The sun is heating on my pale skin, while a gentle breeze strays my cheeks. You would think that it was in the middle of the summer here in the country "Down under", but it is not – on the contrary. This would be a perfect summer day at home in Denmark, but here in Australia they call it winter. While the summer home in Denmark now is about to end, spring is slowly coming forth here Australia. Whew – it will be exciting to see how hot it gets during summer down here! But enough about the weather, because we talk enough about that in Denmark already. We are now in "Aussi-land", as they call it down here (in Australia they use a lot of slang and many abbreviations), in a town called "Brisbane" – which is in the State "Queensland": Here we are doing a DTS (Disciple Training School) in the missionary organization YWAM (Youth With A Mission). Our DTS is called "Pathfinders" and it focuses particularly on finding your way in life with God, which is what we want the most for this time – to find our way in life with God and with each other. When we arrived in Brisbane, it was late night and therefore quite dark. I remember that I squeezed Aron's arm when we came out of the airport and enthusiastically exclaimed: "We are in Australia!". Then a familiar face popped up to pick us up – it was one of the other Danes at the base, who we knew from home. We got our luggage and ourselves stuffed into the car, and then we started to drive towards our new home. When we arrived, we were shown around the YWAM base, and then we got our own "Honeymoon-suite" (as they called it). We were so tired and sweaty that we went straight into bed, after a short shower. The next day we found out where we where: On the video and the images above, you can see our new home. When we arrived, it was so dark that it was hard to see where we were, but the day after our arrival, we began to find out where we were– approximately 15.000 km. from home, in the country of Australia. This was also the start of our new adventure with each other and with God. Since I only know Australia from other’s stories about "Kangaroos", "Aboriginals" and "the Outback", it surprised me that Australia was much like home. I imagined dry land and more primitive ways of life, but instead I found Palm trees, rivers, big cities and stunning natural scenery. The first week I was shown up to a point, not far from the base, with a fantastic view over the city. Since then I knew that this was not Denmark, but Australia. Another thing that surprised me is the many different birds which they have down here. Some of them sound like monkeys, some sounds like an alarm clock (trust me – it is really annoying to be woken up by them!), and others have a lovely little melody, which they whistle again and again. But it is neither the birds, the weather or the beautiful scenery, which made us come to Australia. We came here because we want to learn to know God better, and find out what He wants with our lives. The first weekend, our DTS took us on a camping trip to a place called: "Triple C". Here we took a hike up a creek, where we got the opportunity to go swimming in a lake. But this was also a time where we were able to share our testimonies and stories with each other. It really struck me, how many people had experience to be broken and had wounds from the past. But it was also an eye-opener for how much God appreciates the fellowship. To be able to share your burdens with the fellowship, was for many the beginning of a new process, which will lead us all towards more freedom and healing. This week we had our first teaching about God's character and nature. Dean Sherman, one of YWAM´s founding fathers, taught us about this. This week came with many new revelations to us about who God is, but the most important thing I got from this week, was the importance of knowing God. I truly realized that the more we know God, the more we will also know ourselves. We are created in His image, and that is why we are also created to show who He is. This week has also shown me the importance of relationships, and if there is anything that I can pass on to you, it is that God is a God of relationship, and He is not just a God who is far away in the sky — He is a God who wants us, loves us and who wants a relationship with us. It is truly amazing, that such a great God, wants to have a relationship with us! He's just waiting for us to come to Him – He wants to show us more of who He is, and thereby also to show us who we are in Him. Therefore, I can say with great joy and anticipation that this DTS will be a new beginning, where we can learn to know God more and more, and also find out who we are in Him and what He has called us to do. Thank you for reading this blog-post!
Please pray for us, and our journey together with each other and with God. You can also pray for: 1. The breakthrough of God in our life 2. Clearness from God about which path we should follow 3. On saturday we will go on a week hiking-trip, on "Fraser Island" (The biggest sand-island in the world! :D), where we are going to have teaching on hearing the voice of God. - Please pray for the trip, and for protection over the team.
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The car speeds along, while I slowly consume the Danish landscape. The countdown has begun, and soon we will leave this lovely country, our families and everything we know, to go forth into the unknown, with God and with each other. While I sit here in the car, I am thinking back on the day a month ago, when a new chapter in my life begun - I was married to Aron.
But let us start somewhere else ... It was a cold and stormy afternoon in Thy, where my friend took me out to sea. We drove out to a small town called "Vårbøre", where my friend parked the car and took me with her on a walk down the pier. It was so windy that the waves were foaming over the pier, and we got wet shoes – but it did not hinder us from continuing the stormy ride out along the pier. Eventually we came out at the end of the pier, and suddenly I spotted him: a young Dutch man standing at the end, waiting for my arrival. This young man was Aron, and when I saw him, I was so overwhelmed that I could hardly say anything. Instead, Aron took the word: "Edith, you're my best friend! Will you join me and follow God's way "* Aron fell on one knee" will you marry me? ". In even greater enthusiasm, I made my "jump of joy" and replied "YES!". And so it went loose with the wedding planning.
I do not want to tire you with long details about table decorations, food and budget, but instead I'll tell you about how great God has been, and how faithful He's been through it all. You see – it was Him who put the idea in our hearts, and Him who planned the whole thing. All we had to do was to follow Him and His will. Therefore, I thank God for his faithfulness and goodness upon us. Without Him this wouldn't have been possible!
When I, just over five months ago, said yes to Aron, I didn't know what it would mean for me in the following months. But God has truly shown me that NOTHING is impossible for Him! Even in the midst of 3rdg´s (3rd year student in Danish gymnasium) bustle and exam pressure, He was there with His peace. Through planning and relocation, He was there with his surplus and His grace. Through forgiveness and reconciliation, He was there, with His love and freedom. He has always been there and is still with us. All I can say is: "a thousand thanks Dad!". And so we graduated - In the midst of planning and moving, and then the big day came, which we had been waiting for so long – our wedding day. There are too many words to describe this day for a single blog post – and since a picture says more than a thousand words, here is a movie that gives an insight into this special day:
I just want to say that the day surpassed all my expectations, and it was like God's gift to us. It was filled with feasting, dancing, singing and joy – and last but not least, it was filled with God's love and presence.
The best moment was when we said 'yes' to each other – before God and before people. This ‘yes’ was indeed the start of our new adventure together with God and with each other – and it is a Yes for life! God has really shown us his faithfulness and goodness upon us in this time - and my hope is that people around us also would be able to experience his love through us. The adventure has only just begun, and the month that we have been married by now, has gone so fast! Now I can only look forward to the upcoming time where we together with God and one another are going into new adventures – both in the world, but also in life. |