Hello friends and family!

The start of this week has been eventful, fun, and enjoyable. Monday and Tuesday didn’t hold too much excitement, but today (Wednesday) has been exciting.
The morning started bright and early with a polar plunge in the pool we have on property. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning was the coldest temperatures so far, so the boys decided to take a polar plunge. The idea was that everyone would participate, but nearly everyone chickened out. They jumped in the freezing cold pool, and then got right out and ran a few laps. I wanted to catch pictures of them, but since it was so chilly, they ran straight to their warm, 3-minute shower. :)
After breakfast, the team loaded up on the bus and headed for Eumundi Markets, in Eumundi, Queensland. We spent a few hours there (8 am- 12 pm), and had a great time shopping for souvenirs and yummy snacks. Many of the boys bought boomerangs, leather hats, and cool Aussie trinkets. Many of the girls bought jewelry, wrap skirts, t-shirts and hoodies, and some little trinkets as well (key chains, post cards, etc.). One of the most interesting shops was a man who makes all his jewelry out of spoons and forks. His work is beautiful! Another favorite of the day was Slinky Chips— potatoes slices spiraled around a stick and deep fried… yummy!
The rest of the week will hold much more work like painting, flooring, and other miscellaneous work. A portion of the team has been leaving property every morning to help construct a playground at Noosa Church.
Coming up in the next week or so we will begin more of the evangelism side of work, and we will start traveling out and participating in youth groups and such ministries.

A highlight from the team this week:
We were leaving Eumundi Markets, and when we got to the bus, the driver discovered the battery was dead. We quickly huddled up and said a few prayers, and then the girls watched as all 11 of the boys (plus Navie) pushed the bus to start it. It started on the second try, and they were all super excited and thankful! That’s just one small way we’ve seen the Lord work and show Himself to the team this week.

Now for a word from the team members:

Jade S:
“ I love Australia! It is so nice and peaceful here. There is lots of wildlife and the scenery is beautiful. I have been doing lots of painting and cleaning around the house we are currently renovating. On Sunday I helped in the 3-5 year old class and that was so fun… to see the kids so energetic and eager to learn. I love having a baby on our team! It has been very fun and she is so cute. We went souvenir shopping at a market and it was really fun, because we got to dig through all the little trinkets. I love Australia and will definitely miss it when we leave.”

Stephen M:
“This week in Australia, we continued working on the staffing accommodations for the staff here at Teen Missions base. We have been doing a lot of painting and a good bit of moving things around. A few people went to work at the Noosa Church on their playground and their other outreach missions. The weather here has been great! We are all continuing to serve God in the Australian community.”

Hudson C:
“It’s been great here and I have grown in my faith and love for God. We have done some work at a church and it’s been lots of fun.”

The team is continuing to do well, grow, serve, and have fun. As a leadership team, we are continually encouraged by how sweet and fun this team is. Thanks be to God, there have been no real issues or problems within the team.
They are always holding baby Esther and playing with her— Esther is very well loved here, even with so many boys! :)

Prayer Requests:
1) Please continue praying for unity and spiritual growth of both team members and leaders.
2) Pray for safety and diligence for our work project.
3) Pray that we would keep seeing God at work, and continue giving Him all the glory and honor He is due.