Drugs, Sex, and Rock & Roll.

// sorry if the post has a few errors, I haven't edited it yet but want to post it anyways. :)

Today was a great day. As today started the official "outreach phase", and we were still here in Brisbane, we did local outreach. This inluded baking goodies for the neighbors, tearing up carpet in a house, and going back to Murray Lodge! I was hoping to be able to spend more time there today, but the time we were able to spend there I think was really good. Last week we brought a basketball and it was received well, so this week we brought two and a soccer ball. Right away some of the guys wanted to go play; I ended up going to a park about four or five blocks away and played a bit of basketball and soccer with four of the guys. I don't really know how old they are, but I'm gonna guess from twenties to fifties. It was rather funny because the basketball court was actually just two hoops on grass. I'm not sure what's better on a basketball court, grass or carpet! hehe
This is the part that really got to me though, hence the title. Watching these four guys play ball and just how they interacted was impacting. The youngest guy, Troy, is in Murray Lodge because of drugs, you can just tell. As he played basketball, he was actually quite good! He knew all sorts of tricks and was fairly descent at them. Mind you, he made very few baskets, but he really knew what he was doing. Then later when two of them played a bit of soccer, he also was pretty good, doing crazy jump flip kick things (I really wish I knew what they were called so I wouldn't sound so incompetent haha). I asked him if he played basketball or other sports before, and he named off a nice list of all of the sports he used to play. And I sat there and thought about him and what might have happened in his life. He could have had so much going for him, but got caught up in the wrong stuff. And it messed him up alot. What's even more disheartening, is that he is so young still! It's not like he had a long messed up past, but more that he just recently got caught in drugs. You know, I think about all of the young basketball and other sports stars from the high schools around Grants Pass. This kid Troy could have been like many of them, successful. He could have lived a normal life. But something bad happened, and in a few simple acts he destroyed much of that possibiliy living in todays society.
Then there's Andrew.
I don't know what happened to him, but it's clear that he has had serious damage from drugs as well. It takes him nearly half a minute to say one sentence. Just because that's as slow as he talks.
There was a new man today, one that came and played at the park. His name was Mark. He actually seemed quite normal to me from the short bit I talked with him for. I found out that he used to actually coach tennis teams from elementary to high school age. I couldn't figure out what might have brought him to Murray Lodge, which makes me really want to know more what happened to him.
And last of the group that came with us to the park was Adam. He also has problems because of drugs. I'm not really sure about his past, what he's done and how he's come to Murray Lodge, because his stories change each week. The one story that seems like it would totally fit his personality and style however have to do with him being a hard-surfer. Mind you, this guy is near fifty now. It was rather funny today the stories he was telling me about himself. He claimed that he was a direct descendent of the Queen of England and was one of five dukes living in Australia. And that was just some of the stories he told about himself. It was bam bam right after another of crazy things, I really wish I could remember them all. He said he was on the 100 dollar bill, and on the American twenty. He talked on and on about governmental things and how he is a lawyer. He was actually really competent in how things in government and law works and used lots of terms of such. It made me very curious to as what his past was, if he actually has had a successfull history, but then got caught up in drugs somewhere along the line.
It helps quite a bit to see something first hand in order for it to change your ideas or views on a subject. I've never been passionate about anti-drugs as much as now. Yes, I was no promoter, and I didn't like it when people would use them because I knew they were harmfull, but until I saw it firsthand, I didn't recognize and realize what an affect they really have.
And there's more. Stephanie was talking to a guy named Warren (I think), and he was telling her of his past experiences. He used to be in a band and had black nails and described to her all of the funky ways he would spike his hair and etc. This guy wasn't too far gone, and we're pretty sure he's actually telling the truth. (besides the fact someone there knows how to write descent songs and play the guitar, we are guessing it's him) He told her other things about his band, but I don't know what he said. She could so easily recognize the drug influence that was present in his life from the stories she told him however.
Steph also talked to a young girl who's always there, but always off in the distance and rather shy. It was very encouraging when she learned! This girl, Ellie, is going to be leaving Murray Lodge in two weeks. There is a government program, in which she had to apply for and fill out paper work and all, and be accepted-and she was! She will be moving to an apartment type place and be taking classes. She will pay for room and board etc like college kind of and she had to sign on that she would stay for two years. The classes will help her with every day life and how to live in society and be normal. After the two years they will help her find a place to live on her own and help her get set up with a job and everything. It was so encouraging and exciting that there IS hope for some of the people! She also was so very excited for this opportunity. And I forgot to mention, she also has been affected by drugs.
Next is Davey, sweet Davey. I think I've mentioned her before. She's a woman about 48 from the Phillipines who always wears a dress. These last few weeks she hasn't seemed to be her happy self as much. She wanted to paint my nails today and while she did we talked a bit. Might I also add that she did just a good of job on my nails as I would have done if not better. I found out that she has Schizophrenia and has to go in to the hospital every two weeks for shock treatment. Also in our conversation, she asked me for ten dollars. She seemed really frantic and upset about it, because when I told her I didn't have any money with me she asked others around her. I asked her what was wrong and why she needed the money, and she said that her sister was sick and she wanted to call her. I felt like I was supposed to ask if she wanted prayer, so I did. She declined it, but the man sitting next to us said "you can pray for me!" haha so that's just what I did :) I prayed for his eyesight (what he wanted me to pray for), that whatever was wrong with his physical eyes would be healed, and also his spiritual eyes would be opened. When I was done praying he was deeply touched and said that he felt so much better. It was so cool to see that even just a little prayer could make all of a difference to these people. I went back over to Davey and just said that if she changed her mind I could pray for her too. I think seeing me pray for the guy made her feel more comfortable with it, because then she wanted me to pray, in which I did. It was so awesome to be able to pray with some of these people we've been building relationships with over the last few months!
And lastly as we were leaving, we talked to TWO guys that we've never talked to before! Especially today it seemed, that a few people that don't normally talk or say much at all, we had decent conversations with! One of those guys is always going around with his walkman and constantly has headphones on. Anothony is his name, and he's only 19. Today he was walkman free and when we talked to him for a bit, we were pleasantly surprised! We asked what he listened to all of the time, and he said Christian music! Groups like Hillsong, and Jars of Clay, Casting Crowns,and Michael W Smith were his favorits. We NEVER would have pegged him as a Christian music kind of guy (I guess that's a fail on our part), but it was completely encouraging to discover that! The other man that we talked to and don't usually actually seemed fairly normal as well. He even made a few (really hilarious) jokes!
It has been so inspiring to see the growth throughout Murray Lodge in just a few months, and I wish I could spend heaps more time there as I see so much more potential! The people there just need a bit of individual attention and they absolutely thrive on it. The smalles things have made such improvements on their lives. They need that affirmation that they are worthy of everything else "normal" people are worthy of. They need to know that they are important to someone, and that there is meaning to their life. They just need someone to show them love, and I know from the past few weeks that they definately have been feeling the love of God in that place.

WAAAHHOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

S'yeah... (Sublimital message to Bayley to write more blogs!)
Watch the video :)





Yeah, the video kinda tweaked out, I know. You probably just sighed in relief,no don't worry, Australia hasn't changed my voice and made me sound stupid! So I don't really want to stay up very late tonight, so I'm gonna finish this and make it short but sweet. :)
I started to say that the lectures on Missions really made an impact on me because of something Jeremy Humphreys (speaker) said. He grew up in the U.S., and heard the Gospel thousands of times because of it. There are so many people spreading God's word in places that already have heard it. Now there's nothing wrong with that, but what if we could take some of that to people who have never heard about God and what Jesus did for us?! There are SO very many people in the world who do not know of God, and who do not even have the Bible translated into their language! How could we not want to go and reach these people?! This was definately an eye opening testimony for me. I have been interested in missions since I was a little kid in VBS(Vacation Bible School); those missionary stories really got to me ^_^. But I have never envisioned myself in a place that had never had the Gospel taken to them; it has always been in places that have more access to it. But God has spoken to my heart this week, and now I would say that going to the unreached is a possibility in my life!
We also had Bonner Wolf speak on worship this last week. Also SUCH great lectures! He challenged us in our personal relationship with God by sharing some of his own stories. Something he shared with us is how to keep a diary/journal, part of it being revelations we get, part of it being things God's spoken to us. Ok, so some of this may sound a little strange to people. I'll be honest, I never really understood how God could 'speak' to someone, and they would 'hear from God'; it kinda sounded crazy at first! But actually learning how to listen to God has been so incredible, and so much fun! This week I have really felt God's love on me and I have just felt so full of joy and love. Once again, I could go into SO much more detail, but I'm just gonna stick to the slim jim's tonight (morning for you guys). You'll just have to wait for personal stories and details when I get back! :P
Another thing we did this week as an outreach team was take a spiritual gifts test. Some of the things on the possible results were discerning, faith, wisdom, knowledge, teacher, preacher, exhorter, compassion, helps, prophecy, etc. The things I got pretttty much fit me to the T. (where does that saying come from? anyways...) I got missionary as number one (wow who woulda thought), and I don't remember which was next in order, but I also got compassion, leadership, and faith (once again, I coulda told you that :P). You were supposed to only get your top 3 in the results as your strongest, but my last ones were tied, so I'm just special like that :)
In the descriptions, it was so cool to see how those aspects fit into our lives and to be able to recognize it and be like "oh yeah, that's toTally me! Which reminds me, one of the things Jeremy said was kind of a recognition/revelation for me. He said he used to always dream that he was a pioneer back in the day, and had to travel in a covered wagon, and could take it anywhere and then build a house wherever he wanted to, and live off the land, etc. I hope you get what I mean. It was this spirit in him, that led him to also enjoy pioneering in missions, which he did for many years. And I gotta admit, I completely used to think like that too :) hehe I remember there being a show on PBS about something like this, where they took regular people and put them in a situation that of as the pioneers would have lived in, and they had to figure out how to live and survive and everything. (kinda like a pioneer version of Surviver?) I remember watching that and wishing I could do it! It's funny how I'm seeing parts of me from when I was a child, things I loved or wished I could do, come into play into when I'm an adult! (ok, not adult, I'm not THAT old, pft...) Which also plays into what I've learned how God places the desires you have on your heart, the things you like to do, because He knows you, and He knows the things you are GOING to do. I could go on for a long time about what that means, and how I'm seeing it come into play also. Man, there's just not enough space or time!
Well yeah, pretty much I'm tired now and want to go to bed. I realize I'm basically cutting this off, no conclusion or anything. (Don't worry Mrs. Ward, I really did learn in English class! :) ) But I'll end with a video blog from this last weeked at Murray Lodge. For those of you who don't know, a small group of us go there as part of DTS every weekend. But it isn't something that we "have to do", we LOVE IT!!! We're actually very very sad we won't be able to go for the next 3 months. Anyways, focus Jessica focus. It's a place where elderly/mentally/physically handicapped people can live and be taken care of. It's not the nicest place, I'll be honest. But the people there are SO incredible! I know so many friendship have been made, not only for me, but for the others that go with me, and we don't want to ever have to say goodbye to them! Anyways, I know the videos of our experience are long, so just watch them if you feel like it :) Goodnight!