From a sleep deprived Leroy...

Hey everyone!

Sorry it’s been a while since I wrote to you. The girls have been selfish as ever and been hogging the computer to email “family and friends”...WHATEVER! Well whatever you’re into I suppose! Sydney is beautiful! Loads of cute wee coffee shops, local food shops and fancy clothes shops; very cosmopolitan darling! Since most of the work the girls are involved with in the church is at night time, we have had some lovely days free to absorb the sun (although listening to the girls going on about protecting their peely waly Scottish skin is a bit boring). We spent one of these days reading in the stunning Botanic Gardens in Sydney with a view of the Opera House.(I'm jumping in the picture, hence the flying effect!) All three of us giggled at the crazy looking Australian birds and creepy crawlies , although Laura’s giggles quickly turn into screams when it’s a big stripy spider we’re looking at. Other than that I’ve pretty much just been chilling out, working on my Spanish and keeping in shape , so I should probably tell you about what Jenn and Laura have been busying themselves with.

They have attended several Hillsong church services for all different age groups through the week, but the things they are both raving about the most are definitely the work they have been doing with the homeless team and the street team. These groups are giving them the opportunity to go out and just have a wee chat with some of the homeless people in Sydney (who apparently are fascinating to speak to) and also to work in council owned flats doing whatever people need done, from cleaning toilets to sitting down for a chat. I’m telling you though, I am getting slightly jealous as the girls seem to be meeting and chatting with some incredible people whilst doing this. Jenn was giggling all day after a woman she described as having an amazing laugh told her that she could read people well and that Jenn has a tough face but a big kind heart. After Jenn enquired about what a “tough” face was, the woman replied “you know, tough skinned...like...chubby”!Haha!I also had a wee giggle to myself at this and now like to call her fat face!

However despite all this fun and good work , the girls have been keeping me up late at night discussing how they want to help in more practical ways with more people. So, they decided to follow up a charity they were told about called “Youth off the Street”, who seem to be doing some amazing work in the community and they are getting back in touch with them on Monday. So please keep this in your prayers as it will mean I might have a chance of getting a bit more sleep if they have more work and aren’t yapping so much!

What a wonderful morning we all had today though, on this day of loooorrvvee! I was woken up to the smell of bacon as Laura, Jenn and Tanya (their current flatmate) had a yummy valentines day breakfast together. But, even better than that, they then left to go to church (with Laura and Jenn visiting the local Anglican service) which gave me ample time to munch all the remains! Laura and Jenn are not long in, after really enjoying the different style of service which seemed to remind them of this other place they keep talking about “St Andrews”, and I am in a heap in the bedroom with fruit and yoghurt stains on my top and typing with bacon greasy fingers!mmmmm! Think I better go to sleep before they get hungry and start looking for left- overs!

Hope you ‘re all well! Leroy! x

A bit down in a land down under...

So today was really the first day I’ve had some doubts about what we are doing. I’ve been boastfully saying how New Zealand was soooo easy for us and how we were carried the whole time, and then we hit Australia and all of a sudden random kind families don’t want to take us in and show us around the country! I know it’s hard to imagine, but I get the impression that just maybe, some people have some other stuff going on in their lives that’s not soultouch! (Shock horror I know!) However, as Laura has said we have after a wee hunt managed to come across a brilliant wee flat really close to the church which suits us great. But after a couple of nights restless sleep and a few stressful days (where we spent the whole time trying to see the positives and trust something would come out of it all) waking up to pouring rain at 6.50am just seemed to push me over the edge and a little tear ran down my cheek. It was one of those tears that you don’t even give permission to roll, but it does anyway (I hate those sneaky ones). I wiped it away as doubts flashed through my mind about if we were even helping anyone at all or if this trip is a waste of time. But I didn’t have much time to really think as we were off to our first street team meeting at Hillsong church.

As we sat with all the street team volunteers I began to perk up a bit, giggling with Laura about nothing really at all (like I said we’d just had a few nights restless sleep). The leader of the street teams then shared a quote with us (I didn’t get who said it) about how we can’t and aren’t expected to “save the world” or take on everyone’s problems ourselves, but rather, we each have to responsibility to simply do what we can and no matter how small a thing we may think that is, so long as we do what we can, that’s enough.

I looked around me at all the smiling faces agreeing with this quote from people who had also gotten up far too early for a Saturday, and it hit me that just like High School Musical said; we really are “all in this together” and that’s perfect. And so as the day slowly unfolded into a good day with lot’s of encouragement from those at home, I began to realise that 1 wee tear every now and then isn’t a bad thing afterall. It simply shows we care enough. But the important thing is that we wipe the tear away, put on our rain coats and go out and face the storm. And if we all do this in whatever little way we can, then that’s enough. It’s just like in a football game, during a free kick from the opposition all the defenders are worried about getting hit by the ball where it might hurt, but they put on a brave face and huddle close together so as to protect their joint goal. And the more the scared, huddled defenders the less chance the “baddies” in the other team will get anything past them.

So as Laura and I huddle in close to this team of incredible people at Hillsong who are desperate to serve others, we giggle with nerves and excitement at what might be coming flying at us next!

Australia

Hi folks, hope you’re all well, we’ve lots to update! We arrived in Australia late Wednesday night and waited an hour and a half at the airport for a couple of girls that were about 5 yards behind us pretty much the whole time. We had already come through from customs by the time they arrived so they didn’t notice us behind them, and we were looking for a guy so hadn’t paid them any attention. After a bit of confusion and a giggle we were in the car for an hour long journey to the Hills campus (Hillsong Church) where we were spending the night in student accommodation.

There were 7 girls ‘flatting’ together so the house was pretty packed and we really appreciate them making room for us. We arrived just in time for bed so said our hello’s, goodnights and had some rest. We all left early the next morning, the girls for college and Jenn and I to find digs for the next three weeks in Sydney. We also had a meeting with the street team leader, Gary, in the afternoon. Jenn suggested we check where Gary’s office was when we arrived at 9am. Then we planned to spend the day in the library doing some bible study etc. Things didn’t quite work out like this. Turned out Gary’s office is in the City Campus, about an hour from the Hills. OOPS! We had no idea there was more than one campus.

Anyway, after a trip on the train we were finally in the city, ready to meet Gary. The meeting went well, and it was looking like Gary was able to find us lots to do in the church. But we were yet to find accommodation! We looked into some backpackers – all full, things were not looking great! After a while we headed back to church for the evening service. Before the service we asked the receptionist for a list of student accommodation, she handed us a list then highlighted all the places close to the church. We sieved through the list and found only one place that would suit two girls, was available for the time we needed and was close to church.

I called up to see if it was still available and turns out it was, and Lorna and Diego had already been in touch to see if there was space for us. Praise the Lord!

So here we are, we have our own space, with a beautiful host, Tanya. And are feeling very much at home!

We started our street team this morning (couldn’t do much as this street team work in gardens etc for the community, but we’re experiencing some good old Scottish weather i.e. rain and LOTS of it!), this consisted of visiting an elderly lady, who just needed a few odd jobs done and a little company. She was so sweet, had done a fair bit of travelling when she’d been younger so Jenn and I were fascinated to hear of her travels. I can’t wait to be sharing the stories of my Soul Touch journey in years to come.

Australia has been a huge learning curve already, I’m really learning that I need to trust God more. It might feel a bit scary when we don’t know where we’re going to be staying, but God knows! If the backpackers had room we wouldn’t be in such a comfortable environment. I guess God really is always at work ;)

It’s a bit like the Footprints poem.

www.barefootsworld.net/footprints.html

Keep trusting!

Laura x

Under and over and through the bridge...

Last Thursday morning Jimmy took Jenn and I to his work at the Harbour Bridge for a walk across the top. On arrival we were presented with our safety gear and I must admit we were looking pretty 'braw' (that's beautiful for you kiwi's), we filled in some safety forms





and paid close attention to our instructions before heading for a look around. Jimmy explained that there are a lot of contractors on the bridge at the moment as they are strengthening it. And he wasn't kidding. I was fascinated to see all that goes on under a bridge. There's even a wee train line that takes one of the workers with some gear from one end to the other.




After our tour it was time to climb the stairs tot the top of the bridge, what a view! It was absolutely stunning. We posed for a few pictures before heading back down for lunch.

We had a wander round the harbour in the afternoon before we visited the supermarket for some Parachute shopping.

Parachute is a Christian music festival with 20,000 visitors. It started on Friday evening and went on till lunch time on Monday. This was an opportunity for some teaching time for Jenn and myself. There were some excellent seminars witch had been well researched and planned by the speakers. A particular favourite of mine was Mark Storm, principal of Laidlaw Bible College in Auckland. He was talking about Acts 17 (Paul At Athens - Seeds of Revolution). I was so impressed with this guys knowledge. He was firing out historical, biblical and cultural information and my wee hand couldn't move my pen fast enough to keep up with notes!

When we left the seminar I didn't just feel encouraged or challenged, I felt completely full! My head was buzzing and I was loving it!




We took the chance over the weekend to catch up with some of the campers from Ponui. Samuel had organised a reunion for the Saturday and Jenn and I were easily identifiable the rest of the weekend by the Scotland flag we were flying. This attracted lots of other Scots to us as well as our many friends in NZ.



So, we only have about 30 hours left in this beautiful country and I must admit I'm pretty gutted to have to leave. I knew I was going to have a great experience here, but I did not expect to feel the way I do. I think this is a result of the amazing hospitality we have received from families like the Bonnar's and the Shaw's and the friendships we've made. I didn't doubt Jenn and I would make friends easily, but the quality of friends we made in a short week at Ponui has really touched my soul!

'And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus' Philippians 4:19

So thank you to all you kiwi's for looking out for us, and Jenn and I will be praying that God will bless you abundantly, the way you have with us. And PLEASE keep in touch!



Loads of love and blessings!

Laurrra xXx

Jesus loves gingers!

Just back from Parachute Christian Festival, exhausted, freshly showered from the first wash in 4 days, sick from processed food, but happy and smiling after a GREAT weekend! Parachute had everything; music, comedy, speakers, dance, charity appeals, discussion groups, basketball games and even their own talent contest! The fact that we were there with a bunch of brilliant fun people was simply the icing on the already scrummy yummy cake (for those of you that can relate, I’m talking about as yummy a cake as Sarah makes!)
It was a brilliant opportunity to hear the thoughts of some incredible speakers including Matt Fielder and Mike Pilavachi. There were a few things that particularly spoke to me this weekend. Firstly was from a seminar by Matt Fielder discussing the book of Esther. Amongst the many interesting points Matt made about this book, he described how purposefully we are all built by God to allow us access to certain places or in certain peoples’ lives (i.e. Esther’s beauty got her into a place of influence in the palace). So really this means that no matter how weird or ugly we perceive ourselves as being, God has fully intended to make you both look the way you do and to be the person you are, and since He loves everyone of His children, He isn’t just ok with who you are and how you look...He LOVES you..EVEN if you’re ginger apparently! But that’s not all! He has created us this way with a purpose in mind, and so it is up to us to stop worrying about our perceived faults and hurry up and get about doing what it is we were purposely built to do!
So in thinking all these things I began to think about my purpose. I have been told that the 3 most important ways to decipher if something for you is in the will of God are 1) that it is scriptural, 2) you have really prayed for guidance with it, and 3) that it has been planted in the very pit of your heart (that mooshy, fuzzy, warm bit that prompts a tear and sets a fire at the same time). The thing that sets all 3 of these on fire for me seems to continue to be to do with international development and seeking justice for the unfortunate. Specifically regarding those with the very least and the most desperate, and finding a way to encourage sustainable empowerment in these desolate settings. This is the one thing that truly makes me squel like a little girl, have butterflies in my tummy, find a tear in my eye and feel at home all at once!
Although I have no real idea yet how I will serve best in this area I am giddy and excited that I will be carried into my purpose (whatever that is) if I am focussed and open. I think it is finally starting to settle in me that we’re only given one life and for anybody’s full potential and influence to be realised and achieved (no matter what that might be)we need to refocus away from insecurities and trying to please others and instead have the boldness to go for what we were made for. We need to let go of our fears and take a few risks. After all if we are bold enough to say we believe in a creative God that has a purpose for us and will provide for us then what’s to fear? It’s funny but one of the most memorable things I think I saw this weekend was on the back of a boy’s hoodie which was actually intended to promote sky-diving, but can be applied to so much more than that, and I hope I never forget: “Fear is always temporary, whereas achievement is permanent.”
Jenn (a proud ginger!)xx

This little light..

What a whirlwind of a weekend we’ve had. Since we had Thursday and Friday free we decided to make our own way up to see the first ever Christian church planted in New Zealand up the North part of the island. But right from the start the trip was a disaster! Buses were more pricey than we’d hoped, then on arrival we discovered there wasn’t much other you could do than visit the church (which was lovely) without paying another small fortune.

So we went off on a long search for accommodation until we discovered something missing...my brand new mobile! (I was in much need of comfort chocolate at this point). So the rest of the time was spent trudging around retracing our steps looking for my phone then trying to track down the police for a report before catching the ever-expensive bus home, in fits of giggles at how disastrous it had all been!
So, arriving back in Auckland sleepy and emotionally drained (I made sure we both went through the appropriate grieving process for my shiny new phone) we decided to stop trying to make our own plans and follow those put in front of us. And this began with joining our fellow SU camp leader friend Sam in a trip down to the south of the North Island.

As Laura explained, this led to a brilliant few days full of giggles, learning and demonstrations of extreme kindness. Our brilliant new adopted parents Jennifer and Murray were just so lovely and welcoming to us, we couldn’t have asked for them to show anymore kindness to us. Even to the point that Murray (being a doctor) tended to an infected bite on my leg, ensuring I was sent back to Auckland in complete health. (Don’t worry mum I’m all good now!)

On the family car journey to Rotorua I asked Jennifer to explain the sermon from the church service she had attended that morning (since we were a little bit late to our service!). She described a sermon encouraging us to consider the things we have in our lives that we let hold us back from really living and enjoying life as God intends us to do; things such as unnecessary guilt, un-forgiveness, pride and a longing for independence enforced by our society as the ideal. A common sermon theme really, but it left me wondering what exactly we are meant to do when we leave such services? After we have gotten our head around the underlying meaning, applied this to ourselves to identify what it is that we allow ourselves to be held back by and have gotten ourselves to a place where we are ready to try to give this up, and even after we have started praying about all these things...well then what? How can we retrain our brains to snap out of trying to please societies demands and learn to be brave enough to not just dip our toes into the life prepared for us, but to strip ourselves naked and plunge right in (hopefully without belly flopping!)? I think I may be starting to understand that narrow path Jesus was talking about! Although I am so privileged to even have this time allocated to allow my mind to ponder these things, and I really do appreciate this time for growth. I just hope my little brain might grow and maybe even fit into my strangely large skull by the end of the year!

On the lighter side though, what a great weekend we had exploring the volcanic lands here! We came across bubbling, boiling pools of water and mud, a gyser shooting steaming water from the ground through the rocks, stunning waterfalls and towering volcanoes.




We also had the opportunity to understand a little more about the devastation that can occur through natural disasters (which is unfortunately a problem a bit too close to home right now for so many) as we visited a town that was completely buried in mud and lava after a huge volcanic eruption in 1886. However in the face of these extreme forces of nature which so often bring disaster, we also saw the huge human capacity for kindness and unity for caring for others. Whilst being treated like part of Jennifer and Murray’s family we heard of stories of heroes in the past times giving up their lives to save others, received information about the huge response to the recent earthquake disasters and received kindness and encouragement from every single person that we met when they hear about our trip. It’s really true that people want to help people if they are just given the opportunity.
Letting the little light inside you shine, subconsciously encourages others to let their own little light shine a bit brighter...
So, I hope we can all dance to the same tune in 2010...”this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine...” You never know where it might lead. 
Jenn xx

Get me to the church on time...

Don't worry, there are no weddings planned. The title will become clear a few paragraphs on.

So we left Auckland with Samuel early (though not as early as planned) Saturday morning for a road trip to Palmerston North to visit some of the young folks from SU camp. Route took a little detour as we were close to Waitomo Caves, after a lot of begging and pleading directed at Sam, he caved in and took us to see the glow worms.

We arrived at the caves and got out the car, gathered our essentials for the tour and turned round to see this in the back seat...












That would be Sam's car keys, OOPS! We found that when breaking into a car in New Zealand people are very helpful, the ticket office supplied a hanger (apparently this happens a lot!), and after a wee prayer a mechanic appears next to us. I of course had already set everything up for him ;)

So at last we were ready to see the spectacular glow worms, and spectacular they were. I never thought a wee beastie could be soo beautiful, but it honestly felt like you were under the stars. I'm afraid we weren't allowed to take pictures so here's one I stole from the internet.



After Sam presented us with beautiful paua shell necklaces we got back on track to pick up Jason for another 5 hour trip to Nick's house. Might have been 4 hours but the boys seemed to struggle a bit with the AA's directions. ;P



We arrived at tea time, dropped our bags and headed out to pick up Leila. I assumed this was for dinner but the young folks, and Jenn, demonstrated some interesting moves on a skateboard before we finally hit the kebab shop for a munch.





Finally it was bedtime; we wanted a decent sleep before church on Sunday morning...





Up early, the boys made us pancakes with bacon and syrup for breakfast (we were to 'sit and look pretty' as we'd looked after them the previous week at camp. These young people are completely inspiring!), showered and dressed and we were ready to go. We'd been told church started at 10.45am, so were relieved when we pulled up at 10.50am to see the service didn't start till 11am!



Church had a nice feel about it, they were serving teas and rolls (Jenn commented on how nice it was that the congregation turned up early to have a bit of fellowship before the service, and naturally I agreed.) we had a chat with a few folks before taking a pew and preparing for worship. 11.05am and no minister, no one was even sitting down. But hey, they're quite laid back in NZ. 11.10am, we start to get a little restless, what's going on here. At quarter past Jenn jokes that maybe the service is finished. We have a giggle, before noticing the guitars have disappeared from the platform... I turn to a group behind us just in case... (I'm sure you can guess where this is going) AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH! Service is at 9.30am during summer holidays.

The boys then proceeded to plan the next couple of days out while Jenn and I sung our favourite worship songs. I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but suddenly Jenn and I had been exchanged for two 16 year old boys and were now heading to Rotorua on a family holiday.

Wow, this family are amazing. Just another example of the hospitality Jenn and I have been receiving since arriving in NZ. Jennifer and Murray treated us like their own children and showed us some of New Zealand's most beautiful landscapes. And 'ORSIM' ice creams!







We visited the Maori cultural museum and witnessed boiling mud pools and hot springs as well as the Maori show, starring the Soul Touchers! Hehe



It really was a fantastic few days touring and being well looked after by some of our new friends. If you’re ever in Scotland…

Make sure if you’re reading the blogs to leave a comment, they really are such an encouragement to Jenn and I!

Loads of love and blessings,

Laura <><