People are Watching

Afghan Girl photo obtain from NY Times

Sometimes when you're in between night shifts there's time to reflect and conduct much needed preparation for this upcoming trip. I just want to say thank you so much to those who have supported me already in prayer, encouragement and finances. You all are amazing and I could not do this without you!

One thing that was shared amidst the upcoming leaders were these three dot points and I feel they are relevant to everyone (Christian or not).

• Again, does the world need 20 more followers of Jesus that live the way I do? What does the example of my “everyday life” say about

what I think of Jesus and what it means to follow Him? (Does my life reflect who Jesus actually is, and what He asks of His followers?)

• James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much.” Have you started asking others to be your prayer partner for the summer? Do you have someone who
you could meet with, and be accountable to, in developing your character and the ‘walking the talk’ of your faith? (Start now, not in
December!)

• Read Proverbs 11 and consider how the godly wisdom in these verses applies to your own situations in leadership.

We all have people who watch our decisions and the way we behave - whether they are children, colleagues, friends, family, students, members of the public who may only see us briefly but are also looking for answers... We create a social norm of accepted and appropriate behaviour and facilitate a potential catalyst of how these observers may also enact when in similar situations based on how they have observed our behaviour.

What do you want to be remembered for? What behavioural trend do you want to iterate is acceptable around you?

Be a World changer and a Kingdom shaper.

Hiatus Ended

Hey all,

Apologies for the long time without communication.  In my mind over the years I have had multiple things I have wanted to share but have not allowed myself the time to blog them efficiently or effectively enough for the World Wide Web, but we are breaking that period of hiatus immediately.


I have exciting news to share with you all.  No, marriage is not on the cards or a family (yet)... however around October last year, whilst I was travelling up the centre of Australia I felt God talking to me in His gentle whispers that I openly enjoy.  This conversation was one of those ones that hit you out of the blue and remind you to not get settled in a corporate 8-5 (if that's ever possible with shift work) lifestyle.  It was a conversation revolving around a desire and a commitment I gave to God around ten years ago and it was Him reminding me that now is the time.







Without knowing this was an opportunity, God reminded me that He would like me to commit to leading a team with TMIA (www.teenmissions.com.au) this coming year.  At that time I had known the Australia base was on a hiatus from sending teenagers abroad for voluntary mission work over the Christmas holidays for a multitude of reasons and were attempting their first New Zealand base camp and Summer teams (which ended up being a success).  It was one where I battled the oh so familiar thoughts of comfort, finances and job security and had to remind myself that true success only comes with God and our reward is in Heaven rather than on Earth and beyond anything potentially achievable on Earth  .  Keeping this in mind, I said "YES!" and lo and behold soon after a TMIA (involving NZ collectively once again) notice regarding Summer teen mission trips  for 2019 was announced!

It is with great respect and humility that I inform you of the privilege I have in assistant leading a group of teenagers (and potentially older) to Uganda over the 2019 Summer school holidays.
For those who have Facebook, I have created this Facebook group (feel free to add yourself and share it with those you think may be interested)  https://www.facebook.com/groups/273088450260025

For those who don't have Facebook, this trip is basically one which will involve roughly eight weeks (December 9th - January 25th).  It will involve ten days of bootcamp at the base camp on the bushland part of the Sunny Coast and will assist with unification of each team - currently five teams going (2019 TMI team brochure), as well as providing skills necessary when working on each of the teams.  This may include things like brick laying, painting, construction, puppets, drama, public speaking, etc.  The end of this period concludes by having a Commissioning Night.  This night is open to the public and allows family and friends to have connection with their loved ones prior to departure for their overseas phase of service.  It allows the teams to express what the Lord has done in their lives and is also a time for the teams to be sent out with prayer and well wishes.




The second phase of these two months then involves putting into action all that was learnt in the ten
days of Bootcamp in one of the five team locations.  These locations aren't always permanent or guaranteed and each team member and leader has to be aware that they may have to be moved to a different team due to extrinsic factors (not enough team members/leaders or political/cultural/environmental factors) ensuring the safety of the team.  It is during this time that life time friends can be developed as team members work together to complete the project they sign up for.  As a team leader I will be involved most likely in the kitchen, preparing and buying materials needed for the team's sustenance, as well as assisting in anyway that the team needs me - which may also include working on the project (which is also something I have always cherished).

The Uganda team's project is heavily involved with working with refugees, a seeing eye clinic and AIDs orphans and construction of their facilities in North West Uganda.

Once completing this time the team will return to Australia for debrief over four days - allowing the team to share their experiences and adjust to living back in Australian culture before leaving home on the evening of the 25th (January, 2019) or the following day.

As this is a voluntary project for a not-for-profit organisation every single person is paying for their way.  This involves either fundraising or paying for it through other means.  Through the help of others, whilst I was working as a teenager I was blessed to do two teams (Cambodia and India) and as a working adult am hoping to finance this trip through my earnings.  However, I have also had friends ask if they can support me.  If you feel so inclined I have created a fundraising page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/donate/844909835859093/?hc_ref=ARRg9IsRDH4DyMYepNQ-BZIb5Ck2_5XR9hBiJtmCvKdJXZKzLRFRPCldKuq5ZyOlh9s&fref=gs&dti=273088450260025&hc_location=group), as well as having options of paypal, bank transfer or direct deposit to TMI with a reference to my name & #1901.   Feel free to contact me for further details. 


I appreciate y'all reading this far with me and cherish the love and support you have shown by encouragement, prayer and finances.   If you have any questions please don't hesitate to say hi.


God bless,
Kara

Rumours, faith, hope, love and purpose

These last few months have been a tumultuous journey of exhilaration, excitement, fears, adrenaline, anxiety, shock, and frustration.  It has been where my priorities haven’t been the best priorities for the right time and I’ve let a lot of my values go (again)... a repetitive tumultuous journey that I seem to continually experience in multiple seasons of my life and one that I am still learning to conquer. To run to God and allow Him to be my all.

Twice within twenty four hours I have received an email “Why would God want to use me?” And whilst I am yet to open it this email haunts me.  It haunts me to know God would want to use me when I am running scared with my daily struggles... when I feel overwhelmed and lost by it all.  When I feel worthless and beyond reach... but these are also lies that I am fighting to allow myself to live and remembering that Jesus died for me because He saw purpose in me before I was born.

Rumours hurt and in the midst of these rumours there are leeches trying to attach and add to the lies. Leeches that are continually adding to the life sucking experience. To be honest life is hard right now, I have an exam the next three days that I don’t feel prepared for, a mark that I feel is waiting to be etched into further failures...a mark that I am trying not to allow into identifying me.

Similarities are where I’ve let my identity be. Not one of my choices I regret... but all of these choices have made me who I am. I hope one day these choices would make me even stronger and wiser and I hope that I would one day feel like I fit in with my colleagues with confidence and my own strength independent of everyone else. This is where the identity comes into it... this is where I am trying to do it all in my own strength forgetting God has ordained me with so much more regardless of who I currently feel I am. He’s ordained me with more than I can envisage. Hopefully one day I can fully walk into it.  I know the option is always there, I just have to choose it and trust that there’s better days ahead and like my saying says “KEEP GOING”.

Identity in Hiatus

There are times in life when one needs to take a break, evaluate, reassess and determine ones next step in life.  There are times in life when in one’s assessment it is easy to realise that you’ve taken the focus off the prize. However identifying the lack of focus and redirecting that focus is another matter altogether. Without vision people perish. Without vision life appears hopeless, and other options become more viable. What vision can one have that is unfaltering and consistent?  What vision can one rely on to ensure that one will never perish?  This topic’s controversial but it’s Jesus Christ. Not academia, not body image, not finances, social status, entertainment, career, etc., Jesus.  Nothing else but Jesus can guarantee your purposeful existence in life. It is when we focus on Jesus that our insecurity diminishes, our fears soften, and our daily focus becomes clearer. It is in this realignment/refocusing we need to realise that healthy input (spending time with God, reading His Word, fellowshipping, etc.) is the only way to produce a healthy output. This is my prayer - God help me, that I may desire You more than anything else, and refocus my life focusing on You.

Complacency no more!

It's very easy to create your own routine in life and settle for the general lifestyle mantra of... be content, have ambitions, and leave God out of your very busy daily schedule. I've been thinking about this lately and I've realised I've become complacent. I am more settled with coming home and turning on the television to fill my time than I am of doing the much needed cleaning and the even more important spending quality time with God. I've been trying to do everything in my strength and not God's and as a result justify my exhaustion through the easiest method of input, entertainment and non-isolating when you're actually isolated techniques - television, television and more television. It's not what's on the television but the fact that it's a something to break the silence of being isolated. Something the let's you distract your own thoughts and have 21st subliminal messaging flashing through.  Something that lets you be a zombie... and there's nothing overly wrong with that except for the fact that for me I've become complacent in all the other things I could be doing.

I've become complacent in allowing God to move. I'm not limiting God, because for sure He can move mountains and I have no say in what He's going to do if He really wants to do it, but I have reserved myself to allow God to move in my life only when it suits me. Only when I'm going to be comfortable. Only when I don't have to please people. Only when I'm not going to be vulnerable... and that's not okay.

My daily mantra I'm changing.  My wake up moment is now "Hello God, what are You doing today? Can I be a part of it?"  We weren't put on this earth to solely exist. We weren't put on this Earth to go with the motions. We were put on this Earth to be His hands and feet and to bring Him glory.  This is my ambition, this is my perspective and this is what I'm going to strive to do. To allow myself to be used by God and to ensure I fill my spirit with quality material. Turning off the televisionpetiodically and just listening, allowing God to move. Spending quality time with Him and going "I am Your child, use me.  I don't care about what people think of me as long as I honour You first!"





“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:13-16‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬)





“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91:1‬ ‭(NKJV)

A missionary or a mission field?

Have you ever wondered what a missionary is? What they do? How they do it?  It is a selfless act.  It is something that makes you ask the question on am I a missionary or a mission field?  This question was posed to the group of people I was with whilst in America.  You're really one or the other... but sometimes it's hard to identify which.

I know there are times when I know which one I am and I know right now there's times I feel like I am not  doing the best I can or I don't want to be because I am exhausted but the big question is are you doing what you can?  You don't have to travel far to be a missionary.  You don't have to eat foreign foods.  You can stay at home.  Are you showing God's love where you're at in what you're doing?  This is the big question.  This is what I hope I am still doing when everything feels up in the air and this is what I hope others can see in me... God's love, not my own ambitions, fears, hurts, selfishness, etc. but God's love.  It is He that I live for and it is because of Him that my life has purpose.  He has given each and everyone of us a purpose in life.... each and everyone of us has a hope and a future and something to live for.  So what are you waiting for?  Are you a missionary or a mission field?

Busy beavers...

I have not written in awhile and it is funny how you can have the best intentions to get something done, like following through on those teaser posts from Novemenber last year, and yet get completely distracted in the here and now priorities that so readily consume your life.  These past 6 months have been a challenge but a rewarding one... I am now 2 semesters from completing my nursing degree and have also had the privelege of spending much cherished time with my mother travelling north on my one week of holidays and enjoying the simple things of life together.  The animals continually remind me how much they anticipate the family being at home and enthusiastically and doubly greet you at the door when you vacate longer than expected.  Then I have these random moments with God where some words will pop into my head and it reminds me during the plateaud seasons that He is still with me and will never leave me and He wants to make that clear to me and hopefully to you too.

I am hoping to continue updating this blog more frequently than I currently am and would appreciate your prayers for this semester that began three days ago with today being my first day of on campus classes.  I have had the praise point today of making two friends in my class who have also journeyed through much of their degree feeling alone and hopefully this friendship will continue to blossom and encourage each other to strive for excellency during one of the more so difficult hands on classes.  There are always blessings behind and through trials.

Until next time,
Kara  

What am I doing now?

This is just a teaser, as I am in exam block, but my next posts will involve what I'm studying right now and what God's been showing me, as well as what I believe could be next for me.  Stay tuned.

My physcical circumstances don't need to be perfect for me be to be satisfied in Jesus and serving Him!

There is POWER in the Bible. Very relevant to today's society!