Australia was mainly meant to be a vacation and sight seeing/visiting friends part of my trip. I saved up money on my own to do some cool adventures and fun stuff. But I also got the privilege to meet up with Nathan Bean’s parents and check out their organization called City Care for a coupe of days. It’s located in the valley of Brisbane and in perfect spot for this organization, exactly where there is a need. When I first met with Tim Bean (Nathan’s dad) he gave me a quick over view of where they were located so I would be aware of my surroundings and to be smart. City Care is in the middle of many strip clubs (some for men and some for women), next to a mental health organization, near many adult shops, a porn studio and many other “interesting” places. Besides being aware of why some crazy lady followed me down the street cussing me out and why a man was walking up and down the street saluting Hitler, I realized City Care is definitely exactly where they are supposed to be. God hung out with the poor, with the prostitutes, with the people who needed Him the most. The people at City Care are AMAZING! They’re actually transitioning from an old building right now and actually transitioning their focus also. They’re focusing a lot on reviving hope in people and giving them life skills needed to function in the world and to get jobs. I had the honor of hanging out with some pretty amazing people and actually meeting some of the teenagers and adults that are in the program. Gordon Kelly was teaching a 16 year old High School drop out how to do a safety check on a vehicle. Teaching him how to access the damage and repairs on a car, how to fix them and how to resale it. Gordon’s son was teaching others to repair shoes and make shoes. Then upstairs, there were several other workers that were teaching/tutoring teenagers who had dropped out of school so that they can finish their studies. At the end of all of these programs they will all have certification and be eligible to get jobs. Besides the practical needs for them to enter the work field and be successful, they’re teaching them to believe in themselves and teaching their worth. I nearly cried all day but kept it together. Walking into this, I met several kids and they had no hope, no confidence in themselves and they thought they had no future. Not bashing the bible at them but speaking words of life into these people, you could literally see them flourish before your eyes. It was an amazing thing to see the power of your words at action so quickly. At the end of the day, a kid that they had just recently met had respect and confidence for himself and his authority. Just little words of affirmation, “that looks great,” “great job,” “you can do it…you don’t need my help,” “you’re going to be great at this.” Simple words totally transformed this kid.
One of the kids who had dropped out said, “how will I be able to get that job? I’m a drop out.” Gordon told him, “just because you didn’t go to school doesn’t mean that’s the end of your story. Sometimes if walking through the door doesn’t work, you have to jump through the window.” And that’s all it took (for my tears) and for the kids confidence. From that moment on, the kids head was bent low working hard and with confidence. I was happy to be a part of this. As an American they asked me a lot of questions like, “so if I were in America, I would have to hide drinking until I was 21?” God totally opened up doors for me to plant some seeds into these kids. It’s almost like being a foreigner, you have the midas touch; everyone wants to hear what you have to say. I thank God or always giving me the right words to say because I know these kids mean the world to Him and I know I couldn’t make a difference in their lives without Him. I LOVED working with this organization and hopefully will get to come back for longer next time I visit. I will definitely miss the kids and workers that I met. Keep City Care in your prayers as they transition into their new programs and building, they’re an amazing organization and God is doing amazing things through them!
Although I’m sad to leave Australia, I’m excited to hit the ground running in the Philippines. I will be meeting up with a group from Cottonwood Church and working with Mike Keyes ministry for about a week (www.mkmi.org). And then I’ll be working with another great ministry that Bek Conley referred me to. It’s called Kids International Ministries and she stayed with them for a short time while she was on her year long world race trip. (www.kidsim.org). Not sure how much internet I will be able to access but I will try and update as much as I can with what is going on in the Philippines! Love you all and thanks for all your prayers and support! Talk to you soon! Philippines or bust!
Sorry for any typos, I'm not proof reading, I have to pack! Eeekk
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