Photos from the US: dad and Jan in PG, Brendan and Audra at Disney, with mom and Dan in St Augustine, at NPB with Steve & Marie, with Charisma

Young Life camp snaps of Ryde girls cabin, Mary's leap of adventure, kangaroos at camp, Ciara and Brooke in Harlem & Brendan & Brooke on Empire State

Brooke's Australia Adventure Update - Autumn 2010, April 4, 2010

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Autumn 2010, April 4, 2010
Dear friends, We have entered a new season here in the southern hemisphere - autumn. Happy Resurrection Sunday from Sydney! As we woke up this morning we were able to have an extra hour of sleep as Daylight Savings time ends and the weather really did feel a little cooler and refreshing and it was a gentle reminder of a new day. Imagine what it was like to wake up after mourning for the death of Jesus for three days and then finding that he was really alive! That was really the beginning of everything changing on this earth and every Easter we are able to remember that we are free if we have accepted that what Jesus accomplished on the cross was really all that needed to be accomplished. That truly when Jesus said, "it is finished" on the cross (John 19:30), it meant that there was nothing more needed to be done to reunite man to their creator but to accept that this sacrifice of his body and blood being poured out was the perfect sacrifice that would cover all of our sins. But of course all the disciples and his family didn't understand that until early on the third day when news started to leak in that Jesus had been seen and all 322 prophecies from the Old Testament concerning the Christ began to be revealed to them as completed. It is phenomenal to have an opportunity to reflect each year at Easter what was really completed. At church this morning the guest speaker, J John from the UK stated that we (the church) are "Easter people in a Good Friday world." Truly, those of us that believe that Jesus has died and rose again for us are living in celebration in the midst of a world that is mourning and still lost. We must share with others of the love that Jesus had and still has for us. John 6:28 & 29 "Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." This is the challenge for every believer every day - do we believe? And how does that translate to how we live and love? William Wilberforce said, "Above all, measure your progress by your improvement in love to God and man." How has that been worked out in my life lately? Well, for one God I feel has been speaking to me recently about holiness and as I am spiritually covering the leaders underneath me in my role as Area Manager in Young Life I am responsible to a certain degree of how they conduct themselves and how that translates into the ministry to teenagers who may not know Jesus, but are learning about Him through us as leaders going to them into their world at high school. Thus, there is a high standard that we are to take when it comes to holiness. When I speak of this, I do not mean legalism where a form of godliness may exist, but where it is only for the eyes of man, but a deeper conviction that comes from the Holy Spirit that we are not to live in sin. Colossians 2:13-14 "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross." We are no longer to live dead in our sins, but alive with Christ. I have seen lately how insidious sin can creep into our lives and due to the nature of living very busy lives without what I would call accountability relationships, we can quite often live one way in one environment and a contrary way in another. I have been there myself. But praise be to God that He kept me close and in many ways it was through mentors and those that came alongside me and helped point out the contradictory way I was living. This is the hard duty, but also joyful opportunity I have had lately in relationships that God has given to speak into the lives around me. And I must confess, much prayer was needed to have discernment on how to address what I was seeing and was being brought to me. Yet, God is faithful and I have seen a miraculous turnaround in one particular life because of the Lord’s spirit to convict and their own willingness to realize their brokenness. Discipleship is a costly endeavor my friends, but it is worth every bit of effort.

“Don’t start down the path to evil. There’s a road that leads to destruction. Its first few steps might seem fairly innocent, but sin’s horrible tentacles can grip so tightly. Sin must be destroyed in its embryonic stages. It’s best to err on the side of caution, to run from iniquity. When considering a dubious course of action, rather than asking, “What’s wrong with it?” ask, “What’s right with it?”
- Barry C. Black, Chaplain of the United States Senate, From the Hood to the Hill

As I work with young women in high school who have recently made commitments of faith they are often asking questions like the quote above states. They constantly want to know where the boundaries are of behaviors and how to live as a Christian. It is a much different sort of life to the one that they knew before they went with us to camp and it is very easy to live as if that decision at camp was just a one-day decision and not a daily decision to walk with Jesus. It is through love that we repent and we desire to become holy, because He is holy. Thank you for lifting up the girls I led at camp in January, it was a fantastic week and for four of them, I believe it was the best week of their lives as they decided to say yes, that they did want to know Jesus and have Him become a part of their lives. Now, is the fun and challenging part, to keep choosing to walk in faith on this journey. Please continue to keep them and myself in prayer as I seek to meet with them regularly in the midst of their school and life commitments and to find creative ways, like on Facebook to encourage them to read their Bibles and seek God.

1 Peter 1:14-16
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

In terms of what else has been happening in our world, Brendan and I had an incredible trip back home to the US in the end of January and early February. Apologies at the start for not being able to see everyone that we would have liked, but the trip was so full that it would have been difficult to see many more than we did. It was a very wonderful time for us to be together and explore amazing places that I have been to before and share them with Brendan. Our trip began in New York, NY where we enjoyed two nights at the Wellington Hotel near Times Square. The weather was wonderfully mild, with the exception of rain, so we were able to walk for miles exploring the city. In the midst of sightseeing Central Park, Ground Zero, Battery Park, Wall Street, the Empire State Building, the Flat Iron Building (Brendan’s favorite) and seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, we were able to catch up with my former roommate Ciara working in Spanish Harlem, and our friend Michael Laughlin who had lived with Brendan in Killara. From that fun start, we then made our way to my dad’s house in Punta Gorda to spend some quality time with he and Jan and relax in the way my family knows best, to go out on the boat in Charlotte Harbor. Here, it was great to see my stepsister Stacy and her son Ben, as well as catch up with Bill Loy, my Young Life Area Director from my teenage years. Then, off to Orlando with my brother and a fantastic day with Audra park-hopping Disney, courtesy of her neighbor all of us were able to enjoy the day for free – what a blessing! It was great to have that fun day all together and to behave like kids and run around the parks and have some relaxed conversations throughout the day. We caught up with Alex for dinner and the next day went with my mom and Dan to St Augustine to walk around that beautiful city. In Jacksonville, Brendan and I had the privilege of sharing at the mental hospital that Sunday with the clients there in the chapel services and although that was a little bit out of Brendan’s comfort zone, he quickly felt at home and we both were blessed to be able to share in my mother’s work and serve with her. From Florida we journeyed to Washington, DC and were treated to wonderful hospitality at the Southeast White House. It was the week of the National Prayer Breakfast so there was much on, but one amazing friendship Brendan was able to share in was to meet Charisma, the young woman I had mentored since she was ten. Charisma has just turned 18 in January and had given birth to her firstborn, a daughter that we were able to meet, Bless’n. It was amazing to be able to see her again and although having a child while in year 11 in high school may not be the goal we had wanted for her, Charisma seemed so much happier and more stable than when I had seen her a year and a half ago and it was very good to be able to be back in touch and have her meet Brendan and vice versa. We also were honored to join the Oceania contingent for the National Prayer Breakfast events and see so many friends and make new ones there. A highlight of the time was being in a small group of women from Australia and New Zealand and meeting with the Chaplain of the Senate, Barry Black. Hearing his wisdom and from his depth of experience was remarkable and his challenge to all of us to write down God sized goals has been something that Brendan and I have been actively seeking to do since and to dream God sized dreams more. After seeing the beautiful snowfall in DC and just escaping the blizzard by a few hours, we landed in gorgeous and snow-filled Montréal to spend time with my grandfather and his wife Lucille. They were incredibly gracious hosts, despite my being a little sick, and treated me wonderfully in celebration of my 30th birthday. We also were able to catch up with a friend I had worked with in 2001, Theá and her husband Chad and two sons, Aidan and Matteo. Then in Kingston we spent time with my uncle Glen, aunt Margo and cousin John in a winter wonderland of ice and snow and sharing wonderful getting to know you conversations. Our trip was ended with two amazing days and nights in Toronto with my aunt Donna and her hosting a party that enabled my uncle Bill and cousin Emily to visit. So many special places and people all to see and connect with in only two and a half weeks, but that is the reality of living a life where the annual leave and finances only stretch so far and you live on the other side of the world. One of the best gifts of the trip was to be able to show our wedding video to all the family and friends who wanted to watch and couldn’t make it to the ceremony. For Brendan and I, this was almost like re-celebrating and re-committing to one another and it was awesome to pause at the start of the year and again realize the miracle that God has done in creating one out of the two. Truly, as a unit, unimagined things can become possible through God. Only He knows the plans He has for us, but we are also not alone and a trip like this reminds us both of the rich history of friends and family of faith that are with us in the journey, even if geographically far… even friends like you reading this.

2 Corinthians 2:14 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him."
Since that whirlwind trip, we’ve been settling in more to life in Sydney. Spending our time diligently at our jobs, Brendan doing excellently work, and my time split between Women’s Forum and Young Life. One exciting Women’s Forum news is the launch of our School Ambassadors Program that began in Sydney with a training day of 8 ambassadors in years 10 & 11 and 12 mentors that want to work with young women to help them present the modules based around our popular publication, Faking It: The Female Image in Young Women’s Magazines. Check out our blog on it if you are interested at: www.wfasap.tumblr.com.
In addition, we have just launched our latest research entitled, Reality Check: Work Life Balance, which is launching around the country right now. It continues to be exciting to be working towards women’s wellbeing and freedom in cultural issues so relevant in today’s society and this latest research seems so important as women are having more children in Australia, and yet working more than ever. Personally, as I enter my third decade and contemplate the next phase for us as a family, I appreciate that my employer values flexible working conditions and is advocating for paid parental leave in society generally, to learn more about the research, go to: http://www.womensforumaustralia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92&Itemid=102.

In general, Brendan and I realize how incredibly blessed our life is and we continue to look for ways to grow and give back. I have decided to take vocal lessons through the church C3 Creative Arts College and so I leave you with some song lyrics of a song we’ve been taught at my class and sing regularly at church, appropriate for today’s Easter theme.

“I see the crown through the suffering. I see the joy that forms my strength. I know the Son in the wilderness, and I know thou has called me blessed.
Christ is risen, in Christ I stand. Forever I praise you, the Great I Am. Christ is with us, Emmanuel. Highest Hosanna, it is well.”
-“It Is Well” by Joel Wardle

May it be well with each of you, starting in your spirits and going out to your family and the world.

Much love,
Brooke