Tuesday 29 March 2011

we're on a mission from God

(I think I used that post title last year, but since I *still* haven't updated my blog archives it doesn't really matter)

This week I'm on mission with a team from Moore College. The college does this every year, sends the entire student body, with staff and chaplains, to various locations around the city, state, and even overseas (this year's OS team has gone to Hong Kong). It's an exciting and exhausting week, full of big conversations and meeting heaps of new people. We do everything from up front preaching and stuff at church services and Bible studies, to helping move furniture and looking after kids.

This year I'm at Ashbury, a little suburb in between Ashfield and Canterbury, full of Catholics and Greek Orthodox. The church, St Matts, is in the middle of a residential area, but has a huge block of land and great resources. Now all it needs is more people!  If you want to read about what we've been doing, check out my posts on the Moore Mission blog.  Or if you have a bit more time, you might like to read about all the missions.

For my part, I am thoroughly exhausted already. Having come off a couple of fairly intense weeks that also involved some big mood drops, it's been a challenge to even turn up, let alone be a functioning member of the team. I'm sure I hide it pretty well to people who aren't close to me, but I'm trying to be upfront about it and have been encouraged to say when I need to rest or stop and not be worried about it.  It's at times like this I realise that pride is a big problem for me!  I don't want people to think I'm not capable or letting the team down.  But rest and being wise about it is more important than putting on a brave face (and of course everyone is great and understanding, and it's mainly in my own paranoid brain that people think I'm a lightweight).

So please pray for us as we work hard this week, and pray that the people we come into contact with would hear God's word faithfully spoken.

Wednesday 16 March 2011

a room of one's own

I've realised over the last week (or perhaps re-realised) how important having your own space is. Somewhere that you have your stuff, however much or little that is, somewhere that is stable, somewhere that is peaceful, and somewhere you can keep the outside world out, if needs be.

We had family holidaying with us last week, and I think we all realised how important space was when we didn't have any. Their family of four was in my bedroom, and I was in the living room on the floor. The common space in the dining room was basically taken up by the dad of the family (who set up his home office in the corner) and the kids, who needed space to play, draw, etc. The poor little 3 year old had night terrors and although he was perfectly cheerful during the day, would keep everyone up at night with his crying. Basically, there was nowhere in our little house where anyone could escape to for a bit of peace and quiet. My aunt decided after the third night of no sleep that they would have to find a serviced apartment. It ended up quite a good outcome really, because we were all getting a bit frazzled and I don't think by the end of the 10 days that they would have had a very good holiday!

(It was also pretty difficult, when I was sick with a fever/cough, to be gracious and hospitable!)

It made me think about people living in poverty, with even less space and more people to fit in it, permanently. Or people who are homeless, living in hostels or on the street, who have to fight to even have somewhere to lie down, let alone somewhere peaceful or stable. It makes me so grateful and so thankful that God provides what I need, that I only have minor and fleeting discomfort compared to so many. It makes me feel a bit sheepish for having felt so stressed by it all.

If you've never seen Kevin McCloud's fascinating doco on the Dharavi slum in Mumbai, Slumming It, do check it out. I remember being absolutely stunned by the section in the following clip, from about 6:00 onwards, that details how a family of 21 lives in one house, five sleeping in the same room (from 7:52). I guess if you had never grown up with the privilege of space and privacy, you would never expect it, would you?

Sunday 6 March 2011

longings

I very much want to be finished with the bigger things I'm juggling (NT assignment, 3 projects due almost simultaneously for a client) along with all my other commitments so that I can do some sewing! Just caught up on Jess Green's blog, the Thought Tree, and the woman is just so inspiring. I had craft envy.

Once the dust settles with all this busyness (hoping it does, anyway!) I'm planning to factor some non-guilt crafting time into my week, because it really does make me feel positive and I love having something to show for it.