College Mission: Arndell Community Church

While Katie was galavanting around Tasmania last month I went on 'Mission' with College. What's 'Mission'? Well, it's where I went away to a place called Arndell with about 15 other guys and girls from college. We were based at a church that meets in a school. And we helped the church to teach the gospel to people, predominantly in the school environment.

I did things like:

• Talked with people at their Sunday church meetings
  
• Taught (9!) Scripture classes (I taught grades 8, 11, 12)
• Mini Bible talks in Home-Rooms each day
• Gave a sermon to a youth group about how Jesus cuts across the billions of competing demands in our lives.
  
• Asked Mark Baddeley (our team leader from college) heaps of questions
  
• Other things that I can't remember...
• Had my face painted for the primary school seminar (it's an upside-down face with buck-teeth)

It was really nice to be out in the country (Arndell is near Windsor on the Hawksbury River); and we did manage to find a bit of time to play jokes on one another and mess around a bit. As you can see...
On our day off, a couple of us went to a spot near the Blue Mountains and had a pleasant walk in the bush. We also stopped by the White Water Stadium at Penrith; I'll have to make it back there for some paddling soon!

Concluding thoughts: In all, an excellent time. It was great to see God at work in the lives of people in a place that I (previously) knew nothing about.

P.S. I reckon teaching the Bible to kids is an incredibly important thing for ministry-apprentices to do. (I won't give all my reasons here!).

P.P.S. Gosh it was weird being away from Katie and Noah. It was great to have them back.