Twenty years ago at Thredbo, many lives were lost in a mudslide disaster. It left the town a dark place spiritually, and they made it very clear since the tragedy that they did not want anything to do with local churches or any type of Christian outreach organizations. For years, SFC has been praying for this community. We have been praying that doors would open and that SFC could be a light and share God’s love with them.
Each season, the only church activity that happens in Thredbo is the blessing of the snow. As God seems to do frequently, He placed me in the right place at the right time. At this seasonal event, there were very few in attendance. I clearly stood out as the only young snowboarder there. Also at this event was the general manager of Thredbo. He approached me at the end of the service to ask, “What do you have to do with all of this?” I explained my reason and purpose for being there as well as ask if we could chat over coffee to explain more about SFC’s mission. Needless to say, I was elated when he accepted my invitation. Being the GM of a popular snow resort, he would normally be busy wining and dining resort guests, so I was very appreciative that he was willing to talk with me. Over this friendly conversation, he opened up to me about his life, background, his beliefs, and his journey to become the GM of Thredbo. He started to ask me more personal questions about why I am a snowboarder for Christ. Through this meeting, I was able to share SFC’s prayers for the community of Thredbo and express our desire to be a light in this secluded, darkened community. Praise be to God for answering our prayers! I am happy to report that since our coffee meeting, the GM accepted our proposal for SFC to serve at Thredbo.
As for God opening more doors, I had met Torah Bright, Australian Olympic snowboarder, at the X-Games almost fifteen years ago, and we have been friends since we meet. It was a no brainer to partner alongside her to teach mini shredders. We helped the grommets learn how to snowboard on boxes and jumps in addition to doing a sausage sizzle for over 200 kids. God truly does create opportunities! Please keep SFC Australia in your prayers that God will continue to open more opportunities to serve and be a light on the hill in Thredbo.
