My Kind of Miracles

One of the guys on staff for my team prayed today for some more of "Alainya's kind of miracles" for the rest of the team. It's true. What God has been doing since the start of this journey has been a special kind of miraculous. 

From the first phone call from YWAM Townsville, who called before I applied, to God's uncanny provision of funds first for a plane ticket, only one way because prices were so high. Then when I arrived here, money appeared in my account for lecture fees. I still have no record of where it came from. After that, God provided insane sums of money through a few people just in time -- always just barely -- for outreach #1. While on outreach #1, I was given the perfect amount to buy just the right plane ticket. And now, the day of the deadline, I was shown yet again another miracle. 

See, God told me at the start of this that when He starts something, he finishes it. (Phil. 1:6) And he told me that he would be faithful to complete this work. 

Today I looked at my bank account, found some more money, added a gift I know is coming, converted that number to AUD and subtracted the cost of immunizations. I had $1379.69 of a total $1545 necessary. Wow. 

So I told one of my staff and she took the opportunity to drag me up front to share in the open mic thanksgiving time we have each Friday morning. I told the above story, cried a lot, and went back to the crowd. Afterwards, a friend who is on staff here comes up to me and tells me that God just let her know she was supposed to cover whatever was left over in my outreach fees. Oh. My. Gosh. 

$165.31--it's just pocket change for God, really. That's what I'm learning. Even $10,000+ is pocket change for him who has access to all the money in the world. 

She gave me $200. God went above and beyond. I still need a few things, some looser tops, a camping mat, bug spray...but what's all that when you look at what God can do? 

My faith has been shaken being here in Australia, but I am finding that sometimes the more something is shaken, the more you get down to what's really the solid foundation of it. And when we can find that foundation and build on that, your faith stops shaking so much and so often. 

One other thing? I found a "penny" today (: 

Thanks for looking out for me, Daddy. Both of you ;)

Change--The Island Way

Two weeks ago we came back from Brisbane. It was a wonderful time. I heard from Auntie Lorrene this week and got a chance to remember all the wonderful things that happened in her home. 

Now we are in Townsville again. Since we got back we have worked almost every day on building the new dorms for student housing. In just one week from today they commence the October DTS and will need beds for about fifty students. They won't be ready and inspected by that time, but God will help us think of somewhere to stack them. Sometimes I feel like YWAM and my mother has the same philosophy in housing people. "It doesn't matter how many. We will just stack them like cordwood." I love my mom... (:

Since getting back to Townsville we have received some really huge news as a DTS. We are going to Papua New Guinea! (PNG) It has been a long time praying for this and most of us had completely reconciled ourselves to the fact that we would just be staying in Australia...but God is good.  It's a nice birthday present for me. 

This means that we all need $3000 for outreach though. We will be spending one whole month, November 14 to December 13 (my dates may be off by a day...?), in Central Province. I am so excited to tell the stories I gather there! I only wish I had a camera...but God knows what he was doing about that too. It will be so good to see how God does his thing. 

Weekends are full of events here as well. Sickness is rampant as sleep is limited and work is prevalent. The rugby team won the Sevens tournament last weekend, so that was really exciting for us as a base. This weekend we had a birthday in our team and some of the school went out to lunch and to the beach. Movies are quite common in weekends as well since it is so hot and people are anxious for rest after a long week. I stayed home yesterday and wrote letters, studied Ephesians, did laundry, and cleaned the bathroom. 

This is life here. Four more weeks and then we are off on outreach. One week in an Aboriginal community and then four in PNG. One more week back on base and then everyone flies home! Merry Christmas! I don't think I've ever been so excited for snow! Enjoy your leaves and colors and cool crisp air...maybe I'll see them again someday ;) I'll be enjoying PNG during Thanksgiving. 

Keep me in your prayers (:

•health (everyone is falling sick)

•finances ($3000 to go for PNG!)

•safety (even if I manage not to get injured building, I still manage in other ways...such as smacking a spinning fan in my sleep...)

If you would like to donate to my outreach for PNG as a birthday present you can do that at www.ywamrto.org/payments/