darjak diaries - entry #3

the word on the street...

in the city of darwin there's a "buzz" in the air that's never been heard before, one that speaks of dynamic fun, exciting adventures and crazy epxperience. it's that of the youth awakening to a new phenomena. what could this be you may be asking yourself? it's something that has them coming back for more, wishing saturday was EVERY day of the week, and that they could chill with the guys in the cool black shirts non- stop. it's the "buzz" of youth street darwin my friends, taking over the city.

we are about to have our 5th saturday in a row now and the crew are addicted! they just can't get enough. we have seen numbers increase week after week. we had 24 in total for youth street teams this past week and over 30 come for youth street live! we are of course praying that numbers will yet again increase this week.

along with all this excitement i do have some sad news... this will be our last saturday in darwin as an outreach team. we have LOVED our time here , chillin with the youth of the city, going into high schools , doing lunchtime programs jam packed with music, skate, and building relationships. for all you out there who may be wondering " what about youth street?", well don't fret my friends. youth street will be kicking off full time in darwin when February 2009 rolls around. so get excited and stick around, who knows when youth street may be coming to a town near YOU!

a piece of god....

just recently i was asked this question..."when haunted by restlessness and anxiety at the thought of working through a circumstance mirroring you, is there peace to be found?" granted it was worded a bit differently, but an interesting question just the same. what would you have said?

i am coming to believe that the answer to this question is yes.

now, had you asked me this just a few days ago i would have laughed at you. it's amazing how quickly god responds to our heart's cry. i found myself in a very similar situation, faced with a circumstance that required me to remain calm and put forward a peaceful response. i wish i could tell you that i did in fact respond that way, but to the other person's shock i did not.

i think the peace of god is laced with trust. it seems as though it is near impossible to find the peace of god in a circumstance if you are not willing to trust him. when i was making one of the most important decisions of my life (thus far) this past year i was needing the peace of god, even though i didn't realize it at first. of course hindsight is 20/20 isn't it? i look back now and see so clearly. as i began to trust god with my circumstance whole heartedly without reserve, it was then that his peace came over me and i was able to face that decision head on, knowing that no matter what the outcome i was completely trusting god.

when staring into the mirror of circumstance yourself, what would your response be?

to be loved....

just a little something i have been thinking about lately.....

the desire to be loved comes from a place deep within one's being. a place where not many venture for fear of finding what they always knew, what they always felt...emptiness.

yet it's not until you venture to the deepest parts that you can find the cure for the pain. it's not until you let the wound breathe can it heal. it's not until you open the door that anyone can walk through.

darjak diaries - entry #2

kick it off with a BANG!...

its saturday, the music's pumping, the energy level's high and excitement fills the air. it's the day that youth street kicks off in darwin nt for the first time ever! not sure of how many crew ( a cool "tag" we give the youth) to expect having been able to do only three days of promo prior, we await anxiously.

with near 23 youth street staff, thanks to the reef to outback back base in darwin and current DTS that's running we make an unstoppable force. crew start to arrive and we see 9 come in total, in the mix we had a few sport fanatics along with a skater and a few musos. this was of course GREAT considering those are the three teams we are running for this youth street connect.

because it was the first day of youth street in darwin we wanted to kick it off with a BANG! so we decided to have what we call a "together factor". which basically brings all the crew together for a few face melting hours of extravagant fun! we decided to run the first ever "battle of the gladiators" to test one's skill, accuracy and stamina.

needless to say friends, this day went OFF! we had crew raving about the day , the staff, the games, the snags (cooked by yours truly) and set on bringing ALL their friends next week. it was amazing to see the youth get right into it, there was no room for passivity or boredom this week that's for sure!

darjak diaries...

entry #1 - mere beginnings...


8 people pack their bags full of what little belongings they have with the goal of achieving a call greater than themselves. they hit the road filled with a desperate passion to see aussie youth changed by the heart of god, and through love, bring hope to a generation that needs it most.

3 days, 30 hours, 16 pit stops, 120 pieces of chocolate, 450 something songs, and 0 arguments later they arrive at their destination. shaking off the cobwebs of the many hours past with closed eye's, they step out onto a sun-scorched land that is not their own. vision clear, and hearts on fire, they begin the journey god's laid out for them, not sure of what awaits around the corner but ready to take on whatever lies ahead...