WALKABOUT: Prayers from Brisbane

Lions Game (AFL) Brisbane

Goanna Fight
Clockwise: Me, Alycia, Susanna, Andy, Chaela, & Roxy

G’day,
The first semester is half over and even among the stress of mid-term exams students still have
time to talk with us. This month I would like to share with you the story of a few students I have met so you
will know better how to pray for them. I also want to give you a glimpse into what my week looks like. As
you can see from the pictures above Brisbane is an exciting, beautiful, interesting, and fun place to live. As
a team we attended an Australian Football League (AFL) game where we saw the Brisbane Lions defeat
the Sydney Swans. AFL is an interesting game to watch and try to understand. [Fun fact: Australia, like
the US uses the term soccer; American football is deemed as gridiron]. During the Easter week the students
did not have class, we had a week of meetings and administrative duties. However, one night we went to
the city to try our hand at African drumming. It was so much fun, especially since we took the Upper
Midwest Worldwide Student Network Director, Candice Siewert with us. After a week away from campus I
was eager to get back, after Bible study I walked up the hill to a ridiculous scene: a crowd of people
gathered around two goanna lizards fighting (I still say they were hugging).
 MEET THE STUDENTS

Alex is from Beijing, China

and is studying international
business. We have not yet had
a deep spiritual conversation
but God is definitely working
in his life. He mentioned to me
on day that last year some
Americans had talked to him
about Jesus. After asking
him some questions I
discovered that he had talked
with two guys from my
summer project last year.
RyuSho is from Japan
and is such a sweetheart.
Susanna first told RyuSho
about the Gospel and
he didn’t know anything
about Jesus and not much
of God. When she
explained that God loves
him and knows the
number of hairs on his ,
he amazingly asked “how does he know that? I don’t even know
that!” Since then I have had the opportunity to talk with him
some more about Jesus, Heaven and Hell, sin, and grace. He has
hear d the Gospel many times. I asked him once what he
thought about it and if it sounded crazy. He said, “not crazy,
just not real to me.” He likes to ask people if they are Christian,
making spiritual conversation really easy, haha.
Sunny is from South Korea and is
good friends with Lynn (the Korean
girl I disciple). Lynn has been praying
for her friend many years. Sunny is
just that, a bright and beautiful
personality! She loves to hang out
with the Student Life group and has
been to church with Lynn many
times. We have not seen much of
Sunny lately but Lynn and I will
hopefully be starting a Christianity
Explained course with her.
“If I shed tears for you what
would that do? My tears do
not influence God’s
decisions. He works
independent of my sorrow.
Oh, most Holy God! I do
weep over them! As if I
could plead for their souls;
my pain has no
consequence! You turn
Your face from them and
refuse to know them for
they have turned from You.
But my Lord! They are
ignorant, please; You can
open their eyes and let
them see their folly! You
have ultimate power! My
eyes burn and my cheeks
shimmer with dry salt from
the endless tears. I
physically cannot cry any
longer but my soul
whimpers and crawls
before Your throne. You
are the Great I Am!”
-Prayer from my journal, March 25
 My good friend Doug is from Rathdowney, Australia. Picture
explanation: We went to a costume party for Junko’s birthday (I
was a pirate). I met Doug last year on summer project, he still
loves to tell people of our random meeting where I just smiled at
him and walked up to him to talk about Christianity. Doug has
truly been our person of peace. He is friends with so many
international students and now so am I. I took Doug sharing a few
times and have talked a bit with him about his relationship with
God. He claims to be a Christian, so I will continue to probe and
see if he understands what it really means to give his life to
Christ. He helps me explain things to internationals and even brings up the subject sometimes. He is
graduating this year and hopes to save enough money to go to Taiwan and work at an orphanage. He loves
working with kids and has a heart for the world. I pray that he does know Christ as his savior and that he
can grow in his faith. He just expressed interest in joining a Bible study.

I met Roy the first day I ran into Doug this year. He is from South Korea
and comes from a Buddhist family except for his mom who is Catholic.
He has been turned off by radical Christians in Korea and those who’ve
tried to push Christ down his throat. However, he enjoys talking to me
about his reservations and pain. Roy does believe in the Creator God,
he struggles with Jesus. His main barrier to faith is because he cannot
understand why Jesus doesn’t heal people if they are good (for instance
his aunt who died of cancer). He constantly tells me he doesn’t want to
believe, but maybe someday. I praise God that Roy has hope that one
day he may see what grace feels like. Pray that he is not confused by the
differences between denominations (considering he knows a lot about
Catholicism) and that God changes his soil because I am just going to
keep throwing seeds his way hoping one day he understands how much
Christ loves him.

Sophea is originally
from Cambodia but
has been in Australia
for a long time. She
spends a lot of time
with Doug & Roy.

Luke can speak

Japanese and
jokes about
Mami is from working as a
Japan, I hope missionary to
to spend more hang out at uni
time with her. Wai Wai (left) has lived in Australia almost like we do.
her entire life. She goes to uni at UQ.
She is pictured with Mel, who I disciple. Mel is
learning how to teach the Christianity Explained course.
 Megan is originally from South Africa but I just recently met
now lives here in Brisbane. She comes from a Junko and hope to
nominal Christian family but wants to learn more have some good
about what it means to be a Christian. She started conversations
to go through Christianity Explained (CE) and is so with her soon.
excited! She also speaks Japanese and loves to talk with
our international students. She is such a bubbly character and we are
praying that she will soon come to know Jesus as her Savior and share
that with others.

Melissa is from Canada and loves to spend time in the community of

Student Life. She is struggling right now because she is Wiccan and
is afraid to talk to people about it because she has lost many friends
that way. We want her to feel loved and to know the love of Christ.
Pray that she can trust us not to judge her and that she will open up.

Danny is from California where he was

highly involved with Campus Crusade.
He is housemates with Megan and
Melissa and is striving to show them
Monday Christ. We are so thankful that he is
9:00 Team Prayer here for an entire year and is excited
10:30 Meet students to join us in sharing the Gospel at
12:00 CE with Steven Griffith. He is such a people gatherer
1:00 Meet Students and knows how to include everyone.
3:00 Discipleship with Lynn
4:00 Meet with Kelly (an involved believer)
5:00 Ultimate Frisbee
Tuesday These are just a few students involved in our ministry or that I’ve met.
9:00 Team Development Meeting
Thank you for continuing to pray for each of them! I honestly appreciate
10:30 Meet Students
it, for I love them and hope that Christ will become their salvation. I keep
12:00 Focus Area Bible Study
2:00 Discipleship with Mel
telling myself that I have the greatest job in the world, my week is busy
4:00 Meet with Sarah (team leader) but it is so much fun. This is what a typical week looks like for me.
7:30 FUSION (weekly social)
Wednesday We are getting students excited for MYC (mid-year conference). Please
10:30 Key Volunteer Bible Study pray that students will be willing and able to come and that they are
12:00 International Lunch inviting their friends. MYC often changes the lives of those that attend.
2:00 Discipleship with Alana
3:00 Meet with Nicole, a girl from Malaysia These next couple months I will also be prayfully considering coming
interested in Christianity back in 2010. Please help me pray for guidance from God and a willing
Thursday heart to follow wherever He leads.
10:30 Meet Students
1:00 CE with Zéphrine
3:00 Team Meeting followed by Please send me your prayer requests, my email address is
Team dinner amanda.decesaro@uscm.org
Friday
All Day Administrative Work
Saturday Love,
Day Off
Sunday Amanda
Church