The time has finally come.
After two years of waiting for this season of my life, I have finally arrived at Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney, Australia! The journey has been exciting to say the least, and I am sure that the whole reason why you are reading this post is to hear some of the highlights of my trip here. So, I will try to recreate that for you as best as I possibly can. But first, I want to talk about how Hillsong was placed on my heart, and the process that it has taken to get here.
Also, this is my first ever blog post, so bare with me.
Two Years in the Making... And longer.
Ever since I was 3 years old, according to my mother, I have played the piano. I would sit at the piano and pick out tunes that I had heard earlier that day. It later progressed to me writing my own songs. I say this all in no way of boasting myself, but only to say that I was made with and given a talent for music. I knew that I needed to pursue music, and to grow what God has given to me.
After I began going to Amazing Grace Fellowship, and my life changed dramatically with the difference of God, music only grew more and more on my heart, spreading from the piano to my voice, and now to the guitar. I soon heard about Hillsong, and have always loved their heart, their passion, their vision, and, of course, their music and beautiful worship towards our God.
It was in the summer of 2010 then I began to strongly feel God stirring up Hillsong on my heart. I had no idea how it would ever be possible, though, seeing as how I have never had very much money, and I assumed that the college would be at least $30,000 per year. I also just assumed that it was something that I had created as a sort of adventure that I would love to go through. But, that summer, Tamara Downs (one of my wonderful friends) came home for a week and a half break from her first year at Hillsong. A group of us were walking the Snake River Canyon, and Tamara and I somehow got to talking about Hillsong.
It was then that I had confirmation of what was put on my heart. Tamara informed me that the entire time that she had been at Hillsong that whole first semester, I had kept coming up in her heart, and her mind. She then said that she thought that the church and school would be an incredible place for me, but she wasn't sure if that was in my future.
Now, at that time, I had told NO ONE about my desire to go to Hillsong. It was only a small dream that I had been praying about. But on that day, it was very confirming that this could be what God wanted me to do next. Tamara and I continued to talk about the logistics of it all, and when I found out that it was only $5,200 per YEAR, and with much more praying, I then decided to plan for it.
At that time, I was still going to the College of Southern Idaho, and completing my Associates degree in Liberal Arts. I knew that I wanted to finish that before I embarked on this adventure, so I planned on going in July of 2011, two months after I graduated from CSI. Once July rolled around, though, it did not feel right. Something about it was not settling in my heart, and I did not have the finances to do so. I felt like I needed to do more in Twin Falls. So, I decided to wait until January.
However, I did not have a penny to my name. I had absolutely no money for anything, and I still did not even in October. It was then that I began to feel uncertain of if I was supposed to go in January. I also began to doubt if I should even go at all. That maybe it was all just a coincidence. So, I began praying even more, seeking out the will of God on this. I knew, above all, that if God wanted me to go, He would provide for me COMPLETELY for the time that He wanted me to.
Then, about two weeks later on a Sunday Morning in October, my worship pastor came up to me after service, and told me that his mother wanted to give me something that she said God had put on her heart to give to me. So, he gave the envelope to me, and it was... The exact amount of money for the application fee. I was COMPLETELY amazed. I had never met his mom before, and had not even publicized anything about Hillsong to the general public.
That stirred back up the reality that God wanted me to go.
So, I applied. And I got accepted a week later.
There were other factors that stirred it up as well. God really began to reveal on my heart that he wanted me to prove that I could trust in Him. He then showed me examples in the bible, such as with Abraham and Isaac, and how Abraham was just about to kill his son when God called it off at the last second. Or with Moses and the Red Sea, and how the Egyptians were hurling after them, and at the last moment, God parted the waters to allow them through. And SO many other examples where people trusted in God, and He would come through at the last moment. There was nothing for me to worry about, except for doing all that I could in the natural. All of the rest was up to God. My very close friend Jacqueline Sweet encouraged me to not give up until the last minute, because God WOULD provide if it was the time.
And provide, He did.
There was still so much more to tackle. Visa, airplane ticket, living expenses, tuition, transport, and much, much more. It was a giant task. But nothing too big for God, as he later proved.
It took me ONE DAY to get my visa
I was blessed abundantly with all sorts of surprises.
God did SO MUCH in the last month and a half, that it is difficult to explain, and even to understand or remember! Somehow I ended up with enough money for everything, and $2,000 dollars to spare!!! It all just FELL together. The only thing that was still imposing on me was the fact that I did not have a place to live. The college had run out of college housing. So I was to sleep on a couch until I found a place to live. But, I knew my God would provide.
And so, the day came to head toward my adventure with the Almighty.
The Journey to Aus
Saying goodbye was a very difficult process. It didn't ever hit me until I was standing outside of my house, getting into the car to head to the airport, and I said goodbye to the home that I had lived in for as long as I could remember. Then, the goodbye to family and friends was the most difficult, particularly for my tear ducts ;). But, underlaying it all was also a peace that what I was doing was being directed by God. It was when I was sitting on the airplane getting ready to fly to Salt Lake City, and I was looking at my family and friends waving at me from the airport terminal, that I realized that I was completely independent. But, never alone. God is still the same God, with me forever, wherever I go. It was a very bittersweet moment.
My flights were a wonderful experience. My flight from Twin to Salt Lake, though, made me realize what an influence that media had had on my life. On that first flight, sitting next to me was a chinese man. He was very kind. However, when we were going to land in Salt Lake, the attendant was telling us what gate to go to for our connecting flights. After her telling me mine, he informed me that we were going to the same airplane, and we found out that we would be sitting next to each other from Salt Lake to Los Angeles as well. That was when the movie Red Eye started to become a reality to me. I started to think that maybe he planned the flights; for us to sit next to each other so that he could make me call a hotel to move an important person into a room that was going to be blown up, and that if I didn't, he would kill my mom. (I sure hope someone understands that reference!)
In all seriousness, though, my flights were wonderful.
On the flight from SLC to LAX, I sat next to a woman who was actually an actress and a producer for Fox (I forgot her name), and she was heading home from a rough week in Montana. She was having a very difficult time. We talked for the whole 2 hour flight, and at the end she seemed to be a different person. It was so great to just encourage her and everything. In LAX, we hugged and said goodbye... But then, while I was waiting for the bus to take me to the international terminal, she came back up to me with a present for me; it was one of those neck pillows. She thanked me for such a wonderful flight, and for being there for her, and she had gone and bought that pillow just for me to show appreciation. It was great.
Then, when I was waiting for 4 hours in LAX, I exchanged the cash that I had in my pocket to Australian Dollars, and I ate at Starbucks.It was then that I started to feel the reality and the weight of the situation. But bll sorts of people were bustling around me, and I had no one to talk to. I started to feel lonely, and a bit anxious. Maybe I had made a terrible mistake. Maybe I am not ready for this. Maybe I will be lonely for an entire year. Maybe I won't make any friends. I was just about to start feeling hopeless when all of a sudden, a girl my age approached me as I was sitting on the ground in the terminal waiting for the flight from LA to Sydney.
"Excuse me... Eh, I know this is awkward, but are you, by any chance, going to Hillsong?"
It took me completely off guard. I informed her that I was, and she then told me that she had looked over at me, and that she felt like God was telling her to go over and meet me.
Her name is Jessica, and she is from Canada. She was also headed to Hillsong, and was headed on the same journey as I was. We then accompanied each other in the terminal and talked about all sorts of things of God, our stories, and our excitement for the year ahead. It was then that I solidly realized that I was never to be alone. That God was and is always watching me the entire way, and accompanying me, even by sending me company in a natural form.
She became my first friend at Hillsong, although she went to the Hills Campus, and I am at the City Campus. On the flight from LA to Sydney (which was the most INCREDIBLE flight of my entire life. Huge, and very fancy, fun flight. I loved Virgin Australia!), we did not sit together, but right after the flight, we stuck together. We went through baggage claim together, and customs. Then, I went with her to the McDonald's in the airport to see her off to the Hills Campus (Hills students go to the McDonald's, where a shuttle picks them up and takes them to the campus.) So, we said our "see you soon"s to each other, and I was on my own again. I then phoned Hillsong to tell them that I arrived, and went and grabbed a cab.
I stepped out into humidity, and heat that I was not used to. But it was fantastic. I was in summer... And not only that, but in Australian paradise. For the cab ride, it was my first time doing a taxi cab on my own. We put my luggage in the trunk, and then I instantly went over to the passenger door only to realize.... That it was the driver's door. The driver looked up at me, as we had reached for the handle at the same time, and I apologized, and moved over to the left side of the vehicle.
Driving on the left side is a very strange, but cool thing. The steering wheels are on the right side of the car, and they drive on the left. So, all of the right turns are governed by a right-turn light, and the left turns are just like our short right-turns in the US. Also, there have been SEVERAL times that I have been sitting at a cafe looking out at the city, and I see the passenger (on the right side of the car) get dropped off at the curb... But it looks to me like the driver is just stopping in the middle of the road, and abandoning the car!!! It is quite hilarious. Also, I keep instantly looking at the left side of the car for the driver, and I keep seeing no one there, so I think that no one is driving the car! I don't know if this paragraph makes any sense at all, but truly, it wigs me out.
I was welcomed at Hillsong with open arms, and then led to the apartment that I would be sleeping on the couch in until I could find a place to live. But it ended up being much, much more. 2 of the roomates in the flat are moving out, which then leaves me with an open spot, and the cost of the flat is significantly lower that the cost of the college housing!!!! So, I was instantly blessed with a place to live, for even cheaper than the average.
It is a fantastic flat, with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a laundry room, internet, air conditioning, 2 balconies, a pool, a hot tub, a sauna, a exercise room, and more. My roomates are also absolutely amazing. I am loving it all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much.
Hillsong itself... Well... Wow. It is impossible to describe how incredible it is... Other than that it's, well, Hillsong. :)
I am not at all sure how to wrap this up, and I am sure that I am leaving out ALL sorts of details, but I feel like this is more than enough to read in one sitting. All in all, I LOVE Australia, Australians, Hillsong, and everything in between. I am continuously amazed by who God is, and that I am actually HERE!!
There is absolutely NO explanation for my being here, other than that it is ALL because of what God has done. He is the one that provided for me to get here. There is no other explanation. All of the glory goes to Him. He has done the impossible, and will continue to do so. I so look forward to a lifetime of discovering, growing, and being amazed by Him. I will continue to trust in Him, because He has proven himself faithful. His plans for us are of good, and not of evil. And He loves us so incredibly. I am so excited to live out what he has planned for me here!
Thanks for reading! I know that that was a terrible way to end the blog, but I could go on forever. And uh... yeah, that's it for now.
