Why I Do What I Do

I’ve thought a lot about this. Being a full time volunteer missionary forces you to consider it all the time. When I started out, I was driven by a desire to earn God’s love and acceptance. Over the years, God has showed me that is not who He is, and not how he works. His love is FREE! I don’t have to do anything to earn His love, acceptance, grace, or any other promise He offers. This thought has transformed my life.

Now I do what I do, because I can’t imagine doing anything else… because I love Him and want to show Him that everyday! I want people to know this God. Not the one people often think of; impersonal, uninterested, dry, and mean. The TRUE God- the loving, gracious, merciful, just, detailed, fun, (I could keep going…) God. I want to “win as many as possible”, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians. I want to not only make an impact in this life, but the next as well.

A Day at the Office

Outreach on board the ship is anything but typical… I wanted to give a taste of what a day could look like, so here are a few pictures to show my day at “the office”. 🙂

 

1. Hop on a zodiac and ride to the village.

 

2. Get dropped off.

 

3. Sometimes there are logs waiting for us to make disembarking a little easier!

4. But if there’s no log, we walk through the mud, then wash our feet!

5. Then we walk to the place where we will run clinics.

6. This can be over bridges…

7. …or on logs over water…

8. Eventually we get to setup. This is one such place where we setup our clinic.

9. Sometimes we are fortunate to have a building for our clinic.

10. Once we’re set up, we gather the village and introduce ourselves and the clinics we’re running.

11. Then it’s time to register those waiting.

12. Some of our team are younger than others… The captain’s son loves helping in Optometry!

13. Our optometrists were happy to teach as well. After registering patients, we begin the Visual Acuity test.

14. If needed, we send the patient to see the optometrist. This little guy actually needed prescription glasses and was our youngest patient. It was an unforgettable experience as he will have a much better chance at education, work, and life.

15. Next is a reading test to see if reading glasses are needed. Most people want to be able to read the small letters in the Bible so this is an exciting part of the process!

16. After we are all done, we pack up and take our stuff to the pickup spot. Everyday we had help with this from the village kids. Some days required long treks through deep mud!

17. Sometimes getting on the boat takes talent! 🙂

18. Riding home and happy after a successful day!

 

On Outreach 2 in the Western Province, we had some special moments…

One of our team members brought a polaroid camera so that she could give photos of families to them to keep!

We gave four prescription glasses to children; I consider this very special as most people who need prescription glasses have never had access to them and are adults by the time the ship has visited. These children will have much more ability to grow up and contribute to their village.

One village actually had a dirt basketball court! It was the muddiest and most entertaining basketball game I had ever played!

One of our optometrists, and the captain’s son also love basketball, so it was quite exciting being able to play with these village girls!

There were a few house-calls done, one that required a short canoe ride to the other village 🙂

Some of the beauty of Papua New Guinea

My wonderful optometry team doing whatever it takes to serve. They are amazing!

 

 

Preparation and Excitement!

Leading up to our international conference in September, I had been pondering, praying, and asking God what he had for this time. When people come together, God shows up! He speaks through his word, people, and other ways, he heals people’s hearts, he guides us in where we should go in the future, and blesses us… it happens all throughout the Bible, and I spent a lot of time thinking and praying about this. I asked God for him to do that for us as we came together to hear from him, and thank him for all he had done in the past.

I knew this wouldn’t just be a significant time for us as a missions organisation, but as individuals as well. I wanted to be sure and prepare myself- I wanted to do something that would remind me every day to welcome God into the plans, ask him what he wanted to do, and allow him to work in my heart as well.

When I asked God what I should do to set this time apart, I had this thought that I should wear a dress every day for the 40 days leading up to the conference. (Not a different one everyday, just a dress a day- I don’t have 40 dresses!!) I know this seems a little odd, but as the 40 days carried on, and as I shared with others what God had put on my heart, it spoke not only to me, but to them as well. I think God is so blessed when we make an effort to show him we love him; when we give him the attention and gratefulness he deserves. I am so thankful for that time- I felt myself being completely sustained through quite possibly the biggest challenge I have faced so far. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome for the conference, and I know there is so much more going on throughout the world of missions because of that week that I will never know about while I’m still on earth.

Preparation times can be so important to what God wants to do in our lives. Not just for short periods like 40 days, but years of preparation for the next season in life. For example, David’s preparation in the Bible was fighting off wild animals when he was a shepherd, before he became an incredible warrior. I think it’s the same for spiritual preparations as well. What’s coming up in your life? I encourage you to consider how God wants to help you prepare you heart, even if you can’t see what’s coming. He is so gracious to us and will always want to help us prepare for the future.

 

Love and Fear

Some people get overwhelmed if all of the sudden 30 teenagers walked by and around them as they leave their office to go find someone or grab a coffee.

At YWAM in Townsville, this isn’t a rare situation, necessarily, but it only happens like this about three times a year when Youth Adventures is going on.

For me personally, I love seeing youth have the chance to experience missions, but this time, it’s different. Why?

Having just finished a task bigger than anything I have ever done, and spent more time on than anything else, it was perfect timing when 30 youth showed up for Youth Adventures. Even though I am not directly involved in the running of this Youth Adventures, I had the privilege of seeking God at the beginning of the year for a theme for this years program (which would end up being on the shirts that are given out to each person coming).

[Side Note] – I find that when we seek God for things like this, he often speaks in terms of things going on in our personal lives as well. Coming off a rough 2014, I was in the process of letting God rekindle the love, trust, and faith I had in Him, and even fan the flame into something bigger than i have ever experienced.

As I sat at my desk at the beginning of the year, trying to come up with an idea for a theme, I was listening to a song by Bethel that talks about God’s love crashing over us, and that it’s in that place that we can have courage to go into things that are much bigger than we think we can handle.

So it was decided- the theme would be one word that summed up the next 9 months of my life. It was a word that would remind me to continue growing in love for God and help me remember all the INCREDIBLE things He has done. (It did also fit well with encouraging youth to step out of their comfort zone, and get to know God on a deeper level.)

Two days after YWAM Together had finished up, I was sitting in our cafe when 30 youth walked in with their themed shirts on that were given to them when they arrived. And it was in that moment I felt God saying over and over and over (30 times), “remember how I carried you and guided you through these past nine months? see how much closer we are, how much more you understand the depth of my love, and how much more you love me! Look at what we’ve been able to do together; thank you for stepping out, for trusting me because of that love.” It was that one word that overwhelmed me with gratefulness and nearly brought me to tears…

Brave.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out all fear…” 1 John 4:18.

You Make Me Brave

I stand before You now
The greatness of Your renown
I have heard of the majesty and wonder of You
King of Heaven in humility I bow

CHORUS

As Your love, in wave after wave
Crashes over me, crashes over me
For You are for us, You are not against us
Champion of Heaven
You made a way for all to enter in

VERSE 2

I have heard You calling my name
I have heard the song of love that You sing
So I will let you draw me out beyond the shore
Into Your grace

BRIDGE

You make me brave, You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave, You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the Love that made a way

BRIDGE 2

You make me brave, You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave, You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the promises You’ve made

Provision in the Famine

The Monday after my friend and I returned from our trip, I woke up a bit concerned. Had I been foolish? Was I hearing God wrong? While I got ready for work, I prayed and silenced the doubts in my mind that caused me to wonder. Then I got a text. My roommate usually babysits for a family, but when she went to PNG for a month, she gave them my number. I hadn’t heard anything from them, so when I got the text it caught me off guard and I remembered!

It was so obviously God organising this… why? One reason is, in the whole month that my roommate was away, this was the only weekend I would have been able to babysit, and that was the only weekend they asked me. The next was something I didn’t realise until later: what I had read that morning in the end of Genesis. The story goes that there was a severe famine for seven years. Egypt and Canaan were “wasting away”. So when they ran out of money to buy grain, they sold to Joseph (the one in charge of selling the grain) their livestock, their land, and then their lives—they became servants so they could work to eat to live. In my “famine of finances” I felt God highlighting to me that it’s ok to receive money outside the “normal” way that missionaries raise support.

During my weekend away with my friend, she had suggested looking into a weekend job. I was praying and considering that when the text came up from the family needing a babysitter! God answered my prayer; at the moment, I wouldn’t be able to commit to a job every weekend, but this was the perfect opportunity to fulfil what I felt God was guiding me to do. The Bible says that God’s word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Not a huge spotlight that lights up the whole path; just enough light to show us the next step in front of us. Ask God for your next step. And remember… trust Him because He is GOOD!

Welcome to the Weekend – 19 June

It was Friday – departure day – and none of the people we knew in our destination or other options for accommodation were panning out. My friend and I are both naturally planners, but were keen to just go with it, and prayed that God would lead us to the right place.

The excitement and anticipation was thick in the car as we rolled into Airlie Beach around 6pm. As we prayed, I remembered a hotel I had seen on outreach last year. My friend was feeling bold, so we walked into reception, she explained our situation, and asked nicely if there was any way they could offer us a deal. The receptionist was the right person! She offered us a corporate rate for two nights; much less than the standard rate. We stepped outside to talk it over, I myself knowing that regardless of how great of a deal it was, I couldn’t afford to split that. That’s when my friend dropped a (good) bombshell on me. She had budgeted for spending the majority of what it would cost us, and offered to pay that, if I would take care of the minimal amount that was left. What?! (I was in tears.)

In the seven years that my friend has lived here she had never snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef. So we spent Saturday exploring and marvelling at God’s underwater display of creativity, and walked the sand of what has been deemed the most beautiful beach in the world. The seasickness, shivers, and clouds that were a part of the day could never put a damper on how amazed we were, and how grateful we were to God.

What a reflection of life. When life is cloudy and the seas are rough, God still remains faithful and good. As we made our journey back to the marina that day, I couldn’t help but think of a song that says:

“The waves and wind still know His name.”

God is still the same God that calmed the waters as Jesus commanded the storm to cease. What storms does He want to calm for us this week? This month? This year?

I’ll be honest, as I prayed and asked God to calm the literal seas, He didn’t. But I knew He still loved me. Regardless of whether or not God calms the metaphorical seas in our lives, we can know that He still loves us. His perspective is so much bigger, and we can trust him. (Remember? He owns the universe and created it… every little detail.)

Side note: Before we left on Sunday, my friend had a nudge in her heart to talk to a man that we saw walking around by himself at a car show taking place. We spent a few minutes listening to his story and giving him the time of day. Later when we got into the car, my friend wondered why she felt that nudge. Maybe God was delaying us for a reason…

About 2 ½ hours later, we passed a fresh accident on the highway. Crazy, right?

As my friend and I made our way home, I knew what waited for me – bills, deadlines, things to work through. But I wasn’t afraid; I continue to praise God for who he is, that He loved me first, that He provides and will continue to provide for every need (not just financially), and that He is my GOOD, GOOD, heavenly Father.

10 Miracles in December and January

I just have to share a few ways God provided and things he did to make Operation: Christmas Miracle happen, and even afterward! 🙂 So here goes…

1. Besides a few individuals, because of being on outreach, I wasn’t able to contact many people until early December. But the majority of the $3500 I needed was raised in just 2 weeks. Let me repeat that: 2 WEEKS.

2. I bought my ticket 5 DAYS before leaving! (Thank goodness for travel agents – especially Australian ones who don’t charge fees!)

3. Even though I was switching airlines in Sydney, my bags were checked all the way through! (If you’ve ever flown on 4 flights in a row, you understand how AMAZING that is.

4. Because of one delay, I arrived in Sydney later than expected, but made it to my international flight with just 5 minutes until boarding. Whew!

5. Something like 70-80 people (probably more) knew about my surprise, and NO ONE gave it away!!

6. Somehow I flew across the world without my mom knowing… that’s a HUGE miracle in itself 🙂

7. I didn’t plan on this, but made it to Idaho to spend a little more time with my siblings.

8. A very good friend from Canada was able to visit me at home (we hadn’t seen each other in 3 years), and on my birthday too!

9. I was able to visit one of my best friends and her husband in San Diego just before flying back to Australia.

10. The best miracle of all… 2014 was not the easiest year. Can you relate? I heard many people say that it was extremely difficult for them, and I was no exception. But while I was home, God did a miracle on my heart, gave me the rest I needed, and deepened my love for him much more than I’ve ever experienced.

And with that, I pray that if 2014 was a hard year for you as well, that you receive rest, and remember just how much God loves you (more than we can imagine). I’m so thankful for the fact that we don’t have to have it all together to come to God. That he journeys with us through life and all that it throws at us. And that he can give us peace that surpasses our understanding.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all…

So one day I decided to run home from work. It’s easy exercise and it gets me where I need to go. When I got home, our new neighbours (a couple who have been friends of mine for a few years) asked me to take a photo for them. After awhile, I wandered outside to snap a photo of them in front of their old car. They had just been given a newer car that would get them on long trips easier than the one they had.

Not thinking anything of it, I started to go back up to my house, when I heard the wife say, “ok, well we’re going to come upstairs around 8:30.” I said, “ok, cool!”, though I found it a bit odd that she didn’t ask, but told me that they were coming up for a visit later.

The time danced away as I made dinner, chatted with my roommate, and did some cleaning. When I heard the footsteps coming up the stairs, I was very curious what this visit was for.

I offered them seats on the couch and took a spot on the floor, when they launched into the reason they were there. “We’ve been praying about what to do with our car, now that we have the newer one, and we decided we want to give it to Jen Younger!” At that moment, my jaw dropped and my hand quickly covered my mouth, just loosely enough to manage an, “are you serious?!” along with an, “I don’t know what to say!”. She quickly replied, “say ‘yes’ if you want it!”. I nodded my head, too in shock to understand what was actually happening. Who gets given a car?! Well apparently, it happens more often around here…

I happened to be sitting in almost the same spot as my roommate when she pulled car keys out of a gift box on Christmas day of 2012. We also realised that now, sitting in front of our houses, were three cars that had ALL been given to their owners. That’s what happens in the world of generosity and love!

Packing up and moving… up?

My housemates and I are getting ready to move upstairs this weekend! The house we live in is split between the top floor and the bottom floor, and the top floor has a bit more room. With four single ladies, we are happy to be moving into a more spacious setting. I never thought this day would come, but God continues to surprise me! 

Sadly, this move is very bittersweet. 

In this two-story house, the downstairs is our house, and the upstairs has been a family’s house. This family has been incredible to live under the same roof with; they have hearts that beat for God and the people around them… which has made living in this house much more like living in a home. 

But the time has come for them to move on to something else, and away from Townsville. With excitement in our hearts for what is next for them, we will tearfully say “see ya later” in just a few short days.

Across the Pacific for a Visit!

That’s right! If you haven’t heard, I’m jumping that pond called the Pacific Ocean to come visit! Starting in San Diego, one of my best friends has asked me to be a bridesmaid for her wedding!

Then it’s up to Eureka for some quality time with friends and family!

And finally to Idaho, where I will get to see my brother and sister-in-law after a year and a half, as well as see their new house, and have the whole family together again.

I’d greatly appreciate your help in making this happen. $10 really will send me 100 miles, so every little bit really does help! Can you contribute $10? $25? Thank you! 

To donate through Paypal (in USD): Click Here!

To donate through the YWAM Website (in AUD): Click Here!

For more options, email me! jennifer.younger1@gmail.com

Donate, keep watching, and in the next seven weeks, the plane will make it’s way over the ocean!

More on finances…

Did you know? All YWAM Staff and Students are volunteers and do not get paid, but rely on what we call, “relationship based support”. From our website:

“Staff and students are encouraged to raise their own financial and prayer support for the duration of their involvement with YWAM Townsville. We believe in relationship based support, where raising support is more than finances. It’s a partnership, relationship, support system. It’s prayer, having faith and hope for success and to see a change being made. We believe it takes the people on the field, in the church, and everyone in between.”

Thank you for believing in what God has called me to do, thank you for your friendship, and thank you for your prayers!