Monday, March 30, 2009
March kinda update
I'm in Melbourne at the moment doing a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (Phase 2). Doesn't that sound very official? Basically, I'm learning about how to lead a school it YWAM, as well as how to train people, and deliver a teaching session. Plus learning heaps of stuff about government requirements, YWAM Australia requirements, and YWAM international requirements for schools.
I'm sure when I finish everything, I will really appreciate everything I am learning, but at the moment its mostly a lot of words and a lot of homework. I'm here until Saturday, and I'm hoping to get most of the homework done before then. I'll see how I go.
It has been really good to get to know some people from other bases, and to connect more with YWAM Australia as a whole.
Some exciting news is I have sold my car! Thanks to Dad, someone bought it over ebay, and will hopefully be picking it up soon. I got more for it than I was expecting, so that's very helpful.
Well, I don't really have a whole lot to write about. I have a heap of homework that I should be doing, but am avoiding, so I should get back to that.
Love,
Nat
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
February News
NIKO
A few weeks ago I went on NIKO with current DTS (Discipleship Training School) plus a few extras. NIKO is a leadership training/teamwork camp. I love doing NIKO, and watching people learn so much. This time I was ‘camp mum’ which was a bit different to actually helping lead a team like I have done in the past, but it was still a lot of fun. It was also really great to have JJ come back to lead the NIKO. He is wanting to start running NIKOs in Newcastle, so he came over to learn how to lead them.
The worst part was getting attacked by ants. I found out in January that I am apparently allergic to ant bites and they swell up a lot, so I have been trying to avoid them. But on NIKO, there were ants everywhere, and I ended up with 11 bites. That was not quite so fun – particularly when the only solution is to lie down with my legs above my heart.
Car
My old faithful car, Squishy, has had a major problem in the past few weeks. I don’t really fully understand the problem, something to do with a head gasket, but basically after visiting mechanics and getting Dad to talk to them (Thank God for Dad!), the end result is, that it’s not worth the money for me to get it fixed. So, that has left me with a slight dilemma. I was at a point where I was feeling very frustrated. Things were already looking almost impossible financially, and then I have to either get a new car or try to constantly borrow other people’s cars. I just didn’t know what to do. But Mum & Dad talked to some people, let them know what was going on, and I remembered that I should give the problem to God, cos there was no way I could solve it. And then things started happening. I’ve had an offer to buy a car for very cheap in NSW, and someone gave me a considerable donation, which will cover the cost of the car. It’s so amazing. A situation that I thought there was no way that it could end well, and it looks like the result will be me having a newer, better car! Thank you so much to those of you who heard about this and prayed for me. (And sorry to those of you who didn’t know. I need to try and improve my communication)
Networking and Promotions
Recently on the base we have been trying to focus on networking with churches and ministries around Adelaide, as well as promoting our upcoming DTSs. As I am the head of promotions and marketing, that has resulted in a bit of work for me. But it’s been good to see things really happening, and to get out more and meet people. We have sent out several teams to visit different churches and youth groups around the area. We have basically been looking for any opportunity to connect with people.
One of the promotions things that has happened, is that we have a new ‘skin’ (colour scheme) for our website. This was somewhat of a drama dealing with a graphic designer, but after a few setbacks, it is finally up! Check it out at www.ywamsa.org.au.
And I would not be doing my job if I didn’t add a bit of plug for DTS (Discipleship Training School). We have 2 more DTSs running this year. One starting in July with an Urban focus, and one in October with a focus on working with youth. DTS is amazing. You learn so much about yourself, about God, and about missions. It’s only 6 months, but it can change your life. So if you’re interested (or can think of someone who might be) let me know and I can send you more information.
Coming Up
On Sunday week I’m flying to Melbourne to do a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. I did the first half of it 18 months ago, and now I’m doing two weeks of lectures for the ‘phase 2’. It’s mostly about a lot of the things we are required by the government to do when we run schools, but I will also learn about setting up and running programs and lots of ways to train and assess people. From what I know there’s a lot of paperwork involved, but Anne & Caitlin are coming with me, so we should be able to have a bit of fun at the same time.
When I come back from Melbourne, I’m in Adelaide for a few days, then I’m heading up to Brisbane. We are driving up there to run another NIKO. This time for a group from Townsville. I’m pretty sure this time a lot of the group will be youth, so that will be fun! And on the way back we’re stopping in a town in outback SA to run a kids program.
So I’m going to be away from Adelaide basically until the end of April. I may not have the opportunity to do another newsletter until then. But I will make an effort to reply to emails, so if you want to hear what I’m up to, send me an email.
Love,
Nat
Praise Points:
-God coming through with a solution to my car problem
-Fun on NIKO
-Opportunities to get to know more people around Adelaide
-Amazing family and others who support me
Prayer Points:
- Time to get everything done in the craziness of the next month
-Understanding of everything I learn in Melbourne
Thursday, February 12, 2009
December and January News
I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years.
I got to go home for Christmas. It was the first time in 3 years that my whole family was home on Christmas day. It was really nice and relaxing to just hang out with my family and catch up with some friends.
Impact Summer - Byron Bay

Over New Years I went to Byron Bay with most of my family and met up with a Kings Kids team, and a group from YWAM Adelaide. YWAM Byron Bay runs an outreach over New Years every year, and this year there were over 100 YWAMers there. Because Byron is a popular back-packing location, you run into people from all over the world, and most of them are very open to talking about spiritual things.
This year we ran BBQs in the park most nights, giving out free Chai tea and pancakes, and people performed dances and dramas and played music. We also ran two volleyball tournaments and a sand-castle competition on the beach. It was a really great time. The Kings Kids team were amazing and there were so many awesome conversations with people about God. After Byron Bay I headed home with Caitlin (from YWAM Adelaide) for another week, and then we headed back to the base.
Back at the Base
On returning to the base, we had a bit of a surprise. Our base directors, Pablo and Fernanda, and their baby Isabella, had a bit of a problem with their visa renewal which resulted in them being illegally in the country for a few days. Fortunately, after explaining the situation to immigration, they were given 28 days to leave the country. So they are now taking an unexpected trip home to Brazil and Uruguay, were they will stay for a few months, and reapply for their visas.
Since I’ve been back in Adelaide, there have been a few people that have announced that they are leaving the base. It’s kinda sad, but at the same time it’s good because God is calling them all onto the next thing he has for them. He has done what he needed to do with them here. But we will miss them, and it is leaving some gaps in things that need to be done on the base. That just means more work for the rest of us , and the opportunity for more people to be called to join us :).
This week a new DTS (Discipleship Training School) started. We have 7 students, 2 from the US, 2 from Canada, 2 Aussies, and 1 Brazilian. As always it has been good to have new faces around the base, and to have the chance to get to know new people.
The past few weeks since I’ve been back have been pretty crazy. Mostly I have been working on all the visas, paperwork, and various other things for the DTS. I have also had to learn more about the computer system on the base as I have had to deal with new issues that come up.
I am back on the cooking roster with Caitlin, which I actually quite enjo

I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to be doing this year. For now I am continuing working in the office, and with the student enquiries and applications. We are aiming to do a lot of church visits, and camps, and school seminars and the like in the next few months, so I will most likely get involved with that. And we’ll see what else comes up.
Love,
Nat
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Nat's November News
Well, well, where does time go? It’s December already and there seems to be countdowns to Christmas everywhere.
I’ve been keeping busy since my last newsletter, but at the same time I haven’t done a whole lot.
Wedding!

At the base
While I was away there were a few things that happened at the base.
One of these was a fundraising dinner we held for YWAMSA. From what I have heard the night went really well and we raised about $3000 for the base building fund which will go towards surfacing our driveway (it’s an awesome dirt road that becomes an adventure to drive after rain), and to various other building projects we are hoping to do around the base.
Also we sent a team down to Schoolies at Victor Harbor. Every year a team goes down from YWAM, and we pick up rubbish and man road blocks. Apparently these are the jobs no-one else wants. I’m not sure why, who wouldn’t want to wander around from 8pm-3am picking up rubbish, or sit at a road block in the freezing cold (and sometimes rain) for hours, move traffic cones for buses and explain to person after person that they can’t drive into the festival. But we have an awesome time. Sure, you don’t get much sleep, and you get dirty and cold, but you get to hang out with Schoolies as they are celebrating finishing school, some more sober than others, and just chat to them, and at the same time we get to serve them and ensure they have a fun, safe time! We get to show them God’s love without saying a word. It doesn’t get much better than that! And overall the Schoolies appreciate what we do.
Other stuff
In the small amount of time I’ve had at the base this month I’ve continued to work in the office with student applications, and doing some more work towards starting up our communications/ promotions department.
This will probably be my last newsletter for the year, as I am flying home for Christmas in 2 weeks, then right after Christmas we head up to Byron Bay for an outreach over New Years.
Merry Christmas to you all! I hope I get a chance to catch up with you over Christmas, but if not, I pray that you have fun and safe holidays.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and support this year. It means so much to me to know that I have people behind me as I am following God’s call.
Love,
Nat
Praise Points:
-An amazing year
-That money was raised for the base at the fundraising dinner
-The chance to visit family and friends
-Holidays
Prayer Points:
-Protection while travelling
-Financial provision

Monday, November 10, 2008
Nat's News October
Hey Everyone,
How time flies. It seems like I just sent out my last newsletter, and I’m already late for my October one. Well, I’ll get right into what I’ve been doing:
SAYCO
On the first weekend in October, 11 of us from YWAM went to the South Australian Youth Camp Out (or SAYCO). It is a camp run by the Uniting Church for teenagers. We went along as chaplains, which meant that we were available to talk about any spiritual questions the teens might have. Mostly we just helped with practical things, like setting things up, and driving around in golf carts in the freezing cold in the middle of the night as security (actually lots of fun), and we got to hang out with the kids. We also got to pray with the teens and leaders at different times, and one of the guys on the team got to pray with one of the teens to become a Christian, which was awesome.
VMTC
Last week at the base we had a prayer ministry school called VMTC (Victorious Ministries Through Christ). It was a really good week. A bit of an emotional roller coaster as we talked about different things in our lives that we struggle with, or have been involved in, and had prayer over them.
God really challenged me in a few areas. One of these was the area of how I view myself. This has something that I have struggled with for a while, God has been showing me that how he sees me is so different to how I see myself. I know that this is something that is not going to happen overnight, but I know that God is calling me to accept what He says about me. To accept that I don’t need to strive to live up to His expectations, that He has amazing plans for me that I have no idea of, that He has given me extraordinary gifts and talents. And I know that if he is calling me to believe this, He will walk with me every step as I learn to accept it. It is all stuff that I ‘know,’ but I don’t really accept in my heart, and it isn’t reflected in the way I live.
Another thing that Go
d has been challenging me on, is being open with people, and being vulnerable with areas that I am struggling with. That’s part of why I want to share this with you. Also so that you can pray for me and keep me accountable, let me know if you see me slipping back into my old habits.
NLM
I seem to have more acronyms than usual in this newsletter. NLM is the National Leaders Meeting. It is a conference run twice a year in YWAM Australia. It is mainly aimed at people in leadership, however it is open to anyone who is interested in learning about leadership.
This week I’ve had the privilege of not only beingable to attend the NLM in Melbourne, but I was also part of the planning team. This meant I got to hang out with the national YWAM leaders, and help plan some of the night sessions. The theme of the conference was ‘The Kingdom,’ meaning God’s kingdom, but we decided to use the theme in the events we were planning. So we had a ‘Kingdom Quest’ (fun night) and a ‘Kingdom Banquet’ where we honoured some people who have been involved in YWAM, in various roles for many years (they had been in YWAM for over 100 years between 5 of them). The fun night was completely crazy. We had jousting, and people building castles using their team members, and all sorts of random things. To end the night we cream-pied the team leaders or ‘kings’ who were some of the national leaders.
The week as a whole was a lot of fun despite long days (first meeting of the day at 7.15), and coming off a really busy few weeks, I learnt quite a bit, both from the teaching sessions, and from being involved with the planning team.
It was also great to get to meet people from different YWAM bases around Australia, as well as catch up with some people like JJ, Amy, Sarah, and Kris who used to be with us in Adelaide.
While we were at NLM they had a commissioning time to pray for people who are taking on new positions of leadership. I was commissioned as the ‘Promotions and Communications Department Leader’ of YWAM Adelaide. This doesn’t actually change much in what I do. I just now have a title to go with the work I am doing in promotions and communications.
I could actually write more this month about different things that I’ve been doing, what I’m up to for the next little while, and include some more photos, but I’m out of room. If you want to find out more, you can always email me, or stay tuned for more updates, which I will hopefully write.
Love,
Nat
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Nat's News- August & September
PCYM (Principles in Child and Youth Ministry School)
Last time I wrote, we were just about to leave Nowra and head up to Brisbane. In Brisbane we met up with Tracey & Sarah who had been in India, and the team was back together again. We then ran a NIKO, an outdoor survival/ leadership training camp. It was so much fun! We then spent two very long days driving back from Brisbane to Adelaide.
After we got back we spent a few days wrapping things up and finishing the mountains of paperwork that needed to be done. Then on August 22nd we graduated. Most of my family came over for graduation. It was great to have them visit!
I learnt so much on PCYM. Not just about working with kids and youth, though I did learn heaps about that. But the main thing God spoke to me about was me. He helped me to realise the gifts that he has given me. That he has given me administrative and organisational gifts, and even though these aren’t what are usual considered ‘spiritual’ gifts, He has a plan to use them for Him. And it’s really been a time for me to grow in my confidence in myself and my trust in God. Looking back to the start of the school, and the attitude I had then that I was only doing PCYM because God told me to, I’m so glad that He won (and along the way He dealt with my attitude). And I’m so thankful for the amazing people that he brought along to be part of the school. For Sarah, Tracey, Liz, Guanah, Leah, Seph, and Ray & Shiree. They were an awesome group who made it easier for me to be open and gave me a safe place to share where I was struggling. (Thanks so much guys!)
What’s New
Now that I’m back at the base, I am continuing with my work with student enquiries and
I am also continuing with the CML (Christian Mission Leadership School), and with my job at Burnside Christian Church.
The last week of October, the base is running a prayer ministry school to teach us some skills to hopefully be able to help people that we work with.
The first week of November, most of the base is heading over to Melbourne for the YWAM National Leaders Meeting (or NLM). Apparently it will be a good time of teaching and getting to know people from other bases. I’m heading over a few days early to spend some time with Amy & Sarah who used to be in YWAM here!
And, probably the most exciting thing that is coming up, on the 22nd of November, Dana, one of my best friends is getting married, and I get to be a bridesmaid!! I’ll be at home for almost two weeks, so I’ll get a chance to spend time with my family and catch up with people too, which will be awesome.
As for long term plans... well I know I’ve been rather vague about it for quite a while now, but I still don’t have a clear answer for it. I know that I’m going to continue with my role in the office, but I have a sense that God is saying ‘something new.’ I’m just not sure exactly what that means. I am praying about a few possibilities. Hopefully I’ll have a better idea soon.
That’s all for now. Stay in touch!
Love,
Nat
Praise Points:
-Everything that I learnt on PCYM
-All the things coming up that I get to be involved in
-All my awesome friends
-Everyone that has been praying for me.
Prayer Points:
-Wisdom in co-ordinating the Communications Team
-Clear direction for next year
-Calm despite the busyness!