Squirt Gun Man

  

Australia is one of the most “relaxed” and “fun” cultures I have ever been immersed in. My heart beats for this way of life! Give me a citizenship pass to Australia & I would become an Auzi in a heartbeat, no joke my friend!

Much of our ministry locations have been near or on the beach. Let me share a quick highlight of one of my days with you. As I was walking down the street near a beach, I came across many homeless men. I smiled to say hello, and before I could duck out of the way, a homeless man with a squirt gun in his hand, sprayed water at me with complete satisfaction in his eyes! He was just waiting for that perfect moment to shock someone with a cold sensation & through my shirt, it hit my sun burnt skin. There was so much joy from this man, catching people off guard & attacking people with water walking by. Though it surprised me, I absolutely loved every second of it. The audacity of that man to spray a complete stranger with water, reminded me of how fun it is to have child like wonder & the importance of enjoying being in the moment. I mean, how clever haha! I loved that man’s humor, because I would be laughing too if I were him. He put a smile on my face, that’s for sure.

Much of ministry here in Australia has been a combination of hands on service, & relational building through whatever creative outlet the team and I can think of. Sometimes its been organizing different church rooms, other times its been cooking meals for the local community, several times its been helping to host events for the locals & travelers passing by, & my most favorite of times has been setting up a “free braiding hair” workshop down by the beach. Conversations that have taken place during these times has been nothing short of inspiring, encouraging, & fun! It has been such a joy to braid complete strangers hair, do my best to love and encourage the heck out of them, & do my best to be a light to all who come by. Through these relationships being built, friends have been made, emotional & physical healing has taken place, & the name of Jesus has been made known. It has been in these times I remember, why my heart feels like it could explode in the best way, feeling & understanding the love of a Good heavenly father, towards every person in Australia. Since our time in Australia, my team and I have partnered with a ministry organization called YWAM (Youth with a mission) & they have been nothing short of amazing hosts. It is our hope, that these ministry partners will feel encouraged, supported, & refreshed have having us here.

Through all these days, I’ve seen the beauty of Australia, witnessed the brokenness, I have learned about the culture, & have grown with my team and the locals. We have built new relationships, served the locals, swam in the ocean, & have grown in our relationship with Abba. I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be here & for you who have supported me one way or another.

Lastly, one of my favorite relationships built so far has been with an individual who works at a church we have been staying at for the past several days. I met him cleaning windows one day, & from there proceeded to learn that he used to live in an entirely different country, with an entirely set of different beliefs, but one day he had a dream from what he believed to be God leading him. & in that dream he believes God gave him a picture of a church that he was meant to be at (meaning the church that I am currently staying at). From receiving that dream, he said he met the person of Jesus. The joy in his eyes spoke volumes & it was one of those gifts of people, that encouraged the heck out of me! After that encounter, this man invited me to meet his children, & we got to know each other, laughed, & had some fun. I hope to hang out with them again soon. But wow! Talk about sweetness. A man followed a dream that led him to know Jesus in a personal way.

Looking into the future… my team and I will be in Coffs Harbor & Byron Bay Australia up until February 10th, then we embark to the next country, Indonesia.

For all you prayer warriors, here are my current requests:
-Healing, healing, healing, my heart is open & ready to receive!
-Growth, growth, growth, I’m ready to know my identity in Christ as much as I possibly can!
-For anyone we cross paths with in Australia to feel the tangible love of God, to get a bigger glimpse of their worth, to be encouraged, to discover more of their purpose & destiny in life!
-Logistically, for travel & customs into Indonesia to pan out smoothly
-Any & every prayer your heart feels led to pray, it is so much appreciated!

That’s it for now! Thanks for checking in 🙂

With gratefulness,
Kailey