Week 3

Another week is done!

We had the privilege of having Ken Mulligan, the founder of YWAM Townsville, as our speaker for the week. He challenged our thinking by asking questions that were hard to answer, such as, "why do you believe what you believe?" or "do you have fixed points of reference?" He spoke on the importance of knowing the answers to these questions. I found myself at the edge of my seat, waiting for what he was going to speak about next. I learned that setting boundaries for myself and knowing the kind of life I want to live is critical to living a life for God. We also talked about the many different ways in which pride is shown, and how it can disguise its self as strengths. Ken is unlike any speaker I've heard before since he doesn't give any answers, we had to think of them for ourselves. I can't remember a time when I've had to think more than I did this week!

As the days have gone on, we've focused more on the medical elective and our upcoming outreach. We have our medical focus time every Tuesday afternoon, and we spend the time learning about the health conditions in Papua New Guinea. We've talked about the culture, what our outreaches could look like, and common illnesses in PNG. It's hard to hear about the struggles they have there, but I am so grateful to have the opportunity to help people there in the next few months. We were told of our potential outreach locations this week. There are three different options for the medical elective, all with a duration of six weeks. I could either go on the ship for the whole time, help with the land clinics, or help out in the schools and hospitals in PNG. We are to pray about which option is best for us over the weekend. I am finding it difficult to make a choice, but I am praying for God to make known to me where He wants me to go.

On Saturday, five friends and I went on a fishing trip! One of my friends had connections to a family with a beach house in Cungulla, which is 40 minutes south of here. They took us there and we went fishing where a river meets the ocean. We caught our own bait in the mud, then drove 6 km on the beach down to the river. We fed the eagles hovering above us with the fish we caught. The family was very hospitable and they even let us pick mangoes from their mango tree! It was such a fun day out of Townsville spending quality time with some great people. 

If you know me, you would know that I love learning. Science and sociology are huge interests of mine, but learning with God as the focus is a whole new level. Almost everyday I come out of lectures feeling so fulfilled, thinking to myself, "Wow, that was amazing." It excites me to think that I still have five more months of growing in my faith! This coming week we will focus on evangelism, which is a huge part of why we're all here. You can read about it next Sunday! For now, enjoy pictures from our fishing trip!