The more I learn, the less I know

[tamikaonthefrontline]

[samikatutton]

the 3rd

What an amazing past few weeks! I have seen God move in so many ways and I have been so excited by what God is doing through this ministry!

OUR BUS IS COMING BACK! For those of you who don’t know, our bus broke down in WA and it has been miracle after Miracle to get it fixed and coming back. On of the pastors of a church we went to mentioned to his parents in a passing comment that we have our bus in WA and need to try find someone to drive it back. His parents felt convicted and wanted to go on a road trip, so they called us up and paid for their flights over to WA and are in the process of coming back as we speak! ~MIRACLE #1 (I’m going to start counting the many miracles in my life!)

Two weekends ago we had the privilege to go to Dubbo SDA And Gunnadah Salvation Army church. I shared my testimony and after the service a number of Churh folk came up after to talk to me about my journey and to share their stories and their lives and experiences. What an awesome ministry opportunity that we can share our stories to encourage others!

This past week us ladies had the privilege to go to Hillsong Colour Conference. And can I just say that it was such a beautiful and meaningful and Amazing and awesome and spirit filled and God led and Jesus encountered few days. I have been so blessed and so encouraged by all the speakers that presented. On topics like taking life step by step, little by little, being able to push your life to be next ‘tent’, having faith that God has the bigger picture at hand, the importance of your soul, and hilarity from all speakers! The praise and worship was just beyond words. I encountered Christ and grew closer to him with each word! What a fulfilling and much needed spiritual encouragement! I feel ready to take on this year!

The past 2 days we have had the privilege to go to 2 schools in Newcastle area. Schools are always such a nervous time because kids are such a fragile and important part of the kingdom of God. These chapels Kenric (our road manager) spontaneously decided to make my testimony like an appeal/call to accept Christ for your love and saviour. This kinda happened on stage as we were performing, I expanded on my testimony a little and then we sung a song, and after I made an appeal to the students. That if anyone wanted to follow the creator of this world who loves them and wants to be their best friend, to raise their hand. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was praying hard out as I was speaking to the students, completely overwhelmed that God was using someone like me to ask people to follow Him. And praise the lord that his spirit was moving and at the first school 11 students raised their hands to follow Christ, and at the second school 19 students raised their hands. WHAAAATTT???? 30 more beautiful youths who have said, 'I want to follow Jesus and be his Friend’. Words just can’t explain how ecstatic that makes me. PRAISE THE LORD!!! Please, can you please pray for these 30 students? That God would provide a support network to them so they can continue to learn more about Him? At Endless Praise, we plant seeds, but we don’t get the opportunity to stay and water the seeds and help them grow. Pray for the teachers of the school so they might be able to provide instruction and love to the students. I want to tell you about 2 specific students that we talked to. One of them, a guy (let’s call him John, don’t want to tell you his real name sorry) for the past little while, he has been on the fence about God, doing studies and learning about God, the teachers have been encouraging him to take the step towards God. How ever, he hasn’t taken that final step and said, yes Jesus, I want to follow you. That was until yesterday when I raised his hand and declared that he wanted to be a follower of Christ. What an awesome thing for the teachers who have been praying and studying with John, to see him make that choice! And what a joy it is to see the harvest of someone’s seed they have planted and been working on for Jesus. I’m just overwhelmed!

My second story is about a young girl called emma ( again not her real name). After the chapel we asked all those who raised their hand to come forward so we can get their names and give them to the Chaplin of the school so he can follow them up. As we were standing around sharing how exciting it was that they have joined Jesus family, emma came over to me and asked if she could talk to me. So we went away from the group and we started talking. She told me that she wanted to raise her hand but she didn’t because she felt embarrassed. I was quick to tell her that if she made the decision in her heart then Jesus saw her and he knows. Emma is from Vietnam and moved to Australia 2 years ago. I found out that she moved here with her mum and she couldn’t speak a word of English when she came. She’s 14 now and her English is easy to understand but she’s still self conscious about it. Her home life is hell. Her mother is a mail order bride and that’s why they moved over. I can only imagine her mum did it to give her daughter a better life. But her home life is not good. She asked me if God is only for western people, because where she grew up, most people were Buddhist, not Christian. She didn’t think that she could be a Christian because she’s Asian. I told her that Jesus loves all of us no matter where we come from and that he thinks you are beautiful and lovely and his previous creation. And I gave her a hug. We talked to the teachers and asked how come she comes to this school if her parents are not Christian and they had no answer. Divine appointment is no joke. She needed to hear About Jesus unconditional love and she wants that and wants to know Jesus. What. An. Amazing. God. We. Have!!!

The awesome thing about the last school we went to is that they have little gifts for anyone who responds to Jesus. They receive a bible, a pamphlet of frequently asked questions about God, and a little beginners bible study book. It got me thinking, that we as Endless Praise need to have something like that for all the students who respond to Jesus. So if you are reading this and know of anywhere that we can get theses cheep or at a very discounted price, please let me know! We don’t have the funds to be able to purchase them. But it is such a necessity!

We had an evening concert last night at the school as their youth program also. During this service Kenric made another appeal( more directed to the adults) and one couple who came to the youth program for the 2nd time (they are checking out the whole 'Jesus’ thing) responded to the appeal and raised their hands and said they wanted to follow Jesus as well.

I. JUST. CANT. EVEN!!! It makes everything worth it. Leaving all to be on the front line for Jesus and seeing people come to Him, using us as unworthy vessels, yet He is able to work miracles through us and bring people to him! ALL GLORY TO GOD!!!

~Miricle # 2, 3, 4, 5….29, 30, 31, 32

This weekend is my sisters wedding so Ive been granted a few days off! I’m the only bridesmaid and I’ll be honest, I’m freaking out about wearing a very expensive dress for a whole day! But anyway! I’m excited for the celebration of Seb and Brooke :DDDDD

Talk on the other side! Love you all xxxx

[tamikaonthefrontline]

#2

Well the first week back (yes I know im in my 3rd week but its go go go go ) has come to an end, and it has been one full on week. This week it was the band focus week. So basically Sam (guitar), Kenric( Keys) and myself (Drums) along with a former member Zayne (ex EP guitarist, bass vocalist and band coordinator) focused solely on improving the band for this year. It’s a very mentally and creatively exhausting process. What does a usual practice day look like you ask? Well I’ll give you a run down :D

6:45. Wake up 7:00-8:00 group exercise 8:00-9:00 Showers and breakfast 9:00-9:30 Worship 9:30-1:00 Practice 1-1:45 Lunch 1:45-5:30 Practice 5:30-7 Dinner and clean up 7 till Late: personal practice till you have all parts mastered for the next day

So there you go, your question has been answered. Now you may be looking at that and think that it looks like a pretty simple day, and yea it kinda is, however, have you ever gone to a church music rehearsal? And about 2hrs in you are tired, frustrated and sometimes over playing your instrument? Well imagine that but then having to continue for another 5hrs. Or your limbs start hurting from the repetitive movements to perfect your instrument. And the energy it takes to create new and engaging ways to play a song. Writers block is a very real thing in EP. However it is never an excuse, so the expectation is to continue through the writers block like there is no such thing. It can create a very stressed and pessimistic environment at times.  On the other hand, when you get a breakthrough it’s a pretty exciting time and the thirst to be more creative is never quenched!

This past week we were able to nail down some original songs that we have written. It was invigorating to see words and tunes come to life musically with our band.  Im so excited to share these song with people. They are songs that were written in times of doubt, others that were written through chapters of excitement, and some paralleling our own personal journey.  I can already see the ministry opportunities we will have and the lives that will be changed from these songs.

This past weekend was a blessing! We didn’t have any concerts booked so we were able to have the weekend off. And lucky for me I only live 2hrs away from the EP base. So I was grateful to be able to go home and hang out with the fambam and friends.

This past week we have had an EPIC retreat. The EP stands for Endless Praise, and the IC stands for Iron and Clay. They are another full time music ministry that tours around Australia. They have mostly backing tracks to their songs and aim to specifically reach students in high schools. They have the privilege to go to public high schools and share a positive message and uplift the students. They also do churches and other community events as well. Check out their FB if you want to know more!!

So the retreat consisted of 3 days. We had speakers including Eddie Hypolite, Mel (from gateway church), Rome Ulia, Prissy and Zayne  and a few other speakers.

We were presented with many poignant topics which relate to life on the road. It was an amazing week, thoroughly enjoyed and I learnt so many particle things for the road, ministry and life in general. It was fantastic doing it in conjunction with Iron and Clay as well. They are a group of switched on Christians on fire to share Jesus! We finished the week off by watching War Room. If you haven’t seen it I would recommend you see it. The movie highlights the impact prayer can have in your life. Such a quality movie!!!

This weekend marked our first concerts for the year! On Saturday we went to Redfern The Way SDA church in Sydney. What a fantastic ministry opportunity we had there. Today (Sunday) was a close by church located in Cessnock.

This week we are practicing hard out! Ill update you in a little while!

God Bless :D

[tamikaonthefrontline]

The first one

So many of you ask me, how is EP going? And it’s so frustrating because there is never enough time to actually tell you how my journey has been. So I thought that I would try (and I emphasise try) to write about my life, experiences, moments and journey as I take on another year with EP. I’m going to share the highs with you, so you can feel the excitement and joy that God brings and be a part of this journey, and I’m also going to be real and share the hard and dark times that I go through in the hope that you can lift me up in prayer and encourage me along this journey. I love you all so much and I pray that these updates can encourage and be a blessing in your personal journey too. I never got more than 65% in any English class I did whilst in school, so I am for sure not the best writer, but I will try my best and share my life with you! God bless

 Jan 31st Sunday – first night back

Today I packed up all my things and made the move back to ep. After a month of holidays I cannot believe that I’m starting the year again. My holidays were epic! Filled with camping, family time, sickness, bed days, junior camp, drums, meeting awesome new people, receptionist, bonding, bus driving, great catch ups, memories and so so so much more! I’m so excited for what God has in store for me this year! I am excited to grow and learn more about God, myself and the body of Christ. I am so excited to see God work miracle after miracle, to provide for us in our hardships, and to see Him move across every single soul we meet on our journey.

What a fantastic Sabbath I had for my final Saturday of holidays. It’s hard to find words that can describe how I felt hanging out and worshiping with my fox family. They all just hold such a special place in my heart and I cannot imagine where I would be without them. It was actually a lot harder  leaving than I thought. After having over a month with the people I love and care for, I found that as we drove to the EP home base I was actually dreading going back. When I arrived, the smallest unexpected change (the room I stay in got rearranged, and for those who know me, know I don’t deal with change very well) triggered a very emotional response that I haven’t experienced in a while.  This was just the final realisation that I was away from home, away from my friends, away from my familiar life, away from having control over my life. It was the realisation that I was back, living in someone else’s house, under someone else’s rules, and not with my familiar comfortable life that I had been so very much enjoying.

I was suddenly so overwhelmed with the upcoming year. Ministry is so hard. Leaving the comforts of your home, leaving a regular income, leaving familiar faces, leaving a comfortable bed that you can call your own, leaving friends that bring joy to your life, leaving your family as they prepare for a wedding, leaving a home that is your place of safety, leaving everything you know and living on a bus with all your belongings squished into 2 bags. It is a highly stressful, highly paced, highly demanding way of life. HOWEVER one that is worth it when you see people come to Christ.

There is something so comforting, so special, so peaceful being in the arms of you dad as you sob into his chest. His strong arms embracing you and holding tight, whilst you struggle to normalise your breathing with tears burning your eyes. What a blessing it is to have parents who will drop everything and hold you during your hard times. Just knowing that he’s got me and I’m safe in his arms was so reassuring.

  As I was there in my dad’s arms, I had a spiritual moment. The realisation that God is always there for us, no matter what. He is there with open arms, to take all our struggles and hardships. No matter what we go through, God will always, always, always take us and hold us tight. Isaiah 40:11 “…He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart…”

When you go through tough times, lean into God, He will hold you tight whilst you go through your struggle. Gods got you.

As I sit here and write this, I am again overwhelmed. Tomorrow we start practicing hard out (about 8hrs a day) making everything musically sound. Don’t get me wrong, this year will be amazing I have no doubt, and I’m ready for the amazing things God will do through this team, but with greatness brings challenges and struggles. So Please, pray for me as I begin this journey! Pray for this team of 7 youths (me, Kenric, Sondra, Joan, Marcus, Jade and Sam) as we go to where God calls and opens doors, pray that we can be strong witnesses for God, sharing His love wherever we go.

Love you all and I appreciate the time you’ve taken to read this  J Ill hopefully do this weekly!

~Tamika~