DTS Outreach PNG [YWAM Ship]

After four weeks in Darwin (which you can read about here, here, here and here), Toma headed back to Canberra to be with his family, while Tim, Janet and I jumped on a plane to Papua New Guinea, ready for the next stage of outreach: serving with the YWAM Medical Ship.

Here are some photos, documenting just a fraction of what I experienced during that week.

Pacific Link

Relaxing  on our first day onboard, after our overnight flights

Exploring the ship

We ate breakfast and dinner on the upper deck

After a day of rest, we had to get stuck into our training and orientation. We were assigned teams that we would work with for the entire week, and each team was assigned a clinic to work at. This way, we could establish relationships with each other and the local nurses, and learn to work for the best of our clinic.

My Primary Health Care Team. Tim's and my orientation was to open our pharmaceutical bag and immediately look at each other, back away, and say, "Who signed us up for this?!?!?!"

PNG style - love it!!!!

Tim working with Rachel in the pharmacy corner

With the lovely nurses in the TB ward

I didn't have much to do one day...and this is a sign of my homesickness at that point of the journey

I will always, always associate PNG with cute kids!!

Tried to make friends with this boy every.single.day that week, and FINALLY on the last day, he started playing with me! We had such fun!! Such a dear boy, who accompanied his extremely ill Mum (TB) every day to the clinic

The YWAM ships website has some pages and stories from the Port Moresby phase of the journey.

Louisa is an amazing lady who coordinated my team's time at the Kaugare, and you can read her story here.

If you read this, you'll see a few snippets of what happened during our time in Port Moresby, as well as see some records of what the YWAM Ships have been able to do this year.

This is a segment from EM TV PNG, which gives a good overview of the aim of the YWAM Ships ministry.

YWAM wouldn't be YWAM without work duties!

Pretty sure I'll never complain that "my bedroom is too small!" or "there isn't enough room!" again!

It wasn't all work! Here is Kim and Phil entertaining us one night on deck. Kim is a former Australian Idol contestant, and blogged about her experiences with the team. Here is one of her posts. She also posted a few photos...can you find me??!

My heart for PNG grew even more during this week with the YWAM Ship

It is SO good to look back and photos and remember the privilege of this experience! I will always be grateful for my time in PNG, the amazing teammates I got to go with, and my Heavenly Father Who truly revealed Himself to me during that time.

~Rachel

DTS Outreach Darwin [Katherine]: Week 4 Recap

Yung Bala Kamp team :-)

On our last week in the Northern Territory, we journeyed down south, past Katherine.

Pretty much the scenery for the entire 3 hour trip

Potty break at the Adelaide River Inn

We unpacked for a one-night-stay at a missionary's house

One inspiring, beautiful woman of God

Chatting with my amazing friend and leader...

...during this gorgeous sunset!! 

We joined a Yung Bala Kamp (Youth Camp), which was run by an SIM missionary, who ministers in the Aboriginal communities in the NT.

Our warm welcome to the outback

Unloading the troupie. We dumped everything here, then moved it all over to the shed, and then moved it all >>

>> here. To our campsite :-)

Story of our lives in the outback

Teaching

Discussion time

Bailing out water from the leak, created by someone driving into a tap! Oops! 

Craft-time

Outdoors activities (these guys are FAST!)

The Shield of Faith

Tug-o'-War - girls won!!!!!!

:-)

Learning about the Armour of God

I spent hours during this week reading and journalling. It was amazing!

Had lots of fun with this little kid!!

On the last night at camp, we had a wonderful worship and sharing time.
During that time, suddenly there was a scream from one of the tents.  The girl in the tent had a toothache, so she'd been sleeping while we were around the campfire. A bunch of the ladies, as well as a couple of the leaders from our group rushed into the tent. The girl said that she saw something; felt something in the tent with her.
Earlier in the camp, we as leaders felt a very strong presence of the enemy. We'd spent a good couple of hours in spiritual warfare at that time, and now it felt that the devil was back, in a very physical way.
The women in the tent prayed over the girl, casting out any demons and anything of the enemy. Those of us around the campfire were praying as well, and eventually there was release. Eventually the girl in the tent calmed down.
I started singing praises to the Lord, and everyone joined in. Just remembering that moment gives me goosebumps! I literally felt the Lord's presence there, in those moments. He was so very real; so very close. I was amazed at the breakthrough that we felt during that time of spiritual warfare.
God is so powerful!

Yung Bala Kamp

On the way back to Darwin

I got the joy of opening and closing gates =D

Team debrief on the way home

Overall this camp was an eye-opener. I've never really spent much time with Indigenous people, and I loved living with them and seeing how they do life.
Spending that week with our team was a great experience, too.

~Rachel

DTS Outreach Darwin: Week 3 Recap

At the beginning of last week we did a bunch of work around the YWAM base. We cleaned-up after Mission Adventure - cleaned bathrooms did laundry; cleaned out the fridge, kitchen and scullery; vaccuumed; hosed down the dining room............
It was good to be there to help :-)

Who sweeps the patio?! In Darwin, they hose it down!! [I was cringing]

The scullery [e.g. wash-up area; crockery and cutlery are stored here; coffee and tea; personal fridge]

Janet cleaning out the fridge

Cleaning out the other fridge

Mending mattress protectors...

...for hours...
I never knew my headband doubled as a kippah!! (Jewish prayer cap) Thanks, guys, for telling me about this before the photo was taken! :-/

...we were pros by the end!

We also worked at Vinnies on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

Vinnies is just up the road from the YWAM base, so it worked out really well for us to walk there each day. They run a food program that provides breakfast and lunch for people in need.
We arrived at 9am each day, and prepared the lunches. They would be given to homeless people or others in need, and service officers such as firemen.

Please note that my fashionable attire is not a dress, but an apron =D

We all had our jobs: Toma packing the sandwiches into bags; me stacking the sandwiches (had to make sure each package had variety, of course!); Tim making nice patterns such as flowers and treble clefs, with the sauce...

Our production line was very successful!

I immensely enjoyed making the sandwiches!...

...although, I may have gotten a bit dehydrated...or something affected my brain... =P

Janet did an amazing job! I think she was the fastest of us all!

300+ sandwiches later...
We were still alive!
L-R: Janet, Toma, me, and Tim

~Rachel