Coming home

On monday the 30th I arrived home safe and sound at Sydney Airport and my parents drove me home. I am currently begining the process of settling into a normal life in Australia and re-connecting to friends and family. Please if you havn't had a chance to speak to me in person and you would like to, just reply to this e-mail.

While I was over in Europe I contributed to the IT (Information Technology) department and the AV (Audio/visual or production) Department. I helped build a storage room for all the AV equipment to be used for quayside events where the crowd is too big to fit on the ship, I helped unpack, configure and install 60 new dell computers, I wirebrushed (sanded paint off) 10 parcans (lighting enclosures) and re-painted them for use, I helped arrange donated food and drinks in a soup kitchen/shelter, I helped people use the ship's intranet to communicate valuable information to each other, I did AV / Production for a number of ship events taking the load off my leader, I helped run many cables all around the visitor experience deck and I helped install speakers in the ceiling on that deck. I could not have achieved these things without your support, so you have blessed the ship ministry in all those ways.

With the extra money I was given to spend for the ministry I purchased many small things including a DI box, A really cool electric screwdriver that can go around corners (which was amazingly helpful taking the ceiling panels down), Some paint and windsocks for microphones. It wasn't a great contribution considering the great financial needs of the ship, but these small things could be purchased immediately without being submitted for approval and waiting for delivery, so in that way these small things were a great help to the current ministry of the AV team.

Also while I was there I took the opportunity to visit Cafe Jerusalem, where free meals are given to regular patrons at breakfast and lunch and an evangelistic sermon is given each day before lunch. Along with helping with the store room, I was given the opportunity to share my testimony (my life story with Jesus if you will) with a crowd of non-believing down-and-out Germans (with a translator of course). It was a great experience for me to speak in front of a crowd about why I was there and why I was a Christian. I also had the pleasure of mixing with locals at an 'open ship' event on a friday night with an Australian theme, dressed in my boardshorts, cap, sunnies, thongs and zinc cream (it's ok, it's warm on the ship). I had the privilege of joining an ausie friend and praying with a German man who was struggling with his faith and doubting God and he was very encouraged by our honesty and our faith and left the ship with a new passion for God.

I don't know if I've chaged at all or learnt very much, but I suppose that is something that is difficult to measure. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience all that I did and I look forward to living life back here in this great country.