G'day Everyone,
Just got back from a two week camping trip in the Australian bush. It was an amazing experience and God did so much. Here are a couple black and white photos of the gorge we went swimming in. I will do a blog post in the next few couple days. Enjoy the photos.

My Outreach Letter

G’day Everyone,
How the time has flown by. It is week six already and my life has changed so much. The last five weeks of lectures have been full on and a place for immense growth. Everyone in my DTS has become so close (we are pretty much family now) and I know I have made life long friends. Now, to grow even closer to God and each other, we get to spend two weeks in the Outback - camping. I know powerful things happen when you separate yourself from the rest of the world and have time to focus on God, so I am super excited to see what happens. In four weeks I and eight others will be heading on our practical application (outreach) of all our lectures. My outreach team will be driving around North Queensland (the same state I am in now) and work with youth in 7 different towns across this state.
The first outreach is our minor trip, which is three weeks, and during this time we will go to Mount Isa and Palm Island. These two towns are mainly populated by indigenous people. My team gets the privilege to work with these amazing people and just love on the families and kids that are from these areas. The second or major outreach, is a six week adventure road tripping to Gladstone, Mackay, Airlie Beach, Mt. Isa and Maggie Island. At these stops we will be reaching out to youth in different ways. Some of the groups we will be working with are Auslifes, Camp Eagle, Backpacker ministry and Red Frog. All of these groups are youth orientated and we will get the opportunity to encountering all sorts of kids from regular high schoolers to “at risk” youth. One of our stops is at Maggie Island where Schoolies takes place. Schoolies is the equivalent to The U.S. spring break. Here I will be working with Red Frog and the way we get to minister to the kids is by acts of service. As a group we will drive kids home, be positive encouragement and just be there when the kids need someone to lean on. I believe God want to use me during this time and I know I will be able to make a difference in the places we go. For both minor and major outreach, 9 weeks of ministry, my leaders estimate the cost to be less than 3,000 Australian dollars.
I want to thank everyone who has supported me thus far with thoughts, prayer and finances. We were able to raise the perfect amount for all of my lecture fees and God has done so much. The time has come to further my growth and help others as I embark on a new adventure of outreach to the youth of Australia. I would like to ask everyone to once again partner with me in a life and world changing experience. I would ask first and foremost for your prayer, I have been at the receiving end of them and I know they are being answered. Secondly If you would like to support me on these mission trips your gifts would be greatly appreciated. I thank you all for helping me get this far.

Love you all,
Nathan Gonzalez

P.S. For more information about Ywam or the Reef to Outback base go to www.reeftooutback.com.

G’day Everyone,
Well a month has flown by already. It’s amazing how fast time goes when you are learning and making amazing new friends. Most of my time has been spent on lectures, homework, work duties, Youth Street, building friendships and occasionally going to the beach. I’m having a great time. At times, it has been a lot of hard work. Something I have come to realize the last few weeks is growing is hardly ever easy and occasionally hurts. That’s been my life ever since I have gotten here, constant growth.
The last three weeks we have been learning about clear consciences, relationships, and the father heart of God. All were good subjects and I learned so much each week. I have been constantly challenged to grow and to step into what God has for me. So far it’s been an amazing time for me grow and mature. The lectures aren’t what you would normally expect. The majority of the time is the speaker speaking on the subject of the week, but they also allow for a lot of Q and A. This gives time for anyone having hard time grasping any concept of the talk to really understand what is being said and for it to make the journey from your head to your heart.
This week is going to be full of adventure and even more growth. Yesterday we went to the Billabong Sanctuary. It was so awesome getting to actually interact with the animals. They had kangaroos roaming free, koalas hanging out in trees and a only thin fence that separated you from the crocodiles. Today through Friday the lectures are on identity, which sounds like its going to be a topic I will be learning a heaps in. Then on Sunday the DTS and I will be heading to Hidden Valley for two weeks of camping and lectures. I have no idea what to expect from these next couple weeks, if they are like any of the last four they will be full of adventure and learning to trust God more than I knew I could.

G'day everyone,
The whole DTS crew went to the Billabong Sanctuary today. We had heaps of fun going around and getting to interact with the animals a bit. Here are some of the photos I took of the animals while I was there. Enjoy...

Hey everyone,
It's been a crazy last four weeks here in Townsville. A good crazy, but crazy none the less. Most of my time has been taken up by lectures, Youth Street, work duties, home work, building new friendships and occasionally going to the beach. There is so much I want to tell everyone, and I will, but first I want to upload some pictures so everyone can see some of the things I get to experience while I'm here.