Jesus Loves the Sunburnt

Greetings, Loved Ones! As I write this to you, my arms and legs and chest are CAKED with Aloe Vera Lotion. It was Australia Day today-- a holiday for this grand country that warrants fantastic celebration. To commemorate said holiday, all of our Schools spent most of the day at the beach, waiting for the fighter jets to fly overhead and enjoying kangaroo on the barbie. For myself, a proud redhead (they call me a 'ranga here- as in orangatang- because they have red hair?) that meant willingly roasting in the Aussie sun for the hottest hours of the day. For the Aussies reading this- I was not using "States' sunscreen"- I bought yours, and it still wasn't enough! I also continuously put it on (like everyone does) throughout the day.... My one fatal move, though, was choosing to walk home from the Strand. I was exhausted and I could feel my skin cooking and I was told it was a fifteen minute walk. The staff were going to drive us home "in a little while", but for those of you like me, you know that that's sadly not satisfying- it's better to leave on your own right then and have the peace of mind of knowing you're on your way home than to wait and see when everyone else will eventually be ready to leave. So, I risked it, and I walked all the way back with my dear friend Lucy (what a Godsend she was- I would've died of despair had we not been laughing at our bad choice the whole time). It was AT LEAST a forty minute walk in the baking sun. AND we got lost at least twice. But you know, it was a good time anyway. And it turns out that almost everyone is burnt pretty badly- not too different from July 4th in that aspect...

Now that I've related that not-so-pleasant-but-still-hilarious news, I would like to pose a rhetorical question: have you ever been moved by the Holy Spirit? I have no definition of "moved"- no qualifiers, no modifiers. Nothing to prove that it even happens, except that I can tell you confidently that you know when it does. Our DTS (discipleship training school) kicks off tomorrow, and so tonight we had a tour of the new YWAM medical ship and then a worship service on the top deck. I have to be honest, I don't know how to continue from here, except to say that the Holy Spirit did indeed move me. It was night, it was warm, there was a sea breeze, the people I've already begun to love deeply were surrounding me, and we were all singing to Jesus. A thought came to mind during our first song, and that was that here, in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, and everywhere, I am finally free to love Jesus shamelessly. I feel no need to hide my desire for Him so as to maintain old friendships, no need to hide my need for Him so as to keep my vulnerabilities from others. Who has done the freeing get tricky: Jesus is the one who frees, of course, but does that mean He was the One who gave me a need to be freed in the first place? No, my friends, that was my own doing. The Devil had successfully snared me in a trap of my own pride and self-reliance, convincing me that his voice was "reason" and my love for Jesus was a hindrance.

My friends, I have wonderful news that I have known for so long but not had the courage to accept. Love for Jesus is not a hindrance. Loving Jesus with abandon is the best choice you can make because it is returned with such fervor that it brings you to tears. As we were singing together, all our different voices joined in singing His wondrous praises, tears streamed down my face for the warmth and freedom that I had heard so much about and that was FINALLY mine. With my head raised to the stars and a tear or two racing down each cheek, quick thoughts of the book "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis came to mind. Written from the perspective of an Elder Demon to a Youngling Demon, he writes as an advice giver on how to ensnare both young and mature Christians, and bring them away from "our Enemy above" (Jesus). My family was reading this book together before I left and so I took it along and continued reading it earlier today, where I read a chapter on how demons can distract and "persuade us that our vivid Christianity is only a 'phase'". I thought back and realized how often I see that in my own history and in the history of those I love. I opened my eyes and there was a bright star right above my line of sight. I looked at it longingly for a moment when I saw a huge bat fly across it. I watched the bat fly into the night when another appeared in its place and again passed by the star. That could have been coincidence, but I will leave you to decide for yourselves.

This I know for true: the Devil will try more than once to distract you from the beauty of Christ. Beware of the "phase" trick, my friends- your love for Jesus and His returned love for you is the most vibrant and everlasting truth you can experience.

Now, for those of you who know me: you know that I am RARELY speechless- most of the time, if telling a story, I simply won't stop, even if no one is interested, just because I'M interested in the sound of my own voice. (Ha!) As some of my fellow students gathered to pray, I found myself truly speechless. My turn came to pray and I had thought to say "I have nothing to say, Jesus", but my throat simply wouldn't make the words. I believe that, Loved Ones, is the Holy Spirit moving.

I love Jesus. He knows me for what I am, not for what I have pretended not to be. I can rely on Him, He will not cause me trauma, He will not abuse my trust, He will not scare me. He will not cause me to endlessly rely on myself. If you have not yet realized the truth of Christ, I pray that you do soon.

Random fact of the post:

I, and several of my comrades, have not, despite our VERY BEST efforts, been able to find decent pillows. I am currently using a square, bright orange decorative pillow with a mammoth blue flower on the front as my pillow. Get this- I put it in a normal pillow case just so I felt normal. (And also cleanliness!?) I HAVE NO REGRETS! Though the pillow is a tad squished, it has worked wondrously these past couple nights.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Christ is working wonders here. Wish me luck on the kick off of our school tomorrow morning! Click Here to Read More..

First Impressions

Greetings, Loved Ones! Boy, do I have some news for all of you... I safely arrived in Australia in the late afternoon of Thursday, January 22 (January 21 for America). I had no "expectations" for my destination here and yet somehow was completely dumbfounded as to the place I was brought into. The base at which I am staying is mainly hard concrete and unpainted walls, still undergoing massive renovations. There are wood chips and pieces of heavy machinery everywhere, spread out evenly among the plastic chairs and tables in the small "cafe" area (also concrete and unpainted, and the only room with Wifi). The AC is a bit limited even inside- when it is turned on, which is not that often, it isn't cold, but rather blows air around 74 degrees instead of the outside temperatures of ~90 degrees. It's currently the "rainy season" here, which means thunderstorms are a daily or bi-daily occurrence-- for those of you who have experienced an environment like this before, you know that this means one thing: humidity. I feel as though I'm swimming through most of my days, either through the air or through my own sweat. I have entered the land of broiling hot days and showers that can never be cold enough even when rivaling the temperature of cold drinking water; showers, by the way, are taken at least two and sometimes three times daily by almost everyone here on base...

Now that I have told you all the graphics of where I live now, I will share the majestic and ordinary wonders: first, there is a mountain directly behind our base that is absolutely awe striking to look at. A mix of brilliantly green foliage and stark red, sheer cliff rocks, it's name is "Castle Hill"- there are WWII bunkers atop its peak, accompanied by one of the most amazing views I have ever witnessed, even after living in the Adirondack state park for most of my childhood. The path to the top is not too long but rather brutal- while it is mainly derived of rows of stones making countless "steps", the path itself is more or less STRAIGHT UP, and the bugs are relentless. I have had to deal with thousands of black flies before in the mountains of New York, but in Australia, it seems that everything is bigger and more numerous. As we were climbing back down the "hill" last evening, we were joined by hordes of dragonfly sized insects that would congregate in clouds located directly at head level. And I don't mean groups of, say, twenty. I mean groups of at least a hundred in each cloud, all flying into your face and hair. Not fun. But the sunset... Jaw dropping. So many different colors, radiating from Magnetic Island to the reef to the shipyard to the mainland.

The trees here are also unique, like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. As you walk the streets (quite a task your first couple days as the cars are all coming from the opposite direction- the crosswalk lights take too long to operate so you have to satisfy yourself by looking the wrong way and running to the middle of the street and stopping and doing it again) you'll come across palm trees that start off at their base like a giant plant bulb and get thinner as they bend and curve upwards to the sky. Right next to those you could run into a mammoth cluster of trunks made of hundreds of cord-like branches so thick and so thoroughly twisted together that, were you to try to navigate the inside of the tree bunch, I'm sure it would be black as night. Then, across the street, there might be a courtyard with one massive Lion-King-esque tree in the middle, perfectly trimmed and just plain beautifully grown.

Also, I've already seen the flying foxes, as previously mentioned in one of my earlier posts! They're a good deal larger than small dogs and not at all afraid of flying only a couple yards from your face. Also, there are indeed wild kangaroos here... I haven't seen those yet, but I'll be sure to update you when I do!

Lastly, I will tell you the spiritual environment that I am in, as that is truly what I am here for. YWAM is a non-denominational organization, and in being non-denominational, they fully accept and, as I've found, greatly encourage the kind of charismatic Christianity that is a bit new to me. To give you a small example, during the first worship service I experienced, sometimes there was loud praise, and at other times dancing and people clapping to their own rhythm, etc.. There was a point in the service where we were all called to pray for the Holy Spirit to come dwell among us, at which point everyone in the room burst aloud into singular prayer for at least 6 to 7 minutes. While the nature of the service may have surprised me at first, it was incredibly refreshing. To know that everyone in the room desires Jesus - that everyone is there of their own choice - to feel the Holy Spirit in the room, listening to us sing and dance and yell our praises to him...just awesome. There is truly something special about worshiping in a church where, ten miles away, there is an island full of people who have never heard the gospel but are literally crying out for help.

Thank you for your prayers, and I am sorry about how long this post was- there's just so much to tell you all. Though I have already encountered many oddities and difficulties, I want to make it clear that I LOVE it here, and I feel completely comfortable, as this is the exact environment (right down to the lack of AC and carpet), that I feel most at home in. I am thriving here, and Jesus is living in me.

Random Fact of the Post:

Everything is different here concerning the bathrooms. First off, the women's rooms are ALWAYS painted blue, and the men's are ALWAYS painted pink. Second, they aren't called "women's rooms" or "ladies rooms" or "restrooms" or "bathrooms" at all. They are exclusively called "female toilets" and "male toilets". As if the toilets themselves had gender identification needs. Thirdly, the toilets themselves flush the opposite direction (apparently because we are South of the equator?). Fourthly, whereas America has toilet bowls half filled with water at all times, here there is no such thing. (I've begun realizing while here how much America really does use unneeded amounts of things like water and electricity. Not that I'm growing prejudiced at all against my home country- on the contrary, I would welcome half-water-filled toilets and AC blasted with all the windows open and lights that don't ever flicker--down here they just don't tap as many utility resources). Lastly, the stalls are not stalls but rather cubicles, wherein the infamous gap between stall door and stall wall is nonexistent. Click Here to Read More..

The American Flag

Greetings, loved ones. Tomorrow afternoon I will depart my home, bound for Dulles airport and, eventually, the great Down Under. As I was driving around completing last minute errands earlier this evening, I realized I needed gas, so I pulled into the nearest Turkey Hill. After running inside and telling the cashier "15 on 3, please", I went out into the windy cold and started my race to fill the car as fast as possible. Why, you might ask? Because- it was cold out, it was dark out, it was windy, my hair was in my eyes and face, and only heaven knows how many people had touched the gas handle before me. (Ha.) The reason I'm telling you all this is just to illustrate the state of mind I was in at the time. All of a sudden, as I'm waiting for the painstakingly slow pump, I realized this was my last night in the United States of America. As that hit me, I forgot about the cold and the wind and the germs and I raised my head to look up. Directly across the street from me was an American flag, glowing in the dark night sky above an in-ground spotlight.

The Lord has been putting it on my heart and mind recently (in the last year) that I shouldn't be in such a rush in life. Ever since I entered in middle school my mindset has been that I HAVE to get on to the next thing. It CAN'T wait. I'm SO bored with whatever everyone is doing right now that I HAVE to move on to the next chapter in life. Life moves slow sometimes. If you rush through everything, my guess is that one day you'll wish you hadn't. I will miss my home country, this next half-year. I will miss my home, and I will miss my family and friends. I probably shouldn't have been in a rush to get into Australia these past months. I am praying the Lord will teach me to enjoy and utilize well the time He has given me in each place He puts me in.

That being said, I do leave tomorrow, and I couldn't be more ready. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, both financially and through prayer and encouragement. I loved seeing some of you at my commissioning yesterday! Please pray that I have safe and smooth travels tomorrow (and the next day!). Thank you again, and you will all hear from me soon!

Random fact of the post:

The luggage weight limit for my airline is 50 lbs. I'm bringing a hikers backpack, due to the nature of both my family and the journey I'm about to embark on. I had quite a bit of stuff I needed to bring, ranging from dresses to sporks and from clotheslines to water filters. My father, who is notorious for being an immaculate planner and packer, was able to fit EVERYTHING I had laid out PLUS the pile of clothes I had set out that were "desired but unnecessary" into the backpack. Now, that is an incredible feat on its own. The news that brought me and my mother to laughing awe was this: when he weighed the pack, it was exactly 50 lbs and 0 oz. Click Here to Read More..

To Be Sent Out

Greetings, loved ones. My father just came up to me as he was about to retire for the night and said this: "it occurred to me as I was praying on the deck that, after you've been down there a while, you may start to feel lonely since you'll realize that everyone who knows and loves you is very far away. But, you need to remember, God loves you more than any of us, and He will be right there with you the entire time." If any of you have ever heard him preach, teach, speak, counsel, etc., you know that he puts on a certain tone of voice when he says something he views as exceedingly important; his voice lowers and he articulates clearly and slowly and he looks at you with squinty eyes and occasionally will point his finger at you. That's how it was when he said "He will be with you always." It had an impact. I view myself as independent. I am not and have never been a home-body, and while I know I will miss my family I have not expected to miss "home". That said, I know my father to be wise, and I believe him when he says I will feel lonely. It's true! In only two weeks I will leave everyone I have ever known and live on the other side of planet earth for almost half a year.

I want to thank all of you for supporting me in my journey thus far! I have good news for those who have been praying: I received an email-confirmation today letting me know I have been granted my Australian Student Visa. Thank you Jesus! As to my funds, my last update showed a status of about $500 below my goal. I will be sure to share with you when I hit my mark. But even before that point - I wanted to thank you all for your support, financially and through your prayers. Know that the Lord has begun working even now in unusual ways, before I have even left the states! I look excitedly forward to what He has planned for me in the upcoming seasons. Thank you again, and God bless you all!

Random Fact of the Post:

I am being recognized and prayed over and sent out publicly as an official missionary of West Shore Evangelical Free Church on the 18th of January at the end of both main services. If you are local, I would absolutely love to see you there; I will leave that Tuesday, so it will be the last chance to connect face-to-face before I leave. Like I've said before, I will be keeping this blog running and hopefully updating it weekly once I get there to keep you all up to date, but if you'd like to actually see me, in the flesh, the wonderful person I am, (HA!) Sunday the 18th will probably be the last opportunity. : ) Have a wonderful week, and be blessed. Click Here to Read More..

27 Days Until Departure!

Greetings, loved ones! It is the twenty third day in December; two days until the grandest holiday of the year. Merry Christmas to you all! While we are on the topic of dates and timelines, I will be boarding an international flight to Australia in just 27 days. I received another update email from my church early today, informing me that I am just under $500 away from my fundraising goal. I also received a long awaited email from YWAM that has finally freed me up to apply for my Australian visa, which will be close to another $600. The Lord has blessed me greatly in allowing me to fund raise so successfully, but as I will have to purchase varied supplies once my team officially confirms what country our outreach will be in (supplies that I will have to buy on location, due to overweight luggage restrictions). Meaning - I am still quite tight on funds. Please pray that the Lord makes a way for me through this! The man who will be supervising and leading our team through our 5 months on missions just recently sent out a message to us all saying, in summary, that the Devil will be attempting to distress us, make our journey difficult, and, all in all, make this trip seem all but impossible in the upcoming month before we leave. I knew what he meant when he first advised us of this, and I am beginning to experience it first hand. While I am not inexperienced in fighting through the Devil's handiwork, it does not get any easier to wade through each time around. It is true that the Lord will be with us in times of trouble, but trouble still comes, and in those times we all too often forget to call out to Him. Thank you for your prayers in these matters! Your support means so much to me. Be blessed!

PS- As we prepare for our dinner guests tonight, an instrumental rendition of the song "Worthy is the Lamb" is weaving its way from our small stereo through our Christmas-cheer-filled home. It brings back memories of my childhood, living in upstate New York, when I would go on road trips with my brother and mother. You see, we would have to go on these "road trips" every time we wanted to get anywhere, including a grocery store, a clothing store, the dentist, etc.. My mother would play Christian music in the car as we traveled from our secluded town to anywhere of consequence, and "Worthy is the Lamb" was on a certain CD often set to replay. Wonderful memories, those! Click Here to Read More..

Plane Ticket Purchased!

Greetings, loved ones! I have just, in the last week, purchased my plane ticket for this wondrous mission! The Lord has made this possible through all of you, and so I thank you! I have not yet reached my set goal of $10,000, but I am confident the Lord will make a way for me. If you would like to donate, the information needed to do so can be found in a post below. I have been in contact with my team members--there are 10 of us!--and we are all beginning to get quite restless in anticipation of our trip. I look forward to seeing what Christ has in store for us all; I will be sure to keep you all updated! Random Fact of the Post: I was recently enlightened as to the fact that squirrels are nonexistent in Australia. Rather, they have fruit bats, also known as Flying Foxes, which are bats that have an average wingspan of up to...what was it? Three or four feet? Well. For those of you who know me well, I have a great passion for animals. The amount of wild critters we had in our home during my childhood is pretty unfathomable. When I was seven years old, I was in the Bahamas wearing fully grown Boa wrapped and coiled around my neck like a necklace! I am greatly looking forward to the native wildlife. Thank you again for your prayer and financial support! Click Here to Read More..

Answered Prayer!

Greetings, loved ones! I have an update for you as to the status of my fundraising. As I said in my support letter, my home church has graciously adopted me as one of their official short term missionaries-- (in short summary, they support me in numerous facets of my mission trip and all in all give me a foundation of spiritual, financial, and, quite honestly, emotional support through my endeavor to serve Christ). One of the ways they help me out is that they give me a personal fundraising account to route all my support into. In a recent update, I have been informed that I have raised over $5,000 - which means I am half way there! This is an incredible answer to prayer and I am so thankful to all of you who have chosen to support me this way. I am also given a constantly-updating list of all those who have donated any support; I will get in contact with you to give you my thanks personally, soon! I know that this blog isn't incredibly interesting as of yet as it is still just news concerning my fundraising and preparation to leave, but once my DTS commences, I promise it will get more interesting. Thank you again to all who have supported me, whether it be financially or spiritually.
Blessings in Him,
Anna Winters
Random Fact of the Post:
I have never before tried any kind of seafood-- no fish, shrimp, clams, crabs, calamari, nothing. I plan to hold off trying anything from under the sea until I reach Australia. The way I figure is, if I have to try it, why not try it in a country famous for its oceanic scenery and incredibly diverse sea life? I could have tried it when I visited missionaries in the Bahamian Isles a while back, but the most authentic seafood bar we graced while in the area happened to be serving live conch, ripped (with bare hands) directly from the shell, chopped while still squirming, and thrown onto a plate with some odd-looking sauce, possibly the tears of it's conch family. Not the most appealing dish to someone with an entirely unsophisticated pallet in the realm of seafood. I will be sure to update you all as to my first sea food experience AS SOON as it happens. (If it ever does. Fins crossed.) Click Here to Read More..