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