit the plane and enter into customs and immigration. You first pick up your luggage and then commence standing in a line that is approximately the size of the line for Space Mountain.

After finishing the line you are questioned as to the contents of your luggage. If you're lucky like I am and you have nothing to declare your luggage is then thouroughly examined and your questioned about its contents. It is then X-rayed once again before you are allowed to continue. If you do have something to declare, even if it is as trifle as some chocolate you picked up in another country, you are sent into another line which is even longer and your luggage is even more thoroughly checked. You have to empty your bag completely and every item is checked and you must give an explanation of what each item is.

Everyone goes through this process! No one, including Aussie nationals are exempt. What's more surprising is finding out why the Australians are so anal about checking what is in your bag. It has to do with preventing foreign seeds and plant material from entering into the country.

I was taken to the YWAM station here in the city. I'm staying in a classroom that has been emptied out with the exception of five bunk beds and some modest drawers for putting our clothing in.

Since I got here I've been really busy. I've adjusted already to the time here so I've been sleeping pretty well. The one thing that has surprised me is how cold it is. I've brought a couple of jackets which I'm really thankfull that I've brought but I'll probably go out and buy a new blanket.

Aussies never do anything small here. They announced the birthday of one of the staff's babies. The whole dinning room errupted into a birthday song that I'd never heard of. The shouting filled the hall and the song was intermintent with banging on the table and clapping. It was loud and when it ended it was concluded by a round of Ausie! Ausie! Ausie! Oi! Oi! Oi!.

Or even eating a cookie, the Australians have to turn it into an art. Last night we had Tam-Tam shouts. Take a chocolate biscuit and bite two ends of it. Suck your choice of hot beverage, most likely coffee or hot chocolate until you can taste the liquid through the cookie and then shove the cookie in your mouth. If you do it right the hot liquid melts the cholocate cookie and your mouth explodes into a chocolately mass of goodness.

Well I have to go. Love you all heaps.