HELLO FROM JULIE

By Julie

Recent volunteer/guest artist with Art Refuge says a cheerio…

I came from Northern Ireland to YWAM Perth in April, to volunteer with Art Refuge for three months. Having finished high school last year, I really had the desire to take a ‘gap-year’ to do something with Art in a Christian organisation. I wanted to see ways in which Art can be used as a form of evangelism. Australia was the last place I thought I would end up coming to! It was the other side of the world, and not the cheapest place to travel to from Ireland! Plus I thought I should go to a third world country to do something. I spoke to a couple of women at my church who were involved in missions, and they encouraged me to pray and ask God to give me a desire in where to go. I was also trying to find an organisation with whom I could volunteer. I had looked on the YWAM website, along with others, but I ended up always going back to the YWAM one. I prayed that if God wanted me to do something with YWAM that He would show me. One day I went to a shopping centre near to where I live, and I bumped into a friend who I hadn’t seen in ages, but who had done a DTS in Argentina just a few months before. Soon after, she told me all about her DTS experience with YWAM. I think from then, I knew God showed me that I was to doing something with YWAM! But I still didn’t know in which country.

I remember one day I was working, to save money for wherever I did end up going to, and I was just thinking, and said out loud ‘You know where I’d like to go? Australia.’ And I felt a peace about it. I had been thinking for a few days about Australia, but there seemed to be a lot of obstacles. It was a long distance away to travel, and my parents weren’t sure about me going all that distance. I had started to email YWAM Perth specifically about volunteering with Art Refuge. But I guess I thought it seemed slightly impossible for me to ever go to Australia. So I left things and forgot about them. On Christmas Day, I opened a present from my parents - it was a tourist book on Perth! I was puzzled and asked them why had they given me it? My Mum said ‘I thought you were thinking of going to Perth?’ I said, ‘Am I?’ and she said ‘Yes, go!’ So suddenly I had the encouragement from my parents about going to Australia. And the day after Christmas, I received an email from YWAM Perth! Everything was working out perfectly for me to go and volunteer for three months, to work with the base’s art ministry.

My time at YWAM Perth has now come and gone and I can’t believe how the days have flown by so fast. I learnt so much in such a short space of time being in Perth. Working with Art Refuge gave me a wider look at using Art as a way of building relationships with people, using Art as a tool to reach people. Working with Aboriginal people, during Art workshops, was a great way to build relationships with local communities. It was encouraging for the Aborigines to be able to teach us about their culture, their Art, and allow us to learn from them. I believe these Art workshops encourage people to value themselves and see how God values them, as in His eyes everyone is unique and precious. I was also challenged during my time with Art Refuge to really think about how Art can be used as a way of being able to talk to people about God.

I also worked with a couple of other YWAM Perth ministries - ARMS and 100 Evangelists. Both of these taught me many things - to really value people, to show compassion towards people, to realise that everyone is searching for answers and people need God in their lives. It humbled me that even simple practical things like helping a Muslim woman with cleaning in her house, or a mother with health problems, or a disabled person - just doing practical things for them and offering to pray for them, simple, practical things really spoke a lot to a person.

During my time with YWAM, I learnt far more than I imagined! Working with, and being around, people at YWAM who really were seeking God with their whole heart, was really encouraging and strengthening for me in my faith. I felt I grew a lot closer to God during this time and really learnt a lot more about God’s character, His power, how He speaks, listening to His voice, and the power of prayer. Quite a lot really! Looking back, I am so thankful for Him bringing me to Perth.

This time last year I never would have imagined I’d be going to Australia! God really taught me so much, and I feel really blessed to have met so many amazing people, and to see God at work in others’ lives, as well as my own. I know God has a plan for our lives, much better than anything we could think of, and He promises to be with us. I learnt to give every aspect of my life to God. I recognised I had been holding on to some areas and not trusting God completely. But looking back at how faithful He has been in providing all that I needed, and more, I wish I had spent less time worrying and more time just trusting Him!

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and rely not on your own understanding’ - Proverbs 3 v.5


Art Refuge leader Narelle writes…

It was such an honour to have Julie join us during her gap year, especially as she arrived at a crucial time for the ministry: the beginning of our working as a team. She was a part of our early growth and development as a team and in ministry opportunities.

Julie is such a blessing - she is a gifted artist, and is so eager to learn all that she can, which is such a great thing to see. I constantly had people telling me how much she asked questions and wanted to learn all that God had for her to learn here in Perth. She was asked to do much more than just art, and, always with enthusiasm, she jumped right in and did all that was asked of her.

Her big heart for the lost and the hurting was so evident, and continues to be evident at home, as I have noticed in her ongoing emails to us.

Julie was such a blessing and I know that God will bless many through her - in whatever field she goes into. But I pray that she continues to pursue art, as she has a great gifting in creativity, and I know that our team would not have developed as well as it has without her presence in the early stages. I pray that she will continue to ask questions, and learn, and grow - both in her faith and in her art.