Been catching up on TV on my days off and only just got around to London 2012. Watching the opening ceremony for the London Olympics made me miss home. Hearing the music, seeing the sights, feeling the emotion! It was a great event.
It was the first time that I have actually missed home a bit since I got here. I will always love England but a part of me feels at home in Australia. It just feels right. I have been following the Olympics via the BBC Sport website and I realised that the last Olympics in Beijing I was travelling around Oz with Clare after World Youth Day. I really believe that I am supposed to be here as things have popped up in my life that seem to have always pointed me to Australia. I don't miss home too much because I am having a great time out here. But I do miss some people. Family and friends. That is the hardest thing about being so far away, I can't just go meet up with people.
Following God's call is such a tough thing sometimes. How do we know? What is he saying to me? He isn't talking to me!? To know God's voice in our life is one of the hardest things to figure out. But it is something that I have learnt over the last year and a half. God speaks to me everyday, helps me through the struggles and celebrates the joys with me. That is what God does. He is the parent who just wants to share life with us.
Last february I moved to Melbourne. We arrived and got a tour of the school where we would be working. It looked amazing. Mazenod College is a private all boys Catholic school run the missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). We were introduced to the school at an assembly and got straight into running RE classes and planning events and helping the school with bringing students closer to Jesus. It was never easy last year as a lot of people judged us before they even spoke to us and it was hard to get people to excited about what was going on when they were surrounded by so many voices. The first half of the year at Mazenod (Feb-Jul) was full of challenges that really made me think about the sort of leader I was. I had been appointed a Team Leader and had to plan the schedule, team time, team prayer and a lot more while also trying to experience the ministry as a Catholic youth worker. I loved being at Mazenod, the students were fun and looking back now, I miss some of the times I had. Coaching a year 7 Soccer team, running lunchtime prayer liturgies, playing music with the seniors, being with the teachers and just hanging out playing sport at break. Our ministry was really a ministry of presence, be seen, be heard and be a witness. People saw the NET team and they knew who they were, young Catholics.
Hope that those who are reading this are having a great day, great life and know that Jesus loves you
Please pray for me and be assured of my prayer for you
"Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David - that is my gospel, for which I am chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained."
(2 Timothy 2:8-9)
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Some people in England miss you very much too!
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