South West Life

Every so often we introduce you to someone doing something cool.  This time it’s tricky, being a relative it’s close to home, but I sat with Hannah a couple of weeks ago and heard some really great things about what she’s doing.  “Can I write something for your magazine?” she asked, and I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

The stories about other people she’s met are uplifting, sometimes heartbreaking, and usually fun.  This is an intro to how she meets them and what she does, I’m kind of hopeful that we’ll get to offer a few more “snapshots” as time goes by.  Meanwhile, here’s an introduction to a girl from the South West, doing some really worthwhile things.

Letter From Perth - by Hannah Roberts

I grew up in the South West, mostly in Bunbury and surrounding areas. I loved life, one of 5 siblings, mum and dad, a pet here or there, plenty of room to run around and beaches to learn to surf at. I was home schooled for my primary education, and first attended school in grade 8 at Bunbury High. Later I was moved to a smaller private school, but these details aren't really the things that matter. I did what we're all required to do and completed some form of an education. Trying to choose what you want to do with life as a 16 year old isn't the simplest task, because there are so many possibilities, but I tried. After a few different attempts which, although not failures, weren't what I wanted to do, I decided to get out and see the world. 

First things first though, nobody travels without paying for it. I got a job at Civic Video. This is a season I have many fond memories of, I met some great friends and had ridiculous fun working. Nothing too significant happened, I learned to skate, broke my arm doing it, got a tattoo when the cast came off, spent far too much time not sleeping and too little time in my own house with my family. While it kept me busy and more than entertained, the restlessness wasn't cured. 

So in the first week of 2009, I moved a little further north to be part of a training school in Perth known as a 'DTS' (or discipleship training school).  It was run by Youth With A Mission, an international non-profit missions organisation. The first 12 weeks I spent in Perth at the base, participating in lectures, having more fun (it tends to be a constant pattern in my life) and finding out a little bit more of what it is that causes me to be dissatisfied with living a 'regular' life. Turned out that I'm this way for a reason, and that it's largely because I wasn't born just to satisfy me, but I'm here to serve other people. The second half of my school was spent with a team of youth in South Africa and Mozambique, where we worked in slums, schools and the streets with people who are just like you and me, only without the wealth and education. Most of the people I encountered had harder lives than seemed fair or right, but they all had the courage and strength to tell their stories and keep smiling. They taught me greater things than I was able to learn in a classroom, and I grew up a lot as a result of what I experienced.

After that there wasn't a chance of me going back home and continuing on with what I left behind and simply working or studying. I knew that this was a long term thing for me, that for the next couple of years at least I'd be doing what I'm passionate about and getting out into the nations to see love presented to those that don't receive nearly enough.

The next step from there was to join staff of YWAM Perth to go back for round two of DTS, and instead of being on a team, I would be leading one. This is still fresh in my mind, the school only finished 2 and a half months ago. I led a team to Mexico for the second half of the school, and the three months were crazy to say the least. The absolute greatness of who and what I encountered over this year overwhelms and excites me simultaneously. The world is so full of remarkable people, and I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I keep meeting them. As a staff member I get the privilege of not only hearing people’s stories but to participate in and influence them. One of my favourite parts of the trip was starting up a free cafe for young people on the 4th floor of a church building. Amongst the good memories there are also some hard ones, but I learn from the challenges and continue moving forward.

Moving forward for me means that I now dance with a ministry called Island Breeze. While Island Breeze was started in American Samoa in 1979, in Perth now it’s headed up by one Samoan couple, and it uses cultural songs and dances from the islands of the South Pacific to reach out to people and bring a message of hope and joy.  While we're in Perth we get to do a number of things, like visiting schools, elderly homes and juvenile detention centres. At the heart of Island Breeze is redemption of the cultural songs and dances from a number of the Pacific Island nations. They have been misinterpreted or misrepresented, and have become something that they were not meant for. Instead of being a beautiful form of celebration or honouring, it has often become commercialised and sexualised.

Part of what we do is bringing the dances back to their pure form, and using them to promote positive messages. I think it's really important that we get to share what we do with other people, and they have their perspective changed, and in a sense their perception of the cultures redeemed. Being a part of the ministry I find that I have the same opportunities. Most of us come from very different backgrounds, from Europe to Asia, Africa, Australia and the South Pacific, but within what we do we serve a common purpose and goal. I am consistently learning something new from the amazing people I serve alongside, who have become my family, and I know that this is mutual. Not only am I learning about languages, traditions and dances, but also relationship, grace and acceptance. There is always a place here, and being a part of Island Breeze has given me an avenue to grow and find purpose.

I'm not entirely sure what comes after this, but for now I'm in the right place, and pretty soon I will be dancing for the first time, in my hometown of all places. Next year could be staffing another DTS and seeing my generation transformed and equipped to go out into the world, or it could be joining Island Breeze to go on tour to Mexico City and giving value and worth to the lives we encounter. Either way, I'm in for one big adventure, and I continue to do what I love...