South Coast part 2

Thursday 22nd April - Sunday 25th April

Thursday: Today we left Mallacoota and moved back to Merimbula. The rest of the week was going to be intense as we both had a lot of things to do.

Friday: Whilst Sarah was busy getting ready to work for the day so was I. I left for Bega in the morning with one of the people we were staying with. The plan for the day was to fix the churches sound system. This first of all meant pulling it all apart, I am going to speak tech for a bit so to anyone who doesn’t know what I’m talking about this is just going to sound like white noise, to anyone who still doesn’t know what I’m talking about it’s like when your TV makes that KSSSSSSSHHHHHHH sound. We pulled all of the cables out from under the stage they had been run under there some distance and couldn’t be removed without pulling apart half the stage. We proceeded to test them all. They all worked. We then tested the microphones, all of the mixing desk channels and the speakers, everything worked. From this we were able to conclude that the multicore was no good. This is fortunate because the other issue we were facing was that the multicore had been run under the floor for the length of the building and no one knew how to get under there to remove it. We attempted to pull it free but it got stuck half way. I kinda expected that was going to happen. We realised that the only way forward was to purchase a new multicore. This required the pastor so we were stuck until he was free. Eventually we got the new multicore and now we only faced the simple task of setting everything back up. It was a big job but I am glad to say that at the end of the day the sound system was fully operational, it had come a long way from what it was.

That night we went bowling with a group of people and met some of the Youth. I was terrible at the bowling and Sarah opted not to play. Fortunately the company was good and that made the night. After bowling we went to McDonalds and inevitably everyone began sharing their random McDonalds stories. It was a good night.

Saturday: Today was the day of the concert. I was very excited. We went in and tidied up the church setting it for the concert. The pastor of the church had very graciously been advertising it for me. There were about 20 people on the night, a turnout I was quite pleased with. I played two sets and everyone really seemed to enjoy the music. A number of people from the church brought food and in the end there was quite a feast. Both Sarah and I were really blown away at the generosity and hospitality of the people who came.

Sunday: This was our last day in the area and it was quite a pleasant way to finish out tine on the South Coast of NSW. We went to church in the morning, I led worship and Sarah did the sound again. We also had some of the youth join in with the worship team for the morning. It was really great to have a strong worship team for the morning. In the middle of the service the ANZAC day parade started so we stopped what we were doing went out and watched it. I was a good parade and there was a particularly touching moment as some of the veterans walked past. After it had finished we all had a cuppa and continued on with the service.

After the service we had lunch with the people we had been staying with and some of the people from the church. It was really nice and a little sad. We said our goodbyes and headed off for Cooma not knowing what awaited us there.

Mallacoota

Monday 12th April - Wednesday 21st April

Monday: Today we left for Mallacoota. We left with the friends we are currently staying with to their holiday house in Mallacoota. We wouldn’t need the camper as there was a spare room. We left in two cars both packed to the brink, it was a good drive. We arrived in the afternoon, put our feet up and rested.

Tuesday: This morning we went and had morning tea with the pastor out here and his wife. They were great people, very warm and welcoming. We chatted for a while and we got to know them a bit better as they got to know us. Once again Sarah got to explain what on earth Medical Transcription is. We came to understand that the pastor’s wife had taken on the role of worship leader. This was an amazing effort as she had had no formal training on an instrument and had mostly taught herself. She was desperate to learn more about playing and leading worship so I agreed to give her a lesson whilst we were there. We also discussed other things we might be able to do whilst we were there. Whilst we were discussing this one of the locals popped in to ask the pastor if he knew of anyone who could help her with her garden, she was fairly ill and her yard had become a mess. She explained that she was happy to pay for the work. What an amazing blessing, both myself and the friends we were staying with needed work and this woman desperately needed the help. We set a date for the following week. All in all it had been a very productive morning.

Wednesday: This morning I came around to teach the pastors wife keyboard. Sarah came also and did her work in another room. I don’t think I have ever met someone who was so desperate and hungry to learn. I taught her for six hours, we covered everything from rhythm, to worship leading and appropriate technique for playing on your own in a small church. She listened intently the whole time and did everything I said. She assured me that she would practice everything I taught her as much as she could. I was blown away by her determination and her willingness to listen and learn. If all that wasn’t humbling enough she went on to explain that she had been praying desperately for guidance in her playing, she said that she believed God had used us as the answer to that prayer. The very thought that we could be the answer to someone’s prayed is possibly the most humbling thing I have ever experienced.

That night we came along to the prayer meeting. It was a wonderful night, there weren’t heaps of people there but all of the prayer was heartfelt and genuine. After we had all finished praying I felt led to share one of my songs with everyone, Fall into God. It was well received.

Thursday: Today was just one of those days. I got up in the morning and was just in a stink. I was feeling really down and I wasn’t even really sure why. We were wrestling with our various issues, as does everyone, but this morning I was just particularly struggling for no particular reason. I realized that I had a decision to make, I could spend the rest of the day in a bad mood or I could try to rise above and not let my feelings get the better of me. I went with the latter and decided that if I was going to feel like an emotional retard I may as well use it to my advantage and write a song. The end result is a new song called “My Bad Day”. It was written to encourage people to rise above when they are struggling.

Friday: I went up to Eden today for the radio interview. It went well; I was warned however by the presenter that he was technologically challenged. This proved to be true and it ended up taking us about four hours to record a two hour program. The interview went really well though and we talked about a variety of things from the trip and the album to social justice issues. I really enjoyed the opportunity to go on the radio again.

Sunday: I was given the invitation to lead worship on the Sunday morning. It went really well and was really well received. After the service we spent some time fellowshipping and got to know a number of the people in the church a lot better. Mallacoota is a small town and the church is also very small. I have the upmost respect for these churches, they battle on in a small town where the resources are extremely limited. In many of these situations the pastor of the church is unable to be paid for their work and they often have to get a second job working up to six sometimes even seven days a week. If you would like to give in support to the work these churches do please feel free to email me (matt.charlesworth@hotmail.com) and I would be pleased to arrange it.

Tuesday: Today one of the people we are staying with and I went to work for the lady I mentioned earlier. We weren’t sure what to expect however we knew there would be some heavy lifting involved. Not much, only about 100 concrete bricks, several concrete slabs, some old futon couches, some fencing and a bunch of other stuff. We had our work cut out for us but I have to say it was a real blessing to be doing the work. We needed the work and she needed the work done, everyone was happy. We both worked hard and by the end of the day the yard looked significantly better, it was not finished but the hardest parts were done. There is a rewarding feeling that you get at the end of a day where you know you have worked hard and the people you have worked for are pleased with the job you have done.

That night we all went around to the pastor’s house for dinner. I spent some more time teaching the pastors wife and then we all sat down together fellowshipped and ate. There was lots of conversation, laughter and noise; it was a very pleasant atmosphere. In the middle of it all I was taught how to circular breathe. It took a little while but I got there in the end.

Wednesday: It had been a big couple of weeks and both Sarah and I were very tired. We were going to go to the prayer meeting but in the end we decided to stay at home and rest. We called the pastor and he didn’t mind and told us to rest well. Sometimes in this ministry there is a time for sacrifice where we should do the things we know we should even though we don’t feel like it and there are times to be responsible and rest so that we can be effective for another day. The important thing is to demonstrate the discernment to realise and acknowledge what the current situation actually is.

All in all we had a wonderful time in Mallacoota. It was wonderful to be blessed and to be a blessing. We look forward to returning sometime in the future.

South Coast part 1

Thursday 1st April - Sunday 11th April

Thursday: Today we left Lakes Entrance to go to Merimbula. Sarah is especially excited because we are going to be staying with her best friend back from when she lived in Cooma. It is going to be difficult to leave behind the family we have stayed with here in Lakes Entrance, we have really come to love and appreciate them. We headed off around lunchtime and the trip took a few hours. When we got there we came only to discover that they lived on a massive and steep hill. The poor car had its work cut out for it carting the camper up the hill. We got there in the end and have set up the camper in the driveway. Unfortunately it’s on a bit of an incline but fortunately we are allowed to sleep inside for a few days whilst some of the people that live in the house are away. This means that we can just deal with the problem later. There is enough reception here for Sarah to do her work. We are both looking forward to the weekend where we will get a chance to relax and catch up with some old friends.

Sunday: This morning we went to the church in Bega, the Bega Valley AOG. The reason we are going to the church in Bega is because there isn’t a morning service in Merimbula yet. There are plans to remedy this however it is going to take time. Both Sarah and I really enjoyed the service. We also really enjoyed being given Easter eggs at the door as it was Easter Sunday. We embraced the true meaning of Easter, the giving and receiving of chocolate. Afterwards we met the pastor of the church and explained who we were and what we are doing. In order to further discuss how we might be able help the church we arranged to meet for a coffee on the next day. I made sure to give him one of the albums.

Monday: Today I had lunch with the pastor of the Bega church. We had a lengthy discussion about a variety of things. He explained that he appreciated me giving him the CD as it demonstrated that not only we were serious about what we were doing but that I was presenting myself as a professional musician and that the quality of the CD confirmed that. At first I wasn’t sure if he was going to ask for our help in any way then all of a sudden the conversation went in that direction and it turned out there was a variety of way he was willing to receive our ministry. The first was to join in with the worship team on the Sunday, the second was to come in assess and fix the sound system and the third was that he would be willing to let me put on a concert at the church as an outreach event. I was really excited at the prospect of what we would be able to do. We proceeded to talk for a while about all different things and finished the meeting by attempting to arrange some times and dates. It is amazing how God works; you sit there and wonder if things are going to work out when all of a sudden he surprises you demonstrating that He has once again gone before you preparing the way. All we need to do is step out and be willing to do whatever we are given to do.

Wednesday: I decided to head in to Bega today to see if there was anything else we might be able to do. One of the main things I wanted to see was whether or not I might be able to get some work at the music shop or even help them out in some way. I had spoken to the owner of the music shop a couple weeks prior and he had explained that they were really struggling with business. I went in and met the owner. He was really nice but explained that he already had a guitar tech and that he didn’t really think there was anything else I could do. I think he was hoping that I might buy something however I didn’t have the money or need to do so, which is a shame because I really would have liked to help him out. I showed him the guitar that I made and he was really impressed with it. We chatted for a while and then I left.

That night Sarah and I went and had dinner with the pastor and his wife. They were both really nice and we talked about all different things. It was great getting to know them better, where they had come from and what they had done before they got to Bega. It never ceases to amaze me all of the history contained within a person’s story. These two were no exception. After dinner and conversation the pastor took us around to meet the church’s worship leader. The worship leader and her husband were also really nice. Between them they were the worship leader and tech director, unfortunately both of them felt significantly under-experienced for the roles they had acquired. This is a reality for many small churches, that people will step into roles they don’t feel experienced or gifted for. However sometimes God works best in these situations, “His strength is made known in our weaknesses”. All things considered I think they were doing a great job. Naturally we offered to help out in any way we could.

Thursday: The people whose room we had commandeered got back today which was fine it simply means that we have to sleep out in the camper which means dealing with the sloping issue. We lifted the lower end of the camper using a car jack and propped it up with the supports and some pieces of wood. All seemed well until we realised that you couldn’t open the door and Sarah was trapped inside. You see the thing about our camper is that it sags over the middle axel. Lifting up the one end had bent it back into shape meaning that we couldn’t open the door and a couple of cupboards. We got around the problem in the end, Sarah escaped through the side zip next to the bed and with a great deal of effort we pried the door open. All was well, we couldn’t close our door again but nevermind you just needed to pretend it was shut and that was good enough. Oh how I love our home on the road, our plucky little camper oozing with character and falling apart at the seams. I joke but in all seriousness I am grateful everyday for our camper and what it allows us to do.

Friday: By this stage I had attempted to make contact with the local Eden radio station. For those who aren’t aware Eden is a small town south of Merimbula, as the name implies it is a beautiful place. I had once been on the radio station two years ago and at the time I was told that if ever in town again that I should come and visit them. Due to the failed attempts to contact them I decided that the best way to get in touch would be to go to the station itself. Sometimes persistence pays off, I went in and just happened to meet the guy who does the Christian radio program. We had a coffee and chatted as he did another program. We would talk during the songs whilst he was doing a million other things. It kinda felt like that scene from Wayne’s World 2 for all those who know what I’m talking about. We organized a time for me to come in and do an interview. The Sunday morning show is pre-recorded so that its presenter can still go to church in the morning.

Saturday: Our Sabbath day. Today was really relaxing. We went to the beach for a while and played in the waves. Sarah and I decided to walk. It was about a 5-6km walk which was fine getting there but a challenge coming back after swimming in the ocean and accumulating sand everywhere. Either way we had a really nice time, the beach was beautiful and the waves were big. After we swam me and the one of the guys we were staying with made sand castles. I should probably mention that he is a builder therefore his sandcastle was considerably more impressive, never mind the fact that mine started out as a big hole.

One of the big issues I have been wrestling with is the difference between want and need. In order to address this issue I had decided that I would not buy anything new for 40 days unless I felt like I genuinely needed it. Even then I would commit it to prayer and see if it seemed that God agreed that I needed it. Every time I felt myself wanting something I would choose to thank God for something that I had instead. For all that time I began to realize how much I really can live without and how much I don’t actually need. However one thing came up and I was seriously wrestling with whether or not I needed it, a laptop. In Lakes Entrance there had been a computer I could use for all of my admin stuff, here there was not. We did have Sarah’s computer but obviously she uses it during the day for her work, this meant that the only time I would be able to use it was at night and I had a lot of work to do (e.g. this blog). If I was to use the laptop at night it would affect the time that Sarah and I get to spent together. It was a big struggle but I didn’t want to get a laptop unless God approved. Therefore I committed it to Him in prayer and said “if You want me to get this then please provide the resources as a sign”, we didn’t have the money to buy one at the time. Two days after praying this prayer, which was today, we got a phone call from Sarah’s mum informing us that she had sold Sarah’s car for $2000. We believe this is an answer to prayer and confirmation from God that it’s OK for us to get the laptop. We have decided to get a new laptop for Sarah for her work and I will get her old one.

Sunday: We went to church and I played with the worship team, this I was expecting, what I wasn’t expecting was to be asked to at the last minute to lead the service. It was quite a surprise but I didn’t mind. I actually really enjoyed leading the service as it has been a while since I have had the chance to lead one. On this same morning Sarah had offered to do the sound. The sound man hadn’t had a week off in quite some time so we thought it would be nice for him to get the week off. What should probably be explained at this point is that Sarah has never done sound before, she learnt it on the morning. Sarah did a great job, she was so willing to listen and learn, by the end of the service she was able to do it all, she even knows what an auxiliary channel is. All in all the service was quite an experience for both of us, however for Sarah she has learnt a new skill that will probably be invaluable at other churches we visit.

After the service we went down to the skate park with the friends we are staying with. It was a lot of fun and both Sarah and I learnt how to skate. We are a long way off being pro’s however we can get the board to move in one direction without falling off of it. I can even push myself along. For anyone who knows me you know that that’s a big deal.

Lakes Entrance part 3

Monday 22nd March - Sunday 28th March

Monday: We made the long drive from Ballarat to Lakes Entrance today... well almost. We had driven about 4-5 hours with a couple of brief stops. We stopped near Blackburn at a Maccas. We didn't actually eat there we just took advantage of the toilet and parking facilities. We sat and ate rolls in our car, much cheaper and more nutritious. Don't worry we weren't rude enough to actually eat our rolls in the McDonalds. Aside from that we stopped in Sale. About 30km away from Bairnsdale we noticed a smell like maple syrup coming from the car. Not long after that we were broken down on the side of the road, again. The RACV came out and had a look at the car. The RACV man said we had no water which didn't make sense because the car had water when we left. As he began to fill it with water the real problem arose and he informed us that we had split a hose and would have to be towed to Bairnsdale. As we sat in the car waiting to be picked up by the tow truck I began stressing about how we would afford to get the car fixed. I was swiftly reminded that God is in control and that He provides. We had two friends call completely out of the blue and ask for our bank details so that they could put some money in our account from time to time. I felt very humbled. The RACV very graciously put us up for the night in a really nice motel in Bairnsdale. So Sarah and I enjoyed the motel treatment, jumping up and down on the bed wearing the shower cap saying "What can I do in here?!" (This is just a joke and if you don't get it you need to see some Dylan Moran)

Tuesday: I love complimentary tea and coffee. We got up had breakfast and were actually ready to leave by the checkout time. We walked over to the mechanics carrying a few bags, a guitar and a laptop. The mechanics were still working on the car so Sarah and I sat out on the lounge and started our own work. That's the beauty of what we do, all we need is phone reception and we are set. Sarah did her transcribing and I did planning. It was nice to know we weren't wasting time. By about lunch the car was finished and we completed the rest of the journey back to Lakes Entrance. It was really nice to be back.

Wednesday: We worked throughout the day. That night we went to the bible study. It was good, very similar to the previous week but it was clear that the issues being discussed were very relevant to the people of that church. We will have times were what a church is wrestling with is not what we are wrestling with and we might not get much out of the teaching but what is always valuable is fellowship. We enjoyed good fellowship at the bible study, they are a very caring and friendly church. We stayed quite late and once everyone had left I shared a number of my songs with the people that actually lived in the house. It was quite nice and intimate and we got to know them better as they got to know us.

Thursday: We had promised the kids in the house that we were staying with that we would ride to school with them. This morning we made good on that promise. It was a lot of fun, these kids are really great. They stopped and started all the time, for a variety of different reasons, in particular halfway up hills. However Sarah and I were the ones on mountain bikes whereas the kids were on BMX bikes so I think they were making it hardest on themselves.

That night we went to the Easter workshop and helped out again. Sarah took photos until the camera battery died and I helped the kids make crosses out of horseshoe nails and a pop-up card. It was a lot of fun and again we were really impressed with the event itself.

Friday: I started writing a new song today. It is bluesy and rocking, probably one of the liveliest songs I have ever written. It is still very much in its infancy but we'll see what tomorrow brings writing wise. Sarah had a really hard client today, unfortunately it is the nature of her work, one day might be easy, the next hard. She had to come out to the camper to work when the kids got home from school. She is working really hard and I am so proud of her.

We went to youth that night. It was the breakup for the holidays. It was very relaxed and we spent most of the time chatting to people. Then the rip-sticks came out. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a go. I have a bit of history with these things. I gave up on board like things from a young age after I stood on a skateboard and fell over. Last year at the age of 22 at a church camp I decided to take the plunge and have another go. Some of the young adults at the camp had rip-sticks and I was determined. After falling flat on my butt twice and several hours of effort I actually managed to ride around on the rip-stick. It was a momentous occasion for me. So back to the present, I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to have a go on the rip stick and see if I could still ride on it. The verdict: Oh yeah I still got it baby, that's right. Sarah had a go and did really well to. It was a good night.

Saturday: It had been a big week so we took our Sabbath and spent this day doing pretty much nothing. It's good to relax, very important actually as it gives you the energy to take on another week.

Sunday: We went to church his morning. I had been invited to come up and play a song. Before church I was feeling really emotional, not in a bad way just everything felt really intense. It happens to me sometimes, maybe it's because I’m a musician, or maybe it's because I’m crazy or maybe even crazier I’m normal. Either way spent I started praying about what I was supposed to play that morning. I had already planned it out of course but as per so often, God had other plans. I really felt like I was supposed to play Love Enough instead of Victory Song so this is what I did. The song was really well received. I had forgotten to bring my box of CD's so I only had about 3 copies on me in my guitar case. People were really enthusiastic about the music and actually bought CD's saying that they would pay for them anyway and were happy for me to get them to them sometime during the week. I was very encouraged by the reception and generosity of the church.