Mindless Eating...

Well my Grandparents just came back from a trip up to Queensland. They drove up with the caravan and covered about 6500km in the last month or so. Tonight I got the chance to go see them and although they are still the same two people that they were before they left, it was awesome to see them all the same.

After I got home and I was taking a shower, I was thinking back to while I was at my Grandparents house, and one thing is they always have lollies out in a bowl or something similiar...and invariably...I will end up eating whatever is before me. Now while I have a small excuse tonight in being that I hadnt eaten dinner before I had been there, all the same its a bad habit to have...especially since I am currently working exceptionally hard to get my body back into a good shape before Summer (be that CA or AUS summer).

I guess its basically called "mindless eating"...where we are not overly hungry, but since the food is before us we just continue to put it in my mouth. Over the past year, I have always held on to the thought of "being conscious of what I put in my mouth", be it sweets, chocolate or alcohol. So from my perspective I think that "mindless eating" is a really bad habit and something that we all need to be careful of.

So as I began pondering how I could share these thought on my blog, I could feel another thought coming into my mind...I could feel God drawing my attention to something else that very much relates to "mindless eating"...and that being mindless thinking.

We all experience it, when we are not really focuses on anything and our mind and thoughts just begin to wonder...and we begin thinking about things...good and/or bad. It also just so happened that this was something that I had been wrestling with earlier tonight. I had let my mind wonder and it had ultimately lead me to something that had a considerably negative impact on how I was feeling...and from that point no matter how hard I tried, I found it very hard to get those thoughts out of my mind!

Isaiah 26:3 says that following:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 

We constantly read that we are to keep our eyes firmly on God and listen to His calling on our lives. This is just as important with our thoughts. We must learn to remain focused and not let our thoughts begin to wonder because surely the Devil will use this small opportunity to lead you astray by planting thoughts in your head that will ultimately have you going down the wrong path! This was the exact direction that I was headed tonight, till I committed those thoughts to our Heavenly Father. If I had allowed those thoughts to continue to gain strength in my mind, I know that it would have lead to me making incorrect choices, mistakes and no doubt taking the wrong path.

Mindless eating leads to me basically undoing the hard work that I have been doing in the gym and in general with my diet. Typically I don't eat candy, but when it is sitting before me, its hard to refuse. Its similar with mindless thinking, we pray and follow God's heart, but if we allow our minds to wonder, they will end up in areas that we never wanted to go! That is why its so important that we are disciplined in mind, we constantly have our eyes on our almighty Father in heaven, who loves us more than anything else in this world. If we keep our focus on Him, we will not be lead astray, for his path is perfect.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
       where does my help come from?

 My help comes from the LORD,
       the Maker of heaven and earth.

 He will not let your foot slip—
       he who watches over you will not slumber;

 indeed, he who watches over Israel
       will neither slumber nor sleep.

 The LORD watches over you—
       the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

 the sun will not harm you by day,
       nor the moon by night.

 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
       he will watch over your life;

 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
       both now and forevermore.

(Psalm 121)

Up and Down!

Just over a month now since I got back from China and man has it been an up and down few weeks! I knew that it was always going to be a wild ride coming back from mission, but when you add the ups and downs of everyday life, it has made for a very interesting month. Just like Carlton's form over the past month, there has been some big highs, but also some low lows!

When I got back, I went straight back to work and that was a challenge in itself. Going from a place as desperate as the welfare center and then back into the unfortunately selfish place that is my workplace, I was quite stunned. Thats not to say that I was totally surprised, but it really highlighted how much we dont appreciate what we have and how much we care about such trivial things. Although thats really cliched, these things were just highlighted even more under the circumstance.

One of the other difficulties I have been struggling with since I returned is the issue of compassion for others in trivial circumstances. The children in Sanmenxia possess such amazing joy and happiness under such great adversity. What is that you look forward to during your week? Is it going out to watch a movie with friends? Going to watch the football? Going on a trip away? For the children in Sanmenxia, basically the best thing that have to look forward to is a sweet milk drink they get in the afternoon each day. You should see the smiles on their faces as they receive such a trivial thing to us.

So over the past couple weeks, I have listened to people talk about their problems, and this is not to say that I dont enjoy supporting people when they have a problem, but I have lacked the compassion that I have had in the past. At first I thought it was out of fatigue, but I started to realise that it was because in some ways I had become emotionally numb. I needed sometime to re-adjust to life in Melbourne. While I had always believed that the return to Melbourne would be smooth, I started to see some difficulties arise. Basically I just needed some more time...some more rest...and most of all...more time with God in prayer!

But this isn't to say im not guilty of the same things, being upset over small issues when you look at them with perspective. I too get wrapped up in such insignificant and trivial situations, I allow them to take such a strong grasp of me emotionally! Its so silly when you reflect back. Its so silly when you think about the simple fact that God is by our side always...just waiting for us to ask for His help, His guidance, His amazing love!

Thank you to the people who have been supportive of me since my return from China, you have been amazing and I know that God will bless you! And I just want to remind you that no matter what you are going through, no matter what you are feeling, no matter what you think you can see with your eyes...always bring everything God, allow Him to take hold of every situation...and you will never be led astray!

Building blocks to becoming a Disciple

In Galatians 5:22 Paul writes the following -

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control

These all highlight the characteristics of a disciple of Jesus!

For some reason when I first gave my life to Jesus, I found the idea of being a disciple a little daunting. Almost as if I wasnt good enough to be a disciple of Jesus, because I wasnt good enough. But then there was one particular verse in Jeremiah that really opened my eyes to the great plan and purpose God has for my life. That verse was Jeremiah 29:11 where it says

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

But beyond just my personal journey with Christ we must come to realise the great plan God has for His church. For nothing can stop the progress of God, as it is stated in Matthew 16:18 -

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

See what Jesus is saying there, nothing will overcome the church!

One of the great things that you discover when you give your life to Jesus is that the same power that rose Jesus from the dead is also living in us! Without this we have nothing! God wants to build our lives, He is committed to our success. Thats why He is continually putting us through situations which see us grow and develop our characters to be more like our savior Jesus Christ, so that we can become Disciples.

But being a disciple is not just being a believer of Jesus. Being a disciple means to be a disciplined person! But what else should we be doing if we want to become a disciple of Jesus?

Disciples grow in Small Groups

It says in Mark 3:13-14 the following -

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach

Notice Jesus primary goal was not just to train them, it was to grow them. He knew that in order to grow them, He would need to bring them into relationship. This is again highlighted in 1 Peter 3:8 where it is written -

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

Through attending small groups and the relationships we develop during these times together we grow as disciples of Jesus Christ! There have been countless times where I have had the opportunity to share very personal situations with those people in my small group and through these occasions we grow with each other and guide each other.

Disciples grow through Volunteering

This is one area where it gives you the opportunity to touch someone with the love of God. In Mark 6:7-13 it speaks of where Jesus sends out the twelve disciples and one verse in particular highlights Jesus desire, where it says -

...he sent them out two by two and gave them authority...

They were given instructions and sent out to carry out the plans Jesus had for them. To put it simply, if you want to grow, you need to serve.

I can talk about this from a personal level. During my time in Sydney, I was serving on the sound desk at church. This was an awesome opportunity and I was very grateful to God for giving me that opportunity. It allowed me to grow during that season and I also developed some strong relationships with others I was serving with at the time. But when I returned to Melbourne, I could tell that God was no longer calling me to serve in the same areas, but rather there was a new calling on my life. And as most people would know that was in Childrens ministry or "Kid's Alive" as its better known. This was where God wanted me and where He had plans for me to grow. And as I look back over my time in Kid's Alive so far, I'm really grateful for the opportunity and how much I have grown in this role and I look forward to what God has in store for me in the coming months!

Disciples grow through Training

We need teaching if we are to continue on forward for Jesus. In Matthew 28:18-20 it says -

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

We see that Jesus is commanding them to go out and teach others to obey what Jesus has taught them! When reading new testament, we see the way in which Jesus taught people, and that was to use Parables. For it is without proper teaching that we cannot pursue the callings that God has placed on our lives. So what are we to do in order to ensure we have the understanding required to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Its said very well in Joshua 1 where the Lord says to Joshua the following -

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

When we daily feed on the word of God, we will continually grow. When we constantly allow Jesus to guide us in our lives, we will become powerful people of God and mighty Disciples of Jesus Christ!

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 

(Matt 16:24-25)

The Branch of Jesse

Since I came back from mission, there have been countless moments when I have reflected on the trip and thought about how amazing things happen when you allow the spirit of God to guide you. Watching different people during the time in Sanmenxia, you could see the spirit of God working miracles in these people and it was just awesome to be a part of.

In Isaiah 11, it speaks of The Branch From Jess and it highlights that when the spirit of god is on someone, they do powerful things. In verse 2 it states:

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
       the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
       the Spirit of counsel and of power,
       the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD

The man that allows the spirit of the Lord to rest on him and guide him will do what God wants! But unfortunately today many people only do what they want, ignoring what God intended for them. This is quite sad to realize, because basically these people are missing some amazing things that God planned for their lives. We must realise that in the final days when Jesus returns, no one who has lived with the rude and wicked spirit will be able to stand before Jesus. In the chapter 11 of Isaiah, we read of the promise that God has given us, the coming of Jesus Christ.

We must never forget that Jesus is not just a "good man", but He is an awesome man and the one who brings us life. It is because of Jesus that we now have an amazing hope! Jesus truly loves us everyday and in everyway, He is the light in the world. Although we will come across great people in this world that we highly respect, they are still only men. If we dont truly recognise Jesus for who He is, then we are finished.

The problem is that the devil will try to trip us up and cause us pain. But we must never lose sight of the end goal, we must remain solely focused on our God. We must always hold firm to the promise that Jesus is coming back for us! Therefore despite the fact the devil will try to plan seeds of doubt in our mind and bring trouble into our lives, we must be happy and celebrate the great promises of the Lord! For it is in great times of trouble that we are able to show how much we truly love our God and put our faith entirely in Him! If we continue to rejoice in the great things of our Lord, despite what we see in this world, we are basically saying to the devil "no matter what you throw at me, I will not be shaken, because I love my Lord and He loves me". Just as Mary says in Luke 1:46-47

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

 This is exactly the attitude that God was after, a heart that magnifies the Lord!

We must learn to be like Mary who had a wonderful attitude. She did not worry about what others would say about her. We must be bursting with the glory of God. We must not worry about what others in this world will say about us or do to us. For we have an awesome savior in Jesus Christ who loves us and is coming back for us. Daily we must pray and allow the spirit of God to guide us, for it is then that we will see amazing and powerful things begin to unfold in our lives!

Show me your ways, O LORD,
       teach me your paths;

guide me in your truth and teach me,
       for you are God my Savior,
       and my hope is in you all day long.

(Psalms 25:4-5)

AFL - Carlton review after 8 rounds

Pre-season I did up my predictions for how the Blues would travel this season, especially in the wake of losing Fev up forward. Many people thought that Carlton would fall to pieces without the big man doing the impossible in front of the goals and while I have to admit that I do miss the excitement that he would bring to the games, the new look forward lines is much better than anyone could have predicted and you could even go as far as saying it is better than it was with Fev sitting in the goal square

The following is the best 22 that I suggested preseason, based on last years form and form during the preseason:

PRESEASON

FB	Bower	Jamison	Joseph
HB	Gibbs	Thornton	Armfield
C	Simpson	McLean	Carrazzo
HF	Henderson	Waite	Houlihan
FF	Betts	Kreuzer	O'hAilpin
R	Hampson	Judd	Murphy
Int	Warnock	Russell	Yarran
Walker

AFTER ROUND 8

FB	Armfield	Jamison	Joseph
HB	Gibbs	Bower	Russell
C	Scotland	Simpson	Carrazzo
HF	Yarran	Waite	Houlihan
FF	Betts	O'hAilpin	Gartlett
R	Kreuzer	Judd	Murphy
Int	Jacobs	McLean	Thornton
Walker

The best 22 I have selected after 8 rounds is very close to the side that took on the Power over the weekend and came away with a gutsy win. The big changes that are obvious are the rucks.While preseason it was looking that big Robbie Warnock would play a big role this season, but form has seen him slide down to the seconds and with Hampson injured, Jacobs has been given more opportunities and really has been outstanding!

I wanted to go through each line and highlight how things are going and who has been outstanding.

Defense

Another year playing together and the back line is continuing to look very solid. The only negative this season has been the injuries sustained down back. Bower has missed a majority of the season through injury and just as Walker was starting to hit some very nice form he broke his collar bone. Thornton has been disappointing which lead to him spending some time with the Bullants, but hopefully through this he will learn he needs to lift his game and he can continue to be a solid man in defense and play as our 3rd big defender.

Standout: Jordan Russell - many commentators are saying he is the most improved player in the AFL and after seeing majority of his games this year that is 100% correct. You could almost go as far as saying he is in All Australian form at the moment. His disposal and run out of defense has been fantastic and there have been a number of occasions where he has toweled up normally exceptional opposition players (ie. Stevie Johnson). The emergence of Simon White and also Kane Lucas is extremely pleasing and demonstrates the potential that the Carlton list has to really give September a good shake. Last but not least Dennis Armfield...this man has speed. It is just such a pleasure to watch this guy break through the packs and leave the opposition in his wake as he pushes through the midfield and delivers the ball laces out to our forwards. He is just getting better and better and this is evident through his improved disposals.

Midfield

With the group we have, how can you go wrong? Judd is amazing form! Simpson continually steps up, Kreuzer and big Sauce are damaging in the ruck and Carrazzo continues to impress. While Murphy has been tagged quite heavily over the past few weeks, he is another player that when given an opportunity he always takes it and is very damaging on the scoreboard. The only downside is the lack of output from McLean who we got for trading away our first draft pick. While he has shown some flashes, he really needs to show more to justify his position, especially with the emergence of several other young stars in the Carlton side.

Standout: Chris Judd - after missing the opening three games through suspension, he has come in and has made sure that noone has forgotten that he is a deadset superstar...if not he best player in the AFL!  He is basically using his body as a battering ram in most situations, busting through packs and showing opposition taggers he is someone who is not to be messed with!

Forward

It was always a concern who would step up in the absense of Fevola and with the only major addition being that of Henderson from the Lions. While Henderson has not done a great deal to impress and subsequently is back playing with the reserves, the big surprise packet has been the combined efforts of the three small forwards in Betts, Yarran and Gartlett. While it there was doubt around whether they could all be played together, since they have been give the opportunity they have taken it with both hands and shown how damaging they can be together. Betts is in career best form and currently has 16 goals to his name. Gartlett is continuing to show why the fans love him and has kicked 12 since he was brought in. And Yarran is really starting to show he was justified in being taken at pick 6 in the draft with some amazing flashes of brilliance for a second year player. He currently has 14.6 to his name and possesses such awesome speed. But on top of that big Setanta has really stood up in the goal square and is consistently taking big grabs and slotting through good bags of goals each game. He currently sits 8th on the goal kicking table with 21 goals for the season and is really using his speed and body to get the better of opposition defenders. Finally the best news is that with the defense playing well, it has freed up big Jarrad Waite to play more up forward and with his first kick of the season he slotted through a great goal. He currently has 9 goals for the season and is playing a great role up forward.

Standout: The three indigenous boys - they are just amazing together...the array of articles talking them up over the past couple months is the proof of that.

Currently the Blues are sitting fifth on the ladder with 5 wins and 3 losses, and in all honesty 2 out of the 3 losses should have been wins if it wasnt for a poor show (against Essendon and Brisbane).

Carlton have claimed two big scalps already this season in Geelong and St.Kilda (both grand finalists from last year) and if they continue this run of form they should really give the top four a good shake. Injuries to Walker and Bower have been disappointing, but the depth of the side is really being highlighted at the current time and its really encouraging for the next 2-3 seasons.

The next 3-4 weeks "should" be penciled in as wins if Carlton really want to cement themselves as a force this year, as they are playing the likes of Melbourne, North Melbourne and West Coast.

So considering the first 8 weeks have been very challenging (multiple interstate trips and playing many tops sides) to be sitting 5th is a fantastic achievement and good signs of what is to come for the rest of the season.

Grade: 8/10

How do you see things?

Okay, its been a while since I shared so Im sorry if this is a bit rusty. Today I wanted to share something that was spoken about a couple weeks back at church. The message discussed how we perceive things and how this ultimately effects our actions and outcomes.

Many times when I am at work I will be confronted with a situation...I will react according to my emotions or how i perceive the situation at the time, but this will lead to a negative outcome. This ultimately leaves me feeling frustrated with the way I handled the situation, but the reason I handled the situation in this manner was because of the way I perceived the situation in the first place!

What we see with our natural eyes is very limited. But we must understand that when we look at things with our spiritual eyes, we see so much more. When we use our spiritual eyes, we have discernment and we have wisdom! We have the choice of how we see situations, based on the eyes we use to see the circumstances before us.

An example of the importance of how we see things from scripture can be found in Joshua 9 where it speaks of "The Gibeonite Deception". Here we read of how the men of Israel were deceived by the Gibeonites. Joshua was unsure of the Gibeonites, he was wary of their tricks. but as we read in verse 14, he didnt speak to God, he just saw things through his natural eyes:

The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD.

They relied on their own senses and they made a big mistake. The devil does the same thing to us today, he tries to draw our focus to all the negative things going on, all the bad circumstances.

But the truth is that no matter what we can percieve in the natural, there is so much more going on in the spiritual! A perfect example of this is my feelings before I went on mission. There were moment when I had doubt in my mind, I thought to myself "what can you really offer those disable children? You have no real usable skills! You are just a simple guy!" When I looked at myself, I could only see a simple guy, but when God looks at us, he sees such a great potential! We must never forget the amazing plans that God has in mind for each of us...and when I say this...its not said lightly. God truly has AMAZING plans for us...far beyond anything that we could imagine or anticipate! This is highlighted in the following scripture from Jeremiah 29:11-14:

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

 So when we are faced with hard situation, circumstances where we do not know what to do, its very simple...just ask God! We must remember that spending time with God is what sharpens us! We must not allow our senses to blindly guide us. This is actually more important that just how it affects us. If we are controlled by our senses, we are also a poor witness before others. A perfect example of this from the Bible is Sampson, for he was lead by his senses and this ultimately not only had negative impacts on him, but also his family.

We must be able to rule our senses and run to God when we are unsure of what to do. Truthfully God does not want to make things hard for us. He loves us and has an extraordinary purpose for our lives! We just need to ensure we always listen to God's word, we always press into Him when we face troubles, for He will always be with us. But sometimes we are so blinded by what we see in the natural that we miss what can be seen in the spiritual.

But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul."
Joshua 22:5

Mission trip 2010 - part 5

Continuing on from last post, I wanted to share a couple more stories from my trip that stood out for me....

Basketball with Dang Zi Long

Another story relating to Zi Long. As I mentioned previously, he was very reserved, didnt like to involve himself with activities going on. But every so often I would grab one of the basketballs and bounce it to him and he would bounce it back. But unfortunately we would be interupted by one of the other children stealing the ball away and at this point ZiLong would lose interest. But I persisted with him, and I began trying to teach him how to bounce the ball, with little success. But we kept bouncing the ball to each other or when he lost interest, we would just take walks around the center. But I always kept trying to teach him how to bounce the ball.
But then one afternoon, I was sitting with one of the younger boys and I looked over to where Zi Long was, and he was moving towards one of the balls, he picked it up...and then started bouncing it just as I had been showing him. Over the next days I would see him do this more and more and it really brought joy to my heart to see him playing like this.


Smiling Grandma

There is an older lady that lives in the center. She is mentally disabled, but at the same time she is so incredibly happy. You only need to look at when we first arrive, each morning when we reach the center, as we enter the gates to where the children are, she makes such a loud and happy noise. She would come up to me and give me a hug. But this would not only go on first thing in the morning, all throughout the day, she would approach me and give me hugs or just show me a drawing (which was usually nothing more than a scribble) to me. But she always had such a great big smile! She also liked to lean against me. Sometimes I would sit next to her on a bench in the courtyard, and suddenly she would lean against me. She just loved affection, she just loved to have a hug. Things that we take for granted, but the people who live in the welfare center are so deprived of these simple things.


To be honest I could keep going on and on about stories and even small moments that made a big impact on me, but I should wrap it up there.

Overall, the chance to travel to Sanmenxia and serve in the Welfare Center is something that I will never forget. I keep repeating it, but I continually give praise to God for using me in that place and also placing me with a group of such amazing people who all had such beautiful hearts, full of love for children, all following Jesus. Given the opportunity I would definitely attend another trip!

I hope these posts have been slightly interesting and not put you all off reading my blog. If you have any questions or want me to share more about a particular topic, please send me a message and I will be happy to talk more.

Mission trip 2010 - part 4

After the first day, we quickly fell into a routine whereas we would have a daily prayer meeting first thing in the morning, grab breakfast at the hotel. Then around 8:45am we would leave the hotel by bus and travel to the center. We would spend the morning there and leave around lunch time. Then we would go off have lunch, have an hour free time (in China most places have a 2 hour lunch break) and then head back to the center where we would stay untill dinner time. At this point we would go off and have dinner, then return to the hotel. We would have our praise and worship meeting and then we were free till the next morning.

So instead of continuing through each day, I though I would share some particular moments that really stood out for me during the day to day activities of spending time in the center, individual children which I formed a relatively strong bond with and other moments that stand out in my mind. Today I wanted to start by sharing about one boy who left a big mark on me in particular.

Dang Zi Long. 
He was an autistic boy, around 21 years old. This was one person in the center I felt God drawing me to from the very first day. He spent most of his time just walking around the outer perimeter of the center, he didnt like to involve himself with the activities that we were organising and he didnt talk. He would walk in a very defensive manner, his arms crossed and tucked in tightly. For these reasons, the carers at the center didnt really pay much attention to him, he was hard to communicate with and they already have enough problems to take care of. But despite all this, I felt God place this boy on my heart.
I started by just going up to him, shaking his hand, giving him a hug, sitting next to him...all simple gestures. But he preferred to just walk around...so I decided I would walk with him too. So for a number of days, at different times, I would take time away from the activities we were doing with the other children and just walk with Zi Long. We would just walk laps around the center, I would sing to him (i know that sounds like torture =P ), I would talk to him ( although he had no idea what I was saying) and I would pray for him as we walked.
After a couple days, he took to holding my hand as we walked around the courtyard area. So we would continue walking the courtyard hand in hand. Then after several day of simply walking the courtyard together, he stopped walking, and placed his other arm around me. As you can probably imagine...this brought tears to my eyes. So we continued to walk, but now we walked with arms around each other shoulders.

White thread
Another extremely emotional moment for me came on the last day of the trip. It involved a girl named Dang San Ying who was 19 years old. While mentally she was extremely intelligent, she had Polio as a child and was now unable to walk.
On the final day in the welfare center, as we were drawing near to leaving for the final time, I sat down with San Ying. All throughout the trip I had spent time talking to her. She would help me practice my Chinese and I would teach her some English.
As we sat there talking, I was already starting to feel my emotions get the better of me, but I held back the tears. But as we were talking, she called one of the carers over and quietly said something to the carer before she hurried away. As I was unsure what they had said, I dismissed it and continued to think about how much I would miss the beautiful children in the center.
After a few minutes the carer returned, and she was holding a needle and some white thread. San Ying then turned to me and asked me to give her my Jacket, for she had noticed that one of the buttons was falling off. As I gave her my jacket and watched her repair the button, I began to think about how amazing these children are. We had come to pour out God's love on them, but we received so much more than we could ever have given them. They are so under privileged, they have next to nothing, they lack the basic affection we take for granted...but despite all this they still have amazing hearts. They still have amazing outlooks on life. They still have the most beautiful smiles.
As she handed me back the jacket after she had reattached the button properly, she said "对不起，我们没有任何的黑线". Again as you probably guessed...I had tears in my eyes.

I went on the mission trip with the purpose of showing the children how much God loves them. But in the end I was also shown how much God loves me. I have been blessed so abundantly throughout my life. While there have been times I have taken it all for granted, this trip really highlighted how amazing God is, how limitless His love is for us. Truly...our God is an Awesome God!

Mission trip 2010 - part 3

Tuesday 6th April

Our first day in the Welfare Center. The day started as per normal, prayer meeting, then breakfast at the hotel. Then we were off to the center for our first morning there. The drive to the center was quite surreal, and as we arrived my first thought was "God please guide me".

The center is smaller than I expected and in quite a dirty and dusty location. We were at first given a brief tour of the center, so we could see the different areas and the possible groups we could choose to serve in for our time in Sanmenxia. First we were shown the Special Education group which spends most of their time in a classroom. Then we were shown to the courtyard area where there are children who are unable to do any schooling, but are physically able to do simple games and activities. As we entered the area where the courtyard children were walking around, a few of the children came up to us and wanted hugs or just tried to talk to us. We were shown to the infants and toddlers area where some of the girls held the babies for a while, others were happy just to watch and take it all in. Lastly we went up to the second floor of the center where there are the more disabled children. This was where it got harder...especially when I saw one boy KangKang, who has a problem with his head which causes it to swell quite large. He cannot walk and was strapped to a potty. He was also held in a room all alone. But despite the horrible conditions, as I walked past the room, he looked at me and then gave me the most amazing smile! Despite such horrible conditions, he still has a joyful outlook.

After touring through the various areas, we were taken to the meeting room where we were given the opportunity to choose the area that we felt best suited us. I really was of the mind that God would use me in the area that least people choose. I knew that most of the females on the trip would choose the infants and toddlers, and the other areas had people choose them also...and in my heart I could feel God talking to me and drawing me towards the courtyard area children. So this was the area that I choose, along with one Canadian guy named Kevin, the Australian lady Vivienne and the Irish lady Lisa.

After all this we headed out to get some lunch. It was a welcome relief after an emotional morning seeing the children and their conditions for the first time. We had lunch back at the hotel which consisted of a set meal. After lunch we have around and hour and a half to relax or do what we like. I went for a walk with Anni and Jenny in the hope of finding a massage place =) Although we didnt find anything, we did find a few cake shops which were great!

After the break we headed back to the Welfare Center for the first session with the children. We decided to start things off with ball games and coloring in. From the outset, there was children that I felt attached to, children that I could feel God drawing me towards. Over the next few posts I will share individual situations which really stood out and touched me.

Around dinner time we packed up and headed off for dinner. We went to a Congee restaurant which was quite good.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and had our praise and worship meeting. These meetings were really great as they gave us a chance to come together as a team in the evening for a time of worship and prayer after each day at the center.

After the meeting, we were all pretty exhausted so it was time for bed. This concluded our first day in the center

Mission trip 2010 - part 2

Sunday 4th April

We were up early for breakfast at the hotel...our first Chinese buffet breakfast. For anyone who has traveled around China, they will know that these buffet breakfast's in hotels are very average....but this one was exceptionally bad!

That morning we had a team meeting, a more in depth introduction and discussion of what to expect once we reached Sanmenxia. It was a great time of prayer and preparation. We also wrote down our expectations from the trip, in relation to what God would do with us. We would revisit these at the end of the trip.

At the end of the team meeting we were given free time to explore Xian, so we had a bus pick us up and we ventured to see the Terracotta warriors. As part of the tour bus package, we had to first have lunch at a specific restaurant and also go to a tourist-y shop where they made products from silk.

By late afternoon we had made it to the Warriors and it was truly amazing to see! We spent a couple hours there and it was a really great time.

Afterwards we headed back to the hotel before venturing out to have dinner at a nearby food court and having a look in the mall close to the hotel. Later we had a look in the night market near our hotel.

Overall it was a really great day. While we really only did tourist type stuff, I felt it was a really great chance to connect with the other people from the trip. We had only known each other for 2 days, but you could already see were starting to form a lot of strong bonds and friendships. This was really great in the lead up to our arrival at Sanmenxia the following day.

Monday 5th April

Another poor breakfast at the hotel before heading off for Sanmenxia by bus. The trip which usually would take 2 hours was predicted to take approximately 5 hours due to various road closures. So as we slowly edged our way towards Sanmenxia, we were caught in a number of massive traffic jams and the likes. We also had our first chance to experience the "wonderful" toilets of rural China...which basically consist of a hole in the ground and nothing else...lucky I am a guy!

Late afternoon we finally arrived in Sanmenxia where we checked into our hotel and were greeted by the director of the Welfare Center we would be serving at. He had a banquet dinner prepared for us which was in the restaurant attached to our hotel.

After dinner we did some brief shopping before a brief orientation meeting back at the hotel. We were prepared for what was in store for us the following morning, which would be our first morning at the Welfare Center. We closed in prayer before heading off to bed.

Before going to sleep that night, I found myself crying out to God to use me as best possible. While I could see that a lot of the other people on the trip has specialized skills that would be well utilized at the center, I really prayed that God could use me in a way that would have the biggest impact on the children in the center.

Mission trip 2010 - part 1

Well I have been back for exactly one week and in that time I have become very good at describing to people the trip, but the great thing is that each time I talk to someone about the trip, I dont feel like Im just repeating the same details. There was so many amazing experiences all throughout the trip, so I never get tired of talking about the trip. Also I God is using me to reach out to people, so its important I just allow God to use me, even now Im back in Melbourne.

So today I begin my review of the trip...drawing from my daily notes.


Friday 2nd April

This was my first time flying with Cathay and I had been given contrasting opinions prior to the flight, but they turned out to be a great airline. I flew out of Melbourne at 9:30am and I was seated next to a middle age Chinese guy. Now Im one of those annoying people who likes to strike up a conversation...I mean we are going to be sitting next to each other for the next 10 hours...might as well have a chat. Turned out this guy actually works across the road from me in a coffee shop!! We had a good chat at different points throughout the flight.

Arrived in HK just before 4pm and was greeted with extremely overcast weather. Caught the express train into city, checked in at my hotel and then met up with my HK friend Liz.

From there we did a bit of sight seeing around TST and Central, before heading over to Mongkok for dinner in one of the street food kind of places. Food was seafood varieties, really awesome. From there we headed back to my hotel and it was bed time for me!

Saturday 3rd April

Got up early and had breakfast in the hotel. Being they Hyatt, the breakfast was a western style buffet, with a few Chinese foods thrown in. Not bad, especially since they were serving pancakes!!

Checked out of the hotel and it was time to head down to the YMCA to meet the team. I cant pretend I wasnt feeling anxious at this point. But I just cast all my concerns on God and headed down there. When I look back now, I realise just how silly I was to have any concerns.

I was the second person from the team to arrive, the first being Sophak. We started chatting briefly and as we did, more and more people began to arrive. My first impression was...man this team is diverse! Chinese, Korean, Canadian, US, Australia, Singapore, UK and Ireland...all ages.

After we had all arrived we went up to a room for a introduction meeting. The team had officially begun! After a short meeting as a group, we went and got lunch at TGIF which was close to the YMCA. The team leader Bruce was in need of a western hamburger so this was the best place to get one close by.

After lunch we had some time to talk amongst ourselves before heading out to the airport to fly to Xian. We had a bit of free time after we checked in at the airport, so again we were free to look around the airport and do what we liked. I spent the time talking with Sophak and Jean, two people have been on a number of short term trips like this.

On the flight to Xian I was sitting with Anni and Jenny...although Jenny was quite sick during the flight so she didnt do much besides sleep. During the 3 hour flight to Xian, I had a great chat with Anni, in between her jokes at my "fear" of flying....although I still deny any fear...!

Once we arrived in Xian, it was straight to the hotel and to bed!

This was the view from our hotel (above) and our hotel room (below)

Encouragement to keep going

Today I decided was the right time to start reading my encouragement slips that i received at the end of my short term mission trip. Basically what happens is, during the trip we are to complete an a short encouragement note to each of our team mates in Sanmenxia with us and on the last day we are given the notes written to us by the others.

While most people read them straight away or at least on the way home, I felt I wanted to save them till I got back to Melbourne. Today I was feeling particularly unsure of what to do...so I pulled them out and started reading them.

I really have to praise God for being given the opportunity to serve with such amazing people in China. Reading the slips reiterated how awesome each person was.

But one other thing stood out in my mind as I went through the slips and that is how incredible things can happen when you just allow God to guide you, when you allow God to use you. As I read each note, it gave me each team members perspective of what I was able to contribute to the team. Im by no means skilled in the areas I was serving in during my stay in Sanmenxia, but I'm so grateful that God was able to take someone as basic and simple as me to pour out His love on those children! Its been said time and time again, but amazing things happen when we are following God!

So I close with one verse that rings true with my feelings regarding the trip

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 

(Philippians 4:13)