Back in the U.S.A.

Wow,
It’s hard to believe that this picture taken at the top of the page was the first day we got to Sydney. It’s hard to believe that our time in Sydney is over. We made so many good relationships that were really hard to say goodbye to. I don’t feel that we were even there long enough. We were really just starting to build those relationships and then it was time to leave. But what the Lord has been showing me is that he sovereignly chose for me to be there, for each of my team members to be there, and he also sovereignly chose the days that we would be there. And just as he was working there before we got there and just as he was working exactly the way he wanted to while we were there, he will continue to work there even after we are gone. I realize that if it were up to me I would still be there wanting to do what I think needed to be done, but it makes me also realize how important it is for me to see that I am really just a part of something bigger than myself. He wanted to use me for his kingdom, not my own.

Our trip was investigative so we were sent to Sydney even though Campus Outreach has never sent a team to Sydney before because they wanted us to investigate whether Campus Outreach Australia should expand to Sydney. Ministry is definitely different in Australia, but it was very eye-opening to see how ministry is done there. Whereas here in the Bible Belt of America, many people would be defensive if you assumed they were not a Christian, the opposite is true there. In fact, Christianity is not popular there. I had several people tell me that they would love to live here in Alabama where it’s no big deal to be a Christian. However, as I began to ponder this, I began to realize that both places are just as lost. It’s not looked down upon to say you are a Christian here in Alabama, but actually surrendering your life and living the Christian life would be different. So many people here are going to miss heaven because they thought all along they had it all together. That’s something I learned this summer. So many of us are so good at living the Christian life. We do all the right things. We don’t do all the wrong things. In word, we will say, it’s only by grace that I have been saved, but in our heart, we still think that life is all about me. “I’m going to go to Australia and save lots of people so that people will think I’m a good Christian.” “I’m going to think of the godliest prayer so that people will think I’m a strong Christian.” “I’m going to read my bible everyday so that God will be pleased with me.” It’s all the same. Where does God’s glory fit into any of that? My whole world has been turned upside down from traveling halfway across the world. My prayer for each of you and myself is that we will finally know what Christ means when he says to take up your cross and follow him. What does it really look like to be a Christian—to be a Christ follower?

A broken city

I think it finally hit me today as I was getting off the train, I am living in Sydney. It’s one of those cities you always hear about…just like New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London…but I’m not only here, I’m a part of this city. I ride the train, ride the bus, and walk the streets of Sydney. I know where the grocery stores, the restaurants, and the places of leisure are. This has become my city. And each day I am here, I begin to feel the burden. I’m sitting in our 11th floor apartment that overlooks Hyde Park watching the sun go down on a city where businessmen might be wrapping up their workday, schoolchildren are catching trains to go home, and homeless people are thankful that they have made it through another day, wondering if there is anything to live for. This is a reality. It’s easy to brush it off when you are removed from it. This week has made it impossible for me to just brush off. Monday, Rachel and I stopped to talk to a woman outside Woolworth’s. She had some paintings set up to sell. We learned that she just recently had a baby but had to give it up because she could not provide for it. She is living with a friend and trying to save money to get a place of her own, so she can reunite her own family and all live together. The past two days we have worked in a soup kitchen. It’s easy to judge them. It’s easy to even brush it off after serving them food, but sit down and have a conversation with them and it’s impossible. Today, one man talked for about an hour about how he used to have joy in his life, he was married. But now he doesn’t have anything to live for. He would just assume end his life. He so desperately wants someone to tell him he has worth, that he is valuable. The feeler in me hurt for him and the pain he is going through but I couldn’t voice the truth that he needed to hear. Brandon did though—that the only thing that would bring true fulfillment and the only reason to wake up is Jesus Christ. Just like when talking with the Muslim woman last week, this was an enlightening moment for me. I began to see the Gospel from someone else’s perspective. In fact, believing the Gospel is easy for me. I live a fairly easy life. In fact, I don’t even put complete faith in Christ because I so often put faith in myself as well. But this man, the Gospel is hard for him to accept because he sees all the bad stuff in his life and can’t believe in a God who would allow that. To quote him “The only place God has carried me is to hell.” Putting faith in that God is difficult for him. And it challenges my faith. This man needs Christ.

I so desperately want to make a difference. But what is my motivation? To make my own name great? So that I can go home and tell everybody all these cool things that God has done through me? In fact, God has worked more in my own heart than he has worked through my hands. And I know without a shadow of a doubt, that’s exactly where he wants me. If nothing else, God has broken me of my own plans, my own comforts, and torn down my kingdom that I have worked for years to build up. We have 9 days left in this city. My prayer is that the Lord continues to teach me, to mold me, and to completely turn my world upside down.

It's a sunny day!

We have made Christianity all about ourselves. We read books on finding our best life now. We know what to say to someone who has lost a loved one. We know all the Bible verses on anxiety and worrying, but how many of us can spit out verses that explain the Gospel? Coming into a country with the purpose of sharing the Gospel, I have realized that I actually have to think about it for a few minutes when writing out what the Gospel is. When we make the Gospel the center of Christianity, we fall in love with the Christ of the Gospel. If we actually meditate on the meaning of the Gospel and not just what the Gospel can do for us and help us live a more comfortable life, we understand what Christ means when he says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19). We are here to live for something greater than ourselves—God’s Kingdom, but we have squished up and tried to mold God’s Kingdom to fit into our own little kingdoms in which we are the ruler, not God. We have our own agenda about how we are going to come over to Australia, share the Gospel, and feel good about ourselves because we have done our contribution for the Kingdom of God, but we have really been doing it for our own glory—to feel good about ourselves—to build up our own self-ruled kingdom. This is how the Gospel gets pushed out of our Christian lives. I find myself often feeling numb to the Gospel—it’s not because I want to, but I rarely come up against something that challenges it. I find myself becoming perfectly content to stay in my Christian bubble where biblical conversations are easy. They know the Gospel, so I rarely have to talk about it. When I get out of my Bible belt and come to a country where only 9% of the country attends church, I have to know the Gospel. I have to be able to explain what changed my life and why I believe living for Christ is the only thing that will bring fulfillment in this life. And when I do that, I fall more and more in love with Christ because I am seeing the Gospel through another person’s eyes. God has brought me here for his Kingdom—and his Kingdom does not just include converting all the Aussies I meet. He continues to sanctify me and transform me into the likeness of Christ.

As we were getting ready for church on Sunday morning, we discussed the fact that our leader Matt was preaching at church. One girl said, “Get ready to be convicted.” It was definitely true. He preached on 1 Corinthians 13. As I have already mentioned, ministry really reveals sin and insecurities. And I am learning that I have mastered the Christian life. We all have. We know exactly how to live life so that we appear holy—like we have it all together. And getting here, doing ministry in a way I have never done before, I realize that I don’t have it all together—that I in fact can’t fool anyone. In fact, it’s true for all of us because we are all sinful beings. We are able to mask the fact that we are living for our own kingdoms by making others think and even ourselves think that we are living for the Kingdom of God. Coming back to 1 Corinthians 13, love is the basis of our spiritual maturity. We can serve, be kind to other people, and even share Christ with others, with all the wrong motives. It’s not like we consciously think, I am going to serve them so that they will think I am a better Christian, but if we get to the heart of the matter, that’s exactly why we are doing it. We have built our own kingdoms in which we are the center. If someone challenges our rule over that kingdom or gets in the way, our sin is revealed. That is exactly what is happening. I feel a threat to my kingdom and all the insecurities that I have covered up so well have come up to the surface.

Our team is split into two teams—one goes to UNSW and one goes to USyd. I go to USyd with three boys and two other girls. One of those girls is going on staff with Campus Outreach while the other one is going into the ministry, possibly here in Australia. So it’s hard to not compare myself to them. I know I wasn’t wired for this kind of ministry…doesn’t mean I’m not called to it, but I am a more behind the scenes type of person. So being in this type of ministry has been really humbling. I realized quite quickly that I don’t have it all together and there’s no fooling anyone. It’s been a very growing experience for me, and I am thankful for your prayers! Keep praying…we have about 2 and a half more weeks here to invest in people. Can’t wait to tell you guys everything!

Hello from the land down under!

Things I have learned my first two weeks in Sydney, Australia…

1.When crossing the street, look right instead of left because cars drive on the left side of the road.
2.Always be ready to run—in a moment’s notice you could be late for your plane, your train, or your bus.
3.Americans really are obnoxious.
4.Koala bears do not just run wild in the trees of downtown Sydney, but opossums do.
5.For an emergency, call 000, but 911 works too.
6.There are two types of flushes on the toilet, but they both look the same to me.
7.Mate here refers to your friend, not the person you are married to.


Our leader Matt gave a talk the other night at one of our campus meetings with the ministry we are working with. And as he was talking, I discovered something about myself. I am very turned away from obsessions. I can’t stand it when people are obsessed about things. I will not read Harry Potter, Twilight, or any of the sort because people are obsessed, and I don’t want to be that person. In fact, things that I do love (such as Alabama football) I hold back from unless I am with someone who also loves it. But I realized that because I am like this, it has also affected my walk with Christ. You see, because I have trained myself to run from obsessions and to not show emotion at all to things I love, I have retreated from talking about Christ with people other than Christians. And even at that it’s hard for me to talk about Christ with people I’m not completely comfortable around. As Matt pointed out, we will talk about what we worship. So it was definitely convicting for me.

I think the hardest part about doing ministry is feeling a complete and utter incompetence for ministry. Satan really feeds us lies. It has been really encouraging that through all of Satan’s lies, we can see God’s power displayed. We have seen several instances when it’s only through God’s hands that we would be in that situation. It’s mindblowing to think that before the foundation of the world, God chose each and every one of us to be in Australia in the summer of 2010. He wanted me here. And even though each day I continue to see my failures and my insecurities, he still chooses to use me for his Kingdom. Today me and Ramsey sat down to talk to a Muslim lady. I must confess that sometimes I feel numb to the gospel. But talking to this lady who kept saying that we worship a God who is just a normal person like you and me, when she doesn’t understand the security and freedom she can have in Christ, made me really appreciate the Gospel that much more. He has really been revealing himself to us in the little things and in the big things.
We have met a lot of Uni students. We only have one more week on campus. The thing is, it is their dead week. And since most people live off campus, not many people will be on campus for us to meet with. SO pray that the Lord would bless this week. I’m praying that he will really work this week, despite that. We so desperately want to see the fruit of our labor and come over here and change the world, but we are learning to be content and rest in the fact that God is working through everything. He is using us for his Kingdom exactly how he planned. So that’s exactly where we want to be—right in his will. I’m sending an even more detailed update in an email to those on the email list because I don’t want to just post everything for the whole world to see. SO if you aren’t on the email list and want to be added, send me an email at kpkelley@samford.edu.

Finally here!

I feel like I have so much to say so bear with me! I know I have somewhat explained to some people what we are going to be doing, but I feel like a lot of people don’t really know, so I’ll start with that. Campus Outreach, the ministry that I am here with started at Samford University. It has now spread to college campuses all over the United States. But it has also spread to Australia. It is in Brisbane, Australia which is in Queensland. Campus Outreach Australia has since planted a Campus Outreach in New Zealand as well. We had been told that they were looking to start one in Sydney which is why they were sending a team there this summer. But we didn’t really know much more than that. After getting down here, we have been going through orientation with the Campus Outreach Australia director named Rich. We learned that their mission was to spread to other campuses in Australia. In 2004 they visioned to have three CCP teams going to Australia in 2010. That is this summer and we have 3 teams going to Armidale, Brisbane, and Sydney! It’s amazing because we usually only have 1 CCP team each summer. It’s great to feel like we are a part of what God is doing over here in Australia. With that said, Rich really wants us to investigate our college campus here in Sydney. He wants us to develop a plan as to how ministry would work here in Sydney. There are essentially three college campuses (although they call them universities here. Colleges are like their dorms). I have been assigned to the University of Sydney. So we will be going there two or three days a week and go to another campus one day a week. We are also partnering with another ministry while we are here. Jim Jung is a Korean American who was commissioned by Missions of the World to Australia about 3 or 4 years ago. He has helped to plant a church while also has started a ministry called Students Outreach to the World on each of these 3 campuses. However, it is all Asian because of the high Asian population. We are partnering with them so that we can learn about the campuses while also meeting students on campus to get them plugged in there. So that’s a little bit of what we will be doing.

The dynamics of Christianity and of the church is way different here than it is in Bible Belt, America. Even though I had been told that, it is definitely obvious even from the minute we flew into Australia. As we were riding a bus at the Brisbane airport to be taken to our next flight to Sydney, I overheard a conversation in which two Aussies were talking and then I heard one of them say something like, “It must have been a Christian.” When we were walking around the harbor, we decided to take a group picture. A photographer asked if we would like a professional photograph, and we told him no thanks and he responds…”I thought that since you were Christians you would have high standards.” Our leader Matt got stopped going through customs at the Brisbane airport because he had written “Minister” on his card as his occupation. Basically the man asked him if he had come here to work and told him that Australia has enough ministers and doesn’t need anymore. He basically told him he couldn’t work here and couldn’t do anything that an Australian could. But IN fact, I was recently told a statistic that about 2.5% of those in Sydney or maybe it’s all of Australia claim to be born again Christians when Indonesia has about 10%. So the problem here is not nominalism at all. It’s that they don’t believe in their need for a Savior. If you talk to them about Christianity, they may agree with everything you say, but it still doesn’t matter to them.

We start going on campuses Monday. I’m really excited about it but naturally really nervous. So pray that we would get in good conversation and quickly learn the dynamics of the campus.

Just a little of what we have been doing…we have really just been going through orientation. There is a lot of Thai food so we have gone there, and we went to like probably the only Mexican food restaurant today. We went to the market today and it was definitely an experience. I’m excited about eating some really fresh food. And we have been running a little bit in the mornings. This morning we ran to the Sydney Opera House. It is so pretty here! Thanks so much for your prayers! I’ll try to update again soon after we get on campus and meet some people.

The Big Day

Well, tomorrow is the big day! I'm kind of nervous, but I don't think it's really going to hit me until I get on the plane. I said I would update with more prayer requests, but honestly I don't know anything more specific than what I already said. But just pray for safe travel and opportunities to meet college students. I'll try to update as soon as I can when we make it there and continue to add prayer requests as they come up! Thanks for everything guys!

One week to go!

"In direct contradiction to the American dream, God actually delights in exalting our inability. He intentionally puts his people in situations where they come face to face with their need for him. In the process he powerfully demonstrates his ability to provide everything his people need in ways they could never have mustered up or imagined. And in the end, he makes much of his own name." -David Platt

This quote comes from chapter 3 of David Platt's new book Radical. This chapter is titled "The Importance of relying on God's Power." Seems a little ironic huh? Why would someone have to write a chapter on the importance of relying on the infinite God's power? Why would we have to read it, and yet we still won't get it. Shouldn't we already know the importance of it? All we have to do is look around us at everything that God has created to see his glory and power. But we all too often think our own power is sufficent. I am all too often guilty of this. I say that I believe in the Lord's immeasurable power, but my actions say otherwise. And so God keeps putting us in situations where we are forced to fall on our faces before God and admit our utter dependency on Him-but only after we have exhausted all efforts and resources of our own.

I like to have a plan. I like to be in control of my life. Really, who doesn't? I'm quickly leanring that God's plan doesn't always look like mine. As I venture into a different country, I wonder if I will be a coward in sharing the Gospel. I, myself, do not have the power to do this, but the Lord has equipped us with the Holy Spirit to lead us. He has given us his power. My prayer this summer is that the Lord would use me in ways I never knew possible--that he would use me so much that I couldn't help but attribute all of it to his glorious name.

Please join me in praying for the Aussies--that the Lord would break down any walls in their hearts toward the Gospel. Pray for me and my team that we would be bold--that the Gospel would be so much of who we are that we would jump at any opportunity to share what has so deeply changed our lives. Also, please pray for support to come in. I am still lacking about $1350 to go on my personal goal, and others are still lacking as well. The Lord works on his own time schedule, so pray he would provide and display his glory!

I'll update before we leave next Monday with more specific prayer requests so check back! Thanks guys!