the Mollymook

"Where God leads you, he will sustain you."
Well, did God lead me to Australia? I believe he did. I've been trying to work and settle somewhere and that has not been easy with the financial crisis going on. Some days I get really anxious and struggle to know what I'm doing, but it's amazing how God can comfort me when I bring my worries to him. Obviously they don't go away, but it helps me put things into perspective. And he brings me peace.
The busyness of working was short lived. Now, I am basically on-call to work at a couple restaurants and waiting for things to open up at another. So I am left looking for work again. I just picked up some work this afternoon at a local pub, so maybe that will help. Thankfully I am staying with a family (The Spooners - Was, Rosie, Emily (19), Jake (17), and Chelsea (14)) because I wouldn't be able to afford regular rent anywhere at the moment. I met a girl on Sunday who might be moving to Sydney to work and go to school, so I was considering moving in with her and trying to find work up there. Although, the thought of moving again is somewhat overwhelming.
It was nice to talk with my mom a few days ago. She understands that things are difficult because I have so much time on my hands and I just want to be productive. So I appreciated a listening ear for me to vent my frustrations.
I am praying for God's direction at the moment and trying not to lose hope. Surely, he calls us to walk by faith, one day at a time and trust him. I feel like I am going through a time of hardship, but still trying to maintain hope in the fundamentals of what I believe. God is constantly encouraging me through his Word. This one stood out to me today:
"For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again."
2 Corinthians 1:8b-10

Please be praying for me. That I would know what to do...
to stay where I am and keep looking for work (maybe this pub thing will work out)
go somewhere else and look for work
or return home

I need to wait here in Mollymook at least another week or two for the rest of my luggage to arrive from the farm. I don't feel ready to return home yet, maybe because I still haven't experienced what I came here for... a place to settle and get into a routine: job, community, surf, and more travel. We'll see. I can only hope that this experience will make me a stronger person and that someday I will have a little more direction in life (i.e. career).

love,
julie

p.s. Here are some other verses that I've really been encouraged by lately: Matthew 6:33-34; James 1:2-5; Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 17:7-10; Psalm 9:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:56-58; I Cor 16:13-14. Please feel free to share verses you've been learning from as well.

holidays at the beach

hey guys... I'm back
it's weird not having internet for a couple of weeks
anyway, I want to fill you in on what's been going on. I had a nice time with the Withers and their family and friends. They really made me feel like part of the family. I spent Christmas on a farm in Junee (near Wagga Wagga) with great food and Christmas cakes. I slept in the upstairs office/bedroom for a couple of nights and then we left for Mollymook the day after Christmas. I set up camp just outside the house, since the 10 beds in the house were full. It was nice besides the occasional rain and wind and hot mornings when I wanted to sleep in. Many days I would wake up and just throw on my bathing suit and run into the ocean. It was wonderful to be at the beach and enjoy the holidays with people, however, I was really craving work and was feeling a bit aimless. Every day we would spend at the beach or hanging at the house and at nights we ate amazing meals and drank lots of wine or beer. On New Year's Eve we had more people over than usual (about 20, instead of the regular 10-15). We danced for hours, swatted at a homemade pinyata for way too long, and enjoyed some fun with sparklers. The house was always full of young girls from 9 to 17 years old... who mostly kept to spending time with each other. But I had fun helping one of the girls celebrate her 17th b-day. I decorated some cakes and put up streamers for us all to enjoy.

And here comes the exciting part... although I had planned to return to the farm, it turns out I am going to stay at the beach instead! I know, I was all ready to pick fruit in the 100 degree weather, but get this... a family that I met at the Christian Surfers girls camp a couple months ago lives here in Mollymook. They actually live right across the street from the Withers holiday house. So it was inevitable that I would run into them! I went to church and met a few locals, then considered the idea of staying. So I went looking for work and now I have 3 jobs at different restaurants in town! Pretty crazy! I am blown away by how God works! How all these little things are falling into place! Especially since I had no idea it would work out this way. So the Withers returned to the farm yesterday and I am staying with the Spooners. They cleared out a room for me, although I'm not sure if it's only meant to be tempory until I find another place or what.

Such a blessing to be working too much, instead of not at all! I'm still not sure how to balance all three yet. So we'll see. I'm glad to be back by the beach and involved in another Christian community again. But it really makes me miss the good churches back home!! Well, I better stop before this email gets too long. There is sooo much to say! If you have more questions or want to hear more stories, just ask. And here is a facebook link to a few more pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=71086&l=71f0e&id=547256432

I hope you have all been enjoying your holidays. Let me know what's been going on.

Love ya,
Jules