Sabbath Week

We went exploring yesterday. We grabbed some food and hammocks, and just started walking. After crossing two sets of railway tracks, fighting our way through thick patches of Stinging Nettles, being yelled at by a Danish farmer for wandering through his paddock of sheep, and Pete being stung by a bee on his nipple, we eventually found ourselves in the middle of a very big and incredibly beautiful forest. It had spongy pine needles lining the floor, and giant trees reaching up to the sky. It was as if I'd walked onto the scene of Little Red Riding Hood! So dark and cool and I guess, other-worldly, at least to a West Australian Aussie such as myself!

We strung up the hammocks, then lay back and listened to stories by Rudyard Kipling, read in a wonderful real life, deep Pommy voice...And we stayed like this for hours. It was so lovely and relaxing. I feel so at comfy and "at-home" when people read me stories.

Finding a new way home which didn't involve the farmer's property was a whole new adventure! Let's just say, my legs are still screaming for mercy...but it was a very beautiful walk.

Sabbath Week is just what we all really needed I think. We have church each morning, and free time from lunch, then a night session. Excellent teachers. They're Scottish missionaries who live in Turkey. And they're pretty wise.

Friday is the LogOscars! (Get it? Logos Oscars?) Heaps of people have made short movies over the last few months to present for a LogOscar tomorrow night! We're all getting really dressed up, having a very special dinner, and watching them together...I have a feeling it's going to be a REALLY funny night!

Thanks for your emails lately. I just LOVE hearing from you. It makes my day, even when the news isn't great. I love being a part of your lives, even though I'm in Denmark, and you're Down Under...xx

Trust

Back in January when I was on the GO conference, we had a praying day. And on that day, I got a really cool picture in my head which put "trusting God" in a crazy new light. I guess the "mind picture" was from God, unless it's just my amazing imagination (which He created anyway...). But it really flipped my perspective on life.

"Trust God"; it sounds so "Sunday School" and boring and meaningless to a kid who's grown up hearing those words a thousand times over. But picture this;

I've reached the edge of the earth; a massive cliff. I look down and there is nothing but swirling darkness. I can't even see if the drop down ever ends. God is by my side. A massive being of greatness and power and everything good. He says, "Do you trust me Beth?" I'm terrified and overwhelmed with excitement at the exact same time. I look into those eyes, and from all I know of Him so far, I KNOW I can trust Him. I nod and grin. He sweeps me up inside Himself, deep inside His deepest depths, and cradles me in His hands. "Are you ready Beth?" I know not to ask "What for?", because trusting Him means I won't always know. I nod again. And He leaps from the edge of the world! And we're falling, and my stomache's in my mouth, and I'm scared, but I have a strange sense of peace and deep excitement, because I know I'm with my King, and I trust Him completely, even though our adventure has just taken us over the side of a cliff and into a sea of swirling darkness...

How cool is that?!

The tough bit is having the wisdom to jump of the cliff "in" Him each day. That's what I've been learning since I've made it to the ships...Sometimes I choose to be my own boss for a while, and things get really messy again, then it hits me; I havn't even bothered listening to any of His quiet, awesome invitations lately! I quickly run back to the cliff, and He's waiting patiently full of grace every time...

I wish I could just get my act together and stop hurting Him. I want to be soaring through the unknown with Him every second of every day, and making Him laugh and bringing Him joy by just enjoying Him...I long for Him to be my biggest influence, cos he's my idol! My favourite company! I want to be so "under the influence" that my heart is just an extension of His! Same motives, same goals, same desires...wow. Imagine that...

Bec Scriv, lately, you've been running through my head a real lot. (You must be exhausted!) (That joke was for you Uncle Rob...) But I just want you to know that I love you and I'm behind you and God and I chat about you all the time. I pray you're going ok. God doesn't tell me much, but I have a feeling that things are tough right now. You've got everything you need to make it through girl! The King's living in you and He'll NEVER leave you or forsake you. He promised. And He NEVER breaks promises. He leaves that to us!

"Our vision is so limited, we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature all together. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect His own son. That was the proof of this love - that He gave that son; that He let him go to Calvary's cross, though "legions of angels" might have rescued him. He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son."

-Elizabeth Elliot
"Passion and Purity"

Go strong girl! xx

The ENGINE ROOM!

You'll never guess my job this week! I've been in the Oil Purification Room in the engine, cleaning off Heavy Fuel Oil...eew. At one stage, I actually had to hook my feet on a pipe and hang down the inner shell of the ship into a hole which runs to the Bilge Tank (the tank of dirty oil and yuk stuff), so I could reach all the dirty bits! We've got to get it super clean, cos in the next few days we'll also have to paint it. My arms are covered in sores and rashes from the chipped metal, and the paint thinners I used to try clean myself, (not one of your brightest plans so far Beth!). And I have a new dark "tan" which doesn't come off, ending at my sock line! It even soaks through all my underwear! My whole body is a few shades darker...

But we're actually having a bit of fun. My friend and I sing together for hours til our voices are shredded! Then we tell stories. Then sometimes we chat with God. I feel pretty stoked that God thought I could be in on His awesome "ship plan", even if it is just cooking for the crew, or scrubbing Heavy Fuel Oil.

Everyone in the Galley was given the opportunity to spend a week helping out the Project Teams. Now I'm even more excited for Sabboth Week!

Missing you Eastlake Crew! xx

The Land of the Midnight Sun...

The last four days, I've thrown my guitar over my shoulder, escaped out of our roaring noise pollution, and hit the beach. It's a little bit smelly, and the sand's kindof grey, but it's the beach, so I hardly care! Just outside of town, are great green paddocks, full of cows, stretching right down to the sea. So nice after spending so much time in cities and shipyards. The sun stays up until long into the night, and I sit on the end of the jetty and sing my heart out. It's actually been a really cool way to meet people. As soon as I'm seen with a guitar, people want to hear a song...so I've met several sailers parked near our ship, plus some Finnish people, and yesterday, the men from the Icecream shop...WOO! Free icecream!

I had to cut raw pork yesterday for a WHOLE day. I was gagging from start to finish. Massive chunks of bloody pig. Eew. Each chunk felt as big as a whole animal. And I couldn't help imagining it as a live pig running around as I butchered it into bite size stir fry pieces. It was aweful. Pork and I have a dreadful history. The first time I had to cut it, I vomited. Since then, even the smell is enough to make me dry retch. So gross.

Two weeks left of "Project Phase", then the whole ship's company get's a five day Sabboth Week break. I'm so keen. Feeling a bit tired. "Project Phase" is a month dedicated purely to construction work - no missions - EVERYONE involved in getting the ship into shape. (Except our galley crew of corse). It's exciting though. Each day we see big changes - carpets getting laid, bulkheads (walls) getting painted, new furniture, machinery, galley equipment...she's going to be one amazing ship when she's finished!

Missing you Eastlake. Have an amazing trip all you Hillsong goers! Praying for you xxx

Denmark

The lift was broken today. We carried 5 loads of rubbish and an unending load of fruit and vegetables up and down three flights of stairs til we thought our legs would drop off! Finally, my Indian bro and I collapsed on the floor dripping with sweat and garbage juice...It wasn't a pretty smell!

Thanks for your emails. I agree. I think I give satan too much credit with a capital 'S'. But honestly, I'm still a bit scared of him and his power. I'm going to read over those verses Mrs Jennings, til I'm just as confident as you. Thankyou.

Did you know we're still not in official ministry phase? We'll actually be parked here in Denmark under construction for another four months yet! And, being OM, I can safely say that four months is the absolute minumum...probably more like five. Right now, my days still consist of cooking for hungry workers, but everyone else living on board is at work grinding, chipping, painting, and building across all the various decks and stair-wells. The ship is a big, noisy, dust-tank full of paint-spattered, grease-covered, sweaty looking workers!

In a few weeks, we'll have a 5 day break for "Sabboth Week", where we just chill out and listen to some visiting speakers. After that, a small amount of minisrty will start up again, just like we had in Keil.

Lately, I've been reading a book called "True-Faced", by Bill Thrall, and it has really got my mind spinning...very cool. It's been pouring light into places in my heart that I never even knew existed! Cloudy ideas of God's love are turning into solid truth that I'm really starting to believe...I've also found a few more hurting parts, but it's ok, cos they're not haunting my dreams or my thoughts...I think they might actually be slowly getting healed...

Amber, just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you and praying for you, and I think you're an 100% great girl!

Thinking of all of you as I look up at my photos each night...love you xx