So… I know I’d said I’d write about Sunday morning, but truth is, it’s been crazy busy, and I never got around to it after I got off Sunday!! BUT… I remember it was INCREDIBLE!! I’m not going to go into too much detail about it because I have a more recent service I attended and can share about!! The 18-25 group meets every Wednesday night, called Powerhouse!! And last week we didn’t have it because we had a joint group on Friday instead with all of middle and high school students!! The past few days have just been so fun and so awesome (I’ll go into detail about last night in a minute!!) Monday we had brunch as a new student intake, it was the first time it was ONLY new students and so it made things a lot easier and it was such a good time!! I love the friends I’ve made but it’s been cool to get to know other students from all over the place also! Tuesday, yesterday, we actually went to Bondi and Bronte beaches!! We got out at Bondi and walked this GORGEOUS trail to Bronte up on cliffs and everything!! It was BEAUTIFUL!!! Oh my GOSH!! You have NO idea… it was SO much fun too; walking with all new students and just getting to know each other and sit in Gods creation together and share out hearts and hear what everyone’s expecting God to do this next year!! I’ll post pictures as soon as I get a solid internet connection, but they’ll be up SOON!! :)

Today was the last day before we start orientation and enrollment tomorrow, and they had a trip to Manly Beach today (the harbor with the bridge and opera house) as a group, but I opted out! I was in DESPERATE need of alone time, me and Jesus and his word and my guitar! I woke up a little bit discouraged because I thought I’d have my flat to myself because everyone was planning on going, but I woke up to find that only one of my three flat-mates went, so my time was going to be a challenge! But God KNOWS what he’s doing! :) So instead of me being inside with him, he stopped the rain and led me to a park right beside our apartment complex that has a HUGE hill, that overlooks just about all of Sydney!! So I spent the day on a hill!! My friend Lindsey went too, we just sat in different areas! But I was able to talk with Jesus and love on Him and let Him love back on me, and Just sat with him!! It was SOOO needed, and I’m not keeping the park to myself, I’m just not telling anyone about it! Haha! :)

So I came home from my time and got ready for Powerhouse tonight, and was SO ready to encounter Jesus with a full band and lots of hungry hearts surrounding me!! And OH MY GOSH, is that what I got!! I can’t even BEGIN to explain, from the first chord to walking in the door of my flat, how thick the presence of God is in this place!! Learning to lead others into the presence of our God is what I came for, but little did I know I’d be learning how to be lead in worship!! There’s this thickness and saturation and THIRST AND DESIRE for Jesus to come down and TRULY change the lives of those in attendance, it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before!! And I can tell you one thing for sure… PLEASE listen to me… it’s not because I’m at Hillsong… it’s not because of the structure of the country I’m in… it’s because it’s God’s children saying mediocre is NOT ENOUGH!! That being ushered into the presence of the Almighty is not something that is to be taken lightly so we PRAY and we SEEK and we PLEAD with our Father to come MAKE HIS NAME KNOWN!!! For his Face to shine on us, and he DOES!!!! The hunger and desire is genuine not for a few in the body of the church, but the odd ball is the one who isn’t genuine about it!! I just bawled on a row by myself tonight during worship because everyone surrounding me had already staked their ground at the altar, and the foot of the floodgates!! There was such FREEDOM!! To jump, to dance, to shout, to cry, to be still, to WORSHIP OUR GOD!!!!!! I opened my eyes during the middle of one of the songs, and I’ve never been apart of such uninhibited worship before, not even at Passion! I CAN’T explain it to you, other than to tell you I can’t get ENOUGH, and honestly for the FIRST time, I didn’t feel like one of a few, but one in a majority!! I’m honestly watering down the explanation because it’s SO different than anything, many of us, have ever seen!! I wanted MORE and DIFFERENT!! It’s why I came, and this is just the beginning!! I’m sorry if I’m stepping on any toes, but there’s now way to accept or understand the lukewarm when there is SO MUCH MORE, all you have to do is ASK!! It doesn’t always come immediately, because we don’t always fully understand what we’re asking for and the Lord has to prepare us for His greatness!! But it is GREAT and WORTH the patience and glorious pain of unquenchable desire!!

The Lord has brought me here, and has SO reassured me of that in the times of worship in my own time, and in services!!

Please continue praying, joy doesn’t come without the sufferings or the trials!! It’s how we know the difference!! I have orientation the next 2 days, and auditions on Friday (ya’lls Thursday!) Thank you so much for your prayers! Know that I’m praying for ya’ll just as much!! I love and miss you!!! The Lord is Great and Glorious!!

P.S.--- tonight at Powerhouse, instead of having a message, they actually set up a panel chat with some of the United Band members, not Joel or Brooke, but some of the other members also!! Def. not what I was expecting but God used it as confirmation over more than one thing! SO COOL!!! :)