The end of my first semester of college in Australia. 17 weeks, 4 months.
I know several reading this don’t realize what I actually went to study in Australia, or why. I am studying at Hillsong International Leadership College, with an emphasis in pastoral counselling. At my home church in Michigan, I often was mentoring women with significant spiritual needs and needing help with life direction. The education I am getting is growing my pastoral counselling techniques while also increasing my biblical education. The other tremendous blessing in this is that I never got to go to college. 26 years ago we got married and started a family immediately. This has been a redeeming of the past by God, a total gift for me. It’s incredibly humbling.
Daily disciplines and self-care are among the top things. Being a wife, mother, dog-mom, volunteer and serving at church over the years has left very little time for self-care.
One of the things I discovered while living alone is that I hadn’t fully overcome unworthiness like I thought I had. So, me and Jesus worked on that abit too.
Late April, Chip had planned to come visit for over 2 weeks. What I didn’t know about was his surprise he was bringing along.....my oldest son James and his wife Alexia came to visit also for a week, and they definitely got me good with the surprise!
It was a bit of worlds colliding feeling, having them join me in the new way of life I had adapted to. My husband immediately noticed that I had apparently changed👀. He said I was more confident in my independence. It was a wonderful time of connection, rest, and renewal. A portion of this trip for my husband was a work emphasis and had been planned long before I arrived in Australia. However, in God’s perfect planning and goodness I was on 2 weeks break from classes when he came!
Some of my favorite things from this semester have been a café by my apartment called Whole, cliff views at Bondi beach and Manly beach, sunrises viewed from my beloved “Jesus” chair and sunsets while walking to church on Sunday nights. I have loved hosting friends for meals and long chats, late night homework help, and deep, life-changing talks with new close friends. I prefer to be at church whenever there’s a service to attend because I want to give God every opportunity to teach me something new or to hear Him speak in a new way. I have loved how God has taken worship songs that I have known and loved for years and given me fresh perspective from them. I have been blessed by new songs coming out of the talented Hillsong music teams as well.
Some of my favorite points from all the church services I have attended are:
“Any great battle outwardly begins with a great battle inwardly”- Lucinda Dooley
“Choosing ‘this’ over ‘that’ is an art of Trust and Surrender, it is a quiet and brutal space, costly and worth it, fueled by grace.”- Laura Toggs
“You have to look past the natural to the supernatural, need to go to a whole ‘nother level and shift your dish”- (shift your perspective- dish=face, sight etc) – Lucinda Dooley
GREAT Leaders resolve to 1. See beyond obstacles 2. Hear what others cannot hear 3. Go where others consider it impossible 4. Rise up in authority 5. Stretch out in faith 6. Walk in God’s path.” – Lee Burns
“Funny how giving grace becomes offensive when we think someone doesn’t deserve it, none of us ever deserves it” -Sam Lopez
“When there’s no new news, stick to the old news. When it doesn’t look like I thought, don’t revaluate ALL of life. Keep doing what God first told you to do, or the last thing He told you to do”. -Sam Lopez
“Worship is all that we are responding to ALL that He is.” -Haydn Nelson
As I shifted to being home for 7 weeks while on break, it’s given me some reflection time and to see where my difficulties will be in keeping up my new disciplines.
I have a running list in the back of my prayer journal for all the areas of growth or change that God has been at work in. Some of those are: Confidence (in myself and God), being wholly dependent on God for everything, increased depth in prayer life, obedience (including in the very hard things), expectancy of seeing God move, having eyes of faith and ears opened to His leading, humility (all I have and am today is from Jesus), being steadfast in Him, consistency in behaviors, unshakeable faith (He is my Anchor), and awe of God- His incredible power to accomplish His perfect will.
Besides being on break and to be with my family, a big reason I am home is that my daughter Lizzie is getting married July 23rd! Aside from all this talk of college and Australia, I’d like to take a second and brag about her 😊😊
Lizzie has been a strong and independent young woman for quite a long time. We’ve always said she was built to be an executive.😏 However, she has a tender heart for the Lord and has been transformed by Jesus into this gorgeous example of a life redeemed. We couldn’t be prouder and so we are throwing the party of the year to celebrate her marriage to Brian. What an incredibly good young man, we are so grateful for him and to his parents for raising such a wonderful person💖. He is perfect for our girl and I know that blessings untold await them in their new adventure of life together!
I am thoroughly looking forward to second semester and seeing what
God has in store for me for the rest of the year!
