Hello Everyone! Depending on who is reading this, it may or may not be my birthday!! It has already passed here in Australia but it was awesome. We had a great day although i am extremely sore ALL over!! On Wednesday i played squash (which is basically raquetball), and it was the most intense cardio workout i have ever had! it was so much fun though. After that, we (myself and a few other guys) decided to play basketball as well. So we played for about 2 hours and called it a day!
Well, then yesterday morning (my birthday) i was so sore that i could barely walk! All the guys were playing basketball again from about 9:30-11:30 and i debated going, but of course there was no getting out of it! So i went and played and had an awesome time. One funny thing that happened was that somehow, my sweat formed in the shape of a heart on my shirt! It was the weirdest thing and one of my friends pointed it out to me. It was really cool though. that has never happened before.
Then after basketball, we had planned to go to the beach b/c i really wanted to for my birthday. Well, it ended up just being me, April and our friend Adsy! It was overcast and a little rainy here, but when we got to the beach it was great! Only raied for like 2 minutes. Adsy and i surfed for a bit, but it was so rough that we just got kicked around by the waves! I guess i am not cut out for Australian surfing! But it was worth it for April to see the beach and for us to get in the water (even though it was freezing!!)
Ok so then April and i went to Outback for birthday dinner! It was really good, but the funny thing is that everything is more expensive, but they serve smaller portions. Usually you go out to eat in the states, and there are leftovers, but here it is just enough food to be full (which is good too). It was a great dinner.
After dinner, we had a massive ice cream party for my B-day and had like 30 or so people over to hang out and eat ice cream. It was awesome! After that wound down, we played the best game of murder in the dark. We used a fog machine and strobe light during the game with all the lights off so it made it interesting!
WOW! What a great birthday. Thanks to all of you for making me feel so loved! We love you guys so much. Can't wait to see everyone again. I feel like it is coming soooo FAST. To be honest, we are going to miss it here a bit. We have met some really cool people and it has been a fun time. But we are VERY excited to come home as well. My brother is coming to visit which is so awesome, i am so pumped. he will be here 1 week from today!! Then he will visit us for about 12 days, then we fly back with him on the SYD to LA flight, then he is off to Charleston, and we are off to Maryland!
We can't wait to see you guys again! We will be arriving in Charleston again after our 10 hour drive on Saturday the 27th of December. Well, have a great weekend and keep us in your prayers. See you real soon! WE LOVE YOU!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Update from OZ
Hello Everyone!!
I hope that this post finds you well and you are having a great week! I wanted to go ahead and update everyone on things here. April and i have thoroughly enjoyed the time that we have had here so far in Australia. It is a great place that we live in and the people are so friendly. Hillsong is an amazing church that is consistently spreading God's Word all over the world. They have an incredible mission and vision and Brian and Bobbie Houston are great leadership to be under.
As some of you may know, April and I came to Australia for a much bigger reason than us just wanting to go! We came because of a strong feeling that we felt from God. I tell you, God sure has done some amazing things in our lives in this season. We feel as though we have grown so much in maturity and spirituality, and our marriage has never been stronger! We have had a lot of time to grow together in a way that we weren't able to do back home. Our relationship with God and with each other has reached a whole new level. We want to personally thank you for being part of that. Whether you have supported us financially, prayerfully, or otherwise, you have impacted our lives in a huge way.
Many of you know, but April and I have been through a lot this semester. It was hard enough living in a two bedroom apartment with two other girls! We have struggled financially and have gotten by, but it has been tough. God has definitely built our faith through the crazy circumstances such as April not having a job for the first month we were here, then losing her job for a week and getting it back again, and my dad passing away. We have stayed strong through it all! God has totally built up our faith in Him and we believe He is building us up for something huge. We have a big dream and vision that God has given to us and it is so amazing! This semester, God has been preparing us for things greater than we can imagine and we are so excited, as well as a little scared!
Well, one of the big reasons we came was so that i could get some more training musically. I realized after being here for this time, that will not be the case. The college is more of a Bible college than music school. I was under the impression that by studying within the Worship and Creative Arts stream, that i would be more musically trained, but that's not the case. Many of the classes i was able to receive Recognition of Prior Learning, because i had already taken them at CSU. So this semester i have taken one class, worship band, which is a practical class where we have a band and perform worship sets 3 times over the semester. There wasn't much training in this class because it was basically what i was doing while working at Seacoast.
After thinking through, and earnestly praying and seeking God in this situation, April and i have decided that it is time to come home. God has truly place a burning desire in my heart for Seacoast and specifically student ministries, and of course worship. Over this semester, i have learned many things that we may be able to incorporate into our church that will help us to keep moving forward! It has been a great experience for us and we have grown and learned so much. We are also so excited to come home and be with the one's we love most.
At first i really struggled with moving forward with this because i felt like i would be a failure, but i know that i'm not. We have considered many possibilities of why God would only bring us here for a semester, but we see that God wanted us to step out of our comfort zone, be forced to rely completely on Him, and put our faith in Him alone! We debated what God's "Will" was for our lives, to go home or stay here and finish the year. John 6:40 says "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." So God's will for us as His children is to spread the Good News, to tell others about Christ through our words, actions, and choices, no matter where we are. It's not about a location, it's about our heart and what we are doing to reach others! Also, it wouldn't be logical to stay another semester (at least in the college) and be paying a little over $2,000 for only one class. I don't think that would be a financially wise decision.
So it looks as though April and i will be coming home in December. We plan to leave here on the 16th of December and fly to Maryland to spend Christmas with her family. Then we will drive back down to Charleston on the 27th to settle in and spend New Year's with friends and family.
Thank you so much once again for investing in us. God is going to do some amazing things with us and we are confident that this semester has been a building block for our future! May God bless you for your fervent prayers and support for us! We love you and can't wait to see you soon! have a blessed day.
In Christ's Love,
The Knights
I hope that this post finds you well and you are having a great week! I wanted to go ahead and update everyone on things here. April and i have thoroughly enjoyed the time that we have had here so far in Australia. It is a great place that we live in and the people are so friendly. Hillsong is an amazing church that is consistently spreading God's Word all over the world. They have an incredible mission and vision and Brian and Bobbie Houston are great leadership to be under.
As some of you may know, April and I came to Australia for a much bigger reason than us just wanting to go! We came because of a strong feeling that we felt from God. I tell you, God sure has done some amazing things in our lives in this season. We feel as though we have grown so much in maturity and spirituality, and our marriage has never been stronger! We have had a lot of time to grow together in a way that we weren't able to do back home. Our relationship with God and with each other has reached a whole new level. We want to personally thank you for being part of that. Whether you have supported us financially, prayerfully, or otherwise, you have impacted our lives in a huge way.
Many of you know, but April and I have been through a lot this semester. It was hard enough living in a two bedroom apartment with two other girls! We have struggled financially and have gotten by, but it has been tough. God has definitely built our faith through the crazy circumstances such as April not having a job for the first month we were here, then losing her job for a week and getting it back again, and my dad passing away. We have stayed strong through it all! God has totally built up our faith in Him and we believe He is building us up for something huge. We have a big dream and vision that God has given to us and it is so amazing! This semester, God has been preparing us for things greater than we can imagine and we are so excited, as well as a little scared!
Well, one of the big reasons we came was so that i could get some more training musically. I realized after being here for this time, that will not be the case. The college is more of a Bible college than music school. I was under the impression that by studying within the Worship and Creative Arts stream, that i would be more musically trained, but that's not the case. Many of the classes i was able to receive Recognition of Prior Learning, because i had already taken them at CSU. So this semester i have taken one class, worship band, which is a practical class where we have a band and perform worship sets 3 times over the semester. There wasn't much training in this class because it was basically what i was doing while working at Seacoast.
After thinking through, and earnestly praying and seeking God in this situation, April and i have decided that it is time to come home. God has truly place a burning desire in my heart for Seacoast and specifically student ministries, and of course worship. Over this semester, i have learned many things that we may be able to incorporate into our church that will help us to keep moving forward! It has been a great experience for us and we have grown and learned so much. We are also so excited to come home and be with the one's we love most.
At first i really struggled with moving forward with this because i felt like i would be a failure, but i know that i'm not. We have considered many possibilities of why God would only bring us here for a semester, but we see that God wanted us to step out of our comfort zone, be forced to rely completely on Him, and put our faith in Him alone! We debated what God's "Will" was for our lives, to go home or stay here and finish the year. John 6:40 says "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." So God's will for us as His children is to spread the Good News, to tell others about Christ through our words, actions, and choices, no matter where we are. It's not about a location, it's about our heart and what we are doing to reach others! Also, it wouldn't be logical to stay another semester (at least in the college) and be paying a little over $2,000 for only one class. I don't think that would be a financially wise decision.
So it looks as though April and i will be coming home in December. We plan to leave here on the 16th of December and fly to Maryland to spend Christmas with her family. Then we will drive back down to Charleston on the 27th to settle in and spend New Year's with friends and family.
Thank you so much once again for investing in us. God is going to do some amazing things with us and we are confident that this semester has been a building block for our future! May God bless you for your fervent prayers and support for us! We love you and can't wait to see you soon! have a blessed day.
In Christ's Love,
The Knights
Monday, October 27, 2008
And the Rainbow Prevails!!
Okay so i know this is going to sound pretty crazy, but April got her job back today!! We know that (double) rainbow was a promise that God would provide for us!
Well, April went to Castle Towers today to actually return her uniform, and after she was on her way home, the owner called and i spoke with him for a few minutes. He said that one of the employees left and they would like to hire April again. She is picking up a shift this Sunday and will be working consistently again!!
This is totally God providing for us. We have gotten in the mindset that we know we have been faithful with the little that God has given us and He is just preparing us to be faithful with the abundance that He will provide us with in the future!! Thank you for all of your prayers in this time of need we REALLY appreciate it. Can't wait to hear what God is doing in your life!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Today we saw a rainbow!
We are trying our best to enjoy this crazy Australian spring weather, but today was tough. It started last night with dime sized hail for about twenty minutes. Then this morning it was raining pretty hard...after we got to college for chapel it was just plain windy and freezing... when all was said and done this afternoon as Robert and I walked home from Church the sun started to shine and just before we got home Robert pointed behind us to show me the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen. It stretched across what seemed like the entire sky in a perfect half circle... and I saw both ends of it, it was absolutely incredible. To me this rainbow was a sign from God that he has not forgotten us and that he WILL take care of us.
Yesterday I was working at the cafe and just after we closed and had cleaned up for the day, my manager sat me down to tell me that I was being "let go". I never knew how hard those words were to hear, or that anyone actually says it that way, but he did. He said it was strictly because business has been bad and apparently the owners aren't making enough money so they will have to work more shifts and can't afford to keep me on staff. So yesterday was officially my last day of work.
I left work to go with Robert and Alex our friend (she's a girl) to the passion conference in the city. We had an AMAZING time. Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin and the David Crowder Band were all part of the evening. It was a blessed night and honestly I worshipped God harder than I have in a while. It was sort of surreal...the idea that I just lost my job and our only income but it's okay because God is still God and worthy of my worship.
So...as I was riding up the escalator last night before I saw Robert and Alex thinking how was I going to tell them. A peace from God came over me and I remember thinking, this is a way to build my faith. God KNEW I was going to lose my job and he also knows that we have to pay our bills this week. He is sovereign and he is looking out for Robert and I, even if I can't get my head around how. The beautiful thing is that God has given me a great peace and trust over the situation. That I don't have to cry about it (which I haven't yet) because he is taking care of us. He has brought us this far and he's not going to stop providing for us now.
I am taken back to a few months ago when I didn't get that job at the Salon and I remember how it seemed to crush my faith in God at the time. I was totally confused and almost upset at God because I didn't understand what he was doing. I feel like in that situation I in some ways failed God in trusting in him. SO...maybe he is giving me another chance to put my faith fully in him this time, and so far so good! I am not being careless over the situation just because I am not worrying about it. If I trust in God to provide for us then I am being faithful to his call. It sort of cracks me up because I remember the other day praying that God would build my faith in Him, faith to move mountains (unbeknownst to me that I was going to lose my job in two days). He is giving me the opportunity to have what I prayed for. Now, I would have hoped for maybe a little easier situation but hey, he is God.
Last night I wanted to question God about it. I said to Robert, "I just don't understand". And he reminded me that I don't have to understand. Isn't that freeing, that we don't have to understand God's way...we just have to trust in it, and be available to be moved by him. As I began to question I was immediately reminded of Job when he questioned God about all the harm that was done to him. God did not answer his question, he simply responded by humbling Job and reminding him of who He was and who Job was. So... I decided not to question God because I figured I wouldn't get very far.
So we will trust in God and His great plan for us. I do however need a job of some sort so that is a big prayer request. One praise is that our car finally sold on ebay! Yay, so Robert will meet the guy tomorrow so he can take the car. That will help pay our rent for the next two weeks which is awesome.
I am reminded of when we get comfortable in our situation. I think back to when we were in Charleston, we really were comfortable financially. We were by no means making great money, but we did not need for anything either. Right now we are so in need of our Father's provision that it is refreshing. I would not trade my renewed and growing faith in God for my job back. What can I say, this is absolutely an adventure!!!! haha. Thanks for reading to the bottom. Love you, Miss you to everyone!
Yesterday I was working at the cafe and just after we closed and had cleaned up for the day, my manager sat me down to tell me that I was being "let go". I never knew how hard those words were to hear, or that anyone actually says it that way, but he did. He said it was strictly because business has been bad and apparently the owners aren't making enough money so they will have to work more shifts and can't afford to keep me on staff. So yesterday was officially my last day of work.
I left work to go with Robert and Alex our friend (she's a girl) to the passion conference in the city. We had an AMAZING time. Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin and the David Crowder Band were all part of the evening. It was a blessed night and honestly I worshipped God harder than I have in a while. It was sort of surreal...the idea that I just lost my job and our only income but it's okay because God is still God and worthy of my worship.
So...as I was riding up the escalator last night before I saw Robert and Alex thinking how was I going to tell them. A peace from God came over me and I remember thinking, this is a way to build my faith. God KNEW I was going to lose my job and he also knows that we have to pay our bills this week. He is sovereign and he is looking out for Robert and I, even if I can't get my head around how. The beautiful thing is that God has given me a great peace and trust over the situation. That I don't have to cry about it (which I haven't yet) because he is taking care of us. He has brought us this far and he's not going to stop providing for us now.
I am taken back to a few months ago when I didn't get that job at the Salon and I remember how it seemed to crush my faith in God at the time. I was totally confused and almost upset at God because I didn't understand what he was doing. I feel like in that situation I in some ways failed God in trusting in him. SO...maybe he is giving me another chance to put my faith fully in him this time, and so far so good! I am not being careless over the situation just because I am not worrying about it. If I trust in God to provide for us then I am being faithful to his call. It sort of cracks me up because I remember the other day praying that God would build my faith in Him, faith to move mountains (unbeknownst to me that I was going to lose my job in two days). He is giving me the opportunity to have what I prayed for. Now, I would have hoped for maybe a little easier situation but hey, he is God.
Last night I wanted to question God about it. I said to Robert, "I just don't understand". And he reminded me that I don't have to understand. Isn't that freeing, that we don't have to understand God's way...we just have to trust in it, and be available to be moved by him. As I began to question I was immediately reminded of Job when he questioned God about all the harm that was done to him. God did not answer his question, he simply responded by humbling Job and reminding him of who He was and who Job was. So... I decided not to question God because I figured I wouldn't get very far.
So we will trust in God and His great plan for us. I do however need a job of some sort so that is a big prayer request. One praise is that our car finally sold on ebay! Yay, so Robert will meet the guy tomorrow so he can take the car. That will help pay our rent for the next two weeks which is awesome.
I am reminded of when we get comfortable in our situation. I think back to when we were in Charleston, we really were comfortable financially. We were by no means making great money, but we did not need for anything either. Right now we are so in need of our Father's provision that it is refreshing. I would not trade my renewed and growing faith in God for my job back. What can I say, this is absolutely an adventure!!!! haha. Thanks for reading to the bottom. Love you, Miss you to everyone!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Fun Times
Hello Everyone! How are you going? We are doing pretty great over here! I have been spending a lot of time with my house watching Grey's Anatomy. We got stuck watching it and just rented season 3 to watch within the next 3 days. Things have been pretty normal, nothing too exciting recently.
I just realized that i haven't posted since Jionte and I's road trip. For our spring break, we went on a road trip up the East coast of Australia. We got to go to many places such as Surfer's paradise, Byron Bay, Marochadore, Port Macquarie, Grafton, and Newcastle. It was an awesome time to just hang out, play guitar, see the sights, and rest! We had a blast. We had no attachment to stay in one place too long b/c we just decided to sleep in the car! You can check out all the great pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/robertknight85
Also, we have been working on the stage props for the new term of Wildlife, the high school ministry here at Hillsong. They turned out awesome, but we were up until 2 and 3am for the past 3 nights working on them. I will put some pics up of those soon!
Well, i hope you are doing well as you read this. We will update you soon. have a great weekend!!
I just realized that i haven't posted since Jionte and I's road trip. For our spring break, we went on a road trip up the East coast of Australia. We got to go to many places such as Surfer's paradise, Byron Bay, Marochadore, Port Macquarie, Grafton, and Newcastle. It was an awesome time to just hang out, play guitar, see the sights, and rest! We had a blast. We had no attachment to stay in one place too long b/c we just decided to sleep in the car! You can check out all the great pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/robertknight85
Also, we have been working on the stage props for the new term of Wildlife, the high school ministry here at Hillsong. They turned out awesome, but we were up until 2 and 3am for the past 3 nights working on them. I will put some pics up of those soon!
Well, i hope you are doing well as you read this. We will update you soon. have a great weekend!!
Friday, October 3, 2008
$$$$$$$$$$ PRAYER
Hey everyone, we just need some prayer for our financial situation right now. I am really going to need a job by next week to cover our costs here. Right now, every other paycheck we get from April's job pays our rent and then the other one is going towards our bills/transportation/and grocery costs. It has just been really tough on us as we are struggling through. We are surviving, but it is hard on us. Just pray that God would bless our giving, because we know He will, we are just being patient for His timing. We love you and miss you all. Have a wonderful day and we pray that God is blessing your life as well!!!
In Christ's Love,
Robert
In Christ's Love,
Robert
Friday, September 26, 2008
Inspirations from a Jog
Well, i thought i would just share a thought that i had this morning. I was jogging this morning and set a goal for myself to run to Parklea Markets. i don't know how far it is from our house but it is a good 30 minute jog! Well, after my jog, i did some reflecting and God kind of showed me something through it which seems kind of weird, but if we are open to God, He shows us things through some simple situations.
Anyway, what i thought about was that when i first started my run, i was really excited about it and i ran at a pretty fast pace. Well, i noticed that about every 5-10 minutes, i had to stop and just walk because i was getting too tire too fast. I did that all the way to my destination. Then, when i started to run back home, i decided to set a pace that i thought would be good enough for me to get all the way home without stopping or slowing down. So I SET A PACE!
That was the greatest thing i could have done. I noticed on my way back, i didn't get too tired and have to walk at any point, i made it all the way back home!
You know, we tend to do the same thing in life sometimes. Whether it is church, work, hobbies, or anything else, if we love something, we tend to dive right in and get as involved in it as possible. The bad thing is that if we don't set a pace before getting involved, we can get burnt out and every now and then we have to catch our breath to be able to go again.
How about this! If you haven't already, set a pace for yourself. Make sure and schedule in a day off each week that really is a DAY OFF!! Relax, go out to eat, DON'T do any work/ministry! If you set the pace NOW, it will help you to last longer, and maybe even until the end of the race!
1 Corinthians 9:23-25
Anyway, what i thought about was that when i first started my run, i was really excited about it and i ran at a pretty fast pace. Well, i noticed that about every 5-10 minutes, i had to stop and just walk because i was getting too tire too fast. I did that all the way to my destination. Then, when i started to run back home, i decided to set a pace that i thought would be good enough for me to get all the way home without stopping or slowing down. So I SET A PACE!
That was the greatest thing i could have done. I noticed on my way back, i didn't get too tired and have to walk at any point, i made it all the way back home!
You know, we tend to do the same thing in life sometimes. Whether it is church, work, hobbies, or anything else, if we love something, we tend to dive right in and get as involved in it as possible. The bad thing is that if we don't set a pace before getting involved, we can get burnt out and every now and then we have to catch our breath to be able to go again.
How about this! If you haven't already, set a pace for yourself. Make sure and schedule in a day off each week that really is a DAY OFF!! Relax, go out to eat, DON'T do any work/ministry! If you set the pace NOW, it will help you to last longer, and maybe even until the end of the race!
1 Corinthians 9:23-25
"I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
Here's the thing... Don't do what you do for you! Don't do what you do for others to see! Do what you do for God...for the SAKE OF THE GOSPEL. Let's set a pace for our lives that will push us to win the prize. We must train to get to that point, but if we learn to set a pace for ourselves NOW, we will be able to run the race so much easier and with more effectiveness. A lot of time's we even stop what we are doing because we don't feel as though we are worthy because of a sin or mistake we have made. We have NEVER been worthy, and that is why we need God's forgiveness.
So, let's set a pace, then run the race, while receiving God's grace!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Posting, Posting, Posting
Hello, How are you doing today? Well, we are doing pretty good so far. I know it has only been like 3 months, but we are still settling in as we just moved into our new house about a week and a half ago! We just moved into a non-college house which is really good because the rent is much cheaper, and the people are awesome. We are now living with 3 other girls, one of them being Jill Schuermann!!! All of the girls here are awesome and a lot of fun! April thoroughly enjoys being around them all the time.
April has been working hard at her new job, and i have been able to work on music a lot! Since i just received my Recognition of Prior Learning, i am now only taking 1 class and it is worship band! It is a lot of fun, but my schedule has really opened up. I only have class on Mondays from 8-1 and Wednesdays are Chapel from 11:45-12:45 and then Tutorial from 4:15-5:15 and that is all! I have really been able to work on memorizing worship songs and playing guitar. Hopefully i will be writing some stuff soon as well!
I plan on getting a job to take up that time just as soon as i get back from our spring break which is next week. I am really excited because Jionte and I and a couple of other guys are going to drive up to the Gold Coast for a few days to hang out with Chad and go to the beach there! Unfortunately April couldn't get off work, but she insisted that i go. I am sad that she can't go with us, but I guess I will just have to do something special for her later:)
A quick prayer request: Some of you may know from before, but when i was younger, i had an accident and my front tooth was chipped pretty bad. Well, inconveniently enough, the piece that i had fixed came off the other day, so i now have a chipped front tooth again. It is pretty expensive to have fixed and we can't really afford it right now, so just pray that either the money is provided or I can just deal with it for a while!!
well, We really hope you are doing awesome. Feel free to let us know how you are. robertknight85@gmail.com OR aprilknight86@gmail.com
We love you and miss you so much.
Robert and April
April has been working hard at her new job, and i have been able to work on music a lot! Since i just received my Recognition of Prior Learning, i am now only taking 1 class and it is worship band! It is a lot of fun, but my schedule has really opened up. I only have class on Mondays from 8-1 and Wednesdays are Chapel from 11:45-12:45 and then Tutorial from 4:15-5:15 and that is all! I have really been able to work on memorizing worship songs and playing guitar. Hopefully i will be writing some stuff soon as well!
I plan on getting a job to take up that time just as soon as i get back from our spring break which is next week. I am really excited because Jionte and I and a couple of other guys are going to drive up to the Gold Coast for a few days to hang out with Chad and go to the beach there! Unfortunately April couldn't get off work, but she insisted that i go. I am sad that she can't go with us, but I guess I will just have to do something special for her later:)
A quick prayer request: Some of you may know from before, but when i was younger, i had an accident and my front tooth was chipped pretty bad. Well, inconveniently enough, the piece that i had fixed came off the other day, so i now have a chipped front tooth again. It is pretty expensive to have fixed and we can't really afford it right now, so just pray that either the money is provided or I can just deal with it for a while!!
well, We really hope you are doing awesome. Feel free to let us know how you are. robertknight85@gmail.com OR aprilknight86@gmail.com
We love you and miss you so much.
Robert and April
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Hello Everyone!!!
Well, i just thought i would post quickly to give everyone an update on what's going on with us. I haven't posted in a while, but i will make this one quick!!
April and I are doing really well. We finally have a pretty steady income with April working, but now i am looking for a job as well, so that is definitely a prayer request. I have a lead at Next Byte, which is a reseller for Apple products, so it suits me well. I would love to have that job, but i will take whatever i can get!! The reason i will be able to work now is that i am finally receiving credit for my previous study at CSU! So i will have Tuesdays, Thursday's, and Friday and Saturday mornings available to work.
The other big thing is that we are moving TOMORROW!!!! We are so excited! Some of you may know, but we will be moving in with Jill and a few other girls from the college! Our rent is going to be much cheaper so that is definitely a blessing! And it is only a 30-40 minute walk to the church/school! Right now we are about an hour and 15 minutes from the school and it is a rough walk. So i will definitely be getting my exercise because i won't be taking the bus, just walking! We are still looking for some sort of a big vehicle like a van or truck to move our bed, couch and kitchen table, so if you happen to know of anyone in this area....hahaha
School is going well. It has been kind of tough for me just because a lot of the classes are similar to the classes i took at CSU. I didn't realize that the school is considered a bible college and not so much a music school, but i am learning so much in the position i am in. I started volunteering on the production team for Wildlife which is the high school ministry hear. I am going to get trained as a monitor engineer next week so that is exciting. Then i will get trained on the Front of House mixer which is all digital. it is a Yamaha M7CL! That is exciting because i have never used one before.
Oh yeah, and we went to an amazing connect group tuesday night! We were the only American couple along with 2 Norwegian couples, a Brazilian couple, and a Swedish couple. It was so much fun and we are so glad to be part of a small group again. I am putting pics in our picasa album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/robertknight85
Okay so that's my "short" update. Hope everyone is doing awesome. Also, if you could just keep me in your prayers about something. God has been stirring something big in my heart and i know that it is a big goal and vision so just pray that i stay encouraged and looking at the big picture. We love you and miss you. have a wonderful day.
Robert and April
April and I are doing really well. We finally have a pretty steady income with April working, but now i am looking for a job as well, so that is definitely a prayer request. I have a lead at Next Byte, which is a reseller for Apple products, so it suits me well. I would love to have that job, but i will take whatever i can get!! The reason i will be able to work now is that i am finally receiving credit for my previous study at CSU! So i will have Tuesdays, Thursday's, and Friday and Saturday mornings available to work.
The other big thing is that we are moving TOMORROW!!!! We are so excited! Some of you may know, but we will be moving in with Jill and a few other girls from the college! Our rent is going to be much cheaper so that is definitely a blessing! And it is only a 30-40 minute walk to the church/school! Right now we are about an hour and 15 minutes from the school and it is a rough walk. So i will definitely be getting my exercise because i won't be taking the bus, just walking! We are still looking for some sort of a big vehicle like a van or truck to move our bed, couch and kitchen table, so if you happen to know of anyone in this area....hahaha
School is going well. It has been kind of tough for me just because a lot of the classes are similar to the classes i took at CSU. I didn't realize that the school is considered a bible college and not so much a music school, but i am learning so much in the position i am in. I started volunteering on the production team for Wildlife which is the high school ministry hear. I am going to get trained as a monitor engineer next week so that is exciting. Then i will get trained on the Front of House mixer which is all digital. it is a Yamaha M7CL! That is exciting because i have never used one before.
Oh yeah, and we went to an amazing connect group tuesday night! We were the only American couple along with 2 Norwegian couples, a Brazilian couple, and a Swedish couple. It was so much fun and we are so glad to be part of a small group again. I am putting pics in our picasa album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/robertknight85
Okay so that's my "short" update. Hope everyone is doing awesome. Also, if you could just keep me in your prayers about something. God has been stirring something big in my heart and i know that it is a big goal and vision so just pray that i stay encouraged and looking at the big picture. We love you and miss you. have a wonderful day.
Robert and April
Sunday, August 31, 2008
some pics from our visit in Charleston!
me and my new niece McKenna Elaine
We miss this delicacy very much in Australia
some of our best couples!!Overdue blog!
I know we haven't posted in a while and I'm sure everyone is on the edge of their seat to know how we are doing! haha, I'm sure this isn't the case but we shall give you an update anyway! First of all and most importantly I have a job!!! You may all now rejoice with us as this has been a trying time of unemployment and little faith at times! But as always God is faithful to us and we have prevailed among our trials. So......I am a waitress, go figure. For some of you who knew already, waitressing was about the only thing I had said I didn't want to do while I was over here and I made that clear to God, however God has in return made it clear to me that waitressing is what I shall do. It is funny because, once I decided that I would apply to be a waitress I had four job offers in one week. For the whole month and a half prior I had only one job offer that didn't even come through. So I know for now I am called to be a waitress, so I will bear my cross...haha. The great thing about the job is that the pay is great and my bosses are working with me on my visa limitations. They are letting me work more than 20hrs. but working it out on my check that I am still taxed for my wages. This means that I am doing it in a semi-legal way, the government still gets their money and my mom can sleep better knowing that I am not working illegally.
I never knew what a blessing it was to actually have a job until I couldn't find one and we were running out of money to pay the bills. God has made it clear to us in this time that we should be thankful for the blessings we have even when we so often do not count them as blessings, but burdens like, "oh man I have to go to work again!". I know I've said that many times.
I am so happy to say that we are really starting to love it here (not enough to stay here, only enough to enjoy it until we get to come back). Things are coming around and we are finally starting to feel adjusted and part of our new church family.
Yesterday we went into the city with a couple friends to visit the city campus of Hillsong church. It is run similar to the way Seacoast does their services but there is a live speaker at the campus. It is much smaller than the Hills campus, the auditorium seats probably about 500 or so, but they have something like 5 services each week. The message was awesome! I will give you a tidbit if you'd like (if not just read ahead). So the pastor spoke on Hebrews 5:11-6:3. In this passage the writer of Hebrews is speaking on spiritual maturity. He scolding the Hebrews that they are not mature enough to receive the solid food of God, that they must be taught the elementary truths of God's word all over again. In the beginning of Chapter six the writer lists the 6 foundations of the Christian life: repentance, faith, baptism, the laying on of hands, resurrection and eternal judgment. The pastor challenged us to see these things as essential for our life in Christ however he also reminded us that just because we know the foundational truths doesn't mean that we are living like Christ. Probably my favorite part was when he addressed a situation that he said sometimes happens at Hillsong. I thought it was so great. He said sometimes a member will come to him and say, "we are going to leave the church because we want to go somewhere where we can get a deeper message". saying, the messages aren't deep enough or exigetical enough. The pastor had the best response to it, He said on average the messages that we hear at Hillsong are not super deep, not so intense that they would maybe stump someone to the point that they would need to get the CD to hear it again because it was packed so full of intense biblical teaching. But more so it is not about what you know or how deep your teaching is but it is about how your life is lived. Does your life reflect the life of Christ, are you living like Jesus did, because if you're not then all your knowledge is to waste. If we are not living out what we already know then we don't need to learn anything else anyway. None of us have mastered the scriptures that we do know to live by, so why demand to know a deeper truth. Our purpose is to become more and more like Christ and live like he lived. I feel like God has been wanting to teach me that recently. That my mission is not to be a famous worship artist to give God glory, but it is to live each day more like Christ. For our lives are not just here on earth but they are eternal. Our work here is only preparation for our work in Heaven, we are preparing for the future. This has been quite difficult for me to grasp, because for the past few years, I have felt that worship art was God's mission for me to reach youth with a call to creative expression of worship. And in certain ways I still feel like it is.... however if my foundation is not a daily expression of Christ in my life, then my mission for art is void.
I don't know how much sense this has made, but it is my heart. Once again thank you so much for reading to the bottom! some day I should figure out how to leave a prize for everyone who reads the whole thing.
We pray blessings over your lives, may you receive God's love anew today. We love you all, and thank you for your support. ~April
I never knew what a blessing it was to actually have a job until I couldn't find one and we were running out of money to pay the bills. God has made it clear to us in this time that we should be thankful for the blessings we have even when we so often do not count them as blessings, but burdens like, "oh man I have to go to work again!". I know I've said that many times.
I am so happy to say that we are really starting to love it here (not enough to stay here, only enough to enjoy it until we get to come back). Things are coming around and we are finally starting to feel adjusted and part of our new church family.
Yesterday we went into the city with a couple friends to visit the city campus of Hillsong church. It is run similar to the way Seacoast does their services but there is a live speaker at the campus. It is much smaller than the Hills campus, the auditorium seats probably about 500 or so, but they have something like 5 services each week. The message was awesome! I will give you a tidbit if you'd like (if not just read ahead). So the pastor spoke on Hebrews 5:11-6:3. In this passage the writer of Hebrews is speaking on spiritual maturity. He scolding the Hebrews that they are not mature enough to receive the solid food of God, that they must be taught the elementary truths of God's word all over again. In the beginning of Chapter six the writer lists the 6 foundations of the Christian life: repentance, faith, baptism, the laying on of hands, resurrection and eternal judgment. The pastor challenged us to see these things as essential for our life in Christ however he also reminded us that just because we know the foundational truths doesn't mean that we are living like Christ. Probably my favorite part was when he addressed a situation that he said sometimes happens at Hillsong. I thought it was so great. He said sometimes a member will come to him and say, "we are going to leave the church because we want to go somewhere where we can get a deeper message". saying, the messages aren't deep enough or exigetical enough. The pastor had the best response to it, He said on average the messages that we hear at Hillsong are not super deep, not so intense that they would maybe stump someone to the point that they would need to get the CD to hear it again because it was packed so full of intense biblical teaching. But more so it is not about what you know or how deep your teaching is but it is about how your life is lived. Does your life reflect the life of Christ, are you living like Jesus did, because if you're not then all your knowledge is to waste. If we are not living out what we already know then we don't need to learn anything else anyway. None of us have mastered the scriptures that we do know to live by, so why demand to know a deeper truth. Our purpose is to become more and more like Christ and live like he lived. I feel like God has been wanting to teach me that recently. That my mission is not to be a famous worship artist to give God glory, but it is to live each day more like Christ. For our lives are not just here on earth but they are eternal. Our work here is only preparation for our work in Heaven, we are preparing for the future. This has been quite difficult for me to grasp, because for the past few years, I have felt that worship art was God's mission for me to reach youth with a call to creative expression of worship. And in certain ways I still feel like it is.... however if my foundation is not a daily expression of Christ in my life, then my mission for art is void.
I don't know how much sense this has made, but it is my heart. Once again thank you so much for reading to the bottom! some day I should figure out how to leave a prize for everyone who reads the whole thing.
We pray blessings over your lives, may you receive God's love anew today. We love you all, and thank you for your support. ~April
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Back to the Island
Well, we have arrived safely in Australia again! We had an amazing time in Charleston seeing all of our friends and family. Thanks to all of you that made our time so special. We really believe this past week has given us the "boost" of passion and energy to come back and finish strong!! We love you guys and as much as we want to be back home, God is teaching us so much from the experiences here. We love you and miss you already.
There are a few things that we would like for you to keep in your prayers. First of all, we still need jobs. As of right now, April and I both need to find jobs as soon as possible working 20 hours/week. Just pray that God provides the job that He wants for us. Also, pray that I am able to catch up in my school work. I am going to diligently work at fulfilling my requirements on time. Ultimately, we need prayer for strength. As you have heard and read, we have had a tough transition here, but we know God will provide. We are strengthened daily by the faith that we feel is required for us in this time. It truly has been amazing.
I want to say a special thanks to everyone who made the memorial service for my dad possible. Ernest, i know that you had an extremely busy week/weekend, but you were more than willing to help my family by planning and performing the ceremony. Darrell and Ashley, thank you so much for throwing a little get together for us while we were there. It was great to see your new home and hang out with all of our friends. And we would not have been able to even come home without the amazing support of the Seacoast church body. thank you so much.
There are so many others, but the list is just so long!! Thanks to all of you that made our visit so great. You know who you are!! We love you and continue to pray for you as well. have a wonderful day and keep in touch!
Much Love always,
Robert and April
There are a few things that we would like for you to keep in your prayers. First of all, we still need jobs. As of right now, April and I both need to find jobs as soon as possible working 20 hours/week. Just pray that God provides the job that He wants for us. Also, pray that I am able to catch up in my school work. I am going to diligently work at fulfilling my requirements on time. Ultimately, we need prayer for strength. As you have heard and read, we have had a tough transition here, but we know God will provide. We are strengthened daily by the faith that we feel is required for us in this time. It truly has been amazing.
I want to say a special thanks to everyone who made the memorial service for my dad possible. Ernest, i know that you had an extremely busy week/weekend, but you were more than willing to help my family by planning and performing the ceremony. Darrell and Ashley, thank you so much for throwing a little get together for us while we were there. It was great to see your new home and hang out with all of our friends. And we would not have been able to even come home without the amazing support of the Seacoast church body. thank you so much.
There are so many others, but the list is just so long!! Thanks to all of you that made our visit so great. You know who you are!! We love you and continue to pray for you as well. have a wonderful day and keep in touch!
Much Love always,
Robert and April
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Updates and Information
Hello Everyone~
Well it is Saturday evening of the 9th of August here. I wanted to first of all let everyone know that April and I will be coming home tomorrow for about a week, because of unfortunate circumstances. We truly feel that this will be a great time to visit with friends and family and get a "recharge" to come back and continue the good work that God has started in our lives. We are really looking forward to seeing everyone and celebrating the joyful life that my dad, Travis Clopton Knight, lived.
Thank you all so much for your continued prayer and support. We know that our hearts are in Charleston and we will be back as soon as God finishes what He is doing with us here. It has been a pretty rough first month here, but we know that we have been attacked a lot by unfortunate circumstances. We know that God has already won on our behalf!!
Over the past few weeks, i know that some people have been asking how they can contribute if they feel led. We want you to know that we are not asking that people give, but if you feel as though God calls you to give to what He is doing through us here, I have made a button below that you can click on to give to our Paypal account. You don't have to have Paypal, just a credit/debit card.
Once again, we appreciate all that you have done for us already. If you need to get in touch with us while we are home, please feel free to e-mail at robertknight85@gmail.com. We will not have a cell phone, but we will get in touch with you as we are able. We will be staying in Charleston from Monday the 11th to Tuesday the 19th. Hope to see you soon!!!
P.S. April and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary yesterday and today in the city! As April's surprise, i took her to the Sydney Aquarium on Friday, then we stayed in the Marriott Downtown, and this morning we went to the Wildlife Center. We saw all sorts of animals and had so much fun! We will make sure to put pics up soon on Facebook and in our Picasa album which you can access here: http://picasaweb.google.com/robertknight85
Well it is Saturday evening of the 9th of August here. I wanted to first of all let everyone know that April and I will be coming home tomorrow for about a week, because of unfortunate circumstances. We truly feel that this will be a great time to visit with friends and family and get a "recharge" to come back and continue the good work that God has started in our lives. We are really looking forward to seeing everyone and celebrating the joyful life that my dad, Travis Clopton Knight, lived.
Thank you all so much for your continued prayer and support. We know that our hearts are in Charleston and we will be back as soon as God finishes what He is doing with us here. It has been a pretty rough first month here, but we know that we have been attacked a lot by unfortunate circumstances. We know that God has already won on our behalf!!
Over the past few weeks, i know that some people have been asking how they can contribute if they feel led. We want you to know that we are not asking that people give, but if you feel as though God calls you to give to what He is doing through us here, I have made a button below that you can click on to give to our Paypal account. You don't have to have Paypal, just a credit/debit card.
Once again, we appreciate all that you have done for us already. If you need to get in touch with us while we are home, please feel free to e-mail at robertknight85@gmail.com. We will not have a cell phone, but we will get in touch with you as we are able. We will be staying in Charleston from Monday the 11th to Tuesday the 19th. Hope to see you soon!!!
P.S. April and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary yesterday and today in the city! As April's surprise, i took her to the Sydney Aquarium on Friday, then we stayed in the Marriott Downtown, and this morning we went to the Wildlife Center. We saw all sorts of animals and had so much fun! We will make sure to put pics up soon on Facebook and in our Picasa album which you can access here: http://picasaweb.google.com/robertknight85
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
updates
Hello to everyone! I know I always say thank you for your prayers but I really mean it. It is so awesome to know that we are supported by you all at home. Thank you for allowing God to use you all in prayer support. Now for some updates... well, I didn't get the job which stinks. If you would have asked me two days ago how I felt you would have seen that my world was crumbling and my faith was waivering, but praise the Lord he has given me new strength. I was able to go to chapel at the school with Robert yesterday and they had a time of prayer and intersession for those who felt under attack by the enemy, which was me from a few angles. So a bunch of students gathered around and prayed. There was one man who was praying for me and he then started speaking to me and how he felt God was taking me to a new level spiritually. Then he compared it to altitude and how when mountain climbers go higher the air is thinner. It made so much sense to me. The air is getting thinner, because God is taking me higher, the enemy attacks us because he knows God has much in store for us. All the prayers of those students and leaders helped so much. God renewed me with a strength and trust in him for the best job even still...so I have been applying to different cafes and what not. We will let you know.
For some unfortunate news...Robert's dad passed away this afternoon (your time). For those of you who may not be aware he was suffering from lung cancer for about a year now. It's been hard on Robert's mom and brother especially as they were caring for him. We aren't sure of his salvation and I know that is what has been harder for Robert as well. I know God is watching over all who loved him, especially his family so we will trust in the Lord for comfort. I know Robert wouldn't insist on it, but I know he wants to be there with his family. If you would just pray for the finances to be able to send him home, if that's what the Lord would have we would be so grateful. I know it is not a need...like he doesn't HAVE to be there. But I know I would HAVE to be there if it were one of my parents. I know if it is His will God will make a way. Please pray and trust in the Father with us.
Sorry we don't have much good news... but there is some. I was able to help out with the creative team for wildlife which is the high school ministry. On the creative team we do the stage design for each series or season. I was so happy to get involved in it. We were working on the props last night, and they are going to look great. I will take some pictures and post them up next time. Robert is enjoying singing in the choir once a week or so...he is singing this morning for sisterhood, which is the women's ministry.
I know God is stretching us here...it has been hard, but we will press on toward the goal as Paul says. Thanks again we love you all so much!- April
For some unfortunate news...Robert's dad passed away this afternoon (your time). For those of you who may not be aware he was suffering from lung cancer for about a year now. It's been hard on Robert's mom and brother especially as they were caring for him. We aren't sure of his salvation and I know that is what has been harder for Robert as well. I know God is watching over all who loved him, especially his family so we will trust in the Lord for comfort. I know Robert wouldn't insist on it, but I know he wants to be there with his family. If you would just pray for the finances to be able to send him home, if that's what the Lord would have we would be so grateful. I know it is not a need...like he doesn't HAVE to be there. But I know I would HAVE to be there if it were one of my parents. I know if it is His will God will make a way. Please pray and trust in the Father with us.
Sorry we don't have much good news... but there is some. I was able to help out with the creative team for wildlife which is the high school ministry. On the creative team we do the stage design for each series or season. I was so happy to get involved in it. We were working on the props last night, and they are going to look great. I will take some pictures and post them up next time. Robert is enjoying singing in the choir once a week or so...he is singing this morning for sisterhood, which is the women's ministry.
I know God is stretching us here...it has been hard, but we will press on toward the goal as Paul says. Thanks again we love you all so much!- April
Saturday, August 2, 2008
No News Yet
We want to thank everyone for their continued prayers for us. As of right now we have heard nothing about the future of my job. I emailed my work on tuesday like I reported in the last blog and they said that they are discussing it and they will get back to me asap. Well, they have been discussing for almost a week, so I'm hoping the outcome is positive.
On friday we went to a married couples get together at school where we got to meet most of the other married couples who attend the college. It was very nice and also refreshing to meet people who are in the same boat with us. At that meeting Robert had the opportunity to talk to one of the staff members about my job and he said that he would call immigration for us on monday and see what he could do. So we are praying for that and we will keep everyone in the loop. I have truly been learning a new form of patience over this whole thing. Although I have to admit that I have not been doing the best job about thinking positive over things. Robert has been amazing though, just encouraging me with everything and telling me that it will all work out when I am upset about it.
We have decided to try and sell the car that we bought just a couple of weeks ago. I think we've informed everyone somewhat that the registration was bad due to an accident that the previous owner was in. We didn't know this and so now if we want to register it again there is a whole bunch of money that we would have to put into the car which we don't have and honestly isn't worth putting into the car because it is kind of a junker. There is one student at school who is a new friend of ours who might be interested. He has the money to put into it so we are praying that he will give us maybe 400 bucks for it, so we don't lose so bad on it. So it has been a challenge getting to school and work this past week, but as always God has been faithful to provide a way for us each day. If everything works out with my job we will be able to afford to get a car in a few weeks which would be good. We will keep you all updated.
So our one year anniversary is tomorrow and let me tell you it has flown by. I feel like we just got married in a way, but other times I think it has been a while. Robert has school tomorrow so he has planned something for friday on his day off. I have told him that hopefully I will be working friday and he says I better not because he's already paid for something. The sad part is that I probably won't be working by friday. But that will be good too because then we can celebrate.
Tonight at church is the first week that Robert will sing in the choir with the worship team. He is very excited and will go at 2:30 pm for rehearsal and they will sing for the 5pm and 6:30pm services. On friday we went to volunteer at Wildlife which is the highschool service and ministry. It was a wild time and I forgot how loud it is in student ministries! I will be part of the creative team, who designs the stage and theme for each series. I am quite excited for this and we have a meeting this evening after church.
Thanks to everyone who continues to read our blog, we are excited about what God continues to have in store for us here. And as always we are so grateful for your prayers to bring us through the bumps in the road. Love you all- April
On friday we went to a married couples get together at school where we got to meet most of the other married couples who attend the college. It was very nice and also refreshing to meet people who are in the same boat with us. At that meeting Robert had the opportunity to talk to one of the staff members about my job and he said that he would call immigration for us on monday and see what he could do. So we are praying for that and we will keep everyone in the loop. I have truly been learning a new form of patience over this whole thing. Although I have to admit that I have not been doing the best job about thinking positive over things. Robert has been amazing though, just encouraging me with everything and telling me that it will all work out when I am upset about it.
We have decided to try and sell the car that we bought just a couple of weeks ago. I think we've informed everyone somewhat that the registration was bad due to an accident that the previous owner was in. We didn't know this and so now if we want to register it again there is a whole bunch of money that we would have to put into the car which we don't have and honestly isn't worth putting into the car because it is kind of a junker. There is one student at school who is a new friend of ours who might be interested. He has the money to put into it so we are praying that he will give us maybe 400 bucks for it, so we don't lose so bad on it. So it has been a challenge getting to school and work this past week, but as always God has been faithful to provide a way for us each day. If everything works out with my job we will be able to afford to get a car in a few weeks which would be good. We will keep you all updated.
So our one year anniversary is tomorrow and let me tell you it has flown by. I feel like we just got married in a way, but other times I think it has been a while. Robert has school tomorrow so he has planned something for friday on his day off. I have told him that hopefully I will be working friday and he says I better not because he's already paid for something. The sad part is that I probably won't be working by friday. But that will be good too because then we can celebrate.
Tonight at church is the first week that Robert will sing in the choir with the worship team. He is very excited and will go at 2:30 pm for rehearsal and they will sing for the 5pm and 6:30pm services. On friday we went to volunteer at Wildlife which is the highschool service and ministry. It was a wild time and I forgot how loud it is in student ministries! I will be part of the creative team, who designs the stage and theme for each series. I am quite excited for this and we have a meeting this evening after church.
Thanks to everyone who continues to read our blog, we are excited about what God continues to have in store for us here. And as always we are so grateful for your prayers to bring us through the bumps in the road. Love you all- April
Monday, July 28, 2008
urgent prayer request!
I don't know how many of you will read this before we know something, but We have found out that I may not be able to keep my job at the salon. See, as we've said through Robert I am only cleared for 20hrs. per week. Well, I had a conversation with my boss last night and if I can't work full time then they don't want to hire me. So I called immigration to explore our options once again. They said I can apply for a 457 work visa however in this, I must be sponsored by my employee and there are regulations and obligations. Basically my job would have to up my pay from, $15.37/hr to 19.20/hr. and they would have to let me work 42 hrs. instead of 38. This is only to even apply for this visa and both my employer and I have to apply and pay fees. Basically, it will be alot of work for them to employ me but it is my only option. So, please please pray that they agree to work with me on this form of visa and if they do then we have to pray that I get approved for it .But, honestly if they agree to it, it would be a miracle and then I wouldn't even worry about getting approved because God has it in the bag.
I have been praying all morning. I know God has the power to make it happen, and I feel for this whole process of even finding this job has been such a God thing. I have see his hand in it so much already and I just wouldn't understand the reasoning for shutting it all down now just so I can go job searching all over again and have another month with no income! as you can see I am passionate. haha but I will trust in God and his will for us. I know he is mighty and that his favor is on us. We will keep you updated and thank you for your prayers.
I have been praying all morning. I know God has the power to make it happen, and I feel for this whole process of even finding this job has been such a God thing. I have see his hand in it so much already and I just wouldn't understand the reasoning for shutting it all down now just so I can go job searching all over again and have another month with no income! as you can see I am passionate. haha but I will trust in God and his will for us. I know he is mighty and that his favor is on us. We will keep you updated and thank you for your prayers.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Lessons from a stranger
Hey everyone, it's me April again. You might be hearing from me more often these days as Robert has begun school and is presently preparing for his audition. Finally he is on the other end auditioning and not screening others who are auditioning. I know it will be good for him and that he will do great!
So we had a great church service again last night, I find this the highlight of my week as I have still not started my job and we don't have many friends yet. Now, back to church, we had an amazing service of worship and a message from Pastor Brian. Robert and I were worshiping down in the front and then we came back to our seats to hear the message and there was a woman sitting next to me. She seemed very pleasant and throughout the service she was laughing and enjoying herself as was I and everyone else. However, something struck me about this woman. She was alone; she was somewhat plain and seemed to be someone who didn't have alot going for her. Not to sound mean, she could have been thinking the same thing about me, but this is just how my brain works, i think so much about silly and unimportant things. Anyway, it's just that I saw so much joy coming from her, I don't think she was married and I didn't see any children. These are things that most of us concern ourselves so much over. Myself included, jeez I used to get so worried about not finding a husband and I would dread the idea of God ever calling me to a life of singleness. But, that is just what this lady had and she was overflowing with joy and gratitude for our savior, and I thought, "man that's what it's about, Being complete in Christ even if by the world's standards we are not successful or we do not have much". This humbled me because so many times even with all the blessings that the Lord has given to me and that I have a wonderful husband who loves me and that he has given me a great gift to be able to create art for his glory. I still find myself griping because we can't afford a puppy or because I don't get to buy more clothes or because we can't afford to go out to a nice dinner. I have so much to be thankful for even if it is only my salvation that I can claim, because salvation is the best possession over anything that this world could give me.
With all of this said, as the service continued on this woman Lee, placed her hand on my shoulder during a session of prayer during the service. After the service was through, she looked at my boots and she asked me if I was an artist. I replied yes and she said, "So am I, and God wants you to reach the world". Instantly I was filled with joy almost overflowing with it because I felt like it was a reminder from God of his mission and desire for me and the art that he has given me. I was so excited of God's plans for us. I then introduced myself and the woman gave me a hug and quickly left. I will never forget her.
So immigration finally got back to the salon and cleared me to work for the 20hrs/week. I am anxious to start and hopefully it will be tomorrow. Also, I don't know if I mentioned it before but we have a lead on a job for Robert, it is a construction type work for $20/hr. Some of the guys from school are working there and basically he can work whenever he wants for how many hours he wants. It's flexible which is great for his schedule. So please pray that that all comes through. It's just so funny because we didn't know how we were going to make it financially and I feel like God has given us an answer. So he should be able to work saturday as long as the forms he has to fill out all go through fine. If it does come through, I worked the budget and we should be able to meet our bills each month with money to save!! God is so true to his word, that if we give him our first fruits he will open the floodgates and pour out his blessing on us. Also, please pray for our car, we have had to go through a new inspection process and basically re-register the car which is going to cost a bit of money, but it's just another way to see God work in our lives!
We love everyone and miss you all, I pray that we can come home for Christmas!!!
So we had a great church service again last night, I find this the highlight of my week as I have still not started my job and we don't have many friends yet. Now, back to church, we had an amazing service of worship and a message from Pastor Brian. Robert and I were worshiping down in the front and then we came back to our seats to hear the message and there was a woman sitting next to me. She seemed very pleasant and throughout the service she was laughing and enjoying herself as was I and everyone else. However, something struck me about this woman. She was alone; she was somewhat plain and seemed to be someone who didn't have alot going for her. Not to sound mean, she could have been thinking the same thing about me, but this is just how my brain works, i think so much about silly and unimportant things. Anyway, it's just that I saw so much joy coming from her, I don't think she was married and I didn't see any children. These are things that most of us concern ourselves so much over. Myself included, jeez I used to get so worried about not finding a husband and I would dread the idea of God ever calling me to a life of singleness. But, that is just what this lady had and she was overflowing with joy and gratitude for our savior, and I thought, "man that's what it's about, Being complete in Christ even if by the world's standards we are not successful or we do not have much". This humbled me because so many times even with all the blessings that the Lord has given to me and that I have a wonderful husband who loves me and that he has given me a great gift to be able to create art for his glory. I still find myself griping because we can't afford a puppy or because I don't get to buy more clothes or because we can't afford to go out to a nice dinner. I have so much to be thankful for even if it is only my salvation that I can claim, because salvation is the best possession over anything that this world could give me.
With all of this said, as the service continued on this woman Lee, placed her hand on my shoulder during a session of prayer during the service. After the service was through, she looked at my boots and she asked me if I was an artist. I replied yes and she said, "So am I, and God wants you to reach the world". Instantly I was filled with joy almost overflowing with it because I felt like it was a reminder from God of his mission and desire for me and the art that he has given me. I was so excited of God's plans for us. I then introduced myself and the woman gave me a hug and quickly left. I will never forget her.
So immigration finally got back to the salon and cleared me to work for the 20hrs/week. I am anxious to start and hopefully it will be tomorrow. Also, I don't know if I mentioned it before but we have a lead on a job for Robert, it is a construction type work for $20/hr. Some of the guys from school are working there and basically he can work whenever he wants for how many hours he wants. It's flexible which is great for his schedule. So please pray that that all comes through. It's just so funny because we didn't know how we were going to make it financially and I feel like God has given us an answer. So he should be able to work saturday as long as the forms he has to fill out all go through fine. If it does come through, I worked the budget and we should be able to meet our bills each month with money to save!! God is so true to his word, that if we give him our first fruits he will open the floodgates and pour out his blessing on us. Also, please pray for our car, we have had to go through a new inspection process and basically re-register the car which is going to cost a bit of money, but it's just another way to see God work in our lives!
We love everyone and miss you all, I pray that we can come home for Christmas!!!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
thoughts from April
So I knew that I wanted to post some but Robert has done most of the posting, I will try to keep it brief although I have a head full of things to say. First of all I want to thank every single person who has been praying for us. I KNOW you are praying because I can just feel God's presence. I'll tell you being here has really brought me back to my savior. It's like in the states we were so comfortable because we were doing ministry and we had school or a job at the time with no bills but still felt God's presence, like we were doing okay. But here, man it has brought me back to my knees. It's like I've had to depend on God in a whole new way. I have also had to refocus my brain to our purpose here. First when we had the desire to come we thought, "Oh this will be so awesome to be trained at Hillsong for God to prepare us for ministry to travel and lead worship for students all over, blah blah blah" and I really felt it at the time, with no doubt or fear that this dream would ever not come true. And then time carries on and you think, jeez should I get a "real" job, maybe I need a back up plan, when I knew from the very beginning that God shared with me clearer than ever that, "I didn't need a back up plan, because that just meant that I didn't fully trust in God's dream for me, that I hadn't really received this revelation of what GOd had for me. And now, two years from the first excitement about this I have to hold onto that promise that God gave me of not needing a back up plan.
Sigh, with all that said (and I'm sorry if you're getting bored of reading). There was a message at church sunday night that truly spoke to me of this thought. the pastor was talking about warning signs in the Bible and how we should learn from them. The best example given(for me) was of Benjamin's disobedience to God in Judges 1:21 "The Benjamites, however, failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites". This passage itself might not make sense. But the pastor spoke of how before this time God had given the Benjamites power over the jebusites, they just had to take it. BUt they failed to take it and so they were living with these people forever as a reminder of what they were too scared to take.
So then, the pastor asked us what Jebusites we had in our life, what was something that was holding us back from our destiny? Well, for me I knew right away what it was. It was that fear, that our dreams for God wouldn't come true. That because of fear we would fail to make the dream that GOd has given us a reality. That for whatever reason I would sink into a regular job for security. I know that that is NOT what God has for me. He has brought us here to prepare for a great ministry that he has in store for us. The pastor said that the God of the universe lives in us (which I knew, but it really made sense when He said it) and that our Jebusites must leave because of GOd's power. I just had to believe it and claim it in Jesus name. I had to remember that the same power that conquered the grave lives in me! THat is CRAZY power, but I have to allow God to use it in me.
I guess I want to remind us all that if God has called us to something, that we must allow God to make it happen in us. Our destiny for him, is ours if we believe it and allow GOd to guide us. Don't live with your jebusites forever in regret. We must get rid of them.
That's what I learned...I thought maybe i should share. Also if you could just keep us in prayer for finances and a job for Robert. to keep it short, I can't work full time because of the Visa. So robert wil have to get a job, or maybe another job for me under the table, BUt i know God will take care of us. Just pray. THanks so much for reading this far! I love everyone and miss you all so much. May you receive GOd's abundant blessing today. xoxo
Sigh, with all that said (and I'm sorry if you're getting bored of reading). There was a message at church sunday night that truly spoke to me of this thought. the pastor was talking about warning signs in the Bible and how we should learn from them. The best example given(for me) was of Benjamin's disobedience to God in Judges 1:21 "The Benjamites, however, failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites". This passage itself might not make sense. But the pastor spoke of how before this time God had given the Benjamites power over the jebusites, they just had to take it. BUt they failed to take it and so they were living with these people forever as a reminder of what they were too scared to take.
So then, the pastor asked us what Jebusites we had in our life, what was something that was holding us back from our destiny? Well, for me I knew right away what it was. It was that fear, that our dreams for God wouldn't come true. That because of fear we would fail to make the dream that GOd has given us a reality. That for whatever reason I would sink into a regular job for security. I know that that is NOT what God has for me. He has brought us here to prepare for a great ministry that he has in store for us. The pastor said that the God of the universe lives in us (which I knew, but it really made sense when He said it) and that our Jebusites must leave because of GOd's power. I just had to believe it and claim it in Jesus name. I had to remember that the same power that conquered the grave lives in me! THat is CRAZY power, but I have to allow God to use it in me.
I guess I want to remind us all that if God has called us to something, that we must allow God to make it happen in us. Our destiny for him, is ours if we believe it and allow GOd to guide us. Don't live with your jebusites forever in regret. We must get rid of them.
That's what I learned...I thought maybe i should share. Also if you could just keep us in prayer for finances and a job for Robert. to keep it short, I can't work full time because of the Visa. So robert wil have to get a job, or maybe another job for me under the table, BUt i know God will take care of us. Just pray. THanks so much for reading this far! I love everyone and miss you all so much. May you receive GOd's abundant blessing today. xoxo
Thursday, July 17, 2008
God is Amazing!!!
So i really don't know what blessings and praises to start with!! I haven't started school yet, which has helped us to get settled into our new place. Just so that everyone knows, enrollment is next Wednesday, the 23rd of July! I am so excited to start school.
So as far as blessings. I will make a list because God is just confirming time after time that this is what he had in store for us!! We know we are supposed to be here because of everything that He is helping to fall into place!
1. Ran into a garage sale where the family was moving away and had to sell everything in the house! We got a bed set (bed frame and 2 night stands, a couch and chair, and a dining table with 4 chairs). By the way we had NOTHING when we got here!
2. We got an amazing deal on a great car. A 1992 Honda Civic with only 96k miles on it and it runs great! Just a dent in one side and a few cosmetic issues, but mechanically is awesome.
3. The JOB!! APRIL GOT THE JOB. She will now be working full time at a salon and spa (Pure Hair Pure Body) as the Salon Coordinator. Basically she will be booking appointments, taking inventory, and any other responsibilities that come with the job. She is so excited!
4. The PHONE: We got a cell phone and all we had to do was take over a contract from one of the other students that was leaving. What a great deal!! Now we are able to call home every now and then.
5. This one is small, but cool. We were able to get a garage door opener for our apartment complex from a student that used to live there. These usually cost about $100. This will keep our car off the street and safe near our apartment. we have access to it from our apartment!
Everything just seems to be falling into place and it is awesome. We do have one HUGE Prayer request though...MY GUITAR!!
So it got into customs and now they want me to pay another $226 just for a tax and for them to release it to me! This is crazy as i already paid $150 to ship and insure it. Just because i insured it for $1000 and not $999, they are giving me a hard time about it. Just Pray that God would give favor because I would be paying more than i actually paid for the guitar in the first place!!
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. We will keep you posted. If you don't have it already, you should look into getting skype! It is a free service to where you can talk to us on the computer! Just go to www.skype.com and download it. You do have to have a webcam/microphone though! Love you guys!
Robert and April
Phone: +61 0420869264
So as far as blessings. I will make a list because God is just confirming time after time that this is what he had in store for us!! We know we are supposed to be here because of everything that He is helping to fall into place!
1. Ran into a garage sale where the family was moving away and had to sell everything in the house! We got a bed set (bed frame and 2 night stands, a couch and chair, and a dining table with 4 chairs). By the way we had NOTHING when we got here!
2. We got an amazing deal on a great car. A 1992 Honda Civic with only 96k miles on it and it runs great! Just a dent in one side and a few cosmetic issues, but mechanically is awesome.
3. The JOB!! APRIL GOT THE JOB. She will now be working full time at a salon and spa (Pure Hair Pure Body) as the Salon Coordinator. Basically she will be booking appointments, taking inventory, and any other responsibilities that come with the job. She is so excited!
4. The PHONE: We got a cell phone and all we had to do was take over a contract from one of the other students that was leaving. What a great deal!! Now we are able to call home every now and then.
5. This one is small, but cool. We were able to get a garage door opener for our apartment complex from a student that used to live there. These usually cost about $100. This will keep our car off the street and safe near our apartment. we have access to it from our apartment!
Everything just seems to be falling into place and it is awesome. We do have one HUGE Prayer request though...MY GUITAR!!
So it got into customs and now they want me to pay another $226 just for a tax and for them to release it to me! This is crazy as i already paid $150 to ship and insure it. Just because i insured it for $1000 and not $999, they are giving me a hard time about it. Just Pray that God would give favor because I would be paying more than i actually paid for the guitar in the first place!!
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. We will keep you posted. If you don't have it already, you should look into getting skype! It is a free service to where you can talk to us on the computer! Just go to www.skype.com and download it. You do have to have a webcam/microphone though! Love you guys!
Robert and April
Phone: +61 0420869264
Monday, July 14, 2008
Maybe you are asking..."How are you going?"
Well, we are fine thanks for using a traditional Australian phrase!! Actually everything is going great for us right now.
So let's start with Sunday! Sunday afternoon, we got our car! It is a 1992 Honda Civic Silver and it is manual which let me tell you is tons of fun in such a "hilly" area!
Oh yeah, not to mention the fact that the driver's seat is on the right side of the car and the shifter is on the left side!! Oh and you have to drive on the opposite side of the road! Needless to say, i am still getting used to it...so with new things, come new stories.
Sunday night we got to go to service which was awesome. Mike Pilavachi, the co-founder and leader of Soul Survivor in Watford, UK spoke and was awesome. The real adventure started after church as we did some grocery shopping, took Jionte home, and then decided to drive home. Now remember this is the first day of having the car and we are trying to get home at NIGHT (while driving on the wrong side of the road)!
So on our way home, i decided to first of all not see that our turn arrow was red, then proceeded to turn into the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD (which is the correct side in the states!) So i pulled a quick u-turn and we made it home safe and sound!
Just to let you know, i have gotten much better about it in only 2 days but still have to focus on driving on the left side of the road. I am constantly saying to myself, "stay in the left lane" while driving.
So we will be getting a cell phone tomorrow and April will know if she got the job at the salon on Thursday so please keep that in your prayers!! We love you guys and will keep you posted on all that is going on here.
Robert and April
Here are where you can see our pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/robertknight85
Or also on facebook!!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Praise the Lord
So definite praise report. We have been praying for a job for April soon so that we can support ourselves while we are here in Australia. This past week April visited many businesses and handed out about 15 resume's. Well, yesterday she had a phone interview with a retail store here and she had a live interview with a salon right up the street from our apartment!! April is so excited because she really wants to work in a salon. They asked her to come in today and just observe and check things out for a couple of hours which is a really good sign. She doesn't necessarily have the job, but i think by them asking her to come in for a couple of hours is an awesome sign.
We really want April to get the job that God has for her. We are trusting that God will provide for us because we don't even know if this job will be full time or even if the pay will be good enough to pay our bills and expenses! We know that God has us here on purpose and this is His plan, so we are moving on His command and know that He will provide every step of the way.
Another good thing is that the Hillsong conference finished last night so we will have some people to hang out with now. Jill and Jionte should be finished as well so we can finally hang out with them. We are planning to go to the city again next week with them so that should be cool.
I have been trying to post more pictures on Facebook, but the Internet is terrible here and i just can't get them up!! Hopefully we will have internet in our apartment by next week and we can put more pics and videos up then.
Well, we look forward to hearing from everyone. drop us an e-mail and let us know how you are doing and once again, please pass this on to anyone who may not be getting it.
In Christ's Never-Ceasing Love,
Robert and April
We really want April to get the job that God has for her. We are trusting that God will provide for us because we don't even know if this job will be full time or even if the pay will be good enough to pay our bills and expenses! We know that God has us here on purpose and this is His plan, so we are moving on His command and know that He will provide every step of the way.
Another good thing is that the Hillsong conference finished last night so we will have some people to hang out with now. Jill and Jionte should be finished as well so we can finally hang out with them. We are planning to go to the city again next week with them so that should be cool.
I have been trying to post more pictures on Facebook, but the Internet is terrible here and i just can't get them up!! Hopefully we will have internet in our apartment by next week and we can put more pics and videos up then.
Well, we look forward to hearing from everyone. drop us an e-mail and let us know how you are doing and once again, please pass this on to anyone who may not be getting it.
In Christ's Never-Ceasing Love,
Robert and April
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
We are Getting Their
So after waiting so patiently at our apartment yesterday, we finally got a washer and refrigerator. The rental company told us that they would deliver between 10am and 4pm and sure enough they showed up at 4:20pm!!! so we basically sat at the house all day. We did finally get some dinner last night and since we had no food, we ate at good ole' McDonald's!! The prices aren't too bad as we paid $12.00 for 2 large value meals. I had a Big Mac of course and April had the hamburger meal.
So we are getting their. By next week we should have a phone, internet at our apartment and maybe even a car that we are getting a REALLY good deal on. Things surely are coming together now!
After dinner we decided to go grocery shopping. We didn't get it yet, but they sell kangaroo meat here! We are definitely going to try it sometime. Also, lamb meat seems to be very popular as well. We decided that we are going to make our own fajitas tonight with steak!
So we also have found from walking every morning that their common birds here are all different kinds of parrots. This one looks very cool and is outside our apartment everyday. Wish i could take it as a pet, but that is probably illegal!
We are going to the city today so that should be cool. We will make sure and tell you all about it afterwards. Until then, have a wonderful day. Oh yeah, April gave out about 15 resume's to different places and now we are just waiting to hear back, so keep that in your prayers b/c we have no income right now but should be okay for another couple of weeks. Thanks everyone! We love you guys.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Learning the Lingo
The States
1. Sidewalk
2. Raisins
3. Shrimp
4. Restroom
5. Receipt
6. Shopping Cart
Australia
1. Footpath
2. Sultanas
3. Prawns
4. Toilets
5. Docket
6. Trolley
I will add more later, but that is all i can think of right now.
Yesterday, we tried to get internet at the apartment, but we weren't able to because we found out that our place does NOT have a phone line (landline) installed in it so we have to get that done first. Hopefully we will have a refrigerator and washer today because we need to do laundry and have no place to store our food!!! Keep us in your prayers. April took her resume to 10 different hair salons yesterday so hopefully one of them will contact her back. Thanks.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Our Beginnings Down Under
Well, we have arrived safely and what an adventure it has been so far!! The first day we got here, we picked up our mattress from Jionte because he had an extra in his house. The funny thing, as you can see from the picture, is that the mattress was bigger than the car. The first person we met was Bastian, who picked us up from the airport and helped us take the mattress to our completely bare apartment. We are still adjusting to the time difference as April and I keep waking up at like 5AM which is way too early for us, but we just can't get back to sleep!!
We got to go to UNITED on Friday night and it was so AWESOME!! It is so surreal being here after seeing the DVD's and listening to the music, but actually being at Hillsong is such an amazing experience. Most of the songs they did were from their newest album which is not out in the states yet, but it is awesome!!
We have met so many amazing people here already! Everyone here is very nice and will do anything for you! For those of you that thought April and I dress weird, skinny jeans, tights, and crazy hair are extremely normal and very fashionable here so we fit right in.
Because April is so witty in her writing style, i am going to give you a rundown of our first few adventures with her journal entry:
"Last night was our first night in australia. This whole thing seems pretty surreal. I thought getting into the country would be the hard part, but we found it even harder to get into our apartment. First Robert lost the key and after searching high and low, he found it under the seat of our new friend Bastian's car. He picked us up from the airport with Jionte. Once we found the apartment complex, we followed the signs for #34 however, it was nowhere to be found. We asked several people who gave us wrong instructions and then finally Robert hopped over a fence and through a garden to be greeted finally by #34!
Little did we know that the accomodation person gave us and our roommate keys that do not fit the locks on our door. Robert then jumped another fence to go through our sliding door and open the front door of our new apartment.
The apartment is probably the nicest in the complex. We have two very nice patio areas and a large living room area that is connected to our kitchen. We do have a few bummers however. We came to find that our apartment was completely unfurnished besides a dryer! not even a refrigerator! So whenever we get a fridge to keep food in, i will then be able to cook in our oven which Robert will be grateful for. However we have no dishes or pots and pans so it may be a while before the dream of using my new appliances comes true!!""
Just so that everyone knows, God totally blessed us yesterday as i decided for some reason to walk a different way home!! We encountered a garage sale and decided to stop by. In amazement, we found that the owner of the home was moving with his family to Egypt and needed to sell everything in the house!! Needless to say, we purchased furniture and other items for our home as you can see in the pictures.
We are getting settled in just fine and as long as we find April a job, we should be financially stable. Speaking of, we have an amazing opportunity to purchase a car for only $600. It is a good condition honda accord and the insurance and registration is paid until February. It would be a great investment as we live about 20 minutes from school.
***Our prayer focus right now is for a job for April. She wants to get the job that God has in store for her. We need her to find a full time job so that she can support both of us.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support. It is much appreciated. Here is our address and a phone number is soon to come.
Robert and April Knight
U-34/1-11 Rosa Crescent
Castle Hill, NSW 2154
Australia
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