Farewell arvo tea

Had a small farewell gathering at my house today. I didn't invite many people, just a handful of friends from Bible college and I just loved and appreciated them all so much. It was such a sweet peaceful atmosphere filled with people who genuinely love me and care about me. Actually, I invited Louise too, who I don't know so well and not sure she enjoyed herself. I dunno why, I just felt to invite her last minute. I guess cos Kellie and Tammy were coming and she is best friends with both of them.

I was really shocked that Catherine gave me $50! That is a lot of money for a Bible college student. She must really like me. It's the second party I have invited her to at my house. I just love her so much because she shares a similar broken past and I can relate to her on that level. She is much older than me, but funny how you can just connect with people on a spiritual level that enables you to put aside age barriers. Karen and Andrew also gave me $50, which was extremely kind of them. Karen is such a generous person, always giving to people. I am so blessed by her. She also agreed to pray for me in Mexico. Bless her heart. Graham and Mirjana gave me a beautiful journal and made some delicious savory tarts and bought lemon lime bitters. Trish brought over a massive tub of ice-cream with some cones and sponge finger biccies. Sarah brought over a custard and jam fruit scroll. Beautiful.

I just apreciated everyone that came. Kellie asked me again about Riverview people and I told her I just didn't agree with their different beliefs and values about dating. I told her how my home group had tried to pressure me into dating Troy and how I didn't agree with the idea of dating just anyone for the sake of getting to know them. I believe in waiting for the one God tells me to date, then proceeding. Kellie told me Ryan and Karen are no longer together, which is really heartbreaking.

Anyway, other who came were Natalie, Bev and Tammy. Twelve in total :o)

New hiking backpack

I just bought this bag on eBay for Mexico :-) It looks alright, well heaps better than the bags I already have, which are not hiking bags! Julz said she burnt Dave's hiking backpack cos it was full of mould and the smell was pungent. Fair enough :-) lol That's why I couldn't find it at mum's house.

So, this is the desciption of my bag on eBay:

The Meteor is a top loading rucksack made from waterproof Polytech Ripstop with a heavy duty draw cord compression throat system, Contoured internal aluminium frames for increased comfort and back support, Rain Cover, large capacity hood with rear zip pocket, Hydration Compatible with special hydration sleeve and much more.
Extremely lightweight for a 50L framed Rucksack at only 1.1kg.

These are being at sold at cost price until sold out due to make way for next season model. Comes with EPE warranty. Limited stocks so grab a true top quality Rucksack before they sell out!

Specification
Dimension: 60 x 35 x 25CM/50 Litres
Harness System: Active padded HarnessWeight: 1.1 kg Material: Poly-Tec Ripstop polyester
Colour: Navy/Graphite (May vary depending on stock in store)
Features:
Fabric: Poly-Tec Ripstop (water resistant)
Harness: ACTIV
No.5 YKK zippers
Contoured internal aluminium framed harness support system
Waterproof side pocket
Large main compartment
Daisy loops
Rain cover
Hydration system compatible
Side compression straps
Throat compression system
Hypalon Accessory Holders
Mesh Side pockets
Lifetime warranty

His Spirit will gather them together

Two weeks ago mum saw my hubby in a vision. He was tall and stocky, not skinny or fat, just a healthy stocky build. She said he looks like Erik. She reckons he has brown hair, but I don't consider Erik to have brown hair but blonde ... well dark blonde or light brown. She said he didn't look like he had much money :-) Anyways, I have this excitement inside and I just feel like I am gonna meet him at YWAM. I could be wrong, I mean it's happened so many times before, but surely, God has gotta bring us together sometime soon. I have been faithful and loyal to wait for His timing, rather than racing into something that isn't His will.

I keep thinking of Gary Greggor's words: "... and God says yes and everything is going to work for you". I just know it will somehow. He is a God of restoration.

I have packed my suitcase about 80% so far .... I know YWAM is still over a month away, but I want to be ready. There are sooooooooo many things to think of. Got ear plugs today and y'day bought my 700g compact sleeping bag and black thongs.

Bath time!

Scitech Toddlerfest

I took Angelina to the Toddlerfest today. It was great. She was very excited. However, we were both so tired after spending just over two hours there. She fell asleep almost as soon as she got into the car. I had my final two needle vaccines yesterday, one in each arm and my arms are extremely sore today. That in addition to taking Angel today has totally worn me out. Here are my piccies ...

Upside down with her favorite aunty

ABC...

This book was given to my little niece for her 1st birthday to help her learn her ABCs. It has the funniest words in it, like "I" is for "Indri" and "Io Moth", "K" is for "Katydid", "Q" is for "Quahog" and "Question Mark Butterfly", "U" is for "Ugli Fruit", "X" is for "Xenops" and "Ximeria Fruit".... I have no idea what any of these are! Boy have things changed since I was a kid :-) hehe

Mexico

Well I saw this top in K-mart a couple of weeks ago and told some friends about it and they said I should have bought it.... so I went back today and unfortunately, my size was sold out but I got size 12 and it's a snuggly fit, so that's ok :-) I can't wait to wear it at YWAM :-) lol

Old piccies

Ps David used my laptop today when I was teaching him how to use MS Powerpoint and he left these piccies of Ps Eunice over 20 years ago and him 25 years ago conducting his daughter's wedding. Wow the bridesmaid dresses were pretty different back then :-) lol

One milestone achieved!

Well today I got the following email. I feel like it is a huge achievement just getting the application in. There was so much required!

Dear Michelle, Greetings from YWAM Perth! We have received your complete application form for the April DTS. The school leaders will pray over your application as soon as they can. Once we receive the application back from them we will let you know the decision. If you have any further questions please contact us. Blessings, Womba Kantumoya

Registrar’s Office, Youth With A Mission (Perth) Inc.(National Provider Code 50824, CRICOS code 02123F)is a Registered Training Organization with the Training Accreditation Council of Western AustraliaYouth With A MissionPO Box 8501PERTH BC WA 6849AUSTRALIAphone: +61 893285321 fax: +61 8 9328 1324email: registrar@ywamperth.org.auwebsite: www.ywamperth.org.au

This morning my self-inflatable mat arrived at my door! I am so impressed with Kathmandu :-) It is surprisingly very lightweight.

A more comfortable night's sleep

I met a chick called Kristen from the US last Wednesday night at Craig and Wendy's house and she told me she went to Kathmandu and bought a self-inflating mat when she was on DTS in 2005. She said she really needed a good night's sleep.

Well I went on the website today and it just happened to be the last day of a sale where self-inflating mats were 50% off! They had run out in store, but I bought one online. I am so grateful I found out :-) Not sure what colour I got.

Mexico City

Oh Lord, why are you sending me to Mexico City? Why are you telling me to go away for six months from my family? I wonder why God leads us step by step and doesn't reveal everything all at once. Maybe I just wouldn't go. I dunno. I feel sad inside. I so much want to see mum and Julz and Dave set free. I guess I have done my part. They all have a will and have to make their own decisions and deal with the consequences of the decisions they make.

Godly clothes

Well another thing Julz blessed me with was three packets of puffy paints for jazzing up your clothes. What you do is you draw on your clothes, wait 6 to 8 hours, then blow dry them with your hairdryer on the hottest setting.... and up pop all the paints, hence the name puffy paints! :-)

So I got pretty creative and did all these ... can't wait to wear them all. Only the black jacket, black waistcoat and green waistcoat are ready to wear. The others are freshly painted!

New hat fits perfectly ....

...on Angelina!

Stabbed!

Going to Mexico means having a whole lot of vaccines injected into my arms to protect me against...

1. Measles, Mumps & Rubella;
2. Hepatits A;
3. Hepatitis B;
4. Swine flu;
5. Typhoid;
6. Polio; and
7. Tetanus.

I also got a vaccine against Cholera, which is an oral vaccine.

When I went to see Dr Cummins and his nurse, Erica, on Thursday I also had a blood sugar test to prove to mum that I don't have diabetes. My reading was within the healthy range of 6 to 8.

I cannot get over how expensive all the vaccines are. The polio one alone was $80. The cholera one costs $53 per dose, so the two dose course costs $106. Praise God Julz is GP and most she got me for free. The polio, typhoid and cholera ones she paid for, however, and they cost $177 collectively and that was apparently with a discount. Far out. I am so grateful for Julz' generosity. Thank you Jesus.

A downer

Feeling a little sad tonight, just thinking about how I need to get through the next seven or eight weeks, then say goodbye to looking after Angelina half of every week and our visits to mum and the dogs together. It breaks my heart, but the way things are now are a consequence of decisions that Julz and mum have made and their stubbon, unforgiving hearts. Oh why does it all have to be so hard in my family? Why couldn't I have been born into a better family? Why Lord, did you choose me for my family?

Just came home from Craig and Wendy's house, where I met another Kristin who did a DTS in 2005. She told me that you become like family with the people on your DTS, which is great. I need that. I really am so grateful for Wendy. She is just such a blessing to me. I just adore her. Her words and sensitivity really minister to me. I wish I had met her sooner.

Next person ...

Well straight after I told John he could move in, the Holy Spirit made it crystal clear it was not a great idea. For about an hour after John and his gf, Yvonne, left, I could sense all this lust and sexual immorality between them and I had all these visions of him sleeping with different women! I kept getting that scripture about how Jesus was enraged that His Father's house had been turned into a gambling joint and I felt God was saying to me that my house is a house of prayer, a special unique blessing and that bringing sexual immorality into it would open doors for the enemy into my life.

I rang up Sarah and asked her who she was going to suggest move into my home instead and she told me her friend Sharon, an older lady she prays with at the church. In the morning, I asked Tammy what she thought of Sharon. She told me Sharon's job at the church was about to end and she had been told that someone had expressed concern that Sharon had mental problems, though she had not witnessed anything abnormal in her dealings with her. Boy, that was enough to put me off!!! Sarah said she was actually considering the place herself .... I was like "WHAT???". The funny thing is, she was one of the first people I thought of, but I just assumed she was paying much less in her state housing and could not afford the rent.

It turns out that after that whole ordeal, she will be moving in and paying rent plus expenses - $165/wk on her own. It is amazing the peace in my heart that I feel about my decision to let her stay and actually longer term until she finds an alternate place. I have since moved all my stuff into the spare room and I am going to let her sleep in the master bedroom until she leaves - so my room will be the little one. Today I changed the sheets on her bed and cleaned out the cupboards and moved mystuff around. I really do not have a lot of possessions I realise. I have put a lot into the Good Sammy bin or sold it on eBay! hahaha

So it's all final now - Sarah has no furniture, which is actually a great thing for me because it means she will not be moving all my stuff around, taking down pictures, etc.. like John was going to do. She cannot pay me any rent in advance, but at least she is reliable to pay me rent each week. I know she is super clean and neat and I just love her so much and want to bless her. She is a true friend to me.

News is out

Well I finally summed up the courage to tell mum, and as expected she did not handle it well. However, hours later, she sent me an email saying sorry. I guess she is just fearful and insecure. I really feel this is what God wants me to do. I know it is definitely stepping out of my comfort zone and that I would not want to do this naturally if it wasn't from God.

Today Bev told me she no longer wants to rent the place, but then John rang and said he would definitely be interested in renting my place and will check it out tomorrow, which is great especially because Bev was only going to pay $100/wk for the first three months and $150/wk next three months. I asked John for effectively about $167/wk for all the six months, totally $4,000, as opposed to $3,000. That would be great. Then I may not have to break my term deposit so early.

Only John said he has A LOT of furniture and so will need to fit it all in. Oh Lord, please make his furniture fit! I might just sell my dining suite to make room. Why not. It's not like I really value it that much and I can easily get another one any time.

Ps David and Tammy agreed to be two of my referees. Now i'm just waiting on Ps Judy. Julz did my medical report today, but reckons I need to have a whole lot of injections prior to Mexico to be safe. Not looking forward to them.

Another step closer

Today I met with Anders (pronounced with a silent "d") from Denmark, who is leading the April DTS to Mexico this year. He is 29 and married to an Amercian girl and they have one child. He was lovely to talk to.

He told me that the DTS students are actually expected to do exercise together at 6.00am, which is an initiative to get them out of bed early and encourage them to spend some quiet time with God before they eat breaky. Wow!

On Monday nights they have lectures until 9.00pm or 9.30pm. On Tuesday night, they have small groups after dinner. On Wednesday night, they have a free night. On Thursday night they do evangelism and on Friday night they have the praise and worship meetings. Then on the weekends, maybe once every three weeks depending on how many students there are, they are required to do duties. He said as a maximum I can go home three times for the weekend during the twelve weeks and work is not an option due to the intensity of the weekly duties. He said he can make an exception with regard to Sunday nights and allow me to continue doing VLC bookshop if I want to.

I also had a tour of YWAM, which was the best bit. He took me to see 224 Lord St, which is the big communal dorm. Surprisingly, I actually quite liked it. The bunk beds are separated by big shelving units and every girl gets two shelves and some under-the-bed storage space and a tiny bit of hanging space. There are a few showers with all inclusive areas, so you can take your stuff in and lock the door. The whole dorm building is split in two halves with guys on one and girls on the other. They share a huge kitchen and there is a small area within the corridor with two small lounge chairs where people can sit and talk. I can see how people can easily make good friends in that place.

I filled out all the questions on the application form about my family, areas I feel I need to grow in, my conversion, etc... and went ahead and paid about $55 (ouch!!!) for a national police clearance. Now I also need a medical health report (praise God that Julz is a GP) and three referee reports from a pastor, teacher and friend. Talk about a full-on application process! The total cost is about $9,000 for six months. I really hope that Bev goes ahead and rents my place. I offered it to her at $100/wk for the first three months, then $150/wk for the next three months when I go overseas to Mexico.

Oh, somehow I have to break the news to mum. Why does it seem to hard!

Moving on

Well the more I contemplate it, the more I feel like pursuing it - a DTS at Youth With A Mission (YWAM). I mean, I could not in my own mind possibly want to do it as an alternative to earning big bucks in a mining company or somewhere else in the marketplace. It must be from God.

Especially with the communal-style accomodation arrangement in bunk beds. I was talking to a girl on the phone today and she said there are 24 bunk beds (i.e. 48 beds) and three showers and four toilets in one building that the girls share. You get up and have to be at the base by 8.00 am where you do duties until 8.30 am. Then eat breaky, then go into intercession/praise & worship, then lectures, then lunch, then duties, then free time for 2.5hrs, then dinner and lectures or meetings. She said she only had Wed night off. Friday night you are expected to be at the meeting until 9.00 pm or 9.30 pm. Apparently, it is VERY full on!

Wendy's words Thursday night pierced my heart - that love is not being controlled by someone, having the absence of freedom to go o/s and feeling obligated to do stuff for them when other people my age are living life the way God intended it. She said I need to accept that I may never have mum's blessing, so it's not like doing things for her will achieve it. She said I am an adult and I need to have my freedom. There will always be situations in my family that require attention and that I could always assist with, but I need to cut the soul ties and move on. No matter how hard it is to do, I need to do it.

The YWAM course comprises three months of lectures based in Perth and then three months o/s, during which time I would not be able to see mum at all (obviously). There are many different nations I could potentially go to. There is a school starting April or one starting July, but I'm feeling like I should be in the April one. Well Julz seems to be unwilling to push Kylie's start date later and consequently, I would not have a job between when Julz has the baby to July when I would start at YWAM. Therefore, it seems logical to start April. It concerns me that Julz will be having her second child and Grunde really is truly hopeless when it comes to looking after babies.... but I have to move on. There will always be things like this.

Anyway, with the April school, it would mean that I would do my lecture phase April, May and June in Perth, then miss the rest of winter, possibly to go to Mexico with 100 other students and staff. That sounds much more appealing then starting July and doing lectures in July, August and September when it is freezing and wet.

I guess I have already jumped over a big milestone in moving out of mum's house last year. Now is time to jump over another big milestone. I figure I could always see mum weekends at least for the first three months... and three months o/s is really only 12 weeks, which is a small amount of time in the larger scheme of things.

Now I am seeling anything of value in my house that I can through eBay. I realise things really don't have a hold of me anymore. I've got some of the Versace products Julz gave me, two pairs of shoes and a handbag. I can't say I have ever really appreciated the demonic medusa head that is a trademark of Versace It is engraved on the base of the shoes and all inside the handbag. Yuckkkkk - and people pay a lot for these products!