Powerful Encounters at School

Photo top: Olive Branch I was given during first encounter.

Photo below: A Students photo of fire over our heads during FREEDOM shout encounter!

Since I have started God has been really enlarging my understanding of Him and as renewing and redeeming my self image. He has been highlighting areas where I have needed to repent, (lies I have believed, 1/2 truths about Him and me) He has also been showing me people I needed to forgive and has been showing himself new to me.

In one encounter recently God set me up during the week... on the Monday I lost my wedding ring (then I told a mate... he prayed for me...and I immediately remembered where it was)...then on Tuesday in my time with God at the prayer chapel I saw the bright colour RED and when I asked God what it meant, he said "I am passionate about you!"...the next night during a sozo class God we were asked to ask the Holy Spirit to give us a gift...he gave me a girls wedding ring and a clothes rack with kids clothing on it! I had no idea that these were connected until the next day when my Revival Group pastor Crystal was preaching on intimacy with God... I responded and then during worship she felt led to come down and give me the olive branch she had used to preach with. Instantly God hit me... I balled and laughed... then I saw a vision of Jesus and I... except this time I was a bride! then all of the weeks events (my wedding ring, the red passion, the engagement ring and kids clothes) began rushing back to me...then Jesus said to me "where do you want to go today?" "what are we going to do?" It was in such friendly intimate husband wife talk that it blew me away. You see I had always struggled with Jesus and me. I had struggled to intimately connect...I always thought he was on a mission and I had to help him get it done! It was a business relationship and there wasnt much intimacy. What I was now realising, was that I AM his lover! that He passionately desires me! that he wants to go on adventures with me! That he wants to have fun with me! Now when I have my quiet times it's different, it's more intimate, more personal, I'm out of control and never know quite what is going to happen!

The best and last part of the vision was when I saw my boys smiles (Jaden massive ear to ear and Zeke's cheeky smile) and Jesus said "This is how I look at you all the time!" I burst into tears and laughed too! He rocked my world!

Another encounter only a week or so later was when our leaders felt God wanted to set some of us free. So after preaching he set up the open mike and asked for anyone to come up who felt God wanted them to get free, and to shout "FREEDOM!" into the microphone. So the stage was swamped... and I was one of them. After about 40min or so, it came to my turn, and I was shouting for myself, for my parents and for my family. So I let it rip "FREEDOM!!!" before I knew it I was jumping like a Kangaroo! yelling it over and over again... and then I ended up on the ground 15metres away knocked out under the power of God. I got so drunk in the Holy Spirit (2nd time now) that my Aussie mates were paying me out for another 30min and I didnt realise! I feel freer ever since that encounter, and am more susceptible to Gods presence in meetings.

Dave's new miracle bike!

WOW! I never would have thought it!

A mate of mine asked me to go to the bike store with him and help him pick a mountain bike (so we could start riding to get fit!) (I had already been given a girls mountain bike (1980's style) which was ok (sort of)) So we went to the local Giant dealer and checked out a heap of the bikes. While we were there we checked out the cheapest ones, right up to the top of the range in the front suspension models. It became clear to me, as I rode them that the better bike was the more expensive one. So he asked me "Which one do you wreckon I should get?" And I said "well for sure the Giant XTC2" Then he looked at the shop owner and said "We will take two of those ones then thanks!" I looked over at him with a confused look...and he said "You don't mind if I get you a bike do you Dave?" I was GOB SMACKED!

Then I remembered how 3 weeks earlier, I had been in my prophetic class and a young girl was asked to give me words of knowledge. She said "I see a coffee machine"... I replied "well I have been enjoying getting into drinking coffee"(a few weeks later I got loaned a coffee machine)... then she said "I see a bike"... I said "I really want a bike, but don't have one yet" (the girls bike didn't count) And then 3 weeks later God not only gets me a bike, not even the cheap version, but he gets me the best! God is sooo GOOD!

Fun, Family, Friends...life

We've been having so much fun that we haven't managed to get around to updating our blog! Our apologies for those who have been regularly checking for the latest update!

Some of the photos below show what we've been up to. After settling in to our house we connected with quite a few fellow Aussies at the college. So what else were a bunch of Aussies going to do on Grand Final weekend? Eat meat pies and watch the footy! Thanks to our neighbours who recorded the final for us and then supplied the house with the LARGE screen TV, we were able to enjoy watching the ALF final - and what a final it was!!! We were very excited to still feel a part of the footy culture! I can't say all the Aussies enjoyed it, but the Victorians sure did! They did all enjoy the Four n Twenty pies we had shipped up though (found a distributor somewhere in California that we ordered from)!

The Redding Airshow was on the same afternoon. Tim, Anna, Dave and I, and the boys enjoyed our free viewing of the Blue Angels from the traffic intersection outside the airport! Zeke was stoked to see the planes - as were all of us actually! We were amazed by the pilots abilities!

We've enjoyed being able to use some of the free days that Dave has had to enjoy some of the beautiful surrounds. We have enjoyed waterfalls with Nat and Yvonne Parsons, spent a night camping with Tim & Anna, and another couple Jonathan & Rachel, been swimming in waterholes, watching sunsets with our neighbours, and more recently visiting Lassen National Park and Redwoods National Parks (more on them another time). Dave and I have managed to spend a few date nights together too, thanks to Tim and Anna babysitting!

Our first experience of Halloween was quite tame. Zeke dressed up in a pumpkin suit (thanks to our neighbours) which he kept on for about 5 minutes! Our neighbours held a small kids party with Jumping Castle, food, and lots of little kids activities. We had 3 places to be that night, so we didn't send Zeke 'Trick or Treating' which we were glad about after seeing the massive bags of lollies (candy) our neighbours kids collected!

Another American culture thing we have tried is 'Biscuits and Gravy'. We were assured it was great...however I (Taff) didn't find that to be the case! Their biscuits are what we would call scones. The gravy is a white sauce with sausage in it. Not my cup of tea. Some enjoyed it though! Following 'Biscuits and Gravy' we went out to the shooting range - which is just outside along a road - aiming up at the hills! So I had my first go at a shotgun and pistol - shooting pumpkins left over from Halloween!

We have also had a couple of other visitors to our house. Our friend, Suzy, who lives in New York spent a few days with us. We haven't seen her for over 6 years, so it was good to catch up and see her enjoy our boys! Just last weekend we had more visitors from home (Bendigo). John and Judy Mott also spent a few days with us and didn't fail to bring some Aussie supplies for us! The vegemite and weetbix and very precious items in this house! It was so nice to have people from 'home' in our new 'home'.

So we are enjoying ourselves and the surrounds as much as we can before the weather turns too cold! Lots more to tell, but we'll break up the post so it's not too long!