It’s our final night in the hostel to which we have known as home for the past few weeks. It is strange how a place so far from “home” becomes “home” by the mere people you share it with.
That has happened here in Melbourne, we are all so familiar with places like “Lygon St”, Melbourne Central, Max Brenner, Kafe World, Melbourne Uni, student union building, the rock grass, and Russell St. These names that many of us barely knew how to say as we arrived have become part of our daily vernacular. These along with Monday night specials in the Bar for food, dollar coffees, and tim tams are some of the physical reminders of the past three weeks.
Few if any of us knew the change that would happen the first day we stepped into a place called The Space Hotel. However in retrospect it seems almost foolish and shortsighted on our part to not think the Gospel would not change us in the process of us explaining it to others. We in the past few short weeks have witnessed people hear the truth of Christ over 700 times and as we have faithfully presented it the message has shaped and changed us forevermore.
As we ended our last day here in the city by going shopping and gathering those final gifts for you the loved ones one thing came to the surface of our time here.
The message of Christ can only do one thing… Create Change… It not only changes those who hear it, but more so we have seen it change us. Drive us toward a God who gave everything to have a relationship with us. With no certainty of us ever saying yes to him, he gave everything to pursue us, be with us, and restore us.
In the process of digging into that message we have seen students from theWELL become confident, passionate, generous, prayerful, broken for the lost, transparent, and desiring to see others engage with it.
The last two weeks are so much more than the names, places, and people we have interacted with. It is the aggregate of the Gospel message being spoke, acted out, engaged in, and pursued. The students of theWELL will forever be changed and different because of the reality of the message they came to teach.
The amount of words on a page cannot tell of the work that has happened here, only the lives changed can speak of exactly what God has done here in Melbourne. However please ask because how each of us has seen the Gospel work the past weeks is differed and we would love to share it with you. And there may also be a point where we ask if you would like to know about Jesus and what he has done not just in us but for you.
” The man whom the demons had gone begged that he might go with him, but Jesus said to him,”Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you”. And he went away proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
-Luke 8:38-39
Excited to leave but sad to go.
Here’s some photos from our last day in the city, dinner, gelato, and some final exploring.
Posted by Monica cooper on August 9, 2011 at 4:19 pm
I am so looking forward to listening to Megan’s stories! But I must admit I am looking forward more to the way this has changed her and the relationship she now has with God! You all are awesome young men and women doing what many of us will never have the chance to do. I thank you all for sharing Gods word with so many lost souls in a far away country. I’ll continue to pray for the Aussie kids you all came in contact with and pray they do nont shut the door but keep their hearts open. Safe travels home and thanks again for everything you all did! Love you guys!