Jamaica Blue - doing coffee Fairtrade Style!

I was really excited this past week to see a Cafe advertising the availability of fairtrade coffee!
Jamaica Blue at Casuarina Square Shopping Centre (directly above the food court) in NT - has posters all over the place letting consumers know that they can ask for their coffee to be made with fairtrade coffee beans. What an awesome step forward! Even the big names of coffee, Gloria Jean's and Starbucks haven't had the guts to go fairtrade publicly.

The only issue - I hate the taste of coffee! To all those who love it, drink up fairtrade like its going out of fashion!

Last day seeing the Sunrise...

Today's our last day on placement at Sunrise Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre... these 4 weeks have gone so fast. I've had an awesome time getting to know staff and 'clients', its been interesting seeing both side of the Rehab experience... Most of all I've loved the opportunity to share Jesus with the guys, not all are open to accepting it as truth, but many are searching on some level and its this Spiritual journey with them that I will hold onto as one of the most valuable experiences of my time here. The changes in their outlook on life is so inspiring and I hope we will see more as we come back to visit them!

This morning I shared the following with the guys:

"I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all - oh, how well I remember - the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left."
Lamentations 3:19-24 MSG

I'm praying they'll each find an understanding of the extent of God's love for them!

BTW - Pete and I are disgustingly sicky at the moment (Pete has a really shocking cough and I've got bad tonsilitis), please pray for our healing! thanks ;o)

Is Bono a Salvo?

I admit, I stole this pic from Wikipedia, but it raises the question, how Salvo can someone get before they take the plunge and don the uniform!!!

And he thought that cutting-edge Justice mixed with a burning passion for Jesus was original.....

Easter - Jesus died for YOU! Get to know him!

Whew! What a whirlwind that Easter was! Pete & I had opportunity to share a Good Friday "preview" at Sunrise last Thursday (Chapel). Pete laid the "Jesus died for you" message right out there on the line, answered a bunch of questions the guys had and challenged them to take Jesus as their life-saver... The classic line used to preach the gospel was "God is like KFC, we can't just walk up and take the chicken, there is a person we need to go through to get to the chicken (Jesus as a check-out chick with a difference!). The guys really connected with that one!

That night (Thursday) we went to a Passover meal at Darwin Corps, more than a hundred people rocked up! It was awesome to explore that last meal Jesus had, which he celebrated as a Jew and we can now recognise as a way to celebrate Jesus himself as the promised Messiah! (Messiah=a saving leader the Jews have been expecting for thousands of years, many recognised it was Jesus, others are still waiting to this day!).

Friday saw the kick-off of the NT Youth Easter Camp, we went to church (the Drama was awesome! that couple who were acting... second to none! hehe), then stayed out at Howard Springs at "Camp Beazley" (really a big property where the Beazleys live, they were great hosts). Camping out in tents during the wet season was a huge experience - we had two ridiculous rain storms, one which blew a big marquee tumbling across the yard! Only one person's bed got wet in the storms (guess who! grrr).
I spun-out at the go-karts (going too fast), Pete looked hilarious in his full-face helmet and one of the girls crashed while she was too busy waving! The Beazley's pool was well-used by all, especially the Melbournians! (it was HOT!). During the camp we learnt about prayer, justice and were challenged in our understanding of Jesus death and ressurrection - what did that mean personally?
The Camp Leaders had a rocking prayer meeting where the power of the Holy Spirit fell - everyone was amazed by God as leaders knelt, faces to the floor in prayer for the campers. The last night we sat round a campfire and shared about what camp meant to each of us, talked about Jesus' impact on our lives and how life from now on could be different, we could feel the Holy Spirit was there and active!

Where to from camp? We've invited the kids to our Sunday night Revolution Group, an opportunity to go deeper in learning and experiencing what it means to be a Revolutionary for God.

Monday Pete and I hung out at home, caught up on some sleep and reading, then Tuesday slept in some more and after lunch spent some time praying with one of the Sunrise guys that God is really working on (*please pray for him*). Afterwards we did the afternoon shift at Sunrise Homeless Mens accommodation.

Only a week to go here at Sunrise, then on to Darwin Corps... time is really flying by!

A final thought (as shared at Sunrise devotions today):

We can know OF people, we can know ABOUT people and we can KNOW people.
Do you know OF Jesus? Know ABOUT Jesus? or KNOW Jesus?

Because Jesus KNOWS YOU!!! - see Psalm 139!

How much does your coffee cost?

Saturday night Darwin Corps held a showing of the movie "Black Gold". This movie highlights the plight of coffee growers in Ethiopia and the injustice of the current trading system with the Western world. Did you know that currently Ethiopian coffee farmers only get 3 cents from a cup of coffee that costs you $3? Considering this nation is one of the poorest in the world and receiving millions of dollars in aid, it is a shock to think that they are being ripped off to this degree!

I challenge you to educate yourself about issues facing third-world farmers today and how you can influence change.... start by educating yourself, then buy coffee and chocolate marked "fairtrade" wherever possible. It could mean life or death for them!



I choose life, it might cost me more and require more effort, but it is right and just to do so!