25 May 2009

Adventist youth take country by STORM

Torres Strait, Queensland
RECORD staff/Ronda Peres/ Marty Benard/Macquarie College Newsletter

A number of STORM Co (Service To Others Really Matters) outreach programs were run by Adventist young people around Australia during the recent school holidays.

On April 10, 42 young people from all parts of Australia left Cairns, Queensland, to take STORM Co to Torres Strait, armed with puppets, crafts and games. The 2009 STORM Co team ran three programs on three islands-Hammond, Moa and Thursday Island.

The events were run by youth leaders Amanda Wakelin (NT), Liz Delaney (Proserpine, Qld) and Jared Smith (Port Macquarie, NSW). In addition to the usual outreach work, the program this year included an evangelistic series run by the young people, during which a number of people from the communities made a commitment to get closer to God.

According to Pastor David Kelsey, the STORM Co week was a "great success" and all the people involved said they would like to do it again.

Tweed Valley College students from Murwillumbah, NSW, took STORM Co to Tabulam during their Easter holidays. College chaplain Marty Benard says, "That's right-for a whole week, our students left behind their Myspace, Facebook, MSN and mobile phone reception, and travelled to a rural Indigenous community in Tabulam with intent to serve."

Tweed Valley College students went to Tabulam for their STORM Co outreach.

For six days, the students organised, led and implemented a kids' club, and worked on community service projects in the village of Jubullum. Elders in the community showed appreciation for the young people and emphasised how important it was that they were doing something positive on their holidays. By the end of the week, more than 40 children were attending the kids' club.

Mr Benard says, "It was awesome to see our young people stepping up, showing a giving and servant attitude, and making a difference in the lives of others in their own school holidays."

Macquarie College students from Wallsend, NSW, also used their school holidays to conduct a STORM Co program at Stuarts Point. The 29 students ran kids' club activities and helped out in the local community. Children responded positively to the program, with one child telling the students they looked forward to STORM Co visits more than Christmas.

Jacob Wylie, a student who took part in STORM Co, says, "It's incredible to reflect on the many positive ways giving one week of our holiday impacted on the Stuarts Point community and how, by working together, we made a difference."

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