Fred

Fred, 26 years old

It was 9pm, I was walking down the street in the middle of the shopping centre with a group of my friends from class. 

Now something you need to know is there a lot of homeless people in Perth and most are using under some influence and any money given is put towards more influences.

So we’re going to get Gelato (please stretch that out and annunciate each letter) 

We walked past the man and woman pushing a stroller with their 10 month old daughter and all of their belongings. The man -Fred  asked us for money, no one had cash on them so, we said no and moved on. BUT that wasn’t the only reason, we all had judged Fred immediately assuming it was not for the formula he had stated it was we assumed he was just like everyone else wanting alcohol.

I said no and kept walking, unaffected, I didn’t have my wallet with me,I wasn’t intending on buying “Gelato”. I mean I thought we all kept walking but Ben wasn’t beside me anymore he had stopped and asked if he could take them to buy them whatever they needed. Still I had judgment in my heart and I thought something bad will happen to Ben I better go with him so we followed Fred. 

He took us a 5 minute walk away and we walked into a subway, Fred asked Ben what he was allowed to get, Ben told him he would buy anything he needed, Fred ordered food but we had to tell him to get water for the baby and not just energy drinks. Again I judged him for not being more wise and thinking like I would. 

We talked to Fred and his family and learnt that he has been let go from many jobs because of his lack of being able to provide and address and valid paper work and different reasons that I can’t remember. 

But I do remember the immediate break in my heart when I found out that they have been on the streets for the last 8 months and never know where their next meal was coming from and how they were going to feed this beautiful child of theirs.

Fred wakes up every day wishing he hadn’t, his story isn’t an easy one to hear and it broke my heart that I had judged him so quickly, someone that God loves so deeply, someone that I look at and I see Gods image bearer, I wasn’t willing to help him and I didn’t know his story, I didn’t know he hadn’t eaten in 4 days and is just trying to provide for his family. After Ben had paid for their food we prayed for Fred and got to speak life into him and give him worth and encourage him to make him feel like he was worth something. 

I didn’t put myself in Fred’s place, I put myself above him, I think now what if that were me? Trying to provide for my family and everyone was against me and I didn’t feel love from people who are supposed to be a beacon of love and hope? Fred is so worth the love of Christ, just as everyone is. We are not better than anyone no one is more loved by God than others. 

So many people over look the homeless, sick and the lost. No one cares and it doesn’t feel like anyone is doing anything about it and my heart now breaks for these people. 

Jesus chose to spend time with the homeless and sick and prostitutes. I’m not suggesting that you need to spend all your time with these people or that you need to make them your best friends, I’m saying not to overlook someone that others would and to love first. 

Don’t be like me in this story, be like Ben, be someone willing to help no matter what. Be someone who is willing to love. 

Unfortunately I don’t remember Fred’s wife’s name and I didn’t catch the daughters name, I wish I had made that more of an intention.

Please keep Fred and his family in your prayers that God would show up and more people would speak life into this family. 

Genesis & Spiders

Fun fact of the week: if you put towels and blankets up around your bunk bed (making a pretty sweat Fort) you can sleep longe because less light comes in ;)

Sorry it’s been a while since my last update/post but I’m still alive and doing great! I am learning crazy amounts and loving every day!!!

So we went camping last weekend I can’t remember if I’ve talked about that yet. I shared a tent with the two other guys in my group who are both taller than me one 6.2 the other 6.5 and we shared a 4 man tent... it said 4 man, it did not feel like a 4 man tent AT all. But anyway it was awesome we had a great weekend as a team bonding and cooking together playing games and even swimming in a river!! Little did we know that the river was full of eels that we weren’t aware of until after the camping trip! But it was great we were cleaning up the campsite and folding up the tent when we heard screaming from the girls site we thought of they must have seen a spider or something, no biggie, until we pulled back the cover on our tent and I heard a similar scream this time from, Ben, because apparently we also had a furry spider friend who allegedly is extremely poisonous. Pretty sweat if you ask me face to face with danger, my mother may tell you that it’s not cool but I think it’s pretty sick! So all in all great camping trip 

Also as you know I am going to South Africa and Mozambique!! Super excited about that I don’t know the dates yet but when I do I’ll make sure you know! Below is a picture of my team going with me! 

I’ve decided I’m going to read the bible cover to cover, seems easy enough. So I’m out here like yeah Genesis god created heaven and earth, Adam and Eve, they have kids the world is born right? Basics I’m thinking that Genesis is boring BUT Have you ever actually read Genesis like OH MY, so many questions, like Cain kills Able, but then he is afraid of being killed by people when they find out what he’s done.... yeah I would be too But, WHERE are these people from?? Because to my knowledge it’s just Adam, Eve and now Cain because Able is dead, so who’s gonna kill Cain??? Also let’s talk genealogy (Genesis 5) where are these women coming from because I know that men aren’t just snapping fingers and Sons are just there. There are a lot of other crazy things I’ve read in Genesis and that’s just the first book!! Anyway I’m surprised at how little I actually knew and Genesis isn’t boring is kind of my point. But anyway I’m wayyy off of what I was actually going to write this blog about but whatever just a little rant of excitement and kind of spillage of where my brain is at reading this wild story that I’ve over looked my whole life, wonder what Exodus is about ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ probably not what I think. 

More to come 

-Quinn

The Vlog

Quick Update

Quick update

I’m having a great time I’m learning lots about myself and God and building a relationship with him.

I’m also building a relationship with some awesome people!

Soon I will release to you where in Africa I will be going so stay tuned!!
My group will be splitting into 2 groups and going to 2 countries each
Might even have a Vlog about it, it’s crazy but just if you could pray for me as I make the decision of which group I will join and as our leaders make final decisions that God would just guide the process that would be awesome!!!

For now here are some pictures of me having a blast and some of my new friends!!

More to come

-Quinn

Trust

Fun fact of the week: the Australian sun ain’t no joke 

Bonus fact: you have to lick stamps they aren’t all just stickers... who knew???? Not me or there’s this magic sticky roller thingy you can use too I guess. 

Recently I feel that God has been trying to get me to trust him and to let go of my struggles and worries and just hand it over to him and trust that he will take care of it all and that he has a bigger and greater plan. 

That’s not easy to do, I constantly feel like why is this happening and why would God let this happen to me, or Gods not going to use I not good enough and no matter how much I tell myself I am I can’t make it sink in that I’m enough to be used by God 

We had a worship session and I wasn’t singing, I was complaining to God I won’t even call it praying bc it was just me complaining about him letting things happen and leaders were walking around praying for people, and I said to God if you want to talk to me talk to me through Tom (Tom is not my leader and it’s very unlikely that he knew me and he had his own group to pray for) so I asked God to speak to me through the least likely person that would and sure enough Tom came over to me and I could feel the words he spoke were from the Lord, “trust in me my son, do not worry or be anxious of these things, give it to me, trust me, just let go and fall into my arms I’ve got it do not be afraid”  while hearing these things I cried because I knew I needed to let go and just trust God. But it wasn’t enough so I wiped the tears and I said okay God I trust you but I don’t believe you can use me so I want you to speak through someone else sure enough my group leader Kevin came over instantly and prayed and again I could hear it was from the lord saying “i want to use you in unthinkable ways as my mighty warrior on the front lines spreading my word and doing amazing things, you’re where you’re supposed to be and I am proud of you ” and I was in awe I had complained and God spoke to me through much grace because even after the first assurance he gave me more and he is so gracious in my unbelief. 

Following the worship we had the opportunity to do trust falls as a representation of us putting our trust in God, me being the heaviest guy in the room, naturally I was terrified that these small people would drop me but I stepped out and trusted and that’s how I need to be with God to just take that step 

I learnt that God will meet me where I’m at and he will have grace with my unbelief and he wants me to trust him and give it over to him all my anxiety and stress. 

Philippians 4:6 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” 

More to come 

-Quinn 

Doubt

I’m still in shock that I’m in Australia right now like I feel like it’s a dream 

Fun fact of the week:

I pet a kangaroo it was pretty awesome, if you’re ever given the opportunity to pet a kangaroo I highly recommend 

So this week has been awesome I’ve made some new friends and I’m building life long relationships with some amazing people! I’m so beyond blessed and grateful for everything Gods doing in my life, but I’d be lying to you if I didn’t have some doubts this week. I was going to class and we were learning about hearing Gods voice, and the speaker was great and I was taking notes and I was like yes this is so good, preach and I was hooked and I’m like yes I’m gonna hear Gods voice this week but I’ve never felt like I’ve actually heard God, usually i feel like I’m trying to and it’s just my own thoughts. Anyway, we had the opportunity to ask God to speak to us for the person next to us and I was like right on let’s go, and I prayed and I asked god to tell me what he wanted me to tell Anna what he wanted her to know, and I waited, and waited, and I tried so hard to kind of make my mind go blank but I could tell I was trying to have this profound thought and I was like okay like psalms what’s a good verse in there give me a number God, but nothing. And then right before we were supposed to share I just started thinking about trees and I’m like seriously God nothing just trees and psalms. So I said to anna, sorry but unless trees or psalms mean anything to you I’ve got nothing and those were probably just my own thoughts. And she was like no like I don’t think so. And I was very disappointed.

So all day I’m mad at God, like not mad mad but like frustrated and like confused because other groups were crying with eachother or having this audible voices and sharing and I got trees from my own mind so all day I’m frustrated right. 

Thoughts going through my mind included but not limited to: 

Maybe it was a mistake coming here 

I’m not good enough to hear from God 

God doesn’t want to use me 

I should go home 

Why doesn’t God want to talk to me? 

And I was just like come on God give me something like I don’t belong here everyone else is hearing from you except me. 

I was thinking all of these things kind of zoned out during our worship service and I looked at the screen and the lyrics read “you are welcome here”  and I cried I was like yes God that’s something and as I was sitting talking to my parents on the phone, I got a message from Anna that said read psalm 1:3 which says 

“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

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And I was like OH MY GOODNESS, God you actually did speak to me and I was shocked and it was wild and I was excited and yeah that was my lesson this week. 

God is so Good and I’m learning that in new ways. 

More to come 

-Quinn 

Here

Wow! I can’t believe it, after 49 hours of travel including a 20 hour layover in the Hong Kong airport I AM HERE. Saftely with all of the animals intended to kill me in Australia, but seriously there are signs to beware me of snakes, and the first thing I was told apron arrival to my living quarters was to check for spiders! All jokes and scares aside I am safe and adjusting quite nicely to the extremely hot and sunny weather.

Speaking of the sun, it comes up at 4:30am and is 32 degrees by 10am and only getting hotter... I love it. Fun fact Canadian sunscreen is a joke here so lucky I learnt the easy way and bought some Australian sunscreen!

So let’s talk about the flights shall we, they were so long and not the most comfortable and the food made me sick, 20 hours in the airport was boring because it was the middle of the night so nothing was open, and now you’re reading this and thinking is he just going to complain and be ungrateful, well no actually he’s not. I’m very thankful for safe flights and they were smooth and I had no problems getting where I needed praise God! And get this, I’d do all of it again for the feeling of stepping off the plane and knowing I’m where God wants me and the excitement of what he’s going to do with me.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support through this journey!

More to come
-Quinn