Bringing in 2017 | Rest and Reflection

"Hospitality doesn’t transform people; it creates a space
 in which transformation can occur."- Dhati Lewis

We decided a while back that 6 months in to our time back here at YWAM Perth we would take a short break to rest; reflect the go-go-go of the year behind us (oh-boy did it fly!), and respond to our first full year of ministry ahead. I am learning that God cares about these moments behind the scenes as he does about the full-time ministry we share about regularly. This is just an extension of that ministry. 

If you would like to hear more of the ministry side of things please, let us know! Just sent out a newsletter a couple of weeks back, and would enjoy getting you up to speed.

A good friend that we have made since coming back to the country Tim, invited us to visit with them and some of their family for a few days, to get a break from the city (Perth) and hustle and bustle of the everyday. If nothing else we knew our cell phones wouldn't work -a 4 hour drive into the Australian Wheatbelt Outback- and Matt had briefly been through once before. I didn't know what to expect, as Matt planned most of it, but had a peace about going from the get-go.

A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. - Proverbs 16:9

Seriously... and I am not exaggerating.
It was one of the most refreshing times I have had as an adult. Matt took a day to practice some music, and I took a few days to work on some personal art projects. But ya know what was the most refreshing?
People.
I am kinda talking about hospitality, but please don't read it that way.
After numerous holidays away from our families, and of course missing them dearly -- we were both reminded of good family memories - everywhere we turned. On top of the strong sense that this home reminded me of the hand full of homes that I felt 'adopted' into as a teen. If you know me well, this a huge area of redemption in my story. People that just said "welcome to our home, here are the water glasses, please help ya-self... Oh, you're coffee people right?" Slow drawn out conversation with genuine care about what you are doing with your life and why... and taking the time to really listen to the heart behind your words. Beautiful people that joyfully share their own stories of personal struggle, life-lessons, and victories.
As a person, you never feel like a task to be checked off, a chore to be completed, a project to be managed...  Maybe it's generational. Maybe it's an outback or country thing. Surely a Jesus thing. I honestly don't know. But from the time that we walked through the door, we felt loved and at home - with the Aussie countryside as our backdrop.

Thank you Beckingham Family, for sharing those few days with us, and your home with us!

PHOTOS FROM OUR TIME:

This was the most common image...  from every window, every roadside, every direction I pointed my camera...

Blue sky, yellow feilds, and dashes spots and clusters of  dry trees across the flat country side.

My Dad loves me. I was reminded of so many memories as a little girl, looking up at the sky... Camping with my mom and brother, going to 2 mile run with Matt when we were engaged... just look at that sky.

Western Australia, due to its isolation and flat landscape is the perfect place to take in the stars.. 

The India map on the left, and  Calender on the right of the front door.

You can learn much about people by what they have on the walls of their home.

LEFT: Over ten years ago, they were asked to become the directors of an orphanage in India. "We are just simple sheep farmers God, we can't do this." -- What I heard after that was the most beautiful story of how they prayed and knew God was challenging them to take this on... and lean on Him for understanding. They have seen several young people safely grow up there. Some have even been trained in a trade, and go off to have really fruitful lives. Actually, India is where their son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter live.
Panneerkulam Children's Home is the main orphanage which has girls and boys. Orakkadu is the boys only orphanage - which is in the midst of being built.
They have not had the administrative capacity to build or keep a website - but if you are interested in more information - they are really easy to get ahold of by e-mail: wialkiscrapper@hotmail.com
PS. I would love to see someone build and/or sponsor a website for them.

RIGHT: A gift calendar from the Official Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Because they are volunteer data collectors for rainfall in the region.

A farm-oasis in the middle of the dry Western Australian Outback. 

Robin and Len Beckingham, Tims parents.

Our friend Tim and his teapot. >>

<< Comparing notes about US travels. 

Note: If you ever want someone to feel at home, that is from another nation. Show interest in their nation.

The Beckinghams are not the first Aussies I have heard say "I would love to travel around America (again)".

<< Matt helped for a few days with some unexpected "Sheep Work" while we were there...

I learned that week that just because you have sheep, doesn't make you a shepherd.
And that sheep without a shepherd will just follow other sheep...

+woah+
+profound+ 

This is an amazingly beautiful country filled with some really lovely people.
For as much as I miss my Pennsylvania family in the mountains with all the streams, rivers, and bridges echoed downstream Kentuckiana,...
there is this longing in my heart that has been met with the nation of Australia.




Here in the middle of the country side,... allowing myself to take it in, I am reminded again of Gods heart for me. Like an oasis in the middle of the outback.
A word he gave me when I was 19. 
"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
- Is 58:11

Simple: God used a hospitable family in the wheat belt of Australia to take us on a journey of reflection of where we are going by reminding of where we come from. 

American Thanksgiving | Makin' A Way

God takes our little, and makes it much.

No matter where you are in the world, when there is a well-known, well celebrated national holiday in your home culture, you are a little homesick for the memories, and local traditions with friends and family. Nothing can ever replace time with people you love, and memories they make without you, but when sacrifice is commonplace for so many aspects of life... Some people choose to celebrate in small ways while acclimating to the culture around them, and others hold onto what they can and share with others.
It is definitely worth a try to celebrate a holiday that is focused on being thankful eh?

For Matt, this Thanksgiving - was all about that.

He made a point this year to use the opportunity to bring a little home to some of the Americans at YWAM Perth - Through an American Thanksgiving - potluck!
Attending that afternoon, were long-term staff who do not get home for the holidays too often... Students who only got here a few months ago, but this was their first Thanksgiving away from 'home'.
Yes, if you are asking.. they were grateful. And some were in tears.

All and all around 110 people showed up! We ran out of plates at 100 -so-somethin like that.

Americans, their families... and a few others came along too! Quite the variety of people from all over the world. Our clusters of groups sprawled throughout the open kitchen, dining room, livingroom, patio, and backyard of a YWAM 'Girls house'.
Everyone brought what they could.. and when it looked like we didn't have enough for the main meal, somehow it stretched to the point we even had leftovers!
Well, we did pray. I'm almost certain that is the only reason that Turkey seemed to multiply!
Heaps of "loaves and fishes" jokes.

After we were all gathered, and found a place to settle into, Matt introduced himself, thanked the girls who allowed us to use their house, and the ones who helped in the details... thanked everyone for bringing foods -- and led us out in prayer for our food, our time together, and that those that were with us would sincerely feel at home.

While eating heaps of stuffing, potatoes, gravy, green beans, cornbread,.. rolls... oh so many many things --- we had moments of conversation, sharing what our memories were while growing up.. what a personal and regional traditions  are... what our families are like. We talked about how we all missed our grandparents, and aunts and uncles who with their quirky stories and memories of our parents childhood - bringing light and laughter to our normal Thanksgiving.

I can say so many lovely people made a way for this to happen,.... but I think Matts mum had reason to be proud, as it is a huge tradition to have a large family gathering's sometimes even more than one with different sides of the family.

14 Aussie vs 'Merica

Stereotypes aside...
we often get lots of questions about the differences, these are the answers to the most common ones we get, beyond the "no, not everything will kill you there."
Which makes us ask heaps of questions.
"Heaps" is my favourite Aussie word by the way. Yes, I spelled 'favourite' correct. As my computer has assimilated in this country - to serve us better. *cheeky grin*


Basic Differences. 
(Adapted from this article.)

1.  The seasons are opposite. People don't generally ask about this but are surprised to recall it for the first time since school. I will save posting about how hot Australia is for another post...
   
2. Well, this one is obvious, Aussies drive on a different side of the road than the States. I have yet to try it, but Matt is certainly comfortable. Cuz, uh, manual drive issues.
3. New drivers on the road have to have an extra square plate displayed on the back of the car.  It has a P or L on it depending on how long you have been driving. --- So when a car comes flying up the road and cuts you off you can blame it on their provisional driving skills.
4.  Aussies very rarely dry their clothes in a dryer. Everything is air dried.  It’s a pain when it’s raining but makes so much sense when it’s nice out.  Think of all the electricity saved.
   Now if I can find a better way to get all the fuzzies off my clothes, that I am used to a dryer doing.
5. There’s a definite sensitivity towards water usage here. So hand-washing dishes and short showers are at times emphasised.  Oh! - and the toilets here have two flushing buttons.  One is a half flush and the other is full flush.  I think you can figure out which is for which.
   Also! Here is the answer to "Do Aussie toilets flush the other way?"
6. Salvation Army, and a decent number of charity shops! The main way we have furnished our apartment has been Gumtree. Which is similar to Craigslist. 50$ for two large couches! Uh yeas-thank-you.
7. Spelling/pronunciation of words and slang.  Words are spelled here as they do in England.  For instance, honors vs. honours.
   Abbreviations Aussies use.  They like to shorten a word and put an 'o' or 'ie' at the end of it.  To list a few:  Salvo (salvation army), pressie (presents), Chrissie (Christmas), Maccas (Mc Donalds), Sunnies (sunglasses), uni (university) and so on and so on.
8. Aussies use their cutlery different from Americans.  
   Most keep the knife and fork in their hands all the time, rarely putting it down. It’s a polite way to eat your food, but this is a difficult thing to change if you try.. so I gave up a long time ago, cause... why?
9. Usually, the food is of high quality when you eat out....although you do pay for it. So, uh, we just don't. We don't have many reasons to do that. (Instead, we do a super cheap brekky at IKEA, oddly enough.)
10. Generally, the cost of living is more expensive here, but with things we have learned over the years to just live way more frugal, or just be thankful for the current currency exchange. And pray it stays decent.
11. Baseball is nowhere to be found, it’s all about the cricket on that front. BUT Matt has fully gotten into Aussie Rules Football. Nope, it's not Soccer, and it's not Rugby... While still following his American Football when and where he can. That's my man, versatile, and multi-cultural...
12. The bugs are insane.  They are either massive like the huntsman spider (of which I personally have not ever seen), or painful like the bull ants.  I don’t think I have ever been bitten so many times by mossies (mosquitoes). Or seen so many cockroaches on the street...
13. The birds here are more exotic – and make funny noises.  All fine and good until you hear the squawking of kookaburras at 4 in the morning. 

    

    Rainbow Lorikeet

14. On the Animal front, we exchanged squirrels, chipmunks, racoons, skunks, deer, blue jays and robins for... kookaburras, kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, lorikeets, wombats, and cockatoos.

Basic Similarities are: 

• Australian Basic TV = American Basic TV.
  A large majority of the shows and sitcoms are American, with exception to the local news. Scratch that - I can even catch the American today show here in Australia. Between following the local news online, and the National news that is presented by the Associated Press... We keep up-to-date pretty well.
• Australian films = American films.  Generally, we have no problem keeping tabs on what is going back in the States here.  

• Many American restaurants and shops are here.  I can get Subway, McDonalds, KFC, and Burger King (called Hungry Jacks here, because the name was taken ).
• The weekends are the big nights out.  So like we have districts of our cities that shut down and others that wake up - Australia is the same way. Perth, in particular, shuts down earlier than most American cities I know.. So get we get groceries, and errands done early if we can.
• Families are especially important here.  People love to get together and have barbeques with the family on the weekends, and for holidays. AND like most coastal cities in the US, beach hangouts included. (That one is for you mum, in Florida.)
  In YWAM we tend to do this at a park a lot because there are so many of us. Which makes for a good time. 

Bonus | Foods

Australia is a mix of influences from Europe, and South East Asia... So in most dishes, and menus you see that coming through and making a taste all its own.

• Tim Tams:  These rectangular chocolate crispy biscuits with filling in between and all covered in icing. For some foreigners they are addictive. Pretty similar to a good Girl Scout cookie.
• Gingerbeer: One of my favourite things... Real ginger, with a hint of lime,.. and definitely sweet enough to keep a serving to a small bottle, and a rare occasion.
• Solo: A lemon soft-drink like you have never tasted. Super tangy. 
• Vegemite/Promite:  Legendary Aussie food. Only occasionally do I eat this.. but not a bad brekkie (breakfast). 
  
• Pavlova:  Delicious meringue cake with a sugar coating and fruit on top.  Sweet as.
• Lamington Cakes:  These small chocolaty, rectangular cakes covered in coconut shavings.  Yum!
• Crunchie Bars and Violent Crumble Bars: Honeycomb covered in chocolate. 
• Iced Coffee:  In most places, you can buy coffee flavoured milk in any convenience store.  
• Backyard Oranges, Lemons and Limes in our Neighborhood.. on back yard trees! Yes. I know you can get them in California, and Florida, but its super new to me. WE LOVE IT.
• Meat pies and sausage rolls:  Whoever thought of combining pastry and meat was a genius. It would definitely be a Frat-house food if eaten in the US. 
• Mi Goreng Instant Noodles -- Yup. The Aussie cousin of those American Instant noodles for those random lazy days when you run outta food at home. There are 4 packets of Asian seasoning that come with it.. so they are actually a nice change to the American ones. Matt likes them. But I'm not much of a fan. 

Obviously, I can only speak from my own experiences which will always be limited no matter how many years we spend here...
*ah-ahem* Like, uh,... the time I just didn't pay attention that lavender grew here in the spring. Granted there have been some pretty dry seasons, but God knows, I only started paying attention to flowers recently, when taking photos for my mum this time around. Who knew Australia had lavender? I certainly didn't. *note* These revelations can either make you feel like everything is always fresh and new all the time or you're just really stupid for never noticing before. I get a bit of both all the time. It's quite humbling.

There are so many moments when living here things seem so similar to living in the States... But between the culture of YWAM, and layers of Perth culture and Aussie differences here... We are daily reminded and awed that we have been able to make a home here.

Fun links:
American and Australian Relations -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%E2%80%93United_States_relations

Americans try Aussie snacks... (with no context of 'how' to eat Vegemite by the way..)

Also, Check out my thought boards on Pinterest focused on Australia, and America...

https://au.pinterest.com/stephbell/%2B-oh-australia-%2B/

YWAM Perth Serving | Kimberley Region

Photo cred: SBS (bottom of post)

Read more: here

"When a young person takes their own life, devastation can be a word to describe the aftermath for friends, family, and whole communities. In March of this year, the nation reeled at the news of the death of a 10 year old girl in the community of Looma, located 70 km south of Derby in the Kimberley. The ABC quoted Gerry Georgatos, part of a Federal Government taskforce providing crisis support to families affected by suicide: “It is tragic that a young child would be so trapped in a sense of hopelessness… it’s a tragedy that needs to be heard across the nation…” This incident is not an isolated event, with the Kimberley region, Western Australia, recording the highest suicide rate in the world....."

What are we doing?
Finish reading this article: 

 www.ywamperth.org.au/articles/seeing-change

Incredibly grateful, in the light of this surge in statistics, that we serve a God that is able to lead the way.. and help us serve, honor, and love these communities.

Photos from the Kimberley region

Our Neighborhood | Perth, Australia

Little Bell Place

Been inside a bit this winter. Odd. Australia is so so so much colder than I remember. The days are like cool October, and the early mornings and late evenings, drive me to put my winter wool jacket on. Maybe I don't remember properly because a majority of our treasured memories are with people, and I spend most of my time indoors alone when I am cold. The silly things you realize you didn't remember properly.

This is just a post to share a bit of those quite times... what our world looks like so far here.

From our dining area to our living area. Some Gumtree (kinda like craigslist) couches we got for quite a steal, and the vintage dining table we found on the side of the road. The shelf to the left that we are holding onto for some fellow workers that are on the other side of Australia. Throw blankets here and there we brought with us. 

This little stand, clothing hanging contraption is what we put our cloths on (obviously)
15 AU at the Reject shop... Which is kinda like a small wares 'Big Lots'.

.


This: is my laundry outside.



Still getting used to hanging laundry to dry. Australia, has been far, far, wetter than I remember it...
In the summer, it takes about 30 minutes outside to dry your clothing. It's amazing. Why own a dryer!? While I am still adjusting to the winter.. after 2 days of rain I realized they were not going to dry. Fancy that.
So I pulled them inside, and put a space heater near by.
Voila' !

There was an evening it warmed up so I cracked the window.. So nice. The air is fresh in this city. Feels like you live in a very large small town.

Matt:

He is either reading a WWII book here, or his bible.. honestly, I have never seen the man read so much.. and he is a reader!But he's also, just super dedicated to his work. He serves his heart out, and studies up real hard about his convictions to use music to do ministry. Every night it's a different thing on his plate to meditate on, figure out, or write down.This table is now a desk next to our bed. after we found that vintage one on the road.

Our (1.1 mile) walk every day to the base...

We walk through a large footie park, right now its rather soggy, so sometimes. So if we are wearing our winter boots.. yes. If not, it's sidewalks the whole way.

Imagine mid-November cold rain, lots of rain, for all you northern North Americans.

On the weekends, there are footie games (football/soccer), up to 4 I think at a time.. for a match it seems. Very very cultural. Hundreds of teens just playing kick-the-ball around the corner from our little apartment.  

Didnt imagine this much green eh? In Australia.. parks are taken care of well. Especially in the city. This is what you get. Though because it is winter, and rainy I have yet to get caught in a public sprinkler system!

We walk past a dog park, another small park (pictured below) and through the greenspace infront of stadium..  Over all when you think of Australia, you don't think of this much green. I have to keep reminding myself, its because we are on the coast. Only 30 min drive from the ocean, and a shorter walk from the base to the Swan river which leads to the ocean.

Trees that actually loose their leaves in the winter.

I think that's pretty much it, for our neighborhood, and living space so far. Next time maybe we will share a little about the base and what it looks like for us to be in our ministries in the day to day.. eh?


Thanks for reading - Now go do something productive!