And just like that we are at the end of another term at PCS. In a matter of months we will be talking about Christmas and end of year events! In the meantime I hope you can all enjoy a few weeks spending some extra time with family and friends over the holidays.
It’s been a great term with so many highlights, not least of which for me was our recent trip to Moree with the PCS Missions team. In fact, this trip is a real contender for my school highlight of the year, and that is saying something!
With last year’s mission trip being such a success, I have eagerly anticipated the opportunity to head out again with our senior missions team. In all, 16 students from Year 10-12 along with Miss Oates and myself, loaded the PCS bus with an enormous amount of food, equipment, a few snacks and headed up the highway for another adventure.
Our mission was to engage with different groups in the Moree community and continue to give our students the opportunity to serve, share the gospel, meet amazing people and hopefully spark an interest in exploring mission opportunities in the future.
We spent Thursday afternoon helping Ephraim House (an inspiring local ministry) in preparing and delivering an evening meal service to vulnerable members of the community.
On Friday we spent the morning cooking approximately 400 meals that could be stored away for delivery in the coming weeks, and a host of yard work.
On Friday evening we hosted a combined youth event at Moree Christian School, where our students led worship, games, shared testimonies, spoke, cooked A LOT of sausages and enjoyed hanging out with the young people of Moree.
On Saturday morning, the team got out of bed at the crack of dawn to cook free bacon and egg rolls for the local parkrun which just so happened to be celebrating their 8th birthday! After a quick relax in the hot pools, it was time to get on the bus where we arrived home around 7pm Saturday evening.
To say our students were outstanding would be an understatement. From the moment we left to the time we returned, our students worked as one cohesive unit. They never whinged or complained, even in the midst of 5 hour blocks of cooking, working in the hot sun or even getting out of bed early! They only looked to serve and meet the needs of others and did everything with a good attitude and smile on their face.
I know our students are humans, just like Miss Oates and I, but how nice it was to see everyone working together to achieve a common goal. There is real power in unity, and I believe that our students got a glimpse of what is possible when we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
I am excited to say that the partnerships we are building in Moree have the potential to leave a lasting legacy for PCS students for many years to come. If the last 2 years are anything to go by, joining the mission team could be a life changing experience for many PCS students; just like it has been for me. I can’t wait for November when we head back again with our junior mission team with students from Year 7-9!
Jesus doesn’t call us to hold a certain qualification, or have a certain amount of experience before we are able to minister or be part of His mission team. The only thing he calls us to do is be available and willing to bring a little bit of heaven to earth for someone in whatever capacity we can. Our mission teams aren’t about going into communities to solve problems overnight, that would be just as overwhelming as it would be arrogant! Our mission teams are about giving our students the opportunity to experience the joy of serving others, and hopefully spark a lifelong journey of wanting to meet needs wherever we go.
To live a God honouring life begins with looking to meet the needs of others, particularly the most vulnerable in our communities. How exciting it is to have the opportunity to shape a generation of PCS kids who see themselves as missionaries no matter where they live.
Congratulations team! You smashed it and I loved being a part of it. Bring on our junior mission trip in November!
Have a great term break everyone and I’ll look forward to seeing you in Term 4 in a couple of weeks!
Glen
