Didn't see this coming!

So much has happened in the last 2 months—far more than I expected! Last time I wrote, I was heading into a full-on season with Greek exams, mission week, a bit of a holiday, and the start of Term 2. There's a lot to share, so let me start at the beginning.

March Madness

Despite fantastic birthday celebrations, by the end of March, I was feeling the weight of the upcoming Greek exam. Had I done enough? Would I be able to demonstrate that? What if I failed? Was all the stress worth it? Why was I even doing this? If this path didn’t work out, what was God’s plan for me?

At the time, I was reading Ephesians in my personal Bible study. In the middle of all the stress, one verse kept ringing in my heart as God’s Word broke through: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."

That was it. That’s the point. As I looked back through my prayer journal, I read this entry: "Father, I pray that as I study, I would know and understand more of you and your great love. I pray that in doing so, I would love others more. Out of the overflow of the love and grace you lavish on me, may I love and care for others."

Passing Greek was never the ultimate goal. College isn’t the be-all and end-all. The real aim is to love God more and to share that love so others might come to know him as Father too.

In that light, all the anxiety about the exam began to settle. Pass or fail, God’s will would prevail. I was still nervous—but what a miracle it was to sit in that exam room and know, deep in my bones, that God was with me and his plans for me were secure.

Greek Exam Ice Cream Celebration

The next day, joyful screams erupted in the dining room foyer—loud enough to disrupt a third-year lecture—as all the second-year girls hugged and cheered when Tom, our Greek lecturer, announced that I had passed! I could say that all my hard work paid off, but who are we kidding, God did a miracle! He stilled my restless heart, gave me clarity of mind and peace to function through the exam. Please rejoice with me in that!

There was so much joy! I celebrated on an ice cream run with my chaplaincy girls, joking about what big announcement might come next to justify a second trip!

Muslim Mission

The very next week, we launched into mission. All 15 chaplaincy groups from college scattered across Sydney and beyond for a week of evangelism and supporting local churches. As I mentioned in my last post, our team was based in a predominantly Muslim area of Sydney.

We had the privilege of attending the local church on both Sundays and witnessing a very different model of church life—one shaped by a rich diversity of cultures and languages.

Midweek, I fell ill—probably my body catching up after the whirlwind of exams and term one! Unfortunately, I missed being part of the English Language Ministry and had to push through Morning Playgroup. But by the end of the week, I managed to join the community BBQ, where I had a wonderful conversation with a Bangladeshi woman who pointed to the hot cross buns and asked, “Why is there a cross on them?”

All week, we had been learning how storytelling—especially Bible storytelling—is a powerful tool for evangelism, particularly in Muslim contexts and for those who speak English as a second language. So I took the opportunity and said:

"The cross was first placed on a hot cross bun to remind Christians of the true story of Easter. Have you ever heard that story?"

"No," she said.

"Would you like to?"

"Yes."

So I shared it with her:

Jesus, as a grown man, went around healing people and teaching them about the kingdom of God. But many people didn’t like what he was saying—especially the religious leaders—because he claimed to have the same power and authority as God. He did miraculous things that didn’t make sense to them...

Eventually, they plotted to kill him. One night, they arrested Jesus, beat him, and put him on trial. Though he had done nothing wrong, they called for him to be executed. In those days, the Romans crucified criminals by nailing them to a cross.

Jesus was nailed to a cross and left there to die. His friends and followers hid in fear. When he died, his body was taken down and placed in a tomb. A large stone was rolled in front of the entrance, and guards were posted outside to keep watch.

But on the third day, the ground shook, the stone was rolled away—and when they looked inside, Jesus was gone. His burial cloths were still there, and an angel declared, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here—he is risen!"

At that point, my friend stopped me and asked, “Wait—where was Jesus?”

"He’s alive!" I said. "He’s not dead anymore."

"That’s impossible," she replied. "You can’t die and come back to life. I couldn’t die and come back to life."

"You're right," I said. "But Jesus did. And we know it’s true because he appeared to his friends after he rose. Many people saw him. They touched him. They heard him speak. He even ate with them. He is alive. What does that tell you about who Jesus is?"

She paused. "This is a miracle. This is the power of God."

Her response to this story touched my heart. I was struck by the truth in her realisation. Easter reveals the power of God. That is true. But her next question was even more beautiful: "Why did Jesus die?" I shared with her then not just about the power of God in raising Jesus from the dead, but the love that motivated him to send Jesus to die for our sins. Please pray for my friend, and the many others who heard this story over the week that they would come to know and trust in God because of his great love. Pray for those who faithfully serve in this community, reading the bible with muslims and ministering to them daily. It is hard and slow labour. The workers there are few and the fields are so ripe for harvest. Pray for their endurance. Pray for more workers. Pray for many more to be saved!

April Adventures

After mission, it was time for a break! I had the great joy of heading out with Nich to Orange and Dubbo (way out in the country) to meet some of his family. It was so lovely to spend time together and explore the place Nich calls home. We enjoyed delicious food, rich conversations, a lakeside picnic, plenty of dog and baby cuddles, beautiful stars and even spotted more kangaroos! (My roo count is pretty high now!) It was a real blessing and fun time together.

We wrapped up the trip with a visit to the Blue Mountains, staying with friends and, between the moments of rest, getting stuck into college assignments due on the first day back.

And just like that, we were back into Term 2. Having passed Greek, I was now stepping up into Greek 2 classes and New Testament 2, where we are studying the book of John - IN GREEK! A huge step up for me, but it is reassuring to see that I am just as lost as everyone else most of the time! haha! We are now 3 weeks into Term 2 with exams looming at the end of Semester (June 9th - 20th). Please be praying for me in that. Four big exams in New Testament, Greek, Beginners Hebrew and Church History.

In the background, I have continued serving with Emu Music, running conferences and teaching seminars once a month in addition to running Church Training days and Workshops. I LOVE teaching. It is a real joy to get to do this with Emu! I am so thankful for a stretching and enjoyable student ministry this year. Every weekend, serving with them fills my emotional bucket and encourages my heart.

The Big Surprise

The biggest surprise of the term happened just two weeks in!

For most reading this, you will probably be surprised by this news, especially because Nich and I are such a new idea. We became fast friends at the start of last year and simply let that friendship flourish without expectation. Nich was keen on me much earlier. I only clued in to the idea that I really liked him in November! Tragic! But it was then, just before I left for Christmas break, that he asked me out.

We spent the next two months apart, chatting on the phone. When I returned, we decided that we wanted to enjoy dating in person for as long as we had online before taking the next steps. April 23rd marked 5 months of dating. The weekend of the 26th, Nich took me to the Sydney Opera House to see the film, The Man from Snowy River, with a live orchestra. (If you don't know, it is one of my favourite movies and an Aussie classic). At this point, we had reached our 2-month mark of dating in person, so I started to suspect that he might ask me that exciting question. We were walking home past some stunning old buildings, lit up and under a light rain. It felt like a movie set. I thought, "Oh my days, this is it!" and that's when Nich said, "This would’ve been a great moment to propose... oh well.”

And that was it. I spent the next few weeks wondering if he was going to ask at all. Every time he suggested a walk or dinner I would get excited and then he wouldn't ask. So I had two options: 1) expect it every time and be disappointed when it didn’t happen, or 2) let go of the guessing game and just enjoy our time together. So I rolled with option 2. Which is why I had no idea what was about to happen!

Wednesday, May 7th, Nich convinced me to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to head to Coogee

Beach and catch what might be the last good sunrise before winter sets in. Now, some of you are probably thinking, “Britt, it was so obvious what was about to happen. How could you not have known?” Oh, believe me! I hoped! Looking back, yes—there were a few clues I probably should’ve paid more attention to. But a sunrise date had been on our bucket list for a while so it wasn't that unusual. In the end, it was everything I had hoped for: a moment that was magical, personal, and natural.

We listened to hymns, chatted, and watched the most beautiful orange sky slowly rise over the horizon. The water was calm, the sky clear, with a soft band of sunlit clouds stretched across it. And then, right after sunrise, Nich got down on one knee, said the most beautiful things (which I can’t fully remember because I was freaking out! ), and he asked me the most wonderful question: He asked me to marry him. And I couldn’t have been more excited. I was speechless for a good 20 minutes!

Anyway! Here we are! I am engaged to be married to Nicholas Powell! Ha!

What a time! How good is God?!

I wish you could all meet Nich. He is awesome! For years, I have prayed that if I were to marry, God would send me a friend in the form of a good and kind man who feared God. Someone safe who would treasure my heart. He has blessed my prayer above and beyond with Nich!

Nich makes me laugh and helps me to think deeply about the things of God. There is no doubt that Christ is his first love, and he faithfully seeks to honour God in the way he loves others. He is brilliant at making everyone he chats with feel seen and cared for. He is passionate about ministry to rural and regional areas of Australia, where the spiritual fields are ripe for harvest but churches are often under-resourced. He loves sending me endless funny reels about Star Wars and LOTR. He enjoys hiking in the mountains and dancing in the rain. His laugh is contagious and warms the heart. He always sings with joy at the top of his lungs—probably louder than my dad, if you can believe that! He is encouraging, attentive and supportive. He is very intelligent, talented, thoughtful, and loving. He is fun, he is good, he is safe, and he is kind. Also, he said I can have a dog! YAY! (kind of a deal breaker) Hopefully, in the near future, some of you will get to meet him in person. Until then, we trust God and rejoice in his good gifts! Prayer Points

Engagement Icecream Celebration

• Praise God for passing the Greek exam!

• Pray for continued endurance in challenging studies and for the 4 big exams and 1 assignment at the end of the Semester

  • Hebrew - June 11th

  • Greek - June 13th

  • Church History - June 16th

  • New Testament - June 17th

  • Doctrine Quiz & Reflection- June 20th

• Praise God for mission week, for all that was learned in developing evangelism strategies.

• Praise God for the consistent and encouraging Student Ministry with Emu Music.

• Praise God for Nich, a godly man, faithful to the Lord, compassionate and kind, someone who loves the Lord and others with a deep and genuine love and who is keen to serve God in full-time mission to rural and regional areas of New South Wales.

• Pray for Nich and me, as we seek to honour God in our relationship, work to plan an international wedding, and seek to serve God together with our whole lives in ministry.

• Pray for me, as I wrestle with all the highs and lows that this term is bringing. Pray that I would keep my eyes firmly fixed on God, and would trust him alone with all that lies ahead.