Thank God for a really blessed trip in Melbourne. Though today I am dead tired and feeling down because I had to go back to work, the memories in Melbourne will continue to warm my heart. It was great catching up with brothers and sisters from Hope, Sydney BP, Bethel and of course from Ebenezer. Old friendships were built upon and new friendships were made. The fellowship in Melbourne was definitely the highlight – from the straight-after-red-eye-flight-breakfast in Flinders Lane to the car trip back to the airport last night, the last 12 days have been an amazing and unforgettable blessing.
The main reason for going this time round was the National Youth Conference that Ebenezer BP were hosting for the first time. Situated in Anglesea (at the beginning of the Great Ocean Road – I think), it was a good little spot for some spiritual food prepared by Pastor John Barlow. The camp itself, though seemingly different from previous camps (still not entirely sure why this was the case), was great, but in a different way. I think it may have been because the messages caused me to think rather than convict me or fire me up. I didn't really feel a spiritual high, rather, I left Melbourne missing the fellowship and pretty keen about visiting Esperance someday to visit the Barlows :).
The messages were captivating, and raised many points that caused me to think more about my own walk with Christ, some that I had never considered before in my whole life as a Christian. There were a few times where I did feel conviction - more about things like my lack of faith in God, having false humility, and being guilty of having a 'Hopeless Love' sometimes too.
But I think the best thing about camp was the fellowship I was able to have with some of the fellow campers – the bond that we shared through Christ helped bridge the (age) gap that would normally separate me from those who I got to talk to (though to be honest, being a bit immature for a 25-year-old, the gap usually isn't THAT big). Outside of the church it is often difficult to share deeply with people you have only just met, but at camp, it was as though the bond through Christ gave each conversation the opportunity to take a giant leap past the usual pleasantries and into sharing from the heart. For me anyways :)
Our camp group was named Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone), and we had the blessing of having Pastor Barlow in our group. The discussions were open and many shared their struggles and experiences honestly. The discussions we had in our groups were deep and at times challenging but were also sure to include some laughs along the way. It was a great mix of people and camp just seemed to finish way too quickly.
Following camp, the days were pretty much made up of eating, drinking coffee, shopping, walking, and taking photos. The people from Ebenezer and Bethel were great hosts and it was a blessing to spend more time with them in the past few days. I'm really looking forward to going back to Melbourne in March next year!
As always, here are some photos from the trip. They are in a very mixed up and illogical order.
The main reason for going this time round was the National Youth Conference that Ebenezer BP were hosting for the first time. Situated in Anglesea (at the beginning of the Great Ocean Road – I think), it was a good little spot for some spiritual food prepared by Pastor John Barlow. The camp itself, though seemingly different from previous camps (still not entirely sure why this was the case), was great, but in a different way. I think it may have been because the messages caused me to think rather than convict me or fire me up. I didn't really feel a spiritual high, rather, I left Melbourne missing the fellowship and pretty keen about visiting Esperance someday to visit the Barlows :).
The messages were captivating, and raised many points that caused me to think more about my own walk with Christ, some that I had never considered before in my whole life as a Christian. There were a few times where I did feel conviction - more about things like my lack of faith in God, having false humility, and being guilty of having a 'Hopeless Love' sometimes too.
But I think the best thing about camp was the fellowship I was able to have with some of the fellow campers – the bond that we shared through Christ helped bridge the (age) gap that would normally separate me from those who I got to talk to (though to be honest, being a bit immature for a 25-year-old, the gap usually isn't THAT big). Outside of the church it is often difficult to share deeply with people you have only just met, but at camp, it was as though the bond through Christ gave each conversation the opportunity to take a giant leap past the usual pleasantries and into sharing from the heart. For me anyways :)
Our camp group was named Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone), and we had the blessing of having Pastor Barlow in our group. The discussions were open and many shared their struggles and experiences honestly. The discussions we had in our groups were deep and at times challenging but were also sure to include some laughs along the way. It was a great mix of people and camp just seemed to finish way too quickly.
Following camp, the days were pretty much made up of eating, drinking coffee, shopping, walking, and taking photos. The people from Ebenezer and Bethel were great hosts and it was a blessing to spend more time with them in the past few days. I'm really looking forward to going back to Melbourne in March next year!
As always, here are some photos from the trip. They are in a very mixed up and illogical order.
random dog on chapel st - so cute!
group shot outside Ebenezer BP
another group shot outside Ebenezer BP
breaking by back to pose with cakes at Bernetti
yumming some cha
random lane
tram shot
at The Mess Hall for our last lunch :(
brekky at Chapel St
brekky bunch
outside Drummond (where City Gospel Fellowship is held)
icecream at Docklands
mussels at Belgian Beer Cafe
korean food with Trina and Adeline
Coffee with Bethelites and Trina
yum cha
'Noah's Ark' at camp
Soli Deo Gloria
SDG HQ
after red-eye flight (note the red eyes)
at The Garage
Docklands statue
at The Mess Hall (our waitress was a Christian!! she took this shot for us)
breakfast at Lygon St with Damo
at Melb's Harbour Town (very deserted)
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