tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87410392672268896982024-03-13T13:34:49.659+11:00Maggie Down UnderA blog for my upcoming trip down under to participate in a DTS with YWAM.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-71205723049215605852009-07-31T11:52:00.001+10:002009-07-31T11:52:29.517+10:00I'M HOME!!!!That is all. ;-} (More after I unpack.... Yikes.)Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-21024660080883783662009-07-29T15:32:00.004+10:002009-07-30T01:36:49.568+10:00Quick updateQuick update before I leave for the airport--I got to go snorkeling! YAY! The guy that I found that doesn't make his call until the morning about cancellations decided to go out. The waves were pretty big, so the visibility wasn't great, but I still got to go. At the end of the snorkel, they threw pieces of bread into the water and these HUUUUUGE fish came over to feed--SO cool! I'll post pictures (that didn't turn out very well) when I get a chance.<br /><br />Today was my last full day in Australia--so weird! I can't believe that 6 months has gone by so slow and so incredibly fast at the same time. I'm really going to miss this place, but am still excited about coming home. I'm on a plane in less than 24 hours!!!! Gotta jet, so I can get on a jet and go back to Sydney to pack. Praying that everything I want to bring with me fits in my bags.....Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-60052306160025176972009-07-27T20:10:00.002+10:002009-07-27T20:25:58.116+10:00Final Countdown *dun nuh nuh nuh....dun nuh nah nah nuh....*Kudos to those of you who got the song reference in the title. Bonus points if you started singing it to make sure I put the right number of syllables. ;-}<br /><br />Well, I'm enjoying my final days here in Australia. Our "graduation" was good, but ended up going super long as most meetings at IBS do... ;-} We went out afterward and had our first official drinks in 6 months--very nice, even though the bartender was a little weak sauce with the shots... I stayed up that whole night packing and hanging out with friends to say our final goodbyes. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone, especially since I was the first one to leave. <br /><br />I got up to Townsville on Saturday morning--slept the WHOLE flight, which is extremely abnormal for me. I guess I should stay up all night every time before I fly! One of the staffers from the Townsville base came and picked me up and gave me a tour of the town and the base. Their base is SUUUUUPER nice! I'm staying in a flat all by myself, which I'm enjoying to no end! I get to cook my own meals, chill out, watch movies, paint my toe nails, and sleep in the most peacefully silent room I have experienced in the last 6 months. ;-} Yesterday, I hung out on "The Strand", which is a long boardwalk in downtown Townsville. I went shopping at the markets, laid on the beach and read, and experienced hand-made Bailey's-flavored gelato for the first time--I don't think there has ever been a more amazing gelato flavor created in the history of mankind, just to let you know.<br /><br />Today, I took the ferry over to Magnetic Island. On a whim, I decided to spend the night on the island because it looked pretty cool. I'm staying at a Backpacker's Hostel/Wildlife park. It's pretty nice, and a 5 minute walk from one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen in my entire life. Don't worry--there will be lots of pictures coming. <br /><br />I'm trying to list all the good things to outweigh the incredibly sucky thing--I called to confirm that my reef/snorkeling tour for tomorrow is still going on, and they said they had to cancel because of a high wind warning! SO LAME! I called around to every snorkeling tour place in the area, and they all canceled except one. The place I found doesn't make their call until the morning of the tour, so I'm praying that they will still go out tomorrow! It's my last day to snorkel because I'm flying back to Sydney on Wednesday, and I will be supremely disappointed if I don't get to do the one thing I came up here for! Hopefully I'll get the hook up from the big Weather Man upstairs...<br /><br />Other than that, I'm just thinking about how I'm going to get all my stuff home, and looking forward to the CRAAAAZY heat wave awaiting me in Puyallup when I get home! 3 days and counting!!!!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-25466384472295149462009-07-23T17:10:00.002+10:002009-07-23T17:21:23.664+10:00Let the sappy songs play...it's almost time for graduation!Hey all! I can't believe I'm coming to the end of this 6 month journey! We've spent the last week doing de-briefing here at the base, and most of us have spent the week taking antibiotics to kill a crazy cold we got in the outback--one of the girls even got pneumonia! I'm up and walking around, which is more than I can say for when I first got sick, but I'm still waiting for the last bit of cough and runny nose to go away. <br /><br />Last night, we had a big dinner at a buffet place nearby with the school and some of the staff from the base. It was a nice time to hang out and say goodbyes, since the base double booked a huge conference at the same time as our graduation, so we don't really get a proper graduation because the conference is going on.... Oh, the joys of YWAM. I made a "most likely to..." slideshow with all the students in it that got some pretty big laughs. I must say it was above the bar of my usual comedic genius and I was quite proud of myself. ;-} Today and tomorrow each of the outreach teams is giving a 15 minute speech at the conference, and then on Friday night (during the conference) we will get our fancy pieces of paper saying we passed our DTS. Sort of an anti-climactic ending after 6 of the craziest months of my life, but I think we've all accepted that we're not going to have a proper graduation. We're trying to make plans to go out afterward and say our last goodbyes before everyone leaves, but the conference is throwing a snag in those works too because it's running so late.<br /><br />After "graduation" on Friday, I wake up early Saturday morning to fly up to Townsville to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and catch a little R&R on the beach before leaving for home. I started packing today--still not sure how my giant didgeridoo and my djembes are going to fit in my bags/not break/make it through customs, but I'm going to worry about that later.... I'm looking forward to coming back to the states, enjoying all of the things from home that I've been missing since February 6th, and seeing all of you! Can't wait to catch up and give you all big hugs when I get home!!!!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-62325447383903486412009-07-18T11:56:00.002+10:002009-07-18T12:01:13.889+10:00Back in Sydney, again!Hey friends! I'm back from the outback! It was absolutely beautiful, but SOOOOO cold! I'll write more about it later when I have time. Everybody got to make a didgeridoo, which is AMAZING because buying them is suuuuper expensive. I was the only person who didn't get to make one because I was really sick the last two days, but our host made one for me so I could have one to take home. We had some crazy adventures with wild kangaroos and emus, broken down vans, and small housefires, but I'll write about all that when it's not 2 minutes before lunchtime. Right now, I'm just soaking up the last week with all my DTS friends and counting down the hours until I come home! More later!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-60121543965240237642009-07-09T21:31:00.002+10:002009-07-09T21:37:13.912+10:00Off to Brewarrina!Hey all. I'm taking a quick break from packing to tell you all that we're headed off on our last part of outreach to an Aboriginal community called Brewarrina tomorrow. We'll be spending somewhere between 5-10 days there doing whatever ministry they find for us to do. It's all organized Island Breeze Sydney style right now, which means that we have no idea what's going on.... The biggest challenge so far is trying to pack all of our heavy winter clothes (it's winter down here, by the way) for a week into a carry on sized suitcase. I'm pretty much going to freeze for the whole week, especially at night, because apparently, we're going to be sleeping in a shed or something... Hopefully the Lord will do amazing things in and through our potentially frostbitten bodies--pray that the fire of the Holy Spirit goes with us in more ways than one!<br /><br />20 days til I'm back at Sea-Tac!!! ;-}Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-77013581205503738372009-07-03T10:55:00.002+10:002009-07-03T11:01:30.196+10:00I come from a land down under...Hey all! We made it back to Australia safe and sound! It was a long day of flying without a cool trip to Hong Kong, but I think we're all just really glad to be back. Our group got back to the base last night around 10:00ish, so we got a decent night's sleep. The other gang flew in at 6:00 this morning, so they're going to be jet lagging pretty hardkore. We had an AWESOME time of worship this morning--it's so good to be back at the base! A lot has changed since we left--there's a new DTS here, and a huuuuuuge short-term missions group from the states. We have a week at the base, and then we head off into the indigenous communities, which we're really excited about. The short term missions groups and some people from the base have been going into the indigenous communities and have seen heaps of people coming to the Lord, so we're really excited to see how God is going to move!<br /><br />Love you all!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-28880561938630984462009-07-01T19:33:00.003+10:002009-07-01T19:43:52.809+10:00Flying sucksSo, as you may have read, we are spending the next few days traveling. We were SUPPOSED to get to spend a day in Hong Kong, but British Airways screwed us over with our baggage and gave us heaps of trouble, so we missed our connecting flight, and instead of spending a night in Hong Kong, we spent the night at the London Heathrow airport. The highlight of the evening was when a transient man who had been crashing on the chairs in the arrivals section whipped out his business in the middle of everything and peed on the floor. Welcome to London....<br /><br />On the upside, I paid for 24 hours of internet access to keep myself and the rest of the team entertained, so I had time to upload new photos! These are from the last week of North Africa, which includes a couple trips to the beach and my camel ride! Yes, I finally got to do it--on our last day in Africa. SO much fun! Me, Jordan, and one of the girls from another team that was staying with our contacts went and rode in a camel caravan. I rode the mamma camel and her baby followed us on the ride--SO CUTE! Here's the link for the pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2049077&id=44901593&l=b94c35acc8<br /><br />Well, I suppose I should pass the laptop off to the next person. Hopefully the rest of our flying experiences will go off without a hitch and we'll be in Sydney after 20 hours of flying!!!! YUCK!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-61565884852664545592009-06-27T23:01:00.002+10:002009-06-27T23:16:28.685+10:00Last few days in North AfricaHey everybody! We've had an amawing time here in North Africa--I can't believe it's coming to a close! This past week, we've had a lot of fun hanging out with all the friends we've made here. The boys have been hanging out a lot with the Five Speedboys and some other guys we've met through our English classes. They went cliff jumping at the beach a few days ago. The girls have been helping out at a home for pregnant women. In this country, if a woman is pregnant and doesn't have a husband, she has to spend two years in jail. This home offers the women shelter and also offers care for the kids. We worked with the toddlers--SO cute! We had a blast, but also had our hearts broken for one of the real needs of this place. You'll see pictures and more info from that when I get home. <br /><br />This week, two of us also had an opportunity to go to a choir concert, which was really fun for the music geek.... :-) We tried to go to their first performance, but got there late, so we had to go to their second performance, which happened to be at a consulate in town with a bunch of fancy dignitaries! Jordan did some sweet talking with a waiter who put our names on the list and we somehow got in to spend an evening listening to this choir and hobknobing over orderves and drinks (soda for us unfortunately) with a bunch of fancy rich people! It was pretty surreal...<br /><br />We're speding our last full day in country at the beach with our friends, where, God willing, I will get to ride my camel!!!! I promise to take lots of ridiculous pictures and post them all once we get back to Australia.<br /><br />After the beach, it's packing, and then we leave for Paris on Monday afternoon. Our group has one night in Paris, then we leave for Hong Kong. We have a one night layover in Hong Kong, so we'll be able to see a bit of the city there as well. We're back in Sydney by the 2nd, and we'll have a few days to sleep off the jet lag before we head to the aboriginal communitites. I'm hoping that all of our travels go well, that the airline doesn't lose my guitar again, that I can fit everything in my bag, and that all the souveniers I bought will make it through customs without being confiscated by the nit-picky Australian government...<br /><br />A month an 2 days until I'm back on US soil! Can't wait to see you all!!!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-5252134078045725962009-06-21T08:15:00.002+10:002009-06-21T08:38:44.455+10:00UpdateHey guys! Hope you are all well and are enjoying your June! I can't believe it's the middle June already!!! We've had a great week here in North Africa. We've been a bit bummed out because the lady who was supposed to organize our work time here has been really sick, so she hasn't been able to get us into the places we were supposed to be working at. Mr. J ha totally been orchestrating our time though, which has been really cool. We have been hanging out with a girl we met on the train down to the mountains who has just moved to the area we're in and doesn't know a whole lot of people yet. She's an absolute sweetheart and we love spending time hanging out. Yesterday, we went out or ice cream and talked to her about Mr. J for like two hours! She was really interested and she wants to buy his book, which is really exciting! We're hanging out with her a bunch more before we leave, so hopefully we'll get a chance to talk more. The boys have been hanging out with these kids who call themselves the 5Speedboys--watch their YouTube stuff here: http://www.youtube.com/user/5speedboys they're legit! They have a whole gang of guys who do this thing called "free running" which basically involves running down the street and doing crazy acrobatic flips off of whatever comes across their path. When I met them, they were filming a short movie about not doing drugs for a film festival in the city. If it wins, it's going to play at the Cannes Film Festival!!! We were there watching the shoot, and we actually got to be in part of the movie! It should be up on YouTube in a few months--I'll be sure to send the link when I get it. The guys have had some good opportunities to hang with the boys and share with them as well, which is really cool. English classes have been going well too. We taught another song this week, and I helped teach the beginning English group their colors and the days of the week.<br /><br />My body is recovering from a second round of the Arican Montezuma's Revenge, which was not fun, especially when we were at the beach WHERE THERE WERE NO BATHROOMS!!! I had some special bonding times with my team mate who held a towel up or me so I could go to the bathroom in the bushes.... The day we went to the beach was my one opportunity to ride a camel, and I didn't get to do it because I was sick. Suuuuuuper bummed out, but I'm going to try to go back if I can possibly mannage so I can tick another life goal off the list. I am feeling better now and am in better spirits, but still bummed about mising out on the camel experience.<br /><br />I uploaded new pictures which you can see here: http://s622.photobucket.com/albums/tt307/smithmj13/<br />I don't have time to organize them or add comments to them today, so I'll leave the timeline and captions to your imagination until next time. Hope you enjoy!<br /><br />Love you and miss you all!!!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-73807962581661523292009-06-15T07:02:00.001+10:002009-06-15T07:59:23.126+10:00New PicturesHi friends! Back safe and sound and finally recovered from the death food poisoning. I uploaded some of my photos from the last week or so that you can peruse here:<br /><br />http://s622.photobucket.com/albums/tt307/smithmj13/<br /><br />We’re getting settled back in with our other friends and getting ready to get our hands dirty. The woman who plans our outings is really sick right now. She had surgery a while ago and is undergoing some partial chemo to get rid of the growths that the surgery couldn’t remove. The next time you talk to Mr. J, think of her. We’re not quite sure what we’ll be doing here because she’s not well enough to organize our work times, but hopefully we’ll get to do something. We are for sure helping with the English classes that are going on here, which is really exciting. I’m stoked to go see the kids again this week and review the stuff we learned last time. <br /><br />I’m having a great time here, but I’m starting to really count down the days until home (literally—46 days from today, I’m on a plane!). We’re at the point in the school where you’ve been living with the same 6 people for 5 months and they’re really starting to get on your nerves. I still love them all heaps, but I’m trying to keep my distance so I don’t accidentally kill one of them…. Love you and miss you all!!!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-69396521741412296292009-06-11T00:24:00.002+10:002009-06-11T00:38:43.248+10:00Back from the mountains!Hi friends! Sorry haven't updated in a while--turns out that remote mountain villages don't have internet access. ;-} For those of you who didn't know, our group had an awesome opportunity to spend a week trekking through the mountains. For those of you who know how out of shape I am, you can imagine that it was a bit of a challenge at times to go trekking anywhere from 3 to 10 miles in a day with a legit hiker's backpack on, but I made it! Our guide for the first part was an amazing local who showed us the sights and hiked us all over the earth and back to stay with these amazing village families. It was so cool to stay with them, play with the kids, and see a bit of how they live their lives. We ate some AMAZING home-cooked food, which we have all fallen in love with and will never be able to get again because it's only cooked in this mountain region... The scenery was absolutely GORGEOUS!!! It reminded me a lot of Arizona, but with a lot more mountains. I took almost 1,000 pictures, which I will try to get up on the internet asap (might have to wait until we have more reliable internet access--not at an expensive cafe). <br /><br />After the first four days, we switched guides and worked with an international trekking team to see the last few villages. We met up with another international trekker and got to know him a bit--super cool guy. On the first day with them, we went to a brand new village that the leaders had never been to before. This might have turned out to be a mistake, because I think we ate something there that gave half of the group food poisoning. We decided that since so many people were sick, it would be better to cut our trip short. A two hour taxi ride down from the mountains after spending the night outside on the ground to be next to the squatty potty wasn't the most fun experience, but I made it back alive and think I am on the mend (aka, I don't feel like I want to DIE every second I'm awake anymore, only every 30 seconds or so....)<br /><br />We're planning to stay where we are until everybody is over the sickness and then head back up to the place we came into to continue our cultural exploration. Be thinking of us and hope that we all get better quickly and have more opportunities to meet awesome people and experience this beautiful land as we continue our travels!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-13699256141149239492009-06-03T05:47:00.002+10:002009-06-03T05:52:54.155+10:00Made it safeHi friends. Writing a quick note to say I made it safe to my destination. We're having a great time so far. The only mishap in our travels was that the airline lost my guitar. Poor Gojita has been through a lot lately... She's back safe and sound now but her case has a few new shiners to remember the ordeal by. The gang is waiting for me so we can go out and see the sights, so I'll write more later when I have a chance.<br /><br />Love you all!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-31117260555760854732009-06-01T02:24:00.002+10:002009-06-01T02:30:59.638+10:00Last update from Le Gault la Forêt!Hi friends! This will be my last update from our lovely town of Le Gault la Forêt in France! We leave tomorrow for North Africa! I'm so excited, especially because I'm finally done packing! Living out of a suitcase is definitely my least favorite part of traveling.... We've had an awesome time here at the base getting to know the staff and the communities around the base. We've made some really great relationships here and it will be hard to say goodbye. We're also having to say goodbye to the other half of our team that is staying in France. I will definitely miss them heaps!!! It's sad to leave such a beautiful place with such great friends, but I know that there are wonderful things in store for us as we head to Africa!<br /><br />I'll try to keep you updated as often as I can, but I doubt we'll have reliable internet access while we're in Africa. Be aware that I'll be sparse on the details of where we are and what we're doing because of some security concerns, but I'll try to drop a line here every once in a while to let you know that I'm having a blast doing whatever it is we're doing. I'll try to post pictures when we get back to Sydney or when I get home (two months and counting!). <br /><br />Miss you and love you all!!!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-69743906658391212172009-05-29T06:24:00.001+10:002009-05-29T23:52:00.679+10:00Other photo albumsHere are the photos from outreach week 3:<br /><br />http://s622.photobucket.com/albums/tt307/smithmj13/France%20Outreach--Week%203/?albumview=slideshow<br /><br />Trip to Reims and Epernay:<br />http://s622.photobucket.com/albums/tt307/smithmj13/Trip%20to%20Reims%20and%20Epernay/?albumview=slideshow<br /><br />Outreach, week 4:<br />http://s622.photobucket.com/albums/tt307/smithmj13/France%20Outreach--Week%204/?albumview=slideshow<br /><br />Enjoy!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-11064268182665605042009-05-29T04:16:00.001+10:002009-05-29T04:28:14.685+10:00Paris PhotosHere are the photos from Paris!<br /><br />http://s622.photobucket.com/albums/tt307/smithmj13/DTS%20goes%20to%20Paris/?albumview=slideshowMaggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-91181430234372090852009-05-28T18:27:00.002+10:002009-05-28T18:56:13.808+10:00Happenings in FranceHi friends! It has been another amazing week in France! We moved back into our rooms upstairs, which is nice. We had some amazing weather this week--very springy. We had a BBQ for one of the guys who has been helping out at the base and left to head to his next venture in life. It was fun to hang out with the base folk. I played with a couple of the kids most of the time, which was really fun. Kate, who is four years old and has adorable red hair, is my new friend. I will post pictures of our adventures if facebook ever decides to cooperate...<br /><br />When we went to church this weekend, Liz, Brea, and I helped with the Sunday school kids--so much fun! We taught them Father Abraham and then took them to the park to play outside. After church, we decided to get lunch at the pizza/kebab restaurant in town. One of the ladies from church (who happens to be a primary school music teacher) saw us in the restaurant and gave us a bunch of certificates to pay for our whole lunch!!! SO NICE! We came back that afternoon and hung out in the beautiful sunshine at the base. It was pretty much the perfect day.<br /><br />On Monday of this week, we went to Reims and Epernay, which are north of Le Gault. Reims has a huge cathedral where the kings of France used to be crowned, and Epernay is the champagne capital of France. We toured some churches in Reims, walked around the city, and ate morning tea at a really delicious bakery. We saw a street magician who must have been working on his portfolio because he had a video camera following him around. He was pretty good, but not as good as Heath Page (for any of my CSIN friends who know who that is....). When we went to Epernay, we toured the Mercier champagne factory, which was really interesting. They take you on this lazer-guided tram tour of their underground factory and tell you about the whole champagne making process, which is incredibly intricate. I bought a bottle of champagne that I am excited to crack open as soon as DTS is over... ;-}<br /><br />This week, I got to babysit Yannick, the son of a couple from the base. He is a little guy--maybe around two years old, and he is SO CUTE!!! We ate lunch, read heaps of stories, and played with a stuffed Babar while we should have been napping. We also had a CRAAAAAZY thunder storm that almost felt like a tornado with how windy it was! We had way too much fun--I'll try to put up some of the videos I took of the lightning--it was pretty unbelievable!<br /><br />Last night, Eliane, Brea, and I went to a home group that was totally awesome! The group is mostly non-Christians; neighbors and friends of the family who runs it. We played some worship songs, did a sign language performance, and Brea and I shared our testimonies. It was a really powerful time--I saw tears in people's eyes while Brea and I were speaking. The people were incredibly warm and hospitable, and we had a great time getting to know them and sharing with them. I am excited for how God is going to use what we shared last night to touch those people's lives.<br /><br />Other than that, it's business as usual here! We're getting ready to leave for Africa on Monday! It's coming SO SOON! We're all really excited. I'm not excited to pack again, but I am excited to move on to the next adventure God has for us. We'll be spending a few weeks in the north working with some ministries there, and then we're going into the mountains for 6 days, which is going to be hard, but amazing! I'll try to get as much internet/Skype time in as I can this week, because we're probably not going to have as reliable internet in Africa as we do here. Still trying to upload my pictures. I think I've given up on Facebook, so I'm trying Photobucket, but I'm worried that I'll go over my limit because I take too many pictures!!!<br /><br />Love you and miss you all!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-16184557620509189022009-05-21T20:33:00.003+10:002009-05-21T20:46:07.140+10:00Visit to Paris, etc...Hey everybody! It's been another crazy week in France! On Tuesday, we all went into Paris to see the sights for our day off. It was pretty much amazing! We left SUPER early in the morning, so we were all way tired, but we wanted to have heaps of time to see everything because this was probably our only shot to get to the city. We saw the Eiffel Tower, Town Hall, the Paris Opera House (where Phantom of the Opera was set and the movie was filmed), Notre Dame, the Louvre Courtyard, and a bunch of other amazingly cool places. We went to one church and saw a Lutheran Choir from Wisconsin getting off a tour bus. We went up and talked to them, and it turns out that one of the guys is from PARKLAND! I flipped out! How random is it to meet someone from Po-Dunk Parkland in Paris!?!?!?! We had lots of fun, despite a few snags in our travel plans....<br /><br />I haven't done much but sleep for the past two days because I've been sick, which is kinda lame... But I'm on the mend, so it's all good. We've moved out of our rooms at the base we're staying at because they booked a huge group in here before our travel plans changed, so they're being amazing and bending over backwards to find a place for us to stay. Four of us girls are crashing in the lounge room at the house we have been in, the other four are in the basement prayer room at the other house, and the boys are tenting it in the backyard. We're here until the end of the week, then we get to move back into our rooms.<br /><br />Travel plans for the next leg of our journey are really coming together for our team. We heard from a contact who wants to take us into the mountains to work with an unreached people group, which is really exciting because our team has gotten heaps of words from the Lord about mountains! We're in the logistics phase right now--trying to figure out travel and accommodation plans. Keep praying that everything works out and that we go and do exactly what God wants us to.<br /><br />Keep lifting up the France team in prayer as well. They are under some serious attack from the enemy with their travel plans, and they need breakthrough! Pray that contacts and people to stay with will come out of nowhere and that God will orchestrate their travels and outreaches.<br /><br />Love you and miss you all! I'm in the process of posting pictures from Paris, so be expecting those as soon as our internet decides to cooperate!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-10069632708912643082009-05-18T02:35:00.002+10:002009-05-18T02:40:09.720+10:00Exciting news!Hi friends! We just got word this morning that our contact came through for us in North African Country Number 2, so we're officially going!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am, especially since that's the country I've had on my heart the whole time! We're staying in one city in the north for the whole month unless we find contacts in other cities. Keep praying that all of our travel plans go through and that we go to the exact places God wants us to go. Also be praying for one of the staff from that base who is really sick and is having surgery on Wednesday. Pray for a full, quick recovery so she can continue her ministry in this country. Also be praying for the France team, as their travel plans are slightly more fluid than they would like them to be (aka, they're supposed to be leaving here on Wednesday, but they don't have a place to go...) Pray that God's will be done and that people will take the swift action they need to take to make things happen for the France team.<br /><br />Thanks SO MUCH for your prayers! The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective! They're not just words--we pray to a living and active God who changes circumstances on our behalf. God is so good!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-70620022212623578972009-05-17T01:03:00.002+10:002009-05-17T01:19:19.826+10:00Week 2 UpdateHey friends! This has been a CRAZY week! We had an open air in a town called Provins (pronounced pro-vAAn, with the French sounding nasal vowel) on Thursday. We had prepared a bunch of stuff, and as often happens, things turned out completely differently than we had expected. There were heaps of kids in the square we were in, more than the base staff had ever seen before. We taught them Bambalela, a fun African praise song we do all the time at our base, and did a drum circle. Some of the kids came and played drums with us, while others played a game like musical chairs, but with scraps of paper instead of chairs. We handed out pieces of paper folded like hearts with scriptures and encouraging words on them to the kids afterward. It was really exciting for us, because God spoke to us before we got here about ministering to children and how they were going to be the key focus for our ministry.<br /><br />Last night, we went to a house group run by some of the people from the base. We lead worship, and then another French person who has been at the base for a while shared his testimony. It was really fun to be able to meet with and bless some of the people from the community, as well as continue to build relationships with the family from the base.<br /><br />Today, we had a crazy move of God's Spirit in our team time. The Lord brought up a lot of stuff for us to deal with, and there was a lot of healing that took place in relationships with each other and our relationship with God. God spent all week preparing us for this morning with different words and things he was speaking to us, and I think now that we've gotten rid of a lot of junk in our own lives, our ministry will be much more effective. I'm excited to see what God does at the Youth Group service/hang out time tonight at the baptism service we're helping with tomorrow!<br /><br />In my last update, I mentioned that we were having trouble with our visas. Turns out, there's no way for us to get visas for the country we were going to, short of going back to each of our country of origins and applying at our local consulate (which for me, would have meant applying in person in Washington....DC!). The option we're exploring now is going to the other country in Africa that we were originally planning to go to but cut out of the plan because of finances and timing. If you're confused about which country I'm talking about now, e-mail me and I'll give you a hint... :-} We need mad prayer!!! Pray that our contact in Africa still has room for our team to come in June and pray that everything with finances and travel works out. We've had a lot of changes and disappointments with our travel plans so far on this team, and I think all of us are ready for a little stability! Pray that God would speak to us clearly about what we're supposed to do and where we're supposed to go. Pray that he will open up doors and provide contacts for us so that we can have effective ministry in the places he wants us to be. Pray for our team to be encouraged and strengthened by the Lord, and that these changes won't distract us from the plan he has for us while we're in France.<br /><br />Thanks for all your prayers! Love you and miss you all!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-67957593742036805912009-05-13T07:06:00.003+10:002009-05-13T20:00:46.241+10:00Africa UpdateHey friends! Our leader went into Paris yesterday to work on our African visas at the consulate office, and they told her that because we're not French citizens, we can't apply for a visa to the African country we're going to while we're in France. She's going to call the base tomorrow and see what to do, so we're kind of in limbo right now. Be praying for us! Pray that God will grant us favor with the governments and give us wisdom so we can get to the places he wants us to go! I'll keep you all updated when we have any new information.<br /><br />I had a chance to upload a few more pictures from the last few days. I just can't stop taking pictures! It's too beautiful here!!! ;-}<br /><br />Week 2, #1:<br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046905&id=44901593&l=3072b32196<br /><br />Week 2, #2:<br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046915&id=44901593&l=8b52e604dcMaggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-63100276298903374342009-05-07T05:30:00.007+10:002009-05-12T20:51:27.598+10:00First Week of Outreach!After a good sleep our first night here, I finally felt like a real human being again! We had a pretty chill day our first full day of outreach--cooking, grocery shopping, and a talk with some of the people involved with ministry at the base about France as a mission field. It's going to be really challenging--pray for us! France is known as the most pagan nation in Europe and has a reputation for burning out missionaries faster than almost anywhere else in the world. The people have pretty much turned their back on God and everything that he stands for, so we have our work cut out for us! We're going to be working with a youth group in the area and also doing a lot of practical work around the base.<br /><br />Yesterday, we had some prayer and intercession, then went on a tour of our village which is pretty amazing. We did some practical work in the afternoon and had more prayer and Bible reading in the evening. We also had a chance to start planning for the youth group meeting that we will be leading on Saturday. The worship team is attempting to learn One Way Jesus (the chorus), Majesty, and Our God is an Awesome God in French. Pray for us--we're gonna need it.... ;-}<br /><br />We led a Youth Group meeting on Saturday which was really fun, then we led worship for a church in a nearby village on Sunday. Next week, we are going to a nearby town to do some performing arts in the town square, which we are all really excited about.<br /><br />We have heard some awesome news from our other team in Tahiti and the base back in Sydney. In Tahiti, the team had a healing meeting their first week, and a lady came and got healed of a whole bunch of stuff and dedicated her life back to the Lord, which was amazing!!! They also said that two of the team members had significant healing with ear problems they've had. At the base, they had their second Youth Street meeting this last weekend. They told us that four kids gave their lives to the Lord!!!! AMAZING! I'm so excited for all that God is doing, and I hope to see some of the cool stuff he wants to do in France first hand in the next couple weeks!<br /><br />I have been trying to upload all my pictures for the last week, but I keep taking so many that it's hard to keep up! Like I said earlier, the base is absolutely beautiful! A little country village about an hour and a half outside of Paris. I am expecting the garden in the backyard to make for some amazing quiet times in the next three weeks!<br /><br />Here are the pictures from our last week at the base--our final dinner together before outreach, and the launch of Youth Street:<br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046666&id=44901593&l=6415ada3fa<br /><br />Here are the endless albums from the first week of France. You may need a week's worth of food and water with several breaks in order to get through all these pictures--my camera is going to get a work out here!!!<br /><br />France 1:<br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046667&id=44901593&l=8da40bf59e<br /><br />France 2:<br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046671&id=44901593&l=53c84a7d0e<br /><br />France 3:<br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046735&id=44901593&l=9ffd4072e7<br /><br />France 4:<br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046856&id=44901593&l=605c9c3a15<br /><br />France 5:<br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046865&id=44901593&l=5a54291f89<br /><br />France 6:<br />http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046866&id=44901593&l=613885e265<br /><br /><br />More to come very soon!<br />A plus tard! (Actually pronounced "aye plu tar" and means "see you later"!)Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-63979654636197833322009-05-05T20:17:00.002+10:002009-05-05T20:30:51.436+10:00France!Hey all! After 21 incredibly long hours in a plane and a two hour layover in Hong Kong, we have arrived in Paris! The rest of our team (the ones who flew through Korea) will be here this evening. The flights were a little sketch--everyone was wearing face masks, and before we landed in Paris, they hosed down the whole plane with disinfectant spray! EEK! Hopefully none of us will come down with Swine flu.... <br /><br />We're staying at a YWAM base in the countryside about an hour and a half out of Paris. The base is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I took a bunch of pictures, but I can't upload them yet because my computer's film card reader is being funky. I'll try to get them up ASAP. We have wireless at the base, so I'll have readily available internet and Skype for the time that we're here! YAY! More updates after I have slept and can form coherent sentences... Hopefully I can stay up all day and beat the jetlag--I've slept about 4 out of the last 70 hours, so I'm pretty loopy right now...<br /><br />Je vous aime! (French for I love you all!)<br />~MaggieMaggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-59010090881149068822009-05-03T11:19:00.002+10:002009-05-03T11:25:36.857+10:00Travel UpdateHi friends! We went to the travel agent again yesterday, and to get us the best deal, they had to split us up on two different airlines. They had only confirmed 5 of the tickets when we went Friday night because it was so late, so they were only able to get 7 of our team on Korean Air. The rest of us (including me) are flying through Hong Kong. We don't have a stop over on the way there, but we do on the way back, so we'll get to spend a night in Hong Kong, which is pretty cool! It's lame that our team is split up, but I'm just happy that we have confirmed, booked, paid for tickets! It's actually good that we're split, because we leave in the afternoon, and the base hadn't taken our ground fees out of the bank yet, so if we had all left on the early Korean Air flight, we wouldn't have gone with any money! I guess God really knows what he's doing, hey?<br /><br />So, we leave TOMORROW!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!! SO excited! Pray that we are all able to make out last minute preparations without any hindrances. Also pray for protection as we travel--no Swine Flu in Jesus' Name! I don't know what our internet situation will be in Paris, but I'll try to keep you updated as often as I can. It's the start of another big adventure, and I can't wait to see what God does!<br /><br />Love you all!<br />~MMaggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741039267226889698.post-34396589526793506852009-05-01T22:36:00.002+10:002009-05-01T22:50:17.250+10:00GOD IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (just in case you didn't know)...Ok, so God is pretty much amazing. Just thought I'd let you in on that little secret. So, before the fundraiser, we still needed over $27,000 to get everyone on our school to outreach. We raised $3500 at the fundraiser, which was amazing, but we still had a long way to go. As of today, we are down to **drum roll, please** $2,000!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!?!?!?!?! GOD GAVE US $25,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know why I'm surprised honestly... He is the God of the universe after all. The rest of the money is totally coming in, and we are going on outreach!<br /><br />Once we heard the good news about the finances this afternoon, I started looking for plane tickets again. I had found fares anywhere from $1,400 to $2,500 per person for Paris round trip. When I started searching again today, all of the fares I found were SUUUUPER expensive--way out of our price range. I immediately forgot the God who provided the $25,000 just a few hours ago and began to stress about how we were going to get plane tickets. Long story short, one of the staff members at the base found an AMAZING deal for all of our team on Korean Air for $1590 a person!!!! We went and booked the tickets tonight, and we're leaving for Paris on May 4th! I AM SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! The really fun thing about our flight is that we get a night's stay over in Seoul with enough time to get out and see the city AND a hotel stay included in our ticket price! We have two South Korean students on our outreach teams, so they're pretty stoked to see a bit of home, even if it's just for a day.<br /><br />So, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your prayers! God is so faithful to provide in HIS timing and HIS way, and I know that your prayers played a huge part in that! Keep praying for us! There is one person on our team who doesn't have her money in yet and might have to fly out later than the rest of the group. Pray for a miracle for her finances so she can come with us! Also, be praying for us to find cheap airfare for the second leg of our journey and pray that we will get our visas processed ASAP!<br /><br />Love you and miss you all! I'll be sending you greetings from Paris in three days!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666068126451515120noreply@blogger.com0