We hope that you all are doing well. As we've made cultural blunders and picked up Aussie slang, we've learned that life here is "not weird, it's different." We have been very busy the past week getting acclimated to the Australian culture and the University of Queensland campus where we spend the majority of our time. We thought we might give you a glimpse into some of the things we do everyday, so that you will know better how to pray for us.
Four days a week, we have training time in the morning. The Uni Impact staff (the ministry we are partnering with over here) come once a week to train us in adapting to Aussie culture. Another day of the week, we have a time of training on prayer led by Ben. On the other mornings of the week, we have team evaluation time, discipleship groups, and time to rest and take care of personal business. The mornings are a wonderful time to prepare us for the busy afternoons.
In the afternoons and evenings, we've been spending time on the University of Queensland campus. While there, we participate in Bible studies, discussion groups, and Uni Impact meetings. We spend as much time as we can each day hanging out with students and getting to know them. The students and staff here have been so wonderful to us, and we are really enjoying getting to know them. It has been a privilege to get to know several students here and we covet your prayers as we seek to encourage the believers and share the gospel with non-believers. Please pray for us as we seek to build relationships!
On Thursdays every week, we get the privilege of helping with mercy ministries here. This past week, we were able to assist a local family from Christ Community Church (the church we attend while here) in cleaning up from the flood that devastated Brisbane a couple of months ago. They were so kind and hospitable to us, cooking us lunch while we cleaned up their back yard, washed windows, and packed things into boxes. We also get to participate in Community groups on Thursday evenings with various members of Christ Community Church. The church here has been a real encouragement to us as we see their love for Christ and their passion to reach the nations.
We also get time to rest and relax as a team. On Friday evenings, we have a team dinner and social. This Friday, we went to a delicious Thai restaurant. We then enjoyed a trip to Mt. Mee on Saturday. The view from the top was incredible! The drive up was awe-inspiring and our dive into a cold pool under a waterfall was freezing, but a highlight of our trip so far. It's been incredible seeing the natural beauty surrounding us here in Brisbane. The glory of the Lord shines throughout all of Creation!
Tonight (Sunday night), we will participate in the final Uni Impact meeting of the semester. Please pray that the gospel will go forth and that the Lord would bring conviction and encouragement to His people.
Please pray that our hearts would be fixed on Christ, that our team would be unified, and that our lives would be a testament to the faithfulness and love of God. We appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers and look forward to sharing more with you soon.
All the best,
Cristin, for the team
Just love hearing about the trip. Looks like some of you are really working. I love the views--keep up the good work.
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