Life Continues

As I reflect back to when I first arrived in Redding, California, I can hardly believe that I have been here for half of my allotted time!! I am here at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry for a nine month course. The first four and a half months have blown. my. mind. It's one thing to have read all the books and heard the podcasts but it's a whole new world actually being here.

I've been challenged, since being here, on the whole spirituality side of Christianity. I used to be so wary of becoming 'spirro' or hyper spiritual, so I shied away from it almost completely. I was aware of God being a spirit, and of spiritual things happening - like people seeing angels or demons, or witnessing the effects of a miracle or healing - but the idea of living out the supernatural in my everyday life was something I didn't even consider before reading Kris Vallotton's book, "Developing a Supernatural Lifestyle". My understanding of this was that certain people had been chosen or blessed by God to receive the supernatural gift of being a crazy Jesus freak - and that most definitely was not me!! I had been blessed to be a teacher, living a life for Jesus, and if He so deigned to put people in my life who were intrigued by my lack of swearing or my purity or some other excuse for living a half-effort life then I would be happy to explain my decision to follow Christ and how they, too, can make such a decision! (I hope you can detect the sarcasm in that last statement.) Let me say that there have been many people who are curious, but usually have the same answer - "Oh, that's really cool that you live like that, but it's not for me..." or "I totally respect your choice, good on you for being a believer." Oh yeah... I was "going into all the world and making disciples"... not.

Bill Johnson said yesterday, "A lot of people believe their intelligence will keep them from deception--and they are already deceived." This was totally me!! I was so caught up in not following signs and wonders, I was so careful not to be seen as offensively 'super spirro', I was thinking that I was being 'aware of the enemy's schemes' but really, I was deceived. 

Now don't get me wrong! I'm not deceived about following Jesus. Accepting that He died on our behalf is definitely the first step to living a fulfilled life. But that's the key - it's the first step!! Salvation is not the end goal! Salvation is the doorway to living a life that brings witness to Jesus and actually causes people to want to be involved!! Wow! What a revelation! For years of my life I heard that the biggest parties should be in the church... but I rarely actually see it. For so long I was loath to bring people into church because it was so irrelevant to where they are at. There's so much preaching on who we should be rather than who we are. We don't need to be reminded of our guilt and shame - there's a little (sometimes not so little!) bird on our shoulder who is constantly reminding us of our downfalls. The trouble is, that the church almost seems to capitalise on these thoughts and feelings to keep people coming to church. The bigger issue is that we are told that there is "no condemnation in Christ Jesus." So if we're feeling condemned when we're at church... something's gotta give!'

Let's change tack for a second. Jesus is perfect theology. What does this mean? It means that Jesus is the exact representation of His Father. He says so himself. If theology is the study of God, then Jesus is the one we can look to to see what God is like. (Yes, I understand the difference between how God related to the Israelites and others in the Old Testament - That's because of the old covenant He had - now we're under grace and Jesus made a way for us to be in relationship with the Father... In terms of our relationship with God - the new covenant is the only one we should be looking at.) When Jesus started His ministry, crowds flocked to Him because He had the words of eternal life. But sometimes we forget that they were also offended at Him! We know now that when Jesus mentioned 'eat my flesh and drink my blood" (Jn 6:53-56) He was talking about communion - but the crowds thought that He was talking literally and left Him!! He even asked His disciples if they wanted to leave too - the only reason they didn't was because they had nowhere else to go! Yes Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but He is the same one who made a whip and drove people out of the temple! 

My interpretation of the gospels (an expose on the life and lifestyle of Jesus) tells me that Jesus liked to party! His first miracle was turning water into wine. Now, I don't believe that Jesus got drunk on wine, but when you look at Luke 7:34 it shows us that people were saying that Jesus was a glutton and a drunkard. If I read between the lines then based on the lifestyle of those days - it's likely that He got this reputation from banquets and parties. Here's something that struck me - If Jesus was accused of being a drunkard - then He must have been displaying carefree, crazy behaviours! (Note the carefree rather than careless...) David Riddell said that "to the defiled, all things are defiled." Someone posted on their FB status that "We usually don't see things as they are; we see things as we are."  Let's remember Micah - she was bitter in the castle when David danced before the Lord. She saw it as embarrassing and unrefined - but God was pleased. She was offended by David's passion due to her lack of it. In the same way, I used to be embarrassed for people who were overly spiritual (in my eyes), but that was actually blocking me from the anointing that God has in store for all believers!

Let's take a moment. If we weren't so concerned about people's thoughts and feelings - what would we do in the name of Jesus? Now I'm not at all talking about being offensive in the name of the gospel - but I have realised that all too often we project our thoughts onto situations and it's those projections that are holding us back - not reality! Wow! When we think that someone is too busy to let us love on them - without giving it a go - then we are robbing them from an encounter with God! How do you know if someone is too busy? They will tell you if you approach them!!! You can never know who God has put in your path to minister to until you step out and talk to them!

It is God's will that none should perish - yet people are going through life with little or no demonstrations of God's love because Christians are too concerned with staying out of people's faces! We're reacting to the consequences of the '80's with the 'turn or burn' message of salvation - but I believe that we're called to share love with the same passion - but change our message!! Love is the key. Love is the answer. What have you done lately that was out of love with no strings attached? Something that shifted in my mind and gave me such freedom is that Holy Spirit is the one in charge of salvations. Not me. It's my job to show God's love. Just little things are often the most meaningful! Listening to the rants of a homeless person - and actually caring. Giving away some money to a beggar - despite the fact that they could spend it on alcohol (it's not my responsibility to insure they spend it responsibly - it's my responsibility to give.)

I have never felt so alive as lately! I feel released to share the gospel message to any one who the Spirit leads me to. It's easy. God loves you! He loves you so much that He made a way to get rid of all the crap in your life and give you a new life instead. It will take effort. It will take patience. But your life can be transformed - starting today!! Do you understand how much God loves you!? Do you really!? Our Father gave EVERYTHING to have you close by Him. He wants YOU in His life. Take a moment to ask God to show you how much He loves you - I think you will be amazed!

Some testimonies

It's November 4 and I'm sitting outside on this beautiful morning so grateful that we can have this gorgeous weather for a little while longer. About 3 weeks ago it rained for the first time in 8 months here. When I arrived in early September, the only green grass to be found were in properties that were well watered overnight. Everything else was dead and yellow. But now, three weeks after the first rain our backyard already has a green tinge. It's autumn, but it feels like spring. The oaks in our yard don't change colour - they just lose their leaves, but they've still got a healthy foliage. The sky is blue and streaked with whispy clouds. I've noticed that since I've been here I'm becoming more awed by natural beauty. Landscapes, mountain ranges, changing leaves, birds and their songs... As my heart is slowly being turned towards the One who loves me beyond my comprehension, so too, is my mind learning to recognise the gifts he has given all of his cherished ones. Each encounter with my God is one that brings me to a deeper understanding of how much He actually loves me! His love is transforming me. I start seeing myself doing things that I never thought were 'me'. And the best thing is - it feels completely natural!
Here's a testimony from recent events in my life.
I came to Bethel knowing that I didn't have enough money to see me through the 9 months here. I felt like it was something God was cool with, and I have never needed to see God come through for me with miraculous finances before. He's always given me a job immediately when I've needed money, so I thought it was time for me to take the next step in our relationship. It was time to learn to trust my Abba. (This is a personal testimony and I came to this conclusion out of relationship with God. It was not a 'test' for Him, but an opportunity for me to grow closer to Him through learning to trust Him.)
Ok. So a couple of months went by and no financial miracles yet. I was admittedly a bit scared and resigned to the fact that if I accidentally screwed up in my understanding of God's talking with me, then that's cool - I'll just fly home... Now I'm accustomed to working for what I need. I don't have the luxury of rich parents, so my survival has always been up to me financially. Being in a country where I am not allowed to work is really hard for me because there is no way I can provide for myself! But as I would seek God's opinions on this matter, I always heard that I should relax and let Him take care of me. This was not easy. So I would go to people and ask them to pray with me (to see if they heard differently from God...) They all felt like God was saying to relax and trust Him - He's my Dad with unlimited resources and it's His pleasure to carry me through this season! Wow! As beautiful as that was - it was really difficult to swallow! Me? Worthy of that much attention from Him? I went through a series of revelations from Him about my identity as a daughter of His. That God, Himself, provided a way for all people to become as children of His through Jesus' death and resurrection. Finally I had come home to where I belong!
After this time I was more at peace about God providing but curious as to how He'd come through. I've heard a wise man say, "You can never outgive God" and I always desired to be a generous person. But what God started to reveal to me was, that I was generous but only with people I knew and liked and who would be responsible with what I gave them. I thought that I was a good steward, that those were responsible decisions. But God challenged me. He asked me if I would give money to someone He prompted me to give to even if I knew they would not use the money wisely. I asked Him back if that would be wise stewardship. He challenged me further as to whether the limited money I could possibly give away to 'irresponsible' people could possibly affect the riches of Heaven... Ooh. He got me there. He then went on to explain that generosity has everything to do with compassion, following the leading of the Spirit and our heart as opposed to where the money is actually going. This was happening at a time where many students here were asking people for money to cover their tuition. My attitude at the time was that it's their responsibility to provide their tuition. That if they couldn't pay it off, then maybe they shouldn't be here... But then God reminded me of my situation... Ouch. I was all happy to give to my friends' tuition, but there were people there I didn't really know yet and I was not going to give them anything. Until God showed up. He challenged my attitude and then told me that if I gave $20 to this one person's tuition (this was a person who really irked me) then that would be the key to my financial breakthrough. I was like, God! That's not fair - you can't blackmail me! And He replied, I know, I'm teaching you. Ok. When you put it like that... I told Him that I'm only doing it cos He told me to, and I'm not in the state where I can be a 'cheerful giver'. He told me it didn't matter my attitude - the provision had already been made. The next day I paid the money and then Holy Spirit prompted me to look at my New Zealand bank account. Now, I haven't been in NZ for 2 years, but I've checked the account heaps of times hoping and praying for some sort of miracle. But I hadn't checked it for a few months. I opened the page and there was $86 in there!! What the?! Dividends from shares I had sold two years ago... Wow! All I could do was laugh. I mean, sure. Maybe the payment would have come through if I didn't give the $20, but then again...
So, at this stage I had enough money to pay my rent for November and now with this extra money I could probably see myself eating for that month too. I did, however, need a couple of extra winter clothes (due to only being able to bring 23kg with me!) So I decided that I could spend $100 on these things and that would leave me a little bit extra for fun times or whatever. I went to the shops and found some great bargains (thanks God!) and I was walking to my car when this young guy asked, "Hey, can you spare some money for a bus fare?" to which I did the head down, purse grab mumbled, "No, sorry." But then Holy Spirit spoke. "Go back and help him out." to which I replied in my head, "But he'll probably just spend it on drugs or whatever." to which Holy Spirit replied, "Do what you feel is best but you should go back and help him."
So I turned around and called him back and asked him what He needed. He explained that he got stranded here because these guys were robbing him and he was fighting them when the police came and arrested him. He lives in Southern California and had no job here and no way to get home. He was really embarassed that he was reduced to asking for money to get back home. I thought (or maybe Holy Spirit said) that this would be an opportunity for me to show God's love to a perfect stranger who could most definitely use any money I gave him irresponsibly. I asked him when he wanted to leave and he said as soon as possible - had all his belongings in his backpack. So I took him to the bus station to see how much a ticket would be and when he could leave. Unfortunately it was Sunday and the ticket sales weren't open. I also found out that a ticket would be $130 but I only had $60 left (other than the money still in NZ). I told him such and he said that there's an organisation here in Redding that will help out with bus fares - if he comes up with half the money then they'll supply the rest in bus vouchers. All this time we had been chatting - he told me about his family, his work, his study dreams and his desire to hear from God personally (he was already a believer of Jesus). When we realised the bus depot was shut I then took him to his mate's house and took the plunge and decided I was going to give him the $60 in cash. We prayed before he left and it was such a cool time to hang out with God. The funny thing was, that although I was left with $6 in my account, I was not worried. My rent was paid for the all of November - so that left God 30 days to help me continue my journey here at Bethel.
I went home and told all of my housemates the story - I was still buzzing at the craziness of what I did... It was cool. It felt like I was truly representing Jesus - which was a beautiful feeling! Just before bed I felt to check my USA bank account, which earlier that day showed only $6 left. I could not believe my eyes when I opened the page and there was $400 in there!! What?! Are you kidding me? I was totally overwhelmed by God's provision! It was at that moment where all residual fear of not having enough to last my time here disappeared. My Abba showed up. He gave me enough to survive another month. I was given the opportunity to trust Him and He is faithful. The funny part is that it's all things I knew but was yet to experience. There is nothing like an encounter with my God. Nothing at all can come close.
I now understand generosity. I understand giving through compassion and the leading of Holy Spirit. He knows best. It's learning to be sensitive to those things that we would usually pass on by. It's not that we always give in order to receive, but more that we give because we have been given to! There's an element of both (farmers don't sow seed not expecting a harvest) and the best way to find out is to ask Holy Spirit what He thinks. I'm coming to realise that He generally knows best.

A little bit of something different

I'm not too sure if you've ever been in the situation where you are simultaneously being exposed to new (to you) teaching; running those teachings through your current paradigm; weighing them with what you know to be true (and what you previously thought to be true); how to repent (change your thinking) in the areas that are showing to be lies; and what it looks like to walk out your new identity (how God sees you) - but it's hard work!! Sometimes this procedure is a daily occurrence, other times it's strung out over a couple of weeks, but it's constant. Don't get me wrong - it's not like there's a focus on all the bad stuff and I'm just introspective to the max. It's kind of weird. The closer I get to God, the more paradoxical I realise this relationship is. To an analytical mind that finds comfort is such things as rhyme and reason or cause and effect I find I am frequently surprised by the effect of relationship with the Most Holy One.

The biggest example of this in my life has been about striving vs rest. Now there are times we are called to work - and to work well. But that's not my focus at this time. Since I've been here in Redding it's clear to me that I am in a season of rest. Part of my journey was learning what that even looks like! As Christians we spout mantra's such as "It is through grace we are saved, by faith, not by works." yet who are the first people to feel guilty when they're in a season of rest. I find that there are two main groups of people in the church - those who can't do nothing because they feel at a loss or guilty; and those who do nothing because of hurt or burnout and can't bear to go through that pain again. I have had wonderful mentors who have imparted much wisdom to be and I haven't burned out, but I was definitely in the former group for some time.

I know my anointing. I know my calling. I may not know what form it will take, but working with children is my thing. The trouble was, if I had no children to work with or to impart to, I didn't feel like I was being true to myself. By the end of my 3 months touring Europe on a summer holiday I was itching for some children to work with. I was going crazy on the inside. And you may sympathise with me. You will probably want to console me and tell me that feeling like that is normal. What I've come to realise in my life is that it may be common, I may be able to rationalise that thought, but it's not actually God's best for me. It's almost there but it stops... short... of... the... target...

Figuring this out is a fine line. I'm not too sure how many of you will understand what I'm getting at, but if you do, I promise your life will change.

We are called first to what? Love God. Then? Love others. And to what measure do we love others? Just as we love ourselves. Ok. Now how do we know that we love ourselves? When I can see myself just how God sees me. Cool! I can do that. I love myself. There, I said it so I must believe it. God loves me, I'm saved, I've got a good job, I'm pretty cool, I have good friends etc. But what reaction do you get when someone looks you deep in the eyes and tells you all the things you're currently struggling with? How do you respond when they tell you that they still love you? What about when a good friend of yours gives you $1000 for no other reason than they wanted to bless you? Do you refuse? Why? Because you're not worth it? Because you feel guilty? Is that truly loving yourself? Let's assume you agree with the Bible when it says that all good gifts come from God (James 1:17). Theoretically (this is Aimee thinking aloud) it's not a human thought to just give someone a large amount of money, so let's assume that the Holy Spirit has led someone to give, and they're quite happy to do that. Does Heaven have limited resources? Will God cause this person to be in financial trouble because they gave to you? Do we think that because we have received money that someone else will not ("oh, no, I couldn't take that - give it to someone who needs it more than me!")?

Let's think of this another way. How many times have you given a gift to your four year old child (or when you were a child been given a gift) that the child refused it because they don't deserve it? Has your four year old ever suggested you sell the gift and give it to someone who deserves it more than they do? What qualifies them for the gift? Sometimes nothing more than the fact that he's your child. The fact that you love her. The fact that you want your child to be blessed and enjoy life. Sometimes I think parents miss this opportunity with their children and it forms thought processes in their minds that carry over into their relationship with God. 

Now I'm going to share a revelation I got from my own experience as a teacher and as a child. Often, parents and teachers want to reward specific behaviours. They may be proud of a child for an accomplishment or something new they've learnt and so they reward their child. This is known as positive reinforcement. The trouble with only using this methodology is that children learn very quickly that doing good works = getting good things. Some children may only do good for the reward rather than for the integrity or internal reward of the action. Others may not know how to respond when a good gift is given for no apparent reason - they may feel like they need to earn that reward by doing some more good works. This runs over into our relationship with God the Father. I had a very hard time at first understanding that God requires nothing of me in order to love me.  It was a very difficult time for me when God told me he wanted to love me with me offering nothing in return. What?! How do you even do that? Well, I'm not sure how it works for everyone, but all I did was be open. There were so many times I felt guilty for not spending time with Jesus. I decided I was no longer going to be guilty (Holy Spirit doesn't use guilt). I would lie on my bed with some beautiful worship music on and do nothing but open my heart. I didn't speak. I tried not to conjure up any thoughts. At very first I didn't even try to hear what God was saying. I just said, "Do what you want." Then slowly, over time, I would feel my heart start to soften and open. In various classes in school we looked at the father-heart of God, and explored intimacy with Him and so in those classes I would participate at we were led, but in my time with God - I rested. I didn't even feel guilty if I went to sleep. I would just assume it was all part of God's plan to love on me!!

I began to see how much I didn't love myself. How much I felt unworthy. How I didn't feel deserving of his love. But in those moments his voice would whisper his thoughts to me. He would give me pictures of his love for me and I learnt to accept them. I decided I would believe it was true no matter how effectively that little sneaky voice would argue in my head that it's all my imagination. I chose to side with truth. God's truth. God's truth that I'm worthy of everything he chooses to lavish on me. That worthiness comes through the price that Jesus paid. God loves me so much that he sent his son to die that I may live life to the fullest with him! He made a way. All I have to do is believe and accept it. How do I know if I've truly accepted it? When people compliment me and I can take it without making excuses or feeling guilty. I know I'm there if I can receive a gift from someone without the compulsion to pay them back or give it all away to someone else. I know I understand when I spend time with God and he can love on me and I simply enjoy it. I'm still on a journey. I'm still learning. But life is so much more fun and exciting when I can live life knowing that I'm God's favourite! (Don't worry - you are too!) I am learning to minister to others from the overflow of the love I am receiving from my Father. This is the key. This exact point is the difference between working through striving and working from rest. I want to give people my best, and my best is me full of Jesus' love. I want to be in a state of continuous in-filling so that I can spill out on people. That's the most fun way to work, and if this is how you minister, you'll never burn out!!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. This week I've been challenged a lot in the area of receiving. I have signed up for a missions trip to Honduras that I cannot afford on my own and I'm taking a step into vulnerability and offering you a chance to partner with me in getting there. My trip will cost $1990 and because I am on a student visa I am not entitled to work in the States. This is very difficult for me as prior to coming to Bethel I had always worked for everything and now, in this season of rest, my hands are tied and I can't even find loopholes!!

If you would like to contribute to my trip I have included a link where you can donate by credit card directly to the account held by the school. If you are a citizen of America then this donation can be tax deductible. 

I would be so grateful for anything you may be able to contribute and I bless the donations to receive a 100 fold return. If you would like more information on the trip and what I'll be doing then please contact me on Facebook or email me aimeegreig@gmail.com and I can send you more information!

To donate by credit card follow the link https://missiontrips.ibethel.org/ and search for Aimee Greig!

Thank you all so much 

Much love

Aimee

The first few days at Bethel

Already I've seen God's provision for my journey here! Although I'm living in America, California no less, Redding is so small that you can feel like you're not too far from home. Plus, with the number of International students here, it doesn't really feel too strange.
Let me start from the beginning.
I was flying with Air NZ and thought it would be an excellent opportunity to visit my good friends in Wellington for a few days. It was such a good decision. Time to hang out and relax with friends I hadn't seen in ages. The only problem was that I thought I was flying out to San Fransisco on Friday the 6th September... The bigger problem was that there is no Friday the 6th. It's Thursday the 6th! And I realised this at 4.30pm - the time of my departure!! I'm so thankful to Maria for the time following this realisation! We pulled up at her house and I double checked my flight times - I was positive I was leaving on Friday! But no, it was dated Thursday 6th. At this point I was ready to go to the airport the next day and just buy a new ticket if I had to - I didn't have travel insurance - but Maria suggested we go to the airport anyway and see if there was anything that could be done. On the way we called John, Maria's husband, to see if he could search out any other flights that could join up on the way or something. Then I called Air NZ to see what could be done.
When I got through to the customer service person and told him my story, he said he had just been talking to John and thought he had another option sorted out. He told me I could fly from Welllington (where I was) to Auckland (that flight was going to leave in an hour) and then from Auckland to Las Angeles, and then after a 4 hour stop over I would fly to San Fransisco. The beauty of all of this is that he only charged me $60 which is the fee for changing your flight!! I couldn't believe it! God totally had my back there. I was sure I was going to have to pay another flight, and that would have meant I was entering the states with no spare money!! But it was a risk I needed to take, and my God is my provider! The flight from Auckland to Las Angeles was a dream! I had three seats to myself and was able to lie down the whole way and sleep for about 7 hours!!
From the airport I had to take the train to Down Town San Fran, and then walk to the bus depot - about 2 blocks from the train station. On the way I see my first three homeless guys just sleeping on the footpath out in the open. The city really smelt bad - or maybe it was just them, but I suspect that 3 homeless guys can't smell out two entire blocks!! When I got to the bus depot I was pretty stoked they didn't weigh my bag like I was expecting - apparently their luggage restrictions were less than the airports. I then had a 2 hour wait from 11pm until the bus left at 1am. I had left Wellington at 7pm which meant I had been travelling for about 20 hours thus far. I got on the bus and I felt like someone was going to jump me, ha! The first guy on the bus comments on my nice boots - and I thought, I'm done for! I thinking now that 'civilised' people don't take the bus in the USA. I would have preferred the train, but due to my hasty departure I didn't have time to fully search it out. Anyway,  from San Fran we bussed to Sacramento - about 2 hours' drive. The bus was continuing on a different leg of journey, so I had to get off at 3am. The biggest problem being my bus to Redding wasn't leaving  until 7am! Luckily I had my computer with me and I was able to watch a couple of movies to help pass the time. But I'm not going to lie. It was painful. And the bus depot was definitely filled with people of a different socio-economic level. Which wasn't a problem really, but it did make the 4 hour trip quite smelly, especially considering this bus was full so we had to sit directly next to someone.
I was sitting next to a talkative, intense-eyed man called Ryan. I found out quite quickly that he is homeless and was living in Texas over the winter, but was returning to Oregon for harvest time. It was time to harvest the dope he grows for his clients who have a medicinal pass. Awesome. Well that explains the eyes... ha! He was no danger though - just a bit starved for genuine conversation and probably couldn't believe his luck to have the "pretty girl from the Bus" (his words, not mine) sitting next to him - and talking to him. We talked for ages, but then I needed a break. It was just a little too much after nearly 30 hours of travel and limited sleep. So I slept for a bit, and then pretended I was asleep for as long as I could, and then resigned myself to chatting again for the last 30ish mins of the trip.
At our last stop off, I was able to borrow a lady's phone to call my friends who were already here, so they were going to be at the bus stop to pick me up. For the last while, though, after I saw Ryan writing my name as "pretty girl from the bus" to which I pretended I didn't see it, I thought it's time to pull out the big guns. The big J. The topic that will either send people on their way and make them get away, or, will introduce them to Jesus to which they are happy and changed. Ha! Well, it's kind of like that. Anyway. Ryan is a vehement atheist and used quite colourful language to describe the God of the Old Testament. He doesn't think the same for the God of the New, but can't fathom that Jesus was God (well, that's probably because he's an atheist... you can't believe in the son of God if you don't believe in God, right?) The unfortunate problem in this line of discussion is that it gets quite an audience from the surrounding seats. The African-American old guy in the seat in front of us turned around and join in with such an enthusiasm I was interested in hearing his story. That was, until I couldn't understand what he was saying!! He would ramble on about something and then say, "Yeh know what ahm sayin'? Yeh, know what ahm sayin', don't ya?" To which I would nod and smile. He was so involved that he kept saying the same thing over and over. I know this, because after a few exposures to his line of discussion I started to understand a bit more. His accent was deep south and he was slightly incohesive, so it took all my linguistic powers to get to this point!
Anyway, I got to the bus station safe and sound, stripped of all my layers - I left New Zealand with several layers on, two pairs of socks and boots. In the bus it was freezing so I added a jacket into the mix. Here is Redding it was over 30 degrees. And it's been like that for the past few months! No rain in 3 months here. Sorry, let me finish. So! I arrived on Friday morning and when I got home I found out that church runs on  a roster for the students here. Because the church only seats about 900 people at a time, but there are over 3,000 members, and then there are maybe about 2,000 students across the three possible years of study, there's a slight seating problem. So they run services here on Friday and Saturday nights and 3 or 4 services on a Sunday. So that the members have an option of coming to the service of their choice, the students are allocated a certain service for 6 weeks, and then will rotate to another service for 6 weeks and so on.
Because there are 1,200 people in our first year programme, they place us in Revival Groups of about 65 people. This is our main class, when we're not in lecture time. We will stay together for the year. In those revival groups there are Small Groups that they place you in with 4-5 others of the same gender. This is to help you build intimacy and relationship with a few others so you don't get overwhelmed trying to create it with a group of 65! They will place us in these small groups after the retreat in a few weeks.
Church on Friday night was pretty cool. Because worship through singing is a huge part of Bethel's anointing, there are naturally heaps of people who feel led to be on the worship team. We found out there's a huge 240 people on the team!!! And they rotate around the 6/7 services as well. It was such a great time. Then one of the pastor's I've not yet heard, Joaquin,  started giving his message and then invited a guy Bob Hartly to come up because Bob had some prophetic words to give to people. He was spot on. He's not a member of Bethel and was just visiting, but the Bethel Pastors have a lot of respect for him and said, "If Bob has a word, it's best to let him give it." He was able to pin point people down to first and last names, first names and dates of graduation from the school, first names and professions... This guy was a gifted prophet. It was phenomenal! Even the pastors couldn't believe the accuracy of which he was calling people out.
After the sermon the pastor had a few words of knowledge and people were getting healed all over the place. The girl sitting next to me, Narelle, got healed of back and neck pain and was so hit by the Spirit that she couldn't stand up when the pastor wanted to see who had already been healed!! She kept trying, but was too unstable and it was pretty funny too as she had already been giggling all through the service.
We had registration today and it was a long and drawn out process due to how many people were there, and because we were international, they needed copies of all our paperwork etc so it took ages!!! We start school today. I'm looking forward to it, though it's a different mind set to be a student instead of teacher! I'm definitely going to be challenged, stretched, encouraged, and grow heaps! It's a good feeling for sure!
Sorry this one was a bit long, but I just got a bit carried away! The next one will be more about school life.

Sorry, it's long...

Ok. Time to calm down. You know when you write a blog post, or reply to someone, or an informative letter or something and you do a really smooth job of it? When it sounds great, and you’re beginning to think you’re a literary genius? But then something happens and your time and effort goes down the toilet, and you really can’t be bothered replicating for the second time, and so your next piece is facts, essentials, and half bottomed (I couldn’t bring myself to write the ‘A’ word, even though I have no problem saying it… Weird.) So feel free to make up your own story to my facts. I’m a little disheartened that even here, in Singapore, the computer crashed mid-way through typing my blog. It happened twice in Indonesia before I started writing as a word document and then cutting and pasting, but now that it’s happened here – with good internet – the only explanation is that Blogger.com hates me. But luckily I don’t take it to heart and I’m actually ok with that. There are more important things to concern myself with while in the tropics – such as how I am doomed to have fluffy frizzy hair. Always. Even with product (yes – expensive salon product), and even using GHD hair straighteners… Yep, doomed. Oh, and air conditioning – hate it. Dries you up and means you always have to wear long pants and a cardigan – everywhere!!! Urgh! I finally live in a country of perpetual summer and have to dress like it’s perpetual Autumn…  So, like I said – there are way more important things to concern myself with.

So. Singapore. Again. That sounds like I'm complaining- but I'm really not. Just setting the stage, adjusting the lights, and getting you in the right frame of mind to hopefully enjoy this prose. (Is anybody else reminded of our yr 12 English exams when you read the word 'prose'?)

I'm in Singapore because in order to get a new visa for Indonesia I have to leave the country. Singapore is good because it's close, it's civilised, it's got a wide variety of cheap, yummy food, and there are so many shopping malls that there's something new to see every day at the top of every train station. And the train transport is so cheap and efficient that you feel like you're getting special treatment from the train service!
I am currently sitting in my hostel resting my feet due to all the walking I've been doing! Most everything is trainable except for the Indonesian Embassy - the only reason I'm here mind you. That's about a 10 minute walk from the closest bus. That's not a bad walk in itself -it's more the hours of walking the shopping centres that kills the feet! So I've given myself a compulsory day off. Time for a blog catch up!

Ok. So here's the latest school news. A few weeks ago we had a new teacher arrive to teach the prep class of kids. She's an Indonesian teacher and has really enjoyed living on the base and teaching the kids. For me, this is a wonderful relief! Prior to Julie arriving I had 26 children ranging from 5yrs old to 13yrs old. For anyone who knows kids, you can only imagine what that's like! So this new separate class meant that 7 of my youngest were moved to another classroom and now I had less of a gap academically, and the younger children were getting teaching to their level too. This was truly an answer to prayer! A huge load of stress was lifted and now I could focus on the kids in my grade 1 class.
And now they're flying! I have children reading and understanding English beginner readers - which I wasn't sure if that was going to happen in my time here! I am teaching predominantly in English now - pretty much no translation - and the children are beginning to write sentences in English about various topics! I was pretty sure that was not going to happen... There are, of course, several who are more behind than the others, and there are some that are more advanced - but it's super exciting to see what they're learning and how far they've come!Singapore this time round has been nice. It’s always a good getaway for me. Like complulsory school holidays. Because unlike most other teachers, I have to live with my kids.  They’re generally ok though. They know when it’s ok to annoy teacher and when it’s time to go. (I’ve trained them well!) The kids are learning well – they’re writing and reading simple English now which is super exciting because I wasn’t sure if they’d get that far while I was teaching them. They started so slow with no English, but now they’re memorizing spelling patterns, and learning facts about different topics and learning maths all in English! The amazing thing is that when they learn about a new topic – they have to learn all those new English words too. They’re really little superstars! I’m going to miss them when I go! 

When I get back from Singapore I have 2.5 months left of teaching in Indonesia before I return to Melbourne and if time continues at its present rate – it’s going to fly by!!  One year is almost complete! After that I have a couple of months in Melbourne and then in September I’m going to Redding, California to study 1 year at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. It’s funny because I always said I didn’t want to go to America, but since I’ve been in Indonesia I have met some fantastic Americans who have helped me warm up to the idea of living in the states. Plus, after losing 8kg in Indonesia I need a get fat quick scheme – America here I come!!

Not a lot has happened since the last blog post. There haven’t really been any big adventures or near death experiences (well, none out of the ordinary) but I thought I’d catch you all up on some of the interesting (or not, depending on your interests) facts about staying in Halmahera.

One thing that strikes me as crazy is that many of the kids wear flannelette pyjamas to bed. In the tropics. Tops and bottoms. Most Aussies struggle to sleep un-airconditioned and these kids are sleeping in flannelette…

My most favourite smell in the whole world is a grape vine outside the Scarborough’s house. At nights it releases this most perfect fragrance. It is difficult to sum up this aroma with words, but it’s like, um (2 mins later), so fresh (mmm boring word – told you it was difficult), like if you can smell this fragrance in its natural surrounding then you know that somehow, everything bad will not be so bad, because if God placed a scent such as this, purely to be enjoyed, then how much more does He care about the other things in our life that need help. But it’s not the kind of fragrance that could be captured and replicated (well – they tried – it’s called grape flavor hubba bubba). But if we’re comparing Hubba Bubba to this – it’s like the HB is a kidney stone and this essence is a diamond. Wow! And the funny thing is – if you haven’t inhaled this sweet fragrance, then you will definitely think I’m mad and have lost the plot. But the truth is – if you haven’t smelt it – you haven’t lived.

Ok… spent way too many words on the grape vine… sorry. On a completely opposite and slightly more revolting note – I watched them butcher a steer. From the almost-start. I didn’t want to watch the slitting of the throat so I arrived fashionably late for the butchering ceremony. Cows have HUGE guts!! 4 stomachs – and all of them big in themselves. I was surprised at how not bad it smelt while they were chopping. I was also surprised how I could so easily watch. I was surprised more at how easily I could eat the meat after seeing its original owner. In fact I was more surprised at how people CAN’T eat meat after seeing its original owner. But then I’ve never really been an animal lover – and I’m pretty sure they can’t feel anything when they’re dead, right? Ha! So thank you mister steer for providing a welcome change from rice and vegies. Your memory will be honoured in my iPhone (thought I’d better not post the pics for those of you who might not be as fascinated as me…)

Oooh!! A couple of other cool things. I killed a snake! Woohoo, I just received the jungle Jane award. The funny thing was, I hit it several times but it was during school time and had to go back to teach, so I left the snake still wriggling and wasn’t sure it was dead (cos the head was still on). So I put a rock on top to make sure it couldn’t get away if it was still alive. Later, after school I went back to check it was dead but it was gone! I was positive that I couldn’t have done that much of a hack job, and ended up finding out that one of the kids had already grabbed it and taken it to the rubbish heap. There was snake offered as a meal at Steve and Naomi’s wedding – but that one was a lot bigger and already lost its head.

The storms here are pretty ferocious. Not in terms of wind, but the thunder cracks so loud sometimes that you actually feel scared!! It’s weird, cos I don’t scare easy and I know it’s just thunder – but it’s like my body has a mind of its own and gets scared even when my brain isn’t allowing it. The cool thing, however, about the lightning is that occasionally there is a cloudless night with stars out, but in the distance on the horizon there are huge clouds and inside these clouds is where the lightning happens! If I had the right camera I could get the most amazing photos. It’s like the cloud is housing the lightning. There’s no thunder. And the whole cloud lights up as if God is striking a match inside the cloud then the wind blows it out. It is phenomenal to watch.

Ew. Something else. I’m not sure how many of you have heard the rumor that spiders travel in 2’s. Well usually that’s true here. The trouble is that they’re huge! Which generally means if I only see one, I’m a nervous wreck til the 2^nd one is found… Yuck! One time we found 1 huge one and sprayed it only to discover the mummy and baby one running out too… GROSS!! I know they’re not poisonous, but they have 8, hairy legs that all move on their own accord… Ew. They’re not the only creepies too. You can’t leave any food out anywhere! There are ants that come within 5-15 mins depending on where you are and they swarm! One minute you put your chocolate down on the desk, and 5 mins later it’s protein enriched and moving… Ants are not so bad cos they’re pretty clean, but when they walk all over you it’s just annoying.

Here’s a handy tip I learned too. If you made the mistake of buying bedsheets (and I imagine this will work on other items too) that pill, I have found an inexpensive fix for it. Use a shaver. Shave those buggers right off! At first I used a sharp knife but had to be extra careful that the point didn’t cut into the fabric. Then – I don’t remember the exact moment, but I decided to use a shaver and have never looked back!!

Also, it’s funny that people in Halmahera don’t wear sunglasses. But they see people who do like celebrities. I could hang out at the base wearing standard casual clothes and no one would notice. But if I wear a pair of sunnies – everyone notices and comments and wants to try them on and take photos on their mobiles. It’s THE funniest thing! And then when you go in to the town – sunnies or not – the people all stare like you’re famous! They stop what they’re doing and just watch. No way could you get away with picking a sneaky wedgie… someone would definitely see. At first I hated it, now I tolerate it because it’s not going to change any time soon. And I know now that I don’t want to be famous if this is what it’s like.

I’ll finish with a cute story illustrating lost in translation. We have had a family visiting with 3 children, Tasmin, Darcy and Toby and on the day they arrived they were helping set up for Tessa’s birthday but got separated from Esther. So Esther asked one of her teenage girls to look for Darcy and Toby who got lost on the footpath. The only problem was the Merna hadn’t yet met Toby and Darcy and in Indonesian ‘dasi’ (means a tie (you wear)) and ‘topi’ (means hat) sound like the boys’ names. So Merna was so confused looking for a tie and a hat somewhere on the footpath until she was enlightened to the boys and their names!!  That was particularly funny for me – you probably had to be there and understand Indonesian, but there you have it – a latest update from me. Thank you for reading this far. I have also included a selection of photos just for those of you more visually inclined.

Thank you to all of those who have contributed to this journey through provision of funds, prayers, visiting and practical advice!

Can’t wait to see you all in person!

Xoxo Aimee

 The dock where we caught our speed boat once. Although much of the city is dirty like this. The toilet for 'number 1s' goes straight into the bay.

 The view from the end of the pier. Too bad the sun's not out - doesn't usually look this dreary.

 This was an old Japanese war ship from WWII. They had a military base near Kao and not sure how this sank, but it's here, and we snorkeled it. I've watched too many movies and was afraid I was going to die the whole time. If not by a shark, then by some mega sized sea urchins, or an octopus or something equally as deadly/scary. I'm not sure why, but the ocean is soooo much scarier than the forest.

 

 Definitely not me. I had my fill of tall jumps at the waterfall. The drop is way too long to be enjoyed. But good on you Cassie Allison!!! A champ in my eyes!

 Right when the locals saw us coming a whole bunch of kids came out to the ship too and just shadowed us the whole way. Too bad the underwater views were not that clear.

 Bonnie and Cassie's leaving bonfire. The two girls on the left are in my class. The one at the front is 9 and couldn't read or write Indonesian or English at the start of the year. Now she can read and write Indonesian and is learning English quickly! So encouraging!

 Cassie and me with some of the teenaged girls.

 The local waterfall. The best place to wash your hair cos the waterfall washes all the conditioner out real well and you get a head massage at the same time. (In saying that - I've only been there once, but the rest go quite often - I just never hear about going til they've come back, ha ha!)

 My school girls sitting up properly and responsibly at the party (as opposed to running around like headless chooks like the boys)

 I was asked the other day what kind of toys the kids play with here - rain is definitely one of them!

We had a wedding in our main meeting hall and they decorated it to the nines. 

 

 This is a wall of speakers. Yes, every box is a speaker. They hire these out for functions. If you really want to impress your neighbours then you hire 3 of these walls, and encroach on to road space and put up a giant marquee in the middle of the road for all your guests to sit and eat under while becoming more and more deaf from the 3 walls of speakers.

 The girls in all their finery for the wedding. Aw, such cuties! (BTW they're not in the wedding party - this is normal fancy garb)

 The two girls in red were in the bridal party. They hire the dresses - too bad if they don't fit properly. Even the Bride's dress is hired.

 This hut used to be a restaurant, but for whatever reason now it's not, but we were able to bring our picnic lunch and eat it there. It's nice cos you need to take a raft to get there which meant that the hordes of followers couldn't swamp us on the floating boat. The water is so nice to swim in too! This is one of my favourite places in Halmahera so far.

 Me and some of the kiddies. Man I love em.

 Ah, the teenage boys, same in every nation, *cough* posers!

The experience continues!

Yep. I spewed. I actually can’t remember the last time I vomited. And I was definitely eating my thoughts – as I never thought I’d spew on a boat. I love boat travel. I secretly thought that those who couldn’t hold their own on a boat were a little weak. Like I said – eating my words… To be honest, it wasn’t as bad as I imagined. I felt super car sick and after I looked up out of the window and tried to talk myself out of the inevitable I just figured it would be easier to let it all out. Don’t worry – that’s enough detail for most people. Sorry to mention it, but it was such a momentous occasion in my life that I wanted to remember it. And, to continue with the honesty, this boat ride was not like any I expected or like any I would wish on anyone for as long as we had to endure it!

We left the dock earlyish on Saturday morning. Now I say earlyish because it may have been early at the time – but we had to wait over an hour for our pre-arranged boat man to arrive. Island time, or rubber time abounds in this island. It’s one of the things I have trouble adjusting to peacefully. Well, it’s usually ok so long as I don’t have to wake up early for it. Like this Saturday morning. Like 4.30am early. Dang! The ironic thing is I don’t remember ever asking God for patience so I’m not quite sure why He called me to this country… Ha! So it’s 8 something AM and we leave in a 3 motor powered speed boat to begin our 1.5 hour ride to this island paradise. It starts ok and I’m at the front of the boat, loving it, but then the wind and rain pick up and start coming through the hatch and I’m not ready to get wet just yet. So I move to the back – which happens to be a very good move!! In no time the wind picks up and the waves start up! We’re speeding along in this boat and every wave that we hit my stomach hits the floor! Now for this first experience this was great fun!! People go on rides like this in theme parks. My butt would be lifted off the seat at times – that’s how fast we were going over these waves. But then the fun 10 minutes turned into a horrendous one hour and that’s the point where my body just had enough! But soon after that, the water turned smooth again and we were allowed to exit the boat and go to the roof or stand on the side and watch as we arrived at Dodola.



 Part of the view at the dock.

Not too bad for an early morning with Kahli (left) and Cassie (right)

David (from USA) and Ingunn (Norway) and their little few month old Normerican in Ingunn's belly!!

 Having a go at creating a cool pic of the jetty. Our boat is the blue and white one close to the jettyon the right hand side.

 Sitting on the roof as we approach the island (though this island is the one we walk to from Dodola)

Ok - so this totally doesn't do the rough seas justice. It was super crazy - like people getting thrown out of seats crazy!

I’d love to describe to you the majestic moment when we rounded on this island. The way the morning sun glinted off the glass-like water; the beautiful coconut trees silhouetted by the sun; the white, fine sand without a footprint on it… Well, the sand comment is valid, but it was still dark with the rain continuing and for some strange reason there were pine-style trees instead of coconuts. But the place still held a charm. I had to imagine the beauty that would be present with the sun out in full force. This place wasn’t littered with rubbish either like most beaches.

For ages we sat around under this shelter – me trying to get warm – sharing stories, Matt and Dave tried to take sharpened sticks spear fishing (to no avail despite the big number of fish) and Naomi and Steve went off to have romantic photos to put on their wedding invites. The rain stayed with us until about 2.30pm and then slowly the sun came out. We explored the island that we were able to walk to across a sandbar that was visible when the tide was out. This little island could probably be walked around non-stop in about 20 mins.  There were heaps of beautiful shells and adorable hermit crabs. (I’m not sure what it is about hermit crabs but they are sooo cute and entertaining!) We finished up at about 5pm with the sun deciding to make an appearance at our departure. The trip back was much more pleasant than the arrival and we made good time back in time for dinner and a yummy restaurant where it is possible to get delicious-not-spicy food (oh how few and far between those times are!). It was a great opportunity to spend time with some great friends who will soon be leaving. Matt and Kahli have been here for 2 months and Kahli was my room mate for that time. She did some wonderful things with the kindergarten and I really enjoyed spending time with her the past weeks. Matt has a great grasp on the language and has spurred me to pick it up more in these last months I’m here for. The both of them have been a huge source of strength and companionship for me.

David and Ingunn are an American/Norwegian couple who have been here about 3 months or maybe more and have also had a huge impact on me during their time here. We’ve had heaps of conversations that have drawn out interesting ideas in theology and life and it’s been great to have other cultural backgrounds to really delve into my beliefs and assess whether they are from the Kingdom of Heaven or from Australia. I’ve truly treasured my time with all of these people and this was a lovely way to spend some last time with them.

One of the beaches here

 Some more on the beach

 Me and Kahli

 Just gorgeous when the sun decides to come out!

Bonnie and Cassie and Caleb are here from Careforce as well and some good things are happening. We took the youth kids out for an overnight stay at an island and had an absolute blast of a time!! Great things happened and the kids are alive with a passion that only has one origination. There’s been a huge shift in their focus and that’s so encouraging for us to see it unfold. The kids are fantastic! Now that I’m halfway through, I sometimes think ahead to June and wonder how hard it will be to leave these kids. But then I remember that I was called here for a season, and like every part of ministry, those seasons come and go, and as long as we’re working for something more permanent, then the time will come again where we will all meet and share our stories. Good things are happening!

I also want to mention Justin and Leanne and Bill from Warragul, Victoria. Leanne is the Australian representative of our organisation and she is doing a fantastic job! It is rare to come across someone with the right amount of tact yet the right amount of force and Leanne was able to support and mentor me in my teaching and in my day-to-day life very effectively! Thank you Leanne! Her husband, Bill, spent nearly all of 2 weeks in our little staff room making up these resource centres which involved an incredible amount of cutting, laminating and more cutting. Because of that, my life is so much easier to plan for in terms of teaching activities and resources. I’m not sure I could ever express my thanks to Bill enough, and I know subsequent teachers will appreciate all he’s done as well. Justin, you came bearing gifts from a range of schools and giving me tools to more effectively teach literacy. You encouraged me and strengthened me and were able to give me ideas and strategies I hadn’t yet thought of. I believe that because of your input I won’t reach the same stress levels of not knowing what to do or how to do it, and that means the kids will get the best education possible from me – I wish there were other words, but thank you!

I’ve also included in here some random snippets of photos of interesting daily life stuff here in Indonesia to help you all get a bit more of a visual of the area I live in.

I hope you enjoyed my little spiel. I certainly enjoyed writing it.

Much love and many thoughts

Aimee

Our local airport... Ha! Definitely not international...

Hello tiny little plane. That's why we're only allowed 15kg luggage each...

A typical view of the front yards. The mums all get out and sweep the ground every day which I assume keeps the grass from growing back. If this wasn't during school hours then the kids would all be out playing. The little covered shelf area is sometimes used when the owners have stuff to sell and they'll put it out on the shelf for people to buy.

The more garish the paint on your house, the cooler I think. The flag out the front was out to celebrate Christmas. This is one of the brighter houses I've seen. Usually they're more of a pastel based colour.

Sorry for the bad shot but this was taken while driving - these are the public transport buses and they're all over the show. For the 55 minute ride from town to our base it costs 10,000 rupia (about $1.10) - but you have to put up with sharing with any number of people and their belongings and usually the music is blaring so loud you can't hear yourself think, and you pray to God that the driver can still see through all the paraphernalia on his dashboard and hanging from his rear-view mirror...