And we're done with the first half of the first half.

Now, I know that I've been really awful about updating my blog. I apologize.  It's been so busy that it's hard to even put all that's been happening into words.

We're just about to begin Week 8.  God has been really working in each and every one of us over the past few weeks.  Week 5 focused on Forgiveness and Repentance. In that week, we learned that "repentance" really means(in a Biblical sense) to turn away from something and turn/realign oneself with God's plan.  We recognized the importance of living lives of repentance-- of constantly seeking to align ourselves with what God has for us, because living fully in Christ is the only way to have life and life abundantly. We also realized the authority we hold in how we forgive, and how it doesn't only free them, but it also frees us from the weight of the things that have happened to us.  The pain can still exist, but in forgiveness, we hand all the pain to God, and He can make mighty beautiful things out of any situation.

At the end of the week, we (all 25 of us- students, staff, and the speaker) sat in one room, and we each had two lists: a list of things we repent from and a list of people we forgive.  We went, one at a time, in front of the whole group, and spoke out every repentance and then every forgiveness.  We were in that room for over 8 hours, breaking chains and building up the fellowship that we've been cultivating here in our school.  It was incredible to see where everyone was at, and to get more context for where they've come from.  Plus, this openness gave us all the ability to be held accountable for the things we had repented from.  It's wonderful seeing how everyone can be totally raw and real, and everyone else just embraces them, fully and completely.  That's the body of Christ: our love for one another is a testament to God's love.

Week 6.  Worldview.  We learned that every person on the planet has a worldview, whether they know it or not.  It's influenced by our upbringing, our culture, and a plethora of other factors.  We looked into the basics of several different worldviews, and how we can interact with other worldviews and identify our own perspectives on the world.  It was nice to have our eyes opened to a better understanding of the diversity in the world.

This past week was Week 7: Bible.  I love the Bible.  I love learning the context behind stories and books, and I love that it comes alive when we read it.  This week, our speaker made it come alive even more- he showed us things like the way that the Old Testament connects to the New, who the pharaoh was during the Exodus, and even the purpose behind the book of Philemon. It was so fun.  The Bible is actually really intriguing, if we read it the right way.

Gosh, there's been so much happening these past few weeks. Our family here has been having a blast together, with everything from playing with sparklers on the beach and 30cent cones at McDonald's after Community nights to sunset walks on the break wall and being tourists around Sydney.

And might I say, Sydney is totally wonderful. We started our day of being tourists by going to the original Hills Church (Hillsong)!

The service was great, and the people were so friendly.  After that, we went to see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.  I mean, that's like a necessity as a tourist, right?

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the streets and vendors in the city.  I'd say it was an awesome day.

 I've said it before and I'll say it again and again: I'm so blessed to be here, and to be surrounded by such a fantastic team, living in this beautiful place, living a beautiful life, serving such a beautiful God.

It feels like home here.

We've officially been here a month, as of yesterday(well, for me, it's yesterday). It's a hard feeling to explain, because I feel like I've known these people in my YWAM family for such a long time, but then again, it hasn't even been five weeks.  And, at the same time, these past few weeks have flown by.  I can hardly believe that next week marks the halfway point of lecture phase.

The lectures we've been listening to have been incredible.  Week 3, the Father Heart Of God, was all about experiencing that father heart.  We encouraged one another and learned about God's love and His care for each of us, and that blended perfectly with Week 4, which was the Character and Nature of God.  It was so wonderful to be able to look at Scripture and lean into God more and more.

At the end of week 4, each person was handed a "puzzle piece", and we all wrote a word that God has been highlighting to us on an individual level about who He is.

God has sure been rocking our world through these speakers.  We've learned about God's plans for us, and how asking Jesus to be Lord of our lives is exactly that: giving him our lives, out dreams, our fears, our everything. Submitting to His will and knowing that He is good, regardless of any circumstance or struggle.  Because, the truth is, God cares for us, our families, our wellbeing, our purpose, than we ever could. So, it's actually logical to give Him control of it all, and it just fills us with a sense of peace and comfort once we do.  It was a fantastic process (a hard one, for sure, but it was wonderful and great).

Anywho.  There's been plenty of other cool things been going on here, too.

The beach is so fun.  Every Friday, the entire base goes to the beach for relaxation time for a few hours in the afternoon.  We set up a volleyball net and just about everyone participates in a laid-back tournament.  

Plus, it's finally warm enough to swim (the seasons are different here-- it's almost summer)!

The water is pretty warm and it's so crystal clear.  And, it's not even that warm out yet! It's supposed to get a lot warmer outside.  But for right now, it's been a pretty good mix of Seattle-esque weather days and days that are 25 degrees (I've been learning Celsius here.. that's around 80 degrees Farenheit).

Last weekend, we were blessed with the opportunity to go serve as volunteers at a Christian music festival called Black Stump!

When we weren't working, we got to go see different bands, hear speakers, and go to workshops.  It was a blast, and it gave us all a chance to hang out with each other in a different setting.

I think we're all just excited for what's around the corner, and for what is right here in front of us.  I'm blessed to be part of this YWAM family, living in this beautiful place, living a beautiful life, serving such a beautiful God.