I'm a Caterpillar who has been afraid of Butterflies.

Caterpillars are a temporary life form...it is one stage in eventually becoming butterflies, but first they've got some things to do.

A caterpillar spends most of it's time eating and growing. The final stage is the butterfly, but before that it goes through several periods of growth, shedding out of it's skin a few times as it gets bigger. Once it is fully grown and can't get any bigger as a caterpillar, then it will find a secure, protected place to prepare for the next stage.

In their cocoon, while it looks like it's a time of rest, there's actually a lot going on inside there, preparing to emerge as a butterfly.

That is a very unscientific look at the lifecycle of a butterfly, but I think it is an analogy for my growth in God.

I'm a caterpillar. I feel like I've gone through many stages of life, with God teaching me things and feeding me his word so that I grow. A few times I've been sure that I've been changing for good, shedding an old skin and taking on a new one, only to find I'm still a caterpillar, just a bit bigger than before.

But it is all in preparation for that final chrysalis stage. A lot of nutrients are needed for the caterpillar to transform inside the cocoon. If a caterpillar tried to become a butterfly before it was fully grown, it wouldn't be able to handle it.

And right now I feel like I may be getting into that cocoon stage. I've found a sheltered, protected place. It feels like I'm resting. It looks like maybe not much is going on. But inside I'm being majorly transformed.

I don't know how long this stage lasts, but I'm excited about what is happening now. And you should be too - whatever stage you are at in growing in God. Each stage is necessary before the next. Keep eating - feeding on God's word. He'll direct you to the next stage. He'll let you know when it's time to break out of the old skin and into the new. Don't be discouraged if it feels like you're not getting anywhere. Look back, and I'll bet you'll see that while you still feel like a caterpillar, you're probably a lot bigger than you used to be.

The funny thing is, I've always been afraid of butterflies. A wierd phobia, but to me they seem flutter around, free, uncontrollable, unpredictable. And now I'm comparing myself to turning into one. And funnily enough, I've always been afraid of the metaphorical butterfly as well.

I like to dream big, but then sometimes have trouble actually realising the dream - not because it's not possible, but because I'm afraid. Afraid to be free, because it seems too scary and unpredictable.

Recently God's been helping me to see that it's ok to be good at things. It's ok to succeed. Being humble doesn't mean being self-depreciating. God has given us gifts to be used, not to bury away. Are we afraid that he doesn't know what he's doing?

Don't be afraid of what God is doing in you. Don't hold onto the old skin, because you're afraid of the new. Don't walk around ignoring those wings on your back, or second guessing yourself, like maybe God made a mistake in giving you wings, so you better not try to use them in case you fail. "I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground." Matthew 25:25

There's no need to be afraid. You may not fly right away - even once a butterfly emerges it takes a little while for it's wings to dry. And then it can fly. Not because it's so clever to have done it on it's own, but because that's what God designed it to do.



(Thanks Mum, for passing on this message to me :)

Sharing a Link

Just wanted to share this great post about how much God loves us

http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2008/11/god-thinks-you-rock-casbah.html

Glimpsing Heaven

I feel like I got a little glimpse of heaven today. In a real way, not in a "Is that a giant closet twice the size of Oprah's filled with free clothes and shoes all for me?" heaven kind of way. It wasn't tangible in a physical sense, and I'm sure it's going to be really hard to explain in words what I felt.

I didn't see streets paved with gold or hear angels singing. But I felt like I just got a little step closer (a tiny, tiny step compared to all there is to know) to understanding what heaven is. Being in total communion with God, and with all Christians. I am a separate person, and lay down my own life to be used by God, but it doesn't diminish me, it fills me with strength and joy. I am just one person along with many others, but that makes me more significant and we are all together a part of something amazing.

We are built to long for heaven. To long for complete communion with our creator. It is why here on earth we long for acceptance, to be part of something. It is why we come away from worship or fellowship feeling all warm and fuzzy and uplifted. Because we were designed for it. And every time we get a tiny hint of what it feels like to be in perfect harmony and unity with God, or with others - for even those who don't believe in God will know the feeling, - our souls recognise it.


And on the other side of this, realising just a tiny bit more clearly what heaven is, I also realised what hell is. It's not about a pit of fire with demons jabbing you with red pitchforks. It's not even about some sort of eternal physical tourture and pain. It's the opposite to heaven - complete and utter separation from God.

I think we get caught up in questions about heaven and hell in wondering about their physical place, imagining heaven as a place in the sky,  hell below us, as some places we just move to when we're not on earth any more. And heaven will be really pretty and happy, and hell all dark and firey. We think of it in very earthly terms, according to what we find pleasurable and painful here on earth.

But I think because it is difficult for us to comprehend, often we don't make it past those surface thoughts to really get what heaven and hell are. More than just an arbitrary reward or punishment for being good or bad, it is the outcome of the purpose we were created for.

We were created by God, designed to be with Him. If we reject him, we miss out on that. That is heaven and hell. Either being completely with God, or completely without Him. And I don't think we fully comprehend how that will either be far better than any feeling we've ever had on earth, or it will be far worse than any pit of fire or physical pain.



I'm sure my words don't really describe at all the understanding I had in that moment, and it's one of those glimpses that was so clear and real at the time, then quickly fades when you try to remember it. It will always be the way while we live here in our earthly bodies. But that doesn't mean we stop seeking.

Roadwork Ahead

I drive along a stretch of highway to get to and from work. And this may be true of every highway, but it seems like there is always roadwork happening, even in the small stretch that I cover every day.

The other day I was driving home and had to slow down in the roadwork zone - and it seemed like a really long stretch that they were working on and all the cars had to file through slowly down to a single lane.

About halfway through the roadwork section I saw a big yellow sign that read "Roadwork Ahead". And stuck over that big sign was another smaller sign, also reading "Roadwork Ahead." So in case I hadn't already noticed I was in roadwork, or if the big sign didn't catch my attention, there was also the small sign to let me know - there's roadwork.

I laughed to myself about it for a second, and then God spoke to me through it (Or 'Jesus Juked' me if you will - see Jon Acuff's blog 'Stuff Christians Like' for an interpretation of that) - in the way that God can speak to us through anything.

There is roadwork ahead in my life. And though I laughed at the seemingly redundant signs on the road, I unfortunately often need that sort of thing in my life. I don't notice what's going on all around me. Then I miss the big yellow signs. Until finally I hear God's still, small voice, and I finally realise what's going on.

I have felt recently, and even for the past few years that I am in a rest period of my life, in training for something to come. And I often get impatient to charge ahead, even though I'm not ready.

So for the past three years I have been trying to remember that God is training me, healing me from things, preparing me so that I am ready for what is to come. Then this year I felt like I was ready for more - not that I will ever be done with God teaching me and training me and causing me to grow. But I felt like I was ready for more now.... and things started to happen, but not in the way I expected. I still felt like this wasn't the 'more' he had been telling me was coming. I felt like he was still telling me to rest and be patient.

And then I saw these roadwork signs, and realised something I hadn't thought of before. Not only has he been preparing me for things to come, he has been working on the road as well. And there is roadwork ahead. Foundations have to be laid, things put in place. I can't just charge ahead - sometimes we need to slow down, go in single file, because if we go too fast before things are ready it can be dangerous and damaging.

God is doing some roadwork. And while I am moving, now - I'm driving along the road, rather than sitting in my car in the garage - it's still time to go slow. To still be patient. Because when he's finished the roadwork, things are going to go back to a crazy, multi-lane highway and I've got to be ready to take that on!

Note: Since writing this intially, I've had a chance to see more aspects at work. There are many stages we can be at and roles we can play. Sometimes our car is in the garage waiting to drive. Sometimes we are in the slow lane, waiting for the roadworks to be done. Sometimes, we are the ones helping to do those roadworks and prepare the way for others.

I think we can be called to any and all of those things, even at the same time. You are not tossed aside once one job is done. And neither are any of those roles idle. You may be called to rest in God, but that doesn't mean you are doing nothing.

Where do you think you are on God's highway at the moment? Doing the roadworks, repairs in the garage, in the slow lane, or full speed ahead?

Bringing Kids into the World

I know some people are not sure about, or even totally against, having kids because they look at the state of the world and all the problems and think "Why would I want to bring someone into this?" It's not an invalid thought. And an idea that has prompted many adoptions and fostering of children needing families, I'm sure.

But is there another way to think about it? There are a lot of horrible things in the world, and a lot of suffering people. If I have children, I would hope they would be a part of helping, being one of the good people, someone who can help others in their suffering, be another messenger of God's love. So rather than thinking, "Why would I bring somone into a world with so many problems?" I think, "Why would I not bring someone in who could make a difference to those problems?"

Not meaning I am planning on having kids as some sort of mission to save the world. But I plan on bringing my kids up to be compassionate and full of love - all of us can have a positive impact on the world. Maybe they cure a disease. Maybe they start an orphanage. Maybe they comfort a neighbour who has no family. Maybe they save a baby bird that fell out of it's nest. Maybe they become friends with just one person who is lonely. Does your heart not sing at the possibilities that life can hold, big and small, all valuable.

Which brings me to my other thought - those people who say they don't want to bring kids into the world, as if they are protecting those future children from the horrors....does that mean you would rather your parents never had you? Life is not all bad. Do we deny others the chance to exist and experience all the good things, just because there are also bad things?

Just my unfinished thoughts on the topic....

Real Faith - it's like a muscle, but not like bicep curls at the gym.

Real faith is not when you believe in God and then get whatever you prayed for…real faith is trusting God, even when you don’t get what you’ve prayed for.

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”  Matthew 21:22. Isn't it amazing to know that nothing is impossible with faith. That we can pray and God will always hear our prayers. But I don't know if we always interpret that verse quite right.

I was reading a blog by a woman whose nine month old baby died, even though she and many others had prayed for him to be healed. Then people in the church told her the God hadn't been able to heal her son because she hadn't had enough faith! I was horrified and saddened by that.

We sometimes think it's some formula - that if we just have enough Faith, whatever we pray for we will get. But that seems to me kind of like us having the power - which is totally contrary to what God tells us.

It's saying if WE just have enough faith, If WE are just strong enough, then WE pray and WE get.

Where is God in that equation? Is God just there as some sort of prayer granting machine, only able to act when we pray with enough faith?

Do we decide how life is meant to go, and what should happen and when? I hope not, because when that happens, life is turmoil. I don't believe God is directed by us, I believe we are connected to Him through our faith allowing us to move when he moves, and become a part of His plan. Not just make Him a part of our plans.

A song I always remember singing in primary school and loving because of the actions that went along with it, was "Faith is like a muscle, use it and it will grow."

While this is true, I think without really being taught what faith is all about, it can be easily misunderstood.

When I imagine our muscles, and using them so they will grow, I picture a weight lifter, straining and bulging to lift the heavy weights above their head. Or someone in a gym, doing curls while they look at themselves in a mirror and kiss their veiny bicep.

 But seriously, I think a lot of us whether consciously or not, walk around with the feeling that we are just not straining hard enough. That we haven't built up our faith muscle enough to be able to MAKE things happen.

I don't think God intended us to look at having strong faith and being able to 'move mountains' as some kind of formula, or turning us into magicians able to control and do whatever takes our fancy.

Sometimes, of course, we do need to build our faith. It is true that we need to practise having faith, for it to grow. Use it and it will grow. But not in a way that has the focus on US being the strong ones.

This idea that we didn't have enough faith so God didn't listen becomes especially harmful to people who are suffering through something. Saying to them, in the midst of their crisis and turmoil and quite probably confusion and frustration with God, that YOU didn't pray hard enough, is like kicking them while they're down. You weren't healed, your baby died, your parents marriage fell apart, all because of YOU.  YOU didn't have enough faith. God wanted to help you, but you wouldn't let him because YOU didn't believe hard enough.

Praying is not like squeezing your eyes closed and wishing really hard to make something happen. It's never about US making things happen. It's about believing beyond a doubt that whatever happens, it's all completely in God's control. And part of walking in faith, is walking with God. God isn't arbitrary. We know there wouldn't be many occasions where walking up to a mountain and asking it to throw itself into the sea would be useful or part of Gods plan. And however much we would love God to give us the winning lottery ticket numbers and be millionaires, he probably isn't going to just because we'd like to be rich. He's not going to grant us things 'just because'. So we can also be assured that if he doesn't immediately give us what we've asked for, that is also part of his plan. Like he doesn't give us things on impulse with no regard for need or purpose, he also does not withhold things on impulse.

And like everything, when we ask God to give us more faith, it's not often he just goes, ZAP, "There you go. Go move that mountain over there." He gives us opportunities to be more faithful (consistent loyalty, devotion, unwavering belief). And that means trusting that God knows what he's doing and is always going to be God, no matter what. 

So when something doesn't happen the way we wanted, we don't need to feel like maybe we just didn't quite pray right, but that God has a different plan to what we wanted or thought was going to happen. That is using our faith and making it grow.

It doesn't mean it will always come easily. But it also doesn't mean that God will be angry with us if we have doubts or feel like it's difficult to really believe this is going to turn out ok right now. And this is where we'll fail every time if we go on thinking it's up to us to have more faith and to be stronger, because alone we will never be strong enough.

It's ok to say, "God, I know in my head that you're in control, but it's really hard to see what you're doing here. Even though I know you'll never let me down, it really feels like you have right now. I need help!"

These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:7

Even Jesus had to use faith - he wasn't looking forward (putting it mildly) to what he knew was coming. He knew it was going to be unimaginably painful, not just physically, to take all the sins of the world and be separated from God.  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22: 42-44)

And as we know, God's will was not to take Jesus out of that situation. Can we tell Jesus he just didn't quite pray hard enough, or didn't have enough faith in God? No, we can rejoice because God knew the big picture! And Jesus showed us what it means to have real faith.

Valentine's Day doesn't need to make you Vulnerable.

It's amazing how one day can have so much of an effect on us. Whether we admit it or not, most of us can think of a time when Valentine's Day has come around like a kick in the face. Especially when you're in high school. No matter how much you say "This day is stupid" to everyone you see, somehow by the end of the day you still feel inadequate because you didn't get some cheap gift from guys you probably don't really like anyway. Or more invisible when that guy you have been wanting to notice you, still doesn't.

I've never really celebrated Valentine's Day. But that doesn't stop it from coming around. And unless you stay in bed all day, it's going to confront you at some time during the day especially if you're feeling vulnerable.

My suggestion is to redefine the day for yourself. Rather than thinking about the 'love' you're not getting from others and think about what love really is. Most of the time on Valentine's Day, if we're feeling bad it's normally not about real Love. We feel insecure, unpopular, or unnattractive. And normally we're comparing ourselves to other people and basing our value on what others think of us.

I like to think about it differently. I take Valentine's Day as a chance to remember the love God has for us - the kind of love that is shown through him choosing to create us personally, and to send his son to die for us! We never need to feel insecure about his love for us.

And it's the kind of love that, as we realise the fullness of it for ourselves, spills over onto other people. Other people who may not know that this love exists.

So why not do things for other people on Valentine's Day (and every day, but lets use this day as a reminder). When you stop waiting around for someone to make you feel good, and do things for others you often end up feeling far better. When you give away love, it doesn't diminish, it increases.

This year I've made cup cakes for the staff at school just as a little gesture of appreciation. One year when I was in high school I gave a little heart chocolate and a note to every student in the school (it was a small school :)  The times that I did things like that, I may still have had a feeling in the back of my mind of "Has anyone noticed me?" but it was quickly outweighed by the thought of making someone else happy. Even if brightened the day of maybe one person who was feeling vulnerable then that's enough.

Do something for others, and something that reminds you of your worth and value, and God's love for you. Make cupcakes for your friends. Write letters to friends or family members telling them how much you love and appreciate them. Have a Valentine's Party with friends - not a pity party, as in 'poor us, we're all single', but a party that celebrates your friendship and the fun you have together.

Thank God for creating you and for all the wonderful qualities and talents he has given you. God doesn't make mistakes!

What are your ideas for an uplifting and self-pity free Valentine's Day?

Being A Woman...doesn't mean taking away a man's role.

(Now reuploaded since the audio got switched off.)

Right after recording this video, I got a reminder of how much I really do need to hear this message myself. That night, after recording the video in the afternoon, I found myself getting angry at my husband for what I felt was a lack of appreciation, and for a whole lot of other things until I ended up attacking him on all fronts.... before finally realising that I was doing exactly what I had been talking about in my video.

If I was feeling any distance from my husband, it was because I had pushed him that far away so many times and made it clear I wanted him at arms length because he was cramping my style. I'd made him feel like he wasn't really wanted in my life.

This made it even clearer to me how important it is for me to explore this topic - even if I'm the only one who ever watches my videos. I felt like I was under attack, and the moment I realised I was thinking lies I felt peace again.

When we're on to something, when God wants to do things in us, that's when the enemy is most likely to come in and try and set us off track. And the thing is, he often doesn't have to work very hard at it.

I imagine him coming in, mentioning to us "Remember that thing you were upset about the other day..." then sitting back, putting his feet up and laughing while he watches us self destruct.

He wants us to keep believing the lie that we are always hard done by. That submitting is being weak. That lifting the men in our lives up means we're pushing ourselves down. That to be happy, women have to be independent of men, who are only out to crush us.

We believe these things in varying degrees is so many areas of our lives, but they can be so subtle, or so ingrained that we don't notice them until God points them out for us.

I think this is such an important issue in our society. We have so many family issues but we're starting not to notice it anymore because we see it everywhere. Marriage break-up is becoming so commonplace that we are in danger of thinking of it as the norm. But what is becoming the norm is that women have distorted ideas of their self worth, distorted ideas of how to treat and be treated by men. Men have distorted ideas of what being a man means, of how to treat women, of how they expect they are going to be treated by women. We need to break the cycle.

In Christians' lives, the relationship between a man and a woman is meant to be a reflection of the relationship between the church and God, the bride of Christ.

Ephesians 5:21-33 - the passage in here used to be a standard at weddings, but something has happened in our attitudes that now it receives criticism if you choose it. We chose it at our wedding and had people question why we would choose that verse, as if it was out-dated and old fashioned. But when you look at it closely, it sums up exactly what our relationships are supposed to be between husband and wives and how closely it reflects our relationship with Jesus, so much so that it almost is hard to discern wether Paul is talking about husband/wife or Christ/church at some points. It's pretty clear, and so fundamental I feel like it should be a requirement at Christian weddings.

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

There are a lot of reasons why women shy away from even looking at their roles and what might need to change - one is fear. Fear of being let down and or not appreciated by men. Sometimes it's just plain stubborness. But when you look at it this way, 'Submit to eachother out of reverence for Christ' - we're not doing for the other person, we're doing it for God. 

Other Videos

What are you waiting for?

We're taught to want things immediately, faster, sooner...now, now, now. We're impatient when things don't happen quickly, and if we have to wait for something we'll often take a different option rather than wait.

I get impatient if a webpage takes more than 10 seconds to load. And if it takes more than 30...well, you may as well forget it.

So when God says

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." Mark 13:32-33

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:43-44

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Romans 13:11-12

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2

this has been interpreted as soon. Our definition of soon. As in, "Ok, I'm ready, where are you?"

But we've been interpreting it as our definition of soon for 2000 years or so.

And I'm sure most of us can think of other times in our lives where we've felt like God was saying he was going to do something, something we needed to be ready for. So we got ready. And then waited. A day, a week, a couple of months. Then when nothing happened, we either got angry at God for not keeping his word, or angry at ourselves for thinking it was God when it wasn't.

Only to discover, maybe even years later, that God's timing wasn't ours. We waited a few months, he was working over a few years. Even a lifetime.

The world teaches us to be impatient, to want things fast and now. The eternal God's definition of now, of soon, is vastly different to ours.

God keeps reminding me of this. He keeps saying to me "What is one year compared to eternity? What is one lifetime compared to Forever?"

That's a frustrating thought when we're in the midst of something we want to change. But it's actually a comforting thought when we really think about it. We know God always keeps his word, so when we know he's not acting immediately on our terms, we can be assured he's got the bigger picture in mind. If God was like the ancient Greek and Roman gods acting on fallible human whims and impulses we'd be in a whole lot of trouble.

We can be thankful God is eternal and knows a bigger picture than we can ever comprehend. Sometimes we just need to be patient.

So why does he use words like 'Now is the time', 'Be alert. Be on guard', 'You must be ready' when he wants us to be patient?

Because patience is not necessarily passive. Patience shouldn't go hand in hand with idleness or complacency. He wants us to wait with expectancy.

So if you are waiting for something, wait with patience, but with hope and expectancy. Expect that God will do great things. For he will, and he already is, even though you may not know it. And it may not come in the form you imagine or want, but we can always be assured of God's perfect Love and Goodness. He will be everything you need.

Wait! Good things are coming! Wait! Never before has the word wait seemed so exciting and promising!

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

The Lords Purpose Prevails

I was kind of absent from my Blog, and especially YouTube for quite a while over the Christmas break. I'm only human and when I get run down and time gets scarce even things like this, like sharing my thoughts and what God is doing, which is usually uplifting and encouraging for me, get left by the wayside.

But isn't it great that God is nothing like that. No matter what is going on, no matter how chaotic the world is - he's never absent. And so God has still been working in my life, and always will be not matter how long between blog posts, between videos, or even between my meaningful prayers and time with him. God is there waiting for me to come back, even more faithful than the most avid blog follower :)

And when you look back, it's amazing to see the ways God has been working in your life, sometimes without you even realising at the time, and sometimes for years before you even saw the fruits of what he was doing in you.

Just looking back over my blogs, which I've only been doing for about 6 months, I can already see a chain of things changing to lead me to where I am now. And that's just what is visible through my blog posts. Really, he started this work in me a long time ago.


http://jessiecostin.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-new-direction-should-i-take.html

http://jessiecostin.blogspot.com/2010/11/behold-i-am-doing-new-thing.html

http://jessiecostin.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-can-we-receive-what-gods-giving-us.html

Those blog posts just hint at the ups and downs I've gone through, and are all part of the lesson that God is continually teaching me - to be patient and to trust in his perfect plans. What is 6 months to a God who is eternal. It's just like the blink of an eye.

I've been reminded continually to keep my eyes on Him - on eternity and my spiritual life - rather than being burdened with this physical life. We're just passing through. If we get blinded by the physical life we start to worry about things again, we feel old and tired, hampered by our physical bodies, everything feels heavy.

But when our trust is completely in him we remember that everything is under control and even death has been conquered!

I pray every day for God to remind me of this, so that I can be an example of that to everyone around me who hasn't yet found that there is more to life than the physical. If it's hard enough for those of us who believe in God to remember and feel at peace, my heart breaks for those who don't know Him yet.

I am working as a Christian Pastoral Support Worker (formerly Chaplain) at the High School where I was previously a teacher, and am reminded of my own blog posts as I start this role - especially the one about letting go of things so we can receive what God is giving us.

Only since I've stopped teaching and started this new role have I realised how unhappy I was in teaching. I knew it to some extent, but now that I have this job that I already love I realise how much better I feel about everything in life.

I am grateful for my time as a teacher - I learnt a lot of valuable things. But I am also grateful for not letting fear hold me back from letting go of that job when the time was right.

My prayer for this point in my life is continued patience, open eyes and ears, and a stronger faith to completely trust in God. This new job demands it - a CHRISTIAN pastoral support worker -  it's one role that has no meaning whatsoever without God leading.


I am excited, and scared, but mostly excited at what is in store!

Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a roadway in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

Thinking of Volunteering Abroad?

I say go for it! It's the only way to travel for me - far better than just going as a tourist. If you're thinking of doing it here's my advice:

1. Go for at least 1 month, but no more than 3.

Two weeks was too short. It's amazing how quickly you can adapt and feel at home in a place, but 2 weeks doesn't give you enough time to really get into the swing of things, experience everything or feel like you've made a difference.

But at the same time, perhaps don't stay for longer than 3 months (in the same place that is.) If you want to volunteer for a longer time, like 6months or a year, perhaps go to several different places. Changing projects or countries will help stop the time there becoming just like going to work. Remember how I said you adapt surprisingly quickly to a new place? It's also true that things become common place pretty quickly and you forget to appreciate it.

The exception to this would be if you have your heart set on a particular place or project for a particular reason, or have been on one before that really meant something to you and want to return with some pupse in mind to make a significant difference.

2. Appreciate Diversity

You will meet a whole range of different people - whether because of culture, beliefs, age, or just personality. If you can't get on with people different to yourself, you'll find it hard. But maybe that's just all the more reason to go and learn to adapt! If you find it hard to meet new people, but want to challenge yourself, go for it. It's worth the discomfort. And if you love meeting new people, you'll be in your element.

3. Go with an open mind.

You can learn something from everyone you meet. And volunteering is a great time to do it, because everyone is there for new experiences and so more open and inquisitive that people generally are at home. Whether it is learning about a different culture or country, either the one your in, or the countries of other volunteers you meet; or learning to be a more open minded person - refering to number 2, the different people you meet, the ones you get along with and the ones that rub you the wrong way (sometimes especially those) can have a really lasting impact on how you see the world and even yourself.

4. Don't be afraid to Go It Alone

I went in a group for this trip, which was fun. But I have also travelled solo before, and I loved it. Normally I'm not the most outgoing person, and feel nervous meeting new people, but travelling alone was great for me. You are forced to go out of your comfort zone, and forced to meet new people because you'll get lonely after a few days not talking to anyone! Plus you can be more approachable than in a group, and you can also be more flexible in your travel plans.

5. Do some touristy things

Just because you're going on a volunteer trip, don't think you're meant to be completely noble and selflesss and not allow some touristy time. Tourism is a big industry after all, and provides a lot of jobs. And even if a place is touristy, it's often because there is something worthwhile seeing there. It became popular for a reason, so don't be put off just because you have to get there on a tourist bus. Plus, living and working in the country will provide you with a lot of opportunities that are off the beaten track and more genuine too.

6. Bring a laptop.
If you're going for a long time, or a short time, it's really helpful to be able to keep in touch with home. Skype will provide you with some of the most frustrating delayed conversations of your life, but it's still good to hear people's voices. And it's good for people at home to be able to see what you're doing and share the experience even though they're not there themselves. Going on a volunteer trip isn't just helpful for the communities you go to, or enlightening for you, but it can be impactful on the people around you at home when you tell them about it. (And if you've fundraised for your trip, people like to see what you're doing with their money ;) And keeping up with what's happening at home can help you not feel so disconnected once you get back.

The obvious exception to this advice is if you're going to a place without electricity or internet. One day I would like to go somewhere where I can't bring my phone and computer, just to force myself out of the reliance on technology for the experience. But international snail mail is slow, and being totally disconnected for a long time can be isolating when you're not used to it. So be easy on yourself.




So go for it! It probably will be challenging sometimes, but we'd never grow if we never did anything out of our comfort zone. And you might suprise yourself with what you're capable of when you take that step!