Hey everyone!Here comes my first newsletter! Writing this a week after arival. It's been an amazing period of getting to know so many new faces, adjusting to the new living space, and learning so many new things about our God. I want these newsletters to be a genuine reflection of my time here at YWAM Townsville. Giving you an insight into what it's like to travel to another country, absorbing the culture of 20 different people, and what it means to say, yes Lord.
ArivalMy first ever flights went really well, so many litte stories hidden within the travel that made it so special. They served 3 courses of meals on my 15h flight. I got decent sleep and the couple sitting next to me were so nice and encouraging of my DTS (shoutout Teona & Patrick! 🙌)
They Let me sit in the cockpit! For my first time flying I was suprised at how smoothly everything went. It was quick and I didn't have any issues. Besides getting lost in the sydney airport haha.
Australia?!Australia is AMAZING. The best way I can describe it to other Canadians is that it feels like Canada's cousin. We drive on the left over here. Coffee chains like Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Dunkin', etc. Don't exist here. They really value high quiality cafe's and indoor dining. The only fast food chains they have that we might recognize is Subway, KFC, and Maccas (McDonalds). They only have two main Grocery chains, Woolworths, which is like a superstore, but they call it Woolys. And Kmart, which is like a walmart subtract the food. Right now they're just transitioning out of their "winter" so it's still a good temp outside but it's supposed to get really warm. We're a short 15 minute walk to the ocean. It's so salty, plus we have to watch out for jellyfish and crocodiles. Other than that it's amazing. The trees and animals are all completely different here too. Haven't seen any spiders or kangaroos yet though. Just beautiful wildlife I've never seen or heard before.
YWAM TownsvilleWow. YWAM is so much more than I could have imagined. Travel is so much more than I expected. Everyone's experience is going to be unique. But I feel so at home. Being surrounded by believers, in the same building as a community. Not only us students, but families that live on and work on campus as well. Being part of YWAM Townsville is like being part of a family. It's wonderful. YWAM Townsville is really well equiped, we have everything we need on campus to thrive. A gym, a library, a courtyard to hang out in, so much space to spend time with God, Places to sleep, great meals to eat, tons of room to hang out, and we're right in the city so everything we need is a short 5-10 minute walk away. I've been so blessed by the wonderful staff, leaders, & mission builders (what they call volunteers) here. God has put a wonderful calling on their hearts to serve and equip the next generation. I can't reccomend YWAM Townsville enough if anyone reading this is debating on doing a DTS. All you have to do is say "yes, Lord."
Don't mind me not paying attention lol. Suprisingly I remember all these names already. Oh! They also have a cafe which brings be to my first mini tangent. If you've ever been to a resturaunt with me you'll know that I LOVE sweet potato fries. I have an entire ranking list in my notes app. Well, the YWAM Cafe has sweet potato fries. I'm happy to announce that I have a new #1 ranking sweet potato fries (unbiased, they're just that good). Going to the YWAM Cafe. Thick cut, crispy outside, good serving size, reasonable price, and they come with aoli. Literally perfect.
Anyways... A Typical DayAfter breakfast, we worship every morning of the week besides the weekend & wednesdays. Followed by lectures, but this week it's mostly been orientation stuff. Then morning tea which is usually some vegtables and hoomoos (humus, but I've been corrected by the Germans & Swiss call it Hoomoos), and brownies, and something called Fairy Bread?? (only sometimes) It's bread with butter and sprinkles but it's a great birthday treat. Ooo! We learned a whole new segment of the birthday song that I will definitely teach everyone when I get back! After that and some more lectures and lunch, we have some free hours and our ministry placements. My ministry placement is helping cook dinnah for everyone. So I'm on the kitchen team. It's been amazing so far, learning to cook dishes and bring a heart of servitude into feeding everyone on base. The dinnah kitchen team consists of Me, Debbie, Travis, Rachel, & Leonie. It's a bit of chaos sometimes but it's so much fun.
Kitchen Team BeReal :) After that we have the evenings free to do whatever we'd like. Some of us run to Woolys which is honestly THE spot sometimes haha. It's a reallly nice grocery store. We've played mafia two nights in a row, which is a welcome chaos to be honest. We love going through walks in the city or just playing volleball in the central courtyard on base. We play so many games together and it's so much fun. Having a "home" filled with laughter is such a blessing. My Place In God's StoryIn the first week I've already grown so much in my faith. What it means to be a disciple and what God wants for us. I've been able to hear God in new ways, and witnessing everyone else go through their own unique.. revilation? has been amazing. We've briefly covered a bunch of new topics. One of my favourites has been how to hear God and how to invite the Holy Spirity into my prayer time and just every part of my life. I feel like hearing God has always been something difficult for me to do but for the first time I've been able to consistently hear him. Being in a place like this is so beneficial for my faith, constantly being poured into and pouring into others. Such genuine love from all those around me all the time is almost intoxicating. I'm ready to start the first week of classes next week and share what God is teaching me during that time. Prayer Points
If God has placed on your heart to give at all, it would be a huge blessing! The End!You've made it to the end! Thank you so much for reading this far. If you have any questions, you should be able to reply directly to this email. But just to be safe, you're welcome to send an email to jakeloewen@proton.me |