Week 2 in Perth

This week Peter Brownhill (our base founder) talked to us about ‘The Nature and Character of God’. My prayer for this week was to get to know God more and I did. Some of the key points from this weeks teaching for me were:

1) The most important thing is not what I may say or do, but what I in my heart believe God to be like. It is of immense importance that my idea of God corresponds as nearly as possible to the true being of God.

2) My view of God affects every area of my life. The evidence of what I believe is displayed by how I live.

3) The foundation of knowing God believes in Jesus and repentance to God.

4) Grace and peace come into our lives through the knowledge of God. 

"You then, my child, be strong by the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:1

5) We are transformed from our distorted views of God as we see Him for who He is or as we know Him more. We need a renewing of mind and it starts a thought at a time. 

Thought-> choice-> habit-> character-> DESTINY

6) God is an invisible, personal, everlasting, infinite trinity of loving beings.

Pete also gave great definitions of God’s characteristics. I have read about God’s righteousness, mercy, faithfulness,… many times but now I have finally understood what these characteristics really mean.

God has also shown me this week how personal he is. As we were sharing our testimonies in my small group this week I was amazed how God speaks to every one of us in very different ways and how we experience God’s love in different ways. God is all-powerful and so great and yet he longs to have a personal relationship with us!

This week we started with morning exercises and it was such a challenge at first. The only reason I would ever voluntarily get up at 5:40 for a run is because I’m doing it for God! Morning exercise proves to be a great way of starting the day with God though. I’ve had some great prayer times during morning exercise and you’re awake for your quiet time afterwards!

As I mentioned in my last blog entry we go out to evangelize every Thursday. I’m in the Lockridge (a suburb of Perth) door knocking evangelizing team. At first I felt really uncomfortable with the thought of knocking on people’s doors and invading their personal space to share the gospel. I felt like a Mormon or Jehova’s witness and really wasn’t looking forward to Thursday night. And I knew that I personally would never open up to strangers and that door knocking would never work in Austria.

Then Thursday came and we got lost on our way to the neighborhood we wanted to go to and decided to just stop and evangelize in the neighborhood we were. Our leaders told us a little more about door knocking evangelism and I suddenly realized that I had a completely wrong attitude that night. So I asked God for forgiveness and prayed that he would lead us to the right houses.

Feeling kind of awkward I knocked at our first house. A woman opened up and was scared at first because she wasn’t expecting strangers to knock at her door at night. We asked her if she had a Bible, she said yes and as we were ready to leave Ben asked if she had anything we could pray for. She said yes and told us that her partner had committed suicide 6 weeks ago and left her alone with her three young daughters (Jaz 6, Elizabeth 2 and Charlotte 0). Carrie-Ann invited us in her house and let us pray for her and her daughters. She wept and then told us a little more about her situation. She said that they moved to Lockridge 7 weeks ago. When she found out they’d move to Lockridge she cried because she had lived there when she was a young girl and had terrible memories of that neighbourhood. Anyway, just a week after they moved to Lockridge her partner committed suicide out of the blue and left her alone with a new house, 3 young daughters and 2 businesses. If that wouldn’t have been enough, her cat was run over and her car broke after that.

Carrie-Ann is such a sweet woman and a great mother to her daughters. She was open with us about her doubts that God is real and that he cares, because she has just experienced too many bad things in her life. But she did say that she is thankful we came and that we came at just the right time. She gave us her mobile phone number and name so we can keep in touch. I am convinced that she’ll pick up her Bible again! The kids were so well behaved and full of joy. I talked a little bit with her oldest daughter and she told me how much she takes care of her sisters. She brings them to bed, changes their diapers, bathes them and helps her mother a lot. What a responsible little girl!

I am so grateful that God led us to this woman. How great is our God! If we wouldn’t’ have gotten lost we would have never met her! And I learned so much that evening, I learned that God is a very personal God and that he grieves when we grieve. I could really feel God’s brokenness and grief over this woman. He was crying with her. And I learned to step out of my comfort zone and to do things I would never normally do. God is faithful, he gives us grace and courage when we need it and I am so glad that I had a great first experience with door knocking evangelism. Now I’m looking forward to next Thursday! Please pray for Carrie-Ann and her family. Please pray with me that she’ll start seeking God and find comfort in Him.

Please also pray for me next week as we learn about repentance and forgiveness. From what I’ve heard next week is going to be one of the toughest but best weeks in our DTS. We are expecting great breakthroughs in our lives! Please pray that God will show me what’s in my heart. That he'll show me areas of sin and things where I have to forgive others. I know it’s going to be challenging but I am looking forward to the freedom I’ll have after next week.