For starters, the sessions… top grade, yes? Ps Adam, Ps’s Dan and Caley Korocz, Carly O and Ps Keira… off the chain much?! So much meaty goodness in there, so much to think about and put into practice.  Seriously guys, we have some of the best pastors and preachers in our youth ministry, make sure you soak up every word that comes from that pulpit!

The band? HOT, and by hot, I mean HAWT! Soooo good. They were tight, they were sweet (or should I say sweat, Scotty?!), they ushered in the presence of God. They were good looking… I could keep going!

The games and extreme challenges?! Way fun! The funniest moments involved Holly Gron and Emil getting stranded on one side of the water without a paddle…. and Holly Gron gunning it on the go-kart.  The water slide was hilarious, especially when Brooke Sneddon tried to slide down it and got nowhere…Which team won, by the way?! J-Cube? Busta King? Grand Master Slam?

Did anybody actually sleep? Coz I’m pretty sure I saw a few zombie dorm leaders trying to keep their eyes from falling out of their sockets they were so tired. You guys sure know how to stay awake all night! A huge shout out to the dorm leaders, they need a giant medal…

And the hugest shout out of all the Ps Adam and Keira… we have amazing youth pastors WG, serving them is the absolute best thing everrrrrrrrr! A round of applause please…

See you all for the first night back of term, Welcome to Summer…. heck yes I say!

Love all round.

Day 10

Ps Adam and the team spent the afternoon building into the youth leadership team of C3VI.  They were so hungry and eager to learn from us that we just poured out our knowledge of how we do things here at WG.  It must have been an interesting sight, with about 30 young people gathered around the hotel pool.

Rock the City part 2.  This was the final night of the battle of the bands.  The bands showcased their stuff again, rocking it out.  Of particular interest was one band’s emo screamo take of, ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna and ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None the Richer.  We’ve gotta give them kudos for bringing something original.

The WG band brought their trademark WG style, and they loved it.  That pretty much says it all really.

Day 11

The Snake Pit.  Full of vipers and black-market markets (supposedly?).  Buying Scotty new shoes, Carly a new suitcase, Chantel more handbags, Brodie more clothes.  Making sure that Holly didn’t wander off by herself…again…

An afternoon flight to Bali, which meant we were repacking out suitcases on the footpath outside the airport with our snake pit stuff.  It was here that we had to say goodbye to the amazing people who we had only met 10 days earlier, but who had made a huge impact on the WG team.  It was sad to say goodbye, but we were chuffed that the Bri-man declared his undying love for Vegemite.  We had done Australia proud.

Day 12

Our first full day of debrief, and what a gloriously splendid day it was. Breakfast was pretty much heaven on earth, a debrief with the team about our ministry time, then relaxation for the rest of the day.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..

Day 13

Some of the boys went to the Compassion project in Bali where Scotty got to meet his guitar-playing sponsor boy.  They pretty much rocked out the project.  Ps Adam met his bro’s little girl (who was b-e-a-utiful) and we were able to be a blessing to the families involved in the project.

For the rest of us, we got to go shopping (as if we hadn’t already had enough of it) and the boys went jet skiing and parasailing.  Not bad for a day of debriefing!

Day 14

The last day in Indonesia.  A day shopping in Kuta, living it up, bargaining like we’ve never bargained before (we were onto their tricks!).  Stuffing all our perfumes into already over-loaded suitcases.  Madly rushing around the airport trying to convince them to let us on with all our extra luggage.

Speaking on behalf of the whole team - this trip was amazing.  If you weren’t able to make it this trip, start saving now for next time and you’ll be ready to pay your ticket.  Don’t miss an opportunity like this, and when it comes, grab hold of it and milk it for all it’s worth!  You won’t regret it.  You’ll learn so much from it and the experiences that you’ll get to be a part of can’t be compared to anything.  You’re in a position of blessing here that means you can bless someone else.  Even the little things meant a whole lot to the Indonesians.  They are an amazing, humble and gracious people who loved us to pieces.  As we did them.

So.  This term is shaping up to be a cracker.  Make sure you’re at every Friday night so you can go in the draw for a sweet prize!

Love all round.

Day 5

Schools DIY, well, sort of.  For the first time in C3VI, we were able to run a schools program in the Cherish School in Jakarta.  The program ran for three days and consisted of different aspects such as leadership and self-esteem.  We met incredible young people and the team was able to minister to these amazing youth who have such a passion and desire to see their city won for Christ.

After a sick Scotty went back to the hotel, a visit with Ps Sanita at her amaaazing office building with a great view over Jakarta and a lunch/shop at the Grand Indonesia (just the biggest shopping centre in Indonesia!), it was time to head back to the church and prepare for the worship workshops night 2. The second night was just as powerful as the first.  The team taught on the spiritual aspects of a worship team, but also taught about the prophetic side and showed the people practically how this works in a team setting.  It was great, it was amazing, it was an all-round good time.

Day 6

Schools early in the morning for those involved, resting for those who weren’t.  Matt prophesied over students and the team was able to impart the WG touch into the lives of the students.  It was a job well done by the schools team. The afternoon looked like Mangga Dua take 2.  Enough said.

Day 7

Last day of schools.  Whilst the team was ministering, hotels were being bombed.  What a crazy thought, that we would be in the city that this was happening in.  Whilst it was important to stay safe and defo keep praying, it was also important for us to realise that we were in the safest place we could’ve been, the middle of God’s will. One of the schools team continued to minister in a second school whilst the rest of the team prayed and stayed at the hotel, a great time to use the sauna, pool and watch many of the dvds we had so cheaply purchased.

Day 8

Rock the City!  C3VI had organised a battle of the bands between local bands.  5 bands played to a panel of judges (which included Carly O) and WG headlined the night.  Ps Adam preached more revival fire and saw many people respond to the call.  It was a great night of connection between the locals and many muslim youth.  A special shout out to Budi who stepped into Scotty’s guitar shoes and was able to help us out whilst Scotty battled it out with sickness.  (He won, I’d just like to add).

While we’re talking shout outs, Brian, Clayton (aka Cletus), Brother Jeffry, Brother Paul, Ps Ridwan, Brother Chris and Brother Monty were the most amazazing hosts.  They bargained for us, they translated for us, they were pretty much the best things since sliced bread.  Snaps for you guys!

Day 9

Another glorious Sunday in Jakarta.  The team split up into two groups, half going to C3VI, the other half going to C3 Bekasi, an amazing church that boggled our minds.  The band ministered in the service, and for the most part, the church sang louder than Carly and the team (and they all had microphones).  In fact, at one point, Carly tried to lead the band into a chorus, but the congregation was determined to sing another verse, so the band followed the people.  That has never happened before.  But that was sweeeeet.  The team at C3VI shared testimonies of God’s goodness from the trip and their lives, and all spoke well.

The team came together in the evening to minister at another church service.  This church was a pretty cool little place.  The congregation were, well, sort of older.  The style of the music was, well, sort of older.  Then in comes WG.  It was a crazy, weird combination, but one that saw miracles and salvations.  A deaf man got his hearing back.  A woman claimed she was healed of cancer.  Muslims accepted Jesus.  It’s amazing what can happen when there’s faith in a place.

Check back for part 3…

Day 1

4am… The team meets at the church, where just hours before they had all served so faithfully.  Is any sane person ever awake at this time?  Well, sane or not, we were awake (just) and jumping on a bus with the Borneo team to the airport.

6am… Arrive at Sydney airport and begin checking in the team and gear.  An hour or so later everyone was checked in, oversized baggage sent on its way and team starts heading for the gate.  Did I mention the flight was with Garuda?

10am… Depart from Sydney… and so the adventure begins…

6 hours later

Arrive in Depasar (Bali)… and so the drama begins.  Lines that move slowly are the bane of my patience.  The whole airport was waiting in lines that were simply not moving… yet the clock was ticking.  Imagine the team running through the airport to catch their next plane, lugging bags, dodging people, racing against the clock to get on Garuda, and you’d be pretty close to seeing what went on.  An adrenalin rush to say the least.  But, despite the stress, everyone made the flight.

1 hour later again

The whole team lands safely in Jakarta, all gear in tact, and stuffs themselves into a squishy, packed-to-the-rafters bus, which in turn drives them straight to C3 Victory Indonesia (C3VI).  The band unloads the guitars, the drum gear, the korg, sets up on stage and five minutes later plays their first chord.  Crazy, huh?  The youth service at C3VI goes off.  Ps Adam preaches ‘revival fire’.  The Indonesians are hungry, that much is evident.  The team prays for the youth, the band plays in their prophetic anointing, lives are changed.

A late dinner with church and youth leaders, then back to the Grand Tropic Hotel, home for the next week and a half.  It is a good day.

Day 2

Sunday, glorious sunday.  The team rises early (incredibly early, like 6am… what’s with that?!) and heads to breakfast.  A usual breakfast at Grand Tropic looks like omlette, pancakes, baked beans, pom pom potatoes (let’s just call them potato gems), weird asian stuff, skype phonecalls and devotions.  The team is ready to minister to the people of C3VI, the band has finalised a songlist, everyone jumps in a bus again and heads out into the world.

And then it begins.

Traffic in Jakarta is, well, how do I say it?  C-R-A-Z-Y!  I am not even exaggerating.  You know how there’s road rules and stuff?  Yeah, well, not there.  Maybe there was, but I could not pick them.  Cars and motorbikes are everywhere.  Whole families cling to one motobike, babies, kids and parents.  Cutting in on other cars is the normal thing to do.  Horns blare all the time.  People walk across the road with no fear.  I have never seen anything like it before in my life.

We arrive at church, enjoy the first half of the service ran by the C3VI team, then play some sweet WG tunes, then listen to Ps Ads preach revival fire again.  Listening to a preacher and interpreter is a crazy experience, it’s like a tennis match.  Your head goes back and forth between them and you marvel at how the interpreter copies the exact moves of the preacher… but the message gets through and people’s lives are changed.

A traditional Chinese and Dutch lunch (go figure) follows at a pastors house, Carly rests up in the hotel with a sore throat, the team heads back to the hotel to get ready for the next church service at Ps Tarsum’s church.

And what a church service.  You could hear the Holy Spirit blowing like a big wind.  You could see the effects of the wind, people crying, falling over, raising hands in worship, singing their hearts out.  All this in a tiny room, about 20 people meeting together with us and Jesus.  Such a special moment.

Day 3

One day I will never forget.  Baked beans, potato gems and meeting with poverty.  The day starts out in the usual way, breakfast and a whole bunch of traffic as the team heads to the Compassion project in Jakarta.  Simon, Matt and Nicola were about to meet their sponsor children.  A quick stop to buy rice, oil, presents and lollies, another pit stop at a Christian music store where Ps Adam hands out copies of the WG album, a quick listen to ‘Young on Purpose’ as it blares out the speakers in the shopping centre, and back to the Compassion project.

It’s a strange experience meeting kids in another country who you don’t know but who you are helping.  Watching Simon with his little girl as they try and figure out a pencil sharpener, and Matt and his work’s sponsor boy take a ride on a bike, it was easy to see the difference they were making in these precious people’s lives.  It doesn’t cost us much to make a world of difference for them (shameless plug for Compassion).

The team split up and headed out to see more families, distributing gifts and groceries to them.  Seeing the smiling faces of the kids as they accepted colouring in books and a hug from their sponsor, and the bright faces of the neighbourhood kids as they grabbed handfuls of lollies was enough to make everyone’s day.  Despite living in poverty, these families were happy.  The kids were smiling. They were eternally thankful.  It was a beautiful moment to experience.

From the Compassion projects we headed to Mangga Dua.  In Bahasa, this means, ‘Two Mangoes’.  And that’s exactly what we experienced.

Not.

Mangga Dua has to be seen to be believed.  It’s a shoppers delight, a bargainers haven, a thrill-seekers adventure place.  Floors and floors of markets, shops and stalls.  Handbags, I have never seen so many handbags!  DVDs, jeans, shoes, wallets, perfumes, random junk… you name it, they had it.  And not only did they have it, you got to bargain for it.  What fun!  What a glorious day!  The team did their best job at supporting the local economy that day, walking away with bottles of perfume for $7 and handbags for the same.  We could barely fit back into the vans.

The day was one of extremes, the Compassion visit to crazy retail therapy.  It was one that we will never forget.

Day 4

A morning off, a sleep-in past 6am…aaaahhhh.  The team was gathered together for a morning of worship and spending time in the Word.  And what a moment it was.  So good.  It’s amazing how you’re able to grab snippets and moments of time with God amidst a crazy schedule and that moment can recharge your batteries.

This was a special day, Holly Gron’s 19th birthday.  After hanging out with God, we hung out with Holly and a chinese restaurant and celebrated together.  Nasi Goreng was forever on the menu (some might call it, Nasty Goreng, but hey, that’s up to them!).  This was also a special day for the musicians, as we went shopping at a music/fitness (??!!) store and spent up big.  Wireless packs? Yes.  Guitar amp?  Yes.  After shopping like crazy, musical people, it was time to head back to the church and prepare for the worship workshops.

And what an incredible time they were.  Worship teams from local churches gathered to hear our very own Ps Adam, Carly, Scotty and Naomi teach about worship and what the WG music team does best every week.  There was praying, crying, people falling over (with no-one to catch them I might add!) prophetic worship and great teaching.  All in all, the night was a great success.  Be proud of the team, because they were able to impart some of WG into the hungry Indonesians.

Check up on part 2…

CLASH OF THE TITANS!

Bring it on.

Get yourself there. Bring your friends. Bring your helmets. Bring your brute strength.

It’s gonna be awesome. Seriously.

If you’re not excited about camp, you must not have been at youth on friday. Seriously, if you weren’t there, you need to get your lil paws on a copy of the camp flyer. First of all, they look RAD, yes, RAD! Second of all, they have all the details of what’s gonna be going down in October at Camp Rock 09 Young on Purpose. Thirdly, we’ve started a payment plan option so you can pay $10 each week and by the time camp rolls around you’ll be paid off and roaring to go.

Yeehah!

So make sure you’re there on friday night, grab a copy of the camp flyer and sign up for it. I can promise you it will be the highlight of your year! You won’t know what’s hit you!

Love all round

Guys and girls, WG exists for YOU! We’re passionate about the young people of this city, we’re passionate about creating the best place to be on Friday nights! We’re passionate about connecting you with the God of the universe. So when you come along on Fridays, rest assured, this is all for you!

But!! and there is always a but… it exists for your friends as well!! Get them along to the bestest place to be on a Friday night!

This Friday night is camp launch… better hold onto your socks coz we’re gonna try and rock them off your feet with the HOTTEST songs you’ve ever heard, written especially for WG… you’ll love them, I promise!

Love all round

Band, check. Student preachers, check. Ps Ads wearing a tie… double check.

Can I just give a special shoutout to Brodie and Deccas? These two guys were really something else…’something else’ being preachers. Brodie’s best line? Let’s just get over it and save the world. Preach it Pastor Brodie.  Deccas, man, that guy is so full of passion that I’m suprised he didn’t burst behind the pulpit.  He carved up a big slice and got his preach on.

Guys and girls, I know we’ve been raving on about it all term, but let’s just get all our friends saved.  Ps Ads made a great point - Jesus came and bridged the gap for us to get to God.  It’s that simple.  Nothing more, nothing less. 

So if it’s this simple, let’s be bringing our friends along on Fridays.  We’ve got the Triple Threat coming up in a few weeks, Running of the Bulls, Clash of the Titans and Weapon’s Wild Winter.  As if you wouldn’t want your friends to come along and see how AWESOME Friday nighs are at WG!

It’s that simple

Much love

ps - Freshmens… comin soon!

Despite the rain, WG was pumping all night. Stacks of new people, tons of people altogether, the band was hot hot hot and better yet, God showed up.

This term is all about evangelism. Bring your friends next week, rain, hail or shine, coz WG friday nights are the best place to be. Where else can you hang out with some of the coolest people and listen to sweet speakers and rockin bands, all for a couple a bucks? Ah, pretty much nowhere? So it’s solved. WG is the only place to be on fridays.

So get your friends along next week!

Love all round