What I've learnt this year...

Hey everyone,

So it's the end of another year- seriously, where did all that time go?

It's been for me such a year of growth, discovery, fun times and overcoming challenges- there's been ups, downs and at times it's been a real roller coaster, but to be honest, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

But I think the greatest thing about this year has been that I've learnt lots of really important lessons, ones that I hope will ensure my life to come will be lived to the fullest. Hopefully, they will also help you to live your life to the fullest too.

So here we go, the lessons learnt from 2013... (don't worry I'll try to keep this as short as possible!)

• That no matter how far away I am, or how often I talk to them, I'll always have my friends beside me, P.S. you all rock!


• There's no use worrying over past mistakes- everyone makes them and God's mercy overcomes them, so the best thing to do is to learn from them and move on with life.


• We can all make a difference in our lives. From the simplest thing like playing football with a bunch of school students on a retreat to sharing a few minutes with the old lady down the street, these little things can make a world of difference in a persons life.


• When you've got an issue, sort it out, rather than running away from it. Sometimes it may seem daunting but you'll have peace a lot faster if you work through problems rather than using your energy to keep trying to run away from them.


• On this same note- make sure you are constantly communicating with people, asking how they are when you enter work or school in the morning, talking to friends about how they really are, spending time talking to those you find hard to get along with- this is the key to ensuring healthy relationships and a better understanding of those who might irk us.


• Be grateful and find a time for gratitude every day- more on this one tomorrow!


• When you live Jesus in your life, people notice and it changes them, so if you believe, then don't just say... do and be like Christ calls us to.


• Everything happens for a reason and has a time and place. God has our lives so amazingly planned that while we might not know why things occur, he does and we just need to trust in that and know he does things for a reason that will lead to our ultimate happiness.


• Be yourself. No one wants or needs you to be anything else. Use your gifts and talents to do God's calling and be prepared to enjoy the journey that will come from it. Don't ever compare yourself to others and know you are unique and wonderfully made by God.


• And finally, enjoy life. Make sure you thank the Lord for every single thing that happens in your day (more on this tomorrow!) and have fun at every moment. Even during the difficult times, look for the good around and keep smiling on the inside.

I thank you all for being part of this amazing year and I hope that you all have a great end to 2013. Tune in tomorrow for the New Year post, it's going to be a great way to start 2014!

Keep the faith

Hey everyone :)

Hope you've all had a great Christmas and are enjoying the end of the year. I pray that you, your friends and family continue to experience the blessings of God during this time of celebrating the birth of Christ our saviour.

Ok so with the greetings out of the way, I'd like to tell you a little story.

Now I support a sporting team who has not won a game in 2 years, yes you heard correctly- 2 years! It's been a tough struggle and while there was plenty of excitement when the team and it's management were changed this year, the first few matches have yet to produce a winning result and while there are signs of improvement, this could be another year of no success.

Despite this, I, along with thousand of other fans continue to support the team. We wear our merchandise with pride, pay money to see the team play in their home ground, go to fan days, tweet, message and like the updates. We are in this for the long haul, we are there regardless of what happens. Now this isn't the only team I can write about. I currently have two American sports teams who are running last in their division and have another two sporting teams that have only recently hit successful seasons after years of outs. For the ardent sports fan, there is sort of a knowledge that these things happen, but you must keep supporting, for out of the ashes comes great reward, somewhere down the line.

Now you might be wondering, why on earth, on a blog that is about God and faith, did I just write three paragraphs on sports? Well it's funny, because when we look at our faith and at sports, there's some similarities.

We as Catholics and Christians are proud of our faith- we go to church, we live out our faith in all we do, we try to be the best light of Jesus we can be to the world.

The thing is though, we live in society where we are faced too often with the situation that those who we are talking to say they don't believe, they can't believe or more to the point, they've stopped believing- that they once upon a time believed but unanswered prayers, tragedy, religion not being cool, scandals they've read about in media etc. have made them turned their back. In some cases, I know in years gone past I've heard these stories and related to them, because when things don't go the way I want them to, I've questioned why God didn't help out.

While we are willing to support sporting teams even after players are splashed on front pages for scandals, the team hasn't won a game in longer than we care to remember, they keep coming last in the comp... it seems that sometimes, one unanswered prayer or situation that isn't ideal to us, and we're ready to stop trusting God and start trying to do everything ourselves. This is despite the fact that this is the guy who created the universe, the very earth we stand on, the air we breathe. The very God who can create amazing sunsets, amazing natural landscapes and constantly surprises me in life in ways I know I'll never understand.

When you think about it that way, it's kind of crazy to think of anyone who could imagine not believing, yet we do. Maybe it's time for us to start believing like we do in our sporting teams, with the heart that no matter what happens we will stick by till the end.

I know it's the way I see things with God these days. Despite all that happens, like a sports fan of a team, I keep strong in the fact that God is there, that he is with me and that I can trust in him. I also however have in the last few years, realised that things aren't always going to go the way I planned for them to, but that God will always make things turn out the way they need to. Sometimes, it's important to realise that just because prayer isn't answered the way we want it to, doesn't mean it isn't answered, or just as importantly, it isn't going to be answered.

In a lot of cases, if you are open to it, you'll see God answer the prayer in a way you could never have thought possible. In other cases, it's all about patience- being able to realise that you have a whole lifetime in which this prayer could be answered- you might not have your prayer answered this year, but it could be the next, or the decade after that- trust that God has it sorted and know he won't not answer any prayer, he loves us all too much to not answer.

For the last few months, I had been praying for a family member who we were awaiting a visa for. We were only wanting a month, but that seemed to be a struggle to get. A few weeks ago though, after months of prayer- we got news that this family member got a visa, not for a month, but a whole year- it's funny how God works sometimes!

This Christmas season, we have been given the great renewal of faith in the birth of Jesus Christ. In cities around the world, there is an uprising of joy and excitement in the arrival of the Saviour. My call to each one of you is to keep that flame firing no matter what. I have seen this year that with that flame in your heart, even the most disinterested teenager can't helped but be intrigued. Be like the ardent sporting fan- never give up, never give in, do as Jesus calls us to and be his light to the world no matter what!

I'll be praying for you all in this journey and ask you keep praying for me. Pray also for the continual experiencing of the love of Jesus in those who don't know or have lapsed in their faith, for through prayer, all is possible.

P.S. For those wondering where my last post on my NET journey is... it's coming... hopefully I'll be able to write something in the new year!

The Sun is rising... Update from Goulburn Number 3

Hi everyone and for those enjoying a long weekend in Australia, I hope it's been a great one so far.

Well it's update time again and this time, I've decided to talk a bit about something that I've been experiencing a fair bit these last few weeks and a subject that will only grow more as the years go on in our faith journey.

For the last two years, I've been involved in working specifically in the 'New Evangelisation' with the work I'm doing with NET Ministries Australia. Most of you know what I've been doing by now but to put it simply, I have been involved in helping people, especially those of high school and young adult age, to realise the importance of the faith and Jesus in their own lives. It's been such an amazing experience and it is always a real joy to be able to get to meet a young person, talk to them about your experience and then over the space of a day or two to see how it can impact their lives to see God in you- not only in what you say, but in the witness that you are to them of what is being said about God's love and want for a better life for all.

The thing is though, that while the 'New Evangelisation' is super important there is another element that needs to be taken into consideration- and that is- how do we support these people who are so excited about their faith from their re-experience in Jesus and work with them to keep that faith alive and just as importantly, get them to share that with others.

The good news, is that our new Pope seems to have realised the need and is doing all he can to show the answer- he said it himself during World Youth Day 2013 in Rio when he said to the young people in attendance:

"Go and make disciples of all nations”. With these words,Jesus is speaking to each one of us, saying: “It was wonderful to take part in World Youth Day, to live the faith together with young people from the four corners of the earth, but now you must go, now you must pass on this experience to others.” Jesus is calling you to be a disciple with a mission! Today, in the light of the word of God that we have heard, what is the Lord saying to us? Three simple ideas: Go, do not be afraid, and serve."

This idea of discipleship is not new. We see it in the way that Jesus treated his apostles, not as his hired help but as people who he could support on their journey. We see it in youth movements across the country and we see it in the great work that our religion teachers and catechists do for our young people (but more about that later).

In the last few weeks, I've been able to very fortunate to be able to take part in some events where I've gotten to see how important it is to have discipleship alongside the 'New Evangelisation'. These include working with Year 11 students to create ministry tools that will help them to run retreat days for younger kids in the school and sharing advice to a men's group on the work NET does and how to keep supporting the young people in the Church.

Last week I was at a youth conference held in Canberra for about 70 young people who knew Jesus but wanted to experience him more.

At this conference were two young guys. One was a bloke who I met a week earlier at an event in Goulburn and wasn't quite sure about going to the conference while the other was a guy who I met a month ago at a school retreat day in Central West NSW.

For both of them, the conference was an amazing experience with plenty taken from what was being said and taught. The thing however that really connected with them was the chance to be supported by people who were also on the journey of following Christ. Whether it was the priests, the fellow participants, us leaders or just the speakers themselves, both these guys talked about how it was just so refreshing to be able to be around a place where there was so much support.

I also loved the fact that I was able to help the young people there as well in their continuing journey. Last year one of the hardest parts about the work we were doing was that a lot of it was fly-in fly-out type stuff, where you'd see the students once and you'd be lucky to see them again in a year.

This year however, I've had the pleasure of being able to see a lot of the young people we've met at high schools numerous times and that's been so cool as you get to see how the initial re-encounter with Jesus has changed their lives and then you also get to help them with any struggles they may be having or in a lot of cases, help direct them to people who can help them (I ain't got no degree in theology or social work!)

Yesterday I also got the chance to meet some amazing people at a catechists conference. For those who don't know what a catechist is- they are also known as scripture teachers and they teach the faith in government schools.

These people inspire me because they are in there week in week out with students helping them to have not only a better faith, but a stable support, an example of Jesus in their lives, especially those who are baptised Catholic but aren't really living or into their faith. The stories they were telling me yesterday of students who weren't Catholic who wanted to be after being in classes with these people were beautiful and reminded me of why we do what we do, it's not for accolades or awards or recognition- it's to bring people closer to Jesus and help them stay on the path to greater glory.

Not only was I reminded of why we do what we do- yesterday, as I sat on a panel and talked to this crowd of about 70 people about how personal experience and sharing vulnerably about your own struggles in the faith can at times be as powerful as knowledge from the catechism or faith teachings I also was given a bit of a wake up call into the fact that while sometimes the focus is on running good programs or creating amazing events, the key to inspiring young people has been and always will be, being there for them- giving them a hope. I'm so glad that NET is built around this relational idea as it's given me such a great training ground for this and I hope to take it into my everyday life.

I guess the reason I write all this is because I want each one of you to realise the role you play in the lives of others, especially their faith journey. I encourage each one of you to keep supporting those around you by being a living example of Jesus to them- especially those struggling to understand the faith- for this is not a journey to be taken alone and we can't just be going about experiencing Jesus and keeping it to ourselves- as it is well noted- the aim of our lives is to be as Christ like as we can be and to help others to do the same.

I'm super excited to say that the next few weeks we will be spending as support crew for a musician from Melbourne as she goes to Catholic schools to teach them about how to take traditional church music and make it relevant for today. There's a lot of travel involve but it will be a lot of fun and we're getting to go back to lots of schools we've visited this year so that's really exciting in regards to this discipleship idea.

Ok enough writing- stay well, prayers are with you all and till next time, remember to keep being disciples of Jesus in all you do :)

A quick note to all my followers :)

Hi everyone, hope you're doing well & are keeping on striving to be the best you can be.

Super busy at the moment but thought I'd share this with ya, it's my message to the team at the third of our staff visits - hope it inspires you and will post an update real soon. In my prayers always, Trev :)

NET is a place where we are encouraged to break the status quo and define ourselves as the people God called us to be.

Where an engineer can inspire a young person without maths but instead with love, a high school graduate can give hope to the older generation through their choice to live out their faith, a uni student can guide the next generation through their life experience and a youth minister can become a leader of the wider church.

It's a place where God, if allowed, can change the lives of not only high school students but also the young adults ministering to them as well.

God's grace let us learn that failure and humiliation aren't a bad thing but something to be used to bring us closer to our creator & trust him more. We also realise that we don't just have someone who created us, but a God who is our father, friend and who loves us no matter what we do.

NET is living God's call of love for all in everything that makes up a day. Whether it's prayer, serving breakfast, washing up, talking to team, doing CC's, doing practice, eating food, playing sport, running events or just chilling and enjoying life.

But it's more than just about this year. As Paul says in Philippians, keep doing what you've learnt and received and heard and seen in me and the God of peace will be with you.

We are called for the rest of our lives to keep living in God's word. In doing so we come to realise that all things can be done through Christ who gives us strength but that we are not called to all things. As Blessed Mother Theresa said: What I can do, you cannot do - what you can do, I cannot do, but together we can make a world of difference.

We need to use the gifts that we've been given to not only enhance our own lives but the lives of others, working with one another to bring God to as many people as possible. We're more than just one person - for where two or more are gathered there is where God is, and that means we really are 'all in this together.'

Once a Netter, always a netter!

Update from Goulburn Number 2

Hi everyone from a very windy but sunny Goulburn. It's been a mild winter so far but still cold enough with the days reaching 7-12 degrees on most days & evenings -2 to 3 degrees - we are very blessed to have heating in the house!

Since being back in July we've done a variety of things when it comes to ministry work. These included two Year 12 retreats, a retreat for a school where there's not normally retreat days held and two youth groups including one for 10-14 year olds. Each of these has had it's challenges- including the fact that the year 12's are set in their beliefs and so it's a lot harder to minister to them about Jesus, even with our own stories. The thing that I've learnt these last few weeks is that God can work through anything- even when I don't think he is.

Whether it is the joy and enthusiasm that allows 10-14 year olds to want to learn even when they can't sit still or the questioning minds of 17-18 year olds that allows you to have great discussion about faith and life- there's always some door God gives to open a persons heart, even if it's not the one you were expecting. I'm learning the importance these days of looking for that door, especially when the program we run might not work for where we are. It's most important at these times that you search for God in the situation and sometimes it is as simple as making sure you're a great example of Christ.

This week I was talking to a year 12 student who told me while he struggles to believe in God, he loves retreat days as they allow him to see epic people who give him hope to keep searching & remind him of how God can impact a life. If just being in a space can do that for one person, imagine how many more peoples lives could be changed if everyone was doing this.

Alongside this I've also been able to help promote vocations at the local Careers Market, which was a lot of fun & while quite a long day on your feet was a great chance to make people think about something that they wouldn't have before. It did however also make me think about my own future, especially with so many stalls for universities and business colleges there. At the moment I'm finally at a point where I'm OK with the future and accept that I've ideas on what I want to do but I need to be open to Gods plan no matter where it may take me or what I end up doing. The last two years of doing Gods will have been some of the most rewarding times of my life so I don't have to fear what comes next if I do Gods will for me.

Other than ministry, everything is going well. As a team we've got a bit more times on our hands at this part of the year so we've been playing tourist and recently visited Parliament House and took a trip to the South Coast which was lots of fun. Life on team is a constant choice to love and fight for those around you - including working to make them the best people they can be. While it is hard work, when you see the fruits of the sacrifice to not be selfish, to challenge others even if they don't like it or to be there to support others even when you want to do something else, it's such a blessing and my team is growing closer everyday as we choose to do these things.

I hope you are all well. Prayers are with you and keep trusting in God, he is always there for you.

Peace to you all,
Trev :)

The 12 step review of a life lived in Christ

Hey everyone,

Yesterday I had the chance of hearing from the great Fr Emmerich Vogt on a little thing called the 12 step review. He was brilliant in what he had to say, but more than that, what he said really hit me as to be honest, it was exactly what my last six months on the road have personally been all about.

I thought I'd use this blog to share with you a bit about this- you've heard about the ministry, about my team, about life in the country in previous updates but I thought with this one, given I've been home for a few days as I'm on mid-year break and had a chance to process, I'd share about my own personal growth (however, I ain't doing this is 12 steps as I know you all have lives to lead that involve more than just this blog LOL!), but I will focus on some key areas.

Admit our Powerlessness, Turn our life to God

In this section, Fr Vogt talks about how without the grace of an active spiritual life, our lives are unmanageable.

Over the last year and in particular the last few months, I think this has come to the fore more than it has in my entire life. The more I trust in God with things and the more I listen to him instead of doing what I feel is right, the greater the power I have and the more control I have over things.

I'm realising as well that I really can't do much without Christ who gives me strength. So often in the past, I've tried to do things myself and of course, they haven't turned out. To see however the things I can do when I do what God calls me to do, has been such an amazing experience and made me see why having the love of Christ in your heart is so important.

These days, I am trying as much as possible, even if it is only for five minutes and then I do my prayer time later- to start the day in conversation with God. This gives great peace as from reading a passage or from looking at a quote, I am reminded of what God wants me to focus on and I am more able to live that out in my life.

Even when things might not go as planned or I have a bad day, having God's message at the forefront of my mind means I can stop, give it to him and focus on what he wants me to do- which is especially important as it allows you to show to young people that what you are saying to them is not just something you are talking, it's also something you are believing and living and that makes them more open to it.

Admit our wrongs, be willing to be healed, make direct amends

This section is all about how if you are willing to accept that people will make mistakes and so will you that you will be able to be healed of past hurts and be able to live in greater communion with each other and God.

I've always found it hard to admit I'm wrong or not feel hurt when others do things that are against me. Over time however, especially when I was working, I learnt to ignore these things and just hope that they will pass.

Last year, I learnt from my year on the road that sometimes you just have to love those around you when they do wrong- to accept them as human and give them another opportunity- I think it is something that has made my friendships a lot stronger and I'm grateful for this lesson learnt.

This year however, the more I grow in my journey with God, the more I'm realising the mistakes and pain I have caused. I think before I just didn't worry about it, but knowing the way God wants me to live, now it is something that I notice and can't help but feel affected by.

The thing is though is that from my reading of scripture, time spent with people of the faith and my own time in prayer- I'm learning that mistakes are going to happen and I need to accept that. I need to be willing to not be too hard on myself when things occur and instead be willing to admit I'm wrong and ask forgiveness of those around me and to accept the forgiveness that God has for me - he loves us all no matter what and that's amazing, but we need to open to that love to receive freedom.

Which leads me to the last thing I've learnt this year- and that's never let an issue not be resolved. If you have a gripe or have done something bad against someone- go talk to them about it. I'm realising that when I do this, whether the conversation is a good one or not, the end is result is always that in the long term- my friendships grow stronger because people feel more appreciated that I am being honest. Now I know this isn't easy- to be honest there's still times when I want to ignore things- but I now know the difference caused from talking about an issue and not doing it and I definitely think the first one is the better option.

Live a life of prayer and sharing with others

If there's one thing I've learnt this year though most of all, it's the power of prayer and the power I have in sharing what I have learnt in others.

I'm realising the amazing gift that prayer can have in our lives. A perfect example is of my Grandmother who is in a nursing home. I prayed that God would give her happiness and while she isn't as strong as she was before and has lost her short term memory, she is happier than I've seen her in a long time, which is only by the grace of God and the people he has put around her.

Prayer is all about our willingness to give our thoughts to God and trust the problems and issues of life to him. I use to think as a kid that while it was important to pray, it didn't really matter as there were billions of people on the world and God couldn't help them all- he's just one man.

I now know however that the choirs of angels stop to hear our prayers (it says so in Apocalypse) and also that while not ever prayer is going to be answered immediately or in the way we want it to, God hears all our prayers and in time, he gives us what we need- yes people, not what we want, what we need.

When it comes to sharing with others, I am constantly astounded by how my story, my life and my love for Christ inspires those around me. It has been such a joy to come back home and see how the sharing in the faith of my friends has inspired them all to greater things, how simple words of advice can help turn a persons life around and how young men and women have their hearts changed simply by knowing someone is there like them who believes in what they do, who wants what they want and who isn't afraid to go after it.

And that's where I'd like to leave this- with that point in mind. No matter what I've learnt over the last six months and it has been a lot and a great journey, the road continues on and I will keep learning, but the most important thing is that I keep being myself, and I keep allowing people to know I am there and ready to be a warrior for Christ.

It may be hard at times, it may challenge everything I've known, but I wouldn't have it any other way, and I pray that for those on this journey with me - that you wouldn't have it any other way either.

GB, Trev :)

Update from Goulburn Number 1

Hey all,

Well it’s eight degrees here in Goulburn today (thank goodness for warm clothes, electric blankets and central heating) however I thought to warm everyone’s hearts I’d share a little bit about life on the road recently.

A few weeks ago we went out to a school in Yass (about an hour west of Canberra) for a few retreat days with year 9 & 8 students. It was amazing however to see how when we got there how many of the year 10 students we had met earlier in the year wanted to hang out with us and talk to us about their lives. It was such a joyous experience to see how they had each grown from the few days with us earlier in the year and how much they appreciated having us around again.

Last week we attended a charismatic prayer group on the NSW South Coast and to hear from the attendees how much joy and life we brought to them by being there was so inspiring and really gave me a new burst of energy to keep showing Jesus love to others.

The highlight of the week however was a couple of days ago as we did a 3 day retreat for some young Yr11 men from Canberra. These blokes came in quite respectfully but weren’t all that interested in learning about Jesus however after spending two days with us and each one of the team either playing footy,chatting or spending time with the guys, there was a change in attitude, to the point where we had a third of them chat to the priest during prayer time/reconciliation (some weren’t even Catholic) and I had people come up to me saying that the energy and time given by each one of us changed their lives… I even had one guy say thanks to me for my energy and charisma- all because we were willing to respect & show the love of Christ to each of these young men.

As the quote above says, sometimes love doesn’t come through the way we think it should. Sometimes the little things we do can change lives and sometimes it involves us choosing to fight for others and showing them that the world does respect them for who they are.

If there’s one thing I’m learning this year, love the way that Jesus calls us to is not about grand gestures, big moments or large balloons. It’s about fighting for everyone whether you want to or not. It involves choosing to fight even when the cold might say it’s easier not to, it means sacrificing your wants, needs and fears to do what God calls you to do.

Doing this leads to so much reward and my prayers are with you all that you keep showing Jesus love to all you meet in life, and pray the team and I may keep doing so too.

Peace out everyone

Trev :)

Hello from the Southern Tablelands of NSW aka. Goulburn

Hi Everyone, 

Sorry for the lengthy delay in posting but our first school term here has been quite busy and so haven’t had that much time to write but now we’re on holidays here in NSW it is time to update you on what’s been going on.

Ministry

It has been a big year of ministry so far for our entire team. We kicked things off just four days after arriving in Goulburn with a two night retreat in Sydney with the year 12’s at the local Catholic school and since then have done two overnight retreats, numerous day retreats and even a youth camp.

Unlike in Melbourne where we did one off events and travelled around the city, here in the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn we have travelled all over Southern NSW including the South Coast and the country town of Cootamundra. 

Our larger trips have seen us stay a week in an area at a time, getting to meet some amazing young people and also staying with some really nice priests who not only ensured we were well fed but were so knowledgable as well (I know so much more about my faith thanks to them).

It has also been a lot of fun and really rewarding to spend time with the young people and see them grow, especially the ones who are just really open to experiencing Jesus love in their lives and who you get to see change as people over the time spent with them. It has also been great to see how the message of Jesus is received by the young people, especially those in the country where there is a real sense of searching for something more than what the media and society is telling the young people to be.

Another great part of the work we do is that we get to hold large events for the local youth after our week of retreats which are always a lot of fun and it is great to see the community get together to support the young people plus the moments of adoration and mass are always a great experience.

Life in Goulburn 

It is a lot of fun living in a country town but it is very different to anything I’ve ever experienced. For starters, I am only now getting use to cars stopping in the middle of the road as you walk into town because someone you know is driving them and wants to say hello and I’m only just getting use to having everyone you know working at the local stores.

Goulburn itself is a pretty cool place to live. Lots of discount stores means clothes and supplies are pretty easy to get even for a person on a mission year which is cool. The local cinema is really good value at $8 for a ticket and even though the movies are only on for 3 weeks at a time, it’s still a great place to go to.

There are also lots of great cafes and pubs to visit in Goulburn and myself and my team brother have even managed to do a driving tour of some of the more larger Goulburn institutions including going past the prison, driving into the entrance of the Police Academy and seeing the Racecourse.

The biggest thing I’m going to have to get use to though about Goulburn is that it is winter for 6 months of the year. From about next week onwards it will start getting colder and the average temperature in June and July is around 4-5 degrees during the day which is due to the fact the area is flat and the wind blows through. Already there’s been a few days where the wind has made the day quite chilly and so I’ve been glad for long pants and my fleece blanket.

Team Life 

They say that on NET that if you do a second year, your team will never be like that of your first year team and I have to say, they are pretty true on the mark when it comes to this point.

My team this year is made of people who are all very different but whose uniqueness makes us the team that we are- a fighting team that works to always do the best we possibly can in everything we do. 

The funny thing is though that even though we are all quite unique and have lots of different talents and gifts, with some people being great dancers, others great listeners and others just very good at looking at detail, our personalities are quite similar with our personality profiles showing two team members being the introverted version of two other team members.

I really appreciate as well how our team challenges each other to be the best we can be (I guess that comes from the way our team works). I have really been made to work to be the best person I can be and that’s a good thing- as sometimes I know I can be lazy and not do things that need to be done, but this team is so supportive and that makes doing the hard things easier.

I also appreciate the fun that we have as a team. We work really hard to get things done well, but when we aren’t working, we have loads of fun, whether it’s random dancing at nighttime, van travel karaoke, amazingly intellectual conversations over dinner or just the crazy games we come up with during free time- there’s been so many amazing memories on team this year so far and so many videos made, can’t wait for what the rest of the year has in store.

In addition to the team, we are also staff members of a wider family in the CatholicLIFE office of the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn. These people are so cool and supportive and they welcome us with open arms whenever we are in the office. It is so much easier to be a good team when you have that support behind you and we are blessed to be in this diocese.

Prayer Life

I guess considering you are all sponsoring for a year of mission sharing the love of Jesus with others, I should tell you about how my faith journey is going. At the start of this year it was a big challenge when it comes to growth in faith as I was made to question quite early on in the year what it was that God was calling me to.

The past few months however have been a rollercoaster ride of learning, realisation, healing and now commitment to ensuring I work to be the person Jesus calls me to be. 

I am so fortunate here to be living right next to a church so my morning prayers are done in there and it is such a great place to reflect on the great things God has given. It has also been such a support to have such a strong local parish community around me (I regularly attend a daily mass of about 40 people and that can only inspire you). 

As a team we are also very strong when it comes to faith and not only do we do regular prayer but we talk about our faith a lot and that helps to work through the things you may be struggling with or just to know there are others on the journey with you.

Along with all of this, I have been so lucky to hear some great speakers of the faith this year, such as Fr Dom Murphy and Eduardo Verstagui as well as go to Light to the Nations- a massive charismatic worship event held during easter and these have broadened my faith as well as strengthened it as I keep seeing people who are doing amazing things through Jesus.

Right now I feel God just saying to me to work to do the best I possibly can with the gifts he gives me and I’m looking forward to seeing where this leads me in the months ahead.

Anyway, I’m running out of battery on this computer so I’ll sign off here for now, but know I’m praying for you all. Please keep praying for me and my team too as we keep fighting for Jesus and hopefully my next update will be a bit sooner than the last one.

GB, Trev :)