Travelling,

So, at the moment I'm travelling the world and helping others. I won't be updating this blog much but you can look at my travel blog at footprints733.blogspot.com.

xxx

The way the light shines

It's raining at the moment. A little while ago there was a bit of a storm with some thunder and lightening  but now it has calmed dow and the sun is starting to peek through the clouds. The rain has slowed down and now its falling slow and steadily. Looking out the back window I can see it all falling down and soaking into the ground. But, if I look out the side window, it doesn't look like it's raining at all. It all depends on the angle I look at it and the way the light shines through. Looking out the front window I can even see a rainbow. The lights shining differently through those raindrops too, so that the whole colour spectrum can be seen.

The way God's light shines through us is like the way the light shines through the raindrops. Some people are like the raindrops I couldn't see. They might call themselves a Christian but you cant see this in their actions or the fruits of their actions. Others are like the raindrops that are sparkling in the light. The ones that I could see. They shine God's light in their lives and you can see this in their actions and the fruit of the Spirit that is evident in what they do. Then there is those Christians that are like the rainbow. A beautiful example of what the light of God can do with all of us. They might just be ordinary Christians, but the way in which God has used them, the way in which His light shines through them has made them stand out.

What sort of raindrop are you? Are you one that can hardly be seen, a Christian by name but the light of God is not visible in your life? Or does God's light shine through you in an beautiful array of colours like the rainbow? Are you a raindrop trying to be a part of the rainbow or are you content to just fall to the ground without being seen?

My prayer is that somehow and some small way, I can be a part of a rainbow. And I pray that everyone reading this may have the same prayer as me.

What do you do with what God has given you?

So I had set myself the challenge of spending the month of August thinking of ways that we can use our gifts for God. Now it is September, you can see how I lived up to that challenge. Still, that is not to say that I didn't think about what it means to give our gifts and how to use them for the glory of God.

One thing that did strike me and that I thought was worth sharing was the concept of stealing from God if we do not use our gifts in the right way. If we don't use the money that God has given us responsibly or in a way that is not demonstrating good stewardship we are stealing from God. If we don't use our talents to the best of our ability as God has commanded us, we are stealing from God. If we don't use the time God has given us to his glory, if we waste time, we are stealing from God because we are not using what he has given us in the right way.

This brings to mind the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14 - 30). In that parable, the servants who invest their talents and use their talents to the 'glory' of their master are rewarded and praised for what they do. But the servant who didn't do anything with what he had received had it taken from him and was "cast into the outer darkness". Everything that we have has been given to us from God and we have to invest it in a way that gives Him glory.

So, what do you do with what God has given you?

The Secret of Contentment

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:11-12)

If only... ... ... If only I had an amazing (real) leather jacket. If only I had more reading books (and an amazing library to put them all in). If only I was finished my uni degree. If only I were healthier and fitter. If only I didn't get sick so often. If only I were 5kg lighter. If only there were more time in each day. Does any of this sound like you? How often do we catch ourselves thinking about what we don't have, or what we aren't?

Last Saturday (the 4th of August) I went to the Perth Women's Convention and the topic was Contentment. It was an amazing day filled with motivational speeches and inspirational life stories. The speaker for the day was  Sarie King. She had three speeches, each of them focussing on a passage from the Bible which focussed on being content and how we have to work at being content.

So what is the secret of contentment. In Philippians, Paul says that he has learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Contentment is not based on our personality or the circumstances that we are in. Contentment is something that we have to learn. We have to learn to find contentment in every circumstance, despite the circumstances. So how do we learn to be happy and satisfied in all our circumstances?


As Jerry Bridges says in His book The Practice of Godliness: 
"Contentment is one of the most distinguishing traits of the godly person, because a godly person has his heart focussed on God rather than on possessions or position or power.
The idea of contentment in the Bible is most often associated with possessions or money, but ther are other areas of life in which we need to be content. After possessions, probably the most common need it to learn contentment with our place in society or in the body of Christ.
Still a third area that demands our practice of contentment is the providence of god in such varied circumstances such as physical limitations and afflictions, privations and unpleasant neighbours or living situations, trials and even persecutions. 

If we look at the next verse in Philippians 4, we read I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (vs. 13). It is by the strength of Christ that Paul has learnt how to be content and it is in the same way that we can learn how to be content. We can find satisfaction regardless of our circumstances because Christ is working in us. Knowing that Christ is working in us, we can rest in the assurance that all things work together for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). We can be content and know that God is looking after everything. That is not to say that overnight we can be content. It is something that we should continue to work at because it doesn't come immediately. We have to grow in trust with God and know that we can give all the worry to Him, because he is in control.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, with prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7). Bring everything before God, knowing that he is in control. Know that we have everything we need in Him, He is sufficient for all.


**** The convention was run by the organisation Christian Conventions of WA (ccowa.org) and I strongly recommend that others become involved. There is a mens one coming up on the 8th of Sept on the topic of Temptation and there are other events that they run as well. Have a look at the website for more details.

Showing thankfulness for what we have been given

On this blog there are several posts about how much God has given us and how much we have to be thankful for. Last year, I went through 30 days, each day counting another blessing and there are also other posts speaking of how much we have been given and how our hearts should be overflowing with thankfulness for it all. There is so much that God has given us! There is so much that gives us reason to be filled with thankfulness and gratitude to God.

If we are given a gift that we love from a friend or family member, we show that we are thankful for the gift by using it with joy. How do we show that we are thankful for the gifts God has given us? How do we use these gifts? What does God command us to do with these gifts?

My challenge for myself, and to all of you reading this, is to focus on how we use the gifts that we have been given. Study the Bible to see what we are commanded to do with these gifts, read books and use them. Over the next month, I plan to post updates and ideas and passages from the Bible about how we are to use the gifts God has given us. I hope that you will also join me in this challenge.

Step out of your comfort zone

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone 

~ Neale Donald Walsch 

Stepping out of our comfort zone can be hard, but really it's where the magic happens. Would we really learn anything if we didn't dare take a step away from what we know and are comfortable with, would we really have any new experiences that way? Would we really be able to achieve greatness and bring glory to God in everything that we did if we only stayed with what we were comfortable with?

My last post was about how to seize each moment and make the most of our time here on earth. A big part of that is to step outside of your comfort zone.  So my challenge for you today is to take a step forward, a step away from what you know and into the unknown. Move out of your comfort zone.

Make every moment count

God has given us many gifts, and we have the responsibility to use these gifts wisely. Think of the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-30). The servants who invested their talents and multiplied them were blessed while the servant who hid the talent in the ground had it taken away from him. We have to use what we have been given in the best way possible; in the most God magnifying, God glorifying way.

Every day, every hour, every moment we are here on earth is a gift.  God has given us the wonderful gift of life and he has given us time to spend this life. Isn't that amazing? The thing is, how do we spend that time? How do we make sure that we invest the time that God has given us in the best way that brings glory and honour to His name?

This is something that I have been thinking about over this past week. I can't say that I have all the answers, and it's definitely something I need to word at. I've started writing a list to help me

• love EVERYONE
• Don't waste time, fill your days with purpose. Wake up each morning knowing what you will accomplish
• Count your blessings. You have so much, don't get caught up with what others have. 
• be content
• Laugh lots
• Be busy. That way you won't waste time.
• Pray constantly  
• Know that God is with you every moment of every day. 
• surround yourself with family and friends
• always have faith
• don't worry what others think of you, think about what God thinks of you
• Make at least 3 others smile (or laugh) each day
• Take time to breathe and appreciate the time you have been given

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...

I just finished reading the book When people are Big and God is small, by Edward, T. Welch. It was a really good book that looked at how we value those around us and fear them instead of fearing God. Welch moved through helping the reader to see how they are dependent on others and their opinion and how we can replace that fear with the fear of God.

The point of this post is not to provide a book review(even though I found it to be good book and recommend that you read it). I just wanted to highlight that we are so often dependent on others. We value their opinions, we want to be loved and appreciated by others. BUT instead of being dependant on others, we should depend on God. Instead of worrying about what other people think we should be thinking about what God thinks. Instead of wanting to be loved by others we should want to be loved by God, want to love God and want to share that love with others.

So instead of worrying about others and what they think, fill your self with the fear of God. Learn how to be in awe of God, learn to be amazed by what he has done. Learn that even though he is an all powerful, all knowing God, He loves you and He protects his children.

30 ways to glorify the name of God

Hallowed be your name; the first petition of the Lord's prayer. How often do you pray that yet not really think of the responsibility you have in making sure that you do hallow the name of the Lord.

In my personal study last night before going to bed, I was challenged to think of 30 ways to hallow the name of God. I've decided to write that list on here to and would like to challenge you to do the same either by following my list or writing a list of your own.

1. Have a positive attitude towards uni work and assignments >> a positive attitude towards this show that you are glorifying God in what you are doing. This might be hard to do at times but think of your task here on earth, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31)
2. Wake up each morning with joy, ready to face the day >> if you're anything like me this one will be hard, but if we wake with energy and excitement for the day ahead we are one step closer to hallowing God's name throughout the day. Jump out of bed with joy!
3.  Think about the way you spend your 'free' time >> Don't waste time!! Think of something constructive to do!!!
4. By acknowledging that everything you have has been given to you from God >> God has given you everything!! The time we have, the money we have, the friends we have, our talents, EVERYTHING we have has been given to you from the hand of God. Remember that.
5. Work hard >> do the best that you can by putting all your effort into what you are doing.
6. Take every opportunity you can to learn more about God >> spend time reading the Bible everyday. Not just because it's what you're supposed to do but because you want to learn more about God.
7. Pray constantly >> speak to God every chance you can. You have LOTS of chances and if you take advantage of them then you are glorifying God by showing what an important role he plays in your life.
8. Consciously be thankful for the wonderful gift Christ has given us by his death >> stop and reflect on how wonderfully great this gift is. We are alive only by Christ!!!! How can we not be thankful for this. When we are consciously thankful for what we have been given we bring forth fruits of thankfulness which are ultimately glorifying God.
9. Think about the movies and/or TV shows you watch >> how do they glorify God? What are they saying about God? Think about this rater than just watching them.
10. Use your gifts to help others >> God has given you so much. Share what you have with others who don't have it. If you have the gift of music share it with someone who doesn't or would really appreciate it. You have the gift of time, spend it with someone who really needs the company. You have the gift of money, give it to someone who needs it. You have the gift of knowledge, share it with someone and support their own learning... ... 
11. Love your neighbour >> show love to everyone! 
12. Make the most of every opportunity you have to tell others about God >> see your interactions with others as opportunities to tell others about God. 
13. Be actively involved in Church life  >> don't be content to just go to Church each sunday. Attend Bible study, organise events or fundraisers, 
14. Be inspired by others >> read biographies and autobiographies about people who spent their life glorifying God. 
15. Listen to Christian music >> fill your iPod with music that glorifies God so that the songs that are stuck in your head are bringing honour to his name. 
16. Soak up the glory of God in nature >> go on bush walks or other adventures and soak up the scenery. Take awe in the majesty of God behind what you see
17. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in your life >> it can be easy to underestimate the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Pray for him to work in your life so that you can do everything to the honour and glory of God.
18. Be open about your faith and share the struggles that you have >> have someone who you can talk to and who can support you in glorifying God in everything that you do. Speak to them about some of the struggles that you have with your faith - be open.
19. Show your faith by your works >> James 2:18. Remember that you show others that you are a Christian by what you do.
20. Show the fruits of the spirit >> love, joy, peace, patience, kindness ... ... 
21. Confess your sins >> don't just pray for forgiveness of sins but pray for forgiveness for each of the sins you have done. By focussing on the individual sins you become more aware of the wonderful gift of forgiveness that you have been given and then you are even more thankful.
22. Rejoice always >> we have so many things to rejoice in. Think about them and meditate on them. 
23. Praise God >> as my pastor said in his sermon on sunday morning: "Joy reaches it's highest when you praise God." 
24. Pray for others >> be aware of the needs of others both within your church congregation and in the wider community and pray for those people. Pray for your friends and family, even pray for those whom you don't have a good relationship with. In praying for them you become more aware of their needs and also you are more aware of them in your interactions with them. 
25. Be thankful >> think of everything that you have and be filled with thankfulness for it.
26. Interact with people who also want to glorify God >> spend time with friends and family who have the same purpose in life, they will help you to glorify God in what you do
27. Acknowledge that every situation we are in is from the hand of God >> God brings all the circumstances that we are in, be it health or sickness, poverty or riches... ... Glorify Him in whatever circumstances you find yourself.
28. Glorify God in the language you use >> speak positive words to everyone. Share the love of God in your words. 
29. Have purpose behind everything you do >> do everything for a reason. If you are going to do something think about the purpose behind it.
30. Ask yourself how you are glorifying God in what you are doing >> reflect on what you are doing, don't just do it without thinking. 

I hope that others will find these words as inspiring as I did when I wrote them down. It's a big challenge to keep!

I will show you my faith by my works - James 2:18

As Christians we bear the name of Christ. In bearing his name we have the responsibility to reflect christ in everything that we do. In what we are doing we are giving others an impression of who Christ is and how he has impacted our lives.

We can very well say that we believe that Christ has saved us and that it is such a wonderful gift that we have received,  but then if we don't live a life filled with the passion of thanking Christ for the wonderful gift he has given us what is that saying to others about the gift of salvation. Our workmates, uni buddies, tafe friends, neighbours all know that we are Christian. What we do and how we do if gives them an impression of us as a Christian, Christianity as a whole, and ultimately, Christ.

As James writes in his letter, "I will show you my faith by my works" (2:18). As the saying goes: Actions speak louder than words. We are called to be a shining light in this world so that 'by our works we may win others for Christ.' It isn't by our words that we shine out into the world. It is by our actions. Our actions are what show others that Christ is in us. They show others that he has changed our lives, that we have been converted. By our actions we show to others how Christ's love has impacted our lives in the joy and love that we show to others.

In reflecting Christ in our actions it is not just WHAT we do but also HOW we do it. Our actions should be done out of joy and thankfulness because of the love of Christ.

How are you showing to those around you that you are a Christian? What do your actions say about Christ?

Procrastination

At the moment I am trying to convince myself that I have work to do and that I should really get my assignment finished and out of the way so that I can do a lot of other, more productive things. But the thing is it is not due for another 3 weeks and I have the next 2 weeks off prac so that gives me LOTs of time to write it. To make matters worse it is a real pain of an assignment. Seriously, I have to go through each of the 'competencies' I am assessed on at my placements and write how I have demonstrated competency in each of these competencies for the areas of: Language, Speech, Swallowing, Voice and Fluency for both Adults and Children. Believe me when I say that it is horrible assignment.

For that reason I spend lots of time doing all sorts of other things. Some of that I can think of are:

• Watch all sorts of unnecessary videos on youtube, and then look at the related videos and watch some more.
• Making myself cups of tea, and drinking it too (of course)
• Spend time on Facebook looking at photos and talking to others.
• Looking at links people post (or like) on Facebook and then looking at other links
• Finalising a photo book as a present for a friend
• Making more tea
• Reading other peoples extremely waffly blog posts about car problems 
• Listening to music
• Sleeping in
• Fiddling around with what ever
• Eating food
• Making tea
• forgetting that I was making tea and then going back to making it again.
• Writing emails
• Drinking tea
• Talking. I do a lot of that actually, just talking. About anything that I can think of. We almost anything. And then when I start talking I don't normally stop in a hurry.
• Looking at SLR cameras online
• Buying more music and listening to it
• Many more things that I can't think of right now 
• And (as you can probably see) writing my own blog post.

Really, if you think about it I would probably be the queen of procrastination, or maybe at least one of the princesses. The problem is I know that I can do so many more exciting and wonderful things such as painting, drawing (although I left my sketch pad at work), playing my guitar, filling out my application for volunteering next year, planning my trip after volunteering next year, soaking up some of God's wonderful creation by going for a bush walk and lots of other things. I plan to do all of these after finishing my assignment. Only I have to stop procrastinating first.

We are called to live a life of glory and honour to God. "Whether you eat or drink, do it all to the glory of God." (I Cor 10:31). If I spend time procrastinating and avoiding my assignment I am guilty of not honouring God in what I'm doing. There are some days packed full of lots of different things, days where I am busy doing all different things, all things that have a purpose and in that purpose I am glorifying God. 

Now to get back to that assignment...... ... 

The Crayon Box That Talked

I came across this poem in some of the church papers I was reading today. I though it was a beautiful description of the command that we have to love one another.

The Crayon Box That Talked


While walking into a toy store the day before today


I overheard a crayon box with many things to say



"I don't like Red!" said Yellow and Green said "Nor do I"


"And no one here likes Orange but no one knows just why"



"We are a box of crayons that doesn't get along


Said Blue to all the others "Something here is wrong"



Well, I bought that box of crayons and took it home with me


And laid out all the colors so the crayons all could see



They watched me as I colored with Red and Blue and Green


And Black and White and Orange and every color in between



They watched as Green became the grass and Blue became the sky


The Yellow sun was shining bright on White clouds drifting by


Colors changing as they touched becoming something new


They watched me as I colored - they watched me till I was through



And when I finally finished I began to walk away


And as I did the crayon box had something more to say



"I do like Red!" said Yellow and Green said, "so do I"


And Blue you were terrific! So high up in the sky



"We are a box of crayons each one of us unique


But when we get together the picture is more complete"


By Shane deRolf 

All the crayons play a part in creating the picture, and in the same way, all of God's children play a part in his congregation. Everyone has a role to play and a gift to share. So next time you don't appreciate someone or don't like them, think again, they have an important role to play too.
















A life of service to God

I haven't done this for a while. Every now and then I think about writing a blog post and start something but then never get around to finishing it and then I loose my inspiration and then I don't feel like writing a post about what I started writing about and then I just kind of leave it alone for a little while longer.

One thing that has been a common theme in all the blog posts that I have been trying to write is the importance of living a life of service to God. By that I mean that our WHOLE life is one focussed on praising and honouring God. We have to have God in the centre of our life all the time; at work, when we relax, when we go out with out friends, in our hobbies, when we are with our family.... . We don't just worship God when we go to Church and our weekly bible study, or when we do our personal Bible study . While that is all an important part of our lives we have to serve him in EVERYTHING that we do.

The crazy ones....

I came across this today:

So to all my crazy, beautiful friends - the world might see us as crazy and they might disagree or argue with us but we are the ones crazy enough to think we can change the world

The foolish farmer...

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon we had a sermon on the role of the Holy Spirit in working faith in our hearts. The sermon began with the example of a foolish farmer who didn't do anything to prepare his fields for the crops. He didn't plough or sow at all, he just left it all as it was. When asked by his friends and neighbours why, he replied that the Lord will provide. When harvest time came, he prayed for a blessing on the harvest . But because he hadn't done anything previously, is fields didn't contain any crops, they were just weeds and grass. The example was concluded with the pastor saying that although God provides the growth and sustenance of the crops, we are required to use the resources He has given us.

The rest of the sermon was about the manner in which the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts. As Reformed people we confess that the reason we have faith is because of God. If it were up to us, we wouldn't be able to do anything meriting salvation - that is the role of the Holy Spirit. Still we also have to use the resources given us. We can't just sit back and expect God to work faith in our hearts that way, we have to actively use the resources God has given us - especially the resource of His word. We should be passionately involved in our Bible study. Whether it be our personal devotions, our Bible reading with our family, in our Bible Study groups or in the Church Services, we have to be engaged in our study of God's word. In our involvement we should also pray that the Holy Spirit will open our hearts and minds so the we continue to learn more about God in our study of the Bible. We can never stop learning or growing.

In all you do, do it to the glory of God!

Throughout the Bible we are commanded to praise God and bring honour and glory to Him in whatever we do:
 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known amount the nations what He has done 1 Chron 16:8,
Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim amoung the nations what He has done, Ps 9:11,
You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, honour Him! Revere Him, all you descendants of Israel! Ps 22:23,
Whether you eat or drink, do it all to the honour and glory of God" I Cor 10:31,
Whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, Col 3:23,

At times christianity is seen as a set of rules. A set of things that you can and cannot do. For people looking in, people who don't realise the reason behind everything that we do, this can be the case. They may see us as people who live by a very strict set of rules, people who just do as they're told
Sometimes it is easy for us to live this way also. Instead of thinking about how we should glorify God in what we are doing we are thinking about what we can and cannot do. Yes, it is true that we have been given the 10 commandments, guidelines as to how to live a life to the praise and honour of God. But why do we keep the commandments? Why do we work so hard at following them? Not because we feel that we have to keep them to be save BUT because we are so thankful to God for what he has given us in the death of his Son on the cross. We live a life of joy because of the most wonderful gift we have been given, the gift of life.

So the next time you are about to do something, instead of asking yourself or those who are with you "What is wrong with this?" ask: "How will doing this glorify God? How is this bringing honour to the name of God? How am I praising the name go God?"

Living with PURPOSE

Why are we here? What is the reason you, me and everyone else is on this earth?  What is our purpose in life?

For me, I was created to bring honour and glory to the name of God. The reason I am here on this earth is to glorify God in everything that I do. I'm not saying that this is something I do all the time or even that it is easy. BUT it is the reason that I am here and the reason that we all were created for. It is something that we have to work at. We have to work at reflecting the glory of God in everything that we do. EVERYTHING!!!

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God!!! 1 Cor 10:31

The Best Prescription

My youngest brother has a devotional book which contains stories about the power of God and His word. Each night someone will read one of these stories with him and then ask some of the questions at the end of the story.

Last night's story was about a lady named Martha. Martha was married to a farmer named Jake and for three years the drought in the country had destroyed all their crops. As a result she was worried about all the bills that they had to pay. She was concerned that they might not be able to get their loan extended for another year, and worried that then they might have to get rid of their farm. On top of all this worry, Martha was also not feeling very healthy. Her heart would flutter at times and her head would always ache. It seemed like the more problems and worries she had, the worse she felt. 

The story tells us of Martha going to visit her doctor because of all these problems. When at the doctors, the doctor asks her if she ever spends time reading the Bible. Surprised, Martha tells him no, she doesn't. The doctor then told her: "My prescription for you is to go home and read your Bible for at least an hour every day, come back and see me in a month." At first Martha is shocked and angry at this prescription, but she realises that she doesn't have the money to spend on other medicines so she follows orders. She searched for her mother's well worn Bible. Each day she got up 1/2 an hour earlier everyday to spend time reading the Bible, she spent some time after lunch reading the Bible and again in the evening after her children had gone to bed. 

After a month Martha went back to see her Doctor. She felt like a different person, surrounded by the care and protection of the Lord. Surprised she asked the doctor how he knew what she needed. The doctor told her that it is what he did every day, the Bible was his deepest source of strength and skill. He depended on the word of God. The story ends by telling us that: The doctor in this story has passed away but his prescription lives on. What a blessing it would be if we, by God's grace, would look to the rich heavenly Physician who knows what we need before we ask.

Maybe we should all spend more time in prayer and Bible reading. I know I should.

Love your neighbour as yourself

This week we had the most amazing camp. Centred around the topic of "love your neighbour as yourself" , we had several speeches and workshops investigating the subject further. There is so much to write about and I have NO idea where to start. (I also have to beat my sister in posting this). The whole experience was enriching both spiritually, emotionally and personally.

With the different speeches covering the topic of love we were able to learn more about the meaning of love and how an why we show love to our neighbour. The workshops covered the topics of: Love is a commitment, Love in action, love is pure, engaging in the community, a workshop targeted specifically at females, and a summary speech which covered WHY we are to love our neighbour. I've learnt so much from all these speeches and would like to share the biggest take home message with you now: Because of the love and compassion which God our Father has given to us, by the saving work of His Son, we should be driven by love and compassion for who ever God causes to cross our path.

Luke 10: 25-37 tells  us the story of the good Samaritan. This parable was used as a reference point and the basis for two of the speeches we had. The Samaritan was moved with compassion for the man whom the thieves had beaten (he did not have any moral obligation to the man as the Priest and Levite did). The man on the side of the road was a man in need and the samaritan was moved with compassion. Jesus also was moved by compassion.

• Matt 14:14 - When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
• Matt 15:32 - Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”
• Matt 20:34 - Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
• Mark 6:34 - When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Because of the compassion which has been shown to us, we too should show love and compassion to others. Because of the love of Christ for us and in us we too should be showing love and compassion to our neighbour also.

On top of that the camp was an amazing opportunity to meet new people. There were people from Tasmaina, Queensland and some even from Canada and we were all able to interact and develop new relationships.