Funny faces

These are some pictures from last time I was in downtown Brisbane with friends Maggie, Alana and Amy....

Fwd: March updates and future visions!!

G'day from Australia!

I have been with Island Breeze Brisbane for about one month now and am
so thankful to be a part of the new visions for this base. We have
some praises as we have been interceeding for a few points for our
ministry over the last few months and are finally feeling and tangibly
seeing some breakthrough. One of these involves being paid back from
those in debt to us so that we in turn pay our bills. We did finally
receive some of that money just in time for our due dates on our
bills. We also have been presented with the final contract to sell the
former property so that we can finalize the sale and proceed with
researching new property options. Our current location is renting and
we look forward to seeing God move dramatically. Another item is that
YWAM Australia has applied to be able to sponsor for visas
re:religious worker. We finally got the approval this week which
releases options for future staff. We are still waiting on visas to be
approved for about four of our current staff that remain in the
renewal process.

I wanted to describe a bit more what the ministries are that I am
currently leading and participating in, as well as a few upcoming
outreach opportunities.
Two days a week, Gee, my Samoan coworker ,and I are mentoring in an
alternative school called Shekinah (God's glory). Karen and Bill
Fowles had a dream three years ago to create a safe learning
environment that would be hands-on activities to meet the needs of the
girls who are falling through the cracks of the school system. We aim
to have up to 12 girls at a time and currently have ten enrolled. The
day consists of activities that introduce math skills, reading skills,
communication skills and work related experience. Anything from
learning to sand and paint a chair, to cross stitching, to music
lessons are introduced everyday. The girls come from broken homes
resulting in broken hearts. Many have suffered from abuse and have
learning disabilities or diagnosable mental illnesses. I've only been
attending for three weeks but already see that these girls want to
proceed in life, have passions and intellect and I feel grateful to
come alongside them and encourage them, gently nudging them along the
educational and spiritual growth process. This week was a difficult
one as one of the girls acted out creating a scene that needed police
involvement. We continue to pray for her in her pain but are also
proud of the girls as they bonded together to calm her, but also to
support each other. Please continue to pray for the process of raising
funds for this program, discernment in how to proceed regarding new
volunteers etc, and especially an anointing over Karen as she teaches
and cares for these girls and their families.

The other school that we are actively involved in is the local public
high school in Deception Bay. We are under the Chaplain (Jane) and she
acts as both spiritual mentor but also seems to fill a role compared
to a school social worker. We typically play games and build
relationships as well as lead a prayer/testimony time. This week we
took a group of teens to the local nursing home and performed a few
songs, heard a testimony etc. We look forward to continuing these
outreaches as a way to build the self-esteem of the young students we
are working with as well as connect with the local community to bless
them. I've been presented with the opportunity to work more one on one
with a student who is bulimic and in need of special care. Please pray
for Jane Lean as she oversees incredible opportunities to speak life
and hope into the hurting students. Please also pray for Gee, myself
and the rest of the team as we interceed spiritually over these
students and also pray that the Lord places the right words of
encouragement on our lips for all those involved.

Tuesday Night Live is a weekly gathering that we host as a way to
outreach to the community and create fellowship for christians during
the week. We run it typically as a service with worship, sermon, time
for prayer followed by food and fellowship. We have been blown away at
how the Holy Spirit has used those presenting each week and we are
seeing the numbers grow. We have a few high school students who
attend, the YWAMers as well as a few local church members. We wish to
see more and more people use this meeting as an opportunity to grow
and use their spiritual giftings. Our current prayer need is for
continued discernment is asking for speakers as well as finances to
continue providing food.

A few other outreaches that fall under my centre, the community
centre, are run by the men in our team while we ladies are at Shekinah
school. They include weekly supporting the local food bank, once a
month visiting the nearest detention centre, and teaching 'drum'
skills to young men.

Vanuatu trip: A trip has been planned to Vanuatu, a beautiful pacific
island, with the focus of a rugby tournament being used as
outreach/evangelism time. Since sports ministries falls under our
'community centre' we have been actively praying about also traveling
with the team. This week, on Thursday, both Gee and I felt a release
from God to go to Vanuatu and are now preparing and praying/fasting
for money for the plane ticket and filling our responsibilities while
we are gone. The trip falls on Easter break and Jane, the Chaplain of
D'Bay, will also be bringing a group of about twenty people to Vanuatu
near the end of the YWAMers trip. We are currently hoping to join her
team, continuing our relationship building with students as well as
participating in youth outreach, medical clinics and cultural
exchanges in Vanuatu. My heart is overwhelmed with the immense
opportunity and I feel blessed to be called. A few weeks back a
prophesy was spoken over me concerning having the gift of evangelism
towards children, specifically with black faces. I can see this trip
to Vanuatu as another building block in my walk with God and am
excited to experience more of what He wants for me, and how He wants
me to continue serving Him.

Tingha, our Indigenous sister city
We have a town about seven hours away that we have been ministering
to, an aboriginal community in need of hope and renewal in Christ. The
community team received boxes of donated clothes, shoes and books and
we are busy sorting them between the Vanuatu trip and the need in
Tingha. We recently visited Tingha to see the Community Centre that
Island Breeze helped to build, paint etc. This centre has a focus on
youth sports and gives the children a place to be on the weekends and
evenings, all while keeping them off the streets. We are pleased with
the outpouring of appreciation and are planning a future trip to bring
these donations as well as the TVs that have been donated for the
centre. The families of the Tingha community remain close on our
hearts during intercession and we look forward to continue to educate,
spiritually mentor and stretch the members through our training
programs and our trips there.

Ship Tour:  www.ywamships.org
The Lord has blessed YWAM with a medical ship currently touring
Australia on the way to Papua New Guinea to provide medical supplies
to the 'difficult to reach' people of Papua New Guinea. We here at
Island Breeze are pleased to be involved in fundraising for this
project and recruiting individuals who wish to be financial supports
or part of the crew. The ship will be docked in Brisbane for one week
the end of April/June and our team is not only preparing for that week
but our dance team (Cultural and Protocol Centre) will be touring for
one month along the coast of Australia. I have been asked to be a part
of the planning team as well as the month long tour with the focus of
evangelizing and recruiting for YWAM training. I am in need of prayer
as I continue to discern which areas to be involved in while still
maintaining my outreach to the local community every week.

Dancing!! With the approach of the ship tour and an increase in
opportunities to present in churches and the community (as example
being the nursing home), we in the community team will be learning
from the Cultural dance team in order to join them in their dances. We
wish to be able to take those dances and numbers and use them within
the community team outreaches such as the schools, times of evangelism
and introducing YWAM in local churches.. Expressing glory back to God
by form of dance and song is a treasure found on the islands of the
pacific. Currently, I am learning a dance number from Hawaii and while
I am a bit robotic at the moment (with no dance experience, nor a
gifting!) I am finding I truly enjoy it and look forward to being
disciplined in my practice (don't quote me on that in one month when
my body aches and my head swims with twists and turns).

As you can see the ministry opportunities are washing over Island
Breeze likes waves from the sea and we are excited about stepping into
them humbly, prepared, and expecting God to move. We are also praying
for continued staff to commit to Island Breeze's vision for the
Pacific, the local community, and the Aboriginal community.
Personal needs remain travel expenses, the purchase of health
insurance this month, and the continued transition into life on an
'island style' base while serving the Australian culture. I get double
the blessing- ministering to two new cultures! Thank you for your
prayer support, as well as financial support.
Blessings!
Alissa

A few Australian slangs:          brekkie- breakfast
arvo-afternoon           how ya goin- how are you doing

Spiders and bugs, ohmy!

When I moved into my room after arriving in Aussie I quickly noticed that by being at the end of the hall there were quite a few more 'friends' to share space with, including ants, spiders etc... The other day I noticed that there was a poster across from my door explaining the different kinds of spiders-and how painful their bite was. This morning I ran across one on my screen door, so I quickly hosed it down in bug spray, which worked to kill it. I went to the poster and was pleased to see I had avoided painful swelling, headaches and nausea that were possible side affects of a bite. Next Wednesday another room will be free and I will be moving closer to the kitchen area, noisier but less Aussie insects to put up with. Cheers mate!

The first two shots are from our Disciple Training students who recently graduated .So proud that they took the first step in the Rest of their God filled lives and it was honoring to be able to watch their transformation.
My primary prayer requests are continued transition into ministry and the Island Breeze family. I am also still seeking funds and praying about a two week outreach trip to Vanuatu and may be able to coordinate the trip with some of the high school students we've been working with in the local high schools. What an opportunity to see God work, learn a new culture and serve! Hoping the next blog will bring praises in that area!