although there is no place like home, i find i'm back in oz

greetings from the sunshine coast....once again! for those of you who have been unable to keep up with my life due to my inability to make decisions easily, i came back to australia on december 31st (almost exactly six months TO THE DAY from my first time here!) - flying right through the new year and landing in brisbane on january 2nd. i had an excessive amount of time to reflect on this while i was flying from san francisco, to hong kong, to australia. although i found myself alone on new year's eve, cuddled up in the window seat watching an insane amount of movies and being served by flight attendants with blinking '2009' lapel pins, i could have seen it as a depressingly lonely and pathetic way to enter the new year. however, i'd like to believe it was a totally appropriate way to enter '09...flying right into it. i wasn't counting down the seconds until the new year began, until i could have a "new start." i just didn't stop moving. i didn't stop making the most out of every second i have - and that's my prayer for this year. i want to keep living life to the fullest and living for God knowing that His grace is going to give me more new starts than i even have time to count down to.  

getting back here was not easy. i struggled for weeks with this decision, and even as i boarded the plane in chicago, i prayed that God would just give me confirmation with my decision. and if it was the wrong decision...i prayed He would get my butt off that plane! the plane took off over an hour late, giving me only about 20 or 30 minutes to make my connection in san francisco. of COURSE, i took this as my big "sign"...i needed to go home - i made the wrong decision! 

nope. nice try, mallory. 

the airline ended up escorting me off the plane before anyone else, taking me to a woman that was waiting at the gate for me who took me to my plane that was waiting for me - they had already checked me in and had my boarding pass waiting for me. this plane took me to hong kong, where i, for reasons still unknown, was upgraded to business class for free! IT WAS AMAZING. i honestly could have stayed on that nine hour flight for another nine hours. and i think it was around the time that i was sitting in my reclining leather seat with a full menu in one hand and a hot washcloth in the other that i realized God had not only lead me to this place...but He rolled out the red carpet to get me here. seriously blessed. 

even the fact that my luggage didn't make it here until two days after my arrival was a blessing. the airline gave me $100 for my troubles, and my need for that money completely overshadowed my need for my luggage. it worked out perfectly. 

so, here i am. i haven't even been here for one week yet, but i already feel like i have been covered in a thick layer of peace with my decision to come back here. as hard as it was....as ugly as some of my goodbyes were...as many tears as i shed on my sister's shoulder...i know that this is where i should be, and i am so thankful for that peace. monday morning was a staff meeting for the entire ywam-sunshine coast base...about thirty-ish people. i had people i never met approach me at that meeting telling me that i was an answer to prayer. i was introduced as an answer to prayer. the discipleship training school that i will be staffing was so desperate for a female staff member - and i came back to be that staff member. hearing people tell me that makes every tear i cried and every sleepless night leading up to this decision completely worth it. 

this week has been staff training, which has been really intense (staff training is generally two weeks, but, because of the holidays, we crammed it into four days. WHOA, I KNOW!) it's been a lot of work, but really enjoyable. the school leaders have such an amazing heart for this school. we have a really great staff team:

school leaders:

jay - texas (he lead my outreach trip to jakarta)

courtney - north carolina

staff:

andrew - minnesota

endre - norway

paul - canada

jonathan - england

phil & christie - california

there are 34 students for this school. to put that in perspective, the DTS that i just completed had 11 students. soooooo this one will be slightly bigger. to say the least. there are 22 guys and 12 girls coming from all over the world. we'll begin the school with a bbq on sunday, and then we'll start orientation on monday. i'm SO excited for this school. i just feel like big things are going to happen and God is really going to be transforming a lot of lives in the next five months, and i feel seriously privileged that i get to be a part of it. 

courtney (she's great - 23 years old and the most active and spontaneous person i know!) and i will be living in the girls' student house with them - so i'll literally be accessible to them 24 hours a day and i will be working 7 days per week.  i'll have three girls that will be my "one on one" students. i'll meet with each of them for at least an hour each week to mentor them. i've been praying for them already and am so excited to meet them! they are:

sarah - california

sarah - canada

santhjy - netherlands 

along with my weekly meetings with them, i'll be leading a small group of five girls each week. the three girls above will be in that group, along with two more. i also decided to take on the responsibility of leading all 34 students in a time of prayer and intercession for two hours every friday morning. i'll be expected to come up with different activities to do or topics to pray for, etc. it'll be a lot of work, but it can be such a powerful time and i'm excited to be able to put my own personal touch on it. 

after 11 weeks of lectures, i'll be co-leading an outreach team (with andrew and endre). we are still deciding on an outreach location, so that's our next big task to conquer. throughout the school, i'll also be completing assessments of my three students, reading through their weekly journals, leading a weekly evangelism team at the wakeboarding park (every friday night) and will be the "house leader" - making sure it stays clean and acceptable for monthly inspections (i'm still not sure how i got conned into that job.) OH, and i had to learn how to drive the van!! get this: i have to drive a huge van...on the wrong side of the car....on the wrong side of the road....stick shift. really? yes. really. courtney has been teaching me and i'm actually pretty good except when going up hills, reversing or parking in our driveway. sooooo, yeah. i'm still working on that one. but i've gone out on the REAL road, which should actually be truly terrifying to other drivers down here!

the students start coming today and will slowly be trickling in through next tuesday. i've been busier working here than i was at my old job at the advertising agency...my PAID job at the advertising agency! and things will only get busier once the students come and the school starts. but, i can handle this sort of work. i am okay being busy because i know i'm part of something much bigger that is happening here. i know all my work is for a greater good, and i'd be happy to work for thirty more hours each day, if i had them. i, sadly, haven't made it to the beach yet. i still look like i just came from a chicago winter. but i'm laying down my desire to be tan or to go surfing or wakeboarding because i know i have responsibilities here that will affect the lives of the students that are on their way here right now. and so i'm okay with that! 

i have been truly welcomed back into the ywam family here in the sunshine coast. i've been honest about how hard it was to come back here and leave my family and friends, and they recognize that. it's been so nice being back here because prayer is such a big part of life here. people will just stop what they're doing and pray for you when they know you're struggling or hurting.  i know that sometimes it can seem awkward or whatnot to just stop and pray for people....but if you think about it, is there anything better you can do? every worry or struggle we have - whether someone is nervous for a test at school or someone is unemployed and nervous about how they're going to provide for their family, it all goes back to God. He's in control, regardless of the situation is, so why not just lay a hand on that person and pray for them? there are many things you could do...help them study for that test, or help them look for a job...but as believers, we know that it all is in God's hands, and so i think the best thing we can do for each other is pray for one another. it's the most powerful tool we have...why shy away from it? i've felt so fulfilled being back here and being able to pray for others and have others pray for me AND my loved ones.  

it's strange being back - it feels like i never left. i was able to make it to bridget's (my mentor on my dts) baby shower, and have enjoyed reconnecting with the staff here that i got to know this past year. i miss home so much, but great things are happening here and i am just so excited to be a part of it. 

thank you all, so much, for your prayers and support. i feel seriously blessed. 

all my love.