George Family 2014

George Family 2014
George Family 2014

Tuesday, July 08, 2014

UPWARD

Upward Sports camp has been going amazing today..  Today was super busy as we settled 130 kids into their group. But,  God has used us to touch 130+ kids lives. God has been with every coach, and station leader, and we have had a really smooth start to camp. God has been holding our hands, giving us strength, and especially the courage we need to be bold about who Jesus is! Here are some pictures of what has been going on.   I want to share a special story though. Because, today we had a lady come in, and she said she drives through Landsdale every day but, today she for some reason she drove past the driveway to her house. And, the first place to turn around was in the car park. Now, when she saw all the children playing soccer and the girl cheerleading, she felt that deep inside she NEEDED to let her children attend. And, their family is Muslim. But, I believe that God had a plan for this family.   I hope that everyone on our UPWARD ministry team will make themselves open and ready to clearly share about how they have met Christ with the kids in their group this week.



Monday, July 07, 2014

Upward Sports Camp Preparation Day!

Today, the entire day was spent preparing for Upward Sports Camp which starts tomorrow! For the first time ever we had over 30 people come together and prepare for our ministry outreach event. We had a session where we all learned the safety and insurance procedures, and then the rest of the day learning how to connect and communicate with the kids.  Afterwards the cheer coaches and station leaders practiced for cheer camp, and then we spent the entire rest of the day putting together sports kits that each child would receive. We were incredibly blessed to have UPWARD, Eastern Hills, and the Landsdale Church come together and work as a team. UPWARD was able to provide us with amazing uniforms and drink bottle and pom poms. Then the coaches, station leaders, and team members were put together by Landsdale Community WMC and  the Eastern Hills Team from the USA. Inside the kids bags they received a drink bottle, a uniform, a bracelet, and the soccer players received socks and a soccer ball, while the cheerleaders received pom poms, and other girly things!   But, it was so amazing to stand together with a team that God had pulled together all the way from Buffallo, NY to Perth, Australia. And, all of us were working OUTSIDE of our comfort zone. Yet God was going to use us, to work in these 132 kids lives because we were willing to step out in faith and trust God to carry us through the upcoming week.  We were so proud of the Landsdale parents and youth that stepped up to help!  I know that God has amazing things in store for this week not only in the hearts of the kids who are going to join us, but also in the hearts of those who are going to help us!  I am so excited I can barely sleep!  Although, I am still up at 2:00am prepping for camp.  But, it just seems that there are so many things we could still be working on.  So, pray for Chris and I as we continue to work on everything and keep it all running smoothly.  May we be God's hands and feet this week!
Melissa
PS below are pictures of the teams and the bags we prepared.




Women's Retreat July 4th-6th

This past weekend was completely amazing. We had the Western Australia Wesleyan Women's  Zone Retreat.  I was completely exhausted as I had to pull a few sleepless nights to get everything together for the weekend, but I also couldn't have pulled it off with out Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church from Clarence, NY. I can't give enough praise to God for supplying a missions team to come help us here in Western Australia! It was extra special because I had lot's of extra help this year, so we were able to give the Wesleyan Women's committee of Western Australia a break, and they were able to sit back and enjoy the weekend. The theme for the weekend was "freedom in Christ."  It was truly special in every way because.
1) We had the most women ever attend from the Landsdale Church
2) We were able to grow in Christ
3) we were able to meet new people and grow new relationships
4) God used every women on the team from Eastern Hills to connect with someone this weekend.

It was truly remarkable. Even I felt as if God was refreshing me and speaking to my heart.

Below are a few pics from the amazing weekend. Thanks again, to everyone who helped make it a success!




Saturday, July 05, 2014

Matteson's have arrived!

The Matteson's have arrived in Perth, Australia!   We are so excited that they are going to be here in time for UPWARD sports camp! We can't wait to partner with them and we can't wait to see what God is going to do through their amazing family.
Pray for them as they
  • Settle in to School
  • Meet new friends
  • Build relationships
  • Start small group studies
  • Help at UPWARD this week
We are so thankful to God for bringing this team to us.  They even had God with them down to the last moment's of arriving in Perth. As, there was a storm that came through and a lot of planes were delayed coming out of the airport they were at, but for some reason their plane was allowed to go, and they had a completely smooth trip to Australia.

Friday, July 04, 2014

The American Team has arrived!!!

Today is a day our children incredibly enjoy! Tonight we picked up the American team! They are here to support our Upwards Soccer/Cheer camp and also our Zone Women's Retreat. We are so excited to meet this team that God has called to partner with us here in Australia for the next 14 days and are super grateful to the Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church from Clarence, Ny for sending them our way!   We are extremely looking forward to what God is going to do through them.

Thursday, July 03, 2014

Permanent Residency

Today is the day we have been waiting for!!! We have been granted Permanent Residency in Australia. Thank you for your prayers. It has been a long 4 years of working to achieve this goal! And  we are just amazed at how God uses us to bring people to Him in Australia! And that God had blessed us with this honour and privilege. We are blessed!