Pass It On has come and gone

The YOUTH WITH A MISSION TEAM has come and gone – but the results of this wonderful ministry to the Lockyer region will only be revealed in eternity.

It was such a blessing to us to have 50 young people full of faith, energy and serving hearts come to share in the valley. (Ps Barry Benz, Gatton Church of Christ).

From Gatton YWAM ran to Pittsworth and had a great time encouraging the people and churches and were really excited by the response from the youth in town.

The next run was from Pittsworth to Millmerran. This is only a short run of about 60km and so we arrived mid afternoon.

As the runners were making their way there an advance team was setting the big tent up in the middle of town ready for the week’s ministry. They drove to Millmerran late Saturday evening after the final night meeting in Pittsworth and shared and ministered in all the churches in Millmerran on Sunday morning.

Each week followed a similar schedule:

·         YWAM team took RI lessons in schools, and made contact with secondary students.

·         They ran after-school sports and activity programs on a local  soccer field and in the marquee.

·         They prayer walked or drove around town and surrounding townships asking for God’s blessing on people, land, local government and businesses.

Open meetings at night happened in the big tent – at Gatton Pastors Glen Cochrane from Nexus church in Brisbane, and Ian Shelton from Toowoomba preached powerful messages on the Fatherhood of God, and the importance of fathers in our ‘orphan generation’ community. Another evening saw a big crowd of young people in the tent for a high-energy night of fun, as well as a memorable message from YWAM director Dave Neibling, on living with forgiveness, honour and service.

The final night saw the ministry of ‘Island Breeze’ Family Barbecue and Concert draw a big crowd of about 400 people in Gatton.  Braving the conditions, they loved the spectacular dancers, especially the FIRE dances, as well as the testimonies of lives changed by God. It was very cold but the final night was attended by many non-Christian people and so we saw many sincere conversations at the end of the evening and one salvation which was encouraging.

Each night meeting finished with a warm cup of tea and country baked cakes which were always a favourite part of each night.  These baked cakes just mysteriously appear every day (from the many lovely rural church ladies) - just like manna every day!!

There have been some challenges along the way, cold nights on hard wooden floors, rain, lots of hard work but we loved it. It has been so much fun and so special to encourage and minister to so many people and children and so encouraging to create so many wonderful memories. Its inspiring to do those truly faith inspired things in life where you hold onto the word of the Lord and fight to flesh it out and bring it into the natural. A great experience for the 50 young Ywammers and this experience will speed up their leadership development significantly.

Many thanks to Bible League Australia for generously providing all of the Bibles that were given door to door to over a thousand homes throughout the Locker Valley.

On 17th June we completed the first 3 week leg of the Pass It On Tour and the team are now taking a well-deserved rest.

On 2nd September YWAM runners lace up again to run up to Dalby to begin the second leg of the tour in Dalby, Chinchilla and Roma.

Thank you for your prayers and support given.

Read more about our work on our website www.bibleleague.com.au

The Time Has come.....

We are happy to announce, that week one of the Pass It On Tour has been completed in Gatton and everything is really starting to come along. We were able to put the Pass It On Tent up in time to start the Tour in worship as a team and with the broader local community.

The Lord has really challenged us to make worship one of our focus areas especially in these first few weeks of the Tour, and the team were more than happy to do so. Different teams spent their afternoons interacting with students in some of the local schools including Tent Hill Lower School, Gatton Primary School, and Gatton High School. They have been involved in assemblies, Religious Education classes, Supa Club, and lunch time hang outs at these schools.

Not wanting to wait, a couple of our different teams also began to walk around the town of Gatton handing out our Bible bags in the afternoon. Much like the distribution project in our hometown of Mitchelton, these bags include various little gifts that represent activities to draw families together as well as a Bible generously donated by the Bible League. The response to this activity has been very positive so far, and we pray that God continues to use this, and other activities, for His purposes throughout the rest of the tour.

One evening we hosted a community worship night, but this time we had a time of prayer as we split into 7 different teams and walk through strategic parts of the town and spoke out God’s authority and His heart for the Lockyer Valley

If you are unable to make it during the tour and would like to get involved, prayer goes a long way.  All of your prayer support for the Tour and the towns we are spending time in is greatly appreciated. God is calling all of us to help in whatever way we can to “Pass on the Wisdom of God to the Next Generation.” Whatever this may look like, if it be physically running, prayer support, planting a flag in your own town, or coming down to the Pass it On Tent for our afterschool programs, open meetings or worship night.

Pass It On was and is a direct response to the Lord’s leading and is designed to bless individuals, towns and nations for the glory of God. He’s asked us to run and to share, but this vision and ministry goes far beyond that. We encourage you to come along side us in the Tour and ask God what your role is. He has amazing things planned and I know I don’t want to miss it!

Read more about our work on our website www.bibleleague.com.au

6 Week Challenge Successfully Completed

Every day that I have travelled these roads it has been by focusing on God and not on myself or my shortcomings. Every day I have been accountable to HIM and I feel victorious that I have reached this milestone.

In 2001 I was diagnosed with underactive thyroid which caused a few health problems.  As you know, we have the Spirit of God within us and the tools of HIS KINGDOM, this last 2 months (just before the walk) and to now and onwards, has been about me CLAIMING his healing.

Is it a picnic all the time? Of course not but I know that I never need to face any circumstance by myself.  The Word of God, past evidence of God's saving grace, praise music and you know what, the realisation that being tested is actually a blessing (of course this a lesson we have to learn) I thank God for HIS grace, I personally want to grow, I want to be more spirit filled and continue to be all I can for HIM to use me as is HIS will, what God has shown me through this challenge is that "I can do all thing's through HIM that strengthens me".

I know I can continue to walk as now I will be in training to make myself the very fittest I can be for this next step of my journey with HIM.

Blessings to you all until next time, Teena Jones over and out

(Bible League greatly appreciates the time and energy that Teena has put into this fundraising effort.  May God continue to bless and inspire her as she journeys with Him.)

Read more about our work on our website www.bibleleague.com.au

Bible League & YWAM QLD

YWAM Brisbane runners have laced up their sneakers and hit the road with the first leg of the Pass It On Tour at the end of May.

It is an ambitious and exciting mission which YWAM is embarking on for the next year in Australia as they run God’s truth across the entire Western world!

YWAM Brisbane will run 3,000 kilometres through 30 rural Australian towns starting end of May.  The aim is to reach and reform this next generation of the Western world - always in a westerly direction.

The first official stop for the Pass It OnTour was Gatton, in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley. Then the B2B DTS, Sports DTS and Go Teams headed to Laidley and Pittsworth before passing on the baton in the next leg. In each town, YWAMers teach in schools about the foundational values from the Bible (provided by Bible League International Australia), about the importance of families and the importance of fathers. Not only that, but they will deliver a Bible to every home in the communities through which they travel. A baton from the elders in one town will be handed over to the youth in the next as a symbol of passing on God’s wisdom from generation-to-generation.

Already, 16 runners representing six different nations ran from Brisbane through the Lockyer Valley and up to Toowoomba leading up to Easterfest 2012 – Australia’s largest Christian music festival. There, YWAM Brisbane Base Director, Dave Neibling was able to share the vision of the Tour at the festival mainstage in April.

The Pass It OnTour is just the beginning… so for more on the future of the run, for all the updates from the road and for ways in how you can get involved check out the Tour website gopassiton.org.

Read more about our work on our website www.bibleleague.com.au