Paddle for Poverty

After a huge 8-10' swell threatened to cancel the Paddleathon, we went ahead on a clear smooth sunday with a 4-5' south swell pushing us along. About 25 paddlers braved the 20km from Wollongong Harbour to Thirroul beach. Highlights included rounding the Bellambi bombie and guys catching a few big waves, the three standup paddle boards, 15 of our paddlers being first timers, the supportive boat crew and the camaraderie along the way. The winners are our five sponsor kids with Compassion and 3 hours of discomfort for us, is one year of living opportunities for them.

In addition I raised some $3800 for Homes of Hope in Chile where I will be heading off on June 10 to set up a new family home for a displaced family. Mitch Anderson from the surfing centre of Pichilemu and I have been talking and he is stoked that they are not forgotten and I hope to be able to purchase new power tools for Mitch so he can build another 20 houses! It is great to encourage surfers to make a difference using their surfing in service of others. I think Jesus would want us as Christian Surfers to do a whole lot more of this!

BD Paddles for Chile

Well, after trying to avoid that nagging feeling I should be doing something about the Chilean earthquake disaster down in Pichilemu, I got the message. Ok,ok God I will go! I have decided to add an extra 5 days to my USA visitation and will be going first to Chile to build a family home with Homes of Hope. 

I have been having weekly meetings with Mitch Anderson of YWAM Pichilemu who said last week,"We have around 420 families who homes need to be rebuilt or repaired. Many are still living in tents which will become critical as winter approaches. Please, now is the time to come help!" Mitch is partnering with "Homes of Hope" http://www.jucumpichilemu.cl/homes_of_hope.html. Check out the video. 

Well this coming Sunday, 16th May I will be joining in with the 10th annual Paddleathon fundraiser with my local CS chapter. We will paddle 20km to raise funds for our Compassion kids, but I am also adding onto this "Paddle for Chile" and I want to raise $US3,000 to build a new home (yes that is all it costs) plus $1000 for some new power tools for Mitch.

This project and Mitch's 20 years of local ministry is laying foundations for future local ministry to this surfing community. I have visited Mitch a couple of times and he was our speaker at our CSI Conference in Brazil in 2006 and a solid investment. 

I currently have raised $1,500, a good start!!!! Thanks! 

Please, if you want to support the Chilean earthquake victims and me building a home with a destitute family, go to http://www.christiansurfers.net/Donate.aspx specify for `Chile aid'. Currently donations are not tax deductible EXCEPT the good ole USA.

US donors can get tax deductible donations by giving to Homes of Hope noting this for "Davis Team" http://stores.homestead.com/YWAMVA/-strse-85/YWAM-Chile-Earthquake-Fund/Detail.bok

Thanks, psyching up those paddling arms!!!!

25th Wedding Anniversary

To all you out there in blogdom, I declare today my love for Mrs Gillian Davis who has endured me for some 25 years and been such a faithful friend, wife, advisor, buttkicker, theologian, mother, supporter. She has been the unseen glue of our family, the steady hand when I have been travelling, my inspiration to keep going, the one who has shaped me more than any other, a wise mother, a great talker, my greatest critic and encourager and the reason to come home.

They say that behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.......

I love you Gill

Road Trip Lennox Head

One of the great aspects of the Easter conference is heading on the surfers road trip! We had a great time travelling with Aaron, Albags, Paddy, Zank and Jared, as well as my family.

Heading up we caught up with former leaders Marty Dures (cheers for the accommodation Marty) and breakfast with old salts Luke Hadfield and George Watt. Then I convinced the groms to detour to visit our former North NSW RC Boyd Pope in a hippie commune (go Boyd, 60 and still grooving). Boyd showed us his artwork, hand made home, Greenough spoon, and was even playing 'Morning of the Earth' to set the scene. He is shining the Jesus light there as he has been for so many years.

Up at conference we saw Jon and Anita Woods, now a Presbyterian minister at Byron Bay, and they're fitting in really well (love the dreads Anita) and seeking to shine a contemporary biblical Christianity in a town that is far, far away from that.

Coming back, we stayed at the Browns shed, and what a 'shed' it is with bunk room, honeymoon residence, ping pong table, etc. complete in farm setting with cow aroma! Thanks Pete and Bec!

After a 4WD up the beach to back Hat Head the boys scored empty waves and it was a great way to finish off the road trip. The people and places along the way made it, as they say the most significant things are not the destination, but the journey. God is good.

CS Australia Conference

What has 440 feet, 160 surfboards, 20 bodyboards, 30 kids and 220 beating hearts for mission? Yep, the CSA national leadership conference was held at Lennox Head over Easter with some 220 attendees.

We had a great time with challenging speaker Mick Duncan, awesome worship, 4-6' surf, good food, inspiring story and the annual reunion of CS leadership.

This was the 28th conference and I was so proud to see another generation of leadership coming through after pioneering the early years. It was fun to share the CS story via a representative human timeline and walk through our history together. Gill and I also did some marriage seminars and exhorted others to stay the course in marriage.

Taylor and India came as well (Taylor clocking up another 6 hours driving) along with Aaron and 4 junior leaders from our local mission.

Church in Japan

Yuya is seeking to start up a surfer friendly church that will be able to accommodate the many surfers CS is reaching out to. At a recent pastors conference he said he was so discouraged by the established churches, "What are you doing that for??!!"

The church in Japan is small (just a 0.1% Christian country) averaging only 25-30 people from a handful of families. It is also conservative and protective, being focused on preserving their own. This is a huge challenge for CS Japan as they seek to build newly converted surfers into a church culture that largely does not want them.

I had the privilege of speaking at David's church from Acts 10 where God challenges the cultural barriers to evangelism and felt called to challenge them to two things 1) Let my people go - in evangelism to the world and 2) let my people come - in embracing new believers to the church. What a challenge!

CSJ is on the cutting edge of evangelism and church development. Whilst it takes Japanese people a long time to come to faith, once they commit they are solid and loyal.

Surfing in Japan

"Hey BD its gotta be just 6 degrees out there, its freezing!" said my travelling buddy and Australasia Regional Coordinator, Richard Agius. He was right, the air temp was way down, the waves were small and inconsistent and yet we saw waves of surfers heading for the beach.

After chasing up an extra set of gloves and hood, I felt like the 'Michelin Man', all rubbered up from head to toe. Just walking to the beach along the pine lined walkway with the windchill cutting through us was enough. Thankfully the water was actually a relief and we enjoyed being the novelty foreigners out in the water. Ever polite, every Japanese surfer said hello and made room for us.

There are some 1.5 million surfers in Japan and nearly all belong to a 'surfshop club' in typical collective loyalty. We visited the Surftech showroom that is owned by Christians and employs Christians and is also the CS Japan office and base. Amazing to see the interaction of this true surf mission business.

Japanese are the great lovers of all things gadget with whatever they are into, and I thought I had seen everything (from surfboard wax up stands to wetsuit softening agents) until I purchased my own sachet of "Super Magical Powder" that you add to water, pour into your wetsuit and hey magic, you stay warm? Only in Japan!