I just got back from a week away serving the small community of Nyngan. Saying it was amazing would be an understatement. It was life-changing. I was able to strengthen not only my relationship with the kids there and those within the STORMco team, but also with God. There were times during the trip where I felt drained of energy and found it challenging to wake up the next morning with a smile on my face. I found that praying gave me bursts of strength and energy that I didn’t know still existed.
A lot goes through your mind when you are travelling on a bus for nine hours. You get a lot of time to stop and think about everything. On our way home on Saturday I was able to reflect on my week away in Nyngan. I realised how much of an impact I made on the children there. Even though all I did was spend two hours a day with them for four days playing tip, throwing a ball, piggy-backing and holding their hand, I had made them happy. One girl asked me if I could stay in Nyngan forever with them and didn’t understand why I had to leave. We had been the hands and feet of Jesus through our actions. Through our service we had shown them God’s unconditional love that He has for every single one of them. We weren’t paid to go over to Nyngan. Instead we gave up our free time during the holidays to go to the middle of nowhere for a week, but seeing the smiles light up their little town was priceless.
Another thing that I realised was that our faith in God is like powerlines. The powerlines stretch out long distances finding a connection where they can reach their power supply. The telegraph poles help the powerlines in reaching the supply and spreading the electricity where it is needed. Our Christian journey and faith in God is similar to this. We are constantly searching for that supply of energy, strength and power that we need to continually grow. God is like the telegraph poles that help us stay off the ground and keep on going. We rely on Him to give us the stability we need in order to maintain positivity and faith in Him.Once we get to the cross of the telegraph pole, God allows us to continue on our journey, but He is always there supplying us with the strength we need. We have the opportunity to share that with other people wherever we find a need that we can fill. This Easter, I encourage you to remember that God died on the cross for every single one of us, despite what you are going through now or what you have already been through. He loves us no matter what and even through the storms and blackouts we experience in life, He still stands. When we connect together as powerlines and fix ourselves to His never ending supply, we can be the change and light up an entire city.
Keep smiling. x